The Keeneston Roses (8 page)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Daisy couldn’t stand the silence. It had been one week since she stormed out of her house and headed back to campus. She busied herself with studying, but her heart just wasn’t in it. Her sisters were home, and she missed them. She missed Robert, too. He’d called her last night to tell her about his job and his new apartment. He laughed that he’d only been able to sleep there twice. Otherwise he was at work, creating propaganda to support American troops in Vietnam.

The phone rang at the end of the hall in the sorority house, and a second later her name was called. Pushing herself off her bed, she walked to the phone and took it from one of her housemates.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sis,” a duo of laughing voices called out. Daisy felt her heart leap. Of course her sisters knew when she needed them the most. “We miss you. Can you come home this weekend? Mom’s baking your favorite pie, and Lily and I have a new target.”

“Mom’s making pecan pie?”

“With chocolate chips,” Lily called out with glee.

“You have a new target, huh?” Daisy smiled as she leaned against the wall and twisted the phone cord around her finger. “Who’s the poor, unsuspecting couple?”

“They’re not a couple yet. That’s the problem,” Violet lamented as if someone had just told her that her apple pie was too tart. “It’s Louis and Bernadette.”

“Louis, who owns the repair shop?” Daisy asked as she tried to place who Bernadette was.

“That’s right,” Lily told her. “And you know Bernadette. She’s the daughter of the preacher over in Lipston. Their church is near the county line, and sometimes they come to the soda fountain after Sunday school.”

Daisy laughed as she felt the loneliness float away. “Pie and matchmaking. What could be better?”

* * *

Crash
! Violet felt the reverberation of the impact all the way up her arms. She pulled her arms back and shook them out before hefting the crêpe pan back and slamming it into her bike once again.

“I’m a little scared of her. She looks kind of happy, bashing the bike with that pan,” Daisy whispered to Lily.

Violet smiled and turned around. “It’s been a while since I smashed something with this. It feels good. Maybe I should play softball.”

“You’re so violent. Violent Violet is your new name,” Lily teased.

“You didn’t seem to mind when I smacked Fred with the spatula.” She swung the crêpe pan as if hitting a softball and smiled. “Maybe I should join the Lipston church league to meet Bernadette.”

“You have to hit the ball with a bat, not a large pan. No, I think you’d do well with tennis,” Daisy laughed.

“And besides, we already have a plan to get Louis and Bernadette together at the soda fountain.” Lily looked the bike over and nodded her approval. “Great job, Vi. Now, lets put our plan into action.”

The three sisters walked side by side down the street and turned right to walk out of town. Louis’s repair shop was only a half-mile away. The small concrete building appeared around the bend in the road. Bright blue letters over the garage door spelled out the name of the shop. Marvin Gaye played over the radio.

The tail end of a Buick Riviera came into view first. Next came Louis’s tapping boot from under the car. The three sisters walked through the garage and gathered around the pair of knees sticking out while Louis belted out the song.

When the song ended, the three women clapped and whistled. Louis’s body jerked, and the sound of a wrench dropping to the concrete reached their ears, along with a curse, as Louis hit his head on the undercarriage. They tried not to laugh, but it didn’t work.

As he scooted out from under the car, the sisters could see a deep blush forming on his dark cheeks. His black hair was fashioned in the stylish conk that all the singers were wearing, and a small lump was forming on his forehead.

“Sorry for sneaking up on you like that, but we had to hear the next member of The Temptations,” Lily teased. Daisy smacked her.

“Are you hurt? We’re really sorry.” Daisy cringed as Louis rubbed the lump.

“Nah, I’ve got a thick head.”

“That’s right. I remember hearing you took a baseball to the head at the state championships a year ago,” Violet said. She remembered reading the article about the Keeneston High School’s first state championship in baseball. Some of the opposing team’s parents didn’t like the fact that Louis had played. But Keeneston had stood behind him and cheered loud enough to drown the others out.

“I can still tell you when rain’s comin’ on,” Louis joked and looked at the bike Violet was holding. “What on earth happened to this?”

