Cicada Song

by Bradford Combs

  Chapter 13

  “You did well,” Ms. Beverly said as Ellis packed away the last of his books.

  “I’ll have to restock my supply thanks to you.”

  “And you’re welcome for that.”

  “How did the rest of Life is a Book go?”

  “It’s still going on and will be until nightfall,” Ms. Beverly said, looking around. “It’s gone over well so far, though.”

  “I’m meeting with Sara and Stan soon. Anything you suggest seeing?”

  “Oh, just walk around. There’s plenty.” Then she added inquisitively, “You and Sara are still talking?”

  “Yes, but that’s all. We’re still friends.”

  Ellis read a slight disappointment in Ms. Beverly’s face, despite her approving grin.

  “I’m glad to hear that. Will you be keeping in touch after you leave?”

  “I’m hoping so.”

  “I hope so, too. And don’t worry about the cleanup; I’ll take care of it for you. You mustn’t keep a lady waiting.”

  Ellis looked over his shoulder and found Sara walking toward them with several roses in hand.

  “For me?”

  “You haven’t earned these yet,” she responded.

  Ellis wondered if there was a romantic hint in her response but doubted it. They said their goodbyes to Ms. Beverly and left for the wall.

  Despite their talk the previous night, Ellis still found himself nervous while in her presence. He shouldn’t have risked a relationship with Sara, but he couldn’t deny his attraction toward her either. She was just so beautiful, so starved for affection. Sara, however, showed no sign of lingering interest, much to Ellis’ chagrin. He should have felt relieved.

  “So what things have you guys visited today?” Ellis asked as they passed a small stage with townspeople acting out a Shakespearean play.

  “Well, we saw that,” she said, pointing toward the play. “Hamlet’s supposed to be a tragedy, but they’ve managed to turn it into a comedy. We, the people of Anderson, are not very talented in the ways of theatre. Then there was a skit over on South St. that we participated in—all improv. I wasn’t very good, but Stan had everyone going for a while. I also met Frankenstein’s Monster.”

  “Me, too. He bought a couple books. Nice guy.”

  “I know,” Sara said, smiling. “He was walking around reading them and then threw tantrums and ripped them in half as people passed by. He’d chase some kids and then tape the books back together and do it all over again.”

  “Frankenstein’s Monster used my books as props?”

  “Well, yeah. It’s not like he and the Bride have kids to read them to.”

  “That’s disappointing.” Ellis laughed at the absurdity of it but opted to not let it bother him. If people had fun at the expense of his books then so be it. At least the monster paid for them. “So, will Stan be meeting up with us soon?”

  “Yes. He visits his dad’s grave every year before seeing the wall. He’ll meet up with us when he’s finished.”

  “He and his father were close, then?”

  “Oh, yeah,” Sara said, “Stan idolized his dad. He dreamed of becoming a police officer for years.”

  “What changed his mind?”

  Sara hesitated then answered, “He grew to hate guns. He and his father used to argue about it all the time. I guess, in the end, Stanley Sr. was disappointed that Stan chose not to follow in his footsteps.”

  Ellis immediately put two and two together. Stan most likely developed a hatred for guns after Jake Ramsey was murdered. He, of course, opted to change the subject for fear of it becoming too sensitive for Sara.

  “That’s the town bank,” she said several minutes later while pointing at a tall brick building, “and that area beside it is what we call the Square.”

  Ellis noted a large, grassy area between the bank and a bakery with several picnic tables shaded by small, leaf-filled trees. Two sidewalks ran through the Square, lined with white stones and well-kept flowerbeds, and at its entrance was an elegant sign reading The Lamb’s Book of Life.

  As Sara led him into the tranquil picnic area, he found that there were wooden books mounted on the bank’s wall, each book opened and detailed beautifully. A person’s image was carved into the left page of each book and their information was listed on a metal plate screwed into the right. The craftsmanship was to be commended.

  Ellis stopped at the first mounted book belonging to a William “Billy” Washington. The carving portrayed an overweight, grinning bald man with a birthmark on his cheek. Photographs surrounded the book and the carving matched the happy man depicted in them perfectly.

  “That’s Mr. Washington. He was the school principal when I moved here. He was funny.” She pointed at the information on the book’s opposite page. “He died three days before my eleventh birthday. Everyone at school forgot about me, but I was okay with that. I loved Mr. Washington.”

