Violet traded Tolly’s beloved Corvette and Coupe deVille in on a shiny new white Cadillac Eldorado convertible and spent most of her days shopping and lunching while Beatrice cleaned. She was a bird with new wings, tossed into a clear blue sky. She hired another investigator to find her daughter and planned the wonderful reunion they’d have. She allowed herself a new diamond brooch and a mink stole. She glowed as soon as it was decent to do so in public, her heels higher and skirts tailored to show off her legs. Every few days she joined Genny and Bitsy and Theresa for cards and a cocktail or two at the club.

Men swarmed like bees around honey wherever she went, but Violet didn’t pay them much attention. She thought about Chet all the time, especially in her lonely bed. She wondered where he was, what he was doing, and most of all if he ever thought of her.

The attendant was filling her car with gasoline and checking the oil level while Violet filed her nails. She had no particular plans for the afternoon and thought maybe she’d enjoy a drive to Cheaha Mountain to admire the fall colors. It was crisp and cool, her favorite kind of weather. Then she spotted the Superior Electric truck parked across the street, obviously servicing a dentist’s office. Her heart lodged in her throat and Violet found herself checking her hair and makeup before she realized what she was doing. The attendant knocked at her window for the money she owed, startling her with his cheerful, “Everything looks good, ma’am!” She paid him and drove off slowly, uncertain how to find Chet. Surely he’d want her to stop and say hello?

She parked within view of the office and waited for over an hour. Men came and went for supplies from the truck, but Chet wasn’t among them. She gave up and drove home, suddenly too tired to go anywhere or do anything.

“Beatrice,” she called. “I’m going to lie down for a bit. You take the afternoon off and I’ll see you tomorrow.” She heard the heavy front door close and lock a few minutes later. Violet tossed her clothes onto a chair and slipped into a satin nightgown. If she could just nap for a little while, she was sure she’d feel better. If she could only stop crying.

She woke, wild-haired and red-eyed, to a dark sky. It was about six o’clock, and Violet was stunned she’d slept so long. She made her way to the kitchen and found leftover chicken casserole. She ate it from the dish, in her peach negligee, sitting in front of the television. Violet caught her reflection in the window of the den and thought she looked like a finely-dressed lunatic. Tomorrow she would do better. Tomorrow she would actually take a step forward instead of killing time.