by Ashton Lee
“Please run that by me again, girlfriend. The church of the . . . what?” Periwinkle Place said, nudging Mr. Place, who was sitting next to her in disbelief. “Who the hell are they?”
“They’d get you for that kind of language, Peri,” Maura Beth told her, snickering for good measure. “But seriously, they’re some quirky little church out in the country somewhere that actually challenged my job qualifications recently. They asked Councilman Sparks to fire me because they didn’t approve of my book selection policy and a few other things I don’t need to go into at this time.”
Jeremy cleared his throat, stood up, and turned around from his vantage point in the front row. “To cut to the chase, folks, they wanted censorship big-time. They claimed that Maurie’s ruining our young people and leading them into temptation, if you will, but to his credit, Councilman Sparks was having none of that nonsense. He dismissed their accusations and sent them on their way.”
“Well, that’s refreshing,” Connie McShay said, exchanging surprised looks with Douglas. “But my goodness, why didn’t you tell us about any of this before now, Maura Beth?”
She shrugged as she brought her hands together. “I wanted to wait and see if these church people were serious about picketing us. Today, Councilman Sparks informed me that they have done everything they’re supposed to do legally to begin picketing. He says they told him they won’t give up until I’m fired. So, it looks like anyone who wants to use the library will have to dodge these picketers for the time being. I hate the thought of it, but there it is.”
Periwinkle assumed her feistiest demeanor. “Just who the hell do they think they are?”
Maura Beth couldn’t resist one more time. “And there you go again with that language.”
“This is serious, girl. The very idea of anyone questioning your credentials. It’s like somebody saying I don’t know how to cook, or Parker doesn’t know squat about desserts.”
Mr. Place sounded nearly as feisty as his wife. “Damn straight, and I used that language on purpose.”
“I like your analogy,” Maura Beth continued, giving Periwinkle and Parker a thumbs-up as everyone chuckled. “But I think we all need to go on the offensive here, and I don’t mean we’re going to picket in return. We just need to get all our friends and family members to tell everyone they know to keep on using the library—now more than ever. Don’t let those church people stop anyone from coming out to use the computers, or to bring the little ones for one of Miriam’s story hours, or to just check out a book and read a little of it out on the deck overlooking the lake. Everyone’s raving about all of it. Now that we’ve got such a state-of-the-art resource, we can’t lose our momentum by letting these picketers discourage people from using it. You spread the word. If you hear someone you know saying, ‘Well, I would go out there, but I don’t want to get involved with those crazy people,’ you tell them we’ve reached a point in our society where we can’t let the crazies win.”
“Atta, girl!” Periwinkle shouted, pumping her fist. “Don’t you back down. You tell ’em!”
“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Peri,” Maura Beth said, “but we also need to keep our cool in this business. No matter what those people say to any of us, and no matter what they’ve written on their signs—and who knows what all they may come up with—we need to walk right past them and go into the library as if they aren’t even there. No shouting matches, certainly no tussles. Just cool, calm, and collected will get the job done.”
“Maura Beth’s right,” Douglas added. “And if they should try to block anyone from entering the library, they’ll go to jail. I’m sure we can get Sheriff Dreyfus to see to that. They have their rights, but the patrons will still have theirs. Connie and I will be more than happy to tell all our friends out here what’s going on. As Maura Beth said, I think the best approach for all of us will be to pretend they don’t even exist, and I’ll bet your circulation figures not only won’t take a dip, they’ll soar.”
Maura Beth gestured toward Douglas and with great warmth in her voice said, “Thank you for that. I certainly hope so. It’s definitely true that our phones have been ringing off the hook since the Grand Opening—patrons complimenting us on everything from the spacious design and all the light to the wonderful new staff. And, of course, they all love the location right here on the water. They’ve all said they intend to start using the library much more often than they did before when it was on Shadow Alley in that dark old ex-tractor warehouse. So, that’s why I’ve called this meeting, and now all I ask is that The Cherry Cola Book Club does its thing as only it can. We’ve been tested before, as you all know.”
Renette raised her hand, and said, “I’m sorry to have to tell y’all that my parents are behind this picket line thing. Well, with the support of their church. They were the ones who held Miz McShay’s feet to the fire at that hearing. I was there, too, and it was pretty bad with a lot of finger-pointing and hysteria on their part. I wish I could change their minds, but they don’t believe in anyone’s ideas but their own, and they want to impose them on everyone else. Just please know that I support Miz McShay and the library and will do whatever I can to help her weather this storm.”
“That was a very courageous thing to say, Renette,” Maura Beth told her. “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, and I’m also quite sure no one here blames you for any of this.”
The group gave Renette instant validation with overlapping comments like, “Of course we don’t,” and “Don’t you worry about that for even a second,” and “We’re all in this together.”
“I have a further suggestion,” Connie said. “I don’t think it’s enough that we just tell all our friends about this and we show up out here once or twice a week. I think each of us should make an effort to come out to the library and use it every single day and encourage our friends to do the same thing. Why, Douglas and I can come over three or four times a day since we live right next door. Those picketers will get sick of our faces before it’s all over and done with. We all just need to find time to do it to send a message. None of us would have to stay long. We could obviously check out a book or use the computers, but we could also just read a newspaper or a magazine or browse or walk out on the deck and take in that magnificent view of Lake Cherico. Anything to outnumber these self-righteous people on the picket line. Hopefully, they’ll soon see they’re swimming upstream.”
