A Southern Story
The icy air blowing from the air conditioner blew on Katie Gardeners' face as she scribbled down her notes in the back of a taxi cab. She was damn lucky to have an air conditioned taxi on her trip down to Ellinis, the smallest damn town in Louisiana!
She had been sent to Ellinis Falls for a story for the New York Post. Her editor said some crap about a woman and since Katie was in fact a woman, she was the only qualified enough to do it. From New York to Louisiana. Not exactly the way Katie wanted to spend her Valentine's Day. Not that she had some lovey, dovey, romantic dinner planned or a boyfriend that she'd have to keep her company that night-she still didn't want to be in frickin Ellinis Falls!
"Sug, this where you get out!" The sassy cab driver called back at her. Katie blushed a bit as she fumbled with her notebook. She had a habit of taking notes wherever she was in her little green notepad. ("Cab ride was bumpy and Sookie the cab driver was far too talkative" she had finished writing). She stuffed it back into her Green Peace bag and popped open the door. A wave of heat nearly knocked her back into the car as she got out.
"God almighty its hot out!" She cried out. The cab driver rolled her eyes.
"It's only 87, and its after high noon. Sug we havin' a cold front down here!" Katie groaned as she went and got her suitcase out of the trunk. Back in New York there was seven inches of snow, she hadn't gone to the gym in weeks and she was going to have to wear tank tops, shorts and bikinis.
"Thanks, here." She handed her the faire. " I hope the cold front keeps coming."Katie said politely to Sookie who flashed her a toothy smile.
"I doubt it, with dem Stoll brothers the heats gonna be oooon!" Katie raised an eyebrow and made a mental note to write that down. They had parked under a large, knotted tree with town a few yards away. Sookie apparently didn't want to drive all the way to the hotel.
"um…" The cab driver just laughed.
"Aw Sug, you just the cutest little piece a New York ass aint you? You see the Stoll brothers are a bit tired of the local cuisine, they're gonna be all over you!" She let out a loud laugh again. Katie on the other hand was a little disgusted. She didn't want some creep all over because she was the only girl in town that wasn't his cousin!
"Excuse me ma'am? I'd appreciate it if the local cuisine would let the others know that I'm not here for that sort of thing." She snapped with contempt. But the cabbie just smiled.
"Its dem blonde boys, you'll know 'em riiiight when you see 'em! Have a nice day in Ellinis Falls!" She said before driving off. Katie look warily at the pissant town she was going into. She hoped that they wouldn't get to pissed off at the fact she had chosen to wear cowgirl boots that day. She didn't do it on purpose, they were her favorite shoes! ("Stoll brothers, blonde, bored, going to be all over me. Avoid at all costs!). She started on down towards the town trying to keep her head high.
Ellinis Falls wasn't nearly as teeny, tiny as Katie imagined. Compared to New York it was definitely still tiny but Katie had pictured a one road town with a cliché old general store with an old dog sleeping on the porch. There was a nice cluster of house here, lots of trees. She realized it was basically a swamp town-something she hadn't expected. They were right by the water, most houses had the river as backyard. Katie shivered at the thought of alligators.
She spotted a large purple house("strange color houses" she scribbled down) and there was a young woman with a big sunhat on waving at her.
"Excuuuse me! Are you the New York girl?" The lady asked with a big, almost too friendly smile. She had thick blonde hair and bright red lipstick on("like a golden retriever-in more ways than one"). Katie looked down, she hoped she didn't stand out that much… "Oh don't be self conscious, I've never seen you before and I know just about everybody in town! I'm Maybelle Stoll." A large red flag shot up as she said that and Katie made a mental note("More then Stoll brothers…be wary…").
"Katie Gardener." Katie managed to get out before Maybelle crushed her into a hug. Katie wasn't what you'd call a 'hugger' but Maybelle obviously was!
"I'm so glad you're at Ellinis Falls! You'll fit in right away!" Once she released Katie and she caught her breath, Katie asked:
"I'm supposed to be staying at the local motel, can you point me in the direction-" Maybelle put on a pout.
"I wish you'd called! We'd've made arrangements so you could stay with a family!" Katie forced down a grimace at that thought.
"No, no, I just really need directions!"
"Oh fine, just up Magnolia way. You'll see it!" She went and sat back down on her chair and grabbed a hand fan. But before Katie could leave she leaned forward in her seat and whispered. "Can I ask you a personal question?" Katie warily turned back to Maybelle.
"Maybe…" MAybelle grinned and furtively looked out around the house. Katie felt the need to check too-what on earth was this woman going to ask?
"Are you a hippie?"
Katie was stunned. A hippie? Really? She supposed the Green Peace bag and the flower earrings might give off the 'earth girl' vibe but a hippie? Maybelle picked up on her shock right away.
"Not to offend!" She said hurriedly. "It's just…your hair is so long and the bag….I'm sorry I was being awful judgemental! You go along now!" Maybelle fluttered embarrassed back into her home. Katie slowly picked up her suitcase and continued down to town. Such strange people…a hippie?
