During the eventful road trip that follows, Annie will confront the gap between friendship and responsibility; between her safe, ordered existence and the dreams she's grown accustomed to denying.
Mercy Anne Banks, or Annie, as she likes to be called, grew up, got married and continues to reside in the safe little city of Jackson. Jackson is not a place to hide secrets, not in the fancy circles that Annie was a part of. She is not surprised to find out that one of the men she grew up with had an extramarital affair with a girl who clearly grew up in a trailer park, making her trailer trash. What does shock Annie is finding herself face-to-face with the woman who turns out to be nearly eight months pregnant. The child a bastard from the affair.
What is even more surprising is the fact that the woman turns out to be someone Annie knows.
'Without thinking, the rite pertaining to social awkwardness comes to [Annie's] lips and [she says], "Do I know you?"
"I'm Starr Dukes," she says. The look she gives [Annie] is as cold as the wind. "It's sure been a long time."
It's been 27 years.'
Starr is Annie's best friend; a girl who showed up in grade one and vanished with her father halfway through grade two. Annie can't just leave her alone in the cold so she offers the woman a ride home. This gives them a chance to catch up. The conversation quickly and predictably turned to Starr's condition. She is determined to keep the baby and take on the fathers wealthy family through legal action if necessary. Annie knows her friend stands little chance against such a formidable family. Still, Starr was her friend and she needed help.
Starr claimed to have a friend holding $20,000 for her if she could only get to it.
'"Me and my baby are going to see that lying nickel son-of-a-bitch pays for every damn box of Pampers, every pair do soccer shoes, every trip to the orthodontist, and anything else I can think up. I've got the money for the kind of lawyer I need. I just got to get to New Orleans."
"Starr, that's three hours from here, Annie exclaims.
"I can hitchhike if I've got to," Starr says, waving a dismissive hand.'
Even though she hasn't seen Starr for nearly 30 years Annie knows she can't just leave her stranded.
'"All right! I'll drive you..."'
Annie gives in easily though she knows it's not going to be that simple. All she has to do is convince her husband that she is far too sick to join him at his business dinner that night. She hates lying to him but knows he'd never allow her to help as their social life would be on the line, associating with the likes of Starr Dukes.
She somehow convinces him that she's too ill to go to dinner, but not so ill that she needs him to check up on her. She hopes her deception will leave her absence undetected. 6 hours there and back and only a few more to pick up the money Annie prays her actions will remain hidden as Starr navigates them through the old neighbourhoods of New Orleans until they come to the fair grounds where Starr's mysterious friend lives.
Inside Starr helps herself to some freshly baked Snickerdoodles. The mere sight of them make Annie's mouth water. Determined not to have one she silently sips her coffee until a moment comes where Annie is alone in the kitchen and cannot resist a brownie. She shoves it in her mouth before her friends come back and too late notices something strange about the treats.
"It tastes a little strange, as though Bette's recipe is a foreign one... [Annie] chews thoughtfully for a minute and can almost identify the herby aftertaste..."
She feels as if she should sit down or get some air and chooses the latter. She stumbles out the front door and nearly lands flat on her face.
'"Hey, watch yourself." A strong, warm hand catches [her] elbow another across the small of [her] back, steadying [her.]'
In spite of her best intentions, and because of her influenced state, Annie lets this handsome stranger, Ted, lead her off to look at the horses he takes care of.
'Without thinking [she stretched] up on [her] tiptoes to give him a kiss on his stubble-covered jaw for being such a nice man, but at the same time Ted [turned] his face down to mine like he [wanted] to ask [her] a question...[her] mouth folds into his mouth...he feels so wonderful so amazing...[she] dare not let go.'
After a while, as the two try to make chit-chat, Ted offers to take her back to Bette's. Thinking Starr and she still have time to get home before her disappearance is noticed, Annie returns to the trailer only to find that her car is missing.
'"Starr took your car and went back to Jackson. You we're gone for...over and hour, and we didn't even know where you'd gone. She said to tell you it couldn't wait," Bette explains.'
So Annie, stranded without any money, is devastated and alone in the middle if the night. Luckily Ted is able to give her a ride.
'"He's one of the good guys, hon," Bette offers.'
Annie accepts and on the way they talk about it all; religion, politics, money, but it isn't long before Annie breaks down into a sobbing puddle of tears from exhaustion and disappointment. She folds into Ted's arms for comfort.
'"Are you sure, Annie?" he says, low-voiced and hoarse.'
Annie knows that she is, even though she vows to never tell her husband. When he gets her safely home she is dismayed to see her mothers cream-coloured Lincoln and a black and white police car parked in front of her house. It's early, nearly 6:00 a.m. and they know she's gone. It's up to her to explain.
'[She] can't speak up because [she doesn't] know what to say, how to justify the unjustifiable.
And then, with a jolt of self-awareness...[she's] amazed to discover [she's] mortally tired of this...[she'll] be damned if [she] can stand living like this anymore, always wrong, always apologizing.
"It's too much," [her husband] admits.'
She knows she should go after him, but she doesn't. It seems her marriage is ending. After 13 years of living a life, a life where she's yearned for a child to make her marriage whole; after 13 years she's given up hope of ever having a child.... Until she finds out that she's pregnant with Ted's child.
With her old life in ruins Annie knows there's no going back. That she must continue doing the right thing.
This book tells a poignant story of a reconnection between two women intermittently laced with touching stories of their brief friendship as children. Delightful and thought-provoking, The Right Thing will leave you thinking about it long after you put it away.
Click here to purchase 'The Right Thing'
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