Once in Every Life

Color rose in Jeffie's face like a wave of red paint. "Thanks!" He dropped to his knees beside Savannah and began earnestly rummaging through his lard tin.

Savannah's mouth closed with a click of teeth. Stiffening, she lowered her lashes and studied Jeffie.

He looked .. . nervous. His fingers were all fidgety and 135

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clumsy as he peeled the thin cheesecloth away from his

wedge of cornbread.

Suddenly he looked sideways and caught her watching

him.

Heat blazed across Savannah's cheeks. She wrenched her gaze away and buried it in the ankle-high grass.

"Savannah?"

Reluctantly she glanced his way. "Yeah?"

He blushed. "I was wonderin' ... I mean, the shearin' dance is comin' up, an'?"

"That ain't for weeks," Katie interrupted.

Jeffie shot her an irritated look, then swallowed hard. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down his skinny throat. "Anyway, it ain't that far away, an', well ... I was wonderin' if you'd go with me." He stared at her through huge, earnest eyes.

A confusing rush of emotions hurtled through Savannah. For no reason at all, she felt like crying. "I can't."

"But?"

Savannah's mouth trembled and turned down. "You know my mama. I couldn't even if ..." "Even if what?" She swallowed the lump in her throat and said quietly,

"Even if I wanted to."

"Oh." Jeffie carefully wrapped up his crumbling cornbread and plunked it back in his pail. Slowly he got to his feet. " 'Bye," he said, then turned and walked away.

Savannah stared at the ground through the stinging haze

of unshed tears.

"Maybe you should talk to Mama," Katie offered. "She's been sorta ... nice lately."

Savannah's pent-up breath released. "What would I say? She wouldn't understand what's wrong with me."

"There ain't nothin' wrong with you," Katie answered defensively. "You're perfect."

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Savannah gave her baby sister a weak smile. "Thanks. Now, eat your lunch."

They lapsed back into a companionable silence. Savannah tried to concentrate on eating, only eating and nothing more. But Katie's words came back to her time and again.

Talk to Mama.

If only I could, she thought.

She bit into her slice of bread and chewed tiredly. Of course she couldn't talk to Mama; there was no doubt about that. It had been years since she'd even tried. Mama would just tell her what she already knew: She was acting plum crazy around Jeffie Peters. There wasn't no chance at all Mama would tell her what she really wanted to know.