Finding Libbie

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  Libbie stood there, hugging herself tightly. It was a warm morning, but she felt a chill run through her. She watched as Jack slid his finger down the dates. Finally, he stopped at his birthday—January 28.

  “What is it?” Libbie whispered.

  Jack turned and gave Libbie a small smile. “It’s a good number, Libbie. A good number. It’s three hundred forty-six. That’s high. There’s a really good chance I won’t be drafted.”

  Relief flooded through her. She reached out and hugged Jack as tears spilled from her eyes. “Are you sure? Are you sure you won’t be drafted?”

  Jack pulled away and gazed down at her. “They’d have to go through a lot of men before they hit my number, Libbie. I can’t promise, but I should be safe.”

  Libbie sighed. Then her eyes grew wide. “What about Larry?”

  Jack turned back to the paper and looked up Larry’s birthday, March 2. Libbie saw him frown.

  “What it is? What’s his number?” Libbie asked.

  “It’s seventy-seven,” Jack said.

  Libbie gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

  “I’m afraid he’ll be drafted for sure,” Jack said, his shoulders slumping. Slowly, he folded the paper and rolled it up neatly, replacing the rubber band. They left it on the porch where they’d found it. Jack placed his arm around Libbie’s waist and walked her back to the cottage.

  Jack and Larry sat on the cottage porch that evening while Libbie finished cooking dinner inside. He’d asked her to let him talk to Larry alone for a few minutes, and she’d nodded her understanding.

  Larry took a swig of his beer. “It doesn’t seem real yet. I mean, I knew there was always a chance I’d go, but now that it’s going to happen, it’s strange.”

  “I’m sorry, Lar,” Jack said.

  “It’s not your fault, man. It was fate.”

  Jack sipped on the beer Larry had brought. They were still underage at nineteen, but Larry never seemed to have a problem getting beer and booze.

  “Some of the guys in the shop were talking today,” Jack said. “They said it was best to enlist before you’re drafted so you might have a better chance of not going to Nam.”

  Larry nodded. “Yeah, I’ve heard that from guys, too. I have to check into it. I was thinking of trying to enlist in the Air Force, or maybe even the Coast Guard.”

  Jack laughed. “The Coast Guard? You’ve never been to the ocean in your life. You haven’t even been to the Great Lakes. What if you get seasick?”

  Larry chuckled. “It would be better than the Navy. I can’t see myself stuck on a ship for months at a time. I could try the Marines, too. I don’t know. Some college students get a deferment until they graduate. I could try for that. That would give me three more years.”

  “Yeah. That would be good.”

  Larry glanced over at Jack. “You’re so lucky, man. You married the prettiest girl in town and you drew a high number. I’m glad you did, though. Libbie needs you here. It wouldn’t be good for her if you left.”

  Jack looked at Larry curiously. “Why do you say that?”

  “Ah, no reason. It’s just that Libbie has a soft heart. She needs someone beside her to keep her strong. Nothing wrong with that. You’re her sturdy arm to lean on, man. Without you, I’m afraid she might crumble, and that would be a shame.”

  “Dinner’s ready, guys,” Libbie called out the window.

  “Yeah! Chow. I’m starved. Let’s go eat,” Larry said, heading for the door.

  Jack thought about what Larry had said all that night and the next day. Did Larry believe that Libbie was weak? Jack had never thought of Libbie that way. She was smart, confident, and hardworking. Sure, she could be emotional at times, but weren’t some women like that? His sister was like that, although his mother wasn’t. Did Larry see something in Libbie that Jack hadn’t?

  Jack finally chalked up Larry’s words to too much beer. Larry always spoke nonsense when he drank. Libbie was a strong girl. She could stand on her own if she needed to. Jack was just happy that she wanted him beside her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Libbie lay curled up beside Jack in bed with her head on his bare chest. They’d just made love, and she adored snuggling beside him until they fell asleep. Except sleeping was the last thing she felt like doing just then. She’d been thinking for days about something and wanted to talk to Jack about it when she found the right moment. She took a breath—this had to be the right moment.

