Page 57 of Maizy the Bear Charmer

Maizy giggle-snorted. “Neither can I.” She grinned when Lucy flicked water from her bottle at her. “Know thyself, woman. You’re a blabbermouth but I love you. Anyway, Lola told me that ménage groups like yours and all the others give her hope that someday her mother will come into town with her husband and his brother and be able to walk downtown hand in hand with both of them.”

“I’d love to see that happen.”

Maizy smiled, remembering how surprised she was by that admission from Lola. “She said the three of them are set in their ways and may never do it, but it gives her hope for them anyway, and maybe a little hope for herself as well. In answer to your question, yes, I do have it bad for them. I just don’t think I’m in a position to go public, as long as I hold a teaching job, especially teaching kindergarteners.”

Lucy put a hand on her forearm. “Don’t give up, Maizy. If you want it and they make you happy, don’t give up.”

Maizy smiled at her friend as she flipped the plump, errant curl off of her forehead once more. She sigh when it bounced against her forehead again and looked up at it with crossed eyes, making Lucy giggle.

“Your hair is wild today. Did you try a new shampoo?” Lucy pulled her glove off and lifted one of the fat curls and stretched it out. “Dang, girl, your hair must be down to your ass when it’s wet.”

“Briefly yes, before it pulls the corkscrew routine. Heath washed it for me last night.”

Lucy’s eyebrows shot up. “Heath? The man washed your hair for you?”

Maizy smiled and nodded, remembering him massaging her scalp, tugging on it and sending all of her senses into overdrive. The shaky sigh she let out ended in a giggle. “Yes, he did.”

“If you have men who’ll do that for you then you’d better hold on tight with both hands. Surely they have at least one or two negative qualities?”

“Oh yeah, for sure,” Maizy said, and burst into giggles.

“Tell me! Spill!”

“They’re all Dallas Cowboys fans!” she said as she stood and offered her future sister-in-law her hand.

“You’d better hide your Texans jersey so they don’t burn it.” Lucy accepted the help and stood, wiping the dead grass and dirt off of her butt.

“They better not. I’ll put Bengay in their jockstraps.” Maizy moved their supplies to the next Mutabilis in the row and set to work.

“How do you know they wear jockstraps, young lady?”

“I don’t but…it’s a nice thought, isn’t it?” Maizy replied as she clipped more deadheads and they progressed down the row of rosebushes toward the creek, where they could hear Lola singing to herself.

Lucy elbowed Maizy and whispered, “So if he washed your hair that means you saw at least one of them nekkid. Nice? Grade A prime?”

Maizy shook her finger at Lucy and couldn’t help but giggle at the lascivious look on Lucy’s face. “Unbelievable. Okay? And that’s all I’m saying.”

“Oh, don’t worry, sister. Your cheeks are saying plenty. I’ll stop asking questions now but if you ever need to talk—seriously talk—I’m here for you.”

“I know. Thank you for that.”

Lola came up around the corner from the creek, carrying her supply bucket in one hand and three huge Souvenir de la Malmaison roses in full bloom in the other. “Ladies, your laughter carries all through the garden. It’s a nice sound. Here,” she said as she offered each of them a bloom. The heady scent of the roses perfumed the humid air. “I think we’re done for the day.” Lola held the third bloom to her nose and smiled, her mocha-colored cheeks glowing from the heat and the day’s exertion.

Gesturing to the crumbling walkway and the retaining wall Lola said, “I hope the town council finds some funds for maintenance down here soon. These were built right after World War II by the area war veterans.”

Looking down at the cracked cement stepping stone she was standing on, Maizy said, “Seems like we’re overdue for some serious work. It would be sad if all of this crumbled due to neglect.”

Lola sighed and smiled. “Until then, we’ll just keep taking care of the roses. Don’t give up hope.”

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