Free The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

just have to figure this out by myself.”
    “Well, all right, but in the meantime, you won’t do anything foolish, will you?”
    “No, I’ve got to get Carter married and settled before I do anything foolish.”
    “Sookie, this is a lot to handle by yourself. Maybe it would be a good idea to seek out a professional to help you through this.”
    “Well, you’re the lucky one. You married a psychiatrist. I married a dentist.”
    “Would you like me to ask Gerry to try to find someone for you?”
    “No. This is not the kind of thing I would talk to a stranger about.”
    “But, Sookie … that’s the point.”
    “Well, I’ll think about it, but right now, I really don’t want to tell anyone but you.”
    “All right, but I want you to call me and let me know what’s going on, okay?”
    “I will.”
    After she hung up, Dena thought about just getting on a plane and going down to Alabama, but Sookie had said she wanted to try and work it out by herself, and maybe she was right. Dena knew Lenore and had always gotten a big kick out of her, but she had also felt kind of sorry for Sookie, and finding out that she was adopted was going to be hard. Sookie had always viewed herself through Lenore’s eyes. No matter how many times Dena had tried to tell her, Sookie had never understood what a great gal she was on her own. She had been one of the funniest and best-liked girls on campus, but she had never quite believed it. Everybody seemed to love Sookie but Sookie.
    A FTER S OOKIE HAD SPOKEN to Dena, she realized that Peek-a-Boo needed to be fed, so she got up out of bed and went downstairs. As she opened a can of tuna, she thought about what Dena had advised. She was probably right, but there was only one psychiatrist in Point Clear, and it was obvious that Dr. Shapiro had never practiced in a small town before. His office was right next to the Just Teazzing hair salon, and you couldn’t go in or out without everyone seeing you. She certainly couldn’t go, or it would be all over town in less than five minutes.
    Even Mobile was not far enough away for that, thanks to Lenore knowing so many people. At one time or another Winged Victory had been the chairman of every committee known to man, and was a clubwoman to the bone. If they didn’t have one she liked, she started one, and she was always elected president. But as Netta said, “Lenore’s damned good at running things, so why not?” Netta was right, of course. The woman seemed to have been born with a gavel in her hand.
    The rest of the day, Sookie kept catching glimpses of herself in the mirror. She knew she looked the same on the outside. She walked and talked like the same person. But she didn’t know who or what she was on the inside.
    Finally, she called Earle, who came to the phone right away. “Earle,my ears are ringing. Does that mean I’m going to have a stroke? I feel like I might be having a stroke.”
    “No, honey, it’s just stress.”
    “Yes, but my heart is racing. I could be having some kind of attack. Should I call an ambulance?”
    “No, you’re fine. Just breathe, sweetheart. Listen, my last patient cancelled, I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    She sure was glad to see him when he walked in the door. Later, she managed to fix dinner, but she still felt disoriented. Earle didn’t leave her side.
    When they got in bed, she tried to sleep, but she tossed and turned all night. Even Peek-a-Boo got fed up and went over to Earle’s side of the bed. But she couldn’t help it. All she could think about was that person she used to be … that woman in the mirror.
    Earle finally rolled over and said, “Honey, it’s four-twenty. Close your eyes, and get some sleep.”
    “I will, but Earle, are you sure I’m not having a heart attack? I can still hear it beating. Here, can you feel it? Shouldn’t I go to the emergency room?”
    Earle felt her heart and patted her hand. “No, baby, it’s just anxiety. Try to get some sleep, and