  Ellis wasn’t surprised that Ms. Beverly had designed a wall of remembrance around the Biblical reference. In the Holy Bible, specifically in the Revelation of John, there was a book called the Lamb’s Book of Life in which everyone’s name who would find admittance into heaven was recorded. The Bible was also the bestselling book of all time, so it fit the purpose and the day’s theme.

  “That’s Michael Bailey,” Sara said, interrupting his thoughts.

  She gazed at the image and Ellis could see that this one hit home. He joined her and was surprised to see that Michael was only seventeen when he died.

  “He was my first boyfriend. We dated for four months back in ninth grade. He died two years later.” She pointed at the next three books. They all shared the same last name. “They were on vacation when they died, forced off the road by a semi truck. Michael’s older brother was the only survivor and he moved out of Anderson not long after.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. It must have been hard on you?”

  “Yeah, he was a good guy.” Sara said. She knelt and laid a rose along the wall.

  Ellis could now see what she meant by his not having earned a rose yet. She commented on book after book, sharing the stories of the people etched into them; and, as she did this, it was as if Anderson came alive. People died everyday where Ellis came from, but they were nobodies, and he seldom knew them or cared. In Anderson, however, every face had a name and every death was important.

  Sara slowed as they reached the next book. Ellis noted the name on its page.

  “Here’s Daddy.”

  The carved image perfectly resembled the photographs surrounding it, right down to the crooked glasses. The pictures showed him with school children and at a severely underdeveloped J. Campbell Library. An image of Jerry Campbell with a little Sara Campbell in his lap caught Ellis’ eye. They seemed very happy.

  “These are Mom’s pictures. I used to cry every time I’d see them, but I’ve grown calloused, I think.”

  Ellis bravely put an arm around her shoulders. “I doubt he’d want you to cry over him anyway. Just remember the good times and smile.”

  It hadn’t been long since Ellis’ friend, Doctor Buck, as Sara had dubbed him, had offered Ellis similar words of encouragement. It was sound advice, though Sara’s curious expression suggested otherwise. She relaxed, however, and simply smiled as her eyes faded to some distant memory, her head dropping comfortably to Ellis’ shoulder.

  “Daddy always liked making me smile.”

  “They usually do.”

  Ellis continued to hold her and noted that she never once tried to pull away. He told himself to remove his arm, but something within him fought it. A sound chirped between them, however, so Sara sat up and reached into her pocket. She studied the screen of the cell phone and then put it away.

  “I guess Stan’s not meeting us after all.”

  “Leslie?”

  “It’s possible. He told me they got into another argument last night. I hate that—for him.”

  Sara placed a rose beneath her father�
��s book, and they moved on until they reached Stanley Cromwell Sr.’s book. Not a particularly handsome man, Stanley Sr. had the appearance of respect and control. His jaw was squared and his hair dark. Stan definitely bore his father’s resemblance.

  Then a picture above the book caught Ellis’ eye. Sara, Stan, and a third boy, all about sixteen, were playing cards with Stanley Sr., all making goofy faces at the camera.

  “Who’s this?” he asked, pointing to the third person.

  Sara smiled briefly. “That’s Jake. He’s the boy who married Stan and me back in the fourth grade, if you remember my mentioning that.”

  Ellis struggled with what to say next. He hated secrets, but if he and Sara weren’t pursuing a relationship, then what was the point of keeping one from her?

  “I read about Jake on the library computers,” he confessed. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened.”

  Sara stared at him but didn’t speak, a look of disbelief and shock registering on her face.

  Ellis felt uncomfortable in her gaze and wondered if he was about to be slapped. He chose to talk quickly to keep this from happening. “I stumbled across his name while researching Office Clem. Something seemed wrong when Office Clem’s name came up yesterday, so I wanted to see if it was something I could help you with.” Her stare lingered and he realized that mentioning Office Clem’s name twice only made things worse. He eventually lowered his eyes and simply offered a soft, “I’m sorry.”

  She looked at the picture, though not appearing to really see it, and then brought her attention back to Ellis. She was about to speak when a loud chirp echoed again, this time from Ellis’ pocket.

  He attempted to silence the phone but then noticed the name on its screen.

  “I’m sorry, but this is important. I promise to be quick.”

  He jogged from the Square until he was out of earshot.

  “About time,” came a woman’s voice from the other side of the phone.

