the Lord will shine a little piece of heaven on me, and today it is you.”
Pearl smiled at her friend. Her first and only friend. Vernie had a heart too big for her lumpy soft body. She had seen so much in her fifty-eight years, and that was without leaving the farm. Silence was not a word Vernie knew well, and small talk was never an excuse to fill dead air. Vernie wanted to know it all, wanted to dive deep into what made Pearl tick, and in return share her own stories. Pearl sat back with a smile, taking it all in. All she ever needed was Virginia and Vernie to take her mind away.
“Have you called your father?” Vernie asked, turning serious.
“No,” Pearl lied. The truth was she had. She dialed the number and let it ring three times. By the fourth, her father answered, but her courage was gone. She hung up the phone just as her father said hello.
“Ahh,” Vernie said. “You know, I once went three months without speaking to my father. And we lived on the same land.”
“Were you angry with him?”
Vernie nodded. “Very. But then you realize that anger doesn’t hurt anyone but yourself.”
Pearl stretched her legs over the steps of the porch. “I’m not angry at my dad. I’m just afraid he’s angry with me.”
“You don’t think he would approve of you being here with Roy?”
Pearl shrugged. “Probably not. I guess I just don’t know what to say. I don’t know when I’ll be back to visit. And I don’t want to disappoint him by saying that.” Pearl paused, taking a drag of her cigarette. “I guess I’m scared if I hear their voices, it would be too much, that I’d want to go home.”
Vernie tilted her head in Pearl’s direction. “That sounds like a whole lot of uncertainty, if you ask me. You can’t find home with one foot out the door.”
“I have no intention of leaving here,” Pearl defended herself.
Vernie shrugged. “No one ever does.” She sipped her drink. The ice clinked in the glass. “Let me ask you this.”
Pearl cocked her head at Vernie’s pause.
“Is Roy the best guy you know?”
Pearl turned her eyes away and focused on Roy’s small frame in the field. He couldn’t see her from here, but she loved sitting on the porch watching him work, feeling him close, and knowing he was working hard for her and their future.
“He’s the only guy I know,” she answered.
Vernie chuckled lightly. “I have a hard time imagining that. Beauty like you would be knocking all the men to their knees.”
Pearl’s cheeks reddened. “No, it’s not like that. I haven’t been in school since elementary years. No one pays attention to me.”
“Well, Roy did. You met him.”
Pearl finished the last of her drink, the cool liquid freezing her head. “At a gas station.” She laughed. “How romantic is that?”
She had been short $3, and Roy had chipped in. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. And he seemed to be just as smitten with her. They talked for hours by the Chevron sign, and by the time Roy said he wanted to see her again, she already knew he was the man she would marry.
“Seems as good a place as any,” Vernie said, lighting another cigarette.
“That was two years ago, when I was sixteen. My dad tried to keep us apart in the beginning, told me Roy was too old for me. There was something about Roy that just never clicked with him. But I couldn’t stay away from him.” Her lips curved up at the memory. “When he said he was moving back to Oregon, I just knew I had to go.”
Vernie wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “And I’m so very happy you did.”
Pearl smiled up at her. “Me, too.”
Vernie gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her to light another smoke.
“What about you, Vernie, where’s the great love of your life?”
Vernie’s smile dropped. The cigarette went unlit as she set the lighter down. “Ah, yes. Well, that is a story for another time, with a much stiffer drink.”
Pearl tilted her head toward Vernie,
Pearl smiled at her friend. Her first and only friend. Vernie had a heart too big for her lumpy soft body. She had seen so much in her fifty-eight years, and that was without leaving the farm. Silence was not a word Vernie knew well, and small talk was never an excuse to fill dead air. Vernie wanted to know it all, wanted to dive deep into what made Pearl tick, and in return share her own stories. Pearl sat back with a smile, taking it all in. All she ever needed was Virginia and Vernie to take her mind away.
“Have you called your father?” Vernie asked, turning serious.
“No,” Pearl lied. The truth was she had. She dialed the number and let it ring three times. By the fourth, her father answered, but her courage was gone. She hung up the phone just as her father said hello.
“Ahh,” Vernie said. “You know, I once went three months without speaking to my father. And we lived on the same land.”
“Were you angry with him?”
Vernie nodded. “Very. But then you realize that anger doesn’t hurt anyone but yourself.”
Pearl stretched her legs over the steps of the porch. “I’m not angry at my dad. I’m just afraid he’s angry with me.”
“You don’t think he would approve of you being here with Roy?”
Pearl shrugged. “Probably not. I guess I just don’t know what to say. I don’t know when I’ll be back to visit. And I don’t want to disappoint him by saying that.” Pearl paused, taking a drag of her cigarette. “I guess I’m scared if I hear their voices, it would be too much, that I’d want to go home.”
Vernie tilted her head in Pearl’s direction. “That sounds like a whole lot of uncertainty, if you ask me. You can’t find home with one foot out the door.”
“I have no intention of leaving here,” Pearl defended herself.
Vernie shrugged. “No one ever does.” She sipped her drink. The ice clinked in the glass. “Let me ask you this.”
Pearl cocked her head at Vernie’s pause.
“Is Roy the best guy you know?”
Pearl turned her eyes away and focused on Roy’s small frame in the field. He couldn’t see her from here, but she loved sitting on the porch watching him work, feeling him close, and knowing he was working hard for her and their future.
“He’s the only guy I know,” she answered.
Vernie chuckled lightly. “I have a hard time imagining that. Beauty like you would be knocking all the men to their knees.”
Pearl’s cheeks reddened. “No, it’s not like that. I haven’t been in school since elementary years. No one pays attention to me.”
“Well, Roy did. You met him.”
Pearl finished the last of her drink, the cool liquid freezing her head. “At a gas station.” She laughed. “How romantic is that?”
She had been short $3, and Roy had chipped in. He was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. And he seemed to be just as smitten with her. They talked for hours by the Chevron sign, and by the time Roy said he wanted to see her again, she already knew he was the man she would marry.
“Seems as good a place as any,” Vernie said, lighting another cigarette.
“That was two years ago, when I was sixteen. My dad tried to keep us apart in the beginning, told me Roy was too old for me. There was something about Roy that just never clicked with him. But I couldn’t stay away from him.” Her lips curved up at the memory. “When he said he was moving back to Oregon, I just knew I had to go.”
Vernie wrapped her arm around her shoulders. “And I’m so very happy you did.”
Pearl smiled up at her. “Me, too.”
Vernie gave her a tight squeeze before releasing her to light another smoke.
“What about you, Vernie, where’s the great love of your life?”
Vernie’s smile dropped. The cigarette went unlit as she set the lighter down. “Ah, yes. Well, that is a story for another time, with a much stiffer drink.”
Pearl tilted her head toward Vernie,
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