Chapter 28

09:30 September 1, 1983 Little Sister, Church and more.

Paper delivery had gone without a hitch. Now I was pulling my bike into the open garage at the Hornsby’s house. Before I could even knock on the door it opened and I was almost tackled by a very pretty little munchkin called Sammie Jo. ``Harry’s son youse made it. I thought youse forgotted but Tabby said you would be here and here you are!”

I picked her up, and her little arms wrapped around my neck. “How could I forget the best little sister in the whole wide world? I need to take a quick shower and get into some church clothes. I don’t want to look bad standing next to the prettiest little sister in town now, do I?”

Sammie Jo’s little face wrinkled in a thoughtful frown. “Whose dat? The prettiest little sister in town?”

I tapped my pointer finger on her little nose. “That would be my little sister, Sammie Jo, of course.”

Her eyes got big. “Youse think I’m the prettiest little sister?”

I nodded my head. “Of course you are. Why, no one is prettier than my little sister.”

She thought about that and then nodded. “And Tabby is the prettiest big sister, even if she is wearing her sad clothes again.”

“Well, I don’t know if I can say that Sammie Jo, I have two other big sisters, you know. But I’ll say Tabby is one of the three prettiest big sisters I know.”

I walked in the house carrying Sammie Jo. “Sammie Jo, get down. Harrison needs to hurry and get ready to go.”

“Okay Mommy. You goes get ready Harry’s son. It’s time for me to show all my friends my big brother.”

Dianne showed me where the bathroom was upstairs and I did the quick military shower routine and was dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a three button, blue Henley T-shirt and the Grey sports coat that the Twin’s had insisted I buy. To sort of match Tabby, I’d brought my combat boots but had shined them to a mirror finish.

Unknown to anyone, I strapped my knife to my ankle, covered by the boot and my pants. After yesterday, I was unwilling to go anywhere completely unarmed. Not that I needed the knife. I knew there would be a pencil or pen in the church somewhere and if all else failed; I had my hands and feet.

Humbled by the kind remarks Dianne Hornsby gave me about my clothes, I explained that my twin sisters had picked out the outfit except for the boots. I laughed. “If they knew I was wearing combat boots with this outfit, they’d have a holy fit. But I thought I’d wear them in honor of my other big sister.”

Tabby blushed. Sammie Jo was right. She was in her goth wear again, all formless and black. I got it, in public, even at church she didn’t feel safe to let people see her figure or to draw attention to herself. I wondered if she realized that by dressing differently from everyone else, she just drew more attention to herself. Had she just wore a simple church dress or school type clothes, no one would have thought twice about her.

I should get May and Mary Jane to talk with her and explain how, by dressing the way she did, she drew more attention. Different, stood out. It always had, and it always would.

We left for church and I had to admit the little non-denominational church the Hornsby’s attended wasn’t bad. Sammie Jo was the talk of the little kids’ Sunday school class because she’d made me go with her. I, of course, couldn’t stay, but she had me walk her to class, and she introduced me to her teacher and all her little friends before I followed Tabby to the high school class.

There I was, the bug on display. Probably because it was the first time Tabby had ever brought anyone with her. I knew most of the ninth graders as we’d all been in classes together for years, but it surprised me to find that I knew several of the upper class students too. I was more than shocked when Patty, Jessie, Beth, and even Sara all sat around me. Carl slapped me on the back and asked if we were ready for the Churchill delivery?

I nodded. “You wouldn’t want to come out and give me a hand loading onto their trailer tomorrow, would you? I know Pap-pap was going to hire some day laborers. He didn’t want the girls around some strange trucker. I’m sure he’d pay you for your help.”