raze the one you’re living in and build a new one right there. I’d love having you two close to me,” Tootsie said.
“Are you serious?” Diana said.
“Oh, honey, I’m very serious. Luke isn’t a rich man like most folks might think. He’s just an ordinary bighearted guy who has a shitload of money,” Tootsie informed her. “Now do we have any more new business?”
“I can’t believe I was so gullible,” Carmen said.
“It’s all right to be angry. God gave us anger for a reason, and it’s fine to use it when we need to. Better to get it out rather than let it sit there in your gut and fester,” Diana told her.
“Amen.” Tootsie nodded. “I think we pretty well covered it. Now, Diana, you can read the plaque that’s over there on my dresser tonight. We’ll close with it every time we have a meeting, because we all need to hear it.”
“Is that the one that was in the motor home?” Diana asked.
“It is. I wouldn’t dream of going anywhere without it. Not even from the motor home to this house,” Tootsie said.
Diana read:
MAY GOD GRANT YOU ALWAYS
A SUNBEAM TO WARM YOU
A MOONBEAM TO CHARM YOU
A SHELTERING ANGEL SO NOTHING CAN HARM YOU
LAUGHTER TO CHEER YOU
FAITHFUL FRIENDS NEAR YOU
AND WHENEVER YOU PRAY
HEAVEN TO HEAR YOU.
“I feel better now, don’t y’all?” Tootsie said.
“I sure do.” Carmen slid off the bed. “When’s the next meeting?”
“Every Sunday night from now on, and once Joanie has moved, we’ll put her on speakerphone,” Tootsie said. “Good, cheap therapy.”
“When we get home, I’ll bring the wine,” Diana offered.
“We’ll take turns bringing it.” Tootsie grinned. “Now let’s all go to bed. I betcha Smokey will have a lot to say to me tonight after he’s heard all this.”
Chapter Eighteen
Diana’s sweater and jacket did little to keep the whistling north wind from chilling her to the bone as she carried a bundle of letters to the mailbox. She wasn’t used to late October being so cold. In Sugar Run, they’d still be using the air conditioner. She put up the flag to let the rural carrier know there was something to pick up and braced herself for the wind to hit her in the face as she started back. Then she heard the distant rumble of a vehicle and waited to see if it might be the mail truck.
Sure enough, it was, and the carrier put several things in the box, waved at her, and then drove on. She turned around and retraced her footsteps back to the mailbox, kicking leaves out of her way. She gathered a bundle of letters close to her body so the fierce wind wouldn’t blow them out of her hands. She did notice that the one on top had Carmen’s name on it and Natalie’s return address in the upper corner.
“Mail call,” she shouted as she entered the house. Joanie came from the kitchen, where she was making dinner, and Carmen ran down the stairs so fast that she almost fell. Tootsie laid her book aside, and Luke took out his earbuds.
“Okay, first one is Carmen’s; then there’s what looks like a bill for Luke.” She handed them out one by one.
“Lucky me. Carmen gets a handwritten letter, and I get a power bill,” he grumbled.
“Is it from Natalie?” Joanie asked.
“Yes, it is, and I’m going to take it up to my room and read it five hundred times and cry over every word, even if they’re just telling me how many push-ups she’s doing and what she’s eating.” Carmen started for the stairs.
“And another one for Carmen. This one has been forwarded from Sugar Run, so you might want to read it first,” Diana suggested.
“Happy Halloween to me,” Carmen sing-songed.
“And here’s two for Joanie, no, three. This one looks like a card, and it’s got Brett’s return address.” Diana passed them to Joanie.
“And three for Tootsie. Looks like each girl has written to you.”
Tootsie held them to her heart. “God love their sweet souls. I love getting mail.”
“And the last two plus the mortgage bill are for me,” Diana said. “And I’m going to do the same thing that Carmen’s doing—go up to my room and read these two letters a dozen times.”
“You could stay down here and share them with me since all I got was a bill from the electric company.” Luke laid his envelope to the side.
“Do you want to see her cry?” Tootsie asked.
“Good point. I don’t do well with weeping women, so go on, and