a beautiful lady. I guessed she was in her midtwenties. She was wearing an elegant gray skirt with matching high heels. Her shoulder-length hair was down, and she was carrying a rather expensive-looking purse. Then, suddenly, I recognized her.
“Peaches,” I exclaimed. “Is it really you?”
Involuntarily, I felt the corners of my mouth form a smile. And in that instant, I was in Jackson again, looking through the peephole, staring at a young, beautiful woman standing before the door, seeking entrance into the seedy hotel room that served as my temporary hideout.
“It’s me,” she said.
I took her into my arms and held her for a long time. “What in the world are you doing here?” I asked, finally releasing her.
“I live here,” she said.
“In Brownsville?”
“Yes.”
“You’re lying.”
“No,” she said. “It’s true.”
“But how can that be?”
“It’s a long story,” she said.
Through the large bay window, I could see Miss Big Siss. She was still sitting in the truck, only now her head was bowed and I figured she was looking through her purse for something. I looked at her for a moment, then at Peaches. No, I couldn’t keep her waiting. That would be rude.
“Right now I’m pushed for time,” I said.
“How about the abridged version?” she asked me.
“Sure,” I said.
“In short,” she said, smiling, “I came looking for you.”
“For me!” I said, frowning.
“Yes,” she said. “For you.”
“But how did you know where to find me? I mean, I never told you where I lived.”
“Your cousin told me.”
“What cousin?”
“Glenda.”
I hesitated. “How do you know Glenda?”
“I met her at a church retreat.”
“Really.”
“Yes. The two of us shared a room. As a matter of fact, that’s how your name came up. One night, I saw a picture of you in her photo album. When I saw the picture, I asked her how she knew you, and she said that you were her cousin. Then I asked where you were, and she told me that you had been sent away to Louisiana Youth Authority and that after you were released, the family lost contact with you. So then I asked her where she thought I ought to look for you, and she said Brownsville, because sooner or later, you were bound to come back.”
“So you moved to Brownsville.”
“That’s right,” she said. “Three years ago.”
“And you waited all this time?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Why?”
“First of all, you saved my life—”
“No,” I interrupted her. “That’s not true.”
“It is true,” she said. “Because of you, I got off the streets and I went to college—I’m a teacher now.”
“A teacher!” I shouted.
My reaction amused her and she smiled again before offering an explanation. “After I was arrested, I went to college. And I earned a degree in elementary education from UL Monroe.”
“UL Monroe!”
“Yes.”
“That’s unbelievable.” I shook my head from side to side. “I just graduated from ULM a few days ago.”
“Get out of here!”
“I’m serious,” I said.
“Boy, this is a small world.”
“Tell me about it.”
I stared at her for a moment. “And you’re really a teacher?”
“I am a teacher.”
“And you teach here.”
“Yes,” she said. “I teach at Brownsville Elementary.”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it,” she said.
“Really!”
“Yes…this little town is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“What!”
“I mean it. I was able to reinvent myself here. Now I’m Miss Lewis—Peaches does not exist.”
“No Peaches,” I mumbled. “That just doesn’t seem right.”
“Aw, she wasn’t real anyway. She was just a frightened little girl who found herself on the streets of Jackson. And if she had not been fortunate enough to stumble upon a wonderful soul who took her under his wing and guided her through that terrible nightmare, I shudder to think what would have become of her.” She hesitated and looked at me again. “You saved me. And I came here to say thank you and to let you know that I owe you big-time.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” I said.
“I owe you my life.”
She paused and I remained silent. Then she looked at me with quizzical eyes. “What finally brought you back here anyway?” she asked.
“The same thing that took me away,” I said.
“And what’s that?”
“Death.”
She paused again. My answer baffled her.
“I don’t understand.”
“I’ll tell you about it sometime,” I said. “But right now I have to go. Someone’s waiting for me.”
“I understand,” she said. “Maybe you can give me a call when you have a moment.”
I looked at my watch. “I’ll do that,” I said. “But right now, I really have to go. Are you in the book?”
“Yes,” she said. “I’m in the book.”
“Good.” I turned to leave.