“I know you work on cars, but I didn’t know if you could fix it. I left it in the parking lot of the market, and someone ran over it. It’s been years, but I still don’t think Dad has forgiven me for bringing his car back without a bumper,” Violet said with a grimace. “So I’ve been riding this bike since I got back to town.”

“And with her bike broken, Vi now has to sit on my handlebars. We’re a little too old for that. So, we were hoping you could fix it,” Lily said with a bat of her eyes.

Louis lowered himself to the bike’s level and started looking over it. “It shouldn’t be too hard. I have to finish the mayor’s car, and then I can get to this tomorrow.”

Violet sighed and put her hands over her heart. “Thank goodness. How long do you think it will take to fix?”

“I should be done by tomorrow evening. And I can probably fix it for under eight dollars.”

The three sisters cast worried looks at each other. “We promised Dad we would help out at the soda fountain. His regular cook is off tomorrow night, and Violet said she would fill in.”

“Grill cookin’ will be quite the change for you after all that fancy cookin’ you’ve been doin’ in France.” Louis took the bike from Violet and set it against the wall.

“Yes, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been missing some good home-cooked meals.”

“Well, if you throw in a burger, I’ll deliver it to you at six.”

Violet’s smile spread. “If you deliver it at six, I’ll even throw in a milkshake.”

Louis held out his hand, and they shook on it. “Deal.”

* * *

Lily hurried around the soda fountain’s counter and pretended to wipe it down. With a nudge of her elbow, she got Violet’s attention when the beautiful young woman strode into the shop and looked for a place to sit. Her dark blue and white polka dot dress emphasized her small waist and flared over her hips, stopping just past her knees. Her black hair was fashioned elegantly under a hat and her light brown complexion was flawless.

“Bernadette! It’s nice to see you again. How was teaching Bible school this afternoon?” Lily asked, resting her hands on the counter.

“The children were full of it today. They know school’s coming to an end and are too excited to stay still,” Bernadette said. She laid her small clutch purse on the counter and took a seat on the padded stool.

“Bernie, this is my sister, Violet. Vi, this is Bernadette. She’s one of our most loyal customers.”

Violet stepped forward with a look of happy surprise. “Really? Have you tried every flavor of ice cream my daddy has?”

Bernadette smiled and nodded. “Sure have. Every ice cream, shake, and cookie in the place.”

“And she’s not afraid to tell us when we didn’t get the recipe right either,” Lily laughed.

“Do you think she could help us?” Violet asked Lily as Bernadette listened on.

“She’d be perfect!” Lily turned from her sister and reached across the counter to grab Bernadette’s hands. “Bernie, do you think you could do us the biggest favor?”

“Of course, what is it?” Bernadette looked worriedly between the sisters.

“Violet just came back from her job as a chef in France.” Lily paused so Bernadette could make the appropriate
oohs
and
aahs
. “They made all these fancy kinds of sorbets over there, and I don’t know how much our customers would like them. Do you think you could come in around 5:45 tomorrow and do a taste test for us?”

“A free tasting? Are you kidding? Of course I’ll be here. But for today, let’s start with double chocolate chip.”

* * *

The three sisters huddled together in the storage room as they waited for Louis to arrive. Bernadette was sitting excitedly at the counter, awaiting her first taste of Violet’s sorbet. The sisters had made their excuses to delay serving it until Louis arrived.

“What time is it?” Daisy asked impatiently.

“One minute since the last time you asked,” Violet shot back as Lily eased up on her toes to peek out the small square window.

“He’s here! Go!” Lily jumped out of the way, and Violet grabbed the largest bowl on the shelf.

Hurrying to follow their sister, Lily and Daisy pushed through the door only to skid to a stop in an attempt to walk nonchalantly to where Louis was taking a seat next to Bernadette.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Bernadette,” Violet called as she spooned scoop after scoop into the large bowl. “We seemed to have run out of bowls. Hope you don’t mind using this one.”

Bernadette’s eyes went wide, and Louis snickered when Violet set down the bowl with no fewer than six scoops of different flavors of sorbet in it. “I can’t eat all of that!”

Violet looked surprised as she looked between the bowl and tiny Bernadette, sitting primly at the counter. Then she looked at Louis, who was trying hard not to laugh. “Oh, well, I guess I got carried away. I think it’s the best I’ve made. I’d hate to waste it.” Violet set her hands on her curvy hips and stared at the sorbet.

