Pecos, Texas
Let’s go to the gym again,” said Edna Mae the minute Sally Beth opened her eyes. “You need to get these self-defense moves down good so you won’t forget them.” Before Sally Beth could object, Lilly was already out of the bed and pulling her hair into a ponytail. “Today, you’re going to learn how to break a man’s neck before breakfast. How many people can say that?”
Sally Beth’s eyes flew open with alarm, but Lilly whooped, “Hot dog! I’ve always wanted to know how to do that.” Sally Beth was so taken aback by the image of her delicate sister forcefully twisting a man’s head that she wondered what other strange thoughts she might be harboring underneath that platinum hair. She said nothing as they trooped to the gym, pondering how to discourage Edna Mae and Lilly from becoming too violent, but once she saw Edna Mae stepping as lightly as if she were dancing, she found the moves so interesting, so graceful, and so beautiful that she forgot to feel guilty about learning them. Before the morning was gone, she had learned how to dance away from an opponent before leaping in to surprise him, grabbing his head in a gentle, almost loving embrace before giving his neck a quick snap. It was almost fun, if she didn’t think about it too much.
After they left the gym, they showered quickly and put on their coolest dresses before loading the car and heading eastward. It was proving to be a hot Texas day, hotter than they had seen so far in the high deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, so they were glad to be on their way in the coolness of the air-conditioned car.
“If we push it, we can make Dallas tonight,” said Lilly. “I want to go shopping at the Galleria, and we’ll have enough time to stay a couple of days and still make it to Memphis in time for the Elvis anniversary.”
“Sounds good,” said Edna Mae from the back seat. “Let’s not go out for breakfast, but just get some stuff to go.”
When they stopped at the gas station, Sally Beth pumped gas while Lilly went inside to get snacks. As she lifted the nozzle, the distinctive odor of fuel wafted to her nose. “Somebody has spilled some gas here,” she commented to Edna Mae. Better not be lighting up right now.”
Lilly returned with doughnuts and Cokes. “Wow, this took a lot of gas,” said Sally Beth. “We just filled up last night.”
“Not really. I was tired and the pump was slow. I probably didn’t put more than a couple of gallons in. Besides, it’s been getting really bad gas mileage lately. I think something is wrong with the fuel pump,” she said as she put the key into the ignition. The car sputtered and died twice before it finally started. “Darn it. I’m going to get a new car just as soon as I can get another job. It’s gotten to where it costs more to keep this one repaired than car payments on a new one would be.”
The car finally started and Lilly rolled back onto the highway. Edna Mae picked up Lilly’s old guitar, strummed a few chords, popped the top of a Coke and munched on a donut, then stretched out across the back seat, picking out a tune. Sally Beth leaned against the window while Edna Mae tried out some new lyrics, and before long, Lilly joined in. The air conditioning, turned up high, felt good; the sun shimmered in the morning sky, and all of Texas lay before them. Sally Beth smiled a sleepy smile as she listened to her sister’s sweet voice and let her thoughts slide up the long rays of sparkling sunbeams. Time had ceased to be a taskmaster. The day was long, they had no particular plans, and they were flying across miles and miles and miles of sand and road while music floated around her. She felt, not just free, but free-floating, disconnected from the reality of the world, free from her nagging fear that Lilly was making bad choices that she could not stem. She felt free in a way that she had never felt before, and she wondered if maybe it was because Lilly was acting happier and less artificial than she had seen her in a long time. It was wonderful to see how her baby sister was opening her mouth wide and letting the music flow unbridled and joyful.
The day grew hotter. Edna Mae leaned forward. “Turn up that AC, will you? It’s getting really hot back here.” Sally Beth punched the buttons, but when she put her hand to the blowing vent, she felt a blast of hot air.
“This is just warm air coming out. Lilly, I don’t think this air conditioner is working.”
“Oh no,” said Lilly. “I had it fixed before we left, but the guy said the compressor probably wouldn’t hold out all the way home. I had hoped it would last until we got closer.”
“You reckon there’s any place around here that might sell some dry ice?” said Sally Beth. “We can put it around in the car and let the air blow over it.”
Lilly shook her head. “We aren’t far from Midland, but it’s Sunday, so it’s likely we’ll just have to make do with regular ice.”
They rolled all the windows down. In the back seat, Edna Mae rummaged through her bag, complaining. “I can’t wear this muumuu in this heat.” Hope you girls don’t mind, but I’m changing into something cooler,” she said as she tore the dress off, exposing her transparent bra and tiny thong panties. Intimidated by Edna Mae’s beautiful bulk, Sally Beth averted her eyes. It was easier to talk to Edna Mae when she was covered up.
