Tender Graces by Kathryn Magendie Read Free Book Online Page B

her bra, and then zipped the dress back up. She hopped up and down a few times. “Not bad for having had three babies,” she said to herself in the mirror.
    Next came silk stockings she rolled in a ball and then slid up her leg. Holding up her shoes, she said, “Look at these new high-heels, Virginia Kate.”
    “They’re pretty, Momma.” I didn’t tell her I’d tried them on earlier, tottling about a foot before I fell and busted my fun all up.
    She left her hair hanging down her back, but pulled mine into a ponytail since my hair always tangled up underneath at my neck. Momma called it my rat’s nest. She pulled and tugged until I went slap dab crazy. When she was done, I swung it around to watch it fly.
    Momma held up two tubes of lipstick. “Pink or red?”
    I quit swinging my hair. “Red?”
    “No, not at a church.” She put down the red and opened the pink one, twisting until the lipstick was all the way up.
    I said, “Pink?”
    She closed the tube with a click. “No, I hate pink. I’ll just go bare.” She laughed as if she said a good joke, and smeared a bit of Vaseline on her lips so that they shined. She turned to me. “So, how do I look?”
    “You look bee-u-tee-ful.”
    “Prettier than that girl at Daddy’s work?”
    “Yes Ma’am.” I hadn’t seen the girl at Daddy’s work, but so far, nobody was prettier than Momma.
    She pulled on her gloves and hat and walked out of her room, leaving me in a cloud of her sweet smell. She had her chin out like she does when she’s feeling proud, or mulish. Daddy whistled when she did a slow turn for him. They headed out the door like movie stars. We kids followed them and waited while Daddy took pictures of her. By the tree she made her lips pout, tilted her head to the right, and put her gloved hands cupped under her chin.
    Daddy said, “Get over by the car.”
    She threw back her head and laughed and Daddy snapped the picture. Next, she leaned back on the front of the car, and her hair fell on the hood. Daddy asked, “Woman, did you forget something?”
    Momma winked at Daddy. While he snapped the last one, his shadow moved away from his feet, as if his insides were spilling into the grass.
    Momma fluffed her hair. “What about the kids’ pictures, Frederick?”
    Daddy looked at his watch. “We’ll have to take them when we get back.”
    I wasn’t having as much fun in my Easter clothes as Momma was. I wore a stiff cotton and lace dress with a little bonnet that fit funny over my ponytail, lacy socks, and shiny shoes. Micah’s suit matched Daddy’s, except Micah’s tie was brown instead of green. Andy wore seersucker overalls with a white shirt and white shoes.
    Andy was in the front seat where he sat as comfortable as an angel on a cloud. He kept saying, “Is Uncle Jesus dere? Huh, Daddy?” Mee Maw once told Andy that Jesus was like a good uncle, so Andy thought he was a real person. Daddy didn’t answer him; he was busy helping Momma so she wouldn’t run her stockings.
    Micah and I piled into the backseat with our pout mouths. My shoes pinched my toes; the strap cut into my foot. I told Momma, “Jesus won’t care about shoes.”
    Micah said, “I got it worser than you do.”
    I grabbed at the strap, and pulled my face into ten kinds of pitiful.
    Micah pulled the collar away from his neck, sticking his tongue out to the side like a dead cow. His neck was dirty and I wondered how he got by Momma like that.
    Momma turned around and pointed her finger at us. “You two hush it.”
    Daddy said, “You all look so good; I’m feeling extra proud today.” He roared up the engine of the Rambler and took off.
    We were late to the church. All the Baptist-heads turned and looked when we came in. They watched Momma walk bold as you please to the front. Some of the men had their mouths open, as if they’d said “Oh” and forgot to close them again. The women held their fans over their mouths and whispered.
    The preacher stared at Momma’s new