The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop Read online

  Evelyn waved it off. “Oh, honey, I’ve got lots of money to invest, and I’d rather do this than have it sit in a bank.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yes. And with your talent for decorating, we could make this place look just like it used to, only better.”

  “Do you think we could?”

  “Absolutely. Right now, it’s out in the middle of nowhere, but after we put in all new roads in and out, I think people will come in droves. In a few years, we could have a whole new town, with houses and condos.”

  Ruthie looked at her friend with awe. “Evelyn, you never cease to amaze me.”

  “Of course this means you would have to move to Birmingham,” Evelyn said, “for at least for a year. Will you do it?”

  “Of course I will.”

  And so the “Revitalize Whistle Stop” project began.

  * * *

  —

  THE NEXT MORNING, as they were going over to discuss plans with Evelyn’s contractor, Ruthie was getting even more excited about the project.

  She said, “Oh, Evelyn, to be able to do this for Daddy. He wanted to come back home so badly, even though it wasn’t there anymore. He almost killed himself just to see where it used to be. Just imagine how happy he’ll be when he sees the cafe, and maybe the town, all put back together again.”

  Evelyn said, “He’s going to be very surprised.”

  Ruthie sighed with relief. “I’ve wanted so much to do something nice for him. He’s at an age when I could lose him for good. Now, thanks to you, I can do something. And I can’t think of a better present to give him than this.”

  “Agreed,” Evelyn said. “But let’s don’t let him see it until we get it all cleaned up first. Then we can show it to him and surprise him.”

  ONLY IN AMERICA could a girl who had started out in the world with not much of anything end up becoming a multimillionaire. One whose only job was to figure out a way to spend her money on good, solid investments. Evelyn had found that, with the way Birmingham was growing, any commercial property close by would always be a good safe investment. Over the years, she had bought raw parcels of land that had been developed into shopping malls and office parks.

  Three weeks ago, Ted Campbell, her realtor, had called and said he’d found a thirty-acre parcel outside of town that Evelyn might want to take a look at. Ted knew she always liked a property with a long view and lots of open land.

  The next morning, standing with Ted and looking down the railroad tracks, she felt she could see for miles. She loved it. Not only did she love it, the moment they started driving down the road along the tracks, Evelyn realized she’d been to this place before. She told Ted to go ahead and write up an offer.

  Ninny Threadgoode had always talked about Whistle Stop with so much affection. She knew it would have pleased Ninny so much to know that she was buying it. And the price was certainly right, if you considered that she was purchasing an entire little town, including the cemetery and some of the buildings that were still standing. Good heavens, at that asking price, she couldn’t afford not to buy it!

  ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  THE VERY FIRST thing Ruthie did after she got back to Atlanta was call her father and ask him out to lunch at his favorite place.

  As he was polishing off his second helping of black-eyed peas, she said, “Daddy, would you mind terribly if I move over to Birmingham, at least for a while?

  He seemed surprised. “Birmingham?”

  “Yes. Here’s the thing. Evelyn has a project she wants to do, and she’s asked me to be her partner on it. But it would mean my being gone quite a bit.”

  “Oh?”

  “I could still come over every week to see you, and I thought that now that you have Virgil and your new friend, Lucy—”

  “Lois.”

  “Lois, that’s right. I thought you might not mind. And, remember, I won’t be that far away, and…”

  Bud stopped her. “Honey, if that’s what you want to do, you go right ahead. Don’t worry about me. I’m just fine with it. And you know I think the world of Evelyn. What kind of a project is it?”

  “It’s just a little building development she’s working on. I’ll tell you more about it later. So, great then. I’ll be staying in Evelyn’s guest cottage. Okay?”

  “Of course it’s okay. I’m tickled pink for you, honey, I really am. I didn’t want to say anything before, but I don’t think you’ve been very happy lately, and a change of scenery might cheer you up.”

  “I think so. And I think it will be fun.”

  “Well, this is good news. Hey, let’s celebrate your new project. How about we have a piece of that lemon icebox pie?”

  “Let’s do.”

  “And maybe some coconut cake?”

  “Oh, why not?”

  Later, when Ruthie drove him back to Briarwood, she walked in with him and Bud said, “Hey, Ruthie, would you like to meet my friend Lois? I know she wants to meet you.”

  “Well, sure, if you want me to.”

  “You wait here and I’ll run get her.”

  A few minutes later he came back with Lois. Ruthie was surprised to see that Lois, as it turned out, was a lovely older lady, impeccably dressed in a stylish outfit and wearing the most beautiful string of pearls Ruthie had ever seen. Not to mention the diamond ring she had on that was the size of a small doorknob.

  “Oh, Ruthie,” Lois said. “May I call you Ruthie? I’ve heard so much about you, and I’m just delighted to meet you at long last.”

  * * *

  —

  WHEN RUTHIE GOT home and thought about her upcoming move to Birmingham, she realized that a project this big could take more than a year, maybe two. There was really no point in keeping the house in Atlanta just sitting there empty and costing her money every month. Money that would only sink her deeper into debt. And the house really was too big for just one person anyway. Maybe this was the right time to finally sell it and find a small apartment to rent somewhere close to her father for when she visited. It would mean taking a big chance and putting all her eggs and her future into one basket. But she felt if she didn’t do it now, she never would. She would close her eyes and take the leap. “Look out, Whistle Stop, here I come.”

