Page 8 of The Night the Lights Went Out
Colin’s gaze slipped to the toy in her hand. “Is that one of Uncle David’s Lego people? Mom keeps them hidden in her drawer.”
Sugar refrained from asking him how he knew about them if they were usually hidden. She wasn’t sure how to speak with children, having had very little experience, but Colin didn’t seem to mind. “I just found it here.” She took an exploratory step to make sure her knees were functioning and picked up the plate of brownies, planning to give Colin the plate and then leave.
“My uncle died when he was a little boy. Can I have a brownie now?”
The door opened again and a frazzled Merilee stood there, framed in the doorway, an orange slant of late-afternoon sun lightening her hair like a halo. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t hear you knock.” She opened the door wider. “Colin, aren’t you supposed to be doing homework?”
“I was too hungry to concentrate and I smelled brownies. Look what Miss Sugar brought!” He pointed excitedly at the plate. “Could I have one while we wait for the pizza man so I don’t die of starvation?”
“You’re not going to die of starvation, Colin.” She looked at Sugar, a small flush on her face. “I had a long day at work and I’m still unpacking. Not the most nutritious...” She gestured Sugar inside and Sugar allowed herself to be led into the small living room. She had no intention of staying, or really moving in past the front porch, but the boy and his mother were like a strong wind sucking her inside.
“Pizza’s a vegetable now, ’member, Mom? So we can eat it every day.”
“That’s enough, Colin. Please go back into the kitchen to finish your homework.”
“But...”
Merilee speared him with a look that made him turn around and head back toward the kitchen, his feet dragging against the floor.
Sugar remembered not to purse her lips, recalling her mother telling her it would give her wrinkles and make her look like a pawpaw that had been left on the ground too long.
She was still trying to make her excuses to leave when Merilee noticed the toy in her hand. “Where did you find that?”
“On the front porch.”
Merilee took it gratefully, squeezing her fingers around it as her eyes blinked rapidly. “I thought I’d lost it.”
Sugar waited for her to say more, maybe something about her brother. A long time ago, she would have pressed for more, carefully prodding like a doctor on a sore spot in the polite way she’d seen the women in her family do for almost a century. It was the Southern way, after all. But that had been before Sugar knew what it was like to be on the other end of the questions.
“The brownies smell delicious. I’m guessing Colin smelled them through the plastic wrap and the screen door. I swear that boy was a bloodhound in a previous life.”
Sugar smiled politely, watching as the younger woman slid the toy into the pocket of her skirt, which seemed about a size too large. As if to avoid further questions, Merilee pressed on. “I have to bring dessert to a children’s party this weekend. I know nothing more than the basics of cooking, but if the recipe’s easy enough, could I borrow it? I was going to do a search on the Internet, but we seem to be having a problem getting a connection. Your friend Wade is supposed to come over later. I hope it’s soon, because I’m afraid Lily might have a heart attack from the stress of not having Wi-Fi.”
When Sugar didn’t say anything, Merilee explained, “Wi-Fi is what we need to connect to the Internet.”
“I’ve heard of it,” Sugar said, allowing herself to be led back to the kitchen, where Colin sat at one end of the table with a textbook in front of him and Lily sat in front of a large laptop with her head in her hands. Sugar placed the plate of brownies on the table. “I’m sure Wade will have you fixed up in no time. He can do anything—except convince me to sell this property.” She wasn’t sure why she’d said that other than the fact that she loved Wade as much as she was capable of loving someone. She bragged on him as if he were her own flesh and blood.
Lily looked up at her with hopeful eyes, the crease between her brows not smoothing out completely. “Really? Because if I don’t check in online, I’ll get part of my grade taken off.”
“Lily, it won’t be the end of the world,” said her mother. “I’m sure your teacher would understand. Or why don’t you call that girl from your class—Bailey Blackford? Her mother is the class mom and I have her home number on the form I stuck to the fridge.”
The crease deepened. “That’s their landline. I don’t have Bailey’s cell number.”
Sugar met Merilee’s equally confused gaze for a moment before Merilee turned back to her daughter. “But I’ll bet that whoever answers the phone will be able to give it to Bailey.”
A look of hope crossed the girl’s face as she slid back her chair before snatching a paper from the refrigerator door and racing from the room.
Merilee smiled tiredly. “Would you like to stay for pizza?”
Sugar started to purse her lips but stopped. “No, thank you. I’ve already eaten.” Before she could close her mouth again, she said, “I’ve got more tomatoes and okra in my garden than I can eat. If you’d like some, I could bring some over.”
“That’s really nice of you—thanks. The tomatoes would be great for the kids’ sandwiches and my salads, but I have no idea what to do with the okra.”
This time Sugar’s lips pursed before she realized it.Pizza as a vegetable. Really!“Why don’t I come by Friday after you get home and we’ll make cookies together—I’ve got a recipe that’s so easy even you could make them—and I’ll show you how to prepare okra. I’ll bring some of my tomato sandwiches, too. I make them with white Wonder Bread, Duke’s mayonnaise, and my tomatoes. Can’t be anything life shortening with that since I’ve been eating at least one a day since I was a baby. If you tell me you’re going to put my tomatoes on wheat bread, you can’t have any.”
“Did you have electricity way back then?” Colin asked, swinging his legs under the table, brownie crumbs clinging to his chin from a brownie she didn’t remember Merilee giving him permission to eat.
Merilee still seemed to be struggling for words after Sugar’s brown bread ultimatum. “Colin!” she finally managed.