“I hate these panties, and this bra, and look at these stupid shorts! Lawrence, you jerk. I haven’t been comfortable since I left my good things in the bathroom back at the Grand Canyon.” She lay on the back seat, struggling into a pair of shockingly short cut-off jeans and yanked a tank top out of her bag.
Sally Beth was sweating, but the heat was kind of nice, she thought. The sun before them was bright and friendly, just high enough to be shaded by the lowered visors, and it seemed to be leading them, pulling them gently across the vast Texas horizon. She idly gazed out at the sagebrush and the hypnotic, shimmering sand until something oddly familiar caught her eye.
An old truck, blue with a rusty red door, was parked on the shoulder. Just beyond the truck was a slim man, waving a cowboy hat over a dog that was having some sort of a fit, spinning in a tight circle, snapping at his tail.
“Stop!” she yelled, sitting upright. Lilly tapped the brakes, then tapped them again until she had slowed dramatically.
“What?” she yelled back. “What’s wrong?”
“Stop the car! That’s Jimmy Lee.”
Lilly careened to a stop, pulled over to the shoulder, then backed up to within feet of the man and the spiraling dog. Jimmy Lee, still waving his hat, did not see them until the sisters jumped out of the car and ran to him. He startled when they both yelled, “Heyyyy, Jimmy Lee!” Sally Beth was so happy to see him it was all she could do to keep from hugging him. “You are a sight for sore eyes!”
His face lit up with a luminous grin as he shaded his eyes against the morning sun. “Why, Sally Beth! Lilly! What on earth are you doing here?” He grinned wider, until his face just about cracked apart, and he grabbed Sally Beth in the hug she had been too shy to give. She could feel his joy as he caught her up and spun her around as the traffic whizzed by and the dust and sand blew up around them.
“What’s happened here?”
“Radiator hose sprung a leak, and poor old Lamentations nearly got run over, and, well…” He trailed off, giving his dog a sad glance. Recovered from his fit, Lamentations slunk over to him, whining, and tucked his head up under his master’s hand, his tail low, but wagging. Jimmy Lee gave him an affectionate caress before turning back to beam at Sally Beth and Lilly. “Boy, am I glad to see you here, not just because it’s you, but because the truck won’t go nowhere. Can you give me a ride up to Midland?”
“Why, sure, Jimmy Lee. Just get on in. Hey, Lamentations,” Sally Beth added, holding her hand out to him.
The dog cringed as he licked Sally Beth with timid little thrusts of his tongue. He always was embarrassed after one of his episodes, and she had learned to be gentle with him until he got over it. Carefully, she squatted down to put an arm around him.
“Hey, Lamentations. Did all the traffic scare you? Huh?” She ruffled the fur at his neck. “Did you just get all bent out of shape? Well, that’s okay, you just come on with us. We’ll keep you safe.” He licked at her face, this time a little more enthusiastically, and trotted after them to Lilly’s car.
Edna Mae had remained in the back seat. She had put her extra-extra large orange University of Texas sweatshirt on and had tucked her knees up inside it, her bare feet on the seat. A line of sweat trickled down the side of her face. She sat quietly, looking like a big, sweaty pumpkin.
Sally Beth believed that pity was an ugly thing and that Edna Mae would be mortified if she thought she was the object of her pity, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for her in her silence and stillness, knowing how uncomfortable she must be. She jumped in the back seat next to her, moving the guitar cases around.
“Jimmy Lee, you sit in the front with Lilly. This is Edna Mae, our friend who’s traveling with us to Texarkana. Edna Mae, this here is our real good friend Jimmy Lee from back home.” She paused, then added gently, “He’s real nice, Edna Mae, one of the nicest boys I know.” Edna Mae smiled tightly, averting her eyes until Jimmy Lee ducked his head and grinned at her. His face was honest and friendly.
“Hidy ma’am,” he said, touching the brim of his hat with his fingertips. Edna Mae’s smile grew a little more relaxed and she wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her red face clashed something awful with her burnt orange sweatshirt.
“Sorry it’s so hot, Jimmy Lee,” offered Lilly, “but the AC is busted. We’re hoping we can pick up some dry ice in Midland.”
