A. G. Mayes - A Slice of Magic

Just then, Lena and Flora walked in. ‘I brought matches so we can burn all the newspapers.’ Lena held up her purse.

‘No fires,’ I practically shouted.

‘Oh, right.’ She set her bag down on a chair. ‘We could all just rip our copies into shreds. That could be satisfying too.’

I considered the possibility as I served us all some pie.

‘Whoa,’ I said, looking out the window, almost dropping the last piece of pie. ‘What is that?’ Henry was walking down the street next to a giant gray and brown furry creature.

Mr Barnes glanced out the window. ‘That’s Henry’s dog, Willy.’

‘What’s Willy? Part dog, part horse?’ I had never in my life seen a dog that big. His face was covered with shaggy fur, and his back was taller than Henry’s waist.

‘He’s an Irish wolfhound,’ Flora explained. ‘Don’t worry, he’s very gentle.’

‘What does Henry do if Willy sees a squirrel?’ I asked.

‘Willy doesn’t really care for chasing squirrels,’ Flora said.

‘But he does love ice cream,’ Lena chimed in. ‘Remember that time Willy took off chasing the Miller kid who was eating an ice cream cone? That boy took off as fast as his little legs would carry him. Willy was close at his heels licking the air in anticipation, and Henry was being dragged behind grasping the leash with both hands.’

Lena and Mr Barnes hooted. Flora gave them a disapproving glare, but I noticed the corners of her mouth twitched.

I was relieved that Mitzy wasn’t the size of Bigfoot, but I felt a twinge of disappointment that Henry wasn’t coming into the pie shop as I watched them disappear around the corner. I glanced back at the Morning Pie Crew and Lena gave me a knowing look. I hurried back to the table and changed the conversation to Elodie.

‘Someone has to know who she is,’ I said. ‘She’s publishing articles about me. I want to talk to her and get a chance to set the record straight.’

‘Willard Jefferson runs the paper, but he’s always been very tight-lipped about Elodie,’ Mr Barnes said.

‘Where’s the newspaper office?’ I asked, still determined to get to the bottom of it.

‘In the basement of the bowling alley,’ Flora said.

I let the conversation drift into more important topics like whether or not the gazebo should be repainted the same shade of blue or if it should be painted two shades lighter.

‘It should match the sky,’ Lena said.

‘It’s been the same shade of blue for a hundred years,’ Flora said. ‘Tradition is important.’

Mr Barnes seemed decidedly undecided about the issue.

I realized I’d left my phone upstairs in the apartment. I excused myself to go fetch it in case Aunt Erma called. While I was upstairs, Mitzy gave me her big puppy dog eyes and I was guilted into taking her outside again. I was almost back to the front of the pie shop, when I heard the Morning Pie Crew speaking in hushed tones. I paused out of view in the kitchen doorway when I heard my name.

‘If she suspects something, she’s a great actress,’ Lena whispered.

‘Erma made it very clear that we’re not to talk about it,’ Mr Barnes said.

‘Poor thing, she doesn’t even know…’ Flora began.

‘Shh, I think I hear her coming,’ Lena said.

I made a big show of entering the front of the pie shop. I hoped I wasn’t smiling too brightly.

They all spoke at once about how busy their days were and then they paid for their pie and left. I assumed their conversation had something to do with the article in the paper, or maybe they were talking about my pie baking abilities. Either way, I felt knots forming in my stomach as a feeling of loneliness settled over me.

I scooped a small slice of cherry pie onto a plate for a snack. My phone rang, and I saw Josh’s name on the caller ID. My finger left a sticky smear on the screen as I answered it.

‘Where have you been?’ he greeted me. Josh was one of my coworkers and a good friend. He had heard my Aunt Erma sob story more than once. Usually it was after a bad day at work or a fight with my mother and a few beers.

‘Are you OK?’ he asked when I finished telling him that Aunt Erma was gone. I felt a lump form at the back of my throat. I nodded because I couldn’t speak even though I knew he couldn’t see me.

I took a deep breath. ‘Actually, I’m kind of making a mess of everything.’ I told him about my baking disasters and the judgement from the townspeople.

‘You went to a strange town to do a new job, and even when your aunt wasn’t there, you stayed. She’s lucky to have you. You’re the most fearless person I know,’ he said.

I smiled into my phone. ‘Thanks.’

‘Now go be the best pie baker you can be, and we’ll grab a beer when you get back,’ Josh said. We said our goodbyes, and I tried to hold on to the confidence he had given me.

The rest of the day was fairly quiet. A few people wandered by and peered in the windows, amplifying my feeling of being a fish in a bowl. With all the time alone with my thoughts, my loneliness was soon replaced by frustration towards Elodie.

Mitzy and I were walking off some of that frustration after dinner, the cold breeze sweeping through the streets fueling my anger. I was relieved that there weren’t many people out and about. ‘Doesn’t know a rolling pin from a bowling pin?’ I said to Mitzy, and she wagged her tail a little as she struggled to keep up. ‘It’s not my fault Aunt Erma abandoned me here to do all this work. Why won’t she call and check in?’ I grumbled. ‘Doesn’t she have a cell phone?’ I paused to let Mitzy sniff a leaf.

‘I’m sorry. Do you require some sort of assistance?’ A voice behind me made me jump. I turned and saw a woman about my age. Her frizzy blonde hair was held back by a thick navy headband that matched her leggings. She had a long thin bag slung over her shoulder and was evaluating me with slightly wide blue eyes.

‘No, I’m fine,’ I sighed.

‘You must be Erma’s niece,’ she said, noticing Mitzy. I introduced myself. She told me her name was Holly, and she ran the grocery store. ‘I’m on my way to Mr Barnes’s yoga class. You should come with me. You look like you could use a little yoga right now.’

‘I think I need a drink more than yoga,’ I said. ‘Know where I could find one?’

‘Sal’s is the best and basically only place for a drink in town, but it’s closed tonight,’ she said, leaning down to pet Mitzy who was demanding some attention.

‘Closed? On a Saturday?’

‘His kid’s in a play at the elementary school tonight, so he shut down to go watch it. The liquor store is closed too. Nancy’s kid is in the same play. Welcome to a small town,’ she said with a laugh. She looked at her watch. ‘I gotta run, but it was nice to meet you.’

I said goodbye then rounded the corner by the barber shop and saw Henry sitting on a bench in the town square looking up at the sky. Willy lay on the ground next to him. Even lying down, Willy looked gigantic.

‘Finding any answers up there?’ I asked, which seemed to startle him back to earth.

‘Just daydreaming. Or night dreaming, I guess.’ He smiled.

Mitzy shamelessly leapt up into his lap, and he stroked her head. I took that as an invitation to sit next to him. Willy stood up and sniffed Mitzy. His tail wagged, and he put a paw up on Henry’s lap.

‘Oh no, there’s not room for you too,’ he said. Willy gave me a hopeful look, and I crossed my legs. He reluctantly settled back on the ground.

‘How are things at the nursing home?’ I asked.

Henry’s brow furrowed. ‘It was kind of a rough day.’

‘I’m sorry. Do you want to talk about it?’ He looked so distraught. Part of me wanted to hug him, but since this was only our second meeting, I settled for resting my hand on his arm. He put his hand on top of mine, and I felt a little jolt of excitement run through me. His hands were so warm.