  * * *

  —

  WHEN SHE TOLD her children about the plan, her son, Richard, thought it all sounded great, but Carolyn was having an absolute flying fit over it. For days, there were hysterical phone calls from Washington.

  “That’s our family home, Mother. You can’t just sell it. And where will I stay when I come to Atlanta?”

  “Well, honey, you can stay at your grandmother’s, as you always do.”

  “But I want to be able to come across the Circle and visit you. And why are you going to Alabama for a year? Who will look after Granddaddy?”

  “He’s just fine at Briarwood, and Birmingham is not that far away. If anything happened I could be home in a couple of hours.”

  “But I don’t want strangers living in my home.”

  “I am using your grandmother’s agent, and she will make sure they won’t be strangers. She’s already said her friends from the club, the Vaughans, are interested in buying it. I’m sure you know them.”

  “Well, all I can say, Mother, is that if Daddy were still alive, he would be very upset.”

  Actually, knowing Brooks, he would have been very happy that she was moving forward with her life.

  BY THE TIME Ruthie got back to Atlanta, Evelyn had already secured her financing, had a set of building plans drawn up, and hired a cleaning crew that was ready to go. The first thing they had to do was clear out all the junk around the area, then chop down the vines and inspect the buildings underneath. And it was amazing what they found. Opal Butts’s beauty shop was pretty much intact, even the old hair dryers were still standing,
and, stacked on the shelves, there were still some bottles of shampoo and old unused hair dye.

  Sadly, the cafe had been pretty well emptied out. The counter and the wooden booths were still there, along with a few tables and chairs, but that was about it. But to Ruthie and Evelyn’s relief, some of the buildings on the block did not seem to have too much structural damage.

  During the first week the cleanup crew uncovered an old wooden storage shed in the back of the cafe. Ruthie and Evelyn drove over to the site to inspect the contents. Inside were the cafe’s original screen door, with the words FRIED GREEN TOMATOES written on it, an old stand-up piano, and a very large deer head. And stacked in a corner were boxes and boxes of Christmas ornaments, and one Santa Claus suit in moth balls. They also found packs of unopened Juicy Fruit gum and Red Man chewing tobacco, a 1930 calendar, and an empty cigar box.

  But for Ruthie, the best of all the treasures they discovered that day were about twenty framed photos that someone had wrapped in a blanket. One was a picture of Idgie and Ruth and little Buddy standing in front of the cafe. Bud looked to be around five at the time and was wearing a sun suit and little white leather sandals. And there were lots of photos of Sipsey and Big George. Evelyn was delighted to see a picture of Ninny and her husband, Cleo, posing with Julian and Idgie. It was a happy trip back in time. The last picture they unwrapped was a photo of a ventriloquist dummy, signed “To Buddy, Love Chester.”

  “Who’s Chester?” asked Evelyn.

  “I haven’t a clue.”

  “Me, neither, but as soon as the cafe is finished, all of these are going back up on the walls exactly where they were. Won’t that be great?”

  Ruthie was just thrilled with what they had found. Her plan was to make the cafe look as authentic as possible, and she could use everything—the deer head, the piano, the Christmas ornaments, and maybe even the old Santa Claus suit.

  By the time the cleanup crew had finished, they had removed around five tons of old cars, trucks, and piles of junk. After it was all cleared out, the area started to look much better.

  A few weeks later, the entire block and all the remaining houses were tented for termites. All of the construction work, including the new paved roads and new sewer lines, was set to begin as soon as the building permits came through, which their contractor said should be any day now.

  So, while they were waiting to start the work, Ruthie thought it would be the perfect time to bring her daddy over and show him what they were planning. She had hoped the cleanup would be finished by his birthday, and it was. She couldn’t wait to surprise him.

  ATLANTA, GEORGIA

  2016

  BACK AT CALDWELL Circle, Martha Lee felt as though a very large brick wall had suddenly fallen on top of her. She had just received the most devastating news of her life. At the moment, she was in a dark room, stretched out on the divan, barely able to move from the sheer impact of it. From this day forward, her life, as she knew it, was over. How could she go on? What would be the point? As she lay there listening to her heart still pounding from the shock, she wondered if she had the courage to kill herself.

  Not more than thirty minutes ago, she had received the final results from her 23andMe DNA test, which had revealed she was 70 percent English, 2 percent Irish, and 28 percent Chinese. Gerta, her social secretary, had done more research and discovered that, unfortunately, Martha’s male Lee ancestor had not been Duke Edmond James Lee, but a Chinese horticulturist named Henry Wong Lee, who had been hired to oversee the family estate. The portrait hanging in the living room, the one she had shown to all Atlanta, was of a woman she was not even related to.

  After Martha read the results, she was so weak she was barely able to reach over and ring the small silver bell on the end table. As soon as Gerta heard the faint ding-ding of the bell, she hurried across the hall to the library. When she opened the door and saw Martha Lee’s ashen face, she was alarmed.

