Louisiana Saves the Library (24 page)

Brendan opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass. “I think we're going to eat out somewhere. Any recommendations?”

“Um, I haven't been to any nice restaurants in town. Sylvia says that Bistro Maison is good.”

“Where is that?”

“Just go up Garden Street and turn right on Commerce.” Louise wished she could go there with Sal. But she'd had fun with him just eating ham sandwiches and helping put away the play tractors, bouncy horses, and picnic tables he and his sister used for their strawberry patch tours. She and Brendan had often run out of things to say to each other when they were married. But with Sal, somehow that never happened.

Brendan was staring at her. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, just thinking, why?”

“I was talking to you.”

“Oh, sorry. What were you saying?”

“Never mind.”

The credits started to run on the show and Julia turned off the TV. “Time to go, guys. See you next time!”

Louise felt a stab of panic. They hadn't worked out visitation or custody or whatever. Technically, she had sole custody, something that Brendan had allowed since he didn't particularly like changing diapers. But now that he was in town, things would be different.

“How about next Saturday?” Brendan said.

“Yeah, okay.”

“We'll be in touch,” Julia said.

C
HAPTER
36

W
hen Louise pulled into the library lot Monday morning, Lily ran up to the van waving a stapled packet.

“They closed the library,” she said. “I can't believe it.”

Sylvia drove in and parked next to Louise. “What's going on?”

“Beats me,” Louise said, getting out of the van.

Sylvia took the papers from Lily. “The Gund got the EPA to declare this property a hazardous waste site. The library has to be shut and torn down so the land can be decontaminated.”

“Mr. Foley signed this letter. After the train accident, he was one of the people who agreed not to reveal how bad the spill was, in exchange for this piece of land. I don't know why he's talking now,” Lily said, wringing her thin hands together.

“What train accident?” Sylvia took off her sunglasses.

“There was some kind of toxic chemical spill here back in the 1980s,” Louise said.

“So we've been working on a hazardous waste site? Lovely.”

“I thought you knew.”

Hope arrived in her pickup, rolled down the window, and rested her meaty arm on the driver's side door frame. “I don't like the sight of y'all standing out here.”

Sylvia gave her the packet, and Hope read in silence for a moment before climbing out of her truck. “I wouldn't put it past that boss of ours to dump a bunch of chemicals back behind the library and call the EPA. We best take a look.”

“Not me,” Sylvia said. “My Jimmy Choos are not stomping around in whatever nasty stuff is behind this library.”

“I'm going inside to get my things,” Lily said.

Louise and Hope followed the sidewalk around the back of the building. After a few feet of overgrown grass, the lot disappeared into a dense forest.

“You ain't going in there with your fancy shoes neither,” Hope said. “Let me take a look.” She walked through the weeds and into the woods.

Louise sniffed the air and imagined that she detected a chemical tang. Spring was coming, though, and a few of the flowers that were blooming had an odd smell. Besides, some of the foulest chemicals didn't have any odor. Why hadn't she taken Hope seriously when she'd originally told her about the toxic spill? Sometimes, she felt like her brain was a sieve. Small details disappeared through the holes.

Sylvia rounded the corner and stopped next to Louise. “Think there's anything back there?”

“I don't know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about the train accident. Hope brought it up the first time she met me, when I was doing my research. So I guess I assumed that she told you too.”

“It's okay. I probably would have taken the job anyway. I mean, how bad can it be? They built a library here.”

After a few minutes, Hope returned, her sneakers caked with mud. “It don't look any different than usual to me, but I ain't made it a practice to go back there much. They coulda dumped something back there, but I'd think there would be tire tracks or empty barrels or something.”

Sylvia shook her head. “Mr. Foley hates us. This is his revenge.”

“Shut down his own library rather than let us run it our way? I guess it makes a loony kind of sense,” Louise said. “He couldn't see an easy way to stop us. If he fired us, he'd have to hire someone else. He tried to block our ideas, but the patrons liked what we were doing, so fighting us would have made him look bad to the police jury. So he closed us down.”

“I don't know what to tell y'all. Lord knows they shoulda done a better job cleaning this up. So it's maybe a good thing. But they'll have to tear down the library,” Hope said.

“And the Gund will argue against building a new one,” Louise said.

“For now, we need to move to the Hungarian Springs branch,” Sylvia said. “Let's break in with Lily and haul out what we can.”

