On the Corner of Hope and Main

by Beverly Jenkins

On Friday, even the kids at the Marie Jefferson Academy were discussing the situation. They loved Ms. Bernadine. Five years ago, she’d rescued Preston, Amari, Devon, and Zoey from the foster care system, arranged for them to move to Henry Adams and become adopted by awesome new parents. Seventeen-year-old Preston, aka Brain, was now the son of the Paynes. Sixteen-year-old Amari, and his thirteen-year-old little brother, Devon, were Julys. Zoey was now twelve, and her parents were town pediatrician Dr. Reg Garland and Grammy Award–winning singer Roni Garland. Although seventeen-year-old Leah Clark and her younger sister, Tiffany, weren’t adoptees, Ms. Bernadine and Henry Adams provided them a safe harbor when their mom divorced their dad and left the family high and dry. The Henry Adams youngsters loved Mal, too. He was their OG, their town grandfather, and the dispenser of life lessons, even when the lesson was about what not to do—like embezzling.

  At the picnic table during lunch, Zoey asked Amari, “Do you think Ms. Bernadine and the OG are going to get back together?”

  Amari slipped his pastrami sandwich out of the Ziploc. “I don’t know, Zo. Sounds like the split might be permanent this time. From what Crystal said, he left in the middle of the dinner she set up at her place. Now he’s gone to hang out with the Oklahoma family.”

  Brain asked, “For how long?”

  Amari shrugged. “Who knows, but I wish they’d get it together. They’re good for each other—or at least they were. Ms. Bernadine cured him of running with the young girls, and he helped her slow her roll. Her working 24/7, 365, is going to give her a heart attack one of these days.”

  Leah, future astrophysicist and Brain’s girlfriend, chimed in, “And we can’t have that.”

  “No,” Amari replied.

  Robyn Grant, the newest teen in town, who usually never said anything at lunch, asked, “How long have they been together?”

  “Just since we all moved here,” Zoey said.

  “Five years,” Devon explained.

  “Kind of a long time,” Robyn said.

  “Yeah, it is,” Brain agreed, dipping a carrot stick into his small container of ranch dressing.

  “It makes me sad,” Zoey confessed.

  Amari agreed. “Ditto.”

  After school let out, Robyn walked the short distance to the church to meet up with her cousin Paula, the town’s minister. Robyn would be eighteen in a few weeks. By all accounts she should be preparing for college, if not already admitted, but she was behind academically for a number of reasons. One had to do with the inadequate school system where she’d lived before, and two having been raised by a grandmother who verbally and physically abused her for loving to read. Her grandmother Ardella was convinced a joy of reading would make Robyn believe herself to be better than everybody, keep her from focusing on her chores, and was useless because it didn’t put money in her pocket or food on the table.

  Last fall, Robyn learned that Ardella had played a hand in the death of Robyn’s mom, Lisa. In truth, it hadn’t been a shock because Robyn thought the old harpy capable of just about anything. Lisa’s skull being found in the septic field behind their house in Oklahoma proved it. Lisa died when Robyn was two years old, so she’d never had the opportunity to know her mom or her love, something guaranteed to put a girl on a therapist’s couch somewhere down the road. Good thing her cousin Paula had a degree in child psychology because Robyn was probably going to need help getting rid of all the anger and awfulness eating away at her insides, if she could ever work up the courage to talk about it.

  Paula was also an Episcopal priest and Robyn now lived with her. Robyn didn’t know her well but liked her mainly because during the few times Paula had visited Oklahoma when Robyn was young, she’d had always been concerned about Robyn’s welfare and did her best to deflect some of Ardella’s ugly behavior. Paula never stayed more than a day, however. Robyn had always been saddened by her leaving and fervently wished she too was going to the airport to escape the ignorance and abuse that was Blackbird, Oklahoma, the place where both she and Paula were born.

  Upon reaching the church, Robyn went inside, and in the blanketing silence took the stairs down to Paula’s office. The door was closed, so she sat on one of the chairs to wait. A few minutes later, Paula walked out accompanied by Brain’s mom, Mrs. Payne. Both women smiled upon seeing her, and Robyn smiled in return.