  “Mrs. Caldwell, are you all right?”

  Martha Lee looked over and said wistfully, “No, dear. I’ll never be all right again, as long as I live. Tell Cook to bring me a large glass of cold gin and a gun.”

  “A gun? Oh, Mrs. Caldwell, I can’t do that. I’d be afraid to even pick up a gun. I just couldn’t. Why, you might hurt yourself.”

  Martha sighed. “Oh, all right, then. Just bring the gin.”

  * * *

  —

  SOMEHOW, MARTHA LEE survived the next few weeks without doing herself in. And today she even had a small glimmer of hope that maybe all was not lost after all. Gerta was now extremely busy tracing the history of all the Chinese dynasties, desperately looking for a connection with the Wong or Lee family to one of the ancient Manchu emperors. And, as she told Martha Lee, who knows? She might be able to find a direct line straight back to the Dowager Empress herself.

  After Martha Lee had some time to calm down a bit, she realized this new revelation about her ancestry actually made some sense. She had always been partial to all things Far Eastern: art, rugs, furniture. And she did have the largest collection of Ming vases in Atlanta. And Dowager Empress…oh, she liked the sound of that.

  And as she told Gerta, “One must follow one’s genes, don’t you think?”

  Gerta agreed. She was 98 percent German, and she had loved beer all her life.

  * * *

  —

  A MONTH LATER, just when Martha Lee was getting her spirits back, she was struck another blow. Her late husband’s lawyer, who handled all their financial affairs, came to the house and informed her that she was running out of money, and could no longer afford to keep her home. She was not happy to hear this.

  “How long do I have before I will be forced to leave?”

  “Six months at least.” He looked around the room, and said, “Of course, you could buy yourself a little more time here, Martha.”

  “How?”

  “You could sell some of your antiques. You have quite a collection. I imagine those vases could bring in a good amount.”

  Martha Lee was indignant. “What? I couldn’t possibly sell my collection. These are not just antiques, Ronald.” Martha Lee waved her arm in the direction of the vases. “These are precious family heirlooms that go back in my family for over six centuries.”

  “I see. Well then, Martha, you might want to start looking into Briarwood.”

  WHISTLE STOP, ALABAMA

  December 2016

  BUD PICKED UP the phone and it was Ruthie.

  “Hey, Daddy, how are you?”

  “Well, hello there. Where are you?”

  “Still in Birmingham.”

  “Ah…still working away on your project?”

  “Oh, yes. But I know someone who is having a birthday this Sunday.”

  “Don’t remind me. I’m trying to forget it.”

  “Listen, Daddy, do you think maybe your friend Lois could look after Mr. Virgil for a few days?”

  “I’m sure she would, why?”

  “Because I want you to come over to Birmingham for your birthday; I have something I want to show you. What if I pick you up at Briarwood Saturday morning, and then bring you back Monday morning? Will you do it?”

  “Sure, sounds like fun.”

  * * *

  —

  SATURDAY AFTERNOON, AFTER she and Bud arrived at Evelyn’s house and had visited a bit, Ruthie said, “Daddy, Evelyn and I have a surprise for you. We want to take you somewhere, but you have to promise to do exactly what we say.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  When they got to Evelyn’s car, Ruthie said, “Get in and don’t ask any questions.”

  He laughed and got in and sat down.

  “Now, Daddy, I’m going to tie this handkerchief over your eyes and you are not to take it off until we tell you to.”

  “Am I being kidnapped?”
<
br />   “Yes.”

  He giggled. “Y’all are not driving me to the loony bin, are you?”

  “No. You just behave, and you’ll see soon enough.”

  * * *

  —

  AS THEY DROVE around Gate City and down the old one-lane gravel road, Ruthie was afraid he might guess where he was, but he didn’t.

  Evelyn pulled up and parked right across the street from the cafe.

  “Are we here?” Bud asked.

  “Yes, but don’t you look until I tell you.” They both got out and helped him out of the car, then turned him around and faced him toward the cafe. Ruthie said, “Okay. You can look now.”

  Bud smiled and pulled off the handkerchief and for a moment, he seemed to not know where he was.

  “Daddy, it’s Whistle Stop! Look, there’s the old cafe and the beauty shop.”

  Bud was clearly stunned. “I see it, but I can’t believe it. I thought it was all gone! They told me there was nothing left out here but a pile of junk.”

  Evelyn said, “There wasn’t, but Ruthie and I had it all cleaned up, and we are going to rebuild the entire town from the ground up.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “No, Daddy, a lot of it is still here. It just needs to be rebuilt.”

  “You have got to be kidding. Is this the project you gals have been working on?”

  “Yes, Evelyn bought the entire town. And we are going to reopen the old cafe, and hopefully bring in more businesses. What do you think?”

  “I can’t think. I’m still in a state of shock.” He looked at Evelyn. “You bought the whole town?”

  “Well, Bud, I figured that the way Birmingham is spreading out so fast, as soon as we get our roads built and have access to the interstate, it’s going to change everything. I believe we can get people to start moving out here again.”