Page 40 of Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Book
“Oh, come on,” Delvin said gently. “You really believe that?”
Betsy didn’t know what she believed anymore. “The Bible says men lying with men is an abomination.”
“The Bible’s got about a million words and that’s the only quote people can ever come up with to prove God frowns on gay folks. It’s from the Old Testament, which also says pigs are unclean and shouldn’t be touched. I don’t recall the pastor turning his nose up at any barbecue.”
Betsy laughed at the thought. “Last time he was at our house for dinner, I was pretty sure he was going to eat a whole pig.”
“Even if he did, he’d only be guilty of gluttony,” Delvin declared. “Once Jesus arrived on the scene, all those Old Testament laws no longer applied. The New Testament tells us we’re supposed to follow Christ, not the old ways. And as far as I know, Jesus never said a damn thing about gay folksorbarbecue. But he sure did talk a lot about love.”
Those words lingered in Betsy’s mind for the rest of the workday.
She had been blessed with two wonderful sons who had brought her immeasurable happiness. Why in God’s name would she want to change them? Why would she think for one second that was what the Lord wanted?The book Elijah found was a message, that much was certain. It was God’s way of warning her not to share Lula’s fate. Her duty was to keep her family together and love them with all of her heart.
That was something Betsy knew she could do.
When she arrived home that evening, Betsy found her husband sitting on the screened-in back porch. The ice in the tea beside him had melted, leaving a layer of clear water floating atop the dark liquid. The back porch was where he came to fume or sulk. He stared out at the pokeweed forest that grew every summer on their neighbor’s property and dripped purple poison berries into their yard.
“I walked by Lula Dean’s house this afternoon,” Betsy told him.
“I’m through with all that,” James told her.
Betsy said nothing, just pulled up a chair beside him. They’d survived so many disappointments over the years—watched so many people reveal their true selves. But even now, after all they’d been through, Betsy couldn’t bear to know he’d been hurt. She felt James’s pain more intensely than she felt her own.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“I thought she had changed. I was sure she was a righteous woman now.” He turned to his wife. “Can you believe she had the gall to ask me to attend that rally and stand on the stage next to her and Mitch Sweeney? She wanted a Black face up there so she can claim she’s not racist.”
Betsy had no trouble believing it. “Lula’s a troubled soul,” she told him. “No doubt. But we have bigger fish to fry right now. Isaac is staging a counterprotest at the rally. I think maybe he knows about Augustus.”
Chapter 16
The Big Reveal
“Looks like Lula’s running for mayor,” Talia said.
“I thought we had an agreement. You can hoover up all the hometown gossip you want. But do not talk to me about Lula Lambert Dean.” Taylor resumed bedazzling her nails.
“She’s all over Facebook. There’s no escape.” Talia’s hand suddenly flew to her mouth. “Oh Lord, Taylor. You’re not going to believe this.”
“What?”
“I just clicked on her profile. She’s got fifty thousand followers.”
It took Taylor a moment to recover. Then she shook the thought right out of her pretty head. “You know she must have bought them. There aren’t fifty thousand people in that whole county. Why are you telling me all of this anyway?”
“She’s holding some kind of rally in the square tonight.” Talia gasped. “It’s in support of ‘our Confederate heroes.’”
Taylor held her hand out for the phone. “When did Lula start caring about any of that Lost Cause crap? I bet she thinks Manassas is something that happens if you don’t eat enough fiber.”
Talia kept the phone and didn’t answer. Her eyes widened as she scrolled back in time. “She formed a book-banning committee. They’ve been pulling books out of the libraries.”
“What?” Taylor cringed at the thought. “Some nerve that woman’s got—telling people they can’t read dirty books. She was dipping into monster erotica before we left.”
“She’s banning more than dirty stuff. Lula posted a list of the banned books. I seeAnne FrankandBelovedup top.”
The twins looked up and locked eyes.
“She’s lost her damn mind,” Taylor said.
