The Reading Circle

by Ashton Lee

  “Did you have another idea?” Maura Beth said, sensing his hesitation.

  “There was something else I wanted to talk to you about,” he began. “I just don’t know anyone else to turn to. Mama’s pretty old school about . . .” He trailed off and bit his lip.

  “About what, Mr. Place?”

  He exhaled forcefully, and everything started to pour out of him. “About interracial dating, that’s what. You see, I’m starting to have these feelings for Periwinkle. She has no idea. But I can’t seem to help myself. Before this breakup of hers, she used to confide in me all the time about everything. I began to see how much alike we were—self-made, good at what we do, not letting other people stand in our way. Of course, I hated to see her get mixed up with her ex-husband the way she did. She was so confused at times, or at least that’s what she told me. So I feel like I can help her get over what’s happened to her. But I don’t even know where to start. Do you have any advice for me?”

  Fortunately, Maura Beth had been prepared for Mr. Place’s revelations by Periwinkle herself. More than once, she had mentioned how solicitous of her he had been at The Twinkle, and now here he was confirming more than professional friendship on his part. Maura Beth had to admit that she herself had never considered dating someone of a different race, but she had gotten to know two mixed couples at LSU who seemed to be very happy together. They had gone out of their way to make their relationship work within a culture that was not always thrilled by their existence. She hadn’t given the subject much thought since then, but now that it had landed in her lap again, she felt comfortable being as supportive as she possibly could of Mr. Place.

  “In the six years I’ve known Periwinkle Lattimore,” she said, “I’ve heard nothing out of her mouth that would lead me to believe she would not value you as a friend or even something more. She’s the type of woman who believes in a fair shake for everyone.”

  “That’s good to hear.” He was eyeing her sideways. “Do I detect a ‘but’ in there somewhere?”

  “No, not really. You might want to keep in mind that’s she’s still going through a rough patch because of Harlan, though. She may need a little time away from men. I think you should stay close, which you can’t help but do working in the restaurant with her all day. Then, I bet you’ll know when the time is right to tell her how you really feel about her. The worst thing that can happen is that she’ll tell you she just wants to remain friends. On the other hand, you might end up being exactly the man she’s always been looking for. I know for a fact she hasn’t given up hope.”

  Mr. Place was slowly shifting his eyes from side to side as he considered her advice. “Makes sense to me, since I believe you know her best.” Then he started shaking his head while gazing up at the ceiling. “I know I’m a great pastry chef and all that, but I guess I don’t want that engraved on my tombstone. The time comes when a man wants to settle down and give up his flings and such. Yeah, it was easy for me to play the field up there in Memphis. My fancy hotel suite in the Grand Shelby Hotel was the perfect setting for it all, too. Mama’s after me all the time, of course. ‘When are you ever gonna find yourself a nice woman, baby? I’m almost too old to pick up a grandchild with this arthritis I got now.’ Of course, who knows what she’d say or how she’d act if I did start something up with Periwinkle? As I told you before, Mama’s old school and went through a lot more in her generation than I did in mine. Of course I love her, but I respect her even more because I never had to walk a mile in her shoes. Things started to get better by the time I was growing up.”

  “I never had to contend with any sort of prejudice in my life—unless you consider the type of disrespect I’ve encountered as a librarian from the local politicians a form of it,” Maura Beth said. “But the important thing is to fight back and not to abandon your dreams. Will you just listen to me—I really do sound like I’m running for office, don’t I?”

  “Nothing wrong with that, Miz Mayhew,” Mr. Place said, giving her a conspiratorial wink. “When you come down to it, I’d a helluva lot rather vote for you than Councilman Sparks and his cronies. Since I’ve been back, I can’t help but notice he’s got this town under his thumb.”

  18

  Stolen Thunder

  Whatever Maura Beth had expected from Councilman Sparks when Friday rolled around, it was certainly not something as brazen as this. Why, he had barely given her an hour’s notice, but when it came to his self-serving tactics, what else was new?

