The Christmas Pony (3 page)

Veronica began to talk about a motion picture she'd recently seen. “Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were in it,” she explained with wide-eyed enthusiasm. “It was called
It Happened One Night
, and it was about a couple who were taking a road trip.” She giggled. “Kind of like George and me.” She went on to say how everyone got very confused, and then the woman was going to marry someone else, and Veronica chattered on and on until Lucy felt lost—happily lost. She thought she could listen to Veronica talking about movies forever.

“Well.” Mama said this in a way that suggested she'd heard enough. “That is all very interesting, but if you'll excuse me, I have some work to attend to now.” She scooted back her chair and stood. “Lucy, you will help your grandmother clear the table, please.” Mama left, and the meal and the interesting conversation seemed to be over too.

“I'm plumb worn out from all the traveling I've been doing.” Veronica set her napkin on the table. “I do believe I'll catch up on some beauty rest this afternoon.”

George thanked Grandma for the delicious meal and excused himself as well. Grandma reminded them both to sign in at the registration book on the buffet table, and then she and Lucy began to clear the table and wash the dishes.

“I 'spect your mama won't be using the good china for the next meal,” Grandma said in a funny-sounding voice.

“Why not?” Lucy asked.

Grandma just chuckled.

Lucy held up a delicate teacup and nodded. “I guess I don't mind if she uses the everyday dishes. I don't worry so much about breaking those.”

“Everyday dishes are more practical.”

“Do you think Veronica is pretty, Grandma?”

Her brow creased. “I suppose some people might think a woman like that is pretty . . . if you like that sort of thing.”

“I think Veronica is about the prettiest person I've ever laid eyes on,” Lucy confessed.

“I don't know as I'd go as far as all that.”

“I think she'll probably become a real movie star too,” Lucy continued with enthusiasm. “Can't you just imagine seeing Veronica's face at our movie theater in town?”

“You know I don't care much for motion pictures, Lucy. The truth is, I'm rather surprised that George is agreeable to that kind of nonsense for his wife. He didn't strike me as that sort of fellow.” Grandma made a tsk-tsk sound through her teeth. “But young people nowadays . . . I 'spect times are changing.”

After the dishes were washed and dried and put back in the china cabinet, Lucy decided to take a peek at the registration book. She was curious about where George and Veronica had come from. But to her surprise, they had written down different last names. George's last name was listed as Prescott and Veronica's was Grant. Not only that, but George had written that he'd come from Chicago, Illinois, and Veronica had written St. Louis, Missouri. Lucy knew enough about geography to know that those places were a ways apart.

“Did our guests sign in?” Mama asked as she laid some freshly ironed table linens in the drawer at the bottom of the china cabinet.

“Yes . . .” Lucy gave her a quizzical look.

“Is something wrong?”

Lucy shrugged, then closed the guestbook. If something was wrong, she wasn't sure she wanted Mama to know about it. Not just yet anyway. Already Mama seemed slightly disturbed by their new guests. Lucy suspected that Mama might not be too happy about renting rooms to movie stars, or
almost
movie stars. But Lucy thought it was terribly exciting. It was also an answer to her prayers. Besides that, didn't they need the money?

Fortunately, Mama didn't question her further. Instead she asked Lucy to bring some firewood out to the barn where she was working on laundry this afternoon. Some people might think it strange to do laundry in a barn, but their barn wasn't used for animals anymore. The only livestock they had these days was old Beulah the milk cow, who mostly lived in a loafing shed near the barn, and the chickens. The barn had long since been cleaned and swept and was where Mama kept their wringer washer and ironing board as well as several clotheslines that were strung back and forth. During the winter, a woodstove was kept burning to warm the barn enough for the laundry to dry.

As Lucy piled firewood into her wagon, she daydreamed about Veronica Grant starring in a motion picture playing at the Maple Grove movie theater. It would be so exciting to stand in the ticket line and tell everyone within earshot about how the famous actress had actually slept at their house.

