On the other hand, most of them didn't seem to be listening very hard. From the half-frown on her lips and the faraway glaze in her eyes, Annie Sue for sure had something else on her mind besides a sermon underpinned by St. Paul's view of woman's place.
There was no way this paternalistic pair of jockey shorts could have known I'd be there this morning, so I didn't have to take his choice of text personally. In this part of the world, antifeminism is but another club with which to bash the hydra-headed beast of secular humanism. As long as a woman knows her place—on a pedestal or on her back—men of the preacher's generation will give her protection and a thousand courtly courtesies. But let her try to climb down or stand up—aagghh!
As soon as he started in on 'suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence,' I knew I either had to tune out or walk out. On the pew beside me, Herman's sigh almost masked mine.
There was a gray drawn look about his face today that made me uneasy. It was so unlike him not to check in behind Annie Sue last night. Even though she hadn't drilled a single hole or put a piece of wire on anything except the utility box, if he'd been able to drag one foot in front of the other, he'd have been there to look over her plans.
It'd be different this week if she followed through on her plan to try to finish the rough-in before Saturday. Last night there'd been an invitation on my answering machine from K.C. Massengill, inviting me up to her place on the lake next weekend. If I helped Annie Sue during the week, surely that would excuse me from stuffing fiberglass insulation in the walls next Saturday? And then—
To my relief, I suddenly realized that the preacher had called for the closing hymn. The pianist swung into a toe-tapping rendition of 'Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,' and we reached for our hymnals. Herman's slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. Nadine fished it out and I saw her anxious look as we all stood to sing.
'You okay?' I murmured to him.
He nodded and began to, well, it wasn't what a purist could call singing exactly—in a music-loving family, Herman was the one who could never stay on pitch—but it was certainly a conscientious effort toward making a joyful noise unto the Lord.
A benediction followed, then the preacher placed himself in the doorway and shook everyone's hand as we left. When it was my turn, his craggy face broke into a genuine smile.
'Judge Deborah!' he exclaimed. 'We're all just so proud of you!'
Go figure, as Lev Schuster used to tell me. * * *
'Mom's going to try and make Dad see Dr. Worley tomorrow,' said Annie Sue as she rode home with me from New Deliverance. She was so quiet in the car that I remembered her withdrawn look earlier.
'Something bothering you?' I asked.
'Oh, no,' she answered hastily. 'I'm just a little tired, I guess.'
'So how was the dance last night?'
'Okay.'
There was a cherry red zit on her chin. It'd started the morning covered with makeup, but she'd touched it so much during preaching that it blazed now. As her hand strayed toward her chin again, I reached over, pushed it down, and asked with a smile, 'Did what's his name—Bannerman?—show up?'
There was a stricken silence.
'Honey?'
She twisted in her seat to look me in the face. 'Can I tell you something and you won't tell Mom and Dad?'
'Depends.' I took my foot off the gas and slowed down a little. 'If you're in trouble—'
'Not me. A friend.'
'Cindy or Paige?'
'Cindy,' she admitted. 'Carver Bannerman did drop by the dance last night, and he was coming on strong to all three of us, but Cindy liked him best and she let him take her home.'
'And?'
'He didn't take her home. I called over there this morning and Miss Gladys said Cindy was spending the night with Paige. So I called Paige, but she didn't.'
'I see,' I said slowly. 'You think she went home with Bannerman?'
She didn't answer.
'He's lucky. Sixteen used to be statutory rape if a parent found out and wanted to bring charges.'
Annie Sue groaned. 'I swear I just don't know what's got into Cindy. Ever since her daddy died, it's like she's been on speed or something. I mean, she was always crying about how mean and strict Mr. Ralph was, when I don't think he was half as mean as Judge Byrd and I
'You can't hold yourself responsible for her bad decisions,' I said.
'She swears this is going to be the summer she loses her virginity. That's so stupid.'
'And these days pretty dangerous.'
'We know.' Annie Sue leaned over and patted my hand on the steering wheel. 'Honest. We do get AIDS lectures.'
