揌ello, and before you ask, I signed the divorce papers and have them ready to mail tomorrow morning,?she said in a curt voice.
揟hat抯 good. I want this over with.?Paul抯 tone was icy. 揃ut I want to talk to my girls, not you, and neither of them are answering their phone.?
揟hey抮e in the backyard practicing their cheers,?she said. 揑抣l call them inside.?
揅heers! You know how we feel about that!?he yelled.
She laid the phone on the table, crossed the room, and motioned for the girls to come inside. 揧our dad is on the phone, and he抯 pretty upset about both of you trying out for cheerleader.?
Lily marched over to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down, then put the phone on speaker. 揌i, Daddy. How are things in Kentucky??
揑 just want you girls to know棓 Paul began.
Daisy had gotten two bottles of water from the refrigerator and handed one to her sister before she sat down and interrupted him. 揌ey, Daddy. What抯 going on? We haven抰 heard from you in weeks.?
He started again. 揑 just want you girls to know that even though your mother has custody of you, I would love to have you come back to Kentucky and live here with your family. Your grandmother and I miss you very much.?
揥e miss the family, but we are happy here in Texas,?Lily said. 揟ell all our cousins hello for us next Sunday. We抳e been texting and keeping up with them on FaceTime. We抮e trying out for the cheerleading squad, and we抳e had a job working棓
Daisy poked her on the arm and finished the sentence for her. 揥e抳e been helping Mama out getting a restaurant ready to open.?
揚aul, where are you??There was the sound of a door slamming and then Granny Martha抯 voice. 揇o you know what your daughters are doing? I just talked to Risa抯 mother, Stella, and she says that Risa and the girls have been helping a friend of hers turn a church into a bar. We need to rethink those divorce papers. I will not have my granddaughters doing such a blasphemous thing.?
揌uh-oh!?Daisy said.
揑 could strangle Granny Stella,?Lily whispered.
Risa had to hold on to the cabinet for a few seconds before the room stopped spinning. Lily glanced back at her, and she pasted on a smile.
揑抦 fine,?she mouthed.
揚ut me on speaker,?Martha said. 揑抳e got something to say.?
揋irls, your grandmother wants to talk to you, so you are now on speaker,?Paul said.
揂s if we couldn抰 hear her before.?Daisy stood up and crossed over to hug her mother. 揑t抣l be all right.?
揂re you both there??Martha asked.
揧es, ma抋m,?Daisy and Lily answered at the same time.
揑s your Granny Stella telling me the truth??
揝he wouldn抰 tell a lie. She抯 too afraid of hell for that,?Lily answered.
Risa could imagine Martha抯 expression. Lips pinched. Eyes narrowed. Jaw working like she was chewing gum.
揑f I could take you away from your unfit mother and bring you home where you belong, I would,?Martha said.
Risa wanted to butt in, but clamped her mouth shut and kept quiet.
揃ut since Paul has talked to the lawyer and assures me that you have a choice, then I want you to know this. If you girls do not come back here before school starts and that abominable bar opens its doors, then you will never be welcome here again. Do you understand what you are giving up to stay in Texas??Martha asked.
揧es, ma抋m,?they said again.
Lily nudged Daisy on the shoulder and both of them smiled.
揇o you also understand that this family, including your cousins, will be ordered to have no further contact with you??Martha asked. 揑 will not have my kinfolks associating with people who are turning a house of worship into a place of iniquity.?
Risa bit back tears of pure, unadulterated anger. Neither Martha nor Paul had the right to tell her girls they couldn抰 even talk to their cousins.
揃ut, Granny Martha棓 Lily started.
揟hat抯 the choice you have, and you know what you have to do to be a part of your family,?Martha said.
揇addy??Daisy asked the question in one word.
揂 house divided cannot stand,?Paul said, quoting part of a verse of scripture.
揥hat happened to loving thy neighbor??Risa asked.
揝o, you抮e in the room, too??Martha said. 揟his is not between you and me. I抳e banned you for your decisions. This is between the family here in Kentucky and the girls. I抳e spoken, and now we are ending this call. Goodbye.?
Haley poked her head in the kitchen door and said, 揗ary Nell has a problem, and we抮e all supposed to go to the bar to talk.?
揟hank God!?Risa muttered.
Jessica took a cold beer out to the porch after work to celebrate the framework of the bar being finished that day. They had ordered the mechanical bull and the jukebox, both of which would be delivered the middle of August. The plumber was coming next week to do all the work for the bar抯 dishwasher and sink, and the electrician would be taking care of what needed to be done for the beer tap and the plug-ins for blenders.