Fannie Flagg - Standing in the Rainbow

As heartbroken as she was about having to stay on for another four years, she could see how much the people depended on him. He seemed to thrive on pressure and enjoy his every waking hour. And like it or not, she had to admit Hamm had turned out to be a wonderful governor and although she still longed to spend more time with him and live in a home of her own, there was a part of her that was very proud of him. As much as she missed him, she was pleased he was so happy.

Also the good news about Hamm's popularity was that in this election year his numbers were so high she and the two boys did not have to go on the campaign trail with him. There was almost no campaign, and as furious as it made him, Earl Finley had to sit and wait another four years until he could take back control of the state.

When Hamm won the election in a landslide, Cecil Figgs was of course delighted to have another four years and decided that it was time to put on a grand outdoor pageant celebrating the history of Missouri. It was to be a spectacular affair with a cast of hundreds, including an Indian pony to depict the first ride of the Pony Express in 1860 from St. Joseph to Sacramento. The pageant would re-create all the major events, starting from June 1812, when Missouri was first organized as a territory, and continuing up to modern-day Missouri.

They were rehearsing down at the big Shrine Auditorium and all day long Cecil had been losing his patience with State Trooper Ralph Childress, who, at six-four, could hardly be pushed around without something happening. Cecil was directing the governor's Honor Guard to march onto the stage in a straight line and to continue marching through a huge reproduction of the St. Louis Arch with a GATEWAY TO THE WEST banner at the very top. When they reached the front of the stage they were to turn, face the audience, salute and, in unison, put their hands behind their backs, and hold an at-ease stance all on the count of ten that Cecil was snapping away with his fingers. "One more time," Cecil said, stomping his foot and clapping his hands at Trooper Childress.

"Faster,faster, pick up your feet, you're too slow."

Finally the trooper, red-faced and ready to explode, stopped and said, "Listen, you little fairy, you snap your fingers at me one more time, I'm gonna rip them off and shove them up your fat ass."

Cecil stood and blinked at him, "What did you say?"

"You heard me."

Cecil frowned. "Don't you make me waste my valuable rehearsal time fooling with you. I am the director of this show and you are going to do it and you are going to do it right."

"Over my dead body," said Trooper Childress.

Cecil glanced at his watch. "Take a fifteen-minute break, people. I want you all back here onstage at exactly one-forty ready to take it from the top." He then pointed at Trooper Childress and said, "And I want to see you downstairs right now, mister, let's go."

When they got downstairs to the large rehearsal hall, Cecil closed the door and said, "Take off that shirt. I'm not having you rip up a new shirt when we don't have time to order another one."

The trooper did so with glee, just itching to wipe up the floor with Cecil. The last thing Ralph Childress heard before Cecil hauled off and beat the living hell out of him was "I will not have a cast member setting a bad example."

Fifteen minutes later Cecil came back into the auditorium clapping his hands. "Let's go, people… right from the top." Behind him came Childress, limping slightly. A few minutes ago, he had been lying on the floor too exhausted to get back up, while Cecil had stood over him with his hands on his hips and asked, "Now, are you ready to get back to work or not?"

I The trooper had been so surprised that he'd laughed and said, "Yeah, I I guess so."

Cecil may have looked pudgy but he was as solid as a rock and as strong as a bull. He had been lifting dead bodies and caskets all his life. if Although most of his military service had been spent arranging teas and bridge parties for the officers and their wives, he had been trained to defend himself. Nothing more was made of the incident but when the others asked Ralph what had happened he replied, "Aw, he's all right… just trying to do his job." In trooper language that must have meant a lot, because Cecil never had any more trouble with any of them and eventually they even came to like him. As a matter of fact, some came to him when they were having trouble with their wives or girlfriends and asked his ad vice. He seemed to understand women much better than they did. And it was true in one important case. He had noticed Hamm and Betty Raye drifting further apart. After the pageant, he went into Hamm's office and closed the door.

"You know I don't care what you do in your personal life but you need to start paying a little more attention to your wife."

Hamm, distracted, said, "What?"

"Betty Raye. She hasn't been anywhere with you in the last six months and that's not right."

"Oh yeah… yeah, I guess you're right. Maybe I should take her to dinner or something."

"It had better be something," Cecil said, "and soon."

Hamm said, "Yeah, I will as soon as I get a free night."

But the free night never came. Betty Raye never said anything but she was lonesome. She really did not have any close friends in Jefferson City. Since it was the capital of the state, most people there were either in politics or married to someone who was. Betty Raye did not know a thing about politics except that it had taken her husband away, and she had nothing in common with the other wives, who seemed to love it. Alberta Peets, the ice-pick murderess, was her closest friend. She kept Betty Raye amused with stories of her many boyfriends, but when Alberta went home on a weekend furlough and the boys were off at camp, Betty Raye rattled around all by herself in the upstairs portion of the huge mansion.

One day in the middle of the afternoon, the phone rang at Neighbor Dorothy's house in Elmwood Springs. It was Betty Raye.

"Well, hello, honey, what a nice surprise."

"I didn't want anything," Betty Raye said. "I was just thinking about you and thought I'd call and say hello."

They chatted for quite a while. Betty Raye asked about everyone and wanted to know how Jimmy was doing and said to tell him hello. When Dorothy asked how she was enjoying being the first lady of the state, Betty Raye said, "Oh fine." She did not tell Dorothy but she often thought about them and her time in Elmwood Springs. And lately, there were times when she wished she had never left, but then one of her boys would run in looking for her and she'd be happy again.

Luckily for Bobby and Lois, Charlie Fowler was a man of his word and as the company began to grow, so did Bobby's salary. Within a year after their son was born they were able to buy themselves a nice house and a new car. They found that they loved living in Kentucky and even brought Doc and Dorothy and Mother Smith and Jimmy over for the Kentucky Derby. Dorothy had just lost Princess Mary Margaret to old age and the trip did his mother good. It was especially wonderful when she met her new blond, blue-eyed grandson, Michael.

That year Poor Tot had lost her mother as well. Literally. While she was at work her mother had wandered off from the house and apparently had gotten into a car with strangers, who drove her all the way to Salt Lake City, where she wound up living in a Mormon home for the aged. By the time they found her she said she did not want to come home, but Tot still had to pay for her room and board each month.

On July 6, 1962, Macky and Norma Warren were celebrating a special day and early the next morning Norma called Aunt Elner, even before Elner had called, which was a first. Aunt Elner wiped the flour off her hands on her apron and picked up.