No Reservations

by Natalia Banks

  Missus B. stopped and turned, nodding as she crossed slowly to the suite’s front door, pulled it open, and walked out, letting it close slowly behind her.

  Lorraine slipped into Griffin’s embrace. He said, “I’m sorry, Lorraine. That shouldn’t have happened.”

  She sighed. “Thank you, Griffin, for believing me…and for believing in me.” He smiled and pulled her closer. But Griffin could obviously discern a deep sense of trouble stirring within Lorraine. Lorraine wasn’t sure if it was her lingering sense of insecurity, so deeply engrained in her that even Griffin’s influence wasn’t having much effect, despite even the amazing evolution she’d enjoyed.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t worry about Mrs. B.; she’ll be all right.”

  Lorraine leaned her head against Griffin’s chest. “It’s not that, Griffin, it’s just, I dunno, the rally’s tomorrow; it’s a big deal. I guess I’m just nervous about it, a little intimidated maybe.”

  He gave her a little kiss on the forehead. “That’s perfectly natural. But you’ve got nothing to worry about. We’ll be there together, side by side, as a family.”

  “You really think it’ll be all right?”

  “No,” Lorraine turned surprised, but Griffin simply smiled and said, “it’ll be amazing.”

  Chapter 15

  The intersection was packed with traffic as drivers slowed down to honk at the protestors and gawk at the crowd. There wasn’t a single parking space anywhere within four blocks, parked police patrol cars blocking the side streets on each side of the library, further slowing the cars’ pace.

  A news copter buzzed overhead, rotors clapping, a video camera pointing out the sliding door on the side. Its counterparts on the ground walked through the crowd, no fewer than three separate camera crews featuring interviewers and camera operators.

  Lorraine, Griffin, and Ashe stood near the center of the crowd, glancing around at the frothing success of the rally. Lorraine glanced over to see Albert Jenkins being approached by a pretty Asian woman with a long black microphone, a videographer following behind her.

  Albert said, “Well it’s…it’s amazing, of course. I think what we’re seeing here is the beginning of a whole new era for the public library school system.”

  “They’re saying that, as the supervisor of this branch, where the whole thing began, that it’s really your doing.”

  Albert chuckled and glanced around. “I wouldn’t say that, no, not at all. I was happy to do my part, of course. But I’m only a public servant, and I’m gratified that our community will continue to be able to enjoy the many services that a pubic library has to offer.”

  “They say you’re being considered for a run at public office. Is there any truth to that?”

  Albert seemed to give that question some thought. And it was then that Lorraine noticed Carmen watching the interview from just a few feet away, melancholy in her expression. Albert said, “My wife, Mrs. Jenkins, and I have given that some thought. Of course it’s a decision we’d have to make together. She’s a good woman, loyal, forgiving…” Lorraine watched Carmen turn sadly away and disappear into the crowd. “But we’re not ready to make any announcement on that just yet.”

  Lorraine turned to Griffin. “I guess Albert and Carmen broke up.”

  Griffin shrugged. “He’s married anyway, isn’t he?”

  Lorraine nodded. “And I guess he’s gonna stay that way. Still, I think Carmen really liked him. She looks miserable. I should go talk to her.”

  “Maybe,” Griffin said. “Or maybe you should just leave well enough alone. Let’s enjoy the day.”

  More than five thousand smiling children and their corresponding adults mingled among the food carts and other attractions. The buttery, salty smell of popcorn was heavy in Lorraine’s nostrils, but it could hardly complete with the rich smell from the barbeque cart dishing out pulled-pork sandwiches, peppery and juicy on delicious potato rolls.

  The music of folk singer Sheryl Crowe wafted over the crowd from the bandstand, near the bouncy house and face-painters, sending out countless cat girls and little boy pirates with painted scars.

  But even Sheryl Crowe couldn’t drown out the chanting protestors lining up in front of the library. Jeremy was leading the chanting, a bullhorn lifted to his face, changing the slogan every couple of minutes: Save our li-brar-ies, save our li-brar-ies! Dig deep, read more! Dig deep, read more! Books have spines—do you? Books have spines—do you?

