CHAPTER II: ENTRANCES

'TDC-NATCHEZ'

The Willows Weep For Thee

CHAPTER TWO

ENTRANCES

Beau had set the table in the dining area off the kitchen because it was far less formal than the huge dining room which lay just beyond it. LiliBeth quietly set about preparing dinner with the help of Rose. Tess and Ofelia, of course, pitched in as well.

It all looked delicious. Southern-fried chicken with a scrumptious looking (and tasting) dressing, summer squash, a huge and freshly crisp tossed salad, crescent rolls warm from the oven with plenty of crock butter to slather over them, and peach cobbler for dessert, and while the food was mouth-wateringly good, dinner was not quite what Rose had hoped for, to say the least. She and the others had been hoping that LiliBeth would begin to open up about why she had called for Rose to come down, but she barely opened her mouth all through the preparations. Even during dinner itself she was subdued and only spoke when she would ask for something to be passed. She kept her head down for most of the meal with only occasional smiles and nods at the others.

Beau made up for her quietness, to say the least...so dinner was actually relatively lively after all. He talked about his swimming...which did bring a big adoring smile from LiliBeth, and Rose and the others became really enraptured with this very engaging young man.

But, it was still frustrating.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At the end of the meal LiliBeth, complaining of a migraine headache, begged off after asking Beau to clean up and put stuff away, which he did with everyone else’s help of course.

SO, at the end of dinner nobody was 

any the wiser as to why they were here.

If it hadn’t been for Beau, Rose would have been really fuming and Tess and Ofelia knew it. Course they also wanted to know what was up.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The evening was spent playing canasta 

in the library, and then one-by-one they all packed it in and toddled off to bed. 

It had been a very long day.

Beau followed them upstairs to their respective bedrooms and made sure they had everything they needed, which they did...and then bid them goodnight.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

8AM THE NEXT DAY

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Rose was in the kitchen trying to 

put breakfast together when 

Tess and Ofelia came down.

"Hey hawney. Need help?"
"Sure. Grab some juice out of the frig, please?"

"Sure."

Ofelia could tell that Rose was less than amused by now and couldn’t blame her. But, LiliBeth HAD seemed to be under the weather the night before, and…oh well.

“Tess, can you check the rolls in the oven?"
"Sure."

"Hey, Auntie Rose."
"Hey Beau."
"Mom isn't downstairs yet?"
"Haven't seen her yet, honey."
"She must be sleepin' in, huh."
"Yeh, must be. Beau?"
"Yeh?"
"Uh......never mind."

The four made short work of breakfast and then proceeded to take their coffee out onto the large patio at the rear of the kitchen.

They had barely gotten settled in their chairs when...
"HEY, HEY. WHAR IS EVAHWUN?"
"WE'RE OUT HEAH ON THE PATIO, NAOMI," Beau hollered.

Beau leaned forward to the others in a confidential sorta way and said...

"That's Naomi, guys. 
Mothers best friend, but Ah gotta warn you though. She's a HOOT."

"Ah shall considah mahself foah-wahrned," Feelie grinned.

Suddenly, a blur of color and form came bursting through the big french-paned sliding glass doors and onto the patio. 

"Hey Y'all. Good GOD almighty. You must be LiliBeth's cousin Rosie," she gushed as she made a bee-line toward the now rising Rose...who barely got hello out before finding herself engulfed. 

"I'm Naomi, by the way. Lawd, Y'all even prettier than your pictures."
"Thanks," Rose blushed. 
"These yoah friends, Rosie," she asked."
“Yes. This is Tess and that is Ofelia…

but call her Feelie. Everyone does." 

“Gotcha honey.” She greeted each one the same way, as if they were all old and dear friends…and then she turned and scooped Beau up as if he was a rather large rag-doll. Not easy since she is only slightly taller than Ofelia…which is to say slightly taller than your average garden gnome. 

Slender to boot. 

Petite but full of, dare I say it…spunk. Yep, she was gonna fit right in.

"Lawd, girls, ain’t he GAWJUS?”

They all agreed as the afore-mentioned Beau blushed so crimson he looked as if he was on fire.

