Lyrics of a Small Town

The last request on the list was simple, which meant it could end with a life-changing revelation. I no longer walked into these tasks on Gran’s list blinded. I was ready for anything. At least I told myself I was.

I pulled my car into the driveway of a white house that had to have been built in the seventies. It had the structure that had been popular only during that decade of bad style and fashion. The slanted roof at strange angles and long skinny windows had never been attractive to me. Reaching over, I picked up the box of Southern Women cookbooks that Gran had collected. There were some over sixty years old. Whoever Betty was, she would be inheriting this collection of the south’s best fried foods, pies, grits, and jello molds. Lucky her.

Carrying the box, I made my way up the drive and sat it down so I could ring the doorbell. I heard a dog begin barking and a woman talking to it like a child before the door swung open. When the smiling face met mine, I recognized Betty. She had been at the church on the day I took Gran’s clothing.

She had been the one to give me the lemonade and cookies. I hadn’t expected to see her again. Gran must have been close to Betty. I was glad I had taken the cookies and lemonade from her that day.

“Henley!” Betty said, beaming at me. “I have been expecting you.”

That was not the response I had been anticipating.

“You have?” I asked, wondering what it was Gran had led me into this time. I should have known something that sounded simple wouldn’t be.

Betty nodded and bent down to hush the barking dog again. “I’m sorry about Goldi. She gets excited about company. Won’t harm a fly though but then she’s not much bigger than one,” she told me.

I had to agree. Goldi was a tiny white fluff ball. I wasn’t sure what kind of dog she was, but she looked more like a tiny stuffed bear than anything.

Betty opened the screen door. “Come on in and you can leave those cookbooks right there by the stairs. I will get into those later. Will give me something to do other than watch television tonight,” she said.

I did as I was told then followed Betty and the tiny fluff that was Goldi into the next room.

“Let me see, I have it right over here,” she said, looking over at a large bookcase full of anything but books. There was every sort of porcelain figurine you could imagine. It seemed that angels and birds were her favorite. There were more of them than anything else. Scattered amongst the figurines were picture frames. Many of children, some graduation photos, a few beach pictures, and then a black and white wedding photo.

“Here it is!” Betty exclaimed and picked up a small flat box. “I pulled it out of the closet just last week, figuring you would be here soon to get it.”

I wasn’t here to get a box, but she held it out to me, still smiling with the perfect white teeth that could only be dentures.

“Did you do it all then?” Betty asked me.

“Uh,” I replied, not sure what she was asking.

“The list,” she replied then bent to pick up Goldi who had stopped with the barking but was now running circles around Betty’s and my legs. She knew about the list. I hadn’t known Gran told anyone about it.

“Yes. This was the last thing I needed to do,” I told her.

“Did you learn anything?” she asked then kissed Goldi’s head as the pup licked at her face.

“Oh, yes. I learned quite a lot,” I replied.

Betty chuckled then. “I guess you did.”

I looked down at the box she had given me. “What’s this?” I asked since she seemed to know so much about things.

Betty shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s sealed and I wasn’t told to open it. Just to give it to you.”

“Okay, well, thank you,” I said.

Betty nodded her head. “You’re welcome and anytime you want, the church doors are open for you.”

I wasn’t going to church, but I didn’t tell her that. “I need to get going,” I said. “it was nice seeing you again.”

Betty put Goldi down on floor again. “You drive careful and I hope it all works out,” she replied. Then walked back to the door and opened it for me.

“Uh, thanks,” I said, not sure what it was that she was referring to.

Goldi went back to barking as I made my way to the car. When I opened my door, I looked up to see Betty still standing there. She waved at me and I lifted my hand and waved back before getting in the car.

On the drive back, I glanced at the box several times, wondering what was inside and if I was ready for whatever Gran had left me. I was a mixture of anxiety, curiosity, and nervousness when I finally walked into the house with the box.