  “How are you, Robyn?”

  “I’m okay, Mrs. Payne.” Robyn wondered what she and Paula had talked about.

  “Are you going to the movies tonight?”

  “Maybe.”

  She smiled. “I’m sure the other kids would love to have you hang out with them.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  After Mrs. Payne departed, Paula ushered Robyn into her office. “How was school?”

  The book-lined space with its nice furniture and soothing, pale-yellow walls, seemed to mirror her cousin’s personality and outlook on life. “School was good. Mr. James is the best teacher I’ve ever had, but he gives us way too much work.”

  “He’s getting you ready to rule the world.”

  “I’m not sure how advanced geometry fits into that, but I’ll take your word for it.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “I’m done here for the day. Do you want to grab dinner at the Dog?”

  Robyn nodded.

  “Let me get my jacket and we’ll go.”

  The Dog, short for the Dog and Cow, was the town’s diner. It was only a short distance away, so she and Paula walked. Like Blackbird, Henry Adams was a small town, but the two were very different. Henry Adams was modern and clean, and everyone in school had their own laptop. Blackbird was reeling from poverty, no jobs, and a school system so left behind, the civics books still listed Ronald Reagan as president. Blackbird had no grocery stores, no library, or entertainment, unless you counted the kids passing blunts in the field behind the dollar store. As soon as people were old enough to find a way out, they left. Paula had, and from what Robyn heard during her grandmother’s trial, Robyn’s mom, Lisa, had been trying to do the same. Her decision to leave set off a huge argument between Ardella, Lisa, and her grandfather, Tyree. The yelling morphed into shoving. Lisa fell over a table, broke her neck, and died. Thinking the police wouldn’t believe the death accidental, Della and Tyree buried her behind the house and let Robyn grow up believing her mother had abandoned her. Swallowing the pain, she glanced Paula’s way and met eyes filled with sadness. Robyn didn’t know if it was for her, or a reflection of Paula’s own pain. Having been raised by her aunt Ardella, Paula had suffered, too.

  “Whenever you’re ready to talk, I can find someone to help you work through the hurt.”

  Robyn replied softly, “I know.” But she wasn’t ready and didn’t know if she’d ever be.

  As always, the diner was busy but not as much as it would be at dinnertime. The music on the jukebox was old school and competed with the laughter and conversations of the people seated at the tables and in the booths. Crystal Chambers Brown was at the hostess stand. Greeting them with a smile, she escorted them to a booth and left them to check out the menus. Watching her walk away, Robyn couldn’t help but be envious. Crystal was always so confident and stylish, qualities Robyn lacked. Although they were close in age, Crystal seemed light-years more mature, and even had her own apartment. In fact, Robyn envied most of the Henry Adams kids. She knew many of them had grown up in foster care and had been through some difficult situations, but they were focused on their futures while she couldn’t rid herself of her past. “I like Crystal.”

  “I do, too. She’s come a long way, even in the short while I’ve known her. Everyone’s real proud of who she’s becoming.”

  The reply gave Robyn the impression that Crystal had gone through rough times too, but knowing Paula’s profession kept her from divulging any details Robyn didn’t ask for any. She was curious, though. She’d been in Henry Adams almost a year now, but all the trauma and drama tied to Lisa’s death
, Ardella’s trial and subsequent incarceration, left her moving through life like a sleepwalker. She’d sort of made friends with Leah Clark but hadn’t really invested the time or energy needed to form anything concrete. Leah and the other kids seemed to know she needed her space and didn’t try to force her into their crew. Which Robyn appreciated. Now, however, she thought she might be ready to offer more of herself. They seemed to have a lot of fun, and she’d never had that in her life, either.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” Paula said.

  “Just thinking maybe I need to hang out with the other kids more.”

  “Need to or want to? Sometimes those are two different things.”

  Robyn thought about that for a moment. “Both. I need to because I want friends. And I want to because I’d like to have some fun.”

  Paula seemed pleased. “Do you want to go to the movies tonight? They always sit together. I don’t know what’s showing but we can find out.”