  “I’m holding a press conference today at high noon on the steps of City Hall,” he had told her over the phone. “I’m sure you and Nora will want to be there, since what I have to say will concern you very much. I’ll leave it up to you to get in touch with her because I’m very busy right now getting ready. Please don’t fail to be there, Miz Mayhew.”

  And with that, he had hung up, leaving her to wonder what he might be plotting now. Nonetheless, she and Nora had shown up ten minutes early, standing next to WHYY’s gangly young newsman, Lester Bateman, and a growing crowd of curious onlookers. In fact, Maura Beth recognized some of the faces as the downtown business owners she had called upon last year during her petition initiative on behalf of the library. From a distance, she took the time to nod and smile at such notables as Audra Neely, Vernon Dotrice, and Curtis Trickett, among others.

  “Do you have any idea what he’s going to say?” Maura Beth said to Lester, fixating on the size of the Adam’s apple that bulged from his long, skinny neck. In fact, the man looked as if he were a complete stranger to three squares a day.

  “No idea whatsoever,” he told her. “I just got a phone call about an hour ago telling me I’d want to be over here to cover and record his presser. We don’t hear much from City Hall, ya know. Most of the time Sparks and that crew of his act like we don’t even exist. I understand it’s been that way since the Daily Cherico went out of business a while back.”

  Momentarily, the Crumpton sisters, overdressed in pearls and stoles, emerged from City Hall and took their place at the top of the steps. They were soon joined by Councilman Sparks, his wife, Evie, Chunky Badham, Gopher Joe Martin, and Lottie Howard with notepad in hand.

  “Ladies and gentlemen!” Councilman Sparks began, his voice brimming with confidence and ringing out loud and clear over the buzzing Commerce Street crowd below. “Before I make the important announcement we’ve all come together to hear, I see two important Chericoans I’d like to ask to step forward. Miz Maura Beth Mayhew and Miz Nora Duddney, won’t you join us here at the top? These two ladies are an integral part of the message I’ll be delivering to everyone today, as you’ll all soon discover.”

  Maura Beth and Nora quickly exchanged worried glances but dutifully obeyed, taking their places beside the Crumpton sisters, who acknowledged them with perfunctory nods. For her part, Maura Beth found it difficult to believe that anything terrible was going to happen under such polite circumstances right out in the open in front of all those witnesses, but she nonetheless felt her heartbeat quickening and her adrenaline flowing. After all, this was the one and only Charles Durden Sparks extending what appeared to be an olive branch, and that had sometimes turned out to be bad news in the past.

  “We are all gathered here today because your City Council has made a momentous decision on behalf of the citizens of Cherico. As you all know, our little town suffered terrible storm damage not too long ago when a late-spring cold front moved through as it was predicted to do. We may have been forewarned, but that did not stop Mother Nature from wreaking its havoc upon us. Unfortunately, The Cherico Library sustained the most damage in the downtown area, and it brought to the attention of your City Council the urgent need to address this problem. It also focused the attention of your elected officials on the inadequacy of our current library facilities.” There was a brief pause during which Councilman Sparks lifted his chin even higher, flashed his patented smile, and took the time to survey the crowd below him much as a Roman Emperor might have done thousands o
f years ago.

  “In the recent past The Cherico Library has been the focus of some controversy—but no more. As your duly-elected head of the City Council, I have taken it upon myself to put an end to the era of library negligence. If the storm did us any favors at all, it was to point out to us that the modest little facility on Shadow Alley must not continue to represent the needs of Cherico’s readers in the millennium. Therefore, the following benefactors have stepped forward to kick off a campaign to construct a brand-new library: your Councilman Charles Durden Sparks and wife, Eve Williams Sparks; Miz Nora Duddney on behalf of the Layton Duddney Family; and the Mesdames Mamie and Marydell Crumpton on behalf of the Crumpton Family. We at City Hall are especially indebted to Miz Duddney for her extraordinary foresightedness in this matter, and to the lovely Crumpton sisters for responding quickly to our request to be a part of the initial funding for this project. Their ancestors have always been enthusiastic library users, and we felt it only proper that the present generation be included in this noble proposition. Among the three of us, we’ve already raised a substantial amount of money that will serve us well as we proceed with our plans. Shall we pause for a moment and give everyone involved a hand?”

