By Wednesday morning, Arthur Caldwell had made a serious mistake. He had told Vivian Bellamy that he was lonely. Technically, he hadn't actually said the words. He had said, "It's been a while since I've had people around." Vivian had heard, "Arthur Caldwell is ready for companionship." There was a difference. Arthur just didn't know how large that difference was.
He found out at 9:40 Wednesday morning when Vivian knocked on his door carrying a casserole dish.
Arthur opened the door. "No." Vivian smiled. "You don't even know what it is."
"I know it's food."
"It's chicken and rice."
"No."
"You haven't had breakfast."
"I have."
"What did you eat?"
"Cereal."
Vivian frowned. "Cereal isn't breakfast."
"Yes, it is."
"Not proper breakfast."
Arthur sighed. "What is a proper breakfast?"
"Something hot."
"I had coffee."
"Coffee isn't food."
"It has calories."
Vivian stared at him. "Arthur."
"What?"
"Are you always this difficult?"
"Only before ten."
Vivian held out the casserole. "Take it."
"I don't need it."
"That's not the point."
"What is the point?"
Vivian smiled. "The point is that you're going to eat." Arthur took the casserole. "Thank you." "You're welcome." She turned to leave. Arthur closed the door. Then immediately opened it again. "Vivian?"
She turned. "What?"
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Arthur asked.
"Like what?"
"Like you've got something planned."
Vivian smiled. "I always have something planned."
Arthur stared at her. "That's what worries me."
She laughed and walked away. Arthur shut the door. Hank was sitting in the hallway. Arthur looked at him. "Don't ask." Hank wagged his tail.
At ten thirty, the Bellamy sisters were gathered in the kitchen. Martie was sorting mail. Lou was painting a small wooden bird.
Vivian was on the telephone "Yes, honey. He's single." Martie looked up. Lou stopped painting. Vivian continued. "No, I don't know if he's interested." Pause. "I haven't asked him." Another pause. "Because I have manners."
Martie rolled her eyes. Lou whispered, "Who is she talking to?" Martie whispered back, "Probably trouble."
Vivian hung up. Martie stared at her. "Who was that?"
"Edna."
"Which Edna?"
"Edna Price."
"The church Edna?"
"Yes."
"What did she want?"
Vivian smiled. "She knows a woman."
Martie slowly put down the envelope. "No."
Lou looked interested. "A woman?" Vivian nodded. "For Art." Martie groaned. "Oh, Lord." Lou's eyes widened. "Is she nice?"
"Very."
"Does she have cats?"
"I don't know."
"Does she like birds?"
"I don't know."
"Is she weird?"
Vivian smiled. "Probably."
Lou nodded. "Then Art might like her."
Martie looked at Vivian. "You're not fixing him up."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm simply exploring possibilities."
"That's what people say before they fix somebody up."
Vivian crossed her arms. "I know men."
Martie sighed. "You don't know Art."
"I know enough."
Lou looked between them. "I think Art would rather be hit by a truck."
Vivian frowned. "Why?"
"Because he likes us."
Martie looked at Lou. "What does that have to do with anything?"
Lou shrugged. "He already has three women bothering him."
Vivian considered that. "Good point."
That evening, the sisters were sitting on the porch when Martie suddenly remembered something.
"Oh!"
Vivian looked over. "What?"
."The church supper."
Lou stopped swinging. "What church supper?"
"Friday."
Vivian groaned. "We forgot."
"We didn't forget," Martie said. "You forgot."
"I did not."
"You did."
"I had other things on my mind."
Lou looked at Vivian. "Art?"
Vivian smiled. "Maybe."
Martie stood. "We need to tell him."
"Tell him what?"
"That we're going."
Lou frowned. "Why?"
"Because we're supposed to bring casseroles."
Vivian stood. "And?"
"And he should come."
Vivian smiled. "Exactly."
