A crisp white tee shirt dove into jeans that encased a perfect size six figure. Oh boy, thought Josey, this cannot be good. As Mandy reached out her hand in greeting, Josey took in the well-manicured nails that matched the petite, cocoa painted toes. My word, even her lipstick matches her nails, thought Josey, this one has style.
“Hi, I’m Mandy and thank you for taking me on such short notice. We just moved in and with all the unpacking, I haven’t had time to do anything with my hair. Tonight we’re meeting the congregation for the first time, so I think I need some work. My husband, Matt Brennan, is the new pastor of Trinity church. I’ve been admiring your little town and I just love it.”
Little town, thought Josey, now isn’t that just like someone from the city, but she couldn’t help but like this woman. Maybe it was her eyes, or her soft voice. When Josey looked past the Barbie doll image she felt, rather than saw, that this woman had something going on, and it was going to be her mission to find out just what that was.
“Have a seat honey and let’s see what we can do for you.”
Josey called over to Tootsie, who was nonchalantly acting like she was reading a magazine.
“Tootise, there is the new pastor’s wife. Mandy, this is Tootsie, Tootsie, Mandy.”
Tootsie quickly dried her toes, wedged them into her shoes and plunked herself on the chair next to Mandy.
“Now, you’re just too cute. Where exactly do you come from? I’ve got to tell you, the whole town is sitting on pins and needles waiting on both of you.”
Before Mandy could respond to any of the questions, Tootsie went on, “Well Josey and I are both members of Carington Heights church and have been, long as we can remember. Josey is actually head of our prayer group. It’s supposed to be a surprise, but the whole committee is going to drop by to welcome you here. Were you really in the Peace Corps in Africa?” As she stopped to catch her breathe, Josey interrupted.
“Good Lord Tootsie, you trying to scare this one off? You’ve not let her answer one question. You’re mouth’s running like a jack hammer and if you don’t watch it, you’re gonna get your eye started on that ticking business again.”
Tootsie anxiously rubbed her eyes. “What, is it doing it again?” she asked.
“No,” Josey laughed. “I just said, if you don’t slow down, it’s going to.”
Mandy gave a big smile. “Oh don’t worry about scaring me. I love meeting new people and yes, I was in the Peace Corps and enjoyed every minute of it. When you see the needs of so many people, you realize how blessed you are. If I hadn’t gotten pregnant with my daughter, I think I would have stayed there.”
“Daughter, you’ve got a daughter?” asked Josey. “Honey, you don’t look old enough to be out of high school, let alone have a daughter. How old is she?”
Josey pumped up the chair and clipped a towel around Mandy’s petite shoulders. “Well, I have a beautiful four year old daughter named Madison and Mathew is my eighteen month old son. They keep me pretty busy, which is why I’m so grateful you could squeeze me in. Matt’s at home watching the two of them now.”
Tootsie had been silent long enough and leaned over towards Mandy’s chair so she could be heard over the running water. Josey ran her hands through Mandy’s thick hair, silently admiring it.
“How long has your husband been preaching?” Tootsie asked.
Josey silenced her with a look, as she continued washing Mandy’s hair. “Mandy’s here for some relaxation, so you just hush for a while. I’m sure she hardly gets out from under those two babies, so let her enjoy it.”
Stay tuned for the next episode!
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