“Looks great,” Louis commented.

Violet snapped her fingers. “That’s it. While we make your dinner, Louis, would you mind starting with dessert? You could help Bernadette taste it. It would be a big help to me to see if I should make a larger batch and offer it to our customers.”

“I’d love to. That is, if Bernadette doesn’t mind sharing.”

Bernadette blushed and tittered a nervous “Of course not!”

“Great! Here’s another spoon. I’ll be back with your burger in the shake of a lamb’s tail.”

Violet shot her sisters a wink as they headed back into the kitchen. They had to cook the world’s slowest burger, but judging by the looks and whispered giggles coming from the couple at the counter, Violet knew they wouldn’t mind the extra wait.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Four Years Later . . .

Lily slid the notebook onto her bookshelf. It was the tenth one she’d filled since she started matchmaking at eighteen. Last week she and her sisters had turned twenty-six, and sadly, they were all still living at home. Lily looked around her room and noted the changes she had made a couple years ago to make it more womanly. Gone were the Elvis Presley posters, replaced by watercolors of the house and the roses out front.

Her door burst open, and Violet staggered in. She’d worked that one summer with them at Dad’s place, but now only Lily worked there. Daisy was an assistant to the president of the bank, and Violet was a chef at a fancy place in Lexington. She’d even bought her own car a couple years ago.

“I’m so tired I could sleep for a week,” Violet called before falling face first onto the bed. “Between working all night and matchmaking all day, I’m exhausted.” The words were muffled by the comforter.

“I just put away our tenth notebook, and Mom brought in some mail. We have three wedding invitations and eight baby showers.” Lily giggled and tossed the invitations onto the bed next to Violet’s head.

“Eight baby showers? We need to get crocheting more baby blankets. But, it does warm my frozen heart to see all this love and family about. It almost makes me think I can one day fall in love again,” Violet said absently, flipping through the invitations. “Bernadette and Louis are having their second child. How exciting.”

“Violet, Lily, where are you?” Daisy called from downstairs. “I got another letter from Robert.”

Lily and Violet looked at each other and rolled their eyes. “We’re up here,” Lily yelled. “I swear, six years he’s been keeping her dangling. How much longer do we have to pretend to like him?”

“Forever, if Daisy has her way,” Violet whispered. They pasted smiles on their faces when Daisy ran into the room. She jumped onto the bed, and Lily sat down next to Violet as their excited sister ripped open the letter.

“I’ve been so worried,” Daisy babbled while unfolding the letter. “It’s been months since I last heard from Robert. I hate that they sent him to the Philippines two years ago in order to drum up more support for this war. The mail has slowed down so much since then.”

“Well, don’t keep us in suspense; what did dear Robert say?” Violet asked with forced enthusiasm. Lily shook her head silently as Daisy pored over the letter.

“He said he’s been offered a position at the embassy, and he took it. Oh, wow, Robert’s a diplomat! That’s so wonderful. Can’t you see us traveling the world together?” Daisy giggled as she continued to read. “He goes on to say that as soon as the war is over he’ll be back to marry me, and we’ll move to the Philippines. He’s been given a house with large porches and open-air rooms larger than his apartment. Oh, it sounds divine,” Daisy sighed.

“Is there any reason why you can’t get married now?” Lily asked.

“Yeah, you’ve been waiting years to get married,” Violet pointed out for the hundredth time.

“Y’all know it’s too dangerous for me to live there now. It’s practically next door to the war. Robert is just looking out for my well-being. And how selfish would it be to demand we get married when a
war
is going on? All these brave men putting their lives in danger and me planning a wedding? I just couldn’t do it.”

“Knock, knock.” Lily looked up to see her parents standing at the door.

“Mom said you got a letter from Robert,” her father said with the same false smile Violet and Lily had. Lily listened as her parents murmured their excitement for the contents of the letter, coming farther into the room.

“Your father is taking me out to an early dinner tonight. Will you girls be all right on your own?”

Lily and her sisters all laughed. “Yes, Mom. We’re not kids anymore. I think we’ll manage for a night.”