Arthur was in his backyard when the sisters arrived. He was repairing a section of fence. He looked up. Three women. One mission. No good could come from this. "What?"
Martie smiled. "Church supper Friday."
"No."
Vivian blinked. "You don't even know what it is."
"It's church."
"And?"
"That was enough."
Lou laughed.
Arthur looked at her. "What?"
"I think he has church trauma."
"I do not have church trauma."
"Then why won't you come?"
"I don't want to."
Martie nodded. "Fine."
Arthur relaxed.
Then she added, "We'll see you Friday."
He stared. "What part of 'I don't want to' did you not understand?"
"The part where you think you're getting out of it."
Arthur looked at Vivian. "Is she always like this?" "Yes." He looked at Lou. "Can you help me?" Lou shook her head. "No."
"Why not?"
"I'm going too."
Arthur looked at the sky. "Of course you are."
Friday arrived. At five thirty, Arthur was sitting on his porch in a clean shirt. Hank sat beside him. Arthur looked at the dog. "We're not going." Hank stood. "We're staying home." Hank walked to the gate. Arthur sighed. "You've been corrupted." Hank wagged his tail. Arthur got up. "You know, I used to have a quiet life." Hank looked back to make sure Arthur was following. "Don't look so pleased with yourself."
The church fellowship hall was packed. Long tables covered the room. There were casseroles everywhere. Fried chicken, green beans, corn bread, macaroni and cheese, banana pudding, pies, cakes, and a bowl of something purple that no one could identify,
Arthur stood near the door. The sisters were already inside. Vivian spotted him. "Arthur!" Half the room turned. Arthur closed his eyes. "Why does she do that?" Lou appeared beside him. "She likes attention."
"I noticed."
Martie hurried over. "I'm glad you came."
"I was ambushed."
"You came voluntarily."
"I was emotionally blackmailed."
Martie smiled. "Same thing."
Within twenty minutes, Arthur had been introduced to seventeen people. He remembered four names. One was "Miss Ruth." Another was "Brother Clarence." A third was "the woman with the red purse." The fourth was Edna Price, Vivian's mysterious friend. Edna was seventy-five. She wore a blue dress. She had silver hair. She smiled constantly. And she had apparently decided Arthur was interesting.
"So," she said, "you're new."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Where'd you come from?"
"North."
Edna waited. Arthur waited.
She smiled. "You're a man of few words."
"So I've been told."
Edna laughed.
Across the room, Vivian watched. Martie watched Vivian. Lou watched everybody.
"This is going well," Vivian whispered.
Martie frowned. "Don't interfere."
"I'm not."
"You're staring."
"I'm observing."
"That's interfering with your face."
Lou nodded. "Your face is interfering."
Vivian ignored them.
Edna asked Arthur, "Do you dance?"
Arthur nearly choked. "No."
"Never?"
"Not anymore."
"Why not?"
"I don't dance."
Edna smiled. "Everybody dances."
"Not me."
She leaned closer. "Maybe you just haven't met the right woman."
Arthur looked across the room. Vivian was pretending not to listen. Martie was glaring at her. Lou was eating banana pudding. Arthur sighed. "I think I've met plenty."
Dinner began. Arthur sat between Lou and an elderly man named Clarence who spent most of the meal explaining fishing knots. Arthur listened politely. Lou ate. Vivian sat across from them. Martie sat beside her.
At one point Lou leaned toward Arthur. "Do you know what I like about church suppers?"
"What?"
"Nobody can tell who brought the best food because everybody lies."
Arthur smiled. "That's true."
"I made a cake."
"You did?"
"No."
Arthur laughed. "Why'd you say that?"
"I wanted to see if you'd believe me."
He shook his head. "You're something else."
Lou smiled. "I know."
Then a voice came from behind them. "Arthur!"
Arthur turned. It was Edna. She was holding a pie. "Come try this."
