Josey glanced at the clock. It was only 10:30, so she had the whole morning free. She looked at her appointment book and realized she had penciled in Lucille Crocker for a manicure.
“Just what I need. Now, she’s going to go on and on about that new pastor they’re getting,” she said to Corky, as she leisurely puffed on her cigarette.
Lucille was a life long member of Trinity church, which was located at the north end of town and in direct opposition to anything and everything Carington Heights church, on the south end of town, believed in. The forefathers of the town must have had a premonition of what was to come when they built the churches directly opposite one another.
She saw Lucille crossing the street, waving at someone. Looking in the direction of Lucille’s elaborate waving she saw Van Sheppard, Carington’s gorgeous mailman.
Looking at Corky, Josey pursed up her lips and squinted her eyes. “Would you just look at her, flirting with Van. She needs to remember she’s got a man at home. I swear, look at the wiggle in that fanny. You’d think she was sixteen years old. I wish Joe would come cruising down the street right about now and arrest her. She’s acting down right indecent, and her being the sheriff’s wife. One of the few single guys in this town and she’s got to get all over him. Joe will be handcuffing me, if he can pry my hands from around her fat turkey goblet neck.”
She hastily pulled away from the window as Lucille walked towards the shop.
Yelling over her shoulder to Van, Lucille entered, along with a hot blast of air. “Hi Josey. That Van gets cuter and cuter every time I see him.” She licked her lips to aggravate Josey. “Have you ever seen him in his workout shorts? To tell you the truth, that’s why I signed up at the gym.”
“How long have you been going there?” asked Josey, as she critically looked Lucille up and down. “Are you going there for weight loss or cardiovascular? Don’t get me wrong, you look great, but I saw you had your exercise bicycle for sale in the Buzz Bee. I was wondering if you had given up on losing weight.”
Josey surveyed Lucille’s dishwater blonde hair that was heavily frosted with gray. Lucille’s merry blue eyes conveyed the joy she felt every time she and Josey sparred with words, and that irritated Josey. It was almost as if she was making fun of or mocking her, and nobody got the best of Josey. Lucille may have put on some pudding around the middle, but her legs could still hold a candle to anyone’s. She worked out regularly and though her upper arms looked like they had goiters hanging from them, and her face was lined and worn, she still conveyed the image of a woman who didn’t know what it meant to grow old.
“Josey, if I didn’t know you better, I’d swear you were trying to hurt my feelings. I put that old contraption up for sale because the scenery is so much better at the gym, if you know what I mean. I haven’t seen you down there. Of course, classes are on Tuesday night and that’s your prayer meeting night, isn’t it? To bad, it really is a good class, except for that Carly, who teaches it. Who can compete with a 26 year old?”
Stay tuned for the next episode!
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