Small Town Girl

'Nope.'

'Daddy, if I go to Nashville after I graduate, can I still keep Rowdy so I can come home and ride him on weekends?'

'Costs a lot of money to board a horse. And how often do you think you'll get home? It's a five-hour drive.'

'But would you go out and ride him sometimes so I don't have to get rid of him right away?'

'I guess I could do that.'

She stopped eating her toast for a while and let it rest, forgotten, on her hand. He could nearly feel the wave of sadness wash over her as she thought about the changes ahead, the two of them separating, her living someplace else far away, leaving all the people and things that were so familiar and dear. He remembered her as a baby and got sad himself, his memories as clear as if they'd happened yesterday. He opened an arm and she curled against him, tucking her forehead beneath his jaw.

'Oh, Daddy, it's so hard growing up.'

'Hard on parents, too.'

'I'm going to miss you. And who's going to take care of you?'

'Faith will still be around.'

'Then will you marry her?'

'Well, I don't know. Maybe eventually.'

'What kind of an answer is that?' She drew back and looked up at him, perplexed, her battle with tears forgotten. 'Don't you want to get married again?'

'I don't know. My life is all right the way it is.'

She studied him thoughtfully for a moment, then said, 'Could I ask you something, Dad?'

'Couldn't you always?'

'You won't get mad?' She stuffed the last bite of toast in her mouth.

'I don't usually. Why would I now?' He polished off his toast, too.

'All right. Here it is.' She brushed her palms together as they continued leaning against the cabinet. 'Does Faith put out?'

He choked on his toast and coughed twice. 'What kind of a question is that?'

'Well, I was just wondering, that's all, 'cause you two are so… well, I don't know… comfortable together, I guess. I mean, it's like you've been married for fifty years. So naturally I wonder.'

Kenny colored, and said, 'Casey, you're impossible.'

'That must mean you don't want to tell me.' She glanced at him askance. 'I figure she must. I mean, everybody does it at some time or another. It's okay. You can tell me and I won't be shocked. Then I'll tell you if I ever have. Deal?'

'Casey Kronek!'

'Well, don't you wonder? I mean, I'm seventeen already.'

'Who would you have done a thing like that with? You've never even dated any boy seriously!'

'But what if I was curious? What if I just decided I wanted to know what it was like because all the other girls were talking about it?'

He frowned. 'Did you?' Then a horrifying thought struck him. 'Casey, you're not pregnant, are you?'

She burst out laughing. 'Oh, Daddy, you should see your face!'

'Well, you might think it's funny, but I don't.'

'I was just testing you to see how shocked you'd be.'

'Well, I was shocked, all right!'

'So you figure I'll be, too, if I find out you and Faith sleep together.'

'You know perfectly well she's never stayed overnight in this house and neither have I stayed at hers.'

'Oh, come on, Daddy, even I'm not naive enough to think it only happens at night, tucked under the covers.'

'Well, I tell you what, smarty. What happens between Faith and me is none of your business, and it would be a breach of faith for me to talk about it with you, don't you think?'

'A breach of Faith… very clever, Daddy. Maybe you're the one who should be writing song words with Mac.'

'Do we have to bring her up again?'

'Oh, I forgot. You don't like her because she used to tease you in high school.'

'It's more than that. She's still got an attitude.'

'No, she doesn't. Not when you approach her without thinking of her as a star, but just as the girl who grew up next door.'

'I'm not interested in approaching her at all. As far as I'm concerned, the less our paths cross, the better.'

'Do you think she'll come and sing with the choir though?'

'I don't know. I hope not. I was appalled at Reverend Giddings asking her. Figured she'd think I put him up to it.'

'I saw you glaring at me as if I'd put him up to it. Honest, I didn't have anything to do with that. But wouldn't it be something if she'd do it? Wow.'

With a twist of sarcasm, Kenny mumbled to himself, 'Yeah… wow.' Moments later he was left behind while Casey wandered out of the room, daydreaming about her idol and the possibility of singing in the church choir with her.

Yeah, he thought ruefully, that's all we need around here.

The next day when Tess went out to start her car she found a note stuck under the windshield wiper. It was written in pencil on a sheet of narrow-lined paper that had been torn out of a spiral notebook.

'Mac,' it said, 'I've got a verse two that I think will work. Try it out.'

Mama's in the home place, never changed a lick,

House as worn and tattered as a derelict,

Same old clock a-tickin' on the faded kitchen wall.

Mama won't replace anything at all.

Mama's fine.

Can't change her mind.

Tess stood in the alley, reading the verse, singing it to herself.

She loved it! It worked so much better than the second verse she herself had concocted. How surprising that a seventeen-year-old girl had the insight to come up with something this good.

On her way to the hospital she dialed her producer, and said, 'Jack, listen, I want you to save space on the album for one new song that I'm writing down here. It's not done yet, but it will be soon. I'm getting good help from a high school girl who lives right across the alley, and you won't believe it, Jack, but it's good. She's good.'

'A high school girl! Tess, have you lost your mind?'

'I'm excited, Jack. She can write and she's got a voice.'

'Tess,' he said with exaggerated patience.

'I know, I know, but this one's special. She's bright and she's got talent to go with it. I want to encourage her and see what she's got. It's just one cut, Jack, okay? And if the song doesn't pan out the way I think it will, we'll use whatever you've got picked out from the demos.'

He sighed-a man who'd lost the battle and knew it. 'All right, Tess. What's it called?'

' 'Small Town Girl.' '

'A ballad?'

'Yes, upbeat. I'm working on the bridge, and if it turns out as good as the first two verses, the last verse will be easy. I'll let you know the minute it's finished.'

'And you'll send a rough?'

'Of course, with piano accompaniment.'

'Okay, Mac, you're the star. You know best.'