  Jeremy shook his fist and walked up and down the front of the line as they circled up and down in front of the library. But others nearby, many of them local teenagers, held signs reading, Free popcorn! Library carnival! All are welcome!

  Larry and Sally Devonshire approached Lorraine and the Phoenix men. “Hey, sweetheart! We found you.”

  “Hi, Daddy, Mom.”

  Sally looked around, brows forever hovering on her forehead. “I have to admit, you’ve really pulled something off here.”

  Griffin asked, “You have to admit it? Is there some reason you wouldn’t want to?”

  Sally shrugged in her perfect innocence. “Of course not. I’ve always been very supportive of my daughter, Griffin. But this is a big thing, and I’m proud of her, that’s all I’m saying.”

  Lorraine smiled warmly, slipping her arm into his.

  The Denver Post’s Dorian Gale and his photographer, Stu Jeffers, crew came up to Lorraine, Griffin, and Ashe. “Here’s America’s new sweetheart and her Prince Charming. How do you think it’s going today?”

  “I’m amazed by the turnout,” Lorraine said. “It’s obvious how much the library means to the good people.”

  “Not to mention a free Sheryl Crowe concert,” Dorian said.

  “Sheryl’s a personal friend,” Griffin said.

  Lorraine turned to him. “Not too personal, I hope.” They all shared a chuckle, except for Ashe, who didn’t seem to know what they were referring to.

  Griffin said, “We just hope that the other rallies are as successful as this one.”

  Dorian said, “There are reports of fifteen thousand people at the New York rally. Springsteen apparently shut down half of Manhattan.”

  “He is the boss,” Lorraine said. “What an honor it is to be associated with such talent—people with that kind of strength of character and dedication to their neighbors.”

  Griffin looked at Lorraine even as he spoke to Dorian. “It most certainly is. Maybe we’ll tap him to play at the wedding.”

  “Griffin, really?”

  “It’ll be a special occasion.”

  Dorian said, “Sure sounds like it.”

  Stu Jeffers lowered his camera and asked, “Need a photographer?”

  On the stage, Sheryl Crowe finished her song and waved at the cheering crowd.

  Griffin said to Lorraine, “I think that’s our cue. Are you ready?” Lorraine nodded. Griffin turned to Ashe. “How about you, son?” Ashe nodded with a very serious expression. “All right then, let’s do this.”

  The three pushed through the crowd, and so did Albert Jenkins from the other side of the crowd. Griffin helped big Albert onto the stage as the crowd gathered around. Albert approached the microphone, feedback bleeding out of the speakers pointing at the crowd from each side of the stage.

  “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Albert Jenkins, from the Library Commission of the Denver Public Library System.” The crowd applauded politely. Albert went on, “Please also give a big round of applause to our head librarian at this branch, Carmen Mendez; she’s out in the crowd somewhere, feeling a little under the weather today, I guess. But we couldn’t have done this without her.” The crowd clapped and Albert smiled nervously, glancing around and clearing his throat. “As you know, rallies like this one are being staged all over the nation, and will go on to be every year on this day, ensuring that our public libraries remain vital, up-to-date, and, frankly, open.”

  The crowd laughed and clapped.

  “Now I’d like to introduce th
e two people responsible for the rally, for the rescue of this particular branch, the reason we’re all here today and, as I understand it, engaged to be married! Lorraine Devonshire and Griffin Phoenix, with Griffin’s young son, Ashe. Mister Phoenix?”

  Albert stepped back from the stage and Griffin stepped forward, Lorraine standing with Ashe just behind Griffin and to the side.

  “Thank you, Mr. Jenkins. I’d also like to thank my friends, Sheryl Crowe, Graham Nash, and David Crosby, of course the incomparable Penn and Teller.”

  Lorraine looked out over the crowd, thousands of faces looking up at her. Parents Larry and Sally peered up from the front of the stage. Larry was typically enthusiastic, and even Sally seemed impressed, eyes fixed on Griffin, a natural smile on her face.