They arranged themselves as comfortably as they could. Jimmy Lee and Lamentations sat in the front seat with Lilly; Sally Beth and Edna Mae shared the back seat with the two guitars, the camera case, and various bags the short distance to a service station outside Midland, where Jimmy Lee picked up a hose for the radiator and a can full of water. The three old friends chatted, but Edna Mae endured quietly, smothering and steaming silently in her sweatshirt as she perspired and fanned herself with a magazine, even when the others took refuge in the air-conditioned service station. Sally Beth brought her an icy drink, which she guzzled gratefully, but by the time they got back to Jimmy Lee’s truck, she looked like she was roasted and ready for the barbeque sauce.
“Why don’t you get out for a minute and cool off some,” urged Sally Beth as Jimmy Lee tinkered under the hood of his truck. Edna Mae shook her head.
“I’m fine,” she said lightly, but she didn’t look fine. She looked like she was about to die from heat stroke.
“Here,” said Sally Beth, putting some ice in a bandana and handing it to her. “This should cool you off some.” Edna Mae took it gratefully, pressing it to her neck. She pulled up the sleeves of the sweatshirt and rubbed ice along her arms.
Jimmy Lee withdrew his head from the depths of his engine briefly. “Did you see that place up on the right? Go on up there and cool off. I’ll get this radiator fixed and catch up to you. Let me buy y’all lunch! And I’ll find you some dry ice.”
Lilly’s car failed to start even though she ground the starter several times, pumping the gas pedal. Jimmy Lee looked up. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I don’t know. Car won’t start,” said Lilly, then paused and added, “I smell gas.”
Sally Beth sniffed. “Me too.” She got out of the car to take a look, and to her dismay, saw a puddle directly below the gas tank. “Oh, no!” she cried.
“Oh no!” echoed Lilly, kneeling beside her. “I’m afraid this car isn’t going to make it all the way home.”
Jimmy Lee came over to see. From underneath the car, he called out to them, “Yep. Hole in the gas line. Won’t be hard to replace, though. My truck is nearly fixed, so we’ll just go back to that station and get you a new hose and some gas. I can take care of it. You all want to ride back with me? You’ll stay cool. Just let me fill this radiator up, and we can go.”
Sally Beth and Lilly looked at each other and then cast a glance at the suffering Edna Mae. “Come on, Edna Mae,” Sally Beth coaxed. “Jimmy Lee’s a good friend. We can all cool off in his truck.” Edna Mae shook her head, looking miserable despite her smile.
“No, that’s okay. Somebody ought to stay with the car, and we won’t all fit, anyway. It’s not far down there, and I’ll be fine. You go on.”
Sally Beth hesitated. She was really starting to worry about Edna Mae, but it was clear she wasn’t going to budge as long as Jimmy Lee was around. “Okay, we can leave Lamentations with you, and we’ll hurry back. Here, let me wrap up some more ice and you can put it on your neck, and maybe you can step outside and cool off some, okay? Lamentations? You want to stay with Edna Mae while we go get some gas and a new line?”
To her surprise, Lamentations glanced back at Jimmy Lee once, then scrambled into the back seat to lick Edna Mae’s face. “Yeah, boy, you keep the lady company. We’ll be right back.” Jimmy Lee smiled broadly at Edna Mae. “I never seen Lamentations take to anybody right off like this. You must be real quality, ma’am.”
They returned shortly. After Jimmy Lee slid back under the car to replace the hose, he poured most of the gas into the tank while Sally Beth and Lilly hovered, fanning themselves. After checking his work one more time, he fumbled in his pocket for a package of cigarettes, lighting up before he opened the door for Lilly. “Start her up,” he told her. Lilly inserted the key and cranked the engine. Nothing. She tried again, pumping the pedal a few times. Again nothing. Jimmy Lee took a few thoughtful puffs, nodding.
“I figured this. You were so plumb out we’ll have to prime the carburetor. Pop the hood.”
Lilly released the hood, then turned to Edna Mae. “Hand me that camera, would you? And my purse. Might as well record the bad moments as well as the good ones. Here, Sally Beth,” she said, rummaging through her purse to find a comb. “Comb your hair and stand there beside Jimmy Lee. You’ve got it all blown out sticking your head out the window. Edna Mae, you don’t have to get out. Just poke your head out the window and smile.”
Sally Beth gave her hair a quick comb, then replaced her pink cowboy hat before leaning toward Edna Mae for one still, smiling moment. Jimmy Lee barely looked up. Cigarette pinched between his teeth, he picked up the gas can and carefully poured what was left of the gas into the carburetor.
