Dancing with the Devil

Thomastown,Louisiana
Population: 311

It was the first weekend of August and by 7am it was already seventy degrees, warning locals it would be a hot one. Night shifters arriving home with prayers in sighs of exhaustion; being sure to drag their baskets of produce inside. The heatwave must've gotten to Mr. Levi Garret since he started dropping everyone's orders late in the evening instead of during the midday hours like he used to. The townsfolk didn't mind, considering he was getting older. But there was talk that a 20-something year-old guy named Warren would be working as a farmhand soon. How Mr. Levi Garret managed  12 acres of land with produce and maintaining it all on his own was beyond understanding. And with the name like "Running Deer Farms", it had to be a challenge. The name was fitting, since the deer were in fact a problem. But somehow he made it work.

It was 10 AM by the time Lula began to stir. The steady hum of her window unit, music to her ears. She was sure her mother was pre-menopausal, refusing to keep the air conditioning on (at least during the night) but kept oscillating fans around that she would casually turn off and on. Maybe her mother hated her, since there were times she'd be home earlier than usual from work, and there will be a noticeably cool sensation as soon as she walked in; with only one fan on. But it only lasted a short time once she made her present known to her mother. Lula wanted to buy something fashionably modern with her last paycheck, but decided to get a window unit instead and putting the rest in her piggy bank. Childish, yes. But she found herself lacking self-control in the last few months. Honestly, probably the past year alone since being uprooted from Mississippi to Louisiana. Not that far, but it's not what she wanted. She was finally finding herself just to be pushed into a place she was unfamiliar with. She knew her mother spent most of her life in Louisiana before bearing children, but she knew her mother planned on going back. But she never knew as a mid-20s adult, she wouldn't have a say in where she'd be going. Maybe that's how parents make you feel like you can't say no. Because they're your parents, and you were raised to do as they said. At least that's what Lula thought when it came to the nature of her relationship with her mother. She was in the middle of a heartbreak, and truly, letting her mother move away in that condition wouldn't sit right with her. A prayer wouldn't settle her nerves or cover her guilt if her mother spun downhill. But that meant seeing all the ugly sides of a heartbreak too. But those ugly sides weren't nothing new.

The sound of chatter and clicking porcelain could be heard down the hall. Lula threw the covers back, the cold air hitting her flesh fully woke her. She looked back at her bed, rolling her eyes at the bonnet she knew wouldn't make it through the night. Her rollers were still as secure as she was going to get them, so there was a good side to it. She contemplated staying in her room longer once she finished her thorough morning regimen. She was looking through her closet for the day's event when she heard the laughter die down in the kitchen to an alarming amount. Almost like a halt. She cracked open the door, listening. She strained, she knew her mom and her friends only accompanied the dining table that was beside the kitchen. There were two doorways that led to this dining room, that felt like a jury room most days. They were too far for her to actually hear. She shrugged and went back to finding her day dress.

"It's been a year since you've been back. How are you feeling about that." Ms.Pearly asked Loretta, Lula's mom. Ms.Pearly, who Lula called her mom's "Messy Bestie" had known  Loretta since they were in grade school. Two peas in a pot. They often spoke about being neighbors and having kids that were also best friends. But Loretta had moved away about two years after marrying and there seemed to be some animosity there. Bitterness. But it's like she blamed Lulu for that, who was too young to even know she existed at the time. Maybe she couldn't bring herself to hate her best friend. If Lula's sister had been here, maybe she'd be giving her the cold shoulder and standoffish remarks as well. But truthfully, if Lula's sister hadn't "run away" they wouldn't be here at all dealing with any of the foolishness in this town. "I'm happy..." Loretta stated "...as far as Lula." She shrugged. "She spends a lot of time away, working. And when she's home, she's always in that room doing God knows what."They all shook their heads. "Are you sure she's just working?" Helen asked with arched eyebrows towards Ms.Pearly, who blushed. "What do you mean?" Loretta asked. "Maybe she's seeing someone." Nellie, the quieter and shy (but still messy) one of the bunch had added. Luella, the chronic eye roller was shuffling through the cookies, visually, before grabbing the oatmeal raisin. "She is 25 after all." "That don't matter." Ms.Pearly said sternly." She should be comfortin' her mom inna time like this." "A bakery like Le Boulangerie  isn't THAT busy. When she's there, she acts like she's a Disney princess, walking on a cloud."Helen added, her fabric store diagonal from Lula's workplace. Helen was a fly-by-night type of gal, but they accepted these pointless statements nonetheless. Statements that completely contradicts a version of Lula told by her mom. "Quiche and eclairs aren't gonna have anyone with that much pep in their step, I know that." The table chuckled a bit more in a scoffing way, Luella found it amusing. "Why she's so happy and you're not? She's not even checkin' on you and you two live unda' the same roof. That's not fair." Ms.Pearly said, her hands squeezing Loretta's. "She doesn't even know anyone." Her mom protested."After a year? Get real." Helen said "She works in a popular place, I'm sure she's met at least one by now." Nellie said. "Popular is definitely in overstatement." Helen added, since she and the owner could never get along. "I don't care what she's doing out there during work hours..." which was a lie she said with her chest. "... but when she's home, she needs to be helpful." Luella shook her head as she picked her teeth with her tongue. "She spends so much time in that damn room. It's like she thinks she's too good for me." But that wasn't it at all, and deep down somewhere in the void of accountability, she knew that she had a lot of anger and resentment towards a lot of things in life; and Lula was her outlet. She always had been, but Lula was finally venturing out and learning to tune out the berating. Just because she was learning not to take the bait for certain things, doesn't mean it wasn't bothering her at all the same. But the non-response felt like defiance to Loretta, who often forgets that Lula was now an adult. She only seen her as that weak teenager who never defended herself against anyone. She was a good kid who had the ability to go as she please, but Loretta needed control of something. And the only thing she had that made her feel powerful, was slipping through her fingers. She was a sadist, but she wasn't aware of it like Lula was. "Do you suspect she's on somethin'? " Helen asked, one of her eyes growing bigger with curiosity as she cocked her head to one side. Everyone else did the same. "Absolutely not." Loretta said without hesitation. Then thought for a second before saying, "She better not be". Luella shrugged."If she was, you'd know. "She said with reassurance. "Right. I would." She spoke with her chest again, feeling like she was reclaiming a certain status. "I wouldn't be too sure if she's hangin' out in that room more than any otha' part of the house." Ms.Pearly said, bringing her back to her version of "reality". "You said yourself she wasn't bein' helpful." "She wouldn't do that." Loretta responded with a little shake in her voice. The more Pearly's voice bounced around her noggin, the more it started to make sense. But regardless of how she treated Lula, she knew what kind of kid she was. But that's just something parents like to assume for comfort. You can have every good intention in mind for a child and they'll still end up a fuck up. And vice versa.