Small Town Tango (7 page)

“Done,” he says. “Now, let’s go see if Mammy is done with her nails and tell her the good news.”

            They walk back slowly to Martha’s salon, hand in hand. They both feel like they are in a fairy tale, walking on clouds. As they enter the salon, they see that Viola is sitting in a chair reading a magazine.

“Mammy, I thought you said it would take an hour to get your nails done? We are fifteen minutes early and you are already done.” Katy and Viola laugh.

“You don’t have to send us off anymore, Miss Viola, we are officially a couple.” They raise their paired hands up in the air and Viola clasps her hands over her mouth and gasps, “Oh aren’t you two so sweet? Well, how did this happen, and I knew nothing of it.”

“Sure, Mammy,” replies Bo.  “I think it’s time for us to go home now and put your feet up like the doctor recommended,” he says. “Katy and I will make dinner.” He looks at her and grins.

“Oh good, and this time I don’t have to send you off to the grocery for a list of things I already have,” she giggles and slaps her knee.

            “What would you like for dinner tonight, Miss Viola?” Katy asks as they walk up the front steps.

“What are you good at?” she replies.

“Spaghetti.”

“Then spaghetti, it is,” says Viola.

 They help Viola get all of her belongings that she had with her at the hospital put away and make her sit down in the recliner with a pillow under her feet and bring her a cup of tea.

“Did you two stick me in this chair so I wouldn’t be bothering you in the kitchen? You know I can’t get up from here leaned all the way back like this.”

“Nooo, Mammy, we are just trying to follow the doctor’s orders. They made you stay overnight for evaluation, this is serious,” says Bo.

“Ok, ok,” replies Viola, “I fibbed a little, I am sorry. I just wanted you two to get to spend some alone time together and have some fun. You both needed to relax a little, sit back and smell the honeysuckle.”

“You know lying is a sin, Mammy.”

“Boy, I asked forgiveness before I even pulled that one out of my hat,” Viola snaps back. “It was for the greater good, anyway. Now bring me the clicker, I think it’s time for Wheel of Fortune and I feel a headache coming on.”

He smiles and walks over to his grandmother and hands her the clicker, bends down and gives her a kiss on the cheek, “Thank you, Mammy,” he whispers in her ear.

“Don’t mention it, stud,” she laughs and pats him on the hand. “Now get in there and ask her if she needs some help.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he says enthusiastically as he does a little jig on his way to the kitchen. He hasn’t felt this free in a long time. “I guess this is what being in love feels like,” he thinks to himself.

He stands in the doorway of the kitchen staring at her from behind for a moment thinking that she must be the most beautiful, caring, loving woman he has ever met. Not every day do you come across a woman that has the selflessness to take care of someone on her day off and make her sole purpose in life to help others and please God.

“Katy, what can I help with?”

“You don’t have to help, silly, just sit down and keep me company.”

“So...” says Katy, “are you planning on coming to church in the morning?”

“I don’t know,” replies Bo, “I haven’t been in so long, I don’t want people to look at me funny.”

“Don’t worry about what other people think. You are the notorious Bo Brogan, big time lawyer, where is this self-consciousness coming from?”

“Maybe I just feel bad for being out of the church for so long and being so self-centered. All I have thought about since I graduated was my next big win, whether it was an A on a college exam, or a case with a new client, winning the case, I haven’t prayed in so long that it is pathetic.”

“It’s never too late to start,” says Katy.

“Do you pray a lot?” asks Bo.

“Umm, yes, I pray about 15 times a day, NOT including bed time prayers.”

“What do you say?” he asks.

“I say a lot of stuff. I thank God for everything that He has given me - my house, my job, my car, the sunlight and beautiful trees and plants, Miss Viola, and just recently, I thanked Him for you.”

“You did?” he asks.

“Yup.”

“Why would you do that?” he asks.

“Because you have made me realize that I need to live for myself a little bit more, be more spontaneous and not worry so much. I need to take some time for myself every now and then to relax and have my own life. Don’t get me wrong, it feels great helping others, but sometimes I think that I spend so much time helping others that I forget to help myself.”

“How did I make you realize that?” asks Bo.

There is a long sigh. “By showing up here being the complete opposite of me, but at some point since you have been here I saw a change in you. You don’t want to be who you are being and I don’t want to be who I am being. I mean I do, but it just needs a little tweaking, and maybe we can help each other with that.”

“You know, they say opposites attract,” says Bo.

“Do they now?” she replies.

Suddenly, there is a loud knock on the door and Bo hurries over to answer. It is Becky, standing there with a distraught look on her face. “Please tell me Katy is here,” she exclaims.

“Yes, she is in the kitchen. Come in, come in.”

“Katy, I have horrible news…”

“Becky, what’s wrong?”

“There was a small fire in the kitchen, something happened with the oven and I am afraid it is totally ruined. A few walls are scorched, the firemen and police and Sally are there now. We evacuated the customers as soon as we smelled the smoke, but they need you down there right away.”

“Good heavens!” Viola shouts, “I will finish up this spaghetti, you get on to the bakery, and Bo, you go along too. I am sure she could use the support.”

“Ok, thanks, Mammy. Katy, I will grab your bag and pull the car around.”

Upon arriving at the bakery, Katy lets the tears break loose. Even though she knows it was only a small fire, she thinks about how she has let her father down. It has only been two years and she has managed to mess things up. Dylan Jones is the lead firefighter on the team that showed up.

“Katy,” Dylan calls out, “I am so glad you are here. Becky and Sally did the right thing by getting the customers out as soon as possible, but I am afraid there is some extensive damage to the kitchen.”

“Oh no!” replies Katy.

