Фэнни Флэгг - The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop

Jim took it and looked at it. “Is this thing legal?”

“I’m afraid so. It was notarized, signed, and witnessed by a Miss Eva Bates.”

“Who in the hell is Arvel Ligget? Nineteen thirty-two? Hell, he’s gotta be long dead by now.”

—

AFTER THREE WEEKS of digging up old records, they found that Arvel Ligget was, in fact, long dead, and had died without a will. However, he had forty-two relatives who for years now had been fighting one another, tooth and nail, over all his land holdings, including the twenty acres near Whistle Stop, each claiming to be the rightful heir. There was nobody they could buy it from, or even try to negotiate an easement with.

When Jim broke the news to Evelyn and Ruthie, they were both devastated. Jim told them the only thing they could do now was delay the project and try to wait it out, but he wasn’t hopeful. With so many lawsuits pending, getting a final ruling on the legal ownership of the land could take years. And even then, they didn’t know whether the declared owner would be willing to strike a deal with them.

Evelyn knew that without access to the interstate, continuing with the project would just be throwing good money after bad. And so, after she talked it over with Ruthie, the project was shut down.

She said, “I’m so sorry, Ruthie….Blame me. I’m the one who drug you into this mess.”

“Don’t be silly, Evelyn. It’s not your fault.”

“But still, I feel terrible, after you’ve just sold your house….Of course, I can see about other projects we can try and do….”

“Oh, I know….It’s really Daddy that I’m most concerned about. He’s been so excited, thinking he was going to move back home. I’m afraid this is going to break his heart. And to tell the truth, I guess I am disappointed for myself. I know it may sound silly, but being over here, hearing so many stories about her, I don’t know why, but I sort of felt that Aunt Idgie might have been passing the baton on to me, and that I might be the new Idgie Threadgoode. Maybe carry on her legacy somehow.”

Evelyn said, “I understand.”

“I met her once down in Florida when I was a little girl.”

“You did? You never told me that.”

“It was so long ago, I barely remember it. I was just a kid. But I do remember that I really liked her. I remember that.”

FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA

CHRISTMAS 2000

Dear Folks,

I’m sure by now you all know that I lost Wilbur in June. I am grateful for all the years we did have, but sometimes it sure hurts to be a human being. I know I am not alone. So many of us have lost our loved ones. The price we pay for living a long life, I guess. And it’s not just losing the person, it’s losing the person you have shared so many special memories with, and you realize that they are just your memories now. That’s why it’s doubly important that we don’t lose touch. My old Whistle Stop gang are now the only ones I have left whom I can ask, “Do you remember when…?” I’ve often wondered where all those memories go after we die. Are they still floating around up in the ether somewhere, or do they die with us? If so, just think of all the billions of lovely memories that just fade and die away.

Anyway, it’s going to be a gloomy old Christmas without my Wilbur. So I hope you all will understand and forgive me if I don’t do the long Christmas letter this year.

Sending my love to all,

Dot

FAIRHOPE, ALABAMA

A short update:

Hey, gang, just when I decided to not care about Christmas at all this year, something wonderful happened. First, I have to backtrack to a day last summer. Wilbur and I went to the jewelry store to buy a new crystal for his old railroad pocket watch. And while he was talking to the jeweler about his watch, this cute girl who works there came over and said they’d just gotten in a brand-new pair of gold and pearl earrings and asked me if I would like to see them. So, just for fun, I went over to her counter and tried on the most beautiful set of earrings you have ever seen. I told her I loved them and asked how much they were. When she told me the price, I almost fainted on the spot and handed them right back, pronto.

And then to my surprise:

I don’t know why it has taken me a long time to let go of even the smallest things, but yesterday morning I was finally gathering up some of Wilbur’s old clothes to give to the Salvation Army. I was busy cleaning out his sock drawer, when I discovered a little black velvet box hidden in one of the socks. I opened it, and did I get a surprise. Inside the box was the same pair of gold and pearl earrings I had tried on last summer, along with a little note that said “Merry Christmas, Love, Wilbur.”

I called the jewelry store, and they told me that Wilbur had put that girl up to letting me try on those earrings, so he could be sure I liked them before he bought them. Needless to say, I will treasure them forever, not because they are pretty—they are—but because they are from my Wilbur.

Merry Christmas,

Dot

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

RUTHIE DIDN’T WANT to tell her father the bad news over the phone, so when she went back to Atlanta, she made a date to pick him up. When she pulled up to Briarwood, Mr. Merris was just walking out and unfortunately spotted her.

“Oh, hello, Mrs. Caldwell. Here to see your father?”

“Yes, Mr. Merris, I’m taking him to lunch.”

“Oh, how nice. Well, we sure will miss him when he leaves, but he’s told everybody all about his brand-new house, so I’m sure he’ll be very happy.”

Ruthie’s heart sank. She’d hoped he hadn’t said anything yet, but knowing Daddy and how excited he had been, she was not surprised. However, it sure was going to make telling him the news much harder.

—

LATER, AT LUNCH, after she had explained to him what had happened, and that rebuilding Whistle Stop was no longer a possibility, she could see he was terribly disappointed. But, true to form, he was more concerned about her. He said, “I hate that this happened, after all the hard work you gals put in. What do you think you’ll do now?”

“I don’t know yet, Daddy. But will you be all right? I wanted to do this for you so much, and now I can’t.”

“I know you did, honey. You tried your best. But sometimes things just don’t go your way. And don’t you worry one minute about me, sweetheart. I’m gonna be just fine.”

“Really, Daddy?”

“Absolutely. Scout’s honor.”

—

BACK IN HIS little apartment that afternoon, Bud began to slowly unpack the things he’d started boxing up for his move to Whistle Stop. It had been such a lovely dream that now wasn’t going to come true. And all because of a stupid piece of land. Poor little Ruthie. And poor him. Tomorrow he was going to have to tell Merris that he wouldn’t be leaving Briarwood after all. That was not going to be pleasant. Particularly after he’d shot his big mouth off about how his daughter was redoing an entire town for him.

ATLANTA, GEORGIA

RUTHIE HAD NEVER been very comfortable with stark reality. She had always hated having to face cold, hard facts. In this case, the fact was that the project was not going to happen.

—

AFTER SHE BROKE the news to her father, Ruthie went back to her house on Caldwell Circle and sat down and had a good cry. She had hoped to have a little more time, but the real estate agent had called and informed her that the Vaughans, who had bought her house, had requested a thirty-day escrow so they could move in as soon as possible. She now had a house full of furniture and a lifetime of memories to pack. She’d planned to send everything to Whistle Stop. But now she had no place to put everything, or herself for that matter. Sweet Evelyn had wanted her to stay on at her guesthouse until she could find another project, but Ruthie couldn’t impose on her. And if she wasn’t working, what was the point of staying? She needed to come back and be close to her father.