your ring," she offered in an attempt to change the subject.
Mattie's face lit up. She immediately held her hand out for Jan to see the square green stone surrounded by smaller stones. "My husband gave me this. It's a real emerald, and those are real diamonds around it. It cost way more than he could afford, but he said he had to give me something as special as I was. He always said sweet things like that. He was a loving man."
"Were you married a long time?"
"We were married twenty-five years before he died. I had twenty-five of the most happy yearsâThat's lucky, isn't it? Not many people can claim a quarter of a century of wedded bliss. But now I've been a widow forty years. Imagine. I
can't
imagine it myself."
Jan was good at math. "So you're about eighty-five today, Mattie?"
She giggled. "That's right, eighty-five, but you better tell me I don't look it or I'll be mad at you."
"You don't look it," Jan said sincerely.
"Well," Mattie said. "When I brush my hair, I see all eighty-some years in the mirror, but, anyway, I'm glad to be alive still. And sure glad to see you. You made this
the happiest birthday I've had in years, honey. I mean it, really."
Jan didn't know how to leave after that heartfelt statement. She asked if Mattie was going to have dinner soon, and Mattie said, "Not for a while. Want to go for a walk? I haven't been out today. I was waiting. Seems when I was young, I was always waiting for something to happen. I thought the waiting would stop when I grew up, but it never has." She smiled at Jan and said, "It's nice to walk in the evening. I never get tired of these Arizona sunsets, do you?
"I'm sort of in a hurry tonight. I'm going to a party," Jan said, thinking uneasily that she still had a lot to do to get ready for it.
"Well, how about I walk you home? I'd just like to say hello to that sweet horse of yours. I won't stay but a minute."
Mattie was not to be denied. She swept through the living room, where five old ladies who were waiting for their dinners to be served were now staring at the TV screen. Gleefully, Mattie called out to them, "My young friend's going for a walk with me before supper. Be right back."
Amelia, who had come inside, looked up and shook her head as if she thought Mattie's enthusiasm was silly. Jan felt slightly foolish to have so much fuss made over her meager attentions, and she was impatient to get ready for
the party now, but she couldn't hurt Mattie's feelings by telling her not to come.
Dove was standing in the middle of his corral. His ears hung low and the elegant head he always held so high was down beside his bad leg. "Oh, Dove, look at you," Jan said.
His dulled brown eyes met hers. Dove had become one unhappy horse.
"Oh, my!" Mattie said. "It's hard to see an animal suffer, especially a horse. It's a good thing he's going to have that operation. When will it be?"
"As soon as the bank gives Mom the loan, she'll call the vet and they'll schedule it," Jan said.
"Well, anything I can do, you let me know," Mattie said. "My goodness, you are something, thinking of me and my birthday when you've got trouble like this."
While Jan curried and brushed Dove, Mattie stayed, talking at him, and Dove seemed to cheer up listening to her chirp away. Just having Mattie there while she attended to Dove made Jan feel better, too. But the sun was sitting on the humps of the low mountains to the west, and in a few minutes it would be dark.
"I'd best get back," Mattie said.
"I'll go with you," Jan said.
"No, you don't have to. I'm pretty steady on my feet. Just when I have my spells I'm not so good. But I'm fine today."
Jan watched Mattie march back across the field. Halfway across she faltered, and tilted as if she might fall. Jan sprinted to catch up and took her arm.
"Nothing wrong. I just took a misstep, that's all," Mattie said. She didn't try to keep Jan when they got back to the house. "You go along now," she said. "And thanks for everything. You made my
Mattie's face lit up. She immediately held her hand out for Jan to see the square green stone surrounded by smaller stones. "My husband gave me this. It's a real emerald, and those are real diamonds around it. It cost way more than he could afford, but he said he had to give me something as special as I was. He always said sweet things like that. He was a loving man."
"Were you married a long time?"
"We were married twenty-five years before he died. I had twenty-five of the most happy yearsâThat's lucky, isn't it? Not many people can claim a quarter of a century of wedded bliss. But now I've been a widow forty years. Imagine. I
can't
imagine it myself."
Jan was good at math. "So you're about eighty-five today, Mattie?"
She giggled. "That's right, eighty-five, but you better tell me I don't look it or I'll be mad at you."
"You don't look it," Jan said sincerely.
"Well," Mattie said. "When I brush my hair, I see all eighty-some years in the mirror, but, anyway, I'm glad to be alive still. And sure glad to see you. You made this
the happiest birthday I've had in years, honey. I mean it, really."
Jan didn't know how to leave after that heartfelt statement. She asked if Mattie was going to have dinner soon, and Mattie said, "Not for a while. Want to go for a walk? I haven't been out today. I was waiting. Seems when I was young, I was always waiting for something to happen. I thought the waiting would stop when I grew up, but it never has." She smiled at Jan and said, "It's nice to walk in the evening. I never get tired of these Arizona sunsets, do you?
"I'm sort of in a hurry tonight. I'm going to a party," Jan said, thinking uneasily that she still had a lot to do to get ready for it.
"Well, how about I walk you home? I'd just like to say hello to that sweet horse of yours. I won't stay but a minute."
Mattie was not to be denied. She swept through the living room, where five old ladies who were waiting for their dinners to be served were now staring at the TV screen. Gleefully, Mattie called out to them, "My young friend's going for a walk with me before supper. Be right back."
Amelia, who had come inside, looked up and shook her head as if she thought Mattie's enthusiasm was silly. Jan felt slightly foolish to have so much fuss made over her meager attentions, and she was impatient to get ready for
the party now, but she couldn't hurt Mattie's feelings by telling her not to come.
Dove was standing in the middle of his corral. His ears hung low and the elegant head he always held so high was down beside his bad leg. "Oh, Dove, look at you," Jan said.
His dulled brown eyes met hers. Dove had become one unhappy horse.
"Oh, my!" Mattie said. "It's hard to see an animal suffer, especially a horse. It's a good thing he's going to have that operation. When will it be?"
"As soon as the bank gives Mom the loan, she'll call the vet and they'll schedule it," Jan said.
"Well, anything I can do, you let me know," Mattie said. "My goodness, you are something, thinking of me and my birthday when you've got trouble like this."
While Jan curried and brushed Dove, Mattie stayed, talking at him, and Dove seemed to cheer up listening to her chirp away. Just having Mattie there while she attended to Dove made Jan feel better, too. But the sun was sitting on the humps of the low mountains to the west, and in a few minutes it would be dark.
"I'd best get back," Mattie said.
"I'll go with you," Jan said.
"No, you don't have to. I'm pretty steady on my feet. Just when I have my spells I'm not so good. But I'm fine today."
Jan watched Mattie march back across the field. Halfway across she faltered, and tilted as if she might fall. Jan sprinted to catch up and took her arm.
"Nothing wrong. I just took a misstep, that's all," Mattie said. She didn't try to keep Jan when they got back to the house. "You go along now," she said. "And thanks for everything. You made my
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