  “I think I will go, and it doesn’t matter what movie it is.” Henry Adams had free movies at the recreation center on Friday nights and the entire community came out. Robyn had attended a couple of times but generally spent those evenings alone in her room savoring being able to read for as long as she wanted without being punished or yelled at.

  “Good. So, now that that’s settled, what are you having?”

  “The OG burger and fries.” The OG was a fancy cheeseburger topped with strips of bacon.

  “I’ll have the same.”

  A waitress arrived a second later and took their order.

  OVER AT THE Liberian Ladies and Gents Salon, Riley was finishing up Bing Shepard’s haircut. After removing the cape with a flourish, he passed Bing a handheld mirror to check himself out.

  “Good job, as always, Riley.”

  That pleased him. He’d been cutting hair in Henry Adams for nearly forty years, and even when everyone was mad at him, the men continued to sit in his chair because he knew his way around a pair of clippers.

  Bing stood with the help of his cane and was reaching into his pocket for his wallet when he froze, eyes on the big-screen TV that dominated one of the salon’s walls. “Is that Cletus?”

  Riley glanced up just as Cletus waddled into view wearing shades, a garish Hawaiian shirt, and matching shorts. “Sure is!” Riley rushed over to Kelly’s station to grab the TV remote to bring up the sound. It was one of the daytime entertainment shows, and the elfin host, a short blonde who liked to show off her dancing skills, wore a look of excitement as the hog and his trainer came over to the couch next to her desk.

  Over in the ladies’ section of the salon, Kelly stood up from her chair to watch. Marie Jefferson pushed up the dryer hood she was under, glanced up at the TV, and offered a head shake of disbelief. “Good lord.”

  Riley ignored her. The host spent a few minutes talking about Cletus’s Oscar nomination, generating enthusiastic applause from the audience before asking about the hog’s latest role.

  “He’s starring in Cletus Goes to Hawaii,” trainer Ben Scarsdale explained.

  “That’s why he’s all dressed up?” the lady host asked.

  Scarsdale nodded.

  “He could pass for Elvis,” she pointed out. The audience laughed and applauded enthusiastically. Cletus threw his snout up and snorted as if in agreement and the place went wild.

  A sour-faced Bing slapped a twenty-dollar bill into Riley’s chest and hobbled out on his cane. Marie shook her head again, lowered the dryer hood, and returned her attention to the book she was reading.

  But Riley was entranced, mad too, because he should’ve been the one escorting Cletus around on the press and TV tour. Not Scarsdale.

  The host thanked them for coming and told everyone to keep an eye out for Cletus Goes to Hawaii. Smiling at the applause, Scarsdale stood to leave. As he took a step away from the couch, his legs flew up in the air and he landed on his back. Everyone froze. Cletus snorted a laugh and waddled off.

  Scarsdale, appearing both embarrassed and furious, was helped to his feet by the host’s minions. She didn’t look pleased, either. Riley guessed not many guests relieved themselves on her show’s floor. Before they went to commercial, she made a sarcastic crack about Scarsdale needing to buy diapers for his pet.

  Riley thought it served Scarsdale right and hoped Cletus didn’t get in trouble for making his trainer a laughingstock before millions of Americans nationwide.

  THANKS TO A heads-up from Lily, Bernadine had seen Cletus’s appearance, too. As the show went to commercial after Scarsdale’s fall, she was glad Cletus was now Hollywood’s problem because he was hog non grata in Henry Adams.

  She was reviewing Barrett’s preliminary Election Commission guidelines when a light knock on her open door made her look up. Leo Brown. Speaking of hog non grata. Swallowing her surprise and feigning a politeness she didn’t feel, she asked, “What brings you by, Leo?”

  “Just thought I’d stop in and see how you’re doing?”

  As he entered, she sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “Why?”

  He chuckled knowingly. “Still cold as ice, Bernadine.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Mind if I sit?”

  She did but gestured him to a chair anyway.

  “I bought Big Al Stillwell’s property from the bank. Having my house in Franklin moved there.”

  She tried not to show how appalled she was by that news, but apparently failed.

  He smirked. “I knew that would get you.”

  “I’d say, welcome back to the community, but I’d be lying.”

