“How is Leslie?” Anthony asked. “She was always such a pretty girl.”

Everybody on this island knew Anthony had a sweet spot for Leslie. She was his first sort of serious girlfriend, but she dumped him for Charlie Stevens when his family moved to Charleston in her junior year of high school. Charlie Stevens’s family had big money from a string of car dealerships they owned all through the South and the Midwest.

“Leslie’s the same,” I said. “I’ll tell her you asked about her.”

God, Leslie was such a dog. If I caught her going wild with Charlie in the back seat of his daddy’s car once, I caught her a thousand times. Yeah, Leslie sure did like all that sweaty stuff. Not me. Until recently I was pretty sure it was only for the purpose of procreation. At least that’s what the clergy drilled into my head. At school I was so naïve that I believed it. Anyway, as we all know, it wasn’t as if I had anyone interested in sharing that sort of experience with me, so there was no point in getting excited about it. At least, not so far. Although I had been entertaining more than a few thoughts about the widower next door. Life could be so easy if he fell in love with me. I could have children without having to give birth. And I would be next door to Momma, who was sure to leave me the house when she went. Wouldn’t she? And then I wouldn’t have to move my hives.

I grabbed Momma’s bag from her closet and her medicine from the bathroom and followed them all outside. They were headed to the emergency room at East Cooper Hospital because that was where you went when EMS picked you up for a ride on this island.

“Now, don’t you worry,” Anthony said, “we’re gonna take good care of your momma.”

“I wasn’t worried for a moment,” I said. “Thanks!”

I got into my car and, as I followed the ambulance over the causeway, thought about the way the water sparkled and how at this time of year it was almost sapphire blue. The sky was strewn with wisps of clouds and the sun was so bright it hurt your eyes to look up. The spartina was still brown. I knew the edges of it were razor sharp, but from a distance it was so beautiful you would love to run your hand across its top as you would a fur coat. The landscape alone would make a poor person feel as rich as cream.