Hitting the snooze button for the third time,
Angeline snuggled into the cotton blanket and
pulled the flowered comforter half over her
head. An annoying fly was buzzing around but
she did not want to get up. Another Monday and
the June bride blitz was in full swing thanks to
a 10 percent discount offered all this month.
More work for her.
The phone rang and she reached over to the
night stand, knocked it off the receiver and
wrestled it to her ear.
“Hello?”
“Angeline, it’s your mother. Please don’t
hang up.”
Annoyance swept over Angeline for not
checking the caller I.D. before answering.
“Are you there? Angeline?”
“Yes, mother. I’m still here,” she
answered crossly.
“Angeline I would like to talk to you. I’m
sorry we haven’t been getting along lately. I
want to talk, you know, but everything I say
upsets you so.”
“You nag me all the time.”
“I just want what’s best for you, you do
know that don’t you? Please say you’ll come to
supper Wednesday evening when you get off work.
Elaine’s going to come and I know how much you
like her.”
“I’ll come,” she replied. “I have to go now
and get ready for work.”
Angeline hung up without waiting for her
mother’s reply and rolled out of bed grabbing
her robe.
Elaine is such a busy body sometimes. I
just know she set this up.
She started a pot of coffee, sat at the
breakfast table in her kitchen and looked out
the big bay window. A bluebird sat on the small
bird feeder she had placed in the back yard,
daintily pecking seeds, one at a time.
“Why can’t life be easy?” she wondered
aloud. “I want everyone to leave me alone. First
Elaine and now Mother.”
She stood up, poured a cup of coffee and
placed two powdered donuts on a paper towel
before sitting again. Nibbling the sweet
pastry, she wondered about moving to Australia
and starting over.
“Hurry up Papaw! The news is on!” Betty
hollered from the living room where she was
sitting on the couch with Matt.
Martha was sitting in the rocker and Homer
came in from the porch and plopped down in his
old brown recliner. His glass of tea was still
there from earlier and he drank a big swig,
thinking how hot it was getting already for the
first of June.
“June and brides and weddings. Channel
Seven News is bringing you this exclusive week
of weddings called Til Death do us Part.”
Latoya
spoke as the camera zoomed in on Estelle
Granger’s modest home.
“Tonight we will look at a local wedding
dress designer and see what type of work goes
into an original gown.”
The Smiths were quiet as they watched the
interview with Estelle and the way she
creatively designed dresses for each
individual. Latoya then mentioned Betty.
“Look, there we are!” Matt said.
“Oh my! I look old,” Martha lamented.
“You look fine, Mamaw,” Betty commented
cheerfully.
The interview was pretty much what they
filmed Thursday with a little editing to cut out
unnecessary conversation.
“So as you see, Estelle Granger is truly a
remarkable woman when it comes to designing
clothes, especially wedding dresses. Anyone who
can design a gown with a beautiful train that
will function with a wheelchair is to be highly
commended. Let us all hope that the Smiths are
able to find the resources to purchase the
beautiful gown. This is Latoya Cower…stay tuned
tomorrow night as we have an interesting look at
Bentley’s which is also right here in
Riverview.”
“That was so good,” Betty said. “This
should do wonders for Ms. Granger’s business.”
“I guess. You don’t think it made us sound
bad, do you?” Homer said, worriedly. “I mean…”
“Homer, you worry too much,” Martha
said. “It was a wonderful report, except the
fact that I looked so old. Ms. Granger will be
proud.”
Angeline stared at the television for a
long time, not taking time yet to clean up the
soft drink she had knocked over when the news
had come on. She was trying to set the glass on
the ceramic blue coaster when Betty’s face
filled the screen.
There she is again, Angeline
thought to herself. Everywhere I look, this
girl in the wheelchair is getting married.
Flaunted in my face it seems like, even on the
news. I can’t get away from this Betty. So she
found herself a designer but, just like I knew
all along, she can’t pay for it.
Angeline then said aloud smugly. “That old
man still looks as poor as dirt, serves her
right.”
Her words rang out hollow, deep down
inside. She felt uncomfortable even saying
it. Jealousy can do terrible things to a person
and a small part of Angeline really did feel
sorry for the girl in the chair. It was
dominated though by the thought that she had
spent another weekend alone watching movies
while this girl was with her fiancé. Maybe
Elaine was right about relationships. Could she
trust again?
Tuesday morning found Angeline back at
work with all talking about the news report the
night before.
“Isn’t that the old man you kicked to the
curb, Angeline?” Glenda sneered sarcastically as
she walked by with an armload of veils. “A poor
pitiful girl. I thought we could take up a
donation for her.”
Ignoring Glenda’s comments, Angeline walked
to the storeroom to do some inventory. There
really wasn’t much to do but she did not want to
hear them go on and on about Betty, so she
stayed busy with work.
“Latoya, I need to see you in my office
right away,” Mrs. Richardson called from her
office when she spotted the reporter.
“Yes ma’am?”
“The phones have not stopped ringing this
morning and the emails are jammed! I thought we
might get a small response but it looks like we
will have to cut the Bentley’s story short
tonight to get a handle on this. We need to set
up with a local bank to take donations, which
are pouring in! First, however, I need you to
go out and talk to the Smiths. Tell them what
is happening and do a follow-up. Edit the
Bentley’s story and have a big finish with the
Smith’s. I called Estelle Granger and she is
going to meet you there at nine o’clock.
Stations in Birmingham and Huntsville want to
pick up the story. This is really big!”
“Just what we hoped for! This is so good,”
Latoya answered, smiling. “I’ll get right on
it.”
Now if I can only figure out a way to tell
them without getting Mr. Smith upset,
Latoya
thought to herself as she walked back to her
car.