The sun was high in the sky by this time, and Edna Mae had begun to squirm in the back seat. In this heat, her stamina was breaking apart, especially since the ice had completely melted, and she was steaming in the warm, soggy, sweatshirt. Her hair was wet from sweat, and more poured down her face. She was breathing a little funny, too, in short, shallow gasps that did not seem to draw much air into her lungs. Suddenly, her face scarlet, she ran a hand through her hair, gave a couple more gasping breaths, and said in a panicky voice, “I can’t stand this heat another second!” Flinging open the back door, she jumped out and ripped off the sweatshirt.
The timing could not have been worse. Jimmy Lee glanced up just in time to see her struggling to pull it over her head. In her haste, she had grabbed the edge of the tank top with the sweatshirt, and it came off, too, revealing her lacy bra and the whole expanse of her tight, muscular torso. Her breasts, the size of basketballs, strained against the transparent bra. The waistband of her skimpy shorts sat low, several inches below her belly button, while the elastic of her thong panties rode well above, lying just at the place where her hips began to swell out from her waist. As the shirts popped off and her arms stretched high above her head, the front clasp on the bra snapped, releasing her breasts, which bounced, flinging themselves upward with happy abandon.
Jimmy Lee looked like he had been hit upside the head with a tire iron. Stunned, he sloshed gasoline all over the engine block, and then, almost in slow motion, Sally Beth saw his mouth fall into a wide-open gape. The cigarette practically leaped out of his mouth, falling onto the engine, which caught fire with a loud Swoosh! Staring and frozen, Jimmy Lee did not notice the flames leaping up at his face, even after Lilly screamed at him. Sally Beth rushed forward to push him aside and slam the hood of the car down, but her attempt to quell the blaze was too late. Flames roared out of the front grille.
Edna Mae, seeing the conflagration, yanked open the back door to pull Lamentations out by the scruff of his neck, just before the flames followed a trail of gasoline toward the puddle under the car, then up into the gas tank, which exploded into a fireball that blew it apart and flung them all to the ground. They rolled, then jumped up and fled onto the grassy roadside just as the rest of the car burst into flames. Lamentations, terrified out of his wits, leaped backwards and started cartwheeling. Nobody except Jimmy Lee noticed that Edna Mae was topless. On the other hand, Jimmy Lee still seemed not to notice the fire, although his face and clothes were blackened and his eyebrows were scorched off.
Passing cars swerved. One clipped the fender of another and careened toward them. Sally Beth screamed at Jimmy Lee as Lamentations tumbled around his leg, and, confusing his master’s knee with his own rear-end, bit him on the kneecap. Jimmy Lee jerked into action, grabbing the dog mid-whirl and fleeing away from the car skidding toward them. In the melee, Lamentations bit Jimmy Lee again on the hand and the chin.
By the time Sally Beth, Lilly, and Edna Mae thought it was safe enough to disentangle the pair, several cars had wrecked. One had run into Lilly’s car, now totally engulfed in flames, but somehow the driver had managed to pull away and had escaped becoming a part of the inferno. Jimmy Lee bled from his chin, hand, and knee, Lamentations lay limp and quivering, and although Jimmy Lee was trying his best to comfort his helpless dog, he could not quite keep his eyes from straying to Edna Mae.
Sally Beth glanced at her. She blinked and tried to say something, but all she could manage was, “Oh, honey! You’re—you’re…” and she feebly pointed at her until Edna Mae glanced down and noticed her state of dishabille. She ran back toward the car, and, braving the flames, rescued her partially-burned sweatshirt from the road, whacking it against the ground just enough to put out the glowing cinders before she jerked it back on. The back was nearly burned off and the front was full of holes, but at least it gave her a modicum of decency. She reached under the sweatshirt and tried to fasten the flapping bra, but it was hopeless. The catch was broken.
Long seconds dragged by as the cars piled up all around them, until everything but the fire in Lilly’s car grew still. In the long, unbearable silence afterwards, the wrecked, still vehicles made little ticking noises in the heat.
No one said anything for a long time, until Jimmy Lee breathed softly, “Lord God Almighty. I have ruined you.”
There was another long pause. A motorist opened the door of his bashed-up truck and stood in a daze, staring at Edna Mae, at Lilly’s car, and at his own smashed fender. Slowly, other people began to emerge from their cars and trucks.
“It was my fault,” came Edna Mae’s voice, full of grief and fury. “I am so, so sorry!” She choked back a sob as she turned away. “It was just so dadgummed hot!”
