Louisiana Saves the Library by Emily Beck Cogburn Page B

children on her own and publish enough to earn tenure while also teaching two large classes of undergraduates. Sylvia had come in bearing a bottle of wine and a plate of cheese and crackers. By the time the bottle was empty, they were both laughing so hard that their sides hurt.
    â€œI might have tried to put up with the breast-feeding a little longer if I knew we were going on the breadline. Formula costs a hundred dollars a month,” Sylvia said, switching the baby to her other arm.
    â€œWe have jobs until after Christmas. What about Jake?”
    â€œThey gave him two months.” Sylvia drank the rest of her wine and refilled her glass. “He’ll get unemployment, but we won’t.”
    â€œOf course we will. Why wouldn’t we?”
    â€œState of Louisiana doesn’t pay into it for their employees. We have no social security. No unemployment. Girl, I’ve been here my whole life and it never ceases to amaze me just how effed up this state is.”
    Zoe climbed up on the chair next to Louise and looked at Madeleine. “Baby.”
    â€œThat’s right. That’s a baby. You used to be a baby, did you know that? My life was actually easier then,” Louise said.
    â€œBaby.” Zoe climbed back down and found a truck that one of the boys had abandoned under the table. She made sputtering sounds as she drove it along the rug. “Truck.”
    Louise poured a little more wine into her glass. No job, no unemployment. Her fragile facade of independence was crumbling. She would have to ask someone for help. She couldn’t get a loan from her mother. Her older sister was in the process of trying to find a nursing home she could afford. Louise had been the late-life surprise, not necessarily unwanted but a stretch to her parents’ budget. Even as a child, she had worried about money, ordering the cheapest item on the menu on the rare occasions when her family ate in restaurants. She’d felt guilty for every penny she cost them. Her father’s salary as a schoolteacher wasn’t enough to support four children. For some reason, her mother never worked. She’d filled her time volunteering, cooking, and cleaning. Louise had sworn she’d never be like her. Now, she was in a worse situation, dependent on a man who wasn’t even her husband anymore. She would have to ask him, no matter how much it hurt her pride.
    Across the room, a battle erupted.
    â€œMine! That’s mine!” Jimmy screamed, pointing at a car that Max was driving along the coffee table.
    Max stopped and looked at his friend like he’d turned into something unrecognizable but not very interesting. Jimmy grabbed the car, and Max wrestled it back. Jimmy gave up and picked a dump truck from the mound of toys. He smashed his vehicle into Max’s. “Crash!”
    â€œWhat was with Josh’s mom?” Sylvia said. “Telling her kid to fight Max? Is she nuts?”
    â€œShe has lousy taste in footwear,” Louise said. She didn’t want to think about the incident again. During Max’s period of hitting other kids, she’d felt like she was holding a live grenade. She was terrified that he would hurt Zoe or some other child. If his sister grabbed one of his toys, he would push or hit her. She couldn’t leave them alone together, even for a moment. Playgrounds were even worse because the potential victims were other people’s children. After he pushed another boy in the sandbox, she stopped taking him altogether. Either her constant punishments, lectures, and rewards for good behavior were finally working or he’d grown out of the stage because lately his behavior had been better. Until today. Louise felt like a black hole had opened in front of her. Max the bad kid again. Her job gone.
    â€œI mean, geez, the kid is four. What is wrong with her? I’ll tell you what, I’m not inviting him to Jimmy’s birthday party. Not that I’ll be