CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Answering the telephone, Ruth Anderson was pleased to hear her old friend’s voice on the other end, “So, how are you holding up? Is your neck doing better? Are we still going shopping this Friday?”
Mary new Ruth so well indeed; she waited patiently as Ruth rattled off her questions not stopping to take a breath, “Well dear, I’m doing just fine at the moment. My neck is still a little stiff; most of the bruising has just about disappeared, so I’m glad of that. I was gettin’ tired of wherein a scarf around my neck. People can be so rude with their staring you know.”
“Oh yes, I know what you mean.” Ruth chimed in.
“As for Friday, I’m looking forward to our little shopping trip to Millersburg. I can’t recall the last time I was there, can you?”
“Well, no, not right off I can’t remember. Seems like a coons age since we’ve been over there. We’re doin’ lunch at that elegant little eatery, where the waiters all wear those fancy little bowties, aren’t we?” Ruth put forth.
“You bet your bottom dollar sister, I’ve been lookin’ forward to this little adventure for a good spell now. I truly can’t wait.” Mary gushed, “Oh, did I tell you that Buddy Wilson called me, and said they needed me to come down to the police station?”
“Oh my, did he say what for?”
“Yeah…said they needed a formal statement about what happened when that Taylor boy grabbed me. I told Buddy I’d be down later tomorrow afternoon.”
“That Buddy Wilson, you know that low-life is still having his way with Berta, Sam’s wife.” Ruth was waiting for her chance to get in some juicy gossip.
Mary was more than happy to oblige her, “Oh yes, I know. Did you hear he gave her a yeast infection, on account of he rarely takes a bath?”
“What?!” Ruth feigned astonishment; even though she had already heard this rumor from Hazel Mueller last night, when she was picking up her pinworm medicine at the drug store. She wasn’t quite sure how she became infected; but, with the little white worms crawling inside her intestines; and as anyone who has had pinworms knows, they crawl out of your anus at night to lay their eggs, nothing is worse than anal itch. Yet, a good dose of little purple pills, prescribed by old Doc Otis, turns the little suckers, yes, you guessed it, purple. Within a few days, all is said and done for those little invaders, for death is imminently at hand. Of course, a good dish of raw cabbage gets the same results.
Mary continued, “And I saw her comin’ out of Doc’s office last Tuesday, I bet she’s knocked-up.”
“Holy Mother, Mary, and Joseph!” That was something Ruth hadn’t heard, “What do you suppose Sam will do if he finds out?!” She could hardly contain her excitement over such jaw-dropping news.
“Most likely be another murder, I reckon.” Mary was the queen of gossip, or so she thought.
“Oh my god, Berta’s playin’ with fire. Well Mary, I’ll let you get some rest now, you take care of yourself and I’ll see you Friday.” She couldn’t wait to start burning up the phone lines, callin’ everyone she knew with this juicy new tidbit of information.
“Okay dear, I’ll see ya soon.” Mary hung up the telephone and grinned; she looked like the proverbial cat who ate the canary, or, would that little tall-tale be the omen that comes back to bite her in her proverbial ass? Only time would tell, as the sayin’ goes.