The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

In 1909, Stanislaw Ludic Jurdabralinski leaves Poland and arrives in Chicago. He believes that anything is possible with hard work in the United States.

On June 6, 2005, Mrs. Sarah Jane “Sookie” Poole drives down Highway 98 in Point Clear, Alabama. The last of her daughters’ weddings has just occurred, and she feels relieved that she will not have to plan another wedding. Her son’s nuptials, she thinks, are the mother of the bride’s responsibility. Her own wedding to Earle was in 1968. Now, she feels she can relax, as the only other person she has to worry about is her 88-year-old mother, Lenore Simmons Krackenberry, who still lives in her own home. Two of the nurses Sookie hired to take care of Lenore quit, and a third left, stealing from Lenore in the process. The newest nurse, Angel, is very sweet. Sookie is grateful that Angel’s hiring means that she will be able to attend her sorority’s reunion in Dallas, where she can reunite with her roommate, Dena Nordstrom.

Once Sookie arrives home, her mother calls, summoning her to her house. Sookie walks over. Lenore suggests Sookie does not fully appreciate what she will inherit once Lenore passes away.