True, Katie's red hair was nearly at her waist-but a hippie? God lord!
Katie walked by a bunch of teeny house all with old ladies with fans staring at her. She could almost feel the rumor mill turning as she passed by. She got a nice death glare from an old lady fanning herself with a flyswatter. There were two ladies on the porch, a younger black one and a much, much older white one. The white one was staring her down, which made Katie try to hurry along.
"Down right there, you see her! She's a hooker I say!" The particularly nasty lady yelled. That caught Katie's attention. She wasn't exactly in church clothes but a green tank top and shorts by no means made her a hooker!
"Excuse me miss?" She snapped back. This seemed to take the other lady, the black one by surprise but the older white one didn't seem to care.
"Miss? Listen hooker, mah name is Mrs. Farbuelah Brooks and you best respect your elders if you can respect anything at all!"
"Farbuelah…" her friend began but Katie didn't seem to hear her at the time.
"I am not a hooker and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop calling me that!" She called back at her. The old lady remained in her seat, smoothed her pale, purple dress and smirked.
"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop selling yourself for the devil-"That really got Katie fuming, this was by far the most irritating women of any age that she had ever met.
"Oh screw you!" She cried and began to walk towards the local motel where she was supposed to be saying.
"Spoken like a true hooker! Now this is a nice town with nobody in mind to see the likes of you so-" Farbuelah just kept hollering as Katie tried to walk away.
" That's strange because the only reason I'm in this damn town is because somebody murder a close friend of my editors." She mumbled under her breath.
"What was that hooker?" Farbuelah was raised out of her seat now. Her friend was trying to but her back in her seat. "Words of hatred and lust? Repent you evil hooker-" Katie had been digging her boots into the dirt, making a nice little dirt storm as she walked on by. Two little kids who had been playing outside stopped and stared at her.
'Great are they going to start screaming at me too? Damn xenophobic, southern-'
"Do you normally get into fights with old ladies or is today just a special occasion?" She let out a groan. She turned with a retort but was stopped by the sight a smirking shirtless man.
"Not an everyday occasion, but neither is getting called a hooker by possibly the most evil person I've ever met so think what you will." Katie spit out after a few moments of ogling.
"That's my grandma." Katie could feel her already impossibly hot body get a warmer.
"oh…" The boy just laughed.
"Don't worry about, she is evil! I never liked her. So who are you? Never seen you before and in this town that's sayin something." Katie refused to let herself fall for a cute southern twang.
"Katie Gardener. New York Post, I'm doing a story about a Miss. Dawnalee?" She said digging in her bag to find her note book. The boy slipped his fingers through his belt loops and whistled.
"New York Post? Miss. Newspaper reporter huh? Well Dawnalee's outta town but she'll be back by tonight. Probably at Morris's." he said with a smirk. Katie could tell what he was trying to do, she decided to play along.
"So where is this Morris's?" She asked she had whipped out her pencil and notebook and looked at him with an expectant eyebrow raise.
"Uptown, northish. I'm shit with directions. Maybe I should just take you there…" He gave her a smirk. She smirked right back.
"You're a Stoll aren't you?" She asked, hoping she had guessed right. He let out a bark of a laugh.
"Shit, I'm famous in New York too? Travis Stoll ma'am." He gave her a bow. She rolled her eyes but maintained a Stepford smile.
"Well Mr. Stoll, I already have a meeting set up with Dawnalee tonight so there'll be no need to go out. So sorry. Bye!" She said strutting away proudly. Ha! One turned down, one to go. Get their inbred hands all over me my ass-
"But then how will you get your watch back?" He called. Katie spun around.
"My wa-" He was dangling it in front of him with a way to satisfied grin on his face.
"Give that back you thief-" She said running back trying to grab it, but Travis was much taller than her so he just dangled it above her head.
"Tonight….dinner…" He offered again. She crossed her arms.
"I'll call the police." She said as a matter of factly.
"Oh you mean Charlie? Man I love Charlie, you'd probably call him Sheriff Beckendorf, but we've been friends since we was born you see. I introduced him to his wife actually." He told her with the same tone. Katie felt defeated kept the same determined expression.
"Oh fine, keep it. It's a shit watch anyway." She said turning. 'Lie, total lie, that's one of the nicest pieces of jewelry I own….'. She began to march away, praying that it would work.
"Aw shit, called my bluff! I'll give you the watch!" He called just as she was getting nervous he wasn't going to fold. She turned and walked back holding out her hand. He graciously put it back in her hand. "But I aint gonna give the notebook back till tonight!" He proudly showed her the little green notebook she had taken with her
"How the hell-"
"Be sure to wear something pretty!" He said as he walked backwards towards a pickup truck that had just pulled up with a nearly identical boy driving it. "After all-it's Valentine's Day!"