  “Jack?” she asked softly, hoping he hadn’t already fallen asleep.

  “Hmm?”

  “Let’s have a baby.”

  Jack’s eyes popped open. “What?”

  Libbie sat up and looked at him. She talked quickly. “I want to have a baby. A little Jack or Libbie. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? And, if we have a baby, they won’t be able to draft you. I read that somewhere. At least, they’d be less likely to since you’re the sole supporter of the family.”

  Jack sat up and stared at Libbie. “That’s not a good reason to have a child,” he said. “I thought we weren’t going to worry about the draft anymore. We’ll just take each day as it comes.”

  Libbie looked down as she wrung her hands. They hadn’t talked about the possibility of his being drafted for a few weeks. It was mid-August, and summer was going by fast. They’d celebrated the Fourth of July at her parents’ house with all their friends, and they’d enjoyed many lovely evenings walking the nearby wooded trails or floating on the lake in the canoe. But the fear of Jack being drafted continued to plague Libbie’s thoughts.

  “Don’t you want to have children?” she asked.

  Jack reached out and took her hand. “Of course I do,” he said gently. “But I figured we’d wait a while and enjoy our time together before we start a family. And it would be nice to save and buy our own house before we have children.”

  Libbie dropped her eyes. “But I want a baby,” she said. “Not only because of the draft, but also to have someone to love and take care of. You go to work every day and I don’t have much to do except clean and cook. If I had a baby, I’d be busy taking care of her or him.”

  “Libs, I don’t think having a baby is the answer to you being bored,” Jack said.

  Libbie pulled away from him, her eyes flashing. “You just don’t understand.”

  Jack looked at her tenderly. “Sweetie, I do understand. And I do want children. But I think we should wait a little longer. We’re young. We should enjoy this time alone before we start a family.”

  Libbie sighed. “But everyone has something they’re doing. You work. Carol will be in school. Most of my friends go to college, work, or have left town. What am I supposed to do with myself?”

  Jack sat there looking thoughtful. “What about school? You’re really smart. And your parents offered to pay if you wanted to go to college.”

  Libbie shrugged. “I never really thought about going to college. I don’t even know what I’d major in. All I ever thought I’d do was get married and have a family.”

  Jack smiled. “I’m happy I was the lucky guy you married.”

  Libbie grinned.

  “Maybe you could work for your dad, like in his office or something.”

  “Oh, no, I don’t think he’d give me a job. My mom would kill him. She says Wilkens women don’t work.”

  “But lots of women work nowadays. I don’t see why you shouldn’t, if you want to.”

  Libbie thought about what Jack said. True, women were working more than before. And it might be fun to work somewhere. And she could even earn a little money to help save for their house. She looked up at Jack. “Where would I work?”

  “I’m not sure, but there must be ads in the newspaper. You should look at them tomorrow and see if anything interests you.”

  The more Libbie thought of it, the more she liked the idea. “Yeah, I’ll do that.” She grinned up at Jack. “But you haven’t talked me out of having a baby. I still want to have children. But I guess I can wait awhil
e longer.”

  Jack pulled her into his arms and she fell on top of him. “In that case, we should practice and practice before we really try making a baby.”

  Libbie giggled, and then lost herself in Jack’s love.

  The next morning, Libbie borrowed the newspaper from Clem and studied the help wanted ads. There were a few, and some of them were for her father’s businesses, so she didn’t even consider those. A few others were for businesses owned by the Jamisons. Her father would disown her if she worked for his rival, so those were out, too.

  She continued reading down the column of ads. There were ads for a waitress, a fry cook, and a job selling tickets at the local movie theater. She didn’t think she’d make a good waitress, didn’t want to be a fry cook, and figured the movie theater job would be at night, so that was out. Evenings were the only time she had to spend with Jack. Then she saw a job listing for their local library. It was two days a week, six hours a day, and only involved checking out books, re-shelving them, and helping library patrons. Libbie liked books and thought it would be fun to work around them. It said to come in and pick up an application between nine and three o’clock.

