Qwilleran huffed into his moustache. So his grandfather was in insurance! In Des Moines! That might be the place to start checking county records. Even if it proved a dead end it might be worth the trip… But what about this twenty-two-year-old who turned out to be his MOTHER? (Her letter had him thinking in capital letters.) Lady Anne was so CALM and SENSIBLE! He read the next letter, dated June 10:
Dear Fanny –
Want to hear some FABULOUS news? Sue Ellen and I went to see a Russian play – strictly for our education. It was GRIM! But the actor who played the male lead was enthralling – TOTALLY! Glorious voice – expressive hands – and good-looking, even with a Russian beard. After the final curtain we wondered if we dared to go backstage and compliment him. We giggled about it and then said, “Oh, let’s!”
Well! He was totally CHARMING and even invited us to have a drink! We went with him to a little bistro, and I don’t mind telling you, we were both weak in the knees! I didn’t sleep a wink that night, I was so overwhelmed! And that was only the beginning! The next day he phoned me at the library! And I met him for drinks after the play every night for the rest of the run. It’s a road company, and they had to move on. We had a LOVELY farewell date, and he promised to write, but I’m afraid to hope. Keep your fingers crossed for me, Fanny.
Love from Annie
Qwilleran returned the letters to the box, all the while marveling that this giddy young female could metamorphose into a suave, sophisticated parent who never said “totally.”
Thirteen
Friday, September 18 – ‘To live a long life, eat like a cat and drink like a dog.’
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL day for the ride to Ittibittiwassee Estates. The bookmobile was due to arrive at eleven-thirty, and Qwilleran went a little early. Already residents were gathering on the lawn in front of the building, and there was an air of excitement. Some sat on the park benches that lined the circular driveway. One group sat in a circle of lawn chairs, and bursts of laughter came from the five women and three men. Among them were Homer and Rhoda Tibbitt, the Cavendish sisters, and Gil MacMurchie.
“This sounds like a lively bunch,” he said as he approached the circle. “What kind of jokes are you telling?” Jenny and Ruth Cavendish had been his neighbors in Indian Village, and he had made himself a hero by saving one of their cats from strangulation behind the washing machine. They were retired academics who had enjoyed illustrious careers Down Below and had returned to their native county. Ruth, the tall one, was a born leader.
“Gil, bring another chair! Qwill, sit down. You have stumbled into a board meeting of a new publishing house, The Absolutely Absurd Press, Inc. We publish only absolutely absurd titles.”
He sat down. “Could you give me an example?”
“Our first will be The Complete Works of Shakespeare in One Volume, Large Print Edition.” She paused for his amused reaction. “The next will be The Collected Love Poems of Ebenezer Scrooge. Several other titles are –”
She was interrupted by a general shout. “Here comes the bus!”
“Rhoda”, she said, “make a list of titles for Qwill. He might use them in his column.”
The board members and other waiting book-lovers swarmed toward the driveway. The white bookmobile that had looked like a laundry truck was now a mobile mural of the county. On the boarding side a billboard-size painting was a panorama of woods with a startled deer, rocky pastures dotted with sheep, and a shafthouse towering above an abandoned minesite. On the driver’s side, surf pounded on a sandy shore; seagulls soared above a beached boat and drying fishnets; a lighthouse stood on a distant promontory.
The vehicle was staffed by two energetic young women from the library, who handed out shopping bags full of books to be carried into the building. Then browsers went aboard, including Qwilleran.
The two staffers sat with backs to the windshield, ready to check out individual choices.
He asked, “Which one of you drives this thing?”
“I do,” said one.
“Is it tricky?”
“Only going around corners.” The women looked at each other and laughed.
“What places do you visit, besides the Estates?”
“Schools, churches, nursing homes, day-care centers, hospitals. We even stop at the grocery store at Squunk Corners.”
“What kinds of books do you bring in those tote bags?”
“It depends. Here they like biography, history, humor, inspiration, nature, large print, mysteries. Other places like cookbooks, juveniles, romance, westerns, Nancy Drew…”
