The Bachelor and the Beauty Queen

A set of birds flew out of the hanging moss when Lexi began to laugh. “Aww, ‘bless your heart’ is a nice way to say, ‘Go...’” Her words trailed off when a man with a white collar over his black T-shirt asked for everyone’s attention to bless the food. Townspeople gathered around and bowed their heads.

Like a stampede, wet children flocked the dozen picnic tables and began ripping off the plastic wrap and plastic container tops for the food. A man in a pair of overalls who’d been handling a large oblong grill hinged to the back of a rusty red pickup truck opened the lid and the scent of charcoal filtered through the air. Stephen’s stomach growled. His mouth watered for one of the hot dogs or burgers, maybe both.

“What are you in the mood for?” asked Lexi when the line began to thin. “I can make a plate for you if you’ll find us a spot under one of the trees.”

You, he thought, but instead said, “How about a little of everything?” Off in the distance he found a spot free of red-ant colonies, underneath an oak tree shaded by the oversize branches and Spanish moss. The wide trunk supported his back as he pulled his legs up. Kimber and Marvin sat at a table with a bunch of other boys and girls, far away from both uncles. Philly ate on a blanket, teaching her new beauty walk to her friends. Nate leaned against a tree, cornered by a mystery woman while Keenan mingled with Lexi’s assistant, Chantal.

“Don’t get me wrong, but nothing but scandal has followed the Pendergrass family,” a woman’s voice said from the other side of the tree.

Hard to believe that a few weeks ago Stephen would have paid to gain any information on Lexi and her family. Well aware things were not rosy with her parents, he’d dropped the subject with her and waited until Lexi wanted to share what happened. And coming from a small town, Stephen did not like to eavesdrop on gossip, but the mention of Lexi’s family’s name piqued his interest.

“Mr. Pendergrass still won’t show his face at any public function. I bet he still believes the youngest one isn’t his.”

“Mmm,” said another voice, “after all these years? You know they’re good for trying to keep secrets. Those two ain’t foolin’ nobody. Did you see the way they kept making googly eyes at each other all day?”

What? Stephen wanted to laugh.

“She wouldn’t dare. Didn’t she learn her lesson from the last time she got involved with a parent?”

“Girl, don’t get me started. At least this one won’t be here long. Hopefully, when Lexi’s done with this one, it won’t bring the trash TV people around here like the last time.”

Stephen’s teeth gnashed together when he heard a clap. Did they high-five each other?

“What about the oldest Pendergrass girl, running off with that man? See, that’s why they’re in trouble now. I refuse to believe Lisbeth Pendergrass was brought up to marry some swindler.”

Lisbeth, Stephen recalled Lexi mentioning her older sister.

“—leaving her daughter behind like that. What a shame. You know what Lisbeth’s husband did to those people, and it’s a wonder something bad hasn’t fallen on the entire family. God don’t like ugly.”

“Speaking of not liking ugly,” the first woman said, lowering her tone. “You heard the man who brought Divinity’s Bakery is planning on tearing down the block and building a high-rise apartment? All these big-city folks keep moving down here and taking over.”

An apartment? Stephen thought. He had no idea what to do with the place. See, this was why he hated small towns. False gossip.

“Well I would not string the word ugly and that man together.”

“Amen,” the other woman said before another apparent high five.

“Did you say an apartment complex? Aren’t things bad enough with the condominiums downtown? I swear I hate havin’ to carry myself up to the City Hall to pay my bills. They got too much going on.”

Stephen, so engrossed in eavesdropping, didn’t hear Lexi’s flip-flops flapping against the back of her heels. “Hey, getting you a little bit of everything required a couple of plates,” she said, kicking the bottom of his leather boat shoes.

Immediately he rose to relieve her of the four plates she balanced on both hands and forearms. They carried a spoonful or two of every casserole, baked beans, coleslaw, potato salad and macaroni salad, mini sandwiches, a few hot dogs, sausage dogs, and a burger with a slice of tomato and lettuce spilling out.

“Oh, thank you! I can work a catwalk in six-inch heels, wearing an eight-pound tiara balanced on my head like it’s nobody’s business, but my waitressing skills are not up to par.”

“Lexi!” One of the gossiping ladies stepped out from around the tree. Both women wore a set of velour jogging outfits, jackets unzipped, one purple, one brown. “What a pleasure to have you out here on this glorious day.” The woman in brown, probably in her sixties, had the decency to avoid eye contact with Stephen. Her porcelain skin had reddened and not from the sun.

“Hi, Mrs. Fields,” Lexi said to the first lady, leaning over to air-kiss her cheeks, then she reached over and hugged the other gossiping woman. “Hi, First Lady Huggins. Allow me to introduce to you one of Southwood’s new residents, Stephen Reyes. Stephen, this is Mrs. Fields. She and her husband own th

e pharmacy down the street from our shops.”

Stephen made a mental note to never step foot in their establishment as he balanced the four plates in one hand. Her small, fragile hands shook with his. The woman next to her offered Stephen her boney hand to shake.

“And this is Mrs. Huggins. Her husband is the pastor who blessed our food today. Would you ladies be so kind and keep an eye on Stephen while I run and get us some tea?”

Flustered, First Lady Huggins opened her Martin Luther King Jr. fan and began cooling the beads of sweat around her neck and forehead. “Mr. Reyes, we did not realize you were sitting here.”

Jaw clenched, Stephen nodded. “Aw, bless your heart.”