A small crowd had gathered. People spoke in soft murmurs, as quietly as if they were attending a funeral. No one attempted to put out Lilly’s flaming car; it was clearly too late to salvage it. Miraculously, no one other than Jimmy Lee was injured, and the damage to the other cars was minor to moderate.
When the police arrived, it took quite a bit of explaining to sort out what had happened. Lilly took a deep breath and slowly related the bare bones of the story, leaving out the parts about Jimmy Lee’s cigarette and Edna Mae ripping her clothes off. Sally Beth, afraid of saying the wrong thing, busied herself tending to Jimmy Lee’s injuries with supplies from the policeman’s first aid kit.
“It’s okay, Sally Beth,” he said, waving her away. “He’s had his shots, and I’ve been cut up worse than this.” The misery in his eyes belied his cheerful tone. Edna Mae stood despondently on the far side of his truck, trying unsuccessfully to make herself look small. Lilly sat on the gate of the truck, mumbling something about the heat and the gas container to the state patrolman, darting her eyes to Sally Beth, pleading for her to come rescue her, but Sally Beth wasn’t about to. Lilly was doing just fine all by herself, she reckoned.
It took a long time, but finally everything was sorted out to the satisfaction of the trooper. No one wanted to press charges against Lilly; no one wanted to admit they had lost control of their vehicles because they had caught sight of a near-naked giantess standing beside a flaming car, so they did not mention Edna Mae’s strip show. At last, after an hour of filling out reports, exchanging insurance information and soothing Lamentations, they found themselves alone and staring at the blackened hulk of Lilly’s car.
“Oh, noooo!” wailed Lilly. “Both my guitars. And my new boots.”
“Mine, too,” Sally Beth commiserated. “But look, Lilly, you at least have your pocketbook, and your camera. And Edna Mae saved Lamentations.” She touched the top of her head. “Oh—I still have my princess hat!” This made her feel infinitely better.
Edna Mae picked at one of the holes in her sweatshirt and fought back tears.
“This is all my fault,” said Jimmy Lee miserably from his blackened face as he brushed away some ash that used to be his eyebrow. He took a deep breath before adding, “And ma’am, I am eternally beholden to you for saving my dog.” He was looking somewhere in the vicinity of Edna Mae’s feet, but, with effort, managed to drag his eyes up to her face. “I don’t know what I’d do if I’da gone and killed poor Laminations. He’s the best dog I ever had.”
He brightened a little as he knelt to stroke the dog’s back. “But don’t you worry none. I’ll buy every one of you all new things. I’ll buy you a new car, too, Lilly.” He paused again, thinking. “It’s Sunday, so everything’s closed, but we can head on to Dallas today. I’ve got a cousin has a dealership there, and he’ll give us a good deal on a new car. Tomorrow, I’ll make all this right.”
Lilly looked dumfounded. She stared at Jimmy Lee, who, frankly, was about the sorriest looking thing imaginable. His bandaged hand stood out starkly white against his sooty clothes. His face was unrecognizable: blackened, bleeding, and bald. Standing beside his rusty, beat-up old pickup truck, cradling a pitiful excuse for a dog in his arms, promising to buy them all new clothes and a new car was just too much for Lilly to handle. She snorted with disgust and looked away.
Sally Beth put her arm around her sister and said gently, “Come on, honey, let’s not make him feel worse.”
Lilly crossed her arms. “Sally Beth, Jimmy Lee doesn’t have two nickels to rub together. How’s he going to replace any of this? And a car? Come on! He’s crazy.”
Sally Beth was about to agree that Jimmy Lee had probably taken leave of his senses when she suddenly remembered the last time she saw his cousin Howard, and what he had told her about the reason Jimmy Lee had come out West. She turned to Lilly thoughtfully. “He might not be as poor as we think he is.”
“What do you mean? Just look at that old truck! Just look at him!”
Sally Beth looked. Jimmy Lee—and his truck—did look poor, but the tires were new Michelins, and earlier she had noticed that the interior of the truck had been nicely repaired since the last time she had seen it. There was a new floorboard and a newly-upholstered seat. Upon a closer look, she noticed that his cowboy boots looked new. A silver and turquoise belt buckle gleamed through the soot.
“Let me talk to him for a minute.” Approaching him cautiously, she laid a hand on his arm and spoke softly. “Jimmy Lee, I know you feel responsible for this, and I know you want to make it right, but you don’t need to go buying anything, at least until you talk to Howard.”
