Once again, Mavis found herself whispering goodbye.
Goodbye to the little apartment over the garage.
Goodbye to Pete and Larry.
Goodbye to Magnolia Estates.
Rose and Mavis sat in the back seat of the Tullys’ shiny black car on their way to the bus stop, staring glumly out the window.
Summer was over.
School would be starting in a few days.
Mr. Duffy was gone.
And now Rose and Mavis wouldn’t be together every day.
Up front, Mrs. Tully sat ramrod straight and gripped the steering wheel while Miss Jeeter complained.
The humidity was ruining her hair.
She had lost her reading glasses again.
Why in the world did cable TV cost so much?
On and on.
As if anyone cared, Mavis thought, glaring at the back of her mother’s head.
She was going to hate Garden View Apartments, and she was going to make sure her mother knew it.
She glanced over at Rose, who stared out the window, looking small and pitiful.
When they got to the bus stop, Mavis slammed the car door extra hard, ignoring her mother’s look of disapproval.
Rose helped Mavis get the overstuffed duffel bag out of the trunk, and then they looked at each other with sad eyes and droopy shoulders and did their special handshake in gloomy silence.
Slapping, snapping, and fist-bumping.
Miss Jeeter got out of the car, wiggled her fingers at Mrs. Tully, and said, “Toodle-oo,” before settling on the bus stop bench with her duct-taped suitcase.
When the bus rumbled into sight, Rose handed Mavis a small white box tied with purple ribbon and quickly climbed into the front seat of the car beside her mother.
As the Tullys’ car pulled away, Mavis opened the box. Nestled inside, on a bed of tissue paper, was Grace’s silver dollar.
Mavis watched the car disappear around the corner and thought about that day when Mr. Duffy had talked about vines and taters and told Edna to keep the coffee warm. She remembered how jealous she had been of Rose and Mr. Duffy being such good friends. But now Rose had given her this silver dollar that meant so much to her. Maybe she, Mavis Jeeter, had finally learned how to be a good best friend.
* * *
Mavis tried her hardest to hate their new apartment, but, actually, it was kind of nice.
It had a microwave and a dishwasher.
She had her own room.
And there was a soda machine down by the laundry room.
Mavis also tried to stay mad at her mother, but it was getting harder every day.
Her mother liked her new job at Clyde Waterman’s insurance agency.
She worked from seven to three, so she was home for Mavis after school.
She had a big desk with a fancy computer and a view of the parking lot.
Mr. Waterman loved the way she was so friendly with folks on the phone.
There were some other women who worked there who invited her out to lunch.
And the only thing she ever complained about lately was the bathroom faucet in their new apartment, which dripped all night and kept her awake.
Then one evening, her mother propped her bare feet on the railing of the balcony and said, “I think this might be it, May May. I think Landry, Alabama, is where we’ll stay.”
Mavis had heard that before, so she pretended to be interested in a caterpillar inching along the top of the railing.
“I love this job,” her mother said.
Well, that was a first. Her mother had never said that before.
“And they’re sending me to school,” her mother went on.
Mavis kept watching that caterpillar and said, “What for?”
“To learn about insurance!” her mother said in a voice so excited you would’ve thought she’d said they were flying her to Paris to go shopping. “And after that,” she added, “I’ll get to do more than just answer the phone. So I’m pretty sure I’ll make more money.”
Her mother took her feet off the railing and said, “And guess what else?”
Mavis waited.
“I bought a car!” her mother squealed.
Mavis jumped up. “Really?”
“Really.”
Mavis could hardly believe this stroke of good luck. “Will you take me and Rose to visit Mr. Duffy at Wonderland?”
“Sure I will, May May.”
Mavis sat back down and smiled out at the kids playing in the courtyard below. Her mother had never even liked her job before, much less loved it. She had never gone to school before. And she had definitely never bought a car. This seemed like a good sign.
Maybe things were going to work out in Landry after all.