jewel, _letters to aggie

.................................
letters to aggie
.................................

Dear Aggie,

        I hope you got my postcard. Tampa was wonderful! It was so romantic! I really don't know how Billy Ray could afford it but when I asked him he just said, "Don't worry about a thing, darling, only the best for my new wife." Isn't that sweet?
        I know you never liked Billy Ray all that much, but he is so good to me Aggie! I know he's older and he's been married three times already but he is so kind and loving. And let's just say he's no slouch in bed if you know what I mean! <wink wink>
        I sure hope you can come to visit us sometime. You can see for yourself how good he treats me. I got the nicest gold necklace with my name in fancy letters and a tiny diamond chip over the "i". He says that's to fill in until he can buy me a _proper_ wedding ring! And he let me pick out a special salt-and-pepper shaker set for my collection--it's a girl in a bikini cut in half (her top's the salt and her bottom's the pepper) and it says "sun your buns" on her butt! Isn't that so cool!
        I know we are going to be so happy together. Well I better get going now because we are moving all my stuff into his double wide and I need to unpack. Take care!

Love, your sister,
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        I hope you are doing good I have just finished moving into the double wide!!! It is so spacious!!!
        Billy Ray even hung up some shelves for my salt-and-pepper shaker collection. Only one of my shakers cracked in the move and he said he'd buy me a new one to replace it. (it was the Raggedy Ann and Andy ones which I don't think you can get anymore but it was sweet of him to offer. All the ones you gave me are fine thank God.)
        And I got one corner of the living room set up to do my latch-hooks when we watch TV at night. Him in one lay-z-boy and me in the other! I'm a regular old married woman already!
        I sure do miss you though, Aggie. I wish you could be here to come over and have coffee with me.
        Well must go now as Billy Ray and I are going to the Hardware Hank to get some letters to put on the screen door to read "Billy Ray and Alice Bluebeard"--then it's official!
        It will be good because you can still see where the letters from his last ex were.
        Take care I love you.

Your sister,
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        Now I can write to you because I have so much time on my hands! I thought it would be nice that Billy Ray didn't want his wife working but I miss all the girls at Doolittle's Drug Emporium.
        Billy Ray says now I'll have all sorts of time to do my latch-hooks which is true.
        I guess I'm not used to being around the trailer so much. And of course Billy Ray works all day. But at night we have so much fun, if you know what I mean! <wink wink>
        I don't know how his ex's could have left this luscious man alone. He gives me everything I could want. He even gave me my own set of keys to the double wide and his pick-up and the shed. But he said the shed is where he goes to get away from it all so not to go out there.
        Well, I'm trying to meet some of the other wives here in the park, but not much luck. They seem kind of shy. Maybe they think I'm just "temporary" like Billy Ray's ex's. Ha ha! I sure do miss you.

Love, your sister.
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        I have done three latch-hooks this week. One of the Mona Lisa, one of the Sitting Bull and one of John F. Kennedy. I would like to take some to the craft fair coming up but Billy Ray has the pick-up all day so I don't know how I'm going to get there unless I take the bus and who wants to haul all those rugs on the bus?
        Maybe I can get him to give me a ride.
        But I think he likes to keep me to himself and around the trailer. Which is fine don't get me wrong and we still love each other but, Aggie, I'm going to have to get out SOON!
        I keep thinking of you and how you wouldn't let yourself sit around the double wide (even if it is nice). You moved to the city and are a big success now. I want you to know I think of you all the time and you are an inspiration to me.
        You were the one who gave me my first latch-hook set and then encouraged me to do my own designs!
        Got to go and take the casserole out of the oven! More later. Take care.

Love you,
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        I hope things are fine with you. I am afraid Billy Ray and I just had our first argument.
        I think I just get so tired of sitting around the double wide I mean there's only so many times I can dust the salt-and-pepper shakers and clean the bathroom and make meals for the week!!!
        So, I asked if I could have the pick-up to go to town last night and he said no he needed it to go over to Zeke's for poker. And then I said he got to go out all the time to Schmitty's or Zeke's or wherever and he said what was the matter wasn't he giving me everything I needed?
        Well, the sex is good, but Aggie you KNOW a woman needs more so I told Billy Ray I needed to get out more and if he didn't let me take the pick-up from time to time I'd go crazy.
        He didn't say anything so then I said maybe that's why his other wives had left him.
        And then he got SO MAD and he said never ever ever bring up his ex-wives in front of him again!
        Well, I feel bad but I don't think I'm wrong. I mean, he gave me a set of keys but I can't ever use them! He has the pick-up AND his own private space in the shed. Well, what about ME???
        Don't mean to bring you down or make you worry, though. Even people in love fight, I guess. Take care, I love you.

