Page 126 of Book and Ladder
As if it’s that simple.
We’re interrupted by June, Betty Faye’s next-door neighbor. I take the opportunity to slip away and continue my escape.
Daisy’s car is out front of our duplex when I arrive home. Her upstairs bedroom light is on. I walk the porch steps like a man facing the gallows, Betty Faye’s words echoing in my mind like a taunt.
A woman in love?Hardly!
Daisy has always resented me. And I keep giving her reasons to be disappointed.
I retreat inside the safety of my side of our duplex, and then I reach out to Daisy the only way I can. Maybe I’m acoward—at the very least I’m a beggar, hungry for a crumb of her affection. I have to be more careful now that we both know we’re here in Waterford.
Dear M&M:
What a night. Town hall was brutal. And, yes. I was there.
I’m trying to make sense of progress vs. preservation.
How about you?
Outside that, I’m readingThe Whistlerby John Grisham. Have you ever read any of his works? It’s a thrill ride, and honestly the timing might not be wise considering life around here is suspenseful enough these days.
I’m preoccupied, thinking of ways I can show you I’m the kind of man worthy of a second chance from a woman like you. You are right to make me work for it.
Looking forward to hearing from you, but only when you feel up to writing back to me. Until then, I’ll fill your inbox with one-sided ramblings.
- BTTP
I yank my shirt off over my head, carrying my laptop upstairs with me in the off chance she’ll write back tonight.Surprisingly, my inbox pings with a notification just after I’ve finished brushing my teeth and pulling on my pajama bottoms.
Dear BTTP:
Brutal doesn’t begin to capture the town hall experience. Without telling you who I am or what I do, I can say the town decision has impacted me—deeply.
You were there? I wish I had taken roll—even in my mind. I couldn’t tell you who was present outside the mayor, my friends and a certain family who will not be named.
I’m not anti-progress. I’m against one family defining what progress looks like for an entire community. I want to frisk that man for a Pied Piper whistle.
Sorry, still fuming a bit.
I have not read John Grisham. I read a lot of different books from a variety of genres, but when it comes to thrillers, I’m a wimp. Maybe I should give him a chance. You know, in the spirit of second chances.
I’m exhausted. Going to sleep now.I’ll deal with reality in all its forms tomorrow.
- M&M
My hand reaches up and palms the wall between my bedroom and hers. She’s right there—reeling from everything my family has done. We’re talking about second chances, but how do I earn one when I helped cause the damage?
Chapter 34
Daisy
When in doubt go to the library.
~ J.K. Rowling
“This isin case you need a quiet place to breathe,” Mrs. Lockett, the head librarian, says, pressing a key into my hand. “It’s to the back room on the second floor. I’ve got a cozy chair in there and everything.”
My smile warms for the first time in days. There’s something about being surrounded by stories and the people who love them—it soothes the parts of me that still ache.
