Page 117 of Lone Star Longing
“Oh for heavens sake,” her mother said.
“Dad said the city is looking into buying it so they can do the clean-up themselves, but then they’d have to sell it again, and I’m not sure they’ll be able to.”
Her mother scanned the row with the grocery store and its windows papered with ads, both old and new. She looked at the hardware store, which needed someone with some handyman skills to fix up its lopsided screen door, its sagging porch, its no-doubt leaky roof. Then the empty store fronts before the taco house, and then at the end, Austin’s new office.
He probably wasn't in today, though he lived just above the office. She’d check in with him next week.
The kids were having fun, though the adults were bored.
“You know what would be good out here in the middle of nowhere? A drive-in!” Tanya exclaimed. “We went to one when we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels last summer, and it was so much fun. I think it’s a chain, but it would be even better out here. Build it on the San Angelo side, get people from there to drive down. Oh, wouldn't that be fun? Have concessions, watch movies under the stars.”
“I don't think we have a lot of movie watchers here.” Lacey gestured to the movie theater on the other side of the square. “That place never has much business, except for school plays.”
Tanya made a face. “People here don't want to do anything. There have to be more people pushing for things to do.”
“The older people like it the way it is, and the younger people don't mind driving to get to what they want.”
“So then why live here?” Tanya asked, frustrated.
“Because it’s beautiful, and it’s not expensive. And people look out for each other. That’s a lot of reasons, don't you think?”
Tanya’s mouth twisted. “Not enough for me to be miles and miles away from a decent grocery store and good restaurants.”
Ugh, Lacey hated being judged for her decisions. “My friends are here. My job is here. I like it here.”
Once Tanya decided the kids had had enough physical activity, they cleaned up the area and walked down to the new elementary school on the grounds of the old one Tanya had attended.
“You’re going to blink, and your kids will be coming here,” Tanya said fondly, which gave Lacey a pain in her chest. She didn't want to think about her kids growing up quickly, when they hadn’t even been born.
Lacey took them past The Wheel House. Though it was closed now, they could see through the fence what to expect at the shower.
“This is where we spend our Sunday afternoons, playing washers.”
“Oh my God, you are such a hick,” Tanya exclaimed.
That stung even more. Lacey was getting to the point where she didn't want to show them anything else. “Why? It’s fun. And it takes skill. And it’s a reason to hang out with people you like.”
Tanya rolled her eyes. “I just don't understand why you’re happy here.”
“You don't have to understand why. Just know that I am, and leave it at that. I’m not asking you to live here, just come and see me and Dad and the babies every now and then.”
She walked with them back to the motel, but since the pool had been filled in, there was really no common area to sit, except in the rooms on the beds, and Lacey would have found that uncomfortable even if she wasn't pregnant.
She was relieved when her dad showed up, and she could use that as an excuse to go home and take a nap. Her mom made the same excuse after an awkward greeting.
“Thank you for inviting us to your house tonight for dinner,” Joyce said in her most polite tone. “Lacey said we didn't need to bring anything, but are you sure?”
“Lacey would know. She and Marianne are the ones putting this thing together. Is Andrew here?”
Her father knew Lacey’s step-father, a term she rarely used, wasn't here because Lacey had told him. She didn't know why he wanted to press the matter. But once her mother excused herself and her father turned his attention to Tanya and the grandchildren, Lacey made her escape. Let him entertain them for a while. She had told Marianne they’d start cooking dinner around three, so she could take a little nap first.
She was delighted, later that afternoon, to discover Marianne was more human than she had thought. They had decided on lasagna, again, and Marianne insisted on making it herself. Because Lacey didn't want ground meat, the meal would be meatless. Marianne brought over her big pot to boil the noodles, and she had another big pot for the homemade sauce, and Lacey had to wonder why she didn't just make it at her house and bring it over.
“So have you decided on a theme for your nursery?” Marianne asked as she mashed up tomatoes in the sauce pot.
“Well, having a boy and girl kind of make that challenging. I’m leaning toward Winnie the Pooh, or maybe that woodland animal look, because that can be made to look more feminine or masculine, and is just really cute.”
“You need to get to work on setting it up. You don't have a ton of time, and you know it’s going to take longer than you expect.”
