"Get up, Sweetheart," Bill said. He was standing in the doorway of
Sheri's bedroom. It was Sunday and she needed to get ready for church.
She rolled over and looked at him threw sleepy eyes.
"Okay, I'm up." She mumbled, then immediately closed her eyes again.
He smiled and walked over to the bed. "Sheridan Rose, I said it is time to get up."
Soon she was shrieking with laughter and squirming around, trying to escape his tickling fingers. "Stop! Stop!! I'm up! I'm up!" She protested. She managed to sit up and pull her pillow from behind her. Still laughing she threw it at him. "I'm up."
Tossing the pillow back, he said, "Help Sheryl get ready, please. She's taking a bath right now."
"You go tell her she's got to wear a dress," She replied. "I don't feel like fighting with her about it this morning."
"I told her. You two hurry up." He walked out of the room. Sheri got out of bed and grabbed her robe. Then she pulled a dress out of the closet and laid it on her bed, retrieving heels and hose, she laid them beside it before going to get Sheryl ready. That wouldn't take long. Sheryl wouldn't put up with much fussing over her hair or her clothes.
"Hey, Shortie," she called. "Get out. It's time to get dressed.
A minute later the bathroom door opened.
"Don't call me Shortie." Sheryl, like her big sister, was not a happy camper in the morning.
It took all of ten minutes to get Sheryl in a suitable dress and to get her hair braided. She wasn't surprised when Sheryl put up a fight over putting hairspray in her hair, but Sheri wasn't going to have it come down in the middle of services like last time. After a few minutes of coughing and gagging to show her feelings about the hairspray, Sheryl climbed up on Sheri's bed to watch her get ready for church.
"Coach says you didn't like wearing dresses when you were little, either."
"I didn't, but Mother made me." Sheri answered. She put her hairbrush down.
"She didn't like football, either, did she?"
"No, she didn't. She didn't like Daddy coaching, because he had to work so much, and she definitely didn't like that he let me go to practices, and let me play with Alan and Gerry and the other guys. She said it would make me too unfeminine." Sheridan kept her voice even and her answers neutral. Her mother was not her favorite topic of discussion.
"Was she nice like Daddy?" Sheryl asked. The question brought Sheridan to a halt.
"Your daddy doesn't love you. He only loves those football boys." Her mother's voice taunted her. "He didn't even want you."
No. Mother wasn't nice like Daddy, but she wasn't going to tell Sheryl that. Instead, she replied, "Why the twenty questions this morning?"
"No reason." She jumped off the bed. "Aren't you done yet?"
"Yeah, I'm done," Sheri replied. She stood and took Sheryl's hand. "Come on, let's go see if Coach has burnt breakfast yet."
Sheri walked into Sunday school and took her seat by Alan. He was sitting by a new boy. She could tell they were talking about football. "Hey, Bosly," she said, sliding into her chair.
"Hey, Sheridan," he replied. "This is Sunshine," he introduced Ronnie.
"Sunshine?"
"Well, my real name is Ronnie. Ronnie Bass," Ronnie smiled, holding out his hand.
"Right," she nodded. "You're the second string QB. Coach says you've got quite a throwing arm. Nice to meet you."
"You, too." Ronnie replied.
"So," Alan interrupted. "Did he call?" She had talked to Alan the night before and had told him about Ray.
"No, I think he's scared of Coach," she grinned.
"I'm scared of Coach," Alan joked. "Man, it didn't take long for Boone to recruit him into thier camp of pain. I hurt in places I didn't evn know could hurt."
Ronnie agreed with a laugh. "Me too."
As other teens came into the room the conversation turned from football and camp to busing. Sheridan didn't know how she felt about that subject. She didn't have anything against it, but she didn't think it was going to work. Too many adults were against it. However things went down, she was sure the next day was going to be a messy one.
"Okay, I'm up." She mumbled, then immediately closed her eyes again.
He smiled and walked over to the bed. "Sheridan Rose, I said it is time to get up."
Soon she was shrieking with laughter and squirming around, trying to escape his tickling fingers. "Stop! Stop!! I'm up! I'm up!" She protested. She managed to sit up and pull her pillow from behind her. Still laughing she threw it at him. "I'm up."
Tossing the pillow back, he said, "Help Sheryl get ready, please. She's taking a bath right now."
"You go tell her she's got to wear a dress," She replied. "I don't feel like fighting with her about it this morning."
"I told her. You two hurry up." He walked out of the room. Sheri got out of bed and grabbed her robe. Then she pulled a dress out of the closet and laid it on her bed, retrieving heels and hose, she laid them beside it before going to get Sheryl ready. That wouldn't take long. Sheryl wouldn't put up with much fussing over her hair or her clothes.
"Hey, Shortie," she called. "Get out. It's time to get dressed.
A minute later the bathroom door opened.
"Don't call me Shortie." Sheryl, like her big sister, was not a happy camper in the morning.
It took all of ten minutes to get Sheryl in a suitable dress and to get her hair braided. She wasn't surprised when Sheryl put up a fight over putting hairspray in her hair, but Sheri wasn't going to have it come down in the middle of services like last time. After a few minutes of coughing and gagging to show her feelings about the hairspray, Sheryl climbed up on Sheri's bed to watch her get ready for church.
"Coach says you didn't like wearing dresses when you were little, either."
"I didn't, but Mother made me." Sheri answered. She put her hairbrush down.
"She didn't like football, either, did she?"
"No, she didn't. She didn't like Daddy coaching, because he had to work so much, and she definitely didn't like that he let me go to practices, and let me play with Alan and Gerry and the other guys. She said it would make me too unfeminine." Sheridan kept her voice even and her answers neutral. Her mother was not her favorite topic of discussion.
"Was she nice like Daddy?" Sheryl asked. The question brought Sheridan to a halt.
"Your daddy doesn't love you. He only loves those football boys." Her mother's voice taunted her. "He didn't even want you."
No. Mother wasn't nice like Daddy, but she wasn't going to tell Sheryl that. Instead, she replied, "Why the twenty questions this morning?"
"No reason." She jumped off the bed. "Aren't you done yet?"
"Yeah, I'm done," Sheri replied. She stood and took Sheryl's hand. "Come on, let's go see if Coach has burnt breakfast yet."
Sheri walked into Sunday school and took her seat by Alan. He was sitting by a new boy. She could tell they were talking about football. "Hey, Bosly," she said, sliding into her chair.
"Hey, Sheridan," he replied. "This is Sunshine," he introduced Ronnie.
"Sunshine?"
"Well, my real name is Ronnie. Ronnie Bass," Ronnie smiled, holding out his hand.
"Right," she nodded. "You're the second string QB. Coach says you've got quite a throwing arm. Nice to meet you."
"You, too." Ronnie replied.
"So," Alan interrupted. "Did he call?" She had talked to Alan the night before and had told him about Ray.
"No, I think he's scared of Coach," she grinned.
"I'm scared of Coach," Alan joked. "Man, it didn't take long for Boone to recruit him into thier camp of pain. I hurt in places I didn't evn know could hurt."
Ronnie agreed with a laugh. "Me too."
As other teens came into the room the conversation turned from football and camp to busing. Sheridan didn't know how she felt about that subject. She didn't have anything against it, but she didn't think it was going to work. Too many adults were against it. However things went down, she was sure the next day was going to be a messy one.