BooksBarbecue
Back Promises of Change
Chapters (53)
  1. Cover
  2. Everyone loves the ladies of Covington!
  3. Also by Joan Medlicott
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Dedication
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. Discussion Questions

Ida relaxed, sat back, and gave her full attention to Wheel of Fortune. The man standing in the middle position behind the wheel spun the wheel real hard. Round and round it went, and finally stopped on Bankrupt. The woman next to him landed on $3,000 twice, solved the puzzle, and won close to $15,000. The woman screamed, yelled, and jumped up and down. Ida wished she’d settle down and let the show continue. Ida prided herself at solving the puzzles from her armchair. If she had a chance to be on that show, she knew she could win a lot of money.

June served her husband the fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and corn she had picked up at KFC on the way home. One thing about Eddy, whatever she put on the table he ate, so long as it was hot and there was plenty of it. As usual, after a meal, he retreated to his chair in front of the TV, and turned on a sport station full-blast.

“Eddy, turn that thing down,” June yelled.

“Whatcha say?” Eddy yelled back.

She marched into the living room. “Eddy, if I’ve asked you once, I’ve asked you a hundred times to keep the sound down. I live here too, and it hurts my ears, all that shouting and screaming.” June walked to the set and turned it off. She stood in front of it blocking his view.

“Ah, June, move. Whatcha do that for?”

“’Cause I got something troubling my mind, and I need to talk to you, Eddy.”

“Make it fast, then. Clemson Tigers are up against Duke. It ain’t about Bryan, is it?” He fingered the remote.

“Not this time, it ain’t. It’s about Mama. When I dropped off her groceries today, there was this guy named Ray leaning against a post on her porch.”

“What kinda guy? Someone courtin’ old Ida?” He laughed and slapped the arm of his chair.

“A young man. Good-looking enough fellow and pleasant, too. Mama wouldn’t say what he was doing there, but when he left, she went on and on about how she liked him and how nice he was.”

The smile vanished from Eddy’s face. “Don’t make no sense. Why’d a young man want to be hanging around Ida for?” He slapped the arm of his chair again. “I heard some talk at work about a bunch of travel trailers parked over by the river near that park where we used to take the kids to when they was small. Could be the fellow stopped by to ask directions or something like that.” He waved the remote, dismissing June. A moment later the game, with all its noise, was back on the set.