lesson to all of us not to take a single moment for granted,” she said.
“Amen,” Luke agreed.
Tootsie came out of her room, got a root beer from the refrigerator, and took it to the table. “I had two best friends the whole time I was in school. Gloria died ten years ago, and Midge is at the end of her life. I’ll be going to see her on Tuesday and probably spending the whole day.”
“I’ll be glad to go with you,” Diana said.
“We can all go.” Joanie scooted around on the bench and draped an arm around Tootsie’s shoulders.
“There’s only room for two in the pickup truck, and there’s things I need to say to Midge, so I’m going alone.” Tootsie laid her head on Joanie’s shoulder.
“So y’all’ve been friends for more than seventy years?” Carmen got down off the bunk and slid into the booth on the other side of Tootsie.
“Probably longer than that. Her mother was Tootsie, and Gloria’s was Arlene. They were my mother’s best friends, and those are the folks I’m named after. Gloria was named for my mother, and Midge for my grandmother. We were in the church nursery together and started and finished school at the same time. Now it’s just me and Midge, and I need to spend some time with her,” Tootsie said.
“Is she in a nursing home?” Diana asked.
“No, her sister, Sissy, is taking care of her. Sissy was one of those change-of-life babies and was born when we were all sixteen. Midge’s kids have all passed away, so when she got too sick to live alone, Sissy took her into her house. She’s got hospice.” Tootsie’s voice cracked.
“I’m going with you whether you like it or not,” Luke declared. “I’ll drive and stay in the truck, or else I could go on down to Clarksville and pick up any supplies we might need for the week. But you shouldn’t be driving alone under these circumstances.”
“I’ll agree if you’ll just drop me off and then come back and wait until I’m ready,” Tootsie said. “That’ll give you girls a day to get settled in and get the lay of the land.”
“Fair enough,” Luke agreed. “If Midge is really bad, we could forgo the Jefferson stop and drive on to Scrap this afternoon. That way you could go see her tomorrow instead of waiting another day. We could be there by suppertime.”
“I promised Joanie and Carmen a tour of the Gone with the Wind Museum,” Tootsie answered.
“And we can do that another time. Maybe we’ll make a day trip down there in the motor home between now and Thanksgiving.” Carmen patted her on the arm. “Midge is more important right now.”
“If you’re sure, that would be great.” Tootsie dabbed at her eyes with a napkin.
Luke raised his voice. “Next stop, Scrap, Texas.”
“You want your seat up here in the front?” Diana asked.
“No, darlin’, I’m going back to my bedroom to watch Designing Women. I’ve got all the seasons on discs, and it’ll help pass the time from here to there,” Tootsie said. “Anyone who wants to join me is welcome.”
“I’ll make a bag of popcorn,” Joanie said.
“I’ll bring root beers.” Carmen slid out of the booth and headed toward the refrigerator.
Luke glanced over at Diana, expecting to see her unfastening her seat belt.
“I’ll join y’all after a bit. I’m going to stay up here for a little while longer,” Diana said.
Luke’s job meant that he spent hours and hours alone, so he didn’t mind driving with no one to talk to. But he did like being able to catch a sideways glimpse of Diana whenever he wanted.
Chapter Seven
Tootsie had always gotten antsy when she and Smokey got close to Scrap, but that afternoon it was even worse than usual. She picked up Smokey’s picture and held it close to her heart.
“It’s going to be tough to go in the house without you, darlin’. In all our travels, this was the home base, even after retirement. I was a fool to think it would be the same without you. If I didn’t need to see Midge tomorrow, I’d tell Luke to turn this rig around and take us back to San Antonio,” she said.
Stop it! I left you with three beautiful girls and a nephew. They all need help in one way or another, and you’re the one they’ll be leaning on, so buck up, sweetheart. I’m always with you in spirit, if not in the flesh. Smokey’s voice was so real that