The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion (28 page)
Read The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion Online
Authors: Fannie Flagg
Sookie sat there completely flabbergasted. “I don’t believe what I am hearing. First of all, it’s not true. I am not having an affair with anybody, and I can’t believe you would even think that of me. And secondly, I thought you didn’t like Earle.”
“What do you mean? I’ve always liked Earle, and you know it. And if it isn’t true, why are you meeting this man all over town? It certainly looks suspicious to me. Nobody’s that crazy about waffles!”
“All right, Mother, since you insist on knowing everything, yes, I am meeting Dr. Shapiro all over town. And do you know why? Because I happen to be a patient of his, and I was trying to keep it a secret, so I wouldn’t embarrass you or, God forbid, besmirch the precious Simmons family name, even though two of them are sitting over in the loony bin right this minute!”
Lenore looked at her with shock. “Sookie, Pleasant Hill is not a loony bin. And they are being treated for a simple nervous disorder. Why would you say such a terrible thing?”
“Okay, Mother, have it your own way. You always do.”
“And, anyhow, why are you seeing a psychiatrist? Is this one of Marvaleen’s ideas?”
“No, it isn’t. I’m sure it’s hard for you to imagine, Mother, but every once in a while, I actually have an idea of my own.”
“Well, it’s just plain silliness, and I want you to stop it right now. Do you hear me, young lady?”
“Mother, you do understand that I am a grown woman?”
“I don’t care how grown you are. You’re still my daughter, and I won’t have you causing a scandal.”
There was long pause while Sookie debated whether to just let her have it once and for all … but she didn’t. “Okay, Mother.”
“Good. I just hope and pray that Earle doesn’t hear about this. That poor man is under enough strain as it is, having to fiddle with all those teeth all day, without you acting a fool in public.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Well, now that we have settled that … I’ll take a cup of coffee.”
Lenore sat down and stared at Sookie while she made the coffee, then said, “I must say, Sookie, I am very concerned about your behavior lately. Has that doctor been giving you pills?”
“No, Mother.”
“Hmmm … well … something’s wrong with you. He could be hypnotizing you, and you just don’t know it. You’ve never been very smart about your friends. I always said if Marvaleen said, ‘Let’s jump off a building,’ you’d be right behind her. Don’t forget what happened when she drug you to that Bible study.”
“No, Mother.”
A
FEW DAYS LATER
, Marvaleen heard the rumor about Sookie and had an entirely different reaction. When she saw Sookie get in her car at the parking lot at Walgreens, she ran over and knocked on her car window. Sookie rolled down the window. “Hi, Marvaleen, how are you?”
“Open the door,” she said, pulling on the handle. Sookie unlocked the door, and Marvaleen jumped in and playfully slapped her on the leg. “Oh, you sly dog, you devil you. They always say it’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Why didn’t you tell me? I think it’s all just so exciting, and he is sooo cute.”
It suddenly dawned on Sookie what she was talking about. “And young, too. I told you journaling would change your life, and I was right. What is he—thirty?”
“Oh, Lord, Marvaleen, whatever you’ve heard is not true. I am not having an affair.”
Marvaleen winked at her. “Uh-huh, of course not, but honey, you don’t have to be embarrassed with me. I approve wholeheartedly. Edna Yorba Zorbra says it’s really what nature intended. We should all be
with younger men. She says it’s only fair. She says we don’t hit our sexual peak until sixty. Our sex drive is going up while the men our age are going down.”
“But, really, Marvaleen, Dr. Shapiro is just a friend.”
“Uh-huh, well, do me a favor. See if your friend has a friend.”
“Marvaleen, believe me. I am not having an affair. I’m only seeing him professionally. He’s helping me with a few issues, that’s all.”
“Sure you are, and of course, that’s what I’ll say if anyone asks. You can trust me. But between us, I’m so proud of you. I always thought you were just one of those dull little housewife types that would never change.”
“What? Do you think I’m
dull
?”
“Not anymore.”
“But you used to think I was dull?”
“Yes, but not in a bad way. Just conventional. You know—”
“I see, and what else did you think? Don’t be afraid to hurt my feelings. I really want to know. Seriously, if you were to describe me to someone, what would you say?”