  “I’ll do it today,” Libbie said to herself excitedly. She went to her bedroom and rummaged through the closet. She hadn’t brought all of her clothes to the cottage, leaving many of her dressier clothes at her parents’ house. She knew she couldn’t go there and pick up a dress or her mother would ask her why. And if Gwen were there, she’d bug her until she told her. So she picked out the best dress she had on hand and slipped it on. It was a sleeveless dress of soft yellow with white piping trim and a wide white belt. It fell just above her knees, which Libbie thought would be good for a library. Even though short dresses were the style, Libbie’s mother had never let her wear them, so Libbie didn’t own any miniskirts. But this would be perfect for job hunting. She slipped on a pair of white flats and pulled a white purse out of the closet to match. As she applied a little makeup and pushed her hair back with a headband, she grew more excited. Working somewhere might be fun. She could dress up and keep her mind busy so she wouldn’t have time to dwell on things that upset her. She hoped she’d get this job.

  Libbie hopped into her Mustang and followed the lake road, then turned to go downtown. The Jamison Public Library was a small three-story brick building on a corner just across from the lake. It had been built in 1901, originally as a Carnegie library, and had wide steps in front with two tall white pillars on each side. Libbie remembered going there ever since she was a little girl, picking out colorful storybooks to read.

  The only parking was on the street. She found a spot around the corner and walked the short distance. It was a beautiful day with the sun sparkling off the lake. Traffic was heavy on the main street through town due to it being tourist season. It wouldn’t be long before college students replaced tourists and the small town went back to its normal, quieter routine.

  Libbie walked into the building and was greeted by cool air. She glanced around with a smile. She loved the feel of the old building and the unique smell of books lining the shelves. The floors were polished oak and there were two small staircases—one leading upstairs and one leading downstairs to the lower floor. Carved walnut handrails that swirled at the ends lined the staircase walls, and all three stories had a fireplace in each room from the days when there was no central heating.

  The librarian desk was on the third floor, so Libbie went up the steps and walked across the room to the long desk where books were checked out and returned. A woman about her mother’s age stood there, stamping the inside of books that she took from a tall pile. She looked up when Libbie approached.

  “Libbie, dear, how nice to see you,” she said.

  Libbie smiled. “Hi, Mrs. Thompson. How are you?” Miriam Thompson had been working at the library ever since Libbie was a small child. Everyone in town knew her.

  “Oh, I can’t complain. I saw in the paper that you got married this summer. Congratulations, dear. Are you enjoying married life?”

  “Oh, yes. We’re very happy.”

  “That’s good to hear. What can I do for you today, Libbie?”

  “I came to apply for the part-time job.”

  The woman’s soft blue eyes lit up. “Wonderful. Let me get you an application.” She reached under the desk, pulled out a sheet of paper, and handed it to Libbie along with a pen. “You can sit right over there and fill it out.” She pointed to an empty table that sat by the bookshelves.

  “Thank you,” Libbie said. She sat down, then perused the sheet of paper. She’d never filled out a job application before. She went through each question, and except for personal information, she had nothing to write. She’d never worked before, and she hadn’t done much volunteer work, either. She hoped that they would give her a chance anyway, based on what a good student she’d been in school.

  Libbie brought the application back to Mrs. Thompson. “I’m afraid I couldn’t fill out too much,” she told her. “I’ve never had a job before, but I’m a quick learner and I used to be in charge of many of the dances and activities when I was in school.”

  “That’s fine, Libbie. We all have to start somewhere, right?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “We haven’t had many applications come in, and I think it would be a breath of fresh air having a young girl like you working here with us old ladies,” Mrs. Thompson said, smiling. “We’ll be going over the applications at our next board meeting on Wednesday, and then we’ll choose someone.”

  “Okay. Thank you, Mrs. Thompson.”

