Chapter 27

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way Home

I'd walked and wept for quite a ways before I bothered knocking on some random door. A really nice lady answered and agreed to let me use her phone to call Sam. Luckily I caught him at home and his voice was full of worry and emotion as he told me to hold tight. I didn't deserve a friend like Sam.

She brought me a box of Kleenex and stared at me with pity as I waited for my one time (and I hoped still) boss to come and save me from the mess I had gotten myself into. It was quite a drive from Bon Temps to Shreveport unless you're a lead-footed vampire. I was glad that the nice lady wasn't in a hurry to boot me out. I surely didn't want to cause a scene in her front yard should Eric track me down and decide he didn't care what I wanted.

She was dying to ask me what had happened but was way too polite to do so. I could read in her thoughts that she believed I might have been a hooker who was roughed up by a john or my pimp. My hackles raised slightly at that and I decided to dispel that misconception.

"My boyfriend and I broke up." Was all I said. I couldn't stop the sob that escaped as the finality of what I said hit home.

"You poor thing! First love?" Her thoughts changed from sympathy to empathy instantly. What a nice lady she was to open her door to a wreck of a girl at this hour.

"First true one, or so I thought. I guess you never know do you?"

She smiled sweetly and closed her eyes.

"My Eddie and I were together for 35 years before the big C took him from me. He was a good man but he had his problems. Lucky for me, the good outweighed the bad. Lord knows there ain't no such creature as a perfect man. You just have to find one with more nice than not in him."

Does that count for undead guys too?

Yeah, revealing that bit of info was sure to get me shown the business end of a weapon and shown the front door right quick.

"My names Grace Pickering by the way." She held her hand out and smiled.

"Sookie Stackhouse." I shook her hand and smiled as best I could.

"You're such a pretty gal. Even with all those tears that have made your nose swell up, I can see what a doll you are. I would love to introduce you to my nephew, Quinn. He's a looker, let me tell you. Big fella, does that Ultimate Fighter stuff. I beg him to stop but he loves it and makes a pretty penny at it. He's had a rough row to hoe, that man. My half-sister, his mother, well she's a fruit loop. Never cared for her. Always hard to believe that we came from one set of the same loins. She was awful to Quinn and his sister growin' up. He and his sister spent a good deal of time here as kids. The mom is in a booby hatch somewhere out in Nevada far as I can tell. He pays for her care and he still calls me at least every other day to check on me, sends me souvenirs from every new place he goes." How odd that she wouldn't even call her half-sister by name. Grace just rambled on like I wasn't even there.

"Would you like to see a picture of him, my nephew Quinn?"

I really didn't but I couldn't be rude in the face of her kindness so I nodded a yes to her and mopped at my face futilely.

She walked into what I assumed was the family room and came back with an 8 X 10 golden frame, placing it carefully on the table in front of me. I looked closer at the beautiful frame and realized that it was carved with the images of tigers. The man in the image was tall, muscular and bald. I haven't ever found bald attractive, whether it was due to mother nature or the work of a razor, but on this guy, it really worked. He was extremely good looking, Grace had a right to be proud as a peacock over him.

"He's a fine looking young man, Ms. Pickering."

"Would you like his phone number?" Was this woman really his aunt cause she sounded more like a pimp.

"I appreciate it, but no thank you, ma'am. I think I'm off the market for a long while now. My heart couldn't handle anything at this point." I gave her a weak smile, hoping that would end the conversation.

Come on Sam, anytime now!

I heard a car pull up out front and was relieved to see the familiar sight of Sam's truck. Saved again!

"Well dear, I guess that's your friend? Hold on one second before you leave. I'll be right back."

I wasn't in the mood to wait around any longer but once again, southern girl, southern manners. I couldn't run out the door like I was making a prison break. That would be incredibly uncouth and she had been nothing but kind. I should be thanking her for distracting me from my heartbreak.

She didn't make me wait for long. I was motioning out the front door to Sam that I would be one minute more when she came back with a pair of socks and a piece of pie.

"I can't let you leave without something to put on your feet and something to put in your belly, sweetheart. The socks are new, my neighbor gives me five pair every Christmas and I have a surplus of them. And this is a piece of my secret recipe Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie. I've won the blue ribbon at the fair every year with this!" She was glowing with pride as she handed me the saran wrapped paper plate. "There's nothing, and I mean nothing that this little piece of heaven can't make right. And if you need more, please feel free to come on back! I don't get a lot of visitors since Eddie died and I do get a tad lonesome."

I leaned in to hug her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. This was a good woman with the purest of hearts and thoughts. I would come back to see her, I could feel it. I took both of her gifts and thanked her from the bottom of my heart. I turned to go and felt compelled to ask her about her dead husband for no good reason I could think of. I faced her again and just point blank asked.

"How long ago did Eddie die?"

"Eleven years ago come next month. Yeah, horrible, horrible death he had. Wouldn't wish it on a dog."

"You said the big C, that's cancer right?"

"Cancer? No child! Cedar! Some religious nut staked him right in the chest with a big old chunk of cedar. Horrible way to die, I tell ya."