trying to make lemonade out of the lemons life had given her. So when the woman turned around and ran back to a shiny red car, she was almost certain this was a joke and the woman would drive past her laughing for falling for it.
But she was wrong.
Cathy pulled up, then jumped out and took the sacks Barrie was holding. But when the little girl cried about being buckled up and having to sit in the back on her own, Cathy quickly solved the dilemma.
“What’s your name, sweetie?”
The little girl sniffed. “Lucy. My little brother is Freddie.”
“Okay, Lucy, I have an idea!” she said. “How about you and Mama and Freddie all sit in the back, like you were in a fancy limousine, and I’ll be your driver. You can tell me where to turn and how to get to your house.”
Lucy sniffed again, and then looked at her mother.
Barrie nodded. “That would be fine.”
Cathy got them settled in the back, and then got back in the car.
“Okay…we’re leaving the parking lot. When I get to Main Street, which direction do I turn?” she asked.
“Turn left,” Barrie said, and the little girl sitting beside her piped up, “Left!”
Cathy hid a giggle. “Yes, ma’am.”
She drove all the way down Main and was almost at the gas station at that end of town when she got her next set of directions.
“Take the next street left. Cross the tracks and take the second street right,” Barrie said.
“Street right!” the little girl echoed.
Cathy smiled. “Yes, ma’am. Turning now,” and when she crossed the long-abandoned tracks and started downhill, she suddenly understood the meaning of the Bottoms. The cluster of houses below reminded her of dirty toadstools all clumped together…but not in a fairy ring. More like seeds in a garden that didn’t all germinate…and the ones that did were stunted and sterile.
This place gave off a lonesome feeling, and Cathy didn’t understand why, when Blessings was so welcoming, this was still like this. As she turned right on the second street, the little girl cried, “Dat’s home!”
“The one with the leaning porch,” Barrie added. Freddie had fallen asleep in her lap, so she shifted him to her shoulder so she could carry her things inside. “I sure do appreciate this.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome. I won’t intrude on your privacy, but I will carry your things up to the porch,” Cathy said. “You get your babies inside out of the cold, and then you can come back for your things, okay?”
Barrie Lemons was so struck by the continuing kindness that she could only nod for fear if she spoke again, she’d burst into tears.
Cathy parked and got out, then ran around to open the door, and when the woman and baby got out, Cathy leaned in and unbuckled the little girl.
“You did such a good job telling me how to bring you home. Thank you very much,” she said.
Lucy beamed. “Welcome,” she said, and ran into the house behind her mother.
Cathy grabbed the two sacks and carried them up to the door. The woman had left it ajar. The lights were on, so Cathy knew the family had electricity, but she could see inside just enough to know they were destitute. Even worse, she couldn’t feel any heat coming out the door although there was obviously an electric wall heater in sight.
When Barrie came back, Cathy handed her the sacks.
“I thank you,” Barrie said.
Cathy nodded, then pointed to the wall heater. “That isn’t putting out much heat, is it?”
“It hasn’t worked in two years,” Barrie said. “Landlord won’t fix it.”
“Oh my God…how do you stay warm in the winter?”
“We got a space heater from Salvation Army about three years ago. We use it when it gets bad, but it won’t heat more than one room.” Then she turned her back on Cathy and went inside, shutting the door behind her as she went.
Cathy went back to her car and headed home, but she couldn’t get that family out of her mind. She kept thinking of how some people have too much, and some will never have enough, and then she thought of Blaine Wagner’s millions sitting in three banks…and an idea was born.
As soon as she got home and her things put away, she googled Peanut’s office to get a phone number and then called it.
Betty Purejoy, Peanut’s secretary, answered.
“Butterman Law Office. This is Betty.”
“Betty, this is Cathy Terry. Might Mr. Butterman be available to speak to me?”