Black Beans & Vice (18 page)

Murphy stood slightly apart from the younger woman, as
though attempting to distance herself from the argument. Still,
her face was alight with voyeuristic pleasure.

"Ladies!" James stepped beside Tia and forced his lips into a
tight smile. In an exaggerated whisper he asked, "How can I help
you?"

Tia turned her dark eyes on him and then she deliberately
looked back at Murphy and hissed, "Forget about the library! Let's
go to the grocery store!" And with that, she walked out through
the lobby doors.

Murphy gazed at James with a mixture of wonder and befuddlement. "Boy oh boy, you sure have a way with women, Mr.
Henry. She nearly lost a few of her piercings in her haste to get
away from you. Why is that?"

James shrugged. "I have no idea." He glanced over at Scott,
more interested in pacifying his distressed employee than satisfying Murphy's endless curiosity. "What did the young woman
want?"

Scott pushed a small poster across the desk. "To hang this under the Community Happenings section of our bulletin board. I
told her nicely that it was too scary for our younger patrons, but
she wouldn't take no for an answer." His cheeks flushed. "I'm
afraid I stopped being a polite public servant. I repeated myself
several times, but when she called me a fascist and an accessory
to murder I got a little mad." He raked his hands through his hair
and sighed ruefully. "I should never have mentioned that I was
having a meatball sub for lunch."

James gave his employee a sympathetic pat on the shoulder
and then leaned over to scrutinize the poster. It portrayed the image of a cartoonish pig lying on its back with its legs sticking in
the air. It had x's for eyes and a long tongue lolled from its mouth.
Above the pig, a spider resembling Charlotte from the E. B. White
novel had industriously written the following words in her web:
Don't Kill Wilbur. Become A Vegetarian.

"Old Charlotte must have been all done in after spinning such
a lengthy slogan," James remarked. "It's clever, but you're right,
Scott. I think it would definitely upset the kids and quite a few
adult patrons as well. You made the right call."

Murphy, who had made no move to accompany Tia, crossed
her arms and studied James. "And yet, your own son has recently
become a vegetarian, has he not?"

"Yes, but..." James was about to say that Eliot hadn't been
shocked or emotionally traumatized into the decision, but he
knew that wasn't the absolute truth. After all, his son had been so
influenced by Fay Sunray's words that he'd had to flee the dinner
table in the face of a slice of pepperoni pizza. "Is this your new way
of conducting interviews?" he inquired airily. "I thought you preferred to gather material over one of Willie's frozen custards and a
cappuccino?"

"I do," Murphy agreed. "But Tia is one sharp negotiator. She
talked me into putting these posters all over town before she'd answer any of my more probing questions. I've been collecting background material on her as we work, but I'm her hired hand until
the posters are all up." She glanced in the direction of the lobby
doors. "And she's not going anywhere without me because we took
my car." Murphy reclaimed the poster and wiggled an index finger
at James. "And you can bet your Dewey Decimal system that I'm
going to find out why she looked at you as though you were the
Charles Manson of Quincy's Gap."

James scowled. "Perhaps she's read your novel too many times
and is worried that hanging around me will spell certain death."

"You do have a certain magnetism when it comes to corpses"
Murphy smiled and touched his cheek with an intimacy that made
James uncomfortable. "I find that quality strangely sexy."

James didn't feel like skipping to A Better State of Mind as he had
for his past two sessions. In fact, he'd been in a foul mood ever
since Murphy's visit to the library and he hadn't been able to do
anything to lift himself out of it. Pulling into a parking space next
to a shiny new SUV, James paused to admire the moss-green paint,
the tidy tan leather interior, and the vanity plate reading, VEG
OUT.

"Hey man!" Lennon called out as he headed in James' direction. "You like my ride? It's a Ford Escape Hybrid. Gets thirty miles
to the gallon and has super clean emissions. Totally earth-friendly."

"It's a beaut." James glanced at the frayed ends of Lennon's
jeans, his washed-out Bob Marley T-shirt, and his worn sandals.
Leaving all tact aside he said, "That must have cost a pretty penny."

"Dude, like, a generous relative gave me some dough and I
spent it," Lennon smiled guilelessly. "I believe in living in the moment, ya know. I could totally get hit by a bus tomorrow, so why
not party hard today?" He gestured at the rack affixed to the back
of the SUV. "Do you bike, man? I could show you some of the awesome local trails I've discovered. My all-time fav is the Brandywine
Lake Trail. Fifty-two miles of rock `n roll." He flicked a frayed lock
of hair away from his face. "Whenever I'm stressin, that place chills
me right out. And I've got two bikes! I can put on the dual rack in
a snap!" He gestured at the back of his truck. "Wanna let loose?"

James laughed at the image of himself barreling down a wooded
path. "Think I'll stick to four wheels, but my coworkers, Scott and
Francis, ride their bikes to work. You should drop by the library
sometime so I can introduce you. You guys are about the same age
and I bet they'd love to explore a new trail." Checking his watch,
James saw that he still had a few minutes until his appointment.
James wanted to linger with the younger man a little longer, enjoying the influence of his winsome, buoyant presence. He pointed toward the pink and purple cottages. "How about Skye? Does she ride
too?"

Lennon shook his head. "Nah, she's more into running. It's her
time to center, ya know? Just her, an iPod, and a long stretch of
road. That's cool, but sometimes a guy's gotta rip down a hill with
the trees flying by like whish, whish!" He gesticulated with his wellcalloused hands. "Anyhow, the work day is done, my man, so I am
outta here. Gonna go suck in some fresh oxygen! Peace out!"

