Somehow, I managed to smile. “Okay. I’ll take some coleslaw.”

After the waitress finished scribbling my order on her notepad, she looked at me and squinted. “You ain’t from around here, huh?”

“No, I’m not.”

“I didn’t think so. This is a small town. I know almost every colored person in it.”

Her last sentence really got my attention. “Oh? Do you know a light-skinned woman with long hair named Betty Jean?”

She tilted her head to the side and gave me a pensive look. “I know three Betty Jeans. They all light skinned and got long hair”

“This one has three little boys.”

“Hmmm.” The waitress pressed her lips together and scratched her head. “All three of them women got kids, but the only one with three boys is Betty Jean, Odell Watson’s wife. How do you know her? Is she kin to you?”

“I’m kin to Odell. He’s hard to keep track of. I thought maybe I’d catch up with Betty Jean and leave a message with her for him.”

“Well, he’s usually home by this time every Friday, so you can tell him yourself. They love to entertain company. I know they’d be pleased to see you. What’s your name?”

“Uh . . . Lula.”

“Well, Lula. If you don’t see them today, I’ll let them know I talked to you when I see them at church on Sunday.”

“Okay.”

“Betty Jean is such a lucky woman to have a man like Odell. You wouldn’t believe the fat, sloppy, clumsy ox I’m married to—dagnabbit. Odell makes such good money, she don’t have to work, so she stays home puttering around the house every day waiting for him to come home. He brings her roses several times a month—sometimes three whole dozen at a time.” Roses had been my favorite flowers until now. I sniffed and listened as the waitress went on. “A lot of folks visit her, but she will rarely go out unless it’s with him. I tease her all the time. I tell her that if she ever dumps Odell, I’m going to snatch him up.” The waitress laughed and to my surprise, I laughed, too. “You going to go visit them?”

“Um . . . I’d like to. But there was a mix-up with the friends I came over here with. We got separated, so I need to try and find them first. Besides, I’m not sure about Odell and Betty Jean’s address.”