Page 9 of Weatherman

“I’m good. I started big school, and it’s a lot of fun.”

“Schoolisa lot of fun. It can be hard sometimes, but learning new things is always a good time.”

He took note of the child on Lori’s hip. “Is there a new kid I don’t know about?”

Table walked up and leaned in to kiss his wife. “This little cuteness is a client’s kid. Pearl. Belongs to the new hairdresser over at Tambre’s place.” He slipped past Lori and entered the house.

So, Opal had a daughter. Weatherman looked at the baby. Her big blue eyes watched him with open curiosity. Her pale hair stood up in two wispy pigtails wrapped in pink ties. She had a sippy cup in one hand and a stuffed alligator with bulging eyes in the other. Weatherman could see the resemblance to her mother and knew when she grew up, she would be a knockout.

He wondered briefly about the father. Was he the reason the hairdresser was so prickly toward him? He didn’t recall a wedding band, but perhaps she didn’t wear one. Or Daddy wasn’t in the picture at all. He could relate, and it made sense. “Opal and Pearl. That’s cute.”

Lori blinked. “Oh, so you met Opal? I can’t imagine what that poor woman is dealing with. Single mother, moving so far away from everything she knew in her life. It’s a big step.”

So, she was a transplant, from the northern Midwest by her accent. Weatherman filed that bit of news away, his curiosity piqued.

Table came back out with two beers and handed one to Weatherman. “You did the same thing, baby girl. Left a whole other life behind and ended up here.”

“I was running from something.” She hitched the little girl higher and frowned. “Come to think of it, I bet Opal is too. I get the impression that she’s had a rough time.”

The adults moved through the house to the deck that overlooked the backyard. It was a preschooler’s fantasy land: a swing set, plastic dinosaur jungle gym, sandbox, and big kiddie pool filled the fenced area. Angel ran to the giant storage bin they used as an outdoor toy box and started rummaging through it. The two boys tumbled out of the house and joined her.

Weatherman burned to ask questions about Opal. Rough time from what? Abusive husband? Deadbeat father? What about her family?

The scant information he had told him she was essentially by herself. Just her and her daughter. He understood firsthand how hard that life could be. He also understood that she’d landed in the perfect place to start fresh, with a ready-made family. If she would allow it, of course. Dodge’s woman, Fauna, had been brought into the fold recently, and that had taken some effort. Some ongoing drama still lingered there, but everyone in the club supported them as a couple.

Table held out his beer. “To finding new places and new people.”

Weatherman clinked the neck of his bottle against Table’s before taking a long sip.

Lori asked Table about his day and then shared hers. “I ran into Burna Jones at Target this afternoon. She was tearing into a clerk over the price of composition notebooks and having a major fit about three-ring binder colors.” She shook her head and settled herself on a metal patio chair. “Hilda is a freshman this year, and the teachers have long lists of specific supplies they expect the students to have. Poor girl had to listen to her grandma rant about how much everything is costing her.”

Pearl dropped the sippy cup and examined the toy alligator’s eyes.

Table burped lightly. “Burna Jones is never happy. Told off Dillon Johnson after he mowed her lawn. Said he didn’t do it right ’cause the lines didn’t go in the direction she wanted ’em to. Now she’s having trouble finding someone to do her yardwork.”

“I almost feel sorry for her.” Lori settled Pearl in a webbed playpen and handed her the dropped cup.

“I feel sorrier for Hilda.”

Weatherman took a swallow and watched as Pearl pulled herself up to a wobbly stand. She gazed at him and pointed. “Bah-bah-bah-bah.” He smiled at the little girl and winked at her. She grinned back, then sat back down on her diapered rear end and started playing with her alligator.

He chuckled. At least this one liked him, unlike her mother.

They talked about random stuff. The club and its upcoming events, the extreme dry weather, the local high school football team and their Friday night games—anything and everything except his mother’s battle. It was nice to have a respite for a moment. Weatherman appreciated their efforts.

The kids came up for juice boxes, and Lori waddled into the house to get them snacks. Table put his beer aside as one of the boys crawled onto his lap and poked at the Dragon patch on his cut. Weatherman also put his half-finished beer down and noticed Pearl had grabbed onto the playpen edge again, standing steady while looking at him. She really was a cute kid.

She gave him a coquettish smile and dropped her head to hide her eyes, only to pop back up and giggle. Weatherman covered his own eyes and flipped his hand open, and she let out huge belly laughs. He played peekaboo with her until Lori came out with several plastic bowls of Goldfish crackers and Teddy Grahams. Pearl plopped back onto her rear and munched the treats.

“Your mama is on her way to get you, pretty girl. Can you say ‘mama’?”

“A-mah,” Pearl agreed.

Weatherman decided that was his cue to leave, although he was tempted to stick around to see how Opal would react to him being there. What would she think about the innocent game he’d just played with her daughter? He bet she would get huffy and might even blow a gasket. That held some entertaining curiosity, but he did need to get on the road.

“I gotta get going.”

Table stood up and flipped his oldest boy upside down to dangle him by his feet. Cameron squealed with delight, and Mitchell jumped up and down, shouting, “Me too! Me too!”

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