“What do you mean, Sally Beth?”
“I mean, I know he has come into money, and he probably would tell you to go ahead and get us home, but I think you should check with him first.”
Jimmy Lee narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
She was taken aback by the suspicion in his face. “Well, I don’t think this is a secret or anything. I mean, he told us how he sent you out here to check on his oil well, and I know he’d loan you the money and all, but…”
“Oil well?” He looked genuinely puzzled.
“Yeah. He told a bunch of us how they found oil on the land his granddaddy gave him in Oklahoma. How you were out here checking on it? And how he’s probably going to be rich?”
Jimmy Lee thought a moment, then slowly looked back at her, his eyes glimmering with caution and something else she could not understand. “Oh. He told you about that?” There was another long silence before he spoke again. “Well, yeah,” he said, his voice halting and careful. “And there is a lot of money coming out of that dirt. But… Howard has made me a… partner, and I do my share of the work. I got a bit of cash, too.”
She glanced at the truck thoughtfully. Despite the new interior, it was the same, beat-up old wreck he had always driven. When he saw her looking at it, he moved a little closer to her, speaking softly but earnestly. “We decided not to go showing off none. You know, get above our raisin’. But believe me, Sally Beth, I could afford to buy a new one. I can afford to buy Lilly a new car, and I’m derned sure I can afford to buy you all some new clothes. Let me do this, please.” He looked at her, pleading.
She nodded. She was certain Jimmy Lee was exaggerating about how much he could afford, but she would die before she poked any holes in his pride. “Okay, Jimmy Lee. But we have to tell Lilly and Edna Mae about the oil well and all, okay? They have to know this won’t hurt you.”
She turned to tell Edna Mae and Lilly about the sudden windfall that had befallen the Knight family, explaining that Jimmy Lee felt that he could easily afford to replace their belongings. Lilly perked right up, and a bright gleam came into her eye, but Edna Mae shook her head defiantly. “Huh-uh. This was mostly my fault. I was stupid and crazy from the heat, and if I’d kept my clothes on, this never would have happened.” She blushed violently. So did Jimmy Lee, and there was a long, awkward silence while Sally Beth and Lilly tried to ignore their flaming faces. Jimmy Lee finally spoke, and there was a kind of dignity in the way he stood, his hat in his hands, his head up, and his eyes direct.
“Ma’am, I got eyes, but that don’t mean I got the right to go crazy just ‘cause I see something beautiful enough to knock them out. It ain’t your fault I acted a fool. It would ease my conscience greatly if you would let me make this right. My mama and daddy, they would be disappointed with me if I was to let you suffer for what I done.” He blushed again.
A surprised look bloomed on Edna Mae’s face. She looked at him, then took a breath and suddenly smiled, not exactly at him, but beyond him, as if she were thinking a very pleasant thought. Sally Beth realized that Edna Mae had probably not met many real gentlemen before.
She amended her thoughts. Jimmy Lee would never be classified as a gentleman, exactly, but he was, indeed, a gentle man, and she was proud of him, proud of the people of her home, proud of the way they raised their children with dignity. Jimmy Lee may look like a raggedy old hillbilly, but she knew he had a chivalrous heart.
He cleared his throat, and looking at the ground around Edna Mae’s dirty, bare feet, manfully offered, “I reckon you might want to put some different clothes on. I got some pants and a shirt…” he trailed off, his face scarlet.
Edna Mae looked at his feet in return. “I would appreciate it, Jimmy Lee.” Neither of them moved.
Sally Beth figured she’d better step in before one of them burst into flames. “That’s real sweet of you, Jimmy Lee. Edna Mae, you can change in the truck. I’ll help you find something.”
Sadly, and much to the embarrassment of both Edna Mae and Jimmy Lee, nothing fit, except Jimmy Lee’s socks and shoes. His pants wouldn’t go over her hips, his shirt wouldn’t button. Edna Mae fought back humiliated tears while Sally Beth did her best to sooth her. “Your shorts are fine, and the front of your sweatshirt isn’t burned too much, and it’s so long you don’t see the shorts anyway. Look, I’ve got some scissors in my pocketbook…” She trailed off. Her purse was a smoldering lump in the back seat of Lilly’s car.
“Jimmy Lee, you got a knife?” He handed Sally Beth a pocketknife. “Thanks. Let’s just cut off the sleeves, so you won’t be too hot, and you can put a shirt on over it. That’ll cover the back. Tomorrow we’ll get you something real quick.” Edna Mae took a deep breath and nodded, then looked down while she brushed at her sweatshirt and tugged at her shorts.
