Southern Belles

Chapter One

Chapter 1– Southern Belle Rule #5: Dress Well and Presentable at All Times

            The plush pink carpet was starting to aggravate Cara in unimaginable ways. She remembered begging her mother for pink carpet years ago because all the girls in the neighborhood wanted pink carpet. When she got it, she had been the only with that color carpet. She remembered how proud she felt boasting to the other girls about how she was the first with pink carpet. Over the years, she realized how ridiculous the color pink was. Pink is for little girls and a week from now, she would no longer be a little girl. She will be an official southern belle. The carpet was jeopardizing everything.

            Making a mental note to herself to fix the carpet, she retreated downstairs to where she smelled blueberry waffles that told her that her mama was home. She moved a little faster until she reached the kitchen. Standing over the counter with a Southern Living Magazine in her hands, her mama munched on her waffles with her eyes intent on the magazine. Cara felt a little jolt of happiness in her bones at the sight of her mother. She was almost never home in the mornings.

            Like most southern women in Brantley County, her mama had chosen to cut her pale blond hair shorter than before. She wore a stained apron around her waist that was tilted to the left. Under it was a white cotton t-shirt and regular blue jeans. Around her neck was a string of pearls to give herself a dramatic flair.  Despite the fact she was cooking, she wore white heels that made her legs appear longer than usual. Regardless of how her mother felt about being in the south, she still acted like a true southern woman.

            “Hi, honey,” called her mom from the magazine, “I found a new recipe for apple pie. You wanna help me out with it tonight?”

            “Mama,” complained Cara, “you know I invited Izzy and Savannah over today. I promised we would have the sleepover at my house. Can we make the apple pie tomorrow?”

            Cara’s mama stood up straight and placed a hand on her hip. She gave Cara one of her classic disapproval glares. “I don’t remember you taking this up with me young lady.”

            Cara shifted from foot to foot as she slid into one of the stools in the kitchen. She had forgotten to tell her mama about her plans for the evening. She had invited the girls over at the last minute. She had wanted to go over ideas for her debutante ball. Everything needed to be perfect if she wanted the head of the ball committee to accept her. “Oops, mama, I guess I forgot.” She shrugged her shoulders and slid the plate of waffles closer to her.

            “Honey, you gotta tell me these things. You know how I hate being the last to know.” She grabbed another plate to place the new batch of waffles. “I saw some moving vans outside the house.” She eyed Cara expectantly.

            Cara groaned as she realized what her mama meant. “But do I have to do it now?”

            “The sooner the better,” replied her mama. She pulled out some chocolate chip cookies she had already made before Cara had come downstairs. The cookies smelled delicious and made Cara irritated that the new neighbors always received the best of what her mama’s cooking had to offer. “Oh, and be nice, honey.”

            “I always am, mother,” said Cara. She snatched the plate of cookies leaving behind her steaming blueberry waffles.

Her mama knew she hated greeting new neighbors. They were normally weirdoes with awful brats running around the house. The families would be from out of town moving down south to get a better perspective on life. In two weeks, they would move out figuring out that the south was not for them. She walked across the street eyeing the house. It had been beautiful and Victorian styled before the neighbors came. They had boxes cluttering the front lawn and tacky curtains hanging in the windows. Hopefully, these neighbors will move out as soon as possible and take their lawn ornaments with them.