17

Candy and Cookie Sheridan's vegetarian cooking class has been postponed until after Christmas, due to insufficient registration. "We look forward to explaining the myths surrounding protein in main dishes," Cookie said. However, county agent Toby Howell says he has added an additional session to his upcoming free Wild Game Preparation and Cooking seminar. He requests students bring their own game.

—The Green News-Item

Alex gave his notice on the Monday after the house-hunting trip, the week before Katy and Molly headed to college, and a month before Tammy's wedding.

I could barely listen for scratching the redbug bites accumulated while walking through the grass at Chris's grandmother's house.

They were especially bad behind my knees and where I had worn short socks with tennis shoes. Thank goodness I hadn't been in my sandals, recently bought from Eva's department store as I began to replenish my wardrobe.

"Will two weeks be enough notice?" Alex asked.

I dabbed calamine lotion on my arms where I had gotten a nasty case of poison ivy.

"Two years won't be enough. Plus, it's hard to concentrate on my best reporter leaving when I'm itching to death. I don't want to talk about it."

"Your best reporter? I'm your only real reporter."

"I thought you turned down those job offers."

"I did at first. West News, that chain where you did the consulting, came back with a better offer. I'll be the news service reporter in three states. Apparently they like the things you told them."

"That must be why they never called me back."

"You may have been a little, well, offbeat for them."

"Offbeat? I'm a rule follower. I do things by the book."

"Maybe you used to, but you do things different down here in Green," Alex said. "Plus, you gave the impression you weren't interested. The editor in Boise said you were casual in your presentation and made it clear you had too many commitments in Louisiana to do the kind of travel they wanted."

"I did?" I tried not to claw my armpits in front of him.

"They're super impressed with what the paper's doing.They say our coverage is better than most of the big guys, even though they can't quite figure out how you make it all work."

"Can't you wait till next year?" I felt guilty preying on his conscience, but I didn't know what I was going to do. I was soon to have a staff of three. If I was lucky, and Molly could work out her schedule, I might have three and a half.

"They've about run out of patience with me. I put them off before, and it's now or never."

"Are you sure you want to live out West?" And make twice as much money and see the country and go to training sessions at that cool retreat center?

"I'm young and single, so I figure the timing's right. I could never have gotten this job without you. You taught me way more than I learned in J-school."

For a minute, I forgot the itching.

"You've done a fantastic job, Alex. At my former paper, I'd send my staff off with wishes for a great future. But it's hard to let you go."

"It's hard to go." He wiped at his eyes surreptitiously when he reached the door. "Is poison ivy contagious?"

I heard whooping and hollering from the newsroom, and I hobbled in there, not sure if it was the dried pink lotion, the bites, or Alex's announcement that had paralyzed me.

"Oh, my," Tammy said. "You are eat up with redbugs."

"Is that poison ivy?" Iris Jo asked, backing off. "I'm too close to finishing my chemo to get covered up with that stuff."

"What are we going to do?" Katy moaned.

"It's not leprosy," I said. "I'm sure it'll go away in a few days."

"I mean about Alex," she said.

"We aren't going to do anything. If memory serves me correctly, this time next month, you'll be on your way to become a television commentator."

"Reporter," Katy snapped. "I'm not trying to be an anchor.Maybe I shouldn't go. Maybe I should stay here and help out."

A tiny feeling of temptation ran through me, but I knew it wasn't right.

"Under no circumstances are you staying. Maybe we'll let you work here next summer, if a highfalutin television station doesn't grab you."

"First Tom and now Alex," Katy said.

"I'm not dying," Alex said, sitting on the edge of his desk."I'm moving to Idaho."

"Might as well be dead," the intern said. "We'll never see you again." I used to worry about Alex flirting with Katy. She had turned eighteen two weeks ago, and I thought they might have gone on a date to mark the occasion.

"I'll be back. Or you can visit me."

Molly breezed through the lobby wearing her smock from the convenience store where she worked evenings and most Saturdays. She stopped so suddenly her tennis shoes made a squeaking noise.

"Why does everyone look so serious?" she asked, stepping into the newsroom, and then looked at me. "Is that poison ivy?"

"It's a designer mixture of redbugs and poison ivy," I said.

"Alex is leaving," Katy said. "He took that job out West."Molly rushed over to Katy to console her and then gave Alex a hug.

"Miss Lois," Molly said, echoing Katy's question, "what are we going to do?"

"We'll figure it out. Don't forget the staff party at the country club next week. We've got lots to celebrate—college, a wedding, the end of Iris Jo's chemo, and a bon voyage.Now if you'll excuse me, I think it's time for another lotion application."