 

Without Hope and Lily, Louise and Sylvia would never have found the Hungarian Springs branch of the Alligator Bayou Parish Library. It was located in a strip mall that also housed a storefront church and a computer repair shop. A burger joint that looked like an ice-fishing shack occupied the middle of the parking lot, effectively blocking the street view of the library sign. But at least the smell was divine.

“Best burgers in Alligator Bayou Parish,” Hope said.

“Well, at least we have lunch figured out.” Sylvia parked haphazardly near the blue-painted wooden shed. “I can't believe we've never been here before.”

“Mr. Henry kept offering to take me, but I was busy. I almost tagged along with Matt once, but I think he's trying to qualify for NASCAR,” Louise said.

“He does drive fast.” Sylvia grabbed her tote-size sequined purse from between the seats and opened her door. “And the souped-up engine on that little car of his is louder than a motorcycle.”

Louise stepped out onto the sidewalk. Now that she was standing in front of the building, she could actually see the library's sign. The large display window and wooden sign above the door made the space look more like a five-and-dime than a library. The adjacent business was the Holy Miracle Church. Louise tried to see inside, but the windows were blocked by yellowing curtains.

A bell rang when Sylvia opened the library door. The woman who greeted them wore a shapeless flowered dress accented with a rhinestone Jesus pin.

“I'm Sylvia and this is Louise. We're from the main branch,” Sylvia said.

“Hi, y'all. I'm Glenda,” the woman said, coming out from behind the circulation desk.

Louise guessed Glenda was in her midfifties. She remembered Hope's comments about her horrifying medical condition and lack of cooking skills. She decided not to ask about the former and to assume that the latter was exaggeration.

Glenda rolled her eyes up to the ceiling as though she was praying when Sylvia told her the main library had been shut down. “Mr. Foley said there was hardly anything spilled back then. Though, I'll tell you what, I did not like the smell coming out of those woods. Next thing you know, they built a library there and Mr. Foley was promoted to director. Folks 'round here aren't stupid. They knowed something was going on. Excuse me a moment.” She held the door open for four men in green-and-white-striped Alligator Bayou Parish Jail uniforms hauling long, unpainted boards. Two guards trailed behind, stopped, and folded their arms, watching. The prisoners leaned the boards against the wall and trooped outside for another load.

“We're gettin' some new shelves for the children's room. A donation from someone.” Glenda looked at the ceiling again.

“What do you think that's about?” Sylvia asked.

“Favors. Mr. Foley done something for someone.”

Inside, the library looked even more like a knickknack store. The computer at the front could have been a cash register, and the few books in the room were displayed like trinkets. But maybe the new shelves would help the place seem more library-like.

“I guess we'll be operating out of here for a while,” Sylvia said. “If I can use your phone, I'll go ahead and call Matt and Henry and let them know. Lily, you and Hope can start bringing our stuff inside.”

“Phone's right here. I'm afraid we don't have a whole lot of space. This was a Christian bookstore for a time. Before that it was the town drugstore. The soda fountain used to be right over there,” Glenda said. “Hello, Gertrude. You got you some more of those inspirational romances, I see.”

A white-haired woman shuffled up to the desk. Glenda scanned the books, her flower-printed hip just a few inches from where Sylvia sat, phone to her ear.

While Glenda chatted with the old lady and Sylvia made her calls, the prisoners fashioned the boards into shelves. They worked without speaking, as though performing a dance they'd all rehearsed before. None of them so much as glanced away from their task. The deputies observed with blank expressions, motionless as statues.

Sylvia hung up the phone. “That's weird. Mr. Henry says that Mr. Foley has taken an extended leave of absence. Mr. Henry will work out of the Oak Lake branch. We are basically now running the show.”

Hope and Lily came back with a computer and a box of files. “Reckon we could get these trusties to help us?” Hope asked.

One of the deputies shook his head.

“Worth a try.” Hope set the monitor down on the floor. “Let me get that phone. I'm gonna call my cousin's husband who owns the U Store It off Route One. We're gonna need someplace to put all them books. He got a truck to haul them in too.” She took Sylvia's chair and dialed from memory.

“Let me show the rest of y'all around. We'll figure out somewhere for y'all to set up.” Glenda led the way through a narrow hallway. The floor sloped upward as they headed into the rear of the library. Clearly, the front room had once been the store, while the back part was the stockroom. In between the high shelves of books in the windowless rear area there was just enough space for a table with four computers for patron use.