Arthur stood. Vivian watched carefully. Arthur walked over. Edna cut him a piece. He took one bite. His eyebrows rose. "This is good." Edna smiled. "Thank you." Vivian whispered to Martie, "This could work." Martie whispered back, "Don't." Lou leaned over. "Arthur doesn't need a woman." Vivian looked at her. "Why not?" "Because he has us."
Martie covered her face. Vivian burst out laughing.
Then the disaster happened. It began with the purple casserole. Nobody knew what it was. Nobody knew who made it. Nobody wanted to admit to eating it. But somebody had. And twenty minutes later, Arthur heard a loud crash. He turned. A serving table had collapsed. A bowl of purple casserole hit the floor. Someone screamed. A child laughed. Someone else yelled, "Don't step in it!"
Arthur stood. "What's happening?" Martie appeared. "Nothing."
The church ladies began scrambling. Vivian grabbed napkins. Lou grabbed a mop. Arthur picked up a fallen tray. Within seconds, the four of them were working together. "Move that table."
"Get more towels."
"Watch your feet."
"Somebody get the children back."
Arthur looked around. The room was chaotic. And suddenly he realized something. He was laughing. Not polite laughter. Not the little smile he'd been giving the sisters. He was genuinely laughing.
Lou looked at him. "You okay?"
Arthur nodded. "Yeah."
He looked around at the noisy room. At the women yelling instructions. At children running between tables. At people laughing. At the sisters. At Edna. At Hank, who had somehow gotten inside and was standing beneath the dessert table. Arthur shook his head. "This is ridiculous."
Lou smiled. "Isn't it wonderful?" Arthur looked at her. Then nodded. "Yeah."
On the way home, the sisters walked with Arthur across the street. Hank trotted ahead. Vivian looked at Arthur. "So?"
"So what?"
"Did you have fun?"
Arthur thought about it. "Maybe."
Martie smiled. "That's almost a yes."
Lou looked up at him. "Did you like Edna?" Arthur stopped walking. "Why?"
"Because she likes you."
"I noticed."
Vivian smiled. "She's a lovely woman."
Arthur sighed. "She's very nice."
Martie grinned. "That's not a no."
Arthur looked at all three of them. "You are not matchmaking." Vivian held up her hands. "We would never."
Lou looked at Martie. "Do you think he knows we're lying?" Martie nodded. "Absolutely."
Arthur laughed. "You know what?"
"What?"
"I think I'm starting to understand how this works."
Vivian smiled. "How what works?"
"You three." He looked at them. "You pretend you're helping."
Martie nodded. "And?"
"And somehow I end up doing exactly what you wanted."
Lou smiled. "You're learning."
Arthur shook his head. Then he looked across the street. At his little house. At the porch. At the garden gnome. At Gerald sitting in the kitchen window. At Hank. Then back at the women. "Thank you."
Vivian's smile softened. "For what?"
"For making me come."
Martie simply said, "You're welcome." Lou slipped her arm through his. "That's what friends do."
Arthur looked at her. "Yeah."
They walked the rest of the way in silence.
But before Arthur went inside, Vivian called after him. "Arthur!"
He turned. "What?"
"Edna really is a wonderful woman."
Arthur laughed. "Good night, Vivian."
She smiled. "Good night, honey."
He went inside.
The three sisters watched him close the door. Lou sighed. "He really is one of us now."
Martie nodded.
Vivian smiled. "Yes."
Then she looked across the street at Arthur's darkened window. "And I think he needed us more than we realized."
Lou slipped her hand into Martie's. "Maybe."
They stood together beneath the porch light. Then Vivian sighed dramatically. "Still..."
Martie looked at her. "What?" Vivian smiled. "Edna did make a very good pie." Lou nodded. "Maybe we should invite her over."
Martie groaned. "No."
Vivian grinned "I'm just saying."
And across the street, Arthur's voice floated through the open window. "I CAN HEAR YOU!"
The sisters froze. Then all three burst out laughing.
Arthur smiled from inside his kitchen. He had never felt so much at home.