Black Beans & Vice (15 page)

James cocked his head. "What else does Lesley-Anne say?"

Eliot focused on pouring himself a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios before answering. "She says that the lady gets really fat and
then the stork picks up the baby from the lady and brings it to the
daddy. The baby cries a lot because it has bad dreams about storks
until it can talk. Then it's not scared anymore." When Jane rose to
pour milk on Eliot's cereal, he put his arms around her neck. "Did
I have bad dreams about storks?"

The mention of birds put a damper on Jane's lightheartedness.
"No, darling. But your friend, Lesley-Anne, sounds like quite an
imaginative little girl."

Unsure of whether his friend had just been praised or slighted,
Eliot shrugged. "She can be mean sometimes. She said Fay Sunray
is for babies, but I don't care. Fay's pretty and I like her songs."

James carried his breakfast dishes to the sink. Jane wiped off
the counter and whispered to him over the sound of the running
water. "Lesley-Anne is going to be that kid. You know, the one who
spoils the idea of the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, and Santa
Claus for the rest of them. Mark my words!"

"Sad. Some mysteries were never meant be solved-the locations of the North Pole or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, for example," James said wistfully. "And then there are the ones we'd love to unravel, like the reason Murphy Alistair moved
back to Quincy's Gap, what prompted the vandalism cases against
you, or what Ned did with the stolen money. Those might elude us
forever."

Jane paused in the act of loading the dishwasher. "Oh, you and
your supper club will decipher all three of those riddles before
the Fourth of July. I'm certain of that." Wiping her hands on a tea
towel, she glanced around the tidy kitchen. "Now let's get going. If
we miss the Firefighters' Parade Eliot's going to ask Miss Know-ItAll Lesley-Anne how a kid can be granted a legal dispensation to
live with his grandparents!"

Hours later, the Henry family were worn out from a memorable
day of sunshine, music, and entertainment. At the annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, they'd listened to live bluegrass music, heard the energetic strains of marching bands, and watched
a parade of fire department vehicles and floats bearing the Apple
Blossom queen and her court. While Jane took Eliot to get a closer
look at one of the rescue vehicles, James bought her an apple blossom necklace made of sterling silver from one of the many local
craftsmen. After they'd dined on a meal of grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches he slipped it around her neck.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" Jane exclaimed with delight. Observing
her radiant face, James realized that he'd never surprised her with
unexpected gifts when they were married. He couldn't even remember if he'd ever bought her a bouquet of flowers or a box of
chocolates during their time together. Watching her examine how
the necklace lay on the soft skin where her collarbones met using the compact from her purse, James made a silent vow to be more
spontaneous with his displays of affection in the future.

After their picnic lunch, the Henrys lost a handful of dollar
bills playing games on the midway, rode a few of the tamer carnival rides, and then wove through the festival crowd toward the
parking lot, content but thoroughly weary. Eliot was dragging
his feet by the time they reached the outer rim of the festival and
James knelt down so the boy could climb on his back for the remainder of the trek. Eliot immediately placed his cheek against his
father's shoulder, sighed with contentment, and closed his eyes.

As they passed several vendors selling funnel cakes, soft-serve
ice cream, and hot dogs, James heard the sounds of raised voices
ahead. Pausing, he listened to the shrill shouts and frowned. "It's
those protestors again. The ones from the food festival last weekend. I recognize the shrieks of their ringleader."

"We'll just walk past them as quickly as we can," Jane calmly
responded.

Despite the increased noise level, Eliot didn't so much as lift
his head, and when James spied the latest series of graphic posters
held by the demonstrators, he sincerely hoped his son would keep
his eyes shut until they were safely away.

Unfortunately, the Henry family had chosen the worst moment to leave. The group's zealous leader, the young woman with
the spiked hair and the rows of hoop earrings, nearly collided with
James and she stepped forward to hurl a cute plush pig at the hog
dog vendor.

"BRUTE!" she screamed at the middle-aged man in the green
apron as James leapt backward. "You're serving people ground-up pig! You're making money from bits and parts of an intelligent
animal!"

The vendor stared at the place where the plush pig had landed
and so did his line of customers. The man was obviously startled
and a little intimidated by the group of protestors.

Seeking a quick escape, James tried to skirt around those waiting for food and the encroaching throng of demonstrators, but the
crowd bunched together, effectively cutting off any chance of him
finding a way through. James felt sorry for the hot dog vendor, for
the young leader's eyes blazed with a righteous fury as she directed
one of her companions to toss another pig at his booth. However,
James' main concern was for his family's welfare and the possibility of violence erupting seemed high. He looked around for help,
but everyone seemed frozen by the unfolding scene.

"You're contributing to the MURDER of the INNOCENT!"
The spiky-haired leader yelled and then pointed at the stunned
customers. "And YOU people! You're about to pay four dollars
for a bunch of pulverized brains, bone, intestines, skin, and pink
dye stuffed into a casing of edible plastic! How can you put that
stuff into your body? Become a vegetarian! Save animals from being bred to become your food! Preserve your body from disgusting,
ground-up refuse like this man's hot dogs!"

One of the male protestors handed her a sign. "Tia! Now!"

