Hortons Bend

to go home and get some rest. He would finish out the night and keep an eye on things. “Be rested and prepared for Saturday night. I’ll be in and out too. Go home. This will be over soon” he told them before he drove away.
    Jeannie King checked on J.W. before turning in that night. She had enjoyed a cup of coffee on her front porch earlier while watching the full moon rise. It had been a quiet night for her. She had done something that she hadn’t done in a long time. Jeanie had gone through boxes of Ronnie’s things that were kept in the back bedroom. In the past it had normally been a very painful experience but tonight it had only brought about joyful memories and she was glad that she had done it. She was proud of her two sons. Why shouldn’t she be? Both had been strong boys who helped their mother. They were not one to shun duties and lay about in bed all day acting like a door hinge. She had known of many sorry men who turned from one side of the bed only willing to sleep and then turn over asking for a meal. Door hinges. It was disgraceful to know how some folks had been brought up only to find the devil’s path of sloth. Things had not turned out as she had planned for either of her sons but old matters could be soon be put to rest.
    While Jeannie King enjoyed her coffee, Barbara Peabody took pleasure in what she considered a sublime evening. A small group of socialites had gathered at the home of Anderson Bloodworth to celebrate a small historical novelette that had just been published by the patriarch of the family. Anderson’s work, entitled A Brief History of the Garrison Earthworks , detailed a minor historical event in which the Confederates in the area utilized an abandoned earthwork to their advantage to escape from their Union counterparts. Bloodworth was quite knowledgeable about the county’s history. He was never known to turn down any speaking engagement as Andy did love the podium. His wife, Ester, never turned down the opportunity to throw some type of soiree whenever Anderson had any type of achievement historical or otherwise. Couples danced to the strains of Chopin and the champagne was plentiful. “What a delightful evening” was tonight’s mantra for the Lady Peabody to whomever she encountered.
    Barbara stood admiring an Aalto vase , which had been placed oh so conspicuously on the mantle, a few ladies drifted in her direction. The trio, which included Shelby Carmichael, Susan Josephine and Maryann Tucker, were ever present at these affairs and always traveled in a pack. This was the reason some of the other ladies often joked that they were the “Capitoline Wolves” behind their backs. As the pack approached, Shelby was the first to speak. “Why Barbara I must say that ensemble you are wearing is most lovely. Have we seen that before?” she asked. Mrs. Josephine quickly cut her eyes toward the younger Maryann to acknowledge that the game was underfoot. Mrs. Tucker’s eyes never wavered but instead murmured “Most fetching, indeed.” The museum director had been played by these three before and gently threw her head back and laughed. “No dearest. I felt the need for something befitting Anderson’s newest diatribe” came her clever response. It was a lie since she had worn the dress six months earlier at a symphony benefit. Barbara attempted to change the subject with her ubiquitous “What a delightful evening” and was met with a unanimous ‘tis true’ by the ladies. Barbara was just about to comment on the nearby Finnish vase when Shelby interrupted her with a question. “Barbara how is your little museum these days?” Dame Peabody’s blood pressure began to rise. ‘Little museum’ indeed! “In the pink darling….in the pink” she said as she smiled. Thinking that would satisfy the group was Barbara’s misjudgment and one she would regret the rest of the evening. This was due to Maryanne Tucker’s mouse like voice leading the conversation down a path that Barbara did not care to travel. “Well Barbara we all know that your depository is a local landmark and is “sine qua non” to our little hamlet. I think you’re most lucky to have our fearless commissioner in your pocket.” At that moment Shelby smiled her Cheshire grin and said “Or is it the other way around?” This quickly brought an amused laughter from her fellow shit stirrers and thus brought another spike in Barbara’s blood pressure.
    Barbara Peabody did not stomp off in a fury