“I’m a mom. I worry. It’s what we do. Now come give us a kiss good-bye.”

Lily and her sisters jumped from the bed and kissed their mother’s cheek before being wrapped up in a tight hug by their father. The sisters followed their parents down the stairs and out onto the porch to wave them off.

“Have fun, you two!” Lily called out.

“Don’t stay out too late,” Daisy teased.

“We love you!” Violet called as all three blew them a kiss.

They stood waving on the porch as their parents drove down the street in a light spring drizzle. Lily turned to Violet and batted her eyes. “I bet you want to make crêpes for dinner.”

Daisy put her head next to Lily’s and stuck out her lower lip. “Pleeeeease.”

Violet laughed, and Daisy sniffled. “Fine! I give. I’ll make crêpes. How about an early dinner, and then we can go to the drive-in. I think Paul Newman has a new movie out, and he’s so dreamy.”

“Then y’all need to help me in the kitchen. I think if someone looked at me with Paul Newman eyes, I would catch fire.” Violet sighed and the sisters headed inside.

Daisy handed another plate to Lily to dry as they stood at the kitchen counter. Lily jumped at the lightning and thunder crashing to the ground. What had started out as a spring shower had turned into a massive thunderstorm. Nature was putting on a light and sound show that cancelled their Paul Newman night.

“Why am I washing all the dishes?” Daisy asked again.

“Because you are the one who asked Violet to make so many crêpes,” Lily reminded her as Violet mixed a new batch of sweet tea.

“As soon as this cools, we can sit on the porch and watch the storm. Mom and Dad should be home soon. It looks like the rain may be letting up a little.” Violet put the wooden spoon in the sink, and Daisy snatched it up to wash.

With an exaggerated sigh, Daisy handed the wet spoon to Lily to dry. “Done.”

Violet set three glasses on a tray and filled them with ice. “Lil, will you get the door?”

Lily walked ahead of her sister and pushed open the front door. Violet had been right; the rain was slowing down. Violet set the tray down and pushed her hair back. The wind was strong, but it felt good. They all took their favorite seats on the porch.

“So, who will be the first entry in the new notebook?” Daisy asked as she poured herself a glass of sweet tea.

“I don’t know yet,” Lily said slowly, her attention drawn to nature’s show. “Do you all hear something?”

Her sisters stopped their chattering and listened. Wind rushed over her and the smell of rain filled her nose. In the distance, thunder rumbled over and over again in a continuous grumble. The grumbling turned louder and grew nearer as they listened. The second Lily comprehended what it was, the church bells all across town began to ring, followed shortly by the siren used to warn people of a nuclear attack.

“Tornado!” Lily gasped as she dropped her glass. What she thought was thunder turned from a rumble to a roar as the wind quickly picked up. “Close the door!”

Daisy rushed forward and slammed the front door closed. The three sisters ran from the porch, down the steps, and into the yard. Lily looked down the hill into Keeneston and froze. A thick gray funnel was reaching from the heavens and ripping apart everything in its path. Debris flew through downtown as the freight train of wind nearly knocked them down.

“Come on!” Violet shouted, but her words were ripped away by the wind. Instead, she linked her arm around Lily’s waist and pulled. Daisy similarly linked her arm, and they formed a chain in order to battle the wind around the side of the house.

Lily screamed as the
crack
of a tree splitting was the only warning they had to leap out of the way of the falling branch. “Hurry!”

The sisters pulled each other to the door at the far side of the property. “I can’t open it,” Daisy cried as she tugged at the handle to their storm shelter.

Violet and Lily wordlessly grabbed the door and pulled. As the sound of the tornado grew louder, the rain pelted harder, and the debris flew around them, the door finally gave way. “Go,” Lily ordered. She braced the door with her body. Violet hurried down the stairs, followed by Daisy. With her sisters safe, Lily stumbled into the darkness, the door slamming shut behind her.

“Here,” Daisy yelled over the noise of the raging storm above them. She held up the flashlight so Lily could lock the door. She slid the bolt into place, and they all stared silently at the door, willing it with their prayers to stay shut.

