I must introduce y'all to some of my friends. My oldest and dearest friends are Meemaw Doolittle (she doesn't like to be called Alma), Teensy Wiggins and Effie Dixon. Meemaw and I went all through school together and we know each other's deepest and darkest secrets. We're sworn to secrecy but if you get a few drinks in Meemaw, at Aunt Gibby's "Dizzy Bubbles," her lips may betray her promises. As a good Christian, I am always open to forgiveness.
Teensy and I met as sophomores in high school. You may wonder how she ever got the name Teensy. Well, at the tender age of 15, Teensy was not a petite gal. She took to what one might call Spitemia - you know, when people get a taste of food and then said food disembarks the body before being swallowed. Well, Miss Wiggins was a size 6 by the time we all graduated. A moniker that began as a joke amongst the community kind of stuck as a form of adoration. You'll find that Teensy is probably the sweetest soul in the d'Oasis community.
Now, Effie Dixon is another story. She was always a popular sort in school...though she never had much money to speak of. Her first pregnancy occurred at the tender age of sixteen and the occasion sparked a lot of gossip amongst d'Oasians. Somehow, Effie was able to continue her duties as captain of the cheerleading squad during the whole pregnancy. Anyway, the community was always able to overlook Effie's monetary deficiencies because she was always a delight. Now, with four children from different fathers, Effie resides in a quaint single-wide trailer just over the wrong side of the tracks.
As promised, I said I would mention my lovely sisters as well. Shaquanda Braid Jackson is the matriarch of the family and has always been a successful spirit. She's a whiz at running a business - she owns the Jackson 5-Hour Martinizing - and is always there when a person needs her. Shaquanda was left a certain sum of money when her husband passed on (the amount has never been made public). And she always keeps her sister Peggy in line.
Caliope Rose Butterworth, the youngest, is the free spirit of the family. We don't talk much about the couple of years Caliope spent on an Ashram but that time seemed to do her some good. She discovered that her mission in life was to make the world beautiful. Caliope returned to d'Oasis with a flair for the dramatic and beautiful. She is the resident florist/landscape architect. Her creations always provide a spiritual lift to a recipient and she always includes a little note with scribblings that no one in d'Oasis can understand. Every once in a while, you might pass Caliope's storefront and hear an exclamation of "I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!!!!" - always in Caliope's voice. It only means that she is striving for perfection and you can be assured that what will come out of the Terra Firma Floristry will amaze and astound.
There's a little introduction for you of some of us - my closest and dearest. I will use this electronic scroll to pass on the stories of the people of the lovely town of d'Oasis.
Don't be tacky ... Peggy
No comments:
Post a Comment