Lucy wished that school wasn't already let out for Christmas vacation, because she wanted the chance to tell Helen Krausner all about it. She wouldn't brag, exactly, since bragging wasn't very nice. But she would happily tell Helen all about the almost movie star who was staying at their house. She would carefully describe just how beautiful and well dressed Veronica was and how she let Lucy call her by her first name and all sorts of things. Not to be mean, but just to show Helen that she wasn't the only one with interesting things to talk about. Helen always acted like she was better than everyone else, but Lucy was certain that Helen had never had someone as glamorous as Veronica Grant stay at her house. Really, it was almost as good as having a pony!

D
o you need some help with that?”

Lucy looked up from where she was using both hands in an attempt to tug her heavily loaded wagon out of a muddy rut in the middle of the driveway. George peered down at her with a curious expression. He'd changed out of his brown suit and was now wearing gray corduroy trousers and a dark green sweater. Without waiting for her to answer, he picked up the back end of the wagon and helped her to move it past the rut.

“Thanks.” She smiled at him.

“Where are you taking that wood?” he asked as he walked alongside her.

She explained about Mama's laundry setup in the barn.

“No kidding?” He scratched his head. “Your mother is a very enterprising woman.”

Lucy frowned. “Enterprising?”

He grinned. “That means she's a hard-working businesswoman.”

“Oh.” She nodded. “My daddy used to take care of everything. But when he died, Mama had to work harder than ever.”

“I'm sorry to hear about your father, Lucy.” Now he reached down and took the handle of the wagon from her. “Why don't you let me help with that?”

Lucy didn't protest as he continued pulling the firewood toward the barn. “Can I ask you a question?” she said quietly.

“Sure.” He paused to look at her.

“Why do you and Veronica have different names?”

He looked somewhat bewildered.

“I peeked at the guestbook,” she confessed. “Veronica's last name is Grant and yours is Prescott.”

He still seemed slightly confused, almost as if he was surprised by this himself. But then his eyes lit up like someone turned the lights on. “Oh, I think I understand. You must have assumed that Veronica and I were husband and wife.”

Now Lucy felt confused, but she just nodded dumbly.

“Veronica and I aren't married, Lucy. We simply met on the road.”

“You met on the road?” Lucy tried to imagine them meeting on the road, shaking hands, exchanging names.

“It's a long story, but Veronica needed a ride and I was going her way. That's how we met.”

Lucy didn't know what to say as she slid open the barn door and waited for George to pull the loaded wagon inside before she slid it closed again.

“Oh?” Mama looked up from her ironing board in surprise.

“George is helping me,” Lucy explained as she pointed over to the big old woodstove.

George rolled the wagon over and started unloading the wood onto the nearby pile.

“Well, thank you,” Mama told him in a stiff voice.

“This is quite some setup you've got here.” George looked around the barn with an approving expression. “What a great idea for drying laundry in the wintertime.”

“Yes, well, we don't usually have our guests out here.” Mama pressed her lips together as she smoothed the front of her old apron.

“I'm sorry to intrude.” George stepped back as if he were feeling uncomfortable. “I was just out for a walk, and it looked like Lucy needed a hand.”

“George said you're
enterprising
,” Lucy told Mama, trying out her new word and hoping to put things more at ease. Why was Mama acting so contrary today?

“Enterprising is one way of putting it.” Mama was using a tight-sounding voice. “I just do what needs to be done.” She turned her attention back to where she was ironing a man's white shirt. “So if you will kindly excuse me.”

“Sorry to bother you, ma'am.” George tipped his hat, then made a quick exit.

“Mama.”
Lucy went over by the ironing board after the door was closed. “Why are you being rude to our guests today?”

Mama used the back of her hand to push a wisp of hair off her damp forehead. “Was I being rude?”

“It seemed like it to me.” Lucy peered curiously at her.

Mama sighed. “I suppose it's because I don't completely approve of our guests, Lucy. I don't like the idea of a man letting his wife run off to Hollywood to become a movie actress. It just doesn't sit well with me, and I think—”

“But Veronica's
not
his wife,” Lucy clarified.

