Chapter 8: Madison's Meteor, Part 8

The library became the start of a gradual change in the town. Frank saw part of it in the hardware store when the knitting woman came in. Usually the newcomers would drive to the big stores for what they wanted.

"Hello," she called, "I'd like to buy some paint."

"Certainly," Joe said, "what room are you painting?"

"The kitchen."

"Ah, you'll want an eggshell, maybe even a semi-gloss if you are painting around the stove."

"Why?"

"Easier to clean. Any grease from cooking will wipe off much easier."

'What colours do you carry?"

"I can mix just about anthing you like."

"I was thinking a brick colour for behind the counter, and something lighter for the rest of the kitchen."

"What colour are your cabinets?"

"Dark oak."

"That should be nice, but you might want an accent to brighten it up." He pulled out some paint chips and passed them to her. "Have a look at these."

"Hmmm," she said. "I'm not sure."

"How about I mix up a couple of samples and you put them on the wall. Leave them for a day or two and see which ones you like."

"You can do that?"

"Sure thing...."

Frank took his bag of nails to the counter and weighed them. He wrote the weight on a paper and left it and some money on the counter. He waved at Joe, who waved back while he was showing the woman different kinds of paint brushes.

At Alice's he found a seat at the counter. A man in a blue suit sat beside him stirring his coffee.

"Hello Frank," Alice said as she poured his coffee, then she rushed off to take another order.

"Is the coffee always like this?" the man in the suit asked.

"Pretty much," Frank said.

"It's awfully strong."

"It grows on you."

"Hmmmm." The man added another spoonful of sugar and sipped. He shuddered and took another sip. By the bottom of the cup he wasn't shuddering, but he didn't ask for a refill.

Alixxa came by after the man left.

"Another happy customer." she poked at the sludge at the bottom of the cup. "I bet he wouldn't look like he was being poisoned if I had made the coffee."

"I heard that!" Alice said. "I make the best coffee in these parts. Isn't that right Frank?"

"Your coffee is just fine for me, Alice, but that fellow was struggling with it. Maybe it's the suit."

"Let me make coffee for the new people, please," Alixxa begged. "What can it hurt?"

"OK, OK," Alice said. "Why couldn't you want to do dishes?" She went off scrubbing counters.

Alixxa sighed.

"I don't want to upset her, but these guys aren't ready for my Aunt's brew."

"You may be right, but take it easy on her. This shop is all she has left."

"She has me."

"She doesn't know the value of that yet."

Frank finished his coffee and walked down toward the library. If the knitting group was done, Jennita might have a little time to talk.

Alice's Coffee Shop wasn't the only place that was suddenly a lot busier. Frank found a crowd of people wandering through the library as the knitters packed up. Jennita was explaining something to a young man with several earrings and a spike sticking out of his eyebrow. She waved at Frank and pointed to her office. He waved back and started the process of brewing tea. He had taken to using a random scoop from one of her many tins and seeing if she could identify the tea. Today he used something called Keemun China Black.

Jennita came in with the young man as he was setting out the mugs. Frank picked another mug off the shelf and set it down.

"This is Sergio," she said. "The head office decided with the numbers we were generating that I needed an assistant. Sergio, this is Frank, a big supporter of the library and a very dear friend."

"Hi Frank," Sergio said and shook hands. "What do you like to read?"

"Mostly whatever is in front of me," Frank said. "Right now that seems to be cooperatives and micro-economics."

"Wow! I'm impressed," he sipped at the tea, "I am usually a coffee drinker, but Jennita is trying to convert me."

"You'll want to try the coffee at Alice's, but get Alixxa to pour you her coffee first. Alice's brew is unique and powerful."

"I'll go have lunch there. It will give you and Jennita a bit of time to talk."

They finished their tea accompanied by polite conversation, then Sergio rinsed out his mug and sauntered out of the office.

"I think he's going to be good for the library. He's a lot better at the internet stuff than I am, and he reads the oddest selection of books. I watched him pick a book off the shelf and read a page at random."

"There seems to be lots of stuff happening these days, I don't know how people are keeping up with all the change."

"It's exciting right now, later it will be terrifying."

Frank finished his tea and went back out into the main part of the library. He saw Sergio talking to the aggressive youngster who had scared Jennita. The man in the suit who stood behind him tapping his foot Frank recognized from the bank. To his surprise the man came over to him.

"DeLorne, of DeLorne and Associates," he said. "I'm looking at some land to develop and I am told that you own the land with the old gravel pit to the west of town."

"That would be me," Frank said.

"Come in and talk to me about it. I will get you top dollar for it."

"I don't know that I want to sell."

"Don't see why not. Make some money from a useless piece of land."

"The deer like it there."