Page 56 of Nerdelicious
Chapter Fifteen
“My dream jobis being a driver for those shuttles from the airport.”
–Overheard at Comic-Con
“Dearly beloved, we thank you for this meal and for our time together on this earth. For the grass that grows, and the crows that sing,” she pauses, “thank you, Lord, for everything.”
Grace’s hand squeezes mine before she releases me. “Amen. Very poetic, Granny.”
“Do you think so? I reckon I could write my own sermons. I should give Pastor Michael a call.”
“So Granny, what did you do while we were gone?” Grace’s innocent smile and fluttering eyes fool no one.
“Oh, you know, just hung around the house. Did some chorin’ and all that.”
“Uh-huh. You know, Granny,” Grace spears some okra with her fork, “you’ve been disappearing a lot after supper and I can’t find you anywhere.”
“I got errands to run.” She fiddles with her napkin, moving it from the side of her plate to her lap.
Grace wrinkles her nose. “What errands?”
“None of your never mind. I don’t need permission from anyone to have my own time, let alone from a child. Fred, pass the gravy, please. Did I mention your mother called? She wants you to call her back when you get a chance.”
“Okaaay.” It’s Sunday, I always talk to them on Sundays. Granny knows that. “I’ll call her after dinner.” I hand her the gravy boat.
The change of subject doesn’t deter Grace. “Nothing is open in Blue Falls past seven except the diner and Bodean’s. So what kind of errands could you be running?”
Granny chews her food, taking her time to respond. “It’s a card night. With my friends. Pinochle.”
Grace and I exchange a glance.
“You have friends?” Grace asks.
I take a drink of water. I am not getting into this one.
Granny puts her fork down. “I’m very well liked.”
“You called Miss Prudence two bricks shy of a load,” Grace says.
“So?”
“You yelled it. Out loud. At church.”
Granny shrugs. “It’s only the truth. And it doesn’t mean I’m not well liked. But no matter. Fred girl, how’s the okra? Too much salt?”
Before I can answer, Grace opens her mouth to interrupt—probably with more questions—and Granny fixes her with a hard stare. “I may not have brought you into this world, but I can take you right out of it.”
Grace’s mouth closes with a click. Then she throws her head back and laughs.
“Death threats are what make you happy, huh?” I take a bite of mashed potatoes smothered in gravy.
Grace shrugs. “I’ve heard other kids’ parents tell them the same thing. Never thought anyone would care enough to threaten me with bodily harm for misbehaving. Will you pass the biscuits?”
After talking to my parents and assuring them that I’m still alive, healthy, and not wasting the entirety of my life in a hick town in Texas while living off the kindness of others, I spend the rest of the night hiding from everyone in my room. Once it’s dark enough, I climb out the bedroom window with a blanket and pillow.
But once I’m in my normal position, gazing up at the sky above, I don’t even register the stars. Instead, images from the night before flood my mind. The kissing. The talking. Theeverything else.
I shut my eyes and attempt to banish the memories from my brain. I need something else to think about.