Mama looked at her with startled eyes.
“What?”

“George just told me that they met on the road. They're not married at all.” Lucy thought that this should fix everything in Mama's mind.

“They're
not
married?” Mama set her iron down with a thud.

“No, Mama.”

“Well!”
And just like that, without even moving the iron from the shirt it was still resting on, Mama stormed out of the barn without even bothering to close the door.

Feeling alarmed and somewhat responsible for whatever was about to happen, Lucy set the heavy iron upright, then trailed after her angry mother. “What's wrong, Mama?” she called, but Mama was walking fast, and in a moment they were in the kitchen where Mama was talking quickly to Grandma, using words like
morals
and
scruples
and
conscience
and
ethics
and saying how nobody seemed to have them anymore and what was the world coming to anyway.

Mama threw her hands up in the air. “They are not even married,” she proclaimed as if it were a crime.

“Oh my!” Grandma looked alarmed now. “What are you going to do about it, Miriam?”

Mama was pacing back and forth in the kitchen now, wringing her hands and shaking her head. “I don't know. I just don't know.”

“You could throw them out,” Grandma said.

Lucy bit her lip.
“Throw them out?”
she repeated. “Why would we throw them out?”

Mama's frown lines deepened. “They are a bad influence on you, Lucy. As your mama, I can't let them stay here like this.”

“Why?” Lucy asked. “Is it because Veronica wants to be a movie actress?”

Mama knelt down now, looking Lucy directly in the eyes. “No, that's not the reason. Oh, I don't really approve of that exactly, and certainly not under these circumstances. But it's not a reason to throw them out.”

“Then
why
, Mama?” Lucy felt close to tears now. “I prayed for boarders, just like you said, and God sent them to us. Why would you throw them out?”

Still down at Lucy's level, Mama pressed her lips together and looked up at Grandma, as if she thought she might have the answer.

“It's complicated, Lucy,” Grandma said slowly. “Your mama and I don't approve of a couple sharing a room together if they're not married, and it's just—”

“But George and Veronica aren't sharing a room together,” Lucy exclaimed. “Veronica is staying in the front room and George took the one in back.”

“Oh.” Mama stood back up, folding her arms across her front.

“So . . . can they stay?” Lucy asked hopefully.

Mama and Grandma looked at each other, but they still looked uneasy. “I don't know for sure, Lucy.”

“But we need the money, Mama. You said we do.”

“Why don't you go speak to them?” Grandma suggested to Mama. “Get to the bottom of it.”

Mama firmly nodded. “I'll do that.”

Lucy started to go with her, but Grandma put a hand on her shoulder. “You stay here with me,” she said quietly. “This is grown-up business.”

Lucy stayed in the kitchen, helping Grandma to make piecrust while Mama was gone. But as Lucy was rolling out the dough, she noticed George outside. It looked like he was
coming back from his walk. “I guess Mama hasn't talked to George yet,” she told Grandma, pointing out the kitchen window.

“That might be easier.” Grandma shook her head. “She and Veronica can talk woman to woman.”

Lucy wished she could overhear the conversation. More than that she hoped Mama wasn't saying anything rude to Veronica. Even if Mama didn't approve of movie actresses, it seemed wrong to be mean to her. What if Veronica took offense and decided to leave? Besides them needing the money, Lucy didn't want Veronica to go.

“Well, that's all settled,” Mama said as she rejoined them in the kitchen.

“What did you decide?” Grandma asked.

Lucy stayed quietly put, hoping she might go unnoticed as she slowly moved the rolling pin across the dough on the kitchen table. Like Grandma sometimes said, Lucy just wanted to be like a fly on the wall as the grown-ups talked.

“Lucy was right,” Mama told Grandma. “George and Veronica are not married. And they are not sharing a room. Veronica claims that they met while traveling. It seems Veronica needed a ride and George offered her one. Apparently there was no romance involved.” Mama made an exasperated-sounding sigh. “At least not yet, anyway. But when I voiced my concerns, Veronica assured me there would be no”—Mama cleared her throat—“no degeneracy going on. And I made it perfectly clear that I will tolerate none.”