Together, Tia and her friend unrolled a large banner. Several
members of the shell-shocked crowd gasped in horror. Under the
text, MEAT IS MURDER! were two pictures. The first showed a
pig being shot in the head with some kind of gun and the second
showed his body hovering over a stainless steel trough as blood
poured from the slit in the creature's throat.

"This is how it happens, Carnivores! The pig is stunned by
a bolt pistol. Not killed, stunned! It's alive when its throat is cut!
ALIVE!" She pointed at a man in the crowd. "Just like your bestbuddy, Fido, and your darling kitty, Snowball," she said as she directed her index finger at a woman wearing a T-shirt reading, "Beware: Crazy Cat Lady."

A small girl in the funnel cake line began to cry. She was
quickly joined by the sobs of several other children.

A frightened and angry mother stepped out of the line. "Shame
on you! Showin' stuff like this to a bunch of little kids!" The
woman tried to tear the banner from Tia's hands and when that
failed, she pushed by the other demonstrators with a snarl, her two
tearful children in tow.

Her chastisement suddenly animated the crowd and the surge
of hostility on both sides swelled. Peering over Jane's shoulder,
James saw a group of grim-faced security guards and burly firefighters moving in their direction.

"Help is on the way," he told her with relief as Eliot stirred on
his back.

Tia saw the cavalry coming as well. She whispered something
to the man holding the other end of the banner and then glanced
briefly in James' direction. Her expression abruptly changed. In
one moment, the young woman's face had been aglow with passion and determination. Now her jaw was slack and her eyes wide
with fear. Dropping her end of the banner, she turned and ran off.

With their leader gone, the rest of the demonstrators rapidly
dispersed and by the time the first security guard arrived, the commotion was over.

"Guess Tia didn't want to tangle with those firemen," Jane said
as she pulled James to the far left, finally getting away from the
excitement by using the volunteer's entrance gate as an exit. "Can't
say I blame her. They don't look too happy. Did you happen to
notice that the hot dog vendor is wearing a Volunteer Firefighter
T-shirt under his apron?"

James hadn't, but didn't want to linger another second. Eliot
woke up for a few brief seconds while being strapped into his car
seat, but the moment James started the engine and eased out of
the parking lot the fatigued little boy fell right back to sleep.

"You know, I agree with the protestors about the majority of
their platform," Jane whispered once they'd reached the highway.
"But they go too far."

"In these days of media sensationalism, they probably believe
that that's the only way they can gain attention," James said. "Believe me, I think it's awful to expose folks to some of those posters, but at the same time, I admire their passion. They weren't out
there today or last week for personal gain, but to help creatures
that have no voice. I respect them for that" He slowed down as the
Bronco hugged a sharp curve in the road. "Perhaps there's another,
less offensive method to get their point across."

Jane raised her eyebrows. "I recognize that look. You're hatching a plan."

He laughed. "Oh, I was just thinking that the new owner of The
Shenandoah Star Ledger might enjoy interviewing Tia. If I mention what happened today, Murphy will be here before the sun
goes down, sniffing the ground for traces of the Apple Blossom
conflict."

"I can see the headline now: `Firemen and Fugitives." Jane
chuckled. "Still, an article would grant the activists the exposure
they need." She reached over and squeezed James' arm. "You're a
good man, Professor Henry."

"And you are the smartest, best-looking woman to have ever
graced that passenger seat."

Jane ran her fingertips up his bicep and over the ridge of his
shoulder so she could caress the nape of his neck. He sighed in
contentment as she worked the kinks from his muscles.

"Despite the theatrics back there, today was perfect," she said.
"It was one of those days I wish I could pack away in a box-save
it like a treasure and then take it out again whenever I needed
cheering." She blushed. "Boy, am I a sap or what?"

"You don't sound like a sap, but a woman who knows exactly
what she wants," James replied.

"That's true," Jane said with a smile. "And what makes me
happiest in the world is right here in this dear old truck. My two
Henry men. What more could a girl ask for?"

An answer surfaced in James' mind and he was shocked to suddenly visualize an item that he never thought he'd think of in connection to his ex-wife ever again. But here he was, glancing at her
left hand and wondering if the "more" Jane might secretly desire
was a wedding ring.

Jane and Eliot left for their house in Harrisonburg after church on
Sunday. Mother and son wanted to plant a small vegetable garden
and surprise James with their efforts the following weekend.

"I'll see you on Saturday unless you need me to drive up during the week again?" James asked suggestively as he kissed Jane
goodbye.

"Oh, I will definitely need you," she answered with a playful
wink.

After Jane's car had disappeared from sight, James checked his
watch. If he drove hastily, he could reach his father's place in time
for Milla's Sunday brunch. She often issued spontaneous invitations to her acquaintances from the First Baptist Church and prepared extra dishes ahead of time in the event her friends accepted.
Luckily for James, the Methodist service ended thirty minutes before Milla's church let out so he stood a fair chance of pulling into
the driveway as his stepmother was serving up hot food.

As the Bronco maneuvered the winding roads leading to his
boyhood home, James visualized frying pans filled with bacon and
sausage, a tray covered by buttery biscuits, and a platter of Milla's
plump cinnamon buns, warm from the oven and covered with
drizzles of sweet, buttery icing.