Chapter 68

68
PURDY PLACES MOBILE HOME ESTATES, SAN DIEGO

Martha Stratton sat quiet and alone in the little trailer. The dishes from her lonely dinner of tomato soup still sat in the sink in the tiny kitchen. She didn't know exactly how long she had been sitting, only that it wasn't time for bed yet.

A sharp knock at the door caught her by surprise. Who could be calling at this hour?

Not a woman to particularly worry about her safety, she called, "Come on in!" without leaving her chair at the dinette table.

Betty and Marge burst into the room. As Martha stood up to greet them, Betty gave her a nice hug.

"Oh, Martha, why are you sittin' here in the gloom all by yourself? Marge and me were going to get together to watch television tonight, but when we thought of you we figured we'd come over and visit." Betty explained. Marge nodded blankly in agreement.

Martha offered the two women chairs. There were only three chairs in the place. Buck had never encouraged company, which was fine since no one ever called anyway. "I am so glad to see you! Marge it's been a month of Sundays since I had your beautiful face starin' at me. I've been awful lonely around here since Buck started stayin' at the new ministry building. He's got a nice apartment down there, and its close to the action so he's right on the spot to manage everything. You know, the ministry has really grown in the past month or so. Praise the Lord! It's been a miracle!"

Betty got right to the point. "Martha, I been readin' in the paper about Buck's ministry. That man is getting a whoppin' lot of money from the folks that are stupid enough to listen to that radio show. Why in hell isn't he takin' care of you? You got rights, you know!"

"What she said goes for me, too!" Marge piped in.

"Well now, Betty, Buck has been takin' care of me. Some man named Rosenthal has been payin' all the bills and the rent. I have been eatin' just fine on the little dab of money I saved up. Especially since I'm on a diet anyway." Martha answered.

Betty caught herself up, "Land o' the livin', Martha!. I was so busy worrying about you over here alone that I plum forgot that diet of yours. Stand up! Let us see what's goin' on with you!"

Martha, a little embarrassed, pushed her chair away from the table and stood up. She pulled her apron off and laid it on the counter. "I'm down almost forty pounds, well, thirty eight to be completely honest."

"My lord! What a beautiful woman you are! Ain't that right, Marge?" Betty looked at her friend who was, as usual, nodding in agreement.

"You know, every time I started to feel like givin' up on this diet, and there have been some hard times, I just read that book you gave me over again. That gets me all fired up to keep goin'! I am so grateful for that, Betty. It's been a Godsend!" Martha reached for the paperback, now well worn, resting on the window sill.

"What book is it, Martha?" asked Marge sheepishly.

"Why, it's called Dominate Your Body: Lose Weight, Gain Power by Xanatu Pushbellows. She wrote another one called The Age of the Roaring Woman: From Sexual Liberation to Female Power in Politics. I've just got a mean hankerin' to read it, too, but I haven't ever seen it in the grocery. I don't really have much of a chance to get much further than that. But it says that it's in paperback, so I can probably afford it if I can find it." Martha continued, "I never read anything like that before, Betty. I think it's changin' my life. It sure is changin' the way I see things!"

"Well, honey, it sure did help you change the way you look! If I didn't know about the diet, I'd a' figured you had a tape worm or some damn thing! You're beautiful! You are just beautiful! A sexy, voluptuous mature woman! Land o' the livin! Martha, you're a thing to behold from your toes to your head!" Betty exclaimed.

"Martha, I have that other book at home! The one about Female Power in Politics and the Roaring Woman. I'll bring it over tomorrow if I can find it. I'd be glad to do it!" Marge offered.

"Well, girls, I thought I'd better do something with this old body if I plan to get Buck back home where he belongs. That man was just losing interest in me. You know, him movin' down to that apartment in the ministry headquarters, I brought that on myself. I deserved it for not taking better care of myself." Martha's eyes were not crying, but they were wet.

"Martha, you get them ideas out of your pretty little head! Sounds like you ought'a read that book again. Buck Stratton is a pig and a loser! You deserve so much more out of life than that fat little Bible bigot! Can't you see he's down to the ministry livin' in the lap of luxury, being the Big Cheese, bossin' everybody around while you got left in this damned trailer?" Betty was on a roll. "You need some fresh air. Why not walk over to Marge's and get that other book right now. You're startin' out on the right foot here, honey, but when I hear you say stuff like that, it just tells me you gotta keep movin'!"



They parted company, Betty off to her Andy and Martha home to a cold, lonely trailer. Martha Stratton finished Xanatu Pushbellow's exposition of the Age of the Roaring Woman as the first light of dawn lit the tiny windows of Buck Stratton's trailer. The top of the dinette table was covered with tears, but the heart and soul of Martha Stratton were filled with fire.