Homer had left the house early to purchase
gas so he could mow their yard. It grew so fast
that it required a once a week mowing though he
didn’t always get to it that quickly.
“I wonder who’s here?” he said aloud as he
returned home and noticed vehicles in the
driveway.
He saw the Channel Seven News van and Ms.
Granger’s car and as he drove up to park behind
the house. Homer could see Ms. Granger and Ms.
Cower sitting on the porch talking to Betty and
Martha. Steve, the camera man, was sitting on
the steps.
Homer rounded the house, puzzled and
started toward the front steps when he noticed
Betty was crying!
“What’s wrong?” he said with alarm, “Has
something happened to Matt?”
His pulse was racing with a big lump in his
throat. Betty smiled through her tears.
“No, Papaw. Matt is fine. Papaw, I’m
going to get my dress,” her voice broke and
trailed off.
“Betty is going to get her dress and her
wedding, Homer,” Martha said, lightly weeping
herself.
“I don’t understand. What is going on?”
“Ms. Granger said she has received over ten
requests just this morning for original wedding
gowns,” Latoya began.
“I had to turn my answering machine on to
pick up the calls,” Estelle said, “so I could
come over here and thank you again for doing the
story. I have more work than I can do now.
I’ll probably have to hire some help.”
“What about Betty?”
Latoya continued, “Our phones at the
station have not quit ringing either. The whole
community loves Betty and is standing behind
her. Let me read you what some of the people
are saying.”
“We saw the report and want to help Ms. Granger
give Betty that dress. Here is one hundred
dollars to help.”
“I have always thought the world of Betty,” says
a lunchroom worker at the high school. “I’m
sending twenty dollars so Betty can have her
dress.”
Homer stood there with his mouth open, not
sure what to think or say.
“We have had enough donations brought by the
station already to buy Betty the dress and the
calls have not stopped. Mrs. Richardson at the
station wants to see Betty’s dream wedding
book. We have set up a bank account to put the
money in so Betty and Matt can have their dream
wedding. The Dress Boutique in Central
City has offered to fix Betty up with shoes and
jewelry to match her gown and a couple of
television stations in Huntsville and Birmingham
have picked up the story and are planning to air
it tonight.”
Homer sat hard on the chair and his eyes
grew moist. His Betty would get her dream
wedding and all because of help from people in
their community. He felt completely humbled yet
so happy.
Matt raced up the driveway in his old
truck, jumped out and ran to the porch. Betty
had called him on his cell phone to tell him the
news and he had hurried home from work.
“Oh Matt,” she said, hugging him tightly.
“It is so wonderful. I just can’t believe it.”
“I was waiting for Matt to get here to tell
you the best news,” Latoya said as all eyes
turned to her. “The manager of the television
station in Birmingham saw the report and made
some phone calls to a business friend of his.
They have found three double wide trailers that
are specifically made for someone in a
wheelchair and they want you to come and pick
out the one you want. His friend has offered to
sell it at cost and wave the down payment.
After the wedding is paid for, any money left in
the account we have set up can go to pay on the
home so you both can have a good financial start
to this marriage.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Matt began.
“Ms. Granger we have you to thank, if we
wouldn’t have done that report…”
Estelle hugged Matt and then Betty.
“I am just glad I could help. Betty, we
need to go ahead and measure you so I can start
working on the dress. The fabric store I deal
with called this morning and offered me any
material I need for half price. I need to
measure you and figure and go ahead and order
the material.”
“Before you do that, can I have another
quick interview? Mrs. Richardson wants a follow
up for tonight’s news.”
“Of course,” Betty answered.
Steve went to the van and retrieved the
camera and soon he was filming again. Latoya
mentioned the news story of the night before and
how the response has been overwhelming. Betty
thanked everyone through her tears and Matt
stood by gratefully. Steve panned the camera to
get all the emotion of the moment as Latoya
finished her story.
“Thanks again. I will be talking to you
later today and I will get you the information
and an appointment set up to view the mobile
homes.”
Incredibly, since Homer had arrived at the
house, only a half hour had elapsed. Matt went
back to work while Martha, Estelle and Betty
went in to plan for the dress and measure.
Homer walked back to his truck. He retrieved the
gas can and put it into the side shed of the
barn. He was still having trouble processing all
that had happened. And this all started with
that trip to Bentley’s, he thought.
Angeline turned on the television and sat
down with her double burger, fries, and a
chocolate milkshake, a perfect meal of comfort
food. It had been a busy day and now she could
eat her food and watch the news in peace.
Bentley’s was to be featured tonight.
Latoya introduced Bentley’s, mentioned the
history and then showed Francine in a shot of
the main room. A quick shot of Angeline at her
desk was pleasing she decided, very business
like. The next shot was Latoya Cower outside of
the Channel Seven News studio.
“What happened to the rest of the story?”
Angeline wondered aloud.
“We’ve had to cut our story of Bentley’s
short tonight,” she began, “because of the
overwhelming response to last night’s story.
The dilemma facing the Smith family caught the
eye and pocketbook of many of our viewers and
donations to help Betty buy her dress and have a
dream wedding have been pouring in.”
Angeline sat staring at the television in
shock as Latoya Cower talked on about a bank
account being set up for the donations and where
to contribute them. She even said the leftover
money would go to help Betty and Matt purchase a
wheelchair accessible mobile home!
“The interesting part of this story,”
Latoya continued, “is that Homer Smith first
went to Bentley’s for help but was quickly
refused, never even given a chance by them to
help his granddaughter fulfill her dream. But
thanks to our wonderful viewers, Betty will
realize that dream.”
The shot then turned back to the Smiths’
farm with Betty thanking everyone for what they
had done to help. Angeline felt sick in her
stomach as she realized that Francine would see
this along with the rest of the world and there
would be repercussions. This could not bode
well for Bentley’s.
