Page 59 of Grounded
“Why do I bother to stick my neck out for you?” he grumbled.
“Because you’re a kind and caring boss. Please, see if you can get me an extension.”
He exhaled a deep breath. “I’ll try, but I’m not in charge, so don’t get your hopes up! You’ll be lucky to keep the job.”
Annie turned her phone off and put it in her purse. It was the worst possible timing. Weeks of gardening and canning were ahead. The tomatoes were tiny and green. More beans were coming and the corn hadn’t even tasseled. It was too soon. If Bob didn’t come through with an extension, Annie would have to disappoint her grandmother yet again.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Another storm had blown in Monday around noon and the hard rain hitting the roof told Beulah there would be no gardening done this afternoon. Even if you could stand the mud and wet plants, messing in a garden while it was still muddy could spread disease, she had always heard.
The rain had made her nap soundly and there had been no need for any pain pills. In fact, she had a notion to quit the stuff anyway, them being a magnet for dopeheads intent on a home invasion.
Annie had gone out to see what the garden looked like while Beulah made her way to the kitchen to look at the rain gauge positioned on the plank fence beyond the kitchen window. Joe had already called and reported eight-tenths of an inch. Evelyn said they got nearly nine-tenths. They were all hungry for the rain after such a dry spell.
Reaching the sink, she held on to it and looked at the gauge. A good eight-tenths. She called Joe to report, and then Evelyn. It never ceased to amaze them how one farm might get a substantial amount of rain, while another connecting piece of land might only get a drop.
Annie came in the back door from inspecting the garden, looking mighty disappointed.
“You might be able to get in it tomorrow if we get sun and a little wind,” Beulah said.
“I was hoping to start canning beans tonight,” Annie answered, washing her hands out in the sink.
“That’s farm life. Everything around here depends on the weather, and we’re not in charge of that.”
Annie went back upstairs, and Beulah debated on another cup of coffee, even though it was midafternoon.Why not?she thought. She poured another cup and slowly moved to the back porch to enjoy her coffee outside, where the sun was finally making an appearance.
Finally, she decided there was no more putting off those exercises. Her therapist was coming this evening and she would ask Beulah if she had done her exercises, and Beulah didn’t want to tell her no. Sitting down on the side of her bed, she looked at the sheet and went through them one by one.
The phone rang when she was nearly done, but she was glad for the interruption.
“Camille got lost! Jake left to pick her up.” Evelyn sounded exasperated.
“What happened?”
“I don’t know. His directions were clear as a bell, but when she got off the interstate, somehow she took a wrong road and ended up in Renfro Valley. She called Jake, and he tried to talk her through the directions, but she was tired and upset, so he said he would go and get her.”
“Bless her heart,” Beulah said.
“Now they’ll have to see if they can find a place to leave her car over in Mount Vernon, or maybe she’ll follow him here.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Beulah said. “Can we do anything to help?”
“No, I just thought I’d let you know.”
After her exercises, Beulah turned on the five o’ clock news, a habit she was quickly falling into, since there was little else she could do during the day.
“There is late-breaking news coming from Lincoln County, south of Lexington.”
Beulah leaned forward.
Could it be Jake and Camille, a wreck maybe? She prayed that whatever it was, it was no one she knew. But was that right to pray for? Whoever it might be was loved by someone. Finally, the anchor came back on to fill in the details.
“Several people were arrested in a drug ring this morning in the Poplar Grove community of Lincoln County.” The camera spanned over to a group of men and women in handcuffs, herded into the state police vans like livestock.
“They are charged with making and distributing methamphetamine, a highly addictive drug. Meth is known to be flammable and dangerous while being made. There have been three explosions in the state of Kentucky alone this past spring from meth laboratories.”
The camera showed the inside of the house, where pots and pans were set about to make the drug.
