Free Jacob's Ladder by Jackie Lynn Page A

of her conclusion.
    Rose was unsure of how to respond. There was an awkward silence.
    â€œThen again, dear,” Ms. Lou Ellen said as she sat up and faced her friend, “perhaps you just stuck your hand in the wrong pocket.” She smiled and nodded at Rose, then got up from her seat and walked over to the sink, placing her cup under the faucet.
    â€œWell, it appears as if we have company,” she said, now speaking in a light, cheerful tone. She was standing in front of the kitchen window, which faced the campground office.
    Rose seemed baffled, first by her friend’s line of thinking and her explanation for what had occurred at the library and second by the quick change of topic. She shook her head, as if that would help clear her mind.
    â€œWho do we know who drives a long gold Cadillac bearing North Carolina plates?”
    Ms. Lou Ellen had retrieved her pair of opera glasses from the shelf beside the sink and was investigating the new arrival.
    As soon as she heard “gold Cadillac,” Rose jumped up from the table, frightening Lester Earl, and ran to the window to stand beside her friend. The dog howled and hobbled to the corner of the room.
    â€œI can’t believe it,” Rose said in a hushed voice as she watched a man step out from the driver’s side, a man she clearly recognized, a man who had always claimed that when he turned forty he was buying himself a gold Cadillac and driving across the country.
    There was a moment in which she felt almost happy to see her ex-husband, but as soon as the passenger door opened and the long legs of the woman she assumed was his new wife emerged, the hint of pleasure was dulled.

NINE
    â€œHow do I look?” Rose asked her friend anxiously. She began to smooth down her blouse and then quickly searched around the room for a mirror.
    â€œJust like yourself,” Ms. Lou Ellen replied, still unsure of who had just driven up to the campground. She turned to the younger woman and was examining her through the opera glasses. Rose was magnified. “Only a whole lot bigger,” she added.
    â€œI can’t believe he’s here,” Rose said fretfully, still watching out the window.
    â€œAnd just who is this ‘he’?” Ms. Lou Ellen asked.
    â€œRip,” Rose replied, sounding out of breath, “My ex-husband.”
    Ms. Lou Ellen turned to the dog resting under the table. “Was there some convention you fellows attended that suggested you visit previous wives?” she asked her new companion. “Did you decide that it would be more of an advantage if all of the ex-husbands of the women at Shady Grove showed up at once?”
    The dog sat up as if he had been called. Ms. Lou Ellen spun back to the window and to the scene that was taking place just outside her door.
    The man stood and stretched; then he hurried to the passenger door, opening it wide. He bent down and gave the woman inside his hand. Out came a tall, thin, tan, very young, very blond woman. He nervously closed the door behind her as she glanced around at her new surroundings. They walked up the steps and into the office.
    â€œAnd he brought her,” Rose cried. “Her!” she said again. “What on earth is he thinking?”
    Ms. Lou Ellen followed them with her opera glasses. “That somehow spending time with a younger woman will help him forget the bald spot on the back of his head and the fact that his penis has shrunk.”
    The dog made a yelping noise and moved from the corner of the kitchen to the rear bedroom. Ms. Lou Ellen watched her new pet as he hurried away, his tail curled beneath his one rear leg.
    â€œOh, I apologize, dear,” she called out to the departing dog. “Lester Earl,” she shouted, “I’m sorry. I did promise I wouldn’t mention your indiscretion again.” She waited. The dog did not return.
    â€œOh well,” she said to Rose as she leaned forward, straining her neck to