“Ain’t thet cute. Beau honey. 

You blush SO cute,” which turned him even redder.

“Whar is our hostess?” 

Naomi asked to no one in particular.

“She must be still sleeping, Naomi.”

“Land sakes…at this late hour? Oh well, poor dahlin’. I don’t think she has been feeling at all well lately. Won’t talk about it of course,” she added in a conspiratorial tone…“but I can tell.”

“Would you like some coffee, Naomi?” 

Rose ventured.

“It’s fresh-made.”

“HonnEEE…

Ah will be drinking coffee at mah FUN’RAL,” she giggled…and Rose started to go for the coffee but Beau headed her off.

“I’ll get it Auntie Rose.”

“Thanks honey.”

All three liked this Naomi immediately. Down-to-earth and full of prunes. Ofelia and Tess suspected as did Rose, 

that wherever Naomi was…

boredom and dullness were NOT.

They were SOOO right.

        ++++++++++++++++

Suddenly someone else appeared and everyone turned as she approached. Afterward they all agreed that the temperature had just taken a severe nose-dive.

“Well, good mawnin’ everyone. 

YOU TOO, Naomi.”

CHILLBLAINS WERE SETTIN’ IN.

“Mawnin’ Gram,” Beau said, although not enthusiastically everyone noticed.

“Good mawnin’ honey…”

and she raised one perfectly-manicured finger and pointed it at her heavily rouged cheek. An obvious command for him to ‘plant one on her’, as it were.

“OH GOOD GAWD,” 

Ofelia thought but didn’t say.

Rose had met LiliBeth’s mother-in-law before of course, and had always had the same reaction that Ofelia was now having.

A woman probably in her mid to late fifties, with an ample girth…and trying desperately to hide the expanse and failing miserably, she was coiffed to the nines...dressed expensively albeit tastelessly, and bedecked with enough jewelry to start her own boutique.

“COMPLETELY OVERDONE,” 

Tess thought and was right.

“Sure wish I could get mah hands on thah shovel thet she puts her make-up on with. THET puppy needs tah to go in thah trash,” Ofelia was thinking.

“Mawnin’ Earlene. 

Ahm surprised to see yah out this early,” Naomi said and sneaked a wink to Rose.

“Well, I do always try to get an early staht. SOOO much to do yah know.”

“Oh, Ah jest bet yah do hawney. Gotta be a lotta work making everyone’s life miserable, not to mention putting on thet much goop,” Ofelia thought but again maintained her cool.  Hadn’t taken her two seconds to get this aging southern belle’s number.

Needless to say, Earlene wasn’t exactly winning ‘Miss Congeniality’ this morning.

Earlene stepped over to Rose and extended her hand.

“Nahce to see yah again, Rose. 

How was your trip down, from…

where is it again? 

The Ozarks?”

OUCH.

“Likewise, Earlene…and no. Southeastern Missoura just northwest of Memphis. The trip was fine.”

“Ah. Well, I knew it was something very RURAL lahk thet.”

OUCH.

“Nice to hear it. 

Traveling can be sech a trial sometimes.”

“Yes, and so can you,” 

everyone thought at once.

“It wasn’t bad,” Rose added through clenched teeth.

Earlene then turned to her grandson.

“Beau honey, whar is yoah mama?”

“Still sleeping, Gram.”

“Mercy, at this hour?”

“She hasn’t been feeling at all well lately, Earlene…” 

Naomi interjected.

“Well, small wonder.”

Nobody quite knew what she meant by that and weren’t about to ask either.

“Well, Beau honey. Please tell yoah mama I was heah, won’t you precious.”

BARF GAG was the general reaction.

“Well, I must be getting on to…

IMPAWTANT thangs. Nice to see you Rose. Ladies?”

She nodded to Tess and Ofelia in an off-hand and somewhat dismissive sorta way…and with that she turned and was gone.

AWW GEE…was the general reaction.

“Now, THAT’S a REAL piece of work...sorry Beau…” Naomi giggled.

“It’s okay Naomi,” and it was.

           +++++++++++++++
          CONTINUE TO CHAPTER III