“Come on, Edna Mae. You look just fine. You’ve got such pretty legs, and you’ve got a beautiful face and hair. Why, you look downright cute in that shirt and those shoes! Here, I’ll fix your hair a little, and you’ll look just like the prettiest thing in Texas.”
She fussed at Edna Mae’s hair for a minute before stepping back to eye her critically. “Oh, honey, you look just fine!” Leaning in, she giggled, “A sight better than Jimmy Lee,” she whispered.
It took some doing, but all four managed to squeeze into Jimmy Lee’s truck: Sally Beth sat on Edna Mae’s lap while Lamentations was relegated to the back. They made it the mile or so down the highway to the diner, but it was awkward: if Jimmy Lee shifted gears, he had his hands between Lilly’s knees, so he just chugged along in first gear the whole way. They parked in the shade so Lamentations wouldn’t get too hot, then managed to clean themselves up a bit in the restrooms before Jimmy Lee took water to his dog while the girls found a booth.
“How are all of us going to get to Dallas in Jimmy Lee’s truck?” asked Lilly after they had ordered. “There’s no way you can sit on Edna Mae’s lap that whole way. It’s even crowded with just three in the front seat.”
Edna Mae spoke up. “Just take me to the bus station. I can get on home from here.” This was followed by an uncomfortable silence. It did make sense for Edna Mae to leave them, but Sally Beth did not want to part company so soon, and Jimmy Lee looked stricken. It was clear he did not want to part company, either.
“Oh, don’t do that!” she chided. “You can’t go riding in a bus in those clothes and we’d just hate for you to leave us, and we want to meet your granny and all.” She considered their dilemma. It would be difficult for them all to ride very far in Jimmy Lee’s truck. “I know! I’ll ride in the back. I just love riding in the back of a truck! I used to do it all the time when I was little.”
Edna Mae shook her head. “No, I’ll ride in the back. I’d like to be back there with Lamentations. He needs the company.”
“Well, we can ride back there together,” countered Sally Beth. She did not want Edna Mae to be lonesome or feel awkward, and to tell the truth, it would be terribly awkward if even three of them rode in the front seat all the way to Dallas.
“No lady is going to ride in the back,” announced Jimmy Lee. “I’ll ride back there with Lamentations, and you three can ride in the front. And that’s the end of it.”
There was some more arguing. Lilly kept her mouth shut. It was clear she wasn’t about to ride in the back of a pickup truck with a crazy dog all the way to Dallas. Sally Beth knew what was on Jimmy Lee’s mind: he wanted to be with Edna Mae, but he was too shy to say it.
“I tell you what,” she said. “We’ll take turns. Lilly and I will ride in the back first, and then after an hour or so, Jimmy Lee and Edna Mae can take a turn.”
Lilly glared at her. “Sally Beth,” she hissed in her ear, “I am not about to ride down the highway in the back of a pickup truck. In Texas. When it’s a hundred degrees and the sun is just beating down. I’ll get sunburned in about five minutes, and you know what that wind will do to my hair, not to mention yours. Besides, I went all the way to Las Vegas and worked my tail off just so I could get up in the world and could stop being a raggedy old hillbilly, and here you are wanting me to ride in the back of a decrepit old pickup truck with an old hound dog, getting beat to death by the wind! I’m just not going to…”
She stopped suddenly, staring at the double door of the diner, her eyes wide, and her mouth open. Sally Beth glanced up, and she, too, felt her own eyes and mouth fly open.
In the doorway, in a shaft of bright sunshine, his arms flung wide to hold the twin doors open, his jeweled, white jumpsuit glowing, stood Elvis. She blinked. He looked like an angel. An Elvis angel all jeweled and in white. She expected him to break into song, and wondered for a moment if he had exchanged his guitar for a harp. She blinked again as Elvis stepped inside, followed by another Elvis, and another, and another. Before Sally Beth even noticed that she had forgotten to breathe, the room was filled with at least twenty Elvises, all dressed alike in jeweled, white bellbottom suits. They took seats at the tables all around them.
“Lordamercy!” she breathed, staring. She thought her heart was going to just melt in a puddle. It already felt like Jell-O, and it was warming up fast.
Edna Mae turned to look, then scooted farther down into the booth, muttering, “Looks like an Elvis convention. This is all we need.”