When I got into my office, I pulled out Aunt Helen's typewritten history of the newspaper, seeking insight.

Iris slipped in quietly. "This could be an answer to part of our financial problems," she said. "Alex is our highest paid employee, which isn't saying much, but it will help."

"How can we be a newspaper without news?"

"Linda's ready, and you know it," Iris said. "She can step in for Alex in a heartbeat. Molly can do Tom's layout work. I'm stronger now, so I'll take over all the accounting and some of the advertising. You can help with the rest of the advertising."

"I'm not a salesperson."

"You've called on all the big accounts for nearly three years now."

"Have you been taking bossy lessons from me?"

"You know I don't like bossing, but we need to tighten our belts."

"If we tighten them any more, we'll have to close the doors."

"Who's going to write editorials?" I asked.

"You and Linda."

"Who's going to take pictures after Tammy gets married?"

"You and Linda."

"I was afraid you were going to say that."

We kept the celebration dinner small, adding only a handful of correspondents to the staff guest list.

Katy came in holding hands with Alex, although she pulled away the moment they entered the small reserved dining room.

Molly brought a young man who looked vaguely familiar, and I finally placed him as the football player she had talked to the first time I went to a Rabbits game. His clothes were slightly worn but clean, and his shoes looked like they were two sizes too small. He practically limped as Molly led him into the small party room.

"Coach," he said, holding out his hand. "Mrs. Craig. Thank you for having me."

"Thank Molly." I shook his hand. "She's the star."

Molly beamed.

The two walked over to where Alex and Katy stood with Iris and Stan.

"What's his story?" I asked Chris, who had refused to wear a tie to the function but looked cute in a blue shirt and khakis.

"That's Anthony Cox, the kid who lives out where we found Mr. Sepulvado."

"In that house that's falling down, the one with the little sister and the baby?"

"That's him. He's got great potential as a player and he's a solid student. I have high hopes for him. He has another year of high school because he missed a year when he was in grade school. His mother moved and never got him enrolled or something strange like that."

Bud escorted Anna Grace into the room, no cane or walker in sight. She did, however, seem to be leaning heavily on his arm. A widower since January, Bud, at least ten years younger than Anna Grace, had a spring in his step that I had never seen. Tonight he wore slacks and a knit shirt, his volunteer police uniform apparently in storage for the evening.

"I hope you won't think less of us," Anna Grace said, "But Bud and I are dating."

"Now why in the world would I think less of you?"

"His wife only passed away seven months ago, but we're not getting any younger. After my incident at your wedding reception, he finally took notice."

"That's pretty dramatic flirting, Anna Grace. In most cases an ambulance is not required."

"A woman's got to do what a woman's got to do. I even got him to buy a laptop. You should see the e-mails he sends me.They're quite clever."

Last year we had led Bud and others kicking and screaming into the digital age. Now he was courting online?

Before I could get my mind around that concept, in walked Linda with Doug, the police chief. "It's not a date," she said when I dragged her to the side of the room, "but I couldn't bear to come alone. I hope you don't mind that I brought a source."

In my days in Dayton, dating a source would have been cause for a reprimand or a personnel powwow. Tonight it felt as though Linda had made another move forward on her journey.She had been divorced from an abusive husband for years and held back from the group on most occasions.

Tammy whooshed into the room, carrying her camera as always, Walt following in her wake.

"Thank goodness," Linda said, heading back to Doug."Perfect timing to get your attention off me. The queen bee herself."

I walked over to Chris, leaning against the wall, taking it all in. "It's only a little while till their wedding," I said. "Walt looks dazed."

"I know the feeling," Chris said.

"Not long now," I said to Walt.

"Can't get here soon enough," Walt said, shaking hands with Chris and giving me a peck on the cheek.

"Are you sure we can't twist your arm into coming?" Tammy asked. "We've got a beautiful beach house rented for family and friends."

"You don't want us at your wedding," I said. "Does the word hurricane mean anything to you? Besides, if Chris and I don't find a house soon, my husband will be looking for a new wife."

"The only thing that sounds better than a vacation to Florida is a house with more than one room," Chris said. "But Lois sure is going to miss you."

"I'm only going to be on vacation for two weeks," Tammy said. "One week for the wedding and one for the cruise."

"You're coming back?" I suspected my expression was thunderstruck.

"Of course I'm coming back. Were you going to fire me for getting married?"

"We all assumed you wouldn't make the drive from Shreveport. It's been so wild that we haven't—" My voice trailed off.

"I'm learning how to be a photojournalist," Tammy said."Surely you didn't think I'd become one of those ladies who lunch or play tennis on weekday mornings?"

"That sounds enjoyable. Are you sure?"

