Dixie Diva Blues Read Online Free

after dark we had to push a button on the wall and identify ourselves to the small metal console screwed into bricks. Rayna’s voice quavered only slightly when she replied to the questioner. Then the door buzzed open, and we trooped inside and through a second glass entry into the waiting room.
    Maybe “waiting room” isn’t the best way to describe the area. That phrase brings to mind doctor or dentist offices, none of which have bullet-proof glass for uniformed—and armed—receptionists. Nor do most dentist offices have a large corkboard filled with ads for bail bondsmen. Perhaps they should have. Prices just to clean teeth have become a form of armed robbery.
    At any rate, once we were inside the concrete block area painted a soothing, pale, gray-green, Rayna went to the glass window and stated her business. The officer, a burly man with a uni-brow, rolled across the floor in his chair to peck at the computer for a moment. When he glanced up at last, his gaze moved to Bitty, who stood right next to Rayna.
    “No dogs,” he said gruffly, and jerked his thumb toward the door.
    Since he vindicated my earlier comments, I smiled. Bitty, however, did not. She drew herself up to the remarkable height of five-foot-two and said, “She has to stay with me.”
    “Then you both can stand outside,” came the expected reply.
    Bitty’s eyes narrowed. I recognized an imminent scene and took a backward step just in case there should be trouble of the arresting kind. With Bitty, one never knows quite how far she’ll take what she considers to be an injustice.
    “I’ll have you know,” said Bitty, “that this is a valuable service dog.”
    “Yeah? Where’s her Service Animal ID tag?”
    “It spoils the look and makes too much noise.”
    The officer’s eyes flicked to the pug Bitty held in a baby-sling across her ample chest. Chen Ling wore a pink, diamond-studded collar that could barely be seen beneath a pink-and-cream handmade bib tied around her neck. I Love Mommy was embroidered in fancy stitching on the crushed velvet material. The baby sling was of sturdier material, but edged with more velvet, and the inside was a soft chenille—pink, of course. Bitty had Chen Ling’s clothes, bibs, and slings specially sewn and/or altered to her specifications. I hope to come back in my next life as Bitty’s dog.
    Needless to say, the officer did not buy Bitty’s claim that the pug was a service animal. He pointed to the double glass doors. “Out.”
    Bitty stood her ground. “Officer, this dog is highly trained.”
    “In what?”
    “I have fits. She can tell when one is about to hit and alerts me.”
    The policeman, who I assumed to be a sheriff’s deputy of some kind, looked at Bitty from under the long, dark slash of his eyebrow. The tip of a pencil he chewed on briefly stilled before he switched it to the other side of his mouth and said, “What kind of fits?”
    “Oh, just the usual kind. You know. Twitching. Drooling. Flopping around on the floor.”
    Obviously intrigued, the deputy leaned forward a little bit to look at Bitty through the glass. “How does the dog help?”
    “She can tell when a fit is coming on and barks so I can sit down somewhere. It’s very helpful.”
    Amazed by Bitty’s creativity and on-the-spot lying expertise, I did my best to keep a straight face. Rayna decided to step to one side to stare at the bail bondsman ads while Gaynelle stuck it out with me. In her years as a teacher she had become well accustomed to facile liars and inventive tales. She’s seen and heard everything, I’m sure.
    The cop just looked at Bitty for a moment, then sat back in his chair and shook his head. Apparently, he wasn’t buying any of it. I realize police are a lot like teachers. They have, no doubt, seen and heard everything in the way of excuses.
    Before the cop could question Bitty further, Chen Ling began to bark ferociously. Bitty looked down at her, and then said, “Oh my! I need to sit down at