Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

by Fannie Flagg

and I could almost see Idgie Threadgoode sitting in the chinaberry tree, howling like a dog every time Essie Rue tried to sing.

‘Ninny, all I hear is Idgie said this and Idgie did that.’ He said, ‘Don’t you have anything better to do than to hang around that cafe all day?’

She was a character all right, but how anybody ever could have thought that she killed that man is beyond me.”

oh!

Idgie was his pet, so anything she did was all right with him.

“One time, they had this raccoon named Cookie, and I used to spend hours watching him try to wash a cracker.

what

“I believe in God, but I don’t think you have to go crazy to prove it.”

She was too hurt to cry….You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same.

No, it wasn’t death she was afraid of. It was this life of hers

I’m too young to be old and too old to be young. I just don’t fit anywhere. I wish I could kill myself, but I don’t have the courage.”

You cain’t dwell on sadness, oh, it’ll make you sick faster than anything in this world.”

“But when Ruth came to live with us, you never saw a change in anybody so fast in all your life.

‘Now, children, your sister has a crush, and I don’t want one person to laugh at her. Is that understood?’

Momma said Idgie would have jumped off a mountain backwards if Ruth had asked her to.

“Please. You promised you would. If you don’t come right now, I’ll jump off the roof and kill myself. Then what would you do?”

The only normal response to a pretty girl

“You know, Ruth, I’d kill for you. Anybody that would ever hurt you, I’d kill them in a minute and never think twice about it.” “Oh Idgie, that’s a terrible thing to say.” “No it isn’t. I’d rather kill for love than kill for hate. Wouldn’t you?”

Ruth took her hand and smiled down at her. “My Idgie’s a bee charmer.”

“You’re an old bee charmer, Idgie Threadgoode, that’s what you are…” Idgie smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected in her eyes, and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.

killing myself

When Idgie had grinned at her and tried to hand her that jar of honey, all these feelings that she had been trying to hold back came flooding through her, and it was at that second in time that she knew she loved Idgie with all her heart.

You never know what’s in a person’s heart until they’re tested, do you?”

There are magnificent beings on this earth, son, that are walking around posing as humans.

No matter what you look like, there’s somebody who’s gonna think you’re the handsomest man in the world.

“I just wonder how many people never get the one they want, and wind up with the one they’re supposed to be with.

Ruth looked as beautiful in her wedding gown as Idgie thought she would.

The big question is: Who is Railroad Bill?

Its definitely idgie...

Some of your best people are murderers.”

Ruth had come to believe that this handsome young man loved her, and that she should and therefore did love him.

“Would you tell her that a bee charmer from Alabama is here to see her?”

“Look, I don’t want to bother you. I know you’re probably very happy and all…I mean, I’m sure you are, but I just wanted you to know that I don’t hate you and I never did. I still want you to come back and I’m not a kid anymore, so I’m not gonna change. I still love you and I always will and I still don’t care what anybody thinks—”

IF YOU EVER HIT RUTH AGAIN, I’LL KILL YOU! YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR I’LL CUT YOUR DAMN HEART OUT! YOU HEAR ME, YOU ASSHOLE BASTARD!”

And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.

told her that now that she was going to be responsible for Ruth and a baby, she’d better figure out what she wanted to do, and gave her five hundred dollars to start a business with.

and she would want to see her so bad that the pain of longing for her sometimes took her breath away.

She took a deep breath of fresh air and felt her heart rising like a kite that some child had just released to the heavens.

Big George, who was leaning against the truck, calmly pull a knife out of his pocket and core the apple he had in his hand with one swift movement, and throw it over his shoulder.

People cain’t help being what they are any more than a skunk can help being a skunk. Don’t you think if they had their choice they would rather be something else? Sure they would. People are just weak.’

“If you cage a wild thing, you can be sure it will die, but if you let it run free, nine times out of ten it will run back home.”

it had been my Aunt Idgie jumping them trains, all along.”

“You know, I’ve been thinking. I don’t know what’s worse—going to jail or having to be nice to the preacher for the rest of my life.”

And even after she had died, she was still alive in his heart. She could never die for him.

They each understood what the other was feeling. It was as if, from then on, the two of them mourned together.

Evelyn stopped the car and sat there, sobbing like her heart would break, wondering why people had to get old and die.

I’ll always remember. Your friend, The Bee Charmer