City Drug. Why, we coulda had the biggest wedding Faulkner County’s ever seen.”
“You know I hate stuff like that,” Ben said. “Besides, we thought a discreet marriage would bemore appropriate — what with Mimi and all.”
“Now, Benny Jack, you know good and well nobody in this town woulda said a thing about it ifyou’d had a big church wedding. You’re a McGilly!” She smiled at Lily. “And now, so are you. We’reglad to have ya, hon.”
“Thank you, Mrs. McGilly.”
“Now you’re gonna have to drop that formal stuff. You’re family now. The least you can do is callme Jeanie.”
“Okay, Jeanie.” Lily was finding it impossible not to like Jeanie McGilly. Despite the wealth thatthe obscene diamonds on her fingers attested to, she was completely devoid of pretension. Her attitudesaid: My husband and I worked damn hard for all this money, and by god, we’re gonna enjoy it.
“You know what we oughta do tonight?” Jeanie said. “We oughta have a big barbecue to announceyour marriage. Y’all are gonna be in town for a while, right?”
“Actually,” Ben said, “we were talking about getting a place here.”
Jeanie clapped her hands with little-girl delight. “Oh, nothing would make me happier than havingall my boys right here in Versailles, all my grandbabies here where I can spoil ’em rotten!” She ran aFrench-manicured finger under her eyes. “Lord, I’m fixing to cry”
Lily was beginning to wonder how a person as open and natural as Jeanie could have produced ason as stuffy and uptight as Ben. “Well,” said Lily, “I guess we should see about finding a motel —”
“Motel!” Jeanie yelped, as if the word were blasphemy. “No family of mine ever stays at a motelwhen they can stay with me.” She leaned over conspiratorially. “Besides, hon, the only motel in Versaillesis that run-down motor court on the old road, and they just rent rooms by the hour. Why don’t y’all getyour things, and I’ll get you settled in the guest room? I would put you in Ben’s old room, but I don’tguess a new wife wants to spend the night in a room where she’s looking at her husband’s old math teamtrophies.”
Lily had brought minimal luggage: a small suitcase stuffed with clean underwear, a couple of pairsof jeans, a few T-shirts, and two respectable dresses and a dressy pair of shoes for the inevitable courtappearances. A single diaper bag filled with clothes and a few books and toys took care of Mimi’s needs.
Ben, by contrast, had brought two enormous suitcases that had to be pulled on wheels and one garmentbag. They were certainly doing their job to defeat gender stereotypes.