Chapters (38)
- one
- two
- three
- four
- five
- six
- seven
- eight
- nine
- ten
- eleven
- twelve
- thirteen
- fourteen
- fifteen
- sixteen
- seventeen
- eighteen
- nineteen
- twenty
- twenty-one
- twenty-two
- twenty-three
- twenty-four
- twenty-five
- twenty-six
- twenty-seven
- twenty-eight
- twenty-nine
- thirty
- thirty-one
- thirty-two
- thirty-three
- thirty-four
- thirty-five
- thirty-six
- thirty-seven
- epilogue
Of course I gave in. I couldn’t say no to her. The make-up lady was kind and had a light touch, though she managed to sell Violet over a hundred and fifty dollars’ worth of concoctions to “enhance” me. She wrote detailed instructions for me to take home. We crammed my feet into strappy black heels Violet insisted I’d need for a new dress we’d find (we didn’t, but I’d worn them to Mr. Sobel’s). Summer touched up Violet’s lavender hair and transformed mine into a style that framed my face and showed off my suddenly-huge, sparkling eyes. We laughed all day, especially as we tried to decode the Vietnamese chatter during our pedicures. Violet translated much of it in a running commentary that included, “The blonde one never shave her legs” and “Woman with purple hair is a goddess.”
And she was. I got into the habit of wearing make-up and carefully styling my hair every day for that goddess, and she beamed blessings and approval at me.
I missed her so much.
four
VIOLET
Alice Glenn sat across from Johnny’s hospital room door, watching her daughter run down the corridor to greet Sam Davidson. He folded Violet into a hug and allowed her to sob into his plaid shirt, patting her back gently. Alice caught his eyes and tried to look reassuring for the two young people, clasping the purse in her lap to quell the shaking in her hands. She didn’t believe Johnny would live, and tried to imagine how she’d get Violet through the nightmare to come. There were more months of classes ahead and she was a practical woman who considered her daughter’s finishing senior year at Anniston High School first and foremost. It was good that Violet had the support of friends—she’d encourage them to help one another through this cruel passage. She gave her daughter another minute, then went to say hello to Sam.
“Mama, you know Red,” Violet palmed tears from her face.
“I got here as soon as I could, Mrs. Glenn,” he said. “Violet told me Johnny’s not awake yet.” The boy looked like he’d walked the sixty miles to the hospital.
Alice patted the wood bench for Red to sit, placing herself between the young man and her daughter. “Are you hungry or thirsty? I could get you something.”
“No, ma’am,” Red replied. “Thank you, though.”
Violet began the litany she’d been repeating to her mother for Red. “I can’t believe this happened. Johnny’s a careful driver. He wouldn’t have been speeding or anything. Something must have jumped in front of the car. It doesn’t make sense.” She shook her head and bit a fingernail. “Red, his heart is going to shatter when he finds out about Kimmie. How am I going to tell him?”