Small Town Girl

They were bellowing fit to kill about needing one good honky-tonk angel, and someone was thumping a heel hard on the floor as Kenny climbed the steps and peered inside. He could see Casey's back and part of Tess's front. Casey was wearing jeans and her old cowboy boots; Tess, as far as he could see, wore nothing more than an oversized T-shirt. They were banging the tabletop with their drinks, and Mary's potted plant was quivering in time to the music.

The song ended and they yowled and clapped as if they were coming off a dance floor.

Tess said, 'Girl, you and me are gonna get along just fine!'

Kenny knocked and called. 'Is this a private party or can anyone join in?'

Tess tipped forward to see around the doorway.

Casey spun around on her chair. 'Dad! What are you doing here?'

'I could hear you clear across the alley.'

In an unusually happy and expansive mood, Tess said, 'Come on in, Kenny. We're just eatin' goat cheese and stretching our vocal cords.'

He opened the door and went in, stopping just inside the kitchen doorway, surveying the two of them. Tess had a tomato stain on her shirt and the table was littered with dirty dishes. It looked as though Casey had been here for a while.

'Sounds pretty raucous from out here. Who's eating goat cheese?'

'Me!' Casey declared proudly. 'And it's good, too!'

'Here.' Tess hooked a chair with a foot and sent it scooting backward. 'Pull up a chair and try some.'

He arranged himself on the chair across from her and studied the two of them, recalling that he'd ordered Casey to stay away from here, and realizing that an effective parent would follow through with a reprimand. Reprimands, however, were the farthest thing from his mind as he settled back and decided to enjoy himself.

Casey said, 'Guess what, Dad. Mac likes the song I've been helping her write. She's going to record it on her next album, and she says I'll get credit as a co-writer! Isn't that right, Mac?'

'Yup. That's right.'

'Really?' His gaze wandered from his daughter to Tess.

'That is, if you have no objections,' Tess added.

'Wouldn't do me much good if I did, would it?'

'Probably not.' Tess got up and stuck the remaining piece of flatbread in the microwave and got a can of Coca-Cola out of the refrigerator. When she clapped the soda down in front of Kenny his glance flicked up to her. 'Thanks,' he said, following with his eyes as she went back to the microwave to retrieve the warmed food. Her legs were bare and her T-shirt was hanging over braless breasts, small and uptilted. The soiled spot on her shirt brought her down to mortal level and prompted a smile, which he concealed as he drank. It had been a long time since he'd seen a woman act so casual about being half-dressed. He actually didn't know what Faith wore to bed because he'd never spent a night with her. One thing he knew is he'd never seen Faith in any baseball cap. Tess's was pink and said Wailea on the front. Her ponytail looked pretty pathetic sprigging out through the hole in the back like a skinny clump of wire grass. For once she'd removed her dangly silver-and-turquoise earrings, of which he wasn't too fond. She looked better without them. Matter of fact, she looked a little too good to him all the way around tonight.

The goat cheese wasn't bad either, though the crust was rather tough from being reheated. She returned to her chair and became a major distraction, merely sitting there. He had to force his attention back to Casey, who went on talking. 'Mac and I are going to work on the song again tomorrow, okay, Dad?'

'I guess so,' he said noncommittally.

'Should we make it noon, Mac?'

Tess smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

'Noon's good. Gives me time to visit Mother in the morning.'

'Gol, I'm so excited! Isn't she something, Dad? I can't believe this is happening!' Without pausing for breath Casey jumped up and announced, 'I gotta use the bathroom, okay?'

She knew right where it was and hurried away without waiting for an answer, leaving the other two in the fluorescent-lit kitchen, trying to pretend disinterest in each other and carry on a neutral conversation.

'Thanks for what you're doing for her,' he said.

She waved his words away as if her help were nothing, and surprised him by saying, ''You know, I was thinking… I really do want to sing with your church choir after all. You sure you don't care?'

He hid his surprise and answered, 'No, I don't care.'

He sipped his Coca-Cola and watched her over the can. She was used to being watched. She could sit absolutely still beneath his regard and meet his eyes dead-on, in spite of the undercurrents in the room. Those undercurrents ranged clear back to high school and became amplified by the quasi-impropriety of a country music megastar sashaying around in her sleepwear in front of a single man who'd once had an enormous crush on her.

'Practice on Tuesday, right?' she said.

'That's right. Seven P.M. Would you want to sing a solo?'

'That's up to you. I'm not after stealing your choir's thunder.'

'My choir's not that good. No thunder to steal. If you want to do a solo, I'll pick out some music.'

'You decide.'

A commercial came on the radio and Kenny kept his gaze pinned on Tess for several seconds. Then he cleared his throat and sat up straighter, folding his forearms on the table.

'So you met Faith today.'

'Yes. She's very sweet.'

'She said the same thing about you, actually.'

'Did she?'

'Yes, she did.'

'Don't believe her,' Tess said with a grin.

'Don't worry,' he replied, and an answering grin played on his lips.

Some seconds slipped by in which they wondered if the challenge would forever be between them, enjoying it at the moment. Nothing would ever be easy between them-that much they knew-but the constant friction spiced up their encounters and made them think about each other after they parted. She dropped a hand to the JCPenney catalogue and absently flicked the corners with a long persimmon thumbnail. Zzzt- zzt.

'So what are you two? Engaged or what?' she asked.

'No. Friends.'

'Oh, friends.' She nodded as if giving that some thought. Zzzt. 'For what? Eight years? Is that what Casey told me?'

'That's right.'

'Mm.' Zzzt. 'Momma's mentioned Faith in her letters, of course.'

'Of course.'

'Momma loves her.'

'And Faith thinks the world of your mother.'

'Eight years is a long time.' Zzt.

'For what?'

'Whatever.'

'Friendships last like that in small towns. You ought to know that.'

'So what happened to Casey's mother?' Zzt.

'She got tired of us and ran away to Paris.'

'Got tired of you-just like that?'

'That's what she said.'

'Wow. Bummer.'

'Yeah, bummer.'

Zzt. 'So now you mistrust women, is that it?'

'Why do you say that?'