The Book of Eleanor by Nat Burns Page B

open. “Man, you are one heartless—”
    “Now, Angie,” She indicated the chair in front of her desk. “I’m not unsympathetic to your plight. I kept you waiting because I was on the phone with several realty companies, trying to find you a new place. No luck yet.”
    I sat down and leaned forward. “You know we can’t afford anyplace else. If not for Captain Petey, we wouldn’t have what we have now.”
    “Don’t forget the kindness of the council. We’ve given your little home school a venue for a measly hundred a month for many years now. I think that’s pretty generous. But now we have to take that property back. We need it back.”
    “But Frankee, why do we even need another marina? We’ve got Charlie’s place, the Sea Ranch, the Tarpon, a dozen others!”
    Frankee frowned and rolled a pencil back and forth on her desk. “You know as well as I do, Angie, that the Fingers are going to waste. They could be generating all kinds of revenue.”
    “Are we that poor that we have to dump a bunch of special needs kids out on the street?” I eyed her, willing her to get it.
    “That’s not fair.”
    “Neither is what you guys are doing!” I stood and paced across her beautiful red Oriental rug. “I don’t have enough to put down on a place and you know what rents run around here.” I paused and glared at her. “You are effectively closing my school.”
    Frankee frowned. “Look, Angie, I may be new to this community, but I understand how close-knit everything is here. But maybe it’s time to let it go. You have, what? A master’s in education now? You could be a principal in a real school somewhere.”
    I nodded angrily and dramatically. “True, but that’s not what I want. Mama needs me at the restaurant and these kids need me. They need their school.”
    Frankee stood, dismissing me from her busy schedule. I suddenly realized the futility of our conversation.
    “It was voted on, Angie. The building will go April first, after spring break. You have until then,” she said calmly. “We’ll help you in any way we can, but I’m afraid our decision is made.”
    ***
     
    I couldn’t go into The Fat Mother right away so I sat outside in my Jeep. Keen disappointment rested in my stomach like I’d eaten a bag full of rocks. I wasn’t real clear on what I had expected from Frankee, maybe a heart, but I now realized how unrealistic any expectation had been.
    My mind lit on possibilities like butterflies searching from flower to flower for nectar. My three-room cottage was way too small and not on any main routes. There was a hall that the Elks had used for a while, but it had huge plumbing and sewage problems. The rest of The Point was mostly made up of tourist businesses.
    I let my mind roam further out. Los Fresnos had recently abandoned a youth center due to its age and built a brand-new one. It was an old community. Most of the buildings there had issues and were priced high regardless. Bayview had nothing suitable. Brownsville did, but they were way expensive and the kids would have to be transported pretty far. Ditto Harlingen. The island was way out of our reach financially and property was severely limited anyway.
    I felt as though my head was going to explode. Even though I tried hard not to, I was getting a bit miffed with the universe. I’m one of those people who believe that all things happen for a reason, a reason generally made evident at some point. I was usually willing to wait. This, though, was ridiculous. What purpose could there be for closing the school? Yep, I was definitely getting attitude.
    I looked up at the sky and made a face at whatever powers were up there. “Thanks!” I muttered. “Thanks a lot.”
    I left the Jeep reluctantly, wondering how I would manage to smile and act like everything was okay. Pausing outside the battered wooden door at the back of the restaurant, I tried on a smile and cleared my mind. The kids had to come first. I would focus on them and not