  The crowd responded enthusiastically, and Maura Beth had to struggle to keep her jaw from dropping, while noting similar astonishment on Nora’s face.

  “Furthermore, while this new library campaign is ongoing, your City Hall will undertake the repairs to the current facility on Shadow Alley and will do everything possible to keep it open until the new building construction has been completed. There will be some substantial improvements in the interim as well, including additional staff, computer terminals to access the Internet, and an increased materials budget for our hardworking librarian of six years standing, Miz Maura Beth Mayhew. Folks, let’s all give her a hand, shall we?”

  Maura Beth felt giddy as the applause washed over her. It was as if some gigantic, surreal spotlight had been focused upon her in broad daylight. Instinctively, she accepted the attention with a gracious nod and broad smile, but she was beginning to feel a bit like a trained monkey from the municipal zoo of Councilman Sparks. Here he was, stealing her thunder and taking full credit for everything, even if she and Nora were the only ones who knew the truth behind the ploy. That, she realized for not the first time, was the genius of the man, and she had to give him credit for being superbly skilled at covering his soft underbelly and rear end when cornered.

  “I would also like to announce proudly that the name of this new library building will be The Charles Durden Sparks, Crumpton, and Duddney Public Library to honor its three main benefactors. I know it sounds a bit unwieldy or even like a law firm, but we’ll all know better, won’t we?”

  Councilman Sparks now had the crowd in the vest pocket of his three-piece suit, and they responded with warm laughter. “I’d also like to point out that for those of you who wish to join this campaign and contribute whatever you can, there will be opportunities to sponsor certain elements of the new library. For instance, your name could be added to the genealogy room, or the reference collection, or the new high-tech computer room. If you need more information about any of these charitable opportunities, I direct you to Miz Mayhew, who will be running both the old and the new facility for as long as she chooses to. Isn’t that right, Miz Mayhew?”

  Once again, Maura Beth plastered a big smile across her face and did his bidding. “It most certainly is, and I look forward to being of continued service to all my fellow Chericoans.”

  There was scattered applause; then Councilman Sparks continued. “I will now take any questions from you good people.”

  Lester Bateman was the first to raise his arm and speak up. “Councilman Sparks, we’ll be running your entire speech throughout the day on the news so the rest of the public knows about it. That ought to help get things started for you. Meanwhile, what is the time frame of this campaign? When do you hope to have raised all the money you need?”

  It was clear that Councilman Sparks could not stop playing to the crowd, particularly with a microphone pointed in his general direction. Even his worst political stump speeches, however, avoided the stilted clichés pouring out of him at the moment. “First, I’d like to thank WHYY, The Vibrant Voice of Greater Cherico, for being here today. We both strive to maintain that public service spirit, always eager to tune in to the pulse of our citizens. Woe be unto him who ignores and refuses to march to the drumbeat of the voter who has elected him to office. And to answer your question, we’ll be giving the campaign a solid year. We should have our blueprints in place by then. Of course, we’ll expect our Miz Mayhew here to give the architect some guidance as to what a state-of-the-art library requires these days. I’m quite sure she’ll be chock-full of helpful suggestions, won’t you?”

  Maura Beth continued to steel herself, feeling her jaw beginning to ache from such relentless smiling with so many eyes upon her. “I’ll be literally overflowing, I’m sure,” she said, giving him a Queen Elizabeth wave for good measure.

  Lester Bateman continued his questioning. “Do you have a location yet for the new building?”

  “We’re still working on that. But you can trust your City Hall to find a location that is appropriate for this wonderful new facility. Nothing but the finest will do for all of you Chericoans out there.”

