Tending to Virginia Read Online Free PDF Page A

back of that oldChevrolet station wagon of ours when Mama went in the hospital.”
    “And Grandma Tessy died and turned into a tree,” Cindy said, fumbling again in her bag and this time finding a cigarette.
    “I have never said she turned into a tree!” Virginia said, enunciating each word and feeling her face go hot with each wide-eyed lift of Cindy’s eyebrows. “We just like to think that it was a sign that her spirit would go on.” Virginia was sorry as soon as the words got out.
    “Well, I say that if Grandma Tessy wanted to be a tree during eternal life that she would have been a tree in our yard. I mean if I was going to be a tree, I’d be a tree in Chuckie’s yard so I could see what he was up to rather than being a tree in your baby’s yard.”
    “Let’s stop.” Virginia stood, her hands pressed to her back. “Come see if you can wear these dresses of mine.”
    “Now, if I had a husband when I died, I’d probably want to be planted in his yard so I’d know what he was up to.” Cindy brushed off the seat of her pants and followed Virginia inside. “Of course, Grandma Tessy wouldn’t have wanted to be in Granddaddy’s yard even if he had been living. You know there was that other man that Lena says Grandma had the hots for all those years.”
    “You don’t know that,” Virginia said and pulled two sundresses from her closet. She hated seeing them there, size sevens that were snug last summer. “Try these on.”
    “That’s a story, a family story.” Cindy lifted her shirt over her head. “Grandma got the hots for this young traveling man, traveling man, isn’t it sad about Ricky Nelson?” Virginia nodded and watched Cindy pull the first dress over her head without even taking off her shorts. “I can’t say that I blame her with my granddaddy old as the hills.”
    “Gram says nothing ever happened between Tessy and that man.”
    “Emily ain’t God. Besides, Lena says something did happen so who knows? My mama doesn’t. The whole world is going to pass her by while she plays solitaire and gets bigger.” Cindy reached back and pulled the zipper up. “I’m not going to wear a bra with this, waist is a little big but I’ll just wear a belt.” It made Virginia sick to see that material so loose and full around Cindy’s little wasp waist. “My mama might be a love child. How ‘bout that?”
    “Your grandma knew that man long before your mama was born. Besides, nothing happened. Here,” Virginia handed Cindy the other dress, “they’re the same size, I’m sure it’ll fit.”
    “Well, I want to try it anyway. This material is kind of cute looking, you know prissy and out of date. I might not like it.”
    “Beggars can’t be choosey.”
    “Beggars? Beggars? My whole life I tossed clothes your way until you got so much taller. Good clothes, expensive clothes.” Cindy stood in the center of the room in her bra and shorts, hands on those thin hips. Just four inches taller, Virginia is only 5’5”, was a normal size 7/8 before pregnancy, but Cindy could make her feel like Paul Bunyan’s ox. Cindy could make Audrey Hepburn feel fat. “I happen to know that you never even wore that red crushed leather miniskirt that I wore all through the sixth grade.”
    “It was way out of style by the time I got it.”
    “I never noticed you were in style,” Cindy said and pulled the other dress up from her feet. “You went to college and lived in blue jeans for four years; my life and wardrobe weren’t so easy. I wouldn’t care if my mama was a love child, a product of lust, Lord God it would be nice to know somebody in the family was hot-blooded.” Cindy went and stood in front of the mirror, turned from side to side, smoothing her hands down her stomach. “Don’t shake your head like that. You’ve got all those ideas of how everything was or should be and it doesn’t make it right. I could be right. Look at my mama some time why don’t you? Me and that slut sister of mine,