something behind my back as we entered the diner where most of Cedarburg gathered after church. The joint was jumping as they used to say. Mostly all the round tables and booths were full. I spotted Aubrey over in the corner, holding his phone to his right ear while waving with his free hand. The trip to the table was slowed considerably as everyone at every table pulled at my sleeve to stop and talk about their grievances, thoughts on how to run the town, ideas for any number of things ranging from more parking on the side streets to the cost of feed at the mill. By the time I reached our table I’d talked myself hoarse. Betty, the owner and extra hand on deck on Sundays, brought me a cup of coffee fresh from the pot.
“Everyone thinks they know best, sugar. Just keep flashing that pretty smile and do what you’re doing. We have faith in you.” She smiled, licked the tip of her pencil, placed it to her order pad, and scanned the four of us at the table. “So, the usual?”
We all nodded and chuckled. Betty hustled off to give Mike in the kitchen our order. I sighed, took a sip of coffee, and then sat back in my chair to relax. Aubrey’s expression made relaxing difficult. Finally, I asked. I had to.
“What is it?”
He jerked his chin at the front window. I turned my head to look. There sat Gideon at a booth soaking up the late autumn sun talking with Larry Barnes, the head of the county’s clean living coalition as well as one of the city controllers. I sighed. Not that I was surprised. I was sure Larry, who’d toyed with running against me to “keep the roles of our town servants clean of deviancy,” had lots to talk about.
“He’s writing an editorial,” I said to my parents when they looked at me questioningly. “I’m going to assume it will not be as flattering as the ones Linda wrote.”
“That Gideon was always a troublemaker,” Mom spat as she whipped some sugar into her coffee. “Imagine coming back home and picking up right where he left off, tormenting those who are smaller and weaker than he is.”
“Mom, I’m not exactly smaller than him anymore.” Not by much anyway. “Or weaker. I did learn how to box in college.” A day late and a dollar short, sadly, but my time on the Ursinus boxing team had taught me how to defend myself should another bully decide to give me a wedgie. Not that anyone had tried in the past twenty years, but if anyone would, it would be Larry or Gideon. “Let him do him. He’s entitled to his own beliefs and opinions.”
“Wish we could get an advanced copy of that damn editorial so we could do some damage control,” Aubrey muttered, his phone vibrating steadily on the table. “Let me take this. It’s Louise at the senior center.”
“Go for it.” I generally tried to unplug from social media on Sundays for my own mental health, but Aubrey got jittery if he was offline too long. Doing my best to ignore the two plotters sitting under the red-and-white gingham window toppers, I talked with my parents until Aubrey was done.
“Okay, they’re expecting you at Mountain View Assisted Living at two for the fall talent contest followed by refreshments and a speech, which is already downloaded into your phone. Tomorrow we have that budget meeting at ten, lunch, and then a trip out to the Baxter land to meet up with Hugh Peggs from the local dairyman’s association. He’s got some preliminary numbers in on the milk processing plant discussion we’ve been having with them. USDA has also replied to our overtures and will be in touch after the first of the year.”
“Okay, that’s good. Mark it all down in our calendar. Oh! And don’t let us forget that the middle school fall play is this week. Justine Mayberry just reminded me. They’re doing The Legend of Sleepy Hollow this year. Oh, and we need to contact the paper to confirm the trick-or-treat times and route.”
“Evan and Aubrey, please, can we not talk work on Sundays?” Mom asked. We both smiled sheepishly then moved from work to other topics of discussion as we waited on our orders. Betty had just arrived with my western omelet and hash browns when someone’s deep voice rose in anger. I spun in my seat to see Larry slamming out the