“Oh, well, I would say you were just as nice and sweet as you could be, that’s all.”
“That’s all. Is that what most people think?”
“Well, yes … I guess so. But it’s all positive.”
“But isn’t there something about me that’s negative? I have to have some bad faults.”
“No, I really can’t think of anything, except … but even that’s not bad.”
“No, no—tell me. Except what?”
“Oh, I suppose if you had any fault, I guess it would be that you let people push you around.”
“You mean Mother.”
Marvaleen nodded. “And me, too. But Sookie, that’s not a bad thing. Edna Yorba Zorbra says there are leaders and followers, and the secret to happiness is to embrace your role in life.”
“I see.”
“Edna Yorba Zorbra says that I’m a perfect combo of student and teacher combined.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She says I could morph into becoming a professional life coach any day now if I followed my goddess within. But anyhow, what I really wanted to tell you was that if you and—you know who—ever need a little privacy, I do have that guesthouse in back, and the key is under the mat. Feel free to use it anytime. After all, we cougars have to stick together.”
Sookie realized there was no convincing her otherwise, so she said, “Well, thanks, Marvaleen, I just might take you up on it. A couple of sailor friends of mine are shipping in next week.”
“Sailors?”
“Uh-huh. Twins.”
“Twins?”
“Uh-huh. They do everything together.” Sookie winked at Marvaleen. “If you know what I mean.”
Marvaleen opened the car door in a daze and got out, stood in the parking lot, and stared at Sookie as she drove away. “Wow. Talk about still waters running deep.”
After Sookie drove off, she realized she really shouldn’t have said that about the sailors. She would call Marvaleen when she got home and tell her she had made it up. But at least she had found out that people thought she was dull, and what she had suspected all along was true. She had heard of a man without a country. She was a woman without a personality. She had absolutely no personality.
How
do
you get a personality after sixty? She didn’t even know where to begin. And why didn’t she have one? Had Lenore squashed it? Or had she just been born that way? Her kids all had their own unique personalities—where did they get them? Now she wondered what her personality would be like if she had been raised in Wisconsin by Polish people. She might have been a whole lot of more fun … and played the accordion, done the polka, and everything.
When she got home, Sookie was still upset to think that anyone would believe that she, of all people, would be having an affair. Honestly. It was so embarrassing. But obviously, the Waffle House was out. She picked up the phone and made a call. “Dr. Shapiro, do you by any chance know where the Ruby Tuesday out on the four-lane is?”
A
VENGER
F
IELD
W
INTER OF
1943
HAD BEEN ROUGH
. A
BITTER BATTLE WAS RAGING IN
Europe, and Uncle Sam needed all the gas it could get to help fuel the necessary planes and military vehicles. After talking it over with Poppa, Gertrude was the next Jurdabralinski girl to sign up for the WASPs.
Momma wasn’t happy, but there was nothing she could do, so Gertrude arrived in Sweetwater, Texas, on May 4 with sacks filled with homemade bread and sausages and two large jars of sauerkraut for Fritzi. The next day, Willy, Pinks, and Gertrude had a picnic on Fritzi’s bed with six bottles of Jax beer that Gussie Mintz had smuggled out of the officers’ mess.
F
RITZI WAS IN HER
final phase of training and anxious to finish and get her assignment. The girls had hoped that by the time they graduated, they would be taken in the Army Air Corps and get their real wings, but it had not happened. At the last minute, Jackie Cochran, at her own expense, had Neiman Marcus in Dallas make up special wings for the girls. Graduation Day was pretty special. A lot of the top military brass flew in from Washington, and the entire town of Sweetwater turned out to cheer them on as they marched in. As disappointed as
they were not to have real Army Air Corps wings, it was pretty funny for all of them to watch General Hap Arnold try to pin the wings on each girl’s chest. He got pretty flustered trying to figure out what was chest and what was not. And on some of the girls, especially Pinks, there was an awful lot of what wasn’t chest. Before it was over, the general was red-faced and sweating, And it wasn’t from the heat.
