bookstore, one denim-clad leg propped on the other knee while he drew on a cigarette. He saw her through the window and slowly raised a hand to tip his hat in greeting. She waved quickly and finished up her work at the table. She was arranging a display; she had no intention of being the display.
* * *
Tess didn’t realize the time until she overheard Pickle ask if it was all right if he went home for the day. She left for the day too, but stopped in the diner for a quick bite to eat before going home. She’d just sat down in the red vinyl booth at the front window when Buck slid in across from her.
“ Evenin’ Mizz Tess. Would you allow me to join you?”
“ Oh. Hello, Mayor . . . I suppose so. How are you?”
“ I’m exemplary, thank you! I saw you come in the restrunt, and thought it would be a good time to stop and catch my breath.” He squinted his eyes at the chalkboard list of daily specials. “What looks good today?” Buck looked back at Tess for a brief moment, giving her a leer, and added, “Besides the obvious.” He winked at her before returning his attention to the menu board. Tess cringed.
“ The lemon meringue pie looks good to me, but I suppose I can’t have that for dinner,” she said, trying to fill the silence but not babble, too.
Just then, Junebug appeared at the table. She was a pretty woman, even in her seventies, with long white hair that she always kept up in a bun. Thin, and genteel, she always wore just the right amount of makeup, and she wore casual, stylish clothes underneath her apron. The only deviation in her appearance was whether the bun was on top of her head or at the back of it. Slick liked to joke that she was feeling frisky when she put it on top.
“ Hireya’ll?” She plopped her order pad on the table so she could use both hands to fix the knot on the back of her head.
“ Junie, if I was doin’ any better, I’d have ta hire somebody to help me enjoy it!”
“ Aw, gwon, Buck, nobody can be doin’ that good.” Junebug lightly pushed his shoulder. “’Specially in this weather. It was hotter’n blazes all day, and now it's comin' up a bad cloud out there.”
“ We shore do need the rain,” Buck said. “It’s sa dry, the trees are startin’ to bribe the dogs.”
“ That it is.” She ducked her head down for a better look outside, then stood up straight. “Okay, enough chit-chat, Chet. I got other customers to wait on. What kin I gitch y’all?”
Tess said, “I’ll have the tomato soup, a corn muffin, and sweet tea with lemon, please.”
“ And I’ll have some a Slick’s liver’n onions, please, ma’am,” Buck said, adding, “Oh, and some coffee, too, please, Junie.”
“ Okeedokee,” Junebug said, writing on her pad. She looked up at him over her reading glasses. “You don’t usually order coffee, Buck. By gonnies, the whole town’s turnin’ upside down. Would you like a little cream with your coffee, or do you want it unadulterated?”
“ Unadulterated,” Buck said, decisively, without a hint of a smile. Tess propped her elbow on the table, and her chin on her fist, partially covering her mouth to mask her smile. She worked some multiplication problems in her head to keep from giggling at the southern vocabulary. A boom of thunder directed her attention outside, and she noticed the rain coming down hard.
Junebug started off toward the kitchen, and Buck started to talk, but Tess didn’t hear him; she was listening to Junebug give the order to Slick.
“ Walkin’ in! Gimme a splash a red noise. Put the lights out and cry. Mud and a sweetie, and sour it. The sweetie, not the mud.”
“ Sorry.” She realized Buck had said something to her. “Say that again?”
“ I asked how the renovatin’s comin’ along.” Buck sat back, folding his hands on the table.
“ Slow but sure. It’ll take me a while to do everything I want to do. But I’m enjoying it.”
“ Good, good. Do ya need any hep?”
“ Oh gosh,
* * *
Tess didn’t realize the time until she overheard Pickle ask if it was all right if he went home for the day. She left for the day too, but stopped in the diner for a quick bite to eat before going home. She’d just sat down in the red vinyl booth at the front window when Buck slid in across from her.
“ Evenin’ Mizz Tess. Would you allow me to join you?”
“ Oh. Hello, Mayor . . . I suppose so. How are you?”
“ I’m exemplary, thank you! I saw you come in the restrunt, and thought it would be a good time to stop and catch my breath.” He squinted his eyes at the chalkboard list of daily specials. “What looks good today?” Buck looked back at Tess for a brief moment, giving her a leer, and added, “Besides the obvious.” He winked at her before returning his attention to the menu board. Tess cringed.
“ The lemon meringue pie looks good to me, but I suppose I can’t have that for dinner,” she said, trying to fill the silence but not babble, too.
Just then, Junebug appeared at the table. She was a pretty woman, even in her seventies, with long white hair that she always kept up in a bun. Thin, and genteel, she always wore just the right amount of makeup, and she wore casual, stylish clothes underneath her apron. The only deviation in her appearance was whether the bun was on top of her head or at the back of it. Slick liked to joke that she was feeling frisky when she put it on top.
“ Hireya’ll?” She plopped her order pad on the table so she could use both hands to fix the knot on the back of her head.
“ Junie, if I was doin’ any better, I’d have ta hire somebody to help me enjoy it!”
“ Aw, gwon, Buck, nobody can be doin’ that good.” Junebug lightly pushed his shoulder. “’Specially in this weather. It was hotter’n blazes all day, and now it's comin' up a bad cloud out there.”
“ We shore do need the rain,” Buck said. “It’s sa dry, the trees are startin’ to bribe the dogs.”
“ That it is.” She ducked her head down for a better look outside, then stood up straight. “Okay, enough chit-chat, Chet. I got other customers to wait on. What kin I gitch y’all?”
Tess said, “I’ll have the tomato soup, a corn muffin, and sweet tea with lemon, please.”
“ And I’ll have some a Slick’s liver’n onions, please, ma’am,” Buck said, adding, “Oh, and some coffee, too, please, Junie.”
“ Okeedokee,” Junebug said, writing on her pad. She looked up at him over her reading glasses. “You don’t usually order coffee, Buck. By gonnies, the whole town’s turnin’ upside down. Would you like a little cream with your coffee, or do you want it unadulterated?”
“ Unadulterated,” Buck said, decisively, without a hint of a smile. Tess propped her elbow on the table, and her chin on her fist, partially covering her mouth to mask her smile. She worked some multiplication problems in her head to keep from giggling at the southern vocabulary. A boom of thunder directed her attention outside, and she noticed the rain coming down hard.
Junebug started off toward the kitchen, and Buck started to talk, but Tess didn’t hear him; she was listening to Junebug give the order to Slick.
“ Walkin’ in! Gimme a splash a red noise. Put the lights out and cry. Mud and a sweetie, and sour it. The sweetie, not the mud.”
“ Sorry.” She realized Buck had said something to her. “Say that again?”
“ I asked how the renovatin’s comin’ along.” Buck sat back, folding his hands on the table.
“ Slow but sure. It’ll take me a while to do everything I want to do. But I’m enjoying it.”
“ Good, good. Do ya need any hep?”
“ Oh gosh,
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