Maura Beth applauded lightly. “That’s excellent. Let’s all make a resolution not to miss a day without a library visit. As we’ve discovered more than once with our Cherry Cola Book Club, there’s strength in numbers.”
* * *
Everyone had been sitting and buzzing in suspense ever since Maura Beth had concluded the emergency meeting with the cryptic statement, “And now, if my dear, sweet Jeremy will come up here onstage, we have another important announcement to make to all of you.”
Unlike an Oscar winner practically climbing over the seats to claim that coveted golden statue onstage, Jeremy seemed to be taking forever, taking baby steps, in fact, and it was Periwinkle who took him to task first.
“Will you please get the lead out, Jeremy McShay? You’re shufflin’ along like an old man.”
“Yep, that’s just what I am—an old man.”
Periwinkle suddenly gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, but Maura Beth caught her in time. “Shush, Peri! Let us tell everybody.”
Jeremy then sped up and was soon by Maura Beth’s side with a smirk on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “yes, you heard it right. I will soon be somebody’s old man. Eventually, I mean. Maurie and I are thrilled to announce to all of you, our dearest friends here in Cherico, that we are officially pregnant. How about that? Our family is expanding from two to three.”
The auditorium exploded with cheers, applause, and congratulations, and not a single person stayed seated, all of them rushing the stage to get closer.
“How long have you known?” Becca asked, reaching Maura
Beth first and giving her a hug and a peck on the cheek, while Justin vigorously shook Jeremy’s hand with his big, ex-quarterback paw.
“We just found out. I went up to Memphis to confirm it yesterday. I knew I was late, so I wanted to check things out, and then there was this dream I had . . . actually, I kept having it . . . oh, never mind, I probably sound as crazy as those church people that’ll be out there tomorrow on the picket line.”
Becca was amused. “But yours is the good kind of crazy. Isn’t that right, Stout Fella?”
“I’m here to tell you that your life’ll never be the same from now on,” her Justin said with his best grin. “Not much sleep ahead, and lots of cryin’—from the baby, I mean, not you. But it’ll all be worth it in the end, believe me. I hate leavin’ our little Markie for even a second. I’d take him to work with me if Becca would let me. Matter a’ fact, I’m downright jealous of the babysitter as we speak.”
“We can’t wait to get to where you two are now,” Maura Beth said. “Three instead of two. What a wonderful number.”
Then Ana Estrella stepped up and took Maura Beth’s hand in hers. “I’m so excited for you both, and I’d like to do my part for the library as Queen of the Cookbooks. I’ve checked out that enormous kitchen you have in the staff lounge, and I was thinking that if I offered baking lessons, the same people who voted for my pigeon peas cake might want to come out and learn how to make it. All we have to do is move a few more chairs in there, and we have lots more patrons for the library, right?”
Maura Beth gave her a hug and said, “I think that’s an absolutely brilliant idea. And if I can manage to get away from my desk for a while, I’ll be right there taking notes with the rest of them. I’ve been trying all sorts of recipes since Jeremy and I got married, and I’d love to try this one, too.”
“Then it’s settled. I’ll be using my title for another good cause.”
“First ESL books, and now this. You wear your crown well.”
Ana was giggling to herself. “Most tiara-wearing queens like to talk about world peace on the runway, but I’ll just settle for more practical things like reading and baking. You can always count on those.”
The rest of The Cherry Cola Book Club took turns with their schmoozing and good wishes, and for a while everyone forgot all about the distressing revelation that had brought them together. But despite the warm, fuzzy feeling Maura Beth was enjoying, she was not about to adjourn the meeting without a reminder.
“Be sure and come out tomorrow and do your part to counter those protests. Remember, we let them do all the shouting. We just walk in and take advantage of the greatest little library in the state of Mississippi.”
12
Signs of the Times
Connie and Douglas McShay were standing in the parking lot of the Charles Durden Sparks, Crumpton, and Duddney Public Library in the humid morning air of July, completely aghast at what they were witnessing. They had set the alarm to rise bright and early to make sure they were ready to face all the protestors from the Church of the Eternal Promise, walking past them into the library with their heads held high; but they were completely unprepared for the over-the-top signs the group was carrying. Had these people stayed up all night concocting these witless slogans?
MIZ MAYHEW CONDONES WITCHCRAFT . . .
MAY LIGHTNING STRIKE THIS LIBRARY . . .
DENY FALSE PROPHETS . . . TURN IN YOUR
LIBRARY CARD NOW . . . MIZ MAYHEW IS
A DICTATOR . . . THIS LIBRARY DOES NOT
PROTECT THE INNOCENT . . . TELL CITY
HALL TO FIRE MIZ MAYHEW . . . and GO BACK
WHERE YOU CAME FROM, MAURA BETH
comprised the collection.