Slowly, meaning dawned on Sally Beth. She had been all the way to Las Vegas and had not seen an Elvis impersonator the whole time, and now, here in the rough lands of West Texas, were a whole slew of them, all dandied up in their finest clothes. She couldn’t believe their good luck. Smiling broadly, she gave them a little wave. “Hi, you all. Nice to see you.”
Lilly was just as happy to see them. She waved as well, and then, after a tiny hesitation, jumped up and went right to them. “Gee, you all look great! Where are you from? Where are you going? My sister and I are headed to Graceland, and we’re just thrilled to see you all here. We just love Elvis!”
As much as Sally Beth wanted to join her, she was a little too bashful, so she just sat in the booth and grinned at them. She surely hoped they would come over and talk to her. They were the cutest things she had ever seen, and it was hard to hold herself back from busting out of the booth and running over to stand by Lilly.
Lilly’s efforts were far from wasted. At least half of the Elvises warmed right up to her, introducing themselves and inviting her to join them, and then some of them moved over to the booth where Sally Beth, Edna Mae, and Jimmy Lee sat. Edna Mae made herself as small as she possibly could. Jimmy Lee looked confused and dazed, but he shook hands as Lilly urged each Elvis toward them.
“This here is my sister, Sally Beth, and this is Jimmy Lee, a friend from back home, and this is Edna Mae; she’s a little shy, so don’t spook her. This is Elvis Tommy and Elvis Cliff and Elvis John, and Elvis Harry, and…” Sally Beth’s head began to spin with all the Elvises in their dazzling costumes. She smiled and smiled and vowed that this moment was the highlight of her life. Twenty Elvises! It even beat the Sinatra concert.
“What are you all doing here?” asked Lilly.
One of them pointed at the window. Outside in the parking lot was a bus with letters written in fancy script, Love Me Tender Gospel Choir.
“We’re on tour. We just left a church service at the Baptist Church around the corner, and we stopped here to get something to go for lunch. Tonight we’ve got another concert at a church in Fort Worth, so we’re in a hurry. We don’t have much time.”
Another Elvis spoke up. “Did I hear you say you were on your way to Graceland? We’ll end up there for the service on Wednesday. It’s the anniversary of his death.”
“I know!” exclaimed Sally Beth, her eyes glowing. “We’re planning on being there for it. Imagine that.”
Lilly clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh, her eyes happy and bright above it. “You’re headed for Fort Worth today?” She looked at Sally Beth, who, reading her mind, grinned back at her and gave a perky little shrug, hoping that Lilly was about to open up a world of delights.
“Say,” said Lilly carefully. “We’re in a little fix here. My car caught fire just down the road and burned up. Did you see it?”
“Yes, we did,” spoke up one of the Elvises. Sally Beth thought it was Elvis Tommy, but she wasn’t certain.
“Anyway, our friend, Jimmy Lee happened to be here, and he has a truck, but we don’t all fit in, and I was wondering if maybe, if you don’t mind, and if you have room, maybe we could ride as far as Fort Worth with you?” She gave Elvis Tommy her most beguiling smile. Sally Beth added hers.
A few of the Elvises looked at each other, and one shrugged. “Hey, Elvis Sam!” One called to an Elvis standing at the cash register. “We got room for three more as far as Fort Worth?”
“Oh, not me!” exclaimed Edna Mae. “You two go on. I’ll ride with Jimmy Lee.” She glanced at Jimmy Lee, smiled and blushed. Jimmy Lee looked like he had just won the lottery. He glowed through the soot he hadn’t been able to completely remove from his face
“Just two more,” corrected Elvis. “That was their car burned up back there.”
Elvis Sam did not look happy. He didn’t really look like Elvis, either, being short and skinny and a little old. He scowled at Lilly and Sally Beth and started to shake his head, when another Elvis spoke up. “Oh, come on, Sammy boy! These ladies are in need here. We got room to take them as far as Forth Worth. All the way to Graceland, even. They won’t cause trouble.” He winked at Lilly and said under his breath, “You look like a lot of trouble sweetheart, but I think we can handle it.” Lilly giggled and twinkled back at him.
Another Elvis cajoled, “Yeah, Sammy, they’re damsels in distress. Elvis would never leave distressed damsels stranded. This was followed by a general chorus of, “Yeah, Sammy. Come on!”
A few minutes later, Sally Beth and Lilly climbed aboard the Love Me Tender Gospel Choir bus, bag lunches grasped in their hands, and waved goodbye to Edna Mae and Jimmy Lee. All four of them thought they had died and gone to heaven.