  “As a free society,” Griffin said, his voice reverberating over the library parking lot, “we must look out for one another, to give back with everything we can, everything we have. The Bible asks, ‘What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul?’ And the library is the very soul of a community, where mind and heart converge.”

  Lorraine glanced down at Ashe, who watched his father speak the words he’d written. The boy was smiling, proud, and Lorraine was so glad for that small amount of joy the boy could finally find.

  Griffin said, “What we’re seeing here today is a beautiful, blessed thing. It’s about more than the services a library provides; it’s about more than the values a library can instill, values like honesty, reliability, courtesy. Those are values I want to instill in my son, and I know that I have.”

  Lorraine spotted a familiar figure in the crowd, pushing her way toward the stage. Missus B. was small and people were more than courteous about getting out of her way.

  But…she left town, she reasoned. Griffin put her in a car; the driver reported that he dropped her off at the airport last night. I guess she could have turned around and come back. But why would she?

  “No,” Griffin went on, “for me, it’s about enjoying each other’s company; it’s about coming together, finding each other. Strangers become friends, friends become family. It’s not always easy to remember that; despite the things that are out there trying to keep us apart, we can still come together and stay together. We can…and we must.”

  Lorraine watched Mrs. B. pushing her way through the crowd, slowly approaching the stage. She probably feels bad about what happened, couldn’t leave things the way they were. Don’t give in to that old fear, Lorraine! Everything’s different now.

  But that chill of fear returned, something Lorraine could neither explain nor deny. She scanned the crowd for that terrible and familiar face, a broken arm in a sling, the man who escaped justice and could be waiting to take his revenge on her, on Griffin, maybe even on Ashe.

  Tony Gardner.

  Chapter 16

  “So we join together as a family,” Griffin went on, “and that’s only worth anything if we stay together as a family, if we hang together. We can only be a family if we can stay a family.”

  Lorraine didn’t see the face of her former attacker, but she did see the familiar face of Mrs. B., pushing toward the stage. She also thought she saw Donal Roland also standing nearby, and Carmen was roughly in the center of the crowd.

  Carmen’s snarl was clear enough for Lorraine to see even at that distance, even with so many people between them. But that amount was fast decreasing as Carmen approached the stage from the front, her hand dug deep into her purse.

  “But I’ve said about all I can say,” Griffin said, “except that I would never have known about this crisis in the library system if it hadn’t been for a very brave and very beautiful young woman, my fiancée, your own hometown girl, Lorraine Devonshire.”

  The crowd applauded, Griffin stepping away from the mic. Lorraine hesitated, glancing down at Ashe. The boy looked up and edged her forward, his little chin jutting toward the mic. Lorraine took a deep breath, her skin tingling, her palms sweating as she approached the mic stand and looked out over the crowd. Lorraine had looked away from the crowd, and it only occurred to her then that she’d lost track of Carmen, Donal, and Mrs. B., who’d all been slinking suspiciously toward the stage.

  “I-I don’t know much about public speaking,” Lorraine said, her voice big and metallic coming out of those massive speakers. “I’m a librarian, so I generally do more shushing than speaking.” The crowd chuckled, and so did Griffin and Ashe. She went on, “But I know how proud you’ve all made me today, how glad I am to be with you here, and to know that the industry I worked for—the great pubic library system—will endure. The fact that I had anything at all to do with it will never fail to amaze me.”

  Lorraine’s scanning eyes found Carmen causing a slight commotion in the crowd as she tried to get right up to the front row. Already there, Mrs. B. stood, her hands in the pockets of her big coat, ruby broach sparkling on her lapel. Her eyes were fixed on Lorraine, but that twinkle had been replaced with a murderous glisten.

  Lorraine said, “I should thank my parents, who’ve been so loving,” Lorraine said. “I never would have taken any risk without their example. I never would have had the strength to face my own fears. My best friend, Jeremy, too, what a sweet and good man he is. He taught me to believe in myself. He was nudging me to jump out of the nest, to take wing and fly, and I’ll always love him for that.”

