Chapter Five
Ben pulled his old Ford truck onto the grassy hill by the lake. It had belonged to his grandfather for ten more years than Ben had been on the planet. Momma agreed to let me go as long as I was home by seven thirty to wash the supper dishes. That gave me three hours to swim and hang out with my friends.
The few that had been lucky enough to go off to college were all back for the summer. The rest of us were here working and a couple were actually getting married and starting their life in Moulton. Here, in hell, forever.
Jamie wanted that life. So I tried never to talk about how that was my biggest nightmare. It was her dream and I didn’t want to belittle that. Even if I couldn’t understand it, her dreams were hers to have.
We dropped our towels down on a clear spot and I scanned the crowd to see Marilyn Marcus tangled around Jack Harold. The ring on her hand was small, but the stone still caught the sunlight. She’d been in the bakery just last week announcing her engagement and wanting to talk to momma about making her cake. It had taken all my acting abilities to smile and pretend like what she was saying was wonderful news to me. Deep down all I could remember was that time in eighth grade when we were supposed to write down where we saw ourselves in ten years and only Marilyn and I had written down that we saw ourselves somewhere fabulous and away from Alabama. Now she was marrying a farmer’s son. Not that it was a bad thing. It was just that she wasn’t getting out. She wouldn’t walk the streets of Manhattan, or go to cocktail parties with her dream guy, her millionaire fiancé.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t holding on for a rich man to get me out of Moulton. I simply wanted an adventure. Let me see the world. Anything but what Marilyn was facing.
“Can you believe she’s engaged,” Jamie said, coming up beside me. She must have caught me looking their way. “I thought for sure she’d run off. Get out of town. Now that ain’t gonna happen.”
Me too. But I didn’t say that.
“Guess when you love someone, where they are is where you’ll be.” Ben spoke, causing us both to turn to look at him. His gaze was on mine and it felt like he was saying something I didn’t want to hear. I flashed a smile and shook my head. “Guess I better not fall in love unless he lives in Chicago or New York City, maybe Seattle or Boston.”
Jamie laughed. I grinned at her.
“I don’t imagine you ever in love. Sammy Jo Knox in love?” Jamie said it and I knew that she meant it. I had never had crushes on a boy. Because the boys here were just that, they were here where I didn’t want to be.
“Maybe I won’t. Maybe I’ll conquer the world single and enjoy every minute of doing it.”
Jamie linked her arm with mine. “I hope you do Sam. I really do.”
I would. That was something I was sure of. I just wasn’t sure how at the moment.
“Heard Milly May and Richard were tight as ticks last night at the movies. Rumor has it they left early and went parking. Wonder if she’ll be wearing a ring. Reckon she will really soon.”
My stomach felt sick. I knew that’s what my sister wanted, but was afraid she wanted it so badly she’d settle for whoever would give it. This wasn’t nineteen fifty anymore. A woman didn’t have to get married by the age of twenty. Jesus, what was everyone’s problem?
“Your momma hoping she gets married soon?” Jamie asked. I told her the truth. Momma wanted to marry her off and then I’d be next in the raffle. If only we’d been a bunch of boys. She’d have less to worry about. No one rushed sons into marriage. They kept them around as long as they could to cherish their independence.
“Enough marriage talk. Let’s go swim,” Ben said, reaching for my arm. Not Jamie’s arm, but mine.
“I’ll let you swing on the rope first,” he said. I glanced back at Jamie as he pulled me away. The hurt look in her eyes told me more than she could or would ever attempt to say. Jamie wanted Ben and that was just another reason I needed out of this town.
As I ran behind Ben to keep from falling down several people called my name. I waved and they waved back. They all got together every day after work. I wasn’t as social as them. Momma wouldn’t allow it. She knew there wasn’t much in Moulton I wanted except my family and the time that I’d served, which was often like a prison sentence.
“You coming to the barn dance Friday?” Drake Red yelled at me. I had forgotten about the dance entirely. It came in mid June then on July the fourth was The Fourth, an even bigger event. I hadn’t given any thought to either. I rarely did. Didn’t really care.
“Don’t know,” I called back.
“Go with me,” he said with a grin I was sure he thought was sexy. Truth was Drake was handsome. He had the chiseled chest and arms of a worker. And thanks to swimming at the lake he was nice and tan and pretty. His blue eyes had always been a hit with the girls in Moulton, Alabama. Problem was he had no interest in leaving for more than a weekend. He didn’t even go to college. He just started working on his daddy’s cattle farm and that was where he’d die.
“She’s going with me,” Ben told him. With that I stopped running and pulled my arm free. Ben had just stepped over the line.
I forgot about Drake and anyone else who might be listening in. I focused on Ben who had stopped in his tracks and was looking at me intensely.
“Why would you say that?” I asked him, not trying to hide my frustration, which was bordering on outright anger.
“I figured if you went, you’d go with me. I was going to ask. I swear it.”