by John Stone
“Actually, there are people who come here to ask us about the Keatons,” he said softly. “So we are always being disturbed about it. It’s not your fault.”
“Father,” Samantha shouted out! “What are you saying? Are you out of your mind?” She turned to Grace, “You need to go now.”
Grace was dumbfounded for the second time today. What would have caused such an outrage from Samantha? Clearly, she wanted to hide something about the Keatons. Grace was left astonished. “Ma’am…” she could only manage to say.
“Excuse me, father is not well. He is just not in the right state to speak. He has to go lie down.” She turned back to leave and took her father by his hand. Her grip was tight, maybe a little too tight, because Grace definitely saw him cringe.
“Samantha, Ma’am…” Grace called out.
She didn’t look back anymore. Instead, she continued walking straight ahead. Grace just sat there and recalled everything that took place in front of her moments ago. It was a few minutes later when Grace heard a bedroom door shut loudly. She was worried and felt impulsive.
Was Mr. Joseph in trouble? What possible harm can his own daughter bring upon him?
The thought troubled her, but she didn’t know what to do about it. She wanted to go and take a look, but that would be intruding. She felt miserable for bringing so much trouble on Mr. Joseph, and decided to have a talk with Mr. Kourim after returning back. Grace heard the faint sound of Samantha screaming, and it was apparent that she was angry with her father. Perhaps she was mad at him for revealing that people visited them and asked about the Keatons. Grace kept thinking about that as she waited for Samantha to return. Fifteen minutes later, Samantha came marching back to the sitting area. Grace stood up and wanted to say something, but she was stopped by a reproachful hand.
“I want you to leave and I have nothing to say,” Samantha told her.
“Ma’am, I am not going to leave until I make sure that Mr. Joseph is all right.” Grace had to be certain he wasn’t being mistreated and she was firm when she said those lines.
“What did you say?” Samantha asked furiously.
“Is Mr. Joseph all right? That is what I asked.” Grace repeated herself, this time more firmly.
Something must have gone through Samantha’s head because she visibly calmed down. She took a deep breath and said, “Father is fine. He just speaks almost all the time out of turn. Nobody comes here to ask anything and almost all the time, we keep to ourselves,” she explained, although Grace didn’t ask her about the last part.
“I didn’t ask you about that, ma’am. I just wanted to know about your father.”
Samantha looked nervous and lit a cigarette. She puffed it a few times. There was obviously something that she was thinking and Grace wasn’t fooled.
“I know,” the daughter began, “but my father, he acts so different sometimes…”
Grace cut her off and said, “You already said that, but I don’t think he was out of line. What you did was just uncalled for.” Grace was getting angrier with every minute that passed.
“I don’t have to answer you, and I have nothing to learn from you about how to take care of my father. You are new in this town, so I am warning you; don’t poke your nose into things that don't concern you.” Samantha was so furious that she was shivering a little.
“Are you threatening me?” Grace challenged.
“You are a stupid girl,” Samantha shot back. “You think that I am threatening you? I’m only telling you what’s true. You are not welcome here in this town, do you understand? So just leave while you can.” Samantha stopped her tirade, and then muttered something else underneath her breath. “We were fine until you came. Why did you have to come here?”
Grace doubted that Mr. Joseph was the only sick person in the house. The daughter didn’t look too fine, as well. Grace had suffered enough verbal abuse and was ready to get back on the scooter and put this place behind her. She made straight for the door and left the house while Samantha was still muttering things to herself. She walked towards where her scooter was parked and put the key in the ignition. She decided to visit the local library, as Miss Gable suggested earlier.
Grace started the scooter and drove her way towards the library. She had taken down the address and had memorized the route. Yet on her way, the incident at Mr. Joseph’s house troubled her. She was so distracted by it that she missed one of the streets she was supposed to turn on. One side of her wanted to give up. She was feeling tired and exhausted, but Grace reminded herself that it was only a matter of a few days. Plus, she would soon be heading back to the college campus with proof and evidence. It was only that fact that kept her going.
Grace stopped to ask for directions. She finally reached the library, but she wanted to throw up all the while. The town library was a strange building, like none other she had ever seen. It was small and quaint, and looked more like a house than a civic building. Grace didn’t inform Mr. Kourim about her visit there, but maybe she should have told him. She was a new visitor to the town, and the security at the front door stopped her immediately. She had her identification card with her, but the name she had used so far was different. She was worried about being found out, but the security guard didn’t ask to see her ID. She used her false name again and announced her purpose of the visit. Luckily, the guard believed what she said.
“I heard a reporter was in town,” was the only thing he said and allowed her in. Grace walked a few steps and saw a receptionist sitting behind the desk. He was reading a book to himself.
“Hello, I am June,” Grace introduced herself.
The man behind the desk looked up from what he was doing and said, “Hello, you are a visitor. Would you like to be a member?”
“Not at this time,” Grace politely answered. “I am a visitor here but I’m here for a reason. I’m reporting about this town, the people and stuff like that, so I need to go through some of the town records.” Grace hoped that she would be allowed inside, but he stopped her.