The contingent had already begun circling—in silence for the time being—but perhaps it was only a matter of time before they started chanting something equally outrageous. No sentiment, it appeared, was off-limits.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” Connie said out of the side of her mouth. “I’m trying very hard to fathom the world these people live in, but I keep coming up with nothing.” She checked her watch. “Maura Beth should be here soon to open up. I’m glad we’ll be here for her.”
Douglas could only shake his head, looking down at the asphalt. “And I trust the rest of the club will start showing up. We need to have a steady stream of people to counteract this disgraceful display.”
A few minutes later Maura Beth drove up, and the McShays greeted her as she got out of her little Prius and took it all in. “We didn’t want you to face this alone,” Connie told her.
“No way should you face this nonsense by yourself. We’ll be here for you no matter what,” Douglas agreed.
Maura Beth did not speak right away, and the three of them watched the blank-faced protestors trudging around, practically mesmerized by the spectacle. “Well, I’ve been the villain before—according to our dear Councilman Sparks not all that long ago—so I guess I can be the villain again,” Maura Beth said finally.
“You are no such thing,” Connie said. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to Cherico, and you know it. By the way, where’s Jeremy?”
“He’s coming. I asked him to run by The Cherico Market to pick up some milk and a loaf of bread and a few other things we need as long as he was out and about. I’m terrible at keeping track of staples.”
“You see? That’s what you and Jeremy should be worrying about—last-minute grocery shopping and mundane things like that,” Douglas said. “Not this insane side show.”
Maura Beth nodded and took a deep breath. “Well, what do you say? Shall we run this blockade?”
It was at precisely that moment that the Brachles and the Places pulled up in their cars and quickly headed over.
“So, what’s the game plan here?” Justin asked, rubbing his hands together and sounding like he was about to call a play at the line of scrimmage. The mindset of ex-quarterbacks died hard. “I call personal foul on this bunch.”
Douglas shook hands with his friend and chuckled. “I think we were about to execute the old end around.”
Becca stood frozen in place, shaking her head. “Those signs are unbelievable. Are they serious?”
“Crazy serious,” Periwinkle added with a frown. “There’s protests, and then there’s protests. But this here is like a comedy skit. Only, it’s not very funny.”
“Yeah, they want our Maura Beth’s head on a plate,” Mr. Place said. “We gotta do something about this, folks. Connie, you were right, we need to come out here as often as we can to make a statement.”
“Let’s do just that right now for starters,” Maura Beth told the group. “We’re The Cherry Cola Book Club, and we know how to get things done the right way. So, y’all ready?”
Then the group efficiently linked arms and walked in lock-step silence around the picket line straight into the library. In response, the believers of the Church of the Eternal Promise raised their signs higher, as if to invoke heavenly intervention against the heathens daring to oppose them.
“The forecast predicts an unusually hot, muggy day,” Maura Beth said, once she and the McShays were inside the deliciously air-conditioned lobby. “I know I should be a little less petty about all this, but I can’t help it if our friends out there enjoy triple digits, can I?”
* * *
By the time another hour had passed, the protestors had begun chanting mindlessly.
“Maura Beth must go! Maura Beth must go! Maura Beth must go!” was their mean-spirited mantra of choice. Perhaps it was the flood of patrons who were beginning to show up—many who were members of The Cherry Cola Book Club, of course—who had inspired the noise. It had to be unsettling to the Church of the Eternal Promise that their presence was most definitely not keeping people away. Indeed, the exact opposite was true.
When Councilman Sparks, himself, showed up and headed into the library, Elder Warren could no longer restrain himself, getting out of the picket line and bringing his sign down to his
side long enough to accost him.
“I guess you’re goin’ in to huddle with Miz Mayhew, aren’t you? We knew you and her were in cahoots, Councilman. Like I said the other day, that whole hearing in City Hall Chambers—why, it was rigged from the start. This proves it. You’re all swoll up with pride with your chest puffed out in your fancy suit and tie because your name is on that library. Everybody in Cherico knows you didn’t give a hoot about the library until then. You even wanted to close the old library down. But it’s the love of the material things in life that sends us to Hell, you know. You’ll have to account for this when the time comes to meet your Maker. I just hope you’re ready to face what’ll be comin’ to you.”
Councilman Sparks addressed his accuser with his best reelection smile. “Well, Elder Warren, I may end up going to that Hell of yours, as you predict, but it won’t be because I’m proud as I can be of this library. I’ve done a whole lot worse than that in my lifetime—including making all sorts of trouble for Miz McShay, when all she wanted was to do her job. But I’m sure I’ll be forgiven for that. In fact, I already know Miz McShay has forgiven me for that and a whole lot more. So, oops! I guess I don’t get to go to your Hell after all.”
“You’re a blasphemer!”
“Hell, yes, I guess I am.”
Elder Warren was fuming now, left completely speechless by the exchange. All he could think to do was to hoist his sign to the sky again and rejoin his comrades on the line.
“By the way,” Councilman Sparks added just before triggering the sliding glass doors, “you folks need to be sure and stay good and hydrated out here on the picket line. There’s no rain predicted today, and I know you don’t wanna burn up before you get to Heaven.”