                    Your loving sister,
                    Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

I have decided to go to that craft fair. By hook or by crook. Registration is Wednesday night. Just wanted to send you a quick note to say I am going to be there!

Your sister,
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        You are not going to believe what I am going to tell you!!
        It is so crazy!!
        So you know I told you I was going to that craft fair? Well, Billy Ray and I had a HUGE fight about it. He finally said _maybe_ he'd drive me but by then I had gotten all worked up (you know how I can be!) and I insisted on going by myself.
        He said absolutely not and we swore at each other and I said I knew why his ex's had left him because he was so CONTROLLING! And he just said he'd told me once not to bring up his ex's and I'd be sorry if I did it again!
        Then he went out to the shed for a while.
        I was so mad I threw some of my salt and pepper shakers against the wall! But I was so angry I didn't care.
        Then he drove off in the pick-up and I was stuck home alone. Again.
        Well, Aggie, you know my temper. I just hated him at that moment when he drove off on Registration night just like it was any other. Like his poker game was more important than my latch-hooks!
        So I took the keys and went out to the shed. I don't know what I was going to do. I suppose smash some of his stuff out there like I'd smashed up my shakers.
        YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT I FOUND IN THAT SHED!!!
        A riding mower.
        But not just any riding mower!
        You are going to think I'm crazy but--It was _weird_. A real fancy Lawn Boy riding mower. I've _never_ seen him use it. And, it was all shiny and new, but, STRANGE.
        First off it was red. A bright autumn red--the EXACT shade of red that his ex, Shelia had. Remember Shelia? She had that permed "autumn auburn" hair? That's just what the mower reminded me of!
        And then I noticed that even though it looked new one of the blades was missing underneath. And it reminded me of his second wife Doreen! She had that gap-toothed smile, remember? I swear to you, Aggie, That missing blade was just like Doreen's smile!
        Then hanging off of the key in the ignition was a little pink rabbit's foot and I thought oh my God his first wife, that bitty thing he married right out of high school, she LOVED pink! I don't even recall her name but she used to wear a little pink like a scarf or a hair ribbon all the time!
        I know this all sounds totally out of hand but wait till I tell you this last!!!
        On top of the mower was one of my latch-hooks!!!
        (The one I did of "Venus on the Half-Shell")
        I couldn't believe it!!!
        Well, Aggie, I was just flabbergasted. I charged back into the double wide and gathered up some of my rugs and then started up the riding mower. I drove the damn thing right into town and right over to Zeke's house!!! Oh my God if only you could have seen Billy Ray Bluebeard's FACE when I drove up on his precious riding mower with all my latch-hooks!
        He was half-crying and half I-don't-even-know-what.
        I said to him "Billy Ray, I am going to register for that fair if I have to drive over on this riding mower! You can't stop me! And as for us we are finished!" Then I threw my necklace with the little diamond chip over the "i" at his feet and drove that mower of his over to the VFW and REGISTERED!!
        I know you would be proud of me!

Your sister,
Alice

******

Dear Aggie,

        Not so much time to write now that I am back at Doolittle's Drug Emporium, but, I wanted you to know things are going great!
        I got the last of my stuff from Billy Ray's double wide last week and now I'm moved into my own efficiency apartment downtown. I can walk to Doolittle's just down the street.
        And the craft fair was good, even if I didn't sell but one of my rugs. (The "Lincoln Weeping" I did a few years ago) It just felt good to be their with all the other "artisans."
        Maybe when I move to the city I will have a better chance of selling more. Because when I make a little more money from Doolittle's I'm renting a van and moving up there to be near you Aggie!
        The Delacroix sisters together again!
        I can't wait!!!
        Love you much!

xoxox
Alice

.................................
jewel
.................................

Next in ring: ...a letter to Agnieszka in this room by Deborah Kilgore...
Back to Room: My Good Name
Back to AgD: Return to Agnieszka's Dowry Welcoming Room