“Wait,” he said, “Do you have an identification card or something? I need to check.”
Grace was at a fix. “I don’t think that I can show you that. I left it back in the city,” Grace meekly said.
“That’s not how it works here; I need some sort of verifiable proof. You understand, these are strange times we live in,” he apologized.
Grace had to gain access somehow. She needed the information desperately and knew that what she needed lay inside the library. It was probably in the room with the forgotten pages of the newspaper records. When the man behind the desk dismissed her and turned back to his work, Grace decided to try a different approach.
“Hello again, I didn’t get your name.”
“It’s Steve, but like I said, I don’t think that I can help you with your request. So, I am really sorry,” he said.
Steve didn’t look much older than Grace, maybe a couple of years her senior, so she addressed him by his name. “Steve, I was at the local school yesterday and had a look around. I visited their library and toured the school. I met Mrs. West and Miss Gable, and they were the ones who suggested that I stop by. They assured me that this library would be able to help me find out more about this town.’ Grace didn’t add anything further and waited for him to respond.
“They let you in the school?” Steve questioned and he looked strangely surprised.
“Yes, they did,” she confirmed, “well not initially though. Do you happen to know Mr. Kourim? Well, he assisted me in getting around town. I went with him to the school and apparently he’s well known there. I told them the purpose of my visit and they allowed me in.”
“Of course, I know Mr. Kourim. I meet him in the park most often and we have quite a good acquaintance. But you know him?” He looked at her suspiciously. “How? Mr. Kourim never mentioned you.”
“You sound like he never helped a soul,” Grace mockingly said. Inside her mind, she thanked her lucky stars that she happened to k
nock on Mr. Kourim’s door instead of someone else’s. Otherwise, she would have never managed to come this far.
“Mr. Kourim is one of the nicest and kindest people in this town, and he’s respected and liked. He actively participates in all developmental works, and does a lot for the betterment of the town. He is the one who practically put us on the map, but how is he related to you? I am sorry,” Steve begged, “but I am having a hard time believing your story because he never mentioned you.”
“Our acquaintance is fairly new, but he is indeed helpful.”
“I need to contact him to make sure about this,” Steve said and dialed a number on the desk phone.
Luckily, Mr. Kourim answered. Grace could hear his voice from the other end and he confirmed the story about knowing Grace. She saw a change in reaction on Steve’s face almost immediately. He muttered something, which Grace failed to hear, but she didn’t care what it was. By this time, she was confident that she’d be let inside the reading and lending room of the library. Grace was indebted to Mr. Kourim and she made a mental note to be truthful towards him from now on.
I will tell him everything on my way back, Grace reminded herself.
“So it is true,” Steve reluctantly admitted. “Well, then you can go inside, but you need to sign in here.”
He handed her a notebook. Grace was just about to write her real name, but corrected herself in time. She signed her false name as quickly and casually as possible because Steve’s glance never left her.
“There you go,” said Grace, “so now can I be allowed inside? I won’t take up much time.”
Steve only nodded his head.
“Oh, and thank you,” Grace added with a cheeky smile.
It was just a way of covering up her nervousness. She couldn’t believe her luck that the plan had actually worked. Steve called someone over the phone and within a few minutes time a slim, intelligent-looking woman appeared.
“This is Mrs. Aldman and she is the assistant librarian here. She will help you around. I hope you find what you are looking for.” Steve waved her towards the entrance.
“Hello, I am June and I'm looking for the sections where the old newspaper records about the town are kept, so can you guide me?”
“Sure, you can just follow me.”
Mrs. Aldman took Grace to the private entrance in the rear of the library. There was a long, winding staircase to the library reading room. There were pictures of important landmarks and items hanging on either side of the wall. Grace took them all in while going up. After a short climb, they pushed open the door and entered the reading hall. An elderly man was sitting at the desk straight in front of the door, and he didn’t look up when they entered. Grace assumed he was the head librarian and indeed she was correct. Mrs. Aldman didn’t bother to introduce Grace to him. She did explain who he was in a low whisper.
“That’s Mr. Thompson,” she said. “You don’t want to talk to him. He prefers silence, so I’ll just quietly take you to the section where the newspaper records are stored.”
“All right then, let’s go.”
Grace didn’t want to delay the process either. There were huge panels separating each section from the other. A few locals were standing and browsing through some books; they never looked up. The sitting arrangement was at the end of the room, and there were a few people sitting there, as well. The room was silent with only the occasional sound of pages flipping, someone coughing or tapping on the table.
“Where can I find the newspapers?” Grace asked Mrs. Aldman.
“Over there ... right over there, third from the right. Good luck finding what you are looking for,” Mrs. Aldman said politely.
Grace walked over to the section to have a closer look at the pile of books. As she predicted, there weren’t that many to choose from. Grace quickly found the one she was looking for and took the leather bound file in hand. She set it down on a nearby table to look through it.