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s fine, Ellis. Lilly has something to tell you, and I thought you’d want to hear it from her.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Yeah, okay. Put her on.”

  Ellis could hear the woman coaxing Lilly, and he soon heard, “Hi, Daddy!”

  “Lilly! I miss you! Are you being good for Grandma?”

  “Yes,” Lilly replied simply.

  “I knew you would be. Grandma said you had something you wanted to tell me?”

  There was a pause and then, “My tooth came out.”

  Ellis paused, imagining this. Her bottom two teeth had been loose for a few days, and he was hoping they would hold on until he got back. He liked being there for her big moments, and losing her first tooth would definitely be one of those moments.

  “That’s great!” he said with a large smile. “I guess that means the tooth fairy’s coming tonight, huh?”

  “I guess so.”

  “I know so. Make sure you get to sleep early because she’s kinda like Santa Claus. You have to be asleep before she comes with your present.”

  There was another pause and he could hear his mother encouraging her to ask him something.

  “Um, is the tooth fairy scary?”

  “Oh, not at all, baby. She’s beautiful.”

  “Is she nice?”

  “She’s the nicest person ever. I promise.”

  “What does she look like?”

  Ellis’ mind raced but only one face came to mind. “She has long dark hair and brown eyes that sparkle. They hide when she smiles, but they’re beautiful anyway, even if you can’t see them. And she has glasses, just like you.”

  “Like me?” Lilly said excitedly.

  “Yeah, just as pretty, baby. You may not realize it but you’re looking more like her every day.”

  He could hear Lilly repeating what he had just said to her grandmother. He couldn’t help but smile over her enthusiasm.

  “I love you, Daddy,” Lilly said, but then the phone fell before he could return his love.

  “Sorry about that,” his mother said a moment later. “Your father just came in, and she got excited. When are you coming home?”

  “Tomorrow afternoon, most likely.”

  “Have you done the book signing yet?”

  “Yeah, but I have to go. Tell Lilly I love her.”

  “I will. Be safe, Ellis.”

  “I will, Mom. Love you,” and with that Ellis sighed and hung up the phone.

  “Lilly’s your daughter?”

  Ellis startled and turned to find that Sara had followed him out of the Square.

  “Why did you lie to me?” she asked, obviously hurt.

  “I never lied to you,” he replied defensively. “I said I had someone at home who was special to me and Lilly is the most important thing in my world. I just didn’t correct you when you assumed she was a love interest.”

  The hurt that had been on Sara’s face muddled with confusion, and Ellis noted how tired she suddenly seemed. He led her to a bench and took her hand.

  “I tried talking myself out of approaching you at Percy’s, but there was just something that made me want to get to know you better. Then, after you’d made it clear you weren’t interested, I panicked and mentioned Lilly to make you think I wasn’t looking for a relationship. I guess I was trying to make you feel safe.” Ellis thought over what he’d just said and sighed. “Maybe it was deceitful. I’m sorry.”

  Sara seemed to be absorbing this new information and adopted an inquisitive look. Then she squinted and looked at him.

  “Mandy is Lilly’s mother, isn’t she?”

  “Yes. I dedicate every book to them.”

  “But you’re not with her now?”

  He took a slow breath and held it. He didn’t like talking about Mandy. He didn’t like telling people what he’d been through, but Sara should know. With how deceptive he’d been, Sara deserved to know. He looked her in the eye and released the breath that he had been holding.

  “I lost Mandy three years ago—in a car accident,” he said in a whisper.

  “Was it quick?” Sara asked with some hesitation. “Mandy’s passing?”

  What a strange question to ask, especially since there was no possible way for Sara to know how painful the answer was.

  “No, it wasn’t quick. She was comatose for three weeks. It tore me up pretty bad.”

  It was now Ellis’ turn to look away. He stared at the sidewalk and waited for some sort of response. Then, to his surprise, she covered her face and began to cry.

  “I’m sorry, Sara, about everything. You deserved better.”

  He barely got the apology out when she surprised him with a kiss. She pulled away a moment later and looked at him in a strange, compassionate way.

  “I’m sorry,” she said. Then she pulled him to his feet and hugged him. “I’m sorry about Mandy, and I’m sorry about that kiss.”

  She hesitated a moment, her eyes trailing again, but then she came back. When she looked at Ellis he could see that she was wrestling with something.

  “Will you come with me?” she finally said. “I’d like you to meet Jake.”