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Show -lie- Peppermint Monday her voice. "Maybe he'll write soon." I tried to sound encouraging. If she hadn't looked so sad already, I would have laughed at her idea. Barton would never come back to our house without a better reason than an Ozark High School prom. He had gone to a bunch of charity dinner dances with Uncle William. You could not compare the two formal dances in any way. Barton was used to meeting governors and sipping champagne when he got the chance. All he could do at our prom was meet the principal and drink koolaid. "I hope you're right," Renae said. "I sure miss him." I wondered why she was wasting time worrying about Barton when it was her pa she should be missing. As much as I differed with pa on a lot of things, our house would be empty without him. It would be even worse for Renae because her mother was totally opposite from ma. Ma would hold herself together and still be a good parent. Mrs. Todd was not handling her situation very well. She cried all through church and it was not a sad sermon. We had been a few rows behind her, so I couldn't hear her sobs. I just watched her bleached curls bounce up and down when her head shook. Andrea had been right in front of her. She had heard her cry. I imagine Renae had been mortified. I would have been. Renae flirted with Matt more than ever the next few days. I guess Barton had not written. Matt was dumb enough to flirt back. He must have had a short memory. When Barton had been around, Renae didn't give Matt as much as her false smile. Now that Barton was gone, she was showering her attention all over him. Renae may be fickle, but Matt was stupid to let her get away with it. I guess all of her efforts would pay off though. She would get a date to the prom. |
