Read Online Renewal 2 - Echoes of the Breakdown by Jf Perkins - Free Book Online Page B

square. Just before she disappeared around the corner of the church, Terry called, “See you later, Sally!” People pretending not to watch were smiling and whispering to each other.
    He heard a shuffle over his shoulder. Aggie was standing in the doorway; he didn’t know how long she had been there.
    “I see you two are getting along,” Aggie said, wearing a crooked smile.
    “Famously.”
    Aggie walked around him and sat down on the bench next to him.
    “She’s not used to a challenge. She comes on so strong; it’s a rare thing when she doesn’t get her way.”
    “I’m sure we could have traded insults all night. She’s really good at it.”
    “Yes. Let’s blame her father for that trick, shall we?”
    Terry looked in Aggie’s eyes and replied, “If you say so.” He smiled to let her know he was joking.
    Aggie face turned red then, not unlike her daughter’s reaction. She even had freckles that showed when she blushed. “Hmmm. Can’t fool you, Mr. Shelton.”
    “Can I ask? Was your hair ever red?”
    “What do you think?”
    Terry just kept smiling.
    Aggie decided to change the subject. “Look there.” She pointed at the southern barn. “She always ends up there when something is bothering her.”
    Terry could see Sally’s slim silhouette leaning against the back rail of the fighting platform on the barn roof. Maybe she wasn’t kidding about roofing the barn as a baby. She was looking south and pulling her fingers through her copper hair.
    “I didn’t mean to bother her,” Terry said.
    “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that. She just goes up there to think. It’s been her special spot since the first time she climbed it.”
    “Ah. What does she think about?” Terry asked, mostly thinking out loud.
    “Who knows? But if I had to guess, she spends a lot of time thinking about the world beyond our  little place here. We teach history, and she knows what was lost during the Breakdown.”
    “Yeah, she probably knows better than I do. They don’t teach much history in town, either from before or after the Breakdown.”
    “The word is that they only teach what they want you to know.”
    “I figured that. I was lucky. My grandfather was kind of a bookworm. We spent hours listening to him read out loud, and then later, I was always getting in trouble for reading when I was supposed to be working.”
    “Good for you, Terry. You can’t learn too much,” Aggie said thoughtfully.
    “So far, every time I think I know something, it turns out I knew nothing, really.”
    “That only gets worse, I’m afraid.”
    “Great,” Terry said, applying a healthy dose of sarcasm.
    Aggie smiled, “Well, it looks like they’re about ready...”
    “Oh, I meant to ask. I wanted to help out, but a man told me it wasn’t my turn. What does that mean?” Terry asked.
    “We have everyone divided into teams. The teams take turns with town functions. The teams have an unofficial competition to see who can throw the best gatherings. That’s one reason.”
    “What’s the other reason?”
    “You’ll see,” Aggie replied with a devilish grin. “Let’s go take our seats. Bill is here.”
    Aggie led Terry across the square, which was rapidly filling with people. She showed him a chair at the center table in the row with actual chairs, rather than picnic benches. Bill gave him a nod, and placed a polished wooden box on the table. No one was seated yet. They hovered around the tables chatting in twenty different conversations. Terry stood behind his chair, smiling at everyone who looked his way.
    Aggie leaned close to speak into his ear. “Get ready for a lot of hand shaking. Also, be sure to remember every single name. There’s a quiz afterwards.”
    Terry looked shocked, and felt a surge of panic rise up.
    Aggie leaned back in. “I was just kidding, Terry. Relax.”
    Terry laughed softly at himself. He saw Bill look at Aggie, and she just shrugged in return, turning her head towards the barn.
    “Ok, folks!