Chapter 2: Madison's Meteor, Part 2

"The hardware store has a sale on shovels," Frank said. Bruce stared at him for a moment, then stomped out of the store. Alice came over to pour Frank some more coffee.

"I do believe that this is the best coffee you've ever made." Frank said. The warmth of the cup reminded him of the rock. It felt good in his hands. The other regulars held out their cups for refills.

"Shovels," one said, "brilliant."

Conversation turned back to its usual rut. The future of the plant. Every business in town had depended on the money spent by the workers at that plant. The new people didn't spend their money in town. They drove the half hour down the black top to drink coffee with fancy names and buy their clothes with labels that said Designed by.... Without the plant, everything else was going to die.

"Tell me again why they closed the plant," Bob asked.

"Wasn't making no money," Jim said.

"We had the best production record of any plant in the country."

"Too good," Herb said. "They couldn't sell what we were making."

"But they just put all that new machinery in." Daniel was one of the few young men left in town.

"Tax write off," Jim said.

"I wonder how much they will sell the plant for?" Frank said. All the eyes in the coffee shop stared at him. That wasn't part of the normal conversation.

"I suppose they got to sell if they've closed the place," Herb said. "I don't see that it makes any difference."

"It would if the new owners opened it up again," Jim said, and the conversation turned to the possibility of someone coming in and re-opening the plant.

Frank's coffee was done, so he dropped some change on the table and left. The day was fine and cold, but he decided to walk along Main Street to the post office. The only mail was flyers from the stores thirty minutes down the road. Local stores didn't put out flyers, they put a sign in the window. Too often these days it was Going out of business.

On impulse Frank walked into the library next door to the post office. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been in the library, maybe not since he'd left school.

"Good morning." The woman who spoke from behind the desk was Frank's age. She looked exotic for the town of Madison. Jennita, her name tag said.

"Good morning," Frank replied. "Do you have any books about rocks falling out of the sky?"

"Ah, you mean meteors." She smiled at Frank and led him to a section of bookshelf. "Just leave the books on the table when you're done. It lets me count what books have been read. If you have any other questions I'll be over at my desk."

"I thought Meteors were a car."

"Over in automotive history; next aisle." Jennita smiled again. "But they were named after the rocks."

Frank nodded and took out a book. He sat at the table and began to read. Jennita was right. He did want the rocks.

She had a nice smile. It warmed him like the second cup of Alice's coffee.

***

Frank got up the next morning and switched the still silent alarm off on the way out of the room. He glanced up at the clear blue sky. Snow tonight. He took extra time with the chores, talking with each of the animals and making sure they were healthy and content. Next he went over the old tractor, getting it ready for the night's work.

Frank found more than his usual contentment in doing work well as if he was aware of a connection to a much larger web. What he did with his life might not look important, but he had the feeling it was vital.

It was a bit later than usual when he headed into Alice's Coffee Shop, but the regulars were all there. There was a buzz of conversation already. They looked up and waved him to his seat.

Jim slid into the seat next to him.

"I was thinking 'bout what you said yesterday."

"You mean about shovels being on sale?" Frank gave Alice a nod as she filled his cup.

"About someone buying the plant and opening it up again."

"Yes?" Frank sipped from his cup and sighed.

"Why wait for someone to come into town and buy the place. They'd probably sell it again in a few years anyway." Frank nodded and sipped his coffee. The caffeine ran through his system. The bitterness of the coffee a balance to the sweetness of the energy it gave him.

"You listening?" Jim said.

"Yup," Frank said. "You and the guys want to buy the place yourselves."

"I was looking on the internet about co-ops and labour-owned factories... Hey, how did you know that?"

"You told me."

"Not yet I hadn't," Jim said, "I'd just got to the part about buyers coming and going."

"Except for a local buyer, but there isn't one person in town with that kind of pull, so we would have to make it a group effort."

"So you're in?"

"I think it's the only way to save our town," Frank said. "Glad you thought of it, Jim."

"I wouldn't have, 'cept for what you said. Rattled around in my head all night, and I woke up with the notion waiting for me to have my coffee." Jim leaned in close to Frank. "Mary likes the idea. Things between us haven't been good since the plant closed. But she took to this like it was her that thought of it. Even if it don't work, t'will be worth it to see a smile on her face again."

Frank nodded. He knew the importance of a good smile.

"Whatever I can do, Jim," he said. "You just let me know."

"Frank's in!" There were cheers in the coffee shop and the others waved their cups in a toast.