Page 59 of Home Body
CHAPTER 34
Dalia parked in town and stood on the corner waiting for Kenyon to pick her up to go back to Amberton. She scanned Main Street as she waited on this pleasantly warm day, marveling at Farmdale’s charm and the fantastic reality that soon she and Mama would have their own bakery right down the street.
Kenyon pulled up in her Toyota and took off toward Amberton where they’d be meeting Dr. Crow at a truck stop near the small town. They hadn’t gone far outside of Farmdale when they laughed upon seeing that Chad’s billboard had been redone yet again. This time it said, “Chad Damon, your A-1 choice.”
“Oh lordy, there’s no telling whatsomebodywill do with that once I warn them that poor Chad wants them to keep their hands off,” Kenyon said.
“Oh, I’m sure they’ll do whatever Chad wants. Ha.”
Kenyon changed the topic, telling Dalia about the professor’s investigation into Amberton’s Dr. Upton and her suspicion he could have been selling babies. She explained the Georgia Tann case and Dalia was stunned that she could have been part of something like that. Kenyon could tell she’d dumped a lot ofinformation on her friend all at once, perhaps too much. Dalia became pension, mulling over all she’d heard.
Kenyon respected her need for silence for a bit, then shifted gears. “I’ve talked it over with the professor – she said we should call her Inez – anyway, she agreed with me that we should go to the jail first to see if Prissy is there. Didn’t it seem like she had more to tell us? She’s pretty gossipy and she seemed to like us, so maybe we can learn more from her.”
“Maybe. I like her.”
“Yeah, so do I. I think you’ll like the professor, too. She’s one of a kind.”
“Kenyon, have you noticed that you and I have a lot in common? I mean, we’re so different but so much alike. I think we’ve become friends. Am I right?”
“Sure. What all do you think we have in common?”
Kenyon navigated a turn that made them pause until driving straight ahead again.
“We’re both adopted,” Dalia noted. “We each got adopted in a very unusual way. Neither of us has ever met our biological parents. But we’re both so lucky to have the parents we have.”
“Yeah, we are. But when we were kids, we were both teased because we didn’t look like our parents.”
“True. As grown-ups, we’ve both lost friends because of our situations. I mean, you lost Tamara.”
“Turns out she wasn’t much of a friend. Who did you lose?”
“Oh, I had a nice little group of friends when I was in high school. But when I got pregnant, they dumped me like yesterday’s fish. Suddenly, I was an immoral heathen. A couple of them are cordial now when I see them in town, but the friendship is over. I didn’t finish school; I got my GED. That’s a very low-class thing to do by their standards. I’m nothing more than a hick to them.”
“Well, you’re not a hick to me. Or if you are, so am I. Sayonara, old fake friends.”
“We’ve both been deeply hurt by men we loved, too,” Dalia added, to which Kenyon nodded sadly. “And we’re lucky to have such great families that supported us through all that. When I was so heartbroken and lonely and scared – and pregnant as an elephant – my parents were amazing. That’s why a part of me isn’t sure I want to find out something that might be disappointing to me or hurtful to my mama and ruin the peace we have as a family. But another part of me feels uncontrollably drawn to knowing who my biological parents might be. Do you ever feel that way? Do you ever wonder about your Vietnamese mother and her family?”
Kenyon bit her lower lip, afraid to answer. “I have to admit, I’ve thought about it from time to time. But I’m like you – afraid. I know I could have all kinds of relatives over there. Aunts, uncles, cousins, even grandparents. Who knows? I don’t. And I’m not ready to.”
“That’s fair. So that gives you an idea of what I’m going through.”
“It does. I admire your bravery in facing it head on.”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“Shoot.”
“If it turns out to be absolutely horrific, if we find out that a prostitute and an axe murderer hooked up to make me, will you turn and run with me?”
Kenyon tossed her friend a wide grin. “Of course. You can count on me to run when the going gets tough. Remember my wedding-funeral?”
“Oh yes, I remember.”
“Hey, speaking of weddings, how are you and the deputy getting along?”
Dalia blushed. “Um, well. Really well.”
“I see. Huh. Well done. He’s a total hunk.”