  “And we can’t have Mother Teresa lying, now can we?”

  “Okay, because I want you out of my office, I’ll bite. Why’d you buy the Stillwell place?”

  “That property gives me a Henry Adams mailing address.”

  “And?”

  “Maybe I want to run for mayor.”

  She couldn’t suppress her snicker. “Like anyone’s going to vote for you. I heard the oil company let you go.”

  He bristled. “True.”

  “And you’re now working for Mega Seed.”

  “Honored that you’ve been interested enough to keep tabs.”

  “Only in case you slithered back into the county.” She wondered if he’d been with the company long enough to be aware of the lawsuit filed against Mega Seed by the Black Farmers Association.

  He continued, “As far as people not voting for me, you’d be surprised how many farmers still resent your meddling with the pipeline.”

  “Do tell. One pipeline break would’ve devastated their farms.” Arrogant asshat! “And you think you’ll get their votes? To what end? I still own the town. I may have no direct influence on the areas outside of it, but you can’t move a pebble within the town’s limits without my approval.”

  “True, but you having to see my face in yours every day? Priceless.”

  She shook her head. “Okay, Leo. You do you. Good luck with your plans for Henry Adams world domination. Anything else?”

  He didn’t appear pleased and she wondered why he thought the prospect of her having to work with him would cause her distress? It probably would if he had a Popsicle’s chance in hell of winning, but since he didn’t . . .

  “I hear July got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”

  “If you think bringing that up is going to push my buttons, try again. Better yet, just leave, Leo. I have better things to do than to sit here listening to your lame attempts to poke the bear.”

  “You think you got life by the balls, don’t you?”

  “No. Just yours, apparently, since you can’t seem to stay away from me.”

  He stiffened. Anger hardened his eyes. He stood and stormed out.

  Jerk. She went back to her screen.

  The Election Commission’s report was very straightforward. It included what they’d agreed on as the mayoral job description, in addition to an age and residency requirement. Candidates had to be at lea
st eighteen years of age and have lived in Henry Adams at least thirty days. Personally, Bernadine wanted to raise the condition to ninety days in order to keep Leo off the ballot but knew that wouldn’t be right. Besides, she’d get a bigger kick out of him losing fair and square, which she knew he would. The report aside, she wondered what Marie Jefferson would think of Leo’s return? The last time he’d been in town, he’d treated her to a few weeks of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but when she refused to sell him her land, he’d left her on the side of the road like a bag of discarded trash. She also wondered how Al Stillwell felt about Leo buying his land from the bank, not that he had any say in the sale. Her crusade against the pipeline cost Big Al’s family the oil company money they’d needed to stay afloat, and she still felt guilty about that outcome. Last she’d heard, Big Al was living in Oklahoma and working in the oil fields. His mother, Odessa, convicted of arson and murder, was now serving time at the Topeka Correctional Facility and would undoubtedly die there. His daughter, Freda, had taken the reward money she’d earned from turning her grandmother in to law enforcement and moved to California to finish her college education. Dealing with the Stillwells taught Bernadine there were sometimes two sides to good deeds. One helpful. One not.

  LEO WAS SIMMERING as he drove away from the Power Plant. He’d wanted to intimidate Bernadine but left verbally gelded instead. Gone was the wife who’d been deferential and accommodating, who’d never questioned or offered conflicting opinions. Back then, whenever he’d said, jump, she’d asked, how high. Now, in her place stood a confident, savvy, ball-breaker he barely recognized. He’d gotten a taste of her transformation during the last time he was in town, and she was even more formidable now. Didn’t matter, though. He wasn’t going to slink away like a whipped dog. He owed her for the hit he’d taken to his job status and lifestyle. If elected, he couldn’t really affect her hand on the wheel, but being able to stir the pot meant more. He doubted current mayor Trent July ever challenged her vision on things and simply went along to get along. Leo wanted to throw roadblocks in her path and have enough backing from people other than her personal crew to make her miserable. It wasn’t much of a plan, but he was okay with that because it would serve as a cover for what he’d really come back to do. Being the pebble in her shoe was enough for the moment.