“No, I want his new little pregnant wife to see me everywhere in this place.” Jody rolled up on her toes. “The picture box is in my closet.” Like a woman on a mission, she stomped down the hallway and brought down a cardboard box. While Mitzi and Paula folded and put her clothing in garbage bags, she picked out several photos of her and Lyle through the years. She was tempted to tuck them in the cabinets, stick them on the bathroom mirror, and maybe even slip them under the pillows on the bed. But she couldn’t do it.

“God, why didn’t I see this? I knew something was wrong, but I never thought he was cheating on me,” she groaned. “I had my head stuck in the sand so far that my scrawny butt was sticking up in the air.”

“Enough of that. That hussy might be younger, but she needs to remember that he was cheating on you the whole time. Once a two-timin’ sumbitch, always one, so she just might lose him the same way she got him someday,” Paula said as she and Mitzi maneuvered the mattress down the hallway.

Jody’s chin quivered. “Y’all pinch me and wake me up. This is all a nightmare like the one I was having this morning, isn’t it?”

Paula set her end of the mattress down and asked, “What nightmare?”

Jody told her about the tornado and then clamped a hand over her mouth. “Evidently somewhere in my subconscious, I must’ve felt that a storm was brewing.”

“Of course you did. It was a sign that there was a mental storm brewing in your life, but you are strong. We’re here for you just like we’ve always been. We’ve stuck together through everything since before we started school. We’ll get you through this,” Paula said.

“You got a gris-gris you can put on this place when we’re done?” Jody asked.

“Honey, karma will bite Lyle on the butt better than any spell I could cast on this old trailer,” Paula said. “Think about it. He’s used to having you make his meals from food you grow. He never has to lift a finger to help with anything around here other than a little garden work. She’s young, and from that Christmas picture, she’s a handful, and she’s pregnant. He’s going to pay dearly.” Paula picked up the mattress again.

Jody understood that they were trying to make her feel better, but it wasn’t working. Her stomach was in knots, her hands were clammy, and tears streamed down her face.