A Murder in Mayberry

Part 4/2) Tabitha and Some Unfinished Business

Tabitha's is the kind of story you just can't make up - how the new wife of an ex-husband found a new home with the ex-wife and her mama and daughter. It all began with Nana Gail who was well-known for taking in strays.

The day Tabitha arrived in Mount Airy after a three day bus trip was hotter than a usual Fall day and Tabitha, who had been sick on the long ride, was dehydrated. She drank a Coke in town, felt a little refreshed, got directions from a nice man who said he was the mayor and decided that she could walk to Candi's house. It's not that far, she thought, and besides after being on that bus for three days, the fresh air will do me good. By the time she arrived at Candi's she was in worse shape than before the Coke.

Tabitha knocked on the door. Candi was at work and I was in school, but Nana Gail was home. She was getting ready to head out to meet a friend for lunch. Nana Gail had a pretty active social life and an eclectic mix of friends. Today she was meeting a gentleman friend twenty years her junior who she called "just a friend".

After getting out of the shower, Nana Gail heard a knock on the door. Must be Kim, she thought. Kim was supposed to come by with the new John Grisham book in large print. Nana was a voracious reader, she and her friend Kim shared books. She swung open the door without looking first and saw a disheveled stranger. A stranger who looked like she had been on a three day bus ride and was just a little pregnant. After the murder, Candi had warned Nana about being careful and keeping the doors locked, but Nana Gail was not afraid of many things, and besides, she had her mother's pistol in her pocketbook. It had not been fired in thirty years, but its weight gave Nana even more bravado than usual. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, " said Tabitha, "You must be Nana Gail. I'm Tabitha, Darrell's wife, I'm here to see Candi. I need to talk to her."

"Ok," said Nana. "Won't you come in? Can I get you something to drink? You look parched."

"Thank you. That would be great."

As Tabitha settled on the couch with her glass of tea, she began to talk to Nana Gail. Nana Gail had the gift of listening to people, and it was not unusual for people to tell her all, even secrets she might not want to know. Complete strangers sensed her non-judgmentalness and her "been there, done that" air about her and poured out their souls to her. It was not long before she knew the whole story of why Tabitha was there, and she agreed that Candi would want to hear what she had to say.

"I don't know if it will matter to her, or if she will forgive Darrell, but we all have been wondering why he was here at all, and I think it will give her some peace to know that he was not here to harm her."

Nana Gail had to get to a lunch date so she told Tabitha that she could wait there until she got back and talk to Candi when she got home from her second job.

"You look exhausted," she said. "Lie down right here on the couch and take you a nap."

Tabitha did.

When Candi got home, Tabitha told her the tale of Darrell and how he changed and was seeking redemption when he met Randall Michael Wall. Candi listened. Candi did not immediately know how she felt about Darrell's change, but she knew she liked Tabitha. She thanked her for coming such a long way. Candi felt pity for Tabitha too. When she talked about going home to Nannie Jo, she knew how that felt - it was like being in hell itself.

"You look exhausted, why don't you stay the night?" Candi asked. "I can make you a pallet on the couch. It will be a lot more comfortable than the bus station bench."

Candi was fond of strays too.

"Who's that on the couch asleep?" I asked when I came home from a ball game.

"That's Tabitha," said Candi. "She's Darrell's new wife. She's gonna stay with us for a little while."

"Oh," I said because I knew all about strays, "Ok."

And that is how Tabitha came to stay with Candi and me and Nana Gail and how she soon became a member of the family.

Before she went to sleep that night, Tabitha told Candi what a nice little town Mount Airy seemed to be and how friendly the people were. She told about meeting the mayor and the Coke.

"Stay away from him, " said Candi. "He is evil, pure evil. Believe me, I know."

Author's Note: My mama, the inspiration for Nana Gail, has the same gift, people tell her everything. Once, when she sat down as I went to order food, I came back to the table to find her talking to a lady who had sat down with her. An hour later, after eating with the lady and listening to her tell several tales about what her family was up to, including some things you just don't say in polite company, she finally had to get back to her job. Because of the scandalous  conversation, I thought she was an old friend of my mom's. "Who was that?" I asked. My mama said, "I have no idea. Never met her before in my life."