Week 15 - Sunday Service

Spring was peaking through this Sunday morning as Adeline rolled out of bed. Her alarm had gone off three or four times at least; she couldn’t be sure. But she was sure that getting up early on a weekend was not something that had been her idea. 

“Adeline, honey, I got you some muffins in the kitchen for you.” Granny’s voice rang from downstairs. She sounded especially happy this morning, and Adeline knew why. Her Granny had been on to her for weeks to go to church, and this morning, she was. 

She slid on some house shoes and plodded down the stairs to find a pan of blueberry muffins and a carton of orange juice waiting for her on the counter. Granny was in the other room, fussing with something Adeline couldn’t see. “What ‘er you doin’, Granny?” the teen asked through a mouthful of muffin. 

“I’m steamin’ your dress, dear. Gettin’ all a’ the wrinkles out.” 

Adeline winced at hearing the word dress. She’d had no intention of dressing up for church this morning, thinking a pair of jeans and a sweater would have been fine. But, now that she was paying attention, the telltale scent of lavender Granny used in her steaming wand was filling the air. “You didn’t have to do all of that, Gran. Really!” 

“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. You might meet a nice boy today and I want you to look your best. Church is where I met your grandfather, you know.” There was a dreamy, sing-song quality to the way Granny talked Adeline found to be both soothing and annoying. 

Granny wheeled in an armless, headless mannequin wearing a gaudy, flower-print dress. It was white, with giant pink hibiscuses all over it. There was fuchsia and viridian trim around the collar and shoulder and a ruffle of pink and green at the bottom. It was truly one of the most hideous things Adeline had ever seen. “I picked this up over in London for you at one of the new boutiques. Don’t you just love it,” Granny said, beaming with pride. 

“Don’t you think it’s a little cool for a sleeveless dress,” the teen replied, searching for some way to get out of wearing this monstrosity. 

Granny ducked back into the other room and came out with a white, knitted shawl. “I got this for you to wear over it.”

Adeline knew she was defeated and took the dress upstairs to finish getting ready. It was a half an hour later that the pair were on their way to Black Grass Baptist, one of the oldest churches in the county. The building itself was actually only a decade or so old, but the roots of the church go back over one hundred years. Granny had been going here since she was a little girl, was married here even. If she ever had a second home, it was Black Grass Baptist.  

The second row on the right, just behind the organ, was where Granny always sat. Like every good Appalachian church, all the regulars had their assigned seats. And if a guest ever got there early and took those spots, it was a scandal! But today, her pew sat empty. So, Granny and Adeline took their places. It was still a few minutes before the service was about to begin.

“Good morning Sister Maude. Adeline. How are we on this beautiful Lord’s Day?” It was Mary Beth Francis, the biggest gossip in the church. Adeline only came a few times a year and still knew all about Mary Beth Francis. So you have a prayer request for a family member with toenail cancer? Well, Mary Beth Francis has a cousin with that too, and it’s in both feet! Oh, your neighbor got the Elephant Man disease? Well, someone in Mary Beth Francis’ holler has it and their ears are the size of hubcaps.

Granny looked over and extended her hand. “It’s good to see you, Mary Beth. How is your grandson doing?” 

Mary Beth Francis clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Praise the Lord, but his scurvy is healin’ right up. Doc Beasley has him suckin’ on lemons like they’re lollypops, but he’s on the mend. Thank you for asking. Adeline, how are you this mornin’?” 

The teen looked across her Granny and up at Mary Beth Francis. “I’m just fine, thanks.”

“Oh, I just love your dress! Did you get that at Tootsie’s in Hazard?” Mary Beth asked, placing a hand to her cheek.

Granny patted Adeline on the knee. “No, I picked this up at BeBe Yanza’s in London. It’s over by the new home decor place, Trace Blu.” 

Mary Beth Francis shook her head in delight. “Well, I just love it. I’ll have to go over and check that one out. My sister loves that Trace Blu place, anyway. She’s redecorating her house again this summer, God love her.” 

A few cords rang out on the piano. “Well, guess I better get to my seat. Good talkin’ to you all.” She scooted out of the aisle and over to her pew. Granny had a sheepish smile on her face when Adeline looked over at her. Even kind, sweet little Granny knew how Mary Beth Francis was.

Adeline sang along with the songs she remembered from her childhood and bobbed her head to the ones she didn’t. A few prayers, an offering and a sermon later and it was time to go home. She didn’t pay too much attention to any of it. The preacher had been talking about tithing and responsibility to the church. Stuff she just wasn’t connecting with. She shook hands with some of her Granny’s friends and saw a cute boy sitting in the back row. But he was gone before she could catch his eye. 