“You ought to go in and take a look and get on the phone with your insurance agency as soon as possible to get this place back up and running pronto. Every day this shop is out of business, money is being lost, and I know this is you main source of income.”

“Ok,” she replies. “Bo, would you mind walking in there with me?”

“Not at all, doll,” he says, wrapping his arm securely around her shoulder and pulling her in tight.

When they step into the building, the strong smell of smoke hits them in the face, and Katy instantly gets a sick feeling in her stomach thinking that this could be how she loses her father’s dream if she cannot fix this mess. They walk through the double doors into the kitchen, hand in hand, and stand there quietly for a moment examining the damage.

“It’s not too bad,” says Bo. “This shouldn’t take very long to fix, it’s just the oven surrounding walls and ceiling that need to be replaced. It’s a good thing it got put out in time.”

“Yeah, Becky thought on her feet and grabbed the fire extinguisher just in the nick of time,” Dylan chimes in. “If it wasn’t for her quick thinking, this whole place might have burned down.”

“I guess I need to take some pictures to send to the insurance agency,” Katy says. I don’t have a camera with me, though.”

“It’s ok, I have one out in the car. I will go grab it,” says Bo and steps out.

“So,” says Dylan, “you two an item now?”

“I don’t know if you could say we are an item, but yes, Dylan, we are getting close. I mean, it’s only natural, I am practically best friends with his grandmother.”

“Yeah, I have always found that a little strange about you, Katy. Befriending the elderly and volunteering at the homeless shelter, don’t you have a life?” he says.

“That is my life, Dylan, I would not expect you to understand.”

“Alright,” Bo says as he comes back through the swinging doors with his camera. “I will take the pictures of everything and help you get them sent to the insurance agency.”

“Thanks,” she says.

After at least an hour and a half of Bo taking pictures of all of the damages from every different angle, they decide to call it a night and solemnly head back over to Miss Viola’s for cold spaghetti.

“I’m sorry this happened,” he says to her.

“Oh, it’s not your fault. I should have had that oven replaced a while back. I have just been putting it off, and look what happened, it blew up in my face.”

“Well, let this be a lesson to you, Katherine Bates. Don’t put off the important things in life. Your dad’s bakery was important to him and I know it is important to you to keep it alive with his memory. Sometimes in life we aren’t sure of things, but we have to take the chance anyways, so we don’t always wonder what might have been or could have been. Now wouldn’t you feel terrible if that whole place had burned to the ground and there wasn’t a shred of your father’s memory left there?”

“Where is all of this coming from?” she responds.

“It is just that, since being here, my eyes have been opened to a whole new side of life, a life where you live for yourself and what makes you happy, and don’t worry about what the world expects out of you, you just do… you.”

“Well that is very inspiring, Mr. Brogan, but is there an underlying point here that you are trying every so hard to beat around the bush before letting out?”

“I like you, Katy. I may even love you, will you agree to a date outside of church now?”

“Ha-ha, I told you, Bo, I only date men who go to church and put God first. If I am going to marry a man and let him lead me and my family, I need to know that that man is being led by God. I will tell you what, you show up to church in the morning and I will accept your offer on a trial basis. If you pass, you may call me, you may take me on as many dates as you wish.”

They continue walking the sidewalk back to Miss Viola’s, hand in hand, with a warm fuzzy feeling in their hearts, taking in the smell of the honeysuckle. This could not be a more perfect night.

When they arrive back at Miss Viola’s house, they see two plates put out on the table with a note that said, “I went to bed. I hope everything is ok, my darling Katy bug. I will see you in the morning. Enjoy your dinner,” with a little heart drawn at the bottom of the note. They fix their plates in silence and sit down, and devour the tasty meal. After loading the dishwasher and putting the leftovers away, Katy tells Bo it is time for her to go home.

“May I walk you?” he asks in a very gentlemanly tone.

“Of course, you may,” Katy replies, batting her eyes at him, completely smitten by how charming he can be. He grabs her shawl and throws it around her shoulders and gets her bag off of the hanger for her as he opens the door. It is a beautiful night; the stars are shining bright and the moon is full. They walk in silence, enjoying the feeling of happiness in their souls; they each have a smile that will not leave their face despite the tragedy that has just happened. When they come up to Katy’s house Bo walks her to the door.

“So, will you be at the service in the morning?” Katy asks.

 “I’m not sure yet,” he says, “there are some things I have to work out first.” She takes him at his word, and he gives her a peck on the check and tells her good night.

Baammp-baammp-baammp. Bo can hear his grandmother’s alarm clock going off all the way from the living room. He rolls over and checks his watch. “Six thirty, Mammy!” he shouts down the hall as he pulls his pillow over his head, although he can still hear her laughing. “This is supposed to be a vacation!” he shouts again.

“No one needs a vacation from the Lord, sonny boy. Get up and get to it! I will be in the kitchen making biscuits and gravy. Why don’t you go on and take yourself a nice shower, that will wake you up.”

Bo wobbles off of the couch down the hall and into the bathroom as his grandmother ordered. He hops in, and although the hot shower is refreshing, he starts having second thoughts about attending church this morning. “What if God isn’t willing to forgive me for all of the mistakes I have made, all of the times I have put myself and my own needs above those of others? I have been so selfish and greedy and basically beat my way to the top with a baseball bat. I have been unforgiving and ungrateful. I wouldn’t be surprised if He sets me on fire the second I walk through the door,” he thinks to himself, imagining walking through the church doors and bursting into flames.

 He hops out of the shower, dries himself off and gets dressed, and follows the delicious smell of homemade biscuits cooking in the oven. “This smells delicious, Mammy!” he shouts to her.

“Boy, you just scared the ever-loving daylights out of me, and I messed up my mascara! Eat it and hush!” Boy, does he love his mammy and her sense of humor.