Lucy wasn't sure what degeneracy meant and had no intention of asking, but based on the tone of Mama's voice, she suspected it was not a good thing. Mostly she was relieved that Veronica Grant was being allowed to stay on with them.

“Are you going to speak to George?” Grandma asked quietly.

“I don't think that will be necessary.” Mama was halfway out the back door now. “I have the woman's word.”

“Well.” Grandma slapped the flour off her hands. “I guess that takes care of that.”

After the pies were in the oven, Lucy slipped upstairs. She knew she was supposed to go up there only to replace linens or tend to the needs of guests, but she told herself that it was possible the towels needed freshening by now. Mostly she was hoping that she'd get a chance to say something to Veronica. Just in case she was feeling bad about what Mama had said.

“Hello, doll,” Veronica called out as Lucy walked quietly down the hallway. “What are you up to?”

Lucy smiled at her. “Just checking to see if you need anything. Towels or soaps or anything? Or if you'd like a cup of tea?” They didn't usually bring tea to their boarders, but Veronica seemed special.

“Tea?” Veronica's blue eyes sparkled. “Yes, that would be lovely, thank you. I take just a spoonful of sugar, please.”

Excited at the prospect of delivering a cup of tea to Veronica, Lucy scampered downstairs and explained her plan to Grandma.

“Tea?” Grandma scowled. “She expects you to serve her tea in her room?”

Lucy shrugged. “It was kind of my idea.”

Grandma's scowl was replaced with amusement. “Oh, it was, was it?”

Lucy grinned and nodded.

“Well, just this once. No need to tell your mama about it.” She nodded to the stove. “The kettle is hot, and you know where the tea is.”

“I'll use an everyday cup and saucer,” Lucy promised.

“That would be wise.”

Before long, Lucy was carefully going up the stairs with the steaming cup of tea in both hands, trying to keep the amber liquid from slopping over the sides. “Here you go,” she said as she carried it into Veronica's room.

“You are an angel.” Veronica took the cup and saucer from her with a grateful smile. “I was just feeling plumb worn out from all the traveling and everything I've been through these past few days. I'd say you're just what the doctor ordered, doll.”

Lucy smiled happily. “Was it exciting traveling?”

“Oh, it was exciting at first.” Veronica sat down on one of the chairs flanking the window and tipped her golden head toward the other. “Do you want to sit with me?”

Lucy nodded eagerly and sat down. She didn't want to be rude, but Veronica's silky, lilac-colored dressing gown and matching bedroom slippers were so elegant and glamorous looking, it was hard not to stare. Outside of the movies, Lucy had never seen anything like them before. She wondered what Helen Krausner would say.

“You see, I started out my trip with a friend.” Veronica reached for a strand of shining hair and twisted it around her finger so that it curled just like a perfect
C
beside her dainty pink ear. “At least I
thought
he was a friend. Marshall told me that he was going to manage my acting career, and that he had connections in Hollywood, and that he was going to
make me into a star.” She looked upward and sighed. “But he turned out to be a dirty rotten scoundrel—a liar and a thief.”

Lucy's eyes grew wide. “A liar and a thief?”

Veronica nodded as she sipped her tea. “Yes. He stole money from me. We got into a big fight over it, and I told him I no longer wanted to travel with him.” Her thin eyebrows arched high. “So he pulled over—right in the middle of nowhere—and he threw me and my luggage out! Right along the side of the road! Can you believe that?”

Lucy shook her head. “What did you do?”

“I was in shock at first. I mean, what was I supposed to do? Out there in the middle of nowhere with not a car in sight. But then I remembered a scene from that movie—you know, the one I told you about earlier. I was just about to do what Claudette Colbert did, when along came this pretty yellow car. The nice driver stopped and asked if I needed help. And that is how I met up with George.” She giggled. “In fact, I think George looks an awful lot like Clark Gable. Don't you think so too?”