was being distributed as dollar bills hurriedly exchanged hands.
“I sure hope there aren’t any fires tonight,” Brady heard a barrel-shaped woman with bright orange hair remark lowly as he made his way toward the bar. “I think the firemen are all going to be too drunk to drive the truck.”
Her friend, a plump woman with glossy black hair and friendly brown eyes smiled and said, “I’m sure they’ve got some people on standby for an emergency.”
Brady walked past the women in search of a Coke and then a piece of warm cornbread. As he sat in one of the few empty chairs, watching a fat pat of butter slide down the slope of moist cornbread, he wondered about what the woman with the orange hair had said. Looking around the room, he could see that every member of the Quincy’s Gap Volunteer Fire & Rescue Station had a red plastic cup in his hand. Ruddy cheeks, twinkling eyes, and hearty belly laughs indicated that the members of Station Seventeen had consumed a goodly amount of beer. With a start, Brady realized that he might be the only one capable of driving the truck and he had never driven it before.
As he bit into his homemade bread and then paused to lick a rivulet of butter from the back of his hand, a cute blonde seated at the other end of his table smiled at him. He returned the smile, forgetting all about his concerns about being the only sober fireman in Quincy’s Gap. When the girl coyly waved him over to join her using only her index finger and a subtle wink, Brady leapt to obey.
James Henry had the great misfortune of being stuck in line behind three of the most fearsome women in Quincy’s Gap. He had arrived late to the Brunswick stew fundraiser as his father refused to let him leave until James sat down with him and looked over a brochure containing a palette of roofing materials. Ashamed to admit to Jackson that his savings were soon to be nonexistent after enrolling in Witness to Fitness, James pretended to have great interest in the brochure until his father told him that he had already hired a roofer and that the job was slated to begin next week. Panicking, James abruptly stood and informed his father that they would need to hold off on the roof work a little longer and then, like a coward, he grabbed his windbreaker and bolted out the back door without further explanation.
“The roofer’s comin’ on Monday!” Jackson bellowed after him. “And he’s gonna want a deposit!”
As James drove through town, his growling stomach and the wish to sit and eat next to someone he liked caused him to practically skid into one of the library parking spaces. The lot, which was across the street from the firehouse, was almost completely full. Trotting across the asphalt, James couldn’t help wondering how the Shenandoah County Library could ever host an event that would cause such a full lot and raise funds for his beloved branch.
Winded, James burst in through the side door of the firehouse, darted in front of a family of six, and purchased a food ticket from one of the fireman’s wives.
“Hey! That fat man cut us!” one of the children behind him whined and his parents shushed him, but not before James felt his face grow warm with embarrassment.
It turned out that James got no closer to getting his food by cutting in front of the dawdling family. In fact, the line was at an utter standstill. James stepped to the side to see what the holdup was all about. Apparently, an elderly couple insisted upon hearing each and every one of the stew’s ingredients before they would accept their bowls.
“I’m very allergic to certain foods!” the woman declared. “I could go into cardiac arrest.”
“And I simply cannot eat eggs!” her husband croaked while shaking his cane at the fireman serving the stew.
“Ah … I don’t think there are any eggs in there, sir.” The fireman looked around for help, but the only other fireman in sight was serving the cornbread and he shrugged his shoulders
“I sure hope there aren’t any fires tonight,” Brady heard a barrel-shaped woman with bright orange hair remark lowly as he made his way toward the bar. “I think the firemen are all going to be too drunk to drive the truck.”
Her friend, a plump woman with glossy black hair and friendly brown eyes smiled and said, “I’m sure they’ve got some people on standby for an emergency.”
Brady walked past the women in search of a Coke and then a piece of warm cornbread. As he sat in one of the few empty chairs, watching a fat pat of butter slide down the slope of moist cornbread, he wondered about what the woman with the orange hair had said. Looking around the room, he could see that every member of the Quincy’s Gap Volunteer Fire & Rescue Station had a red plastic cup in his hand. Ruddy cheeks, twinkling eyes, and hearty belly laughs indicated that the members of Station Seventeen had consumed a goodly amount of beer. With a start, Brady realized that he might be the only one capable of driving the truck and he had never driven it before.
As he bit into his homemade bread and then paused to lick a rivulet of butter from the back of his hand, a cute blonde seated at the other end of his table smiled at him. He returned the smile, forgetting all about his concerns about being the only sober fireman in Quincy’s Gap. When the girl coyly waved him over to join her using only her index finger and a subtle wink, Brady leapt to obey.
James Henry had the great misfortune of being stuck in line behind three of the most fearsome women in Quincy’s Gap. He had arrived late to the Brunswick stew fundraiser as his father refused to let him leave until James sat down with him and looked over a brochure containing a palette of roofing materials. Ashamed to admit to Jackson that his savings were soon to be nonexistent after enrolling in Witness to Fitness, James pretended to have great interest in the brochure until his father told him that he had already hired a roofer and that the job was slated to begin next week. Panicking, James abruptly stood and informed his father that they would need to hold off on the roof work a little longer and then, like a coward, he grabbed his windbreaker and bolted out the back door without further explanation.
“The roofer’s comin’ on Monday!” Jackson bellowed after him. “And he’s gonna want a deposit!”
As James drove through town, his growling stomach and the wish to sit and eat next to someone he liked caused him to practically skid into one of the library parking spaces. The lot, which was across the street from the firehouse, was almost completely full. Trotting across the asphalt, James couldn’t help wondering how the Shenandoah County Library could ever host an event that would cause such a full lot and raise funds for his beloved branch.
Winded, James burst in through the side door of the firehouse, darted in front of a family of six, and purchased a food ticket from one of the fireman’s wives.
“Hey! That fat man cut us!” one of the children behind him whined and his parents shushed him, but not before James felt his face grow warm with embarrassment.
It turned out that James got no closer to getting his food by cutting in front of the dawdling family. In fact, the line was at an utter standstill. James stepped to the side to see what the holdup was all about. Apparently, an elderly couple insisted upon hearing each and every one of the stew’s ingredients before they would accept their bowls.
“I’m very allergic to certain foods!” the woman declared. “I could go into cardiac arrest.”
“And I simply cannot eat eggs!” her husband croaked while shaking his cane at the fireman serving the stew.
“Ah … I don’t think there are any eggs in there, sir.” The fireman looked around for help, but the only other fireman in sight was serving the cornbread and he shrugged his shoulders
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