  Lorraine heard Jeremy’s whooping voice and turned to see him in the back of the crowd, holding a sign reading, We love you, Lo’!

  Carmen finally arrived at the foot of the stage. Like Carmen, Mrs. B. stood with her attention fixed on Lorraine. And while Lorraine tried to ignore them, she just couldn’t for any longer than a few seconds at a time.

  Stop it, Lorraine, she urged herself, don’t get distracted with all that now, your imagination spinning you around. If anything, it’s that awful Tony Gardner who’s the real danger, but Griffin’s right; he won’t show up here. And what’s an old lady gonna do, reveal dynamite strapped to her belly and blow us all up? Keep your head in the game, Lorraine! This is your moment, don’t blow it!

  She forced a smile and looked out over the crowd. “I guess if there’s anything to be learned from my experience, it’s that every accomplishment, great or small, is just part of a chain of events. We all rely on one another; we all help ourselves by helping each other. There is some risk to that, of course, professional risk…” Lorraine glanced at Albert, who looked away and cleared his throat. “Personal risk,” she added, glancing at Ashe. “But the rewards are worth it, no matter how great that chance is. It’s okay to be afraid, but we have to act despite our fear; that’s what real courage is. And I’m surrounded by examples of such courage. Our performers, entertainers, all of you, the library staff; this wasn’t easy. But it means you care, and that…that means everything in the world.”

  The crowd clapped, Griffin smiling at Lorraine with increasing love and admiration.

  “But I have to add one thing,” Lorraine said, “one thing that’s completely selfish of me, and maybe just a little bit childish, I dunno, but…the library wasn’t the only thing that was saved in all this. I-I’ve found the man of my dreams, the love of my life, and that’s something I’d given up on finding. I’ve found a family, a son…” Lorraine turned to Ashe, who threw himself into her, wrapping his arms around her, burying his face in her arm. “And I just want to express my gratitude, my…my happiness. I didn’t think I’d ever have that, but now I know I’ll never be without it, not for as long as I live.”

  Lorraine caught sight of Carmen in the audience and noticed that her line of sight was shifting between Albert and Griffin, both on her left.

  Her sinister side.

  Griffin seemed to notice it too. Even Ashe was looking at his father, at Lorraine, his eyes off the crowd. But Ashe was the first one to see that handgun flash, pulled out in a single swift motion, raised up and pointing straight at the end of a rigid and determined arm.

  Ashe screamed, his v
oice tearing out of his young throat, clenched and tender from years of silence. It sent a bolt of terror through Lorraine’s body, her senses suddenly on high alert.

  But it was too late.

  Chapter 17

  It happened in a blur, but in the scramble of Lorraine’s mind, every tiny step unfolded with terrible clarity, every sense functioning as if for the first time, and the last.

  “She’s mine,” Donal screamed out, gun quivering in his hand as the shots rang out. Bam! Bam!

  “No!” Lorraine shouted, pushing Ashe back behind her and running toward Donal, already firing.

  Donal screeched, “You son of a bitch bastard! You think you can humiliate me?”

  Lorraine flung herself in front of Griffin, a patch of dark glisten already spreading across his shoulder.

  “You think you can make me look bad, you pompous ass? I’ll fucking kill you!”

  Bam, bam, bam!

  The first shot to hit Lorraine found her in the stomach, sending her cramping forward, hot agony bursting through her. The second hit her own shoulder, pushing her snapping back and into Griffin’s arms.

  “She should have been mine, you money—!”

  Griffin lowered Lorraine to the stage, and she could see the crowd surround Donal, converging, pinning him down, his high-pitched wail cutting through their clamor. “Lemme go, lemme go!”

  Around him, the crowd was screaming and running in various directions, a tide of fear pouring one way and then the other, confusion smashing one citizen into another. Children cried out as their parents searched for them, and old people fell under the stampeding selfishness of that hapless mass of humanity.

  Carmen ran onto the stage, throwing herself into Albert’s arms. She clung to him, and Albert held her too. They looked down at Lorraine, Griffin, and Ashe, horror and sorrow and guilt on their faces.