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Authors: Mary O'Donnell
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the back room by the parking lot.”
“Yes, I’ve seen that space,” said the professor. “It should do very well for the shop since it has the loading dock to bring in materials and a freight elevator to get the finished pieces up to the backstage area. Please tell your husband that Felix will be calling him to set up an appointment as soon as possible.” Professor Howell didn’t say, “Make a note of that, Felix,” but apparently he didn’t have to as Felix immediately pulled a small handheld device from his pocket and started punching in characters.
“Yes, sir,” said Peggy. For a moment Annie thought Peggy was going to curtsy, but she didn’t. She did continue to stand, waiting for permission to sit.
Professor Howell was looking down at his paper again. “Ah, here we are. It says here, Mrs. Carson, that you are a ‘people person.’ Is that how you would describe yourself?”
Looking at Alice, Peggy seemed to have decided it was best not to fudge. “Yes, sir. I would say so. In normal circumstances, I think most people would say that I’m outgoing, and I like to be around all kinds of people.”
Professor Howell looked at her again, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? Yes. You were speaking with Mrs. Brickson the other night in the theater, when she was giving me the tour, and all those little girls were running about.”
“Yes, sir,” Peggy said again. “My daughter, Emily, is going to be in the dance recital next week. It was one of their practice nights.”
“Do you have any experience on stage yourself?” asked the professor.
“Yes, sir, I do. Mrs. Butler took me to summer drama camp two years in a row, when I was 12 and 13, and besides that, I played the lead in Stony Point High School’s yearly musical four years running.”
“And who is this ‘Mrs. Butler’?” asked Professor Howell.
“That’s Mayor Butler’s wife,” said Peggy. Looking at Ian, she said, “Oh … .” She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers as if she had made a terrible gaffe. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mayor. What I mean is, she was his wife. She … she passed away a while ago.”
“That’s OK, Peggy,” said Ian, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Of course—Mayor Butler—I should have realized,” said the professor, almost to himself. Then he said to Peggy, “Then it would be safe to say, I suppose, that you have a strong voice?”
“Yes, I do,” replied Peggy. “I haven’t had the opportunity to sing much in public since high school though, except in the church choir.”
“Why don’t you sing something for us now,” said the professor, looking back down at his notes.
Peggy swallowed hard. “Now?”
“Is there some reason you can’t now?” asked the professor.
Peggy took a deep breath. “It’s just that I haven’t … uh … prepared anything.”
“Sing whatever it was you sang with the church choir most recently,” said the professor nonchalantly.
“Well, OK, then.”
Annie had heard Peggy sing with the choir, but never on her own. It was a small choir, and they didn’t perform very often, but the choir was large enough that Annie had never really tried to pick out voices. She wasn’t sure what the professor was doing asking Peggy to sing on the spur of the moment like this.
Then Peggy closed her eyes and began singing very slowly in a rich, soulful voice,
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,
The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide,
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”
She paused and skipped ahead to the final verse of the classic hymn, moving her voice up the scale to sing with more urgency, and repeating the final line, but changing it slightly,
“Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies,
As morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee,
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Through life and death, O Lord, abide with
“Yes, I’ve seen that space,” said the professor. “It should do very well for the shop since it has the loading dock to bring in materials and a freight elevator to get the finished pieces up to the backstage area. Please tell your husband that Felix will be calling him to set up an appointment as soon as possible.” Professor Howell didn’t say, “Make a note of that, Felix,” but apparently he didn’t have to as Felix immediately pulled a small handheld device from his pocket and started punching in characters.
“Yes, sir,” said Peggy. For a moment Annie thought Peggy was going to curtsy, but she didn’t. She did continue to stand, waiting for permission to sit.
Professor Howell was looking down at his paper again. “Ah, here we are. It says here, Mrs. Carson, that you are a ‘people person.’ Is that how you would describe yourself?”
Looking at Alice, Peggy seemed to have decided it was best not to fudge. “Yes, sir. I would say so. In normal circumstances, I think most people would say that I’m outgoing, and I like to be around all kinds of people.”
Professor Howell looked at her again, his eyes narrowing. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I? Yes. You were speaking with Mrs. Brickson the other night in the theater, when she was giving me the tour, and all those little girls were running about.”
“Yes, sir,” Peggy said again. “My daughter, Emily, is going to be in the dance recital next week. It was one of their practice nights.”
“Do you have any experience on stage yourself?” asked the professor.
“Yes, sir, I do. Mrs. Butler took me to summer drama camp two years in a row, when I was 12 and 13, and besides that, I played the lead in Stony Point High School’s yearly musical four years running.”
“And who is this ‘Mrs. Butler’?” asked Professor Howell.
“That’s Mayor Butler’s wife,” said Peggy. Looking at Ian, she said, “Oh … .” She covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers as if she had made a terrible gaffe. “I’m sorry, Mr. Mayor. What I mean is, she was his wife. She … she passed away a while ago.”
“That’s OK, Peggy,” said Ian, giving her a reassuring smile.
“Of course—Mayor Butler—I should have realized,” said the professor, almost to himself. Then he said to Peggy, “Then it would be safe to say, I suppose, that you have a strong voice?”
“Yes, I do,” replied Peggy. “I haven’t had the opportunity to sing much in public since high school though, except in the church choir.”
“Why don’t you sing something for us now,” said the professor, looking back down at his notes.
Peggy swallowed hard. “Now?”
“Is there some reason you can’t now?” asked the professor.
Peggy took a deep breath. “It’s just that I haven’t … uh … prepared anything.”
“Sing whatever it was you sang with the church choir most recently,” said the professor nonchalantly.
“Well, OK, then.”
Annie had heard Peggy sing with the choir, but never on her own. It was a small choir, and they didn’t perform very often, but the choir was large enough that Annie had never really tried to pick out voices. She wasn’t sure what the professor was doing asking Peggy to sing on the spur of the moment like this.
Then Peggy closed her eyes and began singing very slowly in a rich, soulful voice,
“Abide with me, fast falls the eventide,
The darkness deepens, Lord with me abide,
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.”
She paused and skipped ahead to the final verse of the classic hymn, moving her voice up the scale to sing with more urgency, and repeating the final line, but changing it slightly,
“Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes,
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies,
As morning breaks and earth’s vain shadows flee,
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.
Through life and death, O Lord, abide with
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