Back in the car, Granny pulled onto the parkway and not toward home, as Adeline was expecting. “Where we goin’?” 

“Didn’t I tell you? We’re having lunch with my sister and some of your cousins, They’re gonna meet us in Corbin. Could have sworn I mentioned it.” Granny pursed her lips and twisted them on one side. 

Adeline scowled. “No, you most certainly did not tell me, because I would have refused to go. You know how those folks can be. I hate those kids.”

“Oh, now, don’t say that. Hate is such an ugly word. Promise me you’ll be nice.”

She crossed her arms and huffed loudly. “I won’t start anything. But if they start with me, I can’t promise it won’t get real.”

“Real what, dear?”

After the better part of an hour, Granny pulled into the parking lot of a little restaurant. Outside, Adeline could see Aunt Wanda and her three children: Summer, Kirby and Dakota. Summer was a sophomore in college at some school around Cincinnati. Kirby was a few years younger than Adeline and the baby, Dakota, was only around ten. Wanda and her family had left Peril County just before Dakota was born. Uncle Jasper had gotten a job at a factory in Georgetown and the family pulled up stakes. 

“Ugh, Maude, it’s so good to see you.” Wanda said as she hugged he big sister. She was tall and thin with wild curls of salt and pepper hair. “It’s been too long.”

Granny Maude patted her sister on the back and then went down the line, hugging each of her nieces and nephew warmly. “Gee, look at you all. Shootin’ up like bean sprouts!”

“It’s good to see you, Aunt Maude,” Summer said. She looked like her mother, with straight, black hair and round black glasses. 

Adeline stepped forward and gave weak hugs to her family. “Been a while,” she said to no-one in particular. 

They made their way into the restaurant, and the hostess seated them by the window. Dakota was full of energy and had trouble keeping still. Finally, his mother handed him a tablet, so he had something to focus on. Wanda turned to look at her great niece and smiled. “So, Adeline, tell me about school. You’re a junior this year, right? Any plans?” 

“Yup. Few more weeks and I’ll be a senior. We have prom coming up in a little bit. Lot going on.”

Wanda rested her chin on her hands. “And what after that? You going to college?”

The teen girl cleared her throat. It felt like she was being interrogated. She looked over to her Granny, who had her nose deep into a menu. “I’m thinking about either nursing school or cosmetology. I figure everyone gets sick or needs a haircut, right?” 

“I’m pre-med at Northern. Maybe you could come be my nurse,” Summer said, smiling. Adeline couldn’t be sure, but it felt like she was being made fun of. 

“Yeah, maybe. But I really don’t want to leave Peril County.”

Wanda and her two girls both made baffled faces. “Why wouldn’t you want to leave?” Kirby asked.

Adeline looked at the three of them and felt their gaze upon her. “Well, I mean, almost all of my classmates are all about getting out of here. Like, can’t wait to go off and do something else and be something else. But Black Grass is my home. It’s where Granny is. It’s where I want to be, I guess.”

Wanda’s look changed from shock to pity. “Oh, honey. Peril County was my home too. But there’s so much more to the world than Black Grass, Kentucky.”

From behind her menu, Granny piped up. “Adeline has a good head on her shoulders. She can do whatever she wants.”

“But that’s my point, Maude. Don’t you want her to have the most opportunities. The best chance at success. Is she gonna find that here?” 

Kirby took a drink of her lemonade. “I would just die if I lived there all the time. I mean, it’s nice to go now and then, I guess. But what about Starbucks and concerts and stuff to do. I’d be bored out of my mind.”

Adeline looked at her younger cousin. A series of beeps and boops came from Dakota and his games. “Your sister used ta live here and did just fine. So did Aunt Wanda.”

“Why don’t you come and stay with us for a while this summer, Adi? See that there is more out there than Black Grass?” Aunt Wanda was serious and passionate. 

Kirby lit up like a Christmas Tree. “That would be awesome!” Summer clouded up a little, but was doing her best to hide it. 

“I don’t know,” Adeline said. She had so many plans with her friends for the Summer. She had a job lined up at the county pool. She was gonna go camping and on ATV rides and so much more. But the idea of going to stay with Wanda and her kids didn’t sound all bad. But what would happen with Granny?

Wanda placed her hand on top of Adeline’s. “You don’t have to decide today. Just think about it ok?”

Adeline nodded her head. 

A pretty blonde waitress walked up to the table and smiled “Are you guys ready to order?”

Granny put down her menu. “Yes. I know exactly what I want.”