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By Misti Date: 2001 Sep 17 Comment on this Work [[2001.09.17.23.16.27453]] |
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"B 38," the bearded Hispanic man said into the microphone. Thelma scanned her four BINGO cards and deftly slid her lavender highlighter across the lucky spaces. "Did you get it?" Thelma asked her friend Betty. "Shoot. I haven't been getting anything. They sold me the wrong cards," Betty said with a bitter scowl. She puffed her cigarette and took a swig of Pepsi. "Well. I guess you aren't having any luck today. You were doing pretty good yesterday, though. Have you heard from your sister lately?" "Oooh yeah. Wait 'til you hear this. You won't believe it." Betty chuckled and shook her head. She flicked her cigarette ashes into the ashtray. Thelma glanced up from her BINGO cards. "Well? What'd she do now?" Thelma asked impatiently. "She took off for Louisiana after supper last night." "Louisiana? That boot-shaped state on the Gulf of Mexico? Where they get crazy in February and girls take their shirts off for necklaces?" "You're thinking of New Orleans, Thelma. The whole state isn't like that. But yeah, it is boot-shaped and it is located on the Gulf." "My god! There's a whole state in between us and Louisiana!" "Two, if you count Arkansas." "Oh, yeah. I guess it counts as a state. So what's she doin' in Louisiana?" "I told you about her Internet friend, didn't I?" "That poet fella? The one who kept writin' poems about her? The one she was always chattin' with on ICU?" "ICQ. Yep. Charlie. Well, he never really seemed too interested in her. If you ask me, he was just stringin' her along. He's only thirty, after all. And Mildred's pushin' fifty. But she got it in her mind that he was the only man for her. So she packed a suitcase and got in her car and left. Said she'll be back for the rest of her things later. She wanted to be there in time for his birthday." "You are kiddin' me! That doesn't even sound right. Just takin' off? At her age? He could be an ax murderer for all she knows!" "I really don't think so. I've read some of the e-mail he sent her. He seems harmless enough. But he made it clear to her that he'd just gone through a bad divorce and was gun shy. She wouldn't hear it. She says she knows that he knows deep down inside that they're supposed to be together. He's just too scared to admit it. Even to himself." "Well, if that don't beat all. Your sister done gone crazy, girl! What's she gonna do when she gets there? Just show up on his doorstep?" "That's the sad thing in all of this. He never even gave her his address. She had to do some detective work to find it. So yeah, I guess she'll just knock on his door. I feel like I should warn him but that just wouldn't be right." "Well...Mildred has a good head of hair and she still has a nice figure. And she's very outward going. Maybe she'll win him over." "I hope so. I haven't seen her this happy since Gerald died six years ago. She acts like a teenager. You know, I've caught her blushing more than once. It's silly. But I'm happy for her. I just hope it works out." "It's sad. We get to be this age and all we have to look forward to anymore is BINGO and an occasional day trip to Des Moines. I'm going to say a special prayer for Mildred tonight." "You might want to say one for Charlie, too." |