“Mom is—”
“Here!” Debra Sue explained.
“What did you say?”
“Your mom is here, in the house. She’s the one who’s been thinking you were dead.”
“Mom is alive?”
“Yes, hun. She’s fine. A few bumps and bruises. Nothing else.”
During the few seconds it took for Lexi to gather the courage to tell her grandmother about Wanda to learning her mom was alive, Lexi experienced a Yellowstone size range of emotions. “Where is she?”
“In the house.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t give me the chance. And once I knew it was you, I was completely overjoyed and happy to see you and gave praise to our good Lord he had spared you.” Debra Sue dipped her chin and cocked her head ever so slightly. Raising her eyebrows, she hesitantly asked, “I’m sorry. Are we good?”
“Of course.” Lexi jumped from the car and gave her grandmother a big hug and stepped back from her grandmother. “Mom’s in the house?”
Debra Sue nodded.
“I’m going to surprise her.”
Before Debra Sue had time to stop Lexi, she had taken off running towards the house. “It’s a good thing the Carter women have strong hearts, otherwise I’d be afraid Wanda would have a heart attack when she sees Lexi.”
“Hop in,” Joe said. “Let’s not be late to the happy reunion.”
“I’m driving, remember?” Debra Sue said. “Better put your seatbelts on. Oh wait, these old cars don’t have seatbelts, so you’d better hold on tight. Now I remember when seatbelt laws came into being. Nobody, and I mean nobody wanted to wear seatbelts. It felt so unnatural to be strapped into a seat, not being able to wiggle. Take for example if there was something in the backseat I needed, well, one time I twisted around to reach for whatever it was, and I pulled my back so bad I was walking like an old hunched over woman. I finally had to go to a chiropractor. Do any of y’all believe in chiropractors? Let me tell you, I was skeptical, but that man worked my body, pushing on this and that, turning me in ways I hadn’t been turned in like the time with…oh never mind. You don’t need to know about that because if you did, you’d need to hold on too, like now, so get ready for the ride of your life!”
Before anyone had time to take a breath, hold onto a bar, or comment on women drivers, Debra Sue put the Model T in gear and gunned the engine. The motor creaked and groaned under the strain, the tires spun, and gravel and dust flew up into the air.
“Yeehaw!” Debra Sue screamed.
Chapter 29
Lexi burst through the front door, slamming it against the wall. “Mom?” she shouted. “Mom, are you here?”
Holding a dish towel, Wanda walked from the kitchen and down a short hallway to the front living room. “Sorry, what did you say?” she called, thinking it was her mother.
Lexi stood in the entryway, unable to speak. Wanda dropped the dish towel, and mother and daughter ran to each other and held an emotional embrace.
“Mom, I thought you were dead.”
“Oh, baby, I thought the same about you. I prayed and prayed for a miracle.” Wanda stroked her daughter’s hair. “Let me see you.” She placed her hands on Lexi’s shoulders, holding her at arm’s length. “Are you hurt? Oh my, what’s the bruise on your face from?”
“I had to have a tooth removed.”
“The one you should have seen a dentist about?”
“Umm, yes.”
“Next time I tell you to see a dentist…” Wanda paused. “Never mind. Baby, I’m so happy to see you.” Wanda hugged Lexi again. “My prayers have been answered.”
“My prayers haven’t been answered,” a gruff male voice interrupted the mother daughter reunion. “Yeah, Lexi, listen to your mother next time about dental hygiene.”
Lexi’s mouth dropped open. Seeing a ghost wouldn’t have been as shocking. It was an understatement to say she was surprised. “Cullen Pickers? You’re alive?”
“Wow. Sounds like you hoped I was dead. Thanks a lot,” Cullen said.
“That’s not what I meant. The area you were in was, you know, destroyed. I’m sorry, I assumed you were dead, like my mom, and I can’t believe you survived. How did you make it out of there alive?” Before Cullen answered, Lexi blurted, “You look,” she paused, searching for the right word, “great.”
“What else did you expect? Of course, I look great. Fortunately for me, I was summoned to the same luxury box where your mom was.”
“Why?” Lexi asked.
“One of the team’s owners personally called me to repair the sound equipment in the luxury box. You had just walked onto the field when I got the call.”
“Ahh,” Lexi cooed. “It’s so sweet they wanted to hear me sing.”
Cullen waved her off. “Don’t flatter yourself. They were having problems with their sound equipment, and needed to be able to communicate with the coaches. Cell phone service isn’t reliable surrounded by lots of concrete. For example, try calling inside a closed mausoleum.”
“Too bad you’re not in one,” Wanda muttered.
Lexi’s eyes blazed at her mom. The silent communication to stop the sniping fell flat. Imagining her mom and Cullen having to share the same space wasn’t a pleasant thought. Their disdain for each other had become legendary.
“I took the elevator specifically used for the luxury boxes, and when I arrived, your mother met me at the door. She refused to let me in. In hindsight, I should thank her for her rude greeting, otherwise, I’d be dead.”
“Next time, I’ll be nice,” Wanda countered. She tossed a fake smile towards Cullen. “To make Mr. Picker’s long story short, because who wants to relive it, we were the only ones from any of the luxury boxes to survive. We were stuck together, and because I took pity on Mr. Pickers, I asked