Daisy took Lily by the arms and stepped backward into their underground bunker. The smell of the dirt and the sound of the storm door banging against the frame as the lock fought to hold had the sisters clinging to each other in the dark.

It felt as though it lasted hours, though it was probably just seconds. Lily didn’t know which. But then it was over. A steady, light rain began to fall, and she strained to listen for any signs the tornado was still near.

“Is it over?” Violet asked, her voice shaking with fear.

“I think so,” Lily whispered, hoping not to wake the beast again.

Daisy took a wobbly step forward and slowly unlocked the door. As she pushed it open, Lily held her breath. They didn’t know what they would find. Was their house still standing? Were the neighbors safe? “Mom! Dad!” Lily gasped as she pushed past Daisy and burst from the underground shelter. The house was mostly intact. Shingles had been ripped from the roof, tree limbs littered the yard, and Edna’s convertible lay upside down in the middle of the street beyond their house.

The three sisters ran as one for the street. Lily didn’t want to look at the front of the house. She didn’t want to see the damage. All she wanted was to know was where her parents were. The sound of police and fire sirens filled the air, their neighbors called for help, cried over destroyed possessions, and looked for lost pets.

“Mom! Dad! Has anyone seen our parents?” Lily yelled as Edna stood staring at her car in the middle of the road.

No one seemed to hear her. They were staring at what had been but was no longer. The house across the street was gone. It just wasn’t there anymore. The owners stood staring in complete shock as they gripped each other for dear life. The open door to their underground shelter was the only explanation for them being alive.

“Dad! Mom!” Violet yelled, her voice choking on tears.

“They would be coming from Lexington. Let’s go,” Daisy yelled and took off, running down the street.

Lily looked around in disbelief at the destruction left behind by the tornado. Some houses looked untouched. Some were missing roofs, windows, or shutters. Cars were overturned, and fallen trees made the roads impassable. As they ran down the hill, the damage became worse. Main Street was full of people wandering in a daze; some screamed for help. People were bleeding; some just sat on the curb shaking. Firefighters, police, and some townspeople were putting out fires caused by downed electrical lines, bandaging injured people, and helping clear the rubble, looking for anyone missing.

The tornado hadn’t made a straight path through town. It had zigzagged, cutting the town in half before roaring up their street and dissipating as if it had never been there.

“Do you think they could be at the store?” Lily wondered as she ran down Main Street.

“I hope not,” Daisy whispered, conveying the fear they all had. Their father’s pharmacy was on the part of the street hit hardest.

“At least it’s still standing.” Violet took a gulp as the store came into view. The front windows were blown out and the roof was torn off. The sisters stood hand-in-hand, stopped in front of their father’s life's work. Part of the roof was across the street at the courthouse, the rest had collapsed inward. Water was spewing from a broken pipe and the counter was caved in under the weight of an old maple tree that had been uprooted by the tornado.

“You don’t think . . .?” Lily couldn’t finish her thought.

“No. I don’t see their car,” Daisy said quietly. “They would have been coming from Lexington. Let’s just run down the road a bit to see if the roads are even passable.”

Violet and Lily agreed with a silent nod and took off at a slow run down the street, heading out of town. They ran together, never saying a word, and took in the damage all around them. Trees blocked roads and crushed fences, houses, and tractors. Lily saw William Ashton and his parents outside, wrangling loose horses as they ran by. The sisters rounded a sharp curve and stopped. Sheriff Mulford’s squad car blocked the road in an eerie silence. A large pin oak lay across the road.

“No!” Lily shouted as she broke free from her sisters and raced forward. She couldn’t see the entire car, but saw enough to know it was her parents'. She didn’t need to see everything to know the tree had landed across the driver’s seat.

“Mom! Dad!” her sisters shrieked from behind her.

“Lily, no,” Sheriff Mulford said in a calm steady voice. He caught her up in a hug. “Don’t look.”

“Nooooo!” Lily screamed, kicked, and punched Sheriff Mulford. He stood quietly, holding her tightly. Her sisters skidded to a stop next to them. Lily didn’t hear their cries over hers and they all fell to the ground, clinging to each other. No one said it, but they all knew. Their parents were gone.