  Libbie waved good-bye and left, her heart beating with excitement. She hoped the board would hire her. She liked Mrs. Thompson, and thought she’d do a good job there. Crossing her fingers, she hopped into her car and buzzed home.

  When Libbie pulled up to her cottage, she saw a bustling of activity going on in the cottage closest to theirs. Two old cars sat in the driveway as well as a truck, and an older man was carrying boxes into the cottage. A woman was running back and forth, bringing in the smaller items, and two college-aged girls were helping them. One of the girls smiled and waved at her, and Libbie waved back before going inside. Libbie hoped it was the two girls moving in. Of the six cottages available for rent, only three had been filled so far. Libbie hadn’t gotten to know the other renters well because they were all men who worked construction and wouldn’t be there once winter came. But these girls looked to be Libbie’s age, and she thought it might be nice to have someone around she could talk to.

  Later that afternoon, Libbie went outside on the porch to shake out a rug and noticed that the truck was gone but the two cars were still there. She decided she would be a good neighbor, so she put several freshly baked chocolate chip cookies into a container and walked over to the cottage. She hadn’t even knocked yet when the door flew open and one of the girls smiled broadly at her.

  “Hi! I saw you coming over. I’m Candace, but you can call me Candy. What did you bring?” the girl said excitedly.

  Libbie smiled. Candy had long, straight, black hair, bright blue eyes, and a friendly smile. She was tall and slender and very pretty. “I’m Libbie. I thought I’d welcome you by bringing over some homemade cookies.”

  “Isn’t that sweet?” Candy said. “Come on in. We’re unpacking our stuff. Jackie! Come meet our neighbor. She brought cookies.”

  The other girl was the exact opposite of Candy. She had pale blond hair that was cut in a pixie style, and she was shorter and much curvier. She had a pretty face and a welcoming smile.

  “Cookies?” Jackie said, coming out of one of the bedrooms. “I can never say no to cookies.”

  Libbie introduced herself, and soon they were all sitting at the kitchen table eating cookies and drinking Cokes.

  “We’re in our second year of college,” Candy told Libbie. “We’re both elementary education majors. We lived in the dorms last year but wanted our own place this time around. Too many rules and not enough fun. Do
you go to college, too?”

  Libbie shook her head. “No, I just got married this summer. My husband works at the Ford dealership in town, in the garage. But I did apply for a job today that I hope I’ll get.”

  Jackie’s eyes grew wide. “Is your husband that cute guy with the wavy brown hair and delicious brown eyes? He drives the old blue truck. We saw him the other day when we came to look at the cottages to rent.”

  Libbie smiled. “Yeah, that’s him. He is pretty adorable.”

  “Oh my goodness, he’s a hunk!” Candy said. “You’re so lucky, and I’m so jealous. It’s hard finding a nice guy and one who’s cute on top of it.”

  Libbie laughed. “I do feel lucky. He’s a wonderful guy.”

  “So, where did you apply for a job?” Jackie asked.

  Libbie told them all about the library job. They told her they were from Minneapolis but wanted to go to college far from home. It had been Candy’s parents who’d helped them bring their stuff up that day. They talked nonstop, and finally Libbie had to leave so she could start dinner.

  “Thanks for the cookies. I’m glad we have a nice neighbor. Drop by anytime we’re here,” Candy said.

  Libbie said she would, and that they could come over anytime, too. She went home with a smile on her face. She really liked the two girls and hoped she’d see a lot of them.

  When Jack came home, she excitedly told him about the library job and meeting the two girls next door.

  “The job sounds perfect,” Jack said as they ate their dinner. “It shouldn’t be so much that you’ll feel overwhelmed with it and home, and it will give you something interesting to do.”

  Libbie nodded. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but she really wanted that job.

  The next three days, Libbie kept busy around the house and running to town for groceries. She stopped by her parents’ house to pick up more of her nice dresses and shoes in case she did get the job. Gwen and the two children were there when she arrived, and her mother was up in her bedroom.