There was usual news, news that Grace already saw and knew about. She flipped through the reports hurriedly, and never stopped at anything until she found the one she was looking for. There weren’t any parts of the news that were missing and the whole report was there. Grace started reading it and read the chunk of the report that was missing from the school’s library. Grace was trying to take it all in, and at times was at a loss. She wanted to convey everything to Emily, but didn’t know how. Then, she thought of something that would allow her to take these items as evidence. Mrs. Aldman was sitting a little distance from her. Grace waved a hand at her to get her attention.
“Ma’am, can I photocopy a few pages from here? Is that allowed?” Grace asked.
Mrs. Aldman looked up, and saw what she was holding. Then she said, “It is allowed, but the person working there is not present today. I’m not that familiar with the machine either. Perhaps you can do it yourself?”
Grace was grateful that at least she was getting what she wanted. Although she wasn’t familiar with photocopy machines, she decided to give it a try.
“Where can I find the machine?” Grace asked.
“It’s a floor below us. While we were coming up, did you notice a small door on the side, over a platform? Usually, it remains open, because Jim works there. Today, it’s closed. Here, you can take the keys, or do you want me to go with you?” Mrs. Aldman asked.
“It’s alright; I think I can manage it myself.” Grace finished her sentence, but didn’t get half way to the exit before Mrs. Aldman called her back.
“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why do you need these? Which parts were you going to photocopy?”
“For my work,” Grace replied without stopping. “I need a few of the articles, just for reference. Is there a problem?”
“No, it’s nothing. Carry on,” Mrs. Aldman urged.
Grace descended the stairway to find a small door, which was locked on the right side of the platform. She twisted the key to open the lock and entered the room. A photocopy machine was there with a few loose papers strewn here and there. It looked like nobody ever came there to copy anything, but Grace shrugged the thought off and switched on the machine. Initially, it was difficult for her to figure out the machine, but she followed the instructions to start it. Shortly afterwards, she was copying pages without a problem. She did two copies, but folded and hid one of the copies in her trouser pocket. When she was finished, Grace locked the doors and made her way back up to hand over the keys to Mrs. Aldman. All that was left for her to do now was head back to the city. However, before that she wanted to be clear with Mr. Kourim about her real reason for being in town.
“Are you done?” Mrs. Aldman asked, once she was handed over the keys.
“Yes, it wasn’t much.” Grace wanted to leave as soon as possible, but she was stopped again.
“Show me what copies you made,” Mrs. Aldman ordered firmly.
Grace saw it coming, so she made a few copies of random news pages. She handed them to Mrs. Aldman in a very casual manner and they were promptly snatched from her hands. She skimmed through them hurriedly and turned each paper over to inspect them properly. Grace didn’t want to lose control of the situation, but wanted to know why the town people were so skeptical of her.
“You don’t look too pleased with the result. Are you looking for something in particular?” she asked.
At that moment, Mrs. Aldman paused at the story of the Keaton sister, and Grace saw it on her face. She thought she took that page out, but didn’t pay any attention. She tapped her fingers on the table to distract the librarian.
“What?” Mrs. Aldman asked. “What are you talking about? It’s my duty to check all the copies made. That's all,” she said, sounding surprised.
Grace felt like a fool with her over-suspicious nature the last few days. “Oh, I’m sorry; I thought I was bothering you. I am really sorry.” Grace tried to cover her mistake and Mrs. Aldman bought it.
She handed the papers back to Grace. “There you go. Anyway, when are you leavin
g town?” she asked Grace.
“In a day or two, or I might leave today. I haven’t decided. I like this town,” Grace added with a knowing smile.
“Then I hope that you have a happy time staying here. Take care!” Mrs. Aldman wished her luck.
Grace made her way downstairs, completed the formalities at the desk and left the library in her scooter rearview. She wanted to head back to the inn to gather her things right away, but she decided to wrap up things with Mr. Kourim first. She went to meet with Mr. Kourim for one last time. He was not at the house when Grace got there. She banged against the door a couple of times before noticing that the front door was locked. She couldn’t understand where they would go in such short notice. She looked around, but no one was there. She had to return the scooter keys and tell him about the meetings. Most importantly, she needed to confess her true identity. Grace was feeling unusual that day; she wasn’t sure why she was acting the way she was. She was not obligated to Mr. Kourim. She didn’t owe him any explanation, yet she couldn’t leave. She stood there looking around with hands on her hips. She decided to wait at the door a little while longer before going back to the hotel. It was only mid-day and she felt like there was plenty of time to kill.
Sitting at the front door, Grace thought of all the things she had to say to Emily. It was a jumble that desperately needed to be sorted. She pondered in her head just how she would present her findings to her roommate. Will they be accepted, rejected, or countered? Grace didn’t know the answers to those questions and they filled her with an overwhelming sense of dismay and anxiousness. Grace waited at the doors for more than an hour, but still there was no sign of Mr. Kourim. She kept checking her watch.
She yawned loudly and leaned against one of the brick foundations of the porch. Grace must have dozed off because she was awakened some time later by Mrs. Kourim. The Kourims were standing in front of her looking surprised.
Mr. Kourim spoke first, “What are you doing here, June, sleeping on our porch?”