Feeling slightly silly, James returned the universal gesture for
peace and walked through the Wellness Village to Harmony's office. Skye accepted his payment and offered him a glass of citrusflavored water and a friendly smile.

"Harmony is running a little late," she apologized on behalf
of her employer. "Would you like to browse through our newest
magazines while you wait?"

James took a few from Skye's graceful hands. "Thank you." He
placed the magazines on the sofa and watched Skye water a potted
ficus tree in the corner of the reception room. "I ran into Lennon
outside. He's a very friendly young man. I can see why you two
make such a good couple. You both exude such a positive..." He
trailed off, unsure of the correct wording.

"Aura?" Skye finished for him. "That's sweet of you to say. Lennon and I haven't been dating long, but I admire how he puts
his entire being into each and every task. The smallest details are
important to him, from raking the rock garden to hosing out the
trash cans to picking wildflowers for me." She colored prettily.
"I've never known someone so gentle and yet so dedicated."

"Well, he's a lucky man to have captured your heart," James
said as Harmony's door opened and Lindy walked slowly down
the hall, still drowsy from her time of deep relaxation.

James was delighted to see his friend. "I didn't know you'd be
here today!"

"I had to get help!" Lindy whispered loudly. "I never thought
the three hours I spent with Luis' mama would throw me into
such a tailspin, but that woman is a Tasmanian devil-emphasis
on `devil'!"

Stifling a grin, James led Lindy to the sofa. "That bad, huh?"

"She ran her finger along the baseboard underneath my
kitchen table and glanced at the dust as though it might eat away
her hand! She held up each piece of silverware to the light, looking for spots. And then she polished them on her own handkerchief. She ate three bites of the meal I'd slaved over all day and
then declared she'd suddenly lost her appetite." Lindy rubbed her
tired eyes. "She never spoke directly to me. If she wanted to know
something about my house, my family, or my job, she'd ask Luis as
if I weren't sitting right there! It was awful!"

James gave his friend a hug. "Did Harmony make you feel better?"

Lindy nodded. "I asked her to help me keep a firm hold on my
self-confidence, but this is going to be a mighty long week." She sighed lugubriously. "I'll be listening to my new reinforcement CD
in all my spare time."

"Bring her along to Mrs. Waxman's retirement party," James
suggested. "We'll pour champagne punch down her throat and
stuff her full of Milla's cake."

"Can't I just drop her off at the local taxidermist instead? That
would get her out of my hair forever," Lindy joked and James was
pleased to note that his friend's sense of humor was intact. "Are
you going in for another sugar-busting session?"

"I don't know" It was James' turn to be downcast. "I haven't
lost any weight and I feel like I'm at war with myself. Basically, I'm
ticked off."

Harmony arrived at that moment and smiled at both of her
clients. "Perhaps today's session should be about striking a balance
between your mind and body," she advised gently. "Lindy, feel free
to call me if you need to see me again this week. Just remember to
listen to your CD and to believe in your value as a wonderful and
unique individual."

Lindy nodded and shut her eyes for a moment. After opening them again, she said good-bye to James and then reached for
the front door, repeating Harmony's phrase like a mantra. "I am a
unique and wonderful individual. I am a unique and wonderful
individual."

Harmony didn't interrupt Lindy but softly directed Skye to
catch up to their client outside, as Lindy had departed without her
reinforcement CD. Skye neatly labeled the CD before heading for
the exit.

"Won't she be too late to catch Lindy?" James asked as he followed Harmony into her office.

"Skye was a track star in college. She doesn't run like the wind,
she vanquishes the wind." Harmony gestured at the recliner and
James sank heavily into the chair. "Tell me what's going on."
"

I haven't lost a single ounce and I'm angry. At myself," James
answered. "Like Lindy, I've had a stressful few days and I feel like
I'll never make any progress in the weight loss department until,
well, I can have some faith in myself. Right now, that's running a
little low."

Harmony considered her client's problem for a moment and
then wrote a few notes on a legal pad. "Considering these developments, let's change our direction slightly. Instead of focusing on
sugar cravings, we're going to ask your mind and body to work
together as a single unit-for your entire self to be one team, striving for health and a sense of well being. How does that sound?"

"Can you throw in a dose of stress relief too?" James implored.
"I feel like if I don't dial down that part of my brain I'll be hijacking Little Debbie trucks before long!"

The sound of Harmony's musical laughter filled the room.
When her expression of calm concern returned she asked, "In
addition to your frustration over not having lost any weight, are
there other factors causing you to feel anxiety?"

James issued an unattractive snort. "It'll take more time than
we've got to cover them all! Let's just take care of my inner war
today. We can tackle maniacal ex-girlfriends, psychotic letterwriters, and crazy vegetarian activists next week." He cleared his
throat. "No offense."

"None taken," Harmony replied and dimmed the lights.

IN PREPARING FOR MRS. Waxman's surprise party, James and his coworkers encountered Tia's pig poster everywhere.
It hung from the bulletin board at Food
Lion, the YMCA, and the post office,
and had been taped to the windows of
dozens of small businesses including the
ABC store, Goodbee's Pharmacy, the Polar Pagoda, and not surprisingly, The Yuppie Puppy. It seemed as if
Quincy's Whimsies and The Sweet Tooth were the only establishments in town that had refused to display the attention-grabbing
poster.