“The employee break room is through this door, and the restroom is here,” Glenda said, gesturing to two white-painted doors.

“Y'all don't have any more work area, I'm guessing,” Sylvia said.

“No, we just have the computer up front to check out books and that little desk. Usually, there's only one employee here at a time.”

“Let's take a look at the break room.” Sylvia opened the door on the right.

A table and refrigerator took up most of the closet-like space. The addition of another table would have made it impossible to access the employees' lunches. In one stroke, Mr. Foley and Mrs. Gunderson had dismantled all of Louise and Sylvia's hard work from the past few months. They would barely have room to set up their computers, let alone hold Sylvia's Zumba classes or book clubs or dances. Shutting down the library against the will of the voters demonstrated the level of power Mrs. Gunderson wielded. Even if the tax passed, there wouldn't be enough money to build another library. That would require the parish to borrow money—which would take another vote of the people.

Sylvia didn't give any indication that she shared Louise's despair. She paced the length of the building with the other four librarians following. “We'll put Hope's computer in the break room. There's enough space for Matt to set up his laptop there too. Louise and I can share my computer for now, but we'll need to put it somewhere else in the library, maybe in a corner near the back.”

When they returned to the front of the library, Louise stared at the rough wood shelves. The prisoners had completed their work and left without ever saying a word.

C
HAPTER
37

A
s she packed the children into the van for another Saturday with Brendan and Julia, Louise understood a little of how her boss felt. Losing control was terrifying. Unlike the library director, however, she tried to do a good job. Sure, Max's socks didn't match again and Zoe's hair was already falling out of its pigtails, but they were happy and well adjusted.

Louise began to doubt the last part as she stood outside the van, waiting for Zoe to stop playing in the front seat. The girl screamed and cried if Louise lifted her into her car seat, but if she didn't, Zoe crept into the driver's side to tug at the rearview mirror and push buttons on the radio. This was a stage Max had mostly grown out of, but Louise had never found an effective way to deal with it. “Zoe, the radio won't play without the car turned on. Pushing the button ten million times isn't going to make it work. Please get in your seat,” she said.

“Zoe, stop messing around,” Max said from the backseat.

“Okay, okay.” Zoe slowly climbed into her seat. Louise had to grit her teeth to stop herself from just lifting the girl up. Sometimes, waiting for the children to do things themselves required Zen-like patience.

Julia greeted them from the flower beds when they arrived. She'd been pulling weeds, and her jeans were flecked with dirt. Brendan would never have tolerated Louise's overgrown lawn and the flower beds taken over by crabgrass. In fact, she was surprised that he hadn't made a snide comment about her lack of gardening skills the last time he visited. Perhaps there were too many other things to criticize—most importantly, her parenting skills.

“We were thinking we'd take them to a movie,” Julia said, brushing off her skinny jeans. “There's a new animated thing—I forget what.”

“They're not really good about sitting still in theaters,” Louise said. She freed Zoe from her car seat, and the girl jumped behind the wheel and turned on the hazard lights.

Julia shrugged. “Brendan wants to. Let me just wash my hands and get him and we'll go.” She went inside the house.

Louise wished she could erase all her memories that involved Brendan. Many of their dates had involved dinner and a movie. Sitting in a dark theater together was a way to avoid the fact that they didn't have much to talk about, especially later in their relationship. After their initial courtship, he'd slowly lost interest in her, spending more and more time with his professor colleagues, drinking in bars and going to see live music without her. She'd convinced herself that his neglect was normal, something he had to do to get tenure, but even then she knew that most academic spouses didn't act that way.

“Can I ride in this car?” Max asked, touching the tire of Brendan's SUV.

“Yes,” Louise said. “You, Zoe, Daddy, and Ms. Julia are going to a movie.”

“In this car?”

“Yup.”

The new black SUV was equipped with a built-in entertainment system. The kids could watch a movie on the way to the movie. It also had leather seats and enough cup holders for all the passengers to drink lattes and bottled water simultaneously.

Julia came back a minute later with Brendan. He wore shorts and dark-brown flip-flops. Louise hated sandals on men, something she'd never had the courage to tell him. Now, his bad taste in footwear was Julia's problem. It was a nice thought. Freeing.

Zoe stood outside the SUV, lower lip sticking out.

“Come on, Zoe, get in,” Max called from his seat.

She pushed the lip out farther and shook her head.

