Lisey's Story(134)
"Yes, they probably are," Amanda said, speaking to Lisey as though she were a child.
"That's why I'm going to call Miss Buggy's cell."
It's Scott's fault if I'm technologically challenged, Lisey thought of saying. Ever since he died, I keep falling farther behind the cutting edge. Why, I haven't even gotten around to buying a DVD player yet, and everybody has those.
What she did say was, "If you call Darla Miss Buggy Bumpers, she'll probably hang up even if she realizes it's you."
"I'd never do that." Amanda stared out at the pelting rain. It had turned the BMW's windshield into a glass river. "Do you know why me n Canty used to call her that, and why it was so mean of us?"
"No."
"When she was only three or four, Darla had a little red rubber dolly. She was the original Miss Buggy Bumpers. Darl loved that old thing. One cold night she left Miss Buggy on a radiator and she melted. Sweet baldheaded Christ, what a stink."
Lisey tried her best to hold back more laughter and failed. Because her throat was locked and her mouth was shut, it came out through her nose and she blew a large quantity of clear snot onto her fingers.
"Euwww, charming, high tea is served, madam," Amanda said.
"There are Kleenex in the glove compartment," Lisey said, blushing to the roots of her hair. "Would you give me some?" Then she thought of Miss Buggy Bumpers melting on the radiator, and this crossed with what had been Dandy's juiciest curse - sweet baldheaded Christ - and she started laughing again, although she recognized the sadness hidden like a sweet-sour pearl within her hilarity, something that had to do with the neatly-put-together do-it-myway-darling adult Darla and the ghost child still hidden just beneath, that jam-smeared and often furious kid who had always seemed to need something.
"Oh, just wipe it on the steering wheel," Amanda said, now laughing again herself. She was holding the hand with the phone in it against her stomach. "I think I'm going to pee myself."
"If you pee in those pajamas, Amanda, they'll melt. Give me that damn box of Kleenex."
Amanda, still laughing, opened the glove compartment and handed over the Kleenex.
"Do you think you'll be able to get her?" Lisey asked. "In all this rain?"
"If she's got her phone turned on, I'll get her. And unless she's in a movie or something, she's always got it turned on. I talk to her almost every day - sometimes twice, if Matt's off on one of his teaching orgies. 'Cause, see, sometimes Metzie calls her and Darla tells me what she says. These days Darl's the only one in the family Metzie will talk to."
Lisey was fascinated by this. She'd had no idea Amanda and Darla talked about Amanda's troubled daughter - certainly Darla had never said anything about it. She wished she could pursue the matter further, but supposed this wasn't the time to do so.
"What will you tell her, if you get her?"
"Just listen. I think I've got it figured out, but I'm afraid if I tell you in advance, it'll lose some of its...I don't know. Freshness. Believability. All I want is to get the two of them far enough away so they won't come wandering in and - "
" - get caught in Max Silver's potato grader?" Lisey asked. Over the years they'd all worked for Mr. Silver: a quarter for every barrel of potatoes you picked, and you ended up scrubbing dirt out from under your nails until February.
Amanda gave her a sharp look, then smiled. "Something like that. Darla and Canty can be annoying, but I love em, so sue me. I sure wouldn't want em getting hurt just because they turned up in the wrong place at the wrong time."
"Me either," Lisey said softly.
A burst of hail rattled down on the roof and windshield; then it was just hard rain again. Amanda patted her hand. "I know that, Little."
Little. Not little Lisey, just Little. How long since Amanda had called her that? And she'd been the only one who ever did.
7
Amanda entered the number with some difficulty because of her hands, going wrong once and having to start over. The second time she managed it, pushed the green SEND button, and put the small Motorola phone to her ear.
The rain had let up a little. Lisey realized she could see the first picnic table again. How many seconds since Amanda had sent the call on its way? She looked from the picnic table to her sister, eyebrows raised. Amanda started to shake her head, then straightened in her bucket seat and raised her right forefinger, as if summoning a waiter in a fancy restaurant.
"Darla?...Can you hear me?...Do you know who this is?... Yes! Yes, really! "
Amanda stuck out her tongue and bugged her eyes, miming Darla's reaction with silent and rather cruel efficiency: a game-show contestant who has just won the bonus round.
"Yes, she's right beside m...Darla, slow down! First I couldn't talk and now I can't get a word in edgeways! I'll let you talk to Lisey in just a..."
Amanda listened longer this time, nodding, at the same time clipping the thumb and fingers of her right hand together in a quack-quack-quack gesture.
"Uh-huh, I'll tell her, Darl." Without bothering to cover the mouthpiece of the phone - probably because she wanted Darla to hear the message being passed on - Amanda said, "She and Canty are together, Lisey, but still at the Jetport. Canty's plane was held up by thunderstorms out of Boston. Isn't that a shame?"