That night, before she went to bed, Fritzi sat down and wrote her brother a letter.
Dear Wink,
I got your last letter, but it was mostly blacked out. Those censor boys are really on a tear, so I don’t know where you are now or what you are up to, but I get the idea that you are in it pretty good. Not much news is coming out of Europe, but we know our guys are letting them have it.
Just so you know, I graduated today, and we got our assignments, and my pal Willy and I sure are happy. We found out we will both be stationed at Long Beach, California, and will be ferrying planes straight from the factory for shipment overseas. Our pal Pinks has been kicked upstairs and is staying on here at Avenger Field to assist Captain Wheeler. And she is going to make one hell of an administrator. Pinks had never mentioned it to us until today, but she has a law degree. I didn’t even know there were women lawyers. Those New York gals are smart as hell. We sure will miss her, but we will be stopping in at Sweetwater from time to time to check up on her and Gertrude and the rest of the gals.
Well, gotta go. Keep ’em flying! California, here I come!
Fritzi
Dear Billy Boy,
Flew over to Palm Springs, California, headed back to Long Beach, air smooth as glass. I never knew there were so many mountains and oil wells in California. Just for fun, flew with one wing in Mexico and one in California. Wow.
When this thing is over, I’m thinking about pulling up roots and heading out west. Billy, this place was made for flying. And the rest ain’t so bad, either. Palm trees, movie stars, and you can pick an orange or a lemon right off a tree. Everybody here has a tan and the whitest teeth I have ever seen. And speaking of movie stars, I was walking down Hollywood Boulevard, headed for the canteen, when I heard someone tooting their horn at me. I looked over, expecting to see some fresh guy, but it was this snazzy-looking blonde in sunglasses driving a big blue convertible who pulls over to the curb and says, “Hi, soldier, need a ride?” And when I jumped in, Billy, I’ll be darned if it wasn’t Ginger Rogers, my favorite actress, and I said, “Hey, the last time I saw you was at the Pulaski theater in
Kitty Foyle,
and you were swell in it, too.” “Thanks,” she says and then looks at my wings and wants to know all about it, and despite being so famous, is real down to earth. When I got out
of the car, I said, “So long, Kitty, thanks for the ride,” and she got a laugh out of that. She is one sweet gal, but then everybody here is just swell to us. I haven’t paid for a drink or a meal since I’ve been here. And the place is crawling with famous people. Willy and I went to the Brown Derby for lunch, and when we asked for the check, the waiter said, “The two gentlemen in the corner have already taken care of it.” We looked over and there sat Mr. Bob Hope and Mr. Bing Crosby. Then Bob Hope comes over and gives us two free tickets to his radio show and invites us to come to dinner at his house in Toluca Lake after the broadcast. All strictly on the up and up. His wife and kids were there, and so was Martha Raye, and after dinner, the doorbell rang, and I swear, Willy and I about died. It was Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy, and old Charlie said, “I hear there are some beautiful pilots here.” Anyhow, we had one swell time. They sure make us feel appreciated, and it’s not only here, it’s everywhere. People bend over backward to make you feel at home. I know it’s not me, it’s the uniform, but it still feels good. Billy, after the war is over, you need to come out here and look into doing some stunt flying for the movies. We met a few of the guys here, and they say the pay is great.
Fritzi
P.S. An hour later.
Billy, I just read this letter. Yikes! Boy, do I sound like one big jerk going on and on about Hollywood. When I think about the gals that got killed, I feel ashamed of myself for still being alive and having such a swell time. But I don’t know what else to do, and I still miss them like crazy.
Fritzi Gal,
Great to hear about Hollywood. I sure will put the stunt-flying idea in the hopper. Sounds good to stay in one place. I am getting too old for barnstorming anymore. These kids here are scaring the living hell out of me. A little training, and they think they are hot shots. They are cracking up planes left and right, and a lot of them are determined to take me down with them. You tell that guy bellyaching about teaching a bunch of women, I’d be happy to swap places with him. I would rather fly with a woman anytime.
Listen, Fritzi, I know it’s a rough deal losing your pals, but you just enjoy every minute you have, and that’s an order.
Billy