“Do you have any DVDs for that thing?” Louise asked Julia.

“Yeah. I have Elmo and
Dora the Explorer
.”

“Put on Elmo. She'll get in.”

Julia started the engine and slid the Elmo disc into the player. Zoe immediately got up in her seat. Even though she knew it was irrational, Louise felt like she was losing her children. She strapped Zoe in, kissed her, and turned away quickly. “Love you both.”

As she got in the van alone, she tried to console herself with the thought that Sal would be waiting when she got home.

 

Brendan and Julia had agreed to drop off the kids at home in the morning, so Louise was surprised when her phone rang at eight o'clock. She'd just drifted awake, enjoying the sensation of lying next to Sal's warm body. She wasn't prepared to deal with her ex just yet. But in a typical Brendan move, he'd made Julia call.

“Can you please come and pick them up?” Julia said. “I don't know what's going on, but they won't do anything we say.”

As though that didn't happen every day. Brendan and Julia were getting lessons in what Louise's life was like. Of course, Brendan wouldn't see it that way. “Okay. I'm sorry they're giving you a hard time,” Louise said.

“Yeah, well, they're kids.”

“I'll be there in a half hour.” Louise hung up and pulled on her clothes from the day before.

Sal sat up in bed, looking attractively rumpled with his stubble-covered chin and bare chest. “What's up?”

“Some crisis with the kids. I don't know. Nothing serious. I think Brendan's just sick of them, really.”

Sal put his jeans on and looked around for a shirt. “I'll go make coffee.”

When Louise finished getting ready, she came into the kitchen to find Sal pouring coffee into a travel mug. He added exactly the right amount of half-and-half and handed it to her.

“Thanks. I really hope Brendan and Julia don't hate the kids now,” Louise said.

“He can't. They're his.”

“Oh, yes, he can and he can hate me for raising them badly. Or giving them bad genes. Or something. I'm sure this is going to be my fault somehow.”

“If he acts that way, he is a jerk. But I don't think he will.” Sal got a mug for himself. “For one thing, he married you, so he can't be a complete idiot.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you're right.”

 

Louise had never gotten a speeding ticket, but she pushed seventy on the way to Brendan and Julia's. Despite Sal's reassurances, she was worried. Brendan might decide that the kids were so badly behaved that he never wanted to see them again or that Louise was raising them wrong and he had to try to get custody.

Brendan answered the door. He hadn't changed out of his pajama pants and faded T-shirt, and his face was unshaven. “I don't know what's wrong with those kids, but they wouldn't sit still for the movie, they refused to go to bed until midnight, and now Max won't use the bathroom even though he just woke up. Will he pee on the floor?”

“He might. And I can tell you what's wrong with them. They're kids. This is what kids are like. This is what it's like to be a parent,” Louise said.

“Max said that he wasn't my friend anymore and that Santa Claus wasn't going to bring me any presents.”

“He tells me that almost every day.” Louise edged past Brendan. Max and Zoe were sitting on the couch watching cartoons, still in their pajamas. “Max, go to the bathroom, please.”

“No! Never!”

“Fine. Then, I am turning off the TV.”

“I'm not your friend anymore!”

“Okay, just go to the bathroom.” Louise reached for the TV remote.

“Okay, okay.” Max got up and went down the hall.

Brendan sat down in a leather armchair. “I tried to take him to the bathroom at the movie theater, and he wouldn't go. He just played with the toilet paper. And he kept kicking the seat in front of him during the movie and asking when it would be over.”

“Welcome to my world,” Louise said.

“Zoe wouldn't sit still for more than five minutes. She wanted to walk up and down the stairs and get in the other seats. Finally, Julia had to take her to the mall instead.”

“I warned you guys that a movie was a bad idea. You have to remember how old they are.”

“Yeah.” Brendan suddenly took interest in a spot on the rug. “Um, I know they're my kids, but I don't think I could do . . . what you do. I mean, it's really hard.”

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“So I appreciate it. And I'm sorry that I criticize everything. I know I'm a jackass.”

“Kids can be incredibly frustrating,” Louise said. Maybe, just maybe, he was starting to get it.

Brendan looked up again. “No, it's good. We want to try again next weekend.”

“Good. They'll get better as they get used to you. And you'll figure out how to handle them.”

Max came out of the bathroom and stood in front of Louise. “Can we go home now?”

“Yes,” she said. “Right now.”