Free 29 by Adena Halpern Page B

said and laughed, staring at the umbrella, “come on, do you really need the old-lady umbrella today? You’re wearing your Ellie Jerome dress! No one will be able to see you behind this big ugly umbrella.”
    “You’re right, Ms. Smarty Pants.” I laughed and handed it to her. “I don’t need it today, but you do! It’s about time that you start taking care of your skin. Trust me, Lucy, you will thank me when you’re old. Come to think of it, though, since I’m only going to be this way for a day, I’m going to sit in the sun like I haven’t done in years. Lucy, add that to the list of things to do today.”
    Lucy took out the list we’d made. “Do you want to schedule the sun time before your bikini wax or after you try on thongs?”
    “After we try on thongs. My tush hasn’t seen the sun in fiftyyears, so who knows?” I nudged her, laughing, but she didn’t join in.
    “Do you want to be arrested, too? That’s another thing you’ve never done.”
    “Spoilsport.” I smiled at her as she locked her arm in mine.
    As we looked up, we saw Hershel Neal coming toward us.
    “Oh, crap, here comes Hershel,” I whispered to Lucy.
    “Hi, Lucy,” he said and held out his hand to her.
    “Hi, Mr. Neal. How are you today?” she said, extending her hand to him. He took her hand in his and clasped it tenderly.
    “Very good. How was your grandmother’s birthday?”
    “It was a really nice night.” She turned to me. “Hershel, this is my cousin Ellie, uh, Michele, uh, Ellie Michele, from Chicago.”
    “Of course you are!” He smiled then took my hand and clasped it. “You two could be twins. Very nice to meet you. Ellie Michele—that’s an interesting name. I guess you were named for your grandmother?”
    “Yes.” I smiled, but that was all I said. I couldn’t stand him when I was old; he was the last person I wanted to talk to when I was young.
    “By the way, Ellie Michele, that’s a lovely dress.”
    I looked down and smoothed the dress.
    “Thank you,” I said, barely smiling.
    “Please send your grandmother a nice hello from me,” he said to Lucy.
    “Will do.”
    As we walked past him, Lucy whispered back to me, “Hershel Neal says hello.”
    “Thanks,” I said with a hmph.
    “I don’t see what’s wrong with him,” she said. “He’s cute.”
    “Oh, please,” I said, turning around to see the back of him. “Here it is, seventy-eight degrees outside, and Hershel is in a sports jacket. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that man outside without a sports jacket on.”
    “Of all the people to complain about that—you’re Miss Proper.”
    “I’m just saying that it would be nice to see him in something a little more comfortable. He’s such a stuffed shirt.”
    “You like him,” Lucy ribbed.
    “Oh, please.” I threw up my hands.
    “You do, you like him,” she egged me on.
    “I like that he pays attention to me, but I told you before, I don’t need another old man coming into my life who’s going to tell me what to do.”
    “How do you know he’d be like that?”
    “Believe me, I know. All men from my generation are like that. You know who he’d be better off with, don’t you?”
    “Who?” she asked.
    “Frida. The two of them are so buttoned-up it wouldn’t be such a bad idea if they unbuttoned together, if you know what I mean.” I laughed. “God, for Frida to start dating someone, that would be a dream. No, there is no way I would ever go on a date with that man.”
    “You’re being so closed-minded.”
    “Subject closed. I’m right.”
    “Fine.” Lucy sighed.
    “Oh, and another thing—let’s figure out exactly what myname is. Should I be Ellie or Michele? That Ellie Michele stuff sounded crazy.”
    “Well, I guess if we run into Frida again, your name is Michele. We’ll have to call you Ellie, though, if you need to pay with a credit card. What if they ask for an ID?”
    “Smart thinking,” I said. “How did you get so smart?”
    “It runs in the