  Maura Beth began to think Councilman Sparks was going to go on pontificating forever, endlessly praising himself in thinly veiled prose, but he finally relented after fielding a few more questions from the crowd. It was obvious his announcement had gone over well, and there was prolonged applause right after his closing sentiment. “Thank you again, one and all, for coming out today. We here at City Hall look forward to making this journey together!”

  Maura Beth breathed it all in deeply, closing her eyes while trying to make a mental picture of how her new library might look.

  It was only after Maura Beth and Nora had sat down to their glasses of Chardonnay at The Twinkle that it truly registered. The endless smiling and standing in the sun atop the City Hall steps had taken its toll, pulling their focus somewhat. But now that they were sipping and relaxing in the midst of a very noisy lunch crowd, the reality of it all surged through their veins in the form of a very pleasant buzz.

  Maura Beth was the first to put it in words as she gazed up at the gold and silver stars dangling above her head. “Can you even believe it? We actually got everything we wanted. I keep thinking I should just pinch myself and wake up. Maybe I have sunstroke.”

  “I know exactly what you mean. But the truth is, I haven’t felt this good since . . . well, don’t let me beat around the bush about it. I’ve never felt this good period,” Nora said after another big swig of wine. “I was held back twice while I was in school because of my problem, so I wasn’t able to stay in touch with any of the friends I’d made. I don’t have to tell you the difference between grades is as wide as the Grand Canyon at that age. So most of the time, I felt like an ugly little bump on a log.”

  “But you were the one who brought this home for us,” Maura Beth said, wagging her finger playfully. “Give yourself a pat on the back. It was you!”

  The mutual admiration society continued. “Oh, no, Miz Maura Beth Mayhew. We couldn’t have done it without you. Of course, it was a little galling to see Councilman Sparks all puffed up and claiming every bit of this was his idea, even if he was finally doing the right thing.”

  Maura Beth nodded emphatically. “Wrong reasons, right thing. I’ll take that over the status quo any day.”

  Momentarily, Periwinkle emerged from the kitchen and spotted them. “How did you two characters sneak in here without checking in with me first?” she called out from across the room.

  “You were busy,” Maura Beth told her as she approached their table. “Lalie took our order. But we fully intended to catch up with you. In fact, do you have a second to spare right now?”

  Periwinkle scanned the room quickly. “Yeah, I
think I can spare just a second or two. What’s up? I can tell something good’s happened by those smug expressions on your faces.”

  Then Maura Beth telescoped the events in front of City Hall into a few sentences, and Periwinkle drew back in delight, throwing up her hands. “Well, my heartiest congratulations! I couldn’t be happier for you. Matter a’ fact, I was wondering what was going on down there. I got a peak looking out the window, and then a couple a’ customers kept mentioning how something important must be in the works. Hey, but since there were no sirens or anything like that, I figured it was probably Councilman Sparks up to his usual blowhard tricks.”

  “Not this time,” Maura Beth added, wrinkling up her nose and saucily wiggling around in her chair.

  Periwinkle was clearly amused. “Now, that is just your first glass, isn’t it, girl? Why do I get the feeling you’re keeping something from me? Come on, now. Give Miz Periwinkle the lowdown.”

  Maura Beth took another sip and arched her eyebrows. “Everyone knows all they ever need to know. Let’s just cut to the chase and say Councilman Sparks finally saw the light.”

  “With a little help I bet,” Periwinkle added. Then she spotted the couple who had just entered for lunch, waiting to be seated. “Oops, gotta run now. Busy, busy traffic. I guess I can thank Councilman Sparks for that. Looks like he did all of us a big favor today.”

  Maura Beth watched her friend scurrying away like the ball of fire she usually was. She didn’t seem to be particularly distraught, as Mr. Place had described recently. But then, this moment was just a snapshot of her daily routine, one that surely didn’t give her much time to brood when the restaurant was as busy as it was now.

  What did it matter, however? Periwinkle’s surprise party was in the works behind the scenes, and that could only mean one thing: The heart of The Cherry Cola Book Club was on the way to save the day.