The Sisterhood of the Queen Mamas (21 page)

“I
s that
it,
Maxine? It’s been six months since that all happened. I hope I remembered everything. I keep feeling I left out a million little details.”

“That’s okay, Odessa, nobody wants to hear a million little details, they just want the good stuff.”

“The good stuff? Like that Chloe cooperated with the state in their case against Sammy and she got probation and community service as her punishment for her part in it all? Or that Sammy went to jail for the credit card scam and they also threw the book at him for hitting Chloe? Or that Reverend Nash went to visit the kid as a favor to us and now he’s involved in a prison ministry that gets him out of the house once a week?”

“And I ain’t complaining about that.”

Clink

“But none of that happened in the story, Odessa.”

“I know, but it’s good stuff that we can now catch everyone up on. Like what happened with Jan and Morty.”

“You mean the Christian counseling or the second honeymoon?”

“Oh, the honeymoon, definitely the honeymoon!”

“They took a second honeymoon trip to a fancy ski lodge to try to rekindle their romance, and on the first day there, Jan fell down the mountain! Broke an arm, a collarbone and an ankle!”

“No, Maxine, she broke the arm and collarbone falling, she broke the ankle later, when the ski-lodge first-aid people dropped the gurney to ground level by accident and the ambulance driver backed over her leg.”

“Ouch!”

“Ouch and
ka-ching,
Maxine. They settled for a very nice sum of money that helped dig Jan and Morty out of debt from
his
fall. And best of all…”

“Oh, yeah, this is the best part! Tell it, Odessa.”

“It made Morty take care of Jan for eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks.”

“Eight weeks of a man having to cook and clean and deal with whatever problems the kids have.”

“And even though they are grown and out of the house, kids never stop having problems, y’all.”

“Give me a clink on that, Maxine.”

Clink.

“So Morty got eight weeks of chauffeuring, and church volunteering, and being nurse and companion. Basically, Morty got to be the
wife.
”

“You said it, Odessa. Changed his whole outlook.”

“His whole outlook changed, and suddenly he didn’t feel so justified in running around taking away emotional support and just old-fashioned time in the marriage trenches to sneak around with another woman.”

“I hope Jan and Morty make it, Odessa. Of course, Morty and Reverend Nash aren’t the only husbands doing an about-face, or in my husband’s case an alley-oop off the couch.”

“David certainly has come around. Not only does he actually try to listen more, he finally started using the Internet for more than just e-mailing church members, getting Bible references and reading sermons. As of this minute, he has nearly completed the entire set of Royal Service Hostess Queen partyware for me!”

“He loves his eBay!”

“And I love him.”

“I’m kind of fond of him myself, Odessa. And that’s not just because when he finds extra pieces of partyware that you already have, he picks them up for me.”

“He’s a good man. As is your husband, Maxine.”

“Yes.”

“As is Jake Cordell.”

“Who is nobody’s husband.”

“Yet!”

Clink.

“We’re working on that.”

“Yes, we are, Maxine. Of course, we had a few hiccups at first. What with that disastrous double date.”

“What were they thinking? Abner and Bernadette? Chloe and Jake? How could they have gotten it so wrong?”

“I told you, sometimes young love needs a someone wiser to give things a little push.”

“Isn’t the expression
‘older
and wiser,’ Odessa?”

“I believe the expression you are searching for is ‘Mind your own beeswax,’ Maxine.”

“We may be older, Odessa, but we’ve still got a lot of fire.”

“Still?”

“Anyway, the young folks sorted it all out, and now Jake and Bernadette are on the right track and Abner has asked Chloe to be his partner. In the tattoo parlor, that is. They’ve decided just to keep their relationship as good friends.”

“Which means we now know two very nice people looking for dates, so if you know anyone…We’re not too picky, but they have to be Christians. Oh, did we mention that last month Chloe gave her life to Christ and was baptized in Jake and Bernadette’s church?”

“Jake and Bernadette’s church, Odessa? Isn’t that pushing things a little bit?”

“You say that like pushing is a bad thing, Maxine.”

“Odessa! Haven’t you learned
anything
in all of this?”

“Why, yes, Maxine, I have. I’m glad you asked. Here is what I learned….”

Sisters, girlfriends and troublemakers—you know who you are—you are fearfully and wonderfully made! In other words, God doesn’t make junk.

Maybe you are too young to know who Khrushchev is, or too old to understand why anyone would pierce a perfectly good body part. It doesn’t matter. If you open your self up to the experience, the Lord can use you. If you open yourself up to life, you will find purpose. If you open your eyes and look around, you will see sisters everywhere wait ing for you to love and cherish and help and hope with
them. If you open your ears, you will hear their joy and laughter, as well as their fears and pain.

Love one another. Pray for one another. Look out for one another.

I don’t care if you have wrinkles or cellulite or have made mistakes with your marriage or your hair. God loves you, and if you are still breathing, it is too soon to give up on yourself.

“And don’t forget…”

Stay queenly!

• 1) The book addresses sisters, girlfriends and troublemakers (you know who you are). Do you believe that the troublemakers in your life know who they are, that those who stir up trouble for others or themselves are aware of the role they are taking? Would you take a proactive stance, as Odessa wants to, to deal with them, or would you be more like Maxine and stand by ready to give support but not to push things?
  
• 2) Maxine compares a book to a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich, but Odessa feels it’s more like chocolate. If you were to compare books to your favorite foods, what would they be most like? Meals or dessert?
  
• 3) The women that Odessa and Maxine interact with in the story represent different faces of womanhood. Which of your family and friends are like Bernadette, Chloe and Jan? Do you identify with any of them, including Maxine and Odessa?
  
• 4) Odessa contemplates that we value junk for its age, but not women, and tend to disregard older women in our culture. Do you feel this is true in churches as well as the world? Who are the older women who have helped, supported, guided and been examples to you? How so?
  
• 5) Chloe has a makeover to tone down her outwardly rebellious look. Have you ever had a makeover? Why or why not? Would you like one? How did it (or do you think it would) make you feel? What would you like to have done?
  
• 6) Odessa and Maxine collect dinnerware because it reminds them of something they wanted as young brides. Have you ever collected or considered collecting something from your youth? What would it be?
  
• 7) Odessa concludes “If you open yourself up to the experience, the Lord can use you. If you open yourself up to life, you will find purpose. If you open your eyes and look around, you will see sisters everywhere waiting for you to love and cherish and help and hope with them.” Do you believe this to be a realistic suggestion? Do you think women of faith are as supportive of one another as they should be? Why or why not? What ways do you lend help and support to other women? How would your life change without the support of special women in your life?