"The only people I know in Shreveport are Walt's parents and a few snooty women I met at his country club. It's not nearly as friendly as this one."

"We found a house south of Shreveport," Walt said. "It's a shorter commute for Tammy, and I can work at home if I want to."

"I was going to ask you about a four-day week," Tammy said, fidgeting with the blue glass beads she wore. "I read that it's called flex time."

"That's the most wonderful idea I've heard in months," I said. Stan and Iris walked up to see what I was laughing about."Did you hear that, Iris? Tammy's not leaving us after all."

"I told you this would work out," Iris said. "You're going to love married life, Tammy. It's the best."

Chris gave me a look that I would walk through fire to see."It certainly is," he said.

The evening was filled with toasts and roasts and more than a few tears.

"No excessive partying at the University of Georgia," I told Katy, "and remember that people around here root for LSU. No speeding to Alexandria," I said to Molly. "You two girls have reminded me how journalism is supposed to work." I handed them each a framed page of the first tornado extra and a gift card.

I turned to Alex. "Keep making them think we're smart down here. We couldn't have gotten where we are without you." I gave him a leather notebook with his name embossed on the front. "Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable, and never forget that citizens have a right to know."

I saw Katy reach over and squeeze his hand.

"To Tammy and Walt, may your marriage be picture perfect."I handed Tammy a high-end digital camera, bought with bonus points from one of the Item's credit cards. "I can't wait to see how you develop."

The small group laughed.

"To a woman of faith and strength, Iris Jo." My eyes welled up. I pulled out a beautiful pink blown glass vase I'd found at Rose's shop. "To your victory over cancer. And your marriage, which came on the day we needed it most."

I lifted Tom's green eyeshade. "Finally, to the most courageous of all, Tom, who gave his life trying to warn us about the storm. He's the least likely angel I ever met, and yet I feel him looking over my shoulder every single day."

"To Tom!" Katy said. "To Tom!" yelled Alex. "To Tom!" Linda cried. And around the table we went, saluting the curmudgeonly copy editor who had touched each of us.

I could barely stand for the evening to end.

"This will look wonderful in our new home," Iris Jo said, walking over to where I stood in a corner, gazing at the staff.

"We're going to tear down the old place," Stan said, "and rebuild a house with all the environmental bells and whistles.We'll show those highway people how it's done."

"We liked the ideas thrown around at the town meeting," Iris said, "and we want to give them a try. Stan's found all sorts of resources on the Internet."

"You're moving back to Route Two?" I asked, my upbeat heart cracking a little.

"We hope to be moved within the year," Iris said. "How about you and Chris?"

"We don't know yet. We may build out there or we may keep looking."

Waiting for Chris to pull his rusty truck around to the front of the club, I saw Mayor Eva, Dub, and Joe Sepulvado all walking out of the dining room, Eva holding on to Dub's arm.

"No more wheelchair," I said to Joe.

"All well," he said.

"As long as he doesn't overdo it," Dub said.

"As though Dub would let that happen," Eva said.

They were an interesting group, that was for sure.

"So they finally let you out of the bunker," I said to Eva.

"And you as well. You're looking perky tonight. Did I see that outfit in my store earlier this week?"

"You did indeed. The honeymoon clothes were getting a little dingy."

"That shade of orange is the perfect color for you," she said."I hope we gave you the tornado discount."

I smiled and turned back to Mr. Sepulvado. "Chris and I have been meaning to get in touch with you. Have you found a place to live?"

"I'm staying with Mr. McCuller here," the Mexican immigrant said in his heavy Spanish accent. "My bedroom is bigger than our trailer was."

"Why, Dub, what a nice gesture." Astonishment overrode disdain in my voice.

"I have plenty of room," Dub said, "and Joe needed a place.Not a big deal."

"It eases the loneliness," Mr. Sepulvado said. "I miss my wife, and the children can't afford to come to Green. Dr. Kevin says I should not go back to Mexico until I get stronger."

Chris pulled up at the curb, his truck a stark contrast to Eva's new Cadillac, brought around next. He got out and shook hands with the threesome. "Joe, you're looking bueno. We hope to get the Spanish service going again within the month. Sure hope to see you then."

"Maybe this fellow will come with me," Mr. Sepulvado said, pointing to Dub. "He's picked up Spanish faster than anyone I've ever seen."

The leader of a national journalism association called the next morning. The Green-News Item had won a prestigious national journalism award to be presented in the fall in Washington, D.C.

"You and your staff exemplify the spirit of a small-town newspaper," the man from the journalism society said. "This award points to excellence on every level."

I reached down to scratch the remnants of my redbug bites.

"You can't begin to know how excellent they have been," I murmured.