Books Beads and Baubles
Mary J Hicks
Books, Beads & Baubles
Mary J Hicks
Copyright © 2014 Mary J Hicks
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Mary J Hicks
www.maryjhicks.com
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Cover design by Mary J Hicks
Books Beads and Baubles/ Mary J Hicks
Books, Beads & Baubles
Bertie and Wanda Simon are twin sisters. When referring to their age, they say they're in their youthful seventies. They own the cozy, eclectic thrift store called Books, Beads and Baubles. The small store thrives on a bustling street in the small town of Willow Bend, Oklahoma.
The lively owners open the store every morning at 7:30. Citizens of Willow Bend can set their clocks by the opening of the doors. The sisters accommodate their valued customers with this little extra convenience. It helps those who like to drop in on their way to work at eight o'clock. And it's a blessing for the poor souls who awake at four in the morning and are dressed to go out at first light. Town folks know that coffee is always brewing at the cozy coffee bar in the back of the store.
Bertie trailed through the store turning on lamps; no glaring, overhead fluorescent lights in their store. She liked this task and it was hers to do each morning. By the time the last lamp had been switched on, Wanda would just about have the coffee made.
Lamplight is warm and cozy. And it's a given that where books and lamplight come together, coffee will be served.
Bertie's sixth sense kicked in as soon as she switched on the floor lamp that stood between the two big comfortable chairs. Hmmm, something wasn't right in the new 'read-n-return' section. She studied the shelves but couldn't put her finger on it.
The aroma from Wanda's coffee made concentrating difficult.
“Sister, have you moved any of the books from the read-n-return shelves lately?" Bertie stretched her body to gaze across two aisles at Wanda.
“No, dear, I haven’t touched your new project. Why do you ask?"
Although they are twins, Wanda stands three inches taller than her sister. She pushed her specks to the top of her head and peered back at Bertie who was pinching her bottom lip, something she did when involved in heavy thinking.
“The lower book shelves look sparse. I think they're missing some books, in fact, I believe quite a few books are gone."
“But dear, isn’t that what you wanted?" Wanda called back, a puzzled tone in her voice.
“Yes, sister.” Bertie replied after an audible sigh. “But not without checking out at the register first. I wanted to keep a record. That way we'd know if this idea of offering free reading to those who couldn't afford to buy, is working or not."
Wanda threaded her way through the store to stand beside Bertie and study the shelves.
“Oh dear, I think you’re right. I hadn’t noticed." Wanda moved closer to her sister.
“Why would anyone steal books that they can read for free?" Bertie puzzled out loud. She posed, one hand on a hip and with the other she continued to pinch her bottom lip, doing a fish mouth.
“I can’t imagine who would do such a thing. But we know the books didn’t walk out under their own steam." And with that bit of information Wanda padded back to the coffee bar, poured two cups of the strong coffee and carried them back to the book section, handing one to Bertie.
Bertie accepted the coffee and spoke as if Wanda had never left her side. "Well of course we know they didn't do that, but who's taking them? The sisters looked as concerned as if the cash register had been emptied in the night.
“Any suspects in mind?" Bertie took a tentative sip of steaming coffee. "This is good coffee, sister."
“Hmm, you know me. If you're going to make coffee, then make coffee." Wanda nodded to emphasize her point and answered Bertie's question. "I don't know who it could be. Our customers are such nice people it's hard to imagine . . . do you think old grouchy might get up to a thing like that?"
Privately the sisters referred to the old gentleman, Mr. Whitman, who lived behind the store in a small apartment, as 'old grouchy'.
"He does complain about fifty cents for a book. Maybe he justifies taking some of the free reads for having to pay for the others?" Bertie watched her sister's face for a clue to what she was thinking. Quite often it seemed they could read each other's mind.
“Oh, he's a grouch, Bertie, not a thief. Hmm, makes me wonder." Now Wanda pinched on her bottom lip, too. “I'm more inclined to suspect that new woman who comes in a lot lately. You know, she always wears that gosh awful vest with those huge pockets . . . only someone with a purpose would wear that ugly thing!"
Bertie hooted, “Oh sister! Surely not, she has such a sweet face and besides, she reads Jane Austen!"
They both laughed until they almost sloshed their coffee. Bertie didn't want to think a Jane Austen reader would be capable of pilfering books. They wiped away their laughter tears and sipped their coffee for a few moments before turning thoughtful again.
Bertie watched her sister over the rim of her cup. “You really think maybe . . . she's the one?" Both sisters pursed their lips.
“Should we call the police?" Bertie widened her eyes round and serious.
“Goodness no, dear, not for a few old books. But let’s do keep our eyes open, just for curiosity sake.” Wanda patted her sister’s arm and trailed away.
The front bell jangled and another day geared up for the cozy little thrift store.
“Good morning Mrs. Parkland. How is everything at the apartments?” Bertie greeted the petite, feisty champion of the elderly that lived in the Willows Apartments next door to the store. Mrs. Parkland, eighty-five if she was a day, could always be counted on to stop by with her daily cheerful greeting, her tinted red hair brightening the morning.
“All’s well at the Willows, Miss Bertie. I need to pick up another mug for old Ben Allred. He keeps breaking them." Mrs. Parkland referred to the old folks at the Willows as if she didn’t include herself.
“Go right ahead and get him another one. We have enough mugs to keep ahead of Ben's breakage." Bertie and Mrs. Parkland chuckled.
The store donated the mugs; they had hundreds of them in the back. Vacationers go on a trip and bring back mugs for all their friends. After a year or so the lucky recipient happily donates the mug to the thrift store. Ben couldn't break them as fast as they got them in.
Mrs. Parkland held up a yellow mug to show Bertie that she'd gotten one. “I don’t need a sack, Miss Bertie, I’ll drop it in my shopping bag with my groceries and be on my way."
"Fine, Mrs. Parkland, you be careful now."
At that very moment the woman who wore the pocketed vest entered the store. Bertie had her eye on her as soon she stepped through the door. It sure would be easy to hide books in that vest; Wanda had been right about it. Bertie edged around the counter, never taking her eyes off the woman.
“Bertie, dear—"
Bertie jumped when Wanda touched her shoulder just as the book thief lifted a book from the second shelf.
“Sister—Shh!” Bertie held her hand to Wanda's mouth. “The ugly vest woman is our thief
!" she hissed.
Wanda gently moved Bertie's hand away from her mouth. "Bertie, dear, look.” And with some effort in getting her sister's attention away from her suspected thief, Wanda turned Bertie toward the large storefront window that faced the street.
“Oh dear, Mrs. Parkland's bag fell off her shopping wagon! Old Ben won't get to break that mug!”
“I don't think she’s worried about Ben's mug, look at the sidewalk," Wanda murmured. “Lets go help her!”
They headed to the door.
“Mrs. Parkland, let us help." Wanda knelt and began to gather up the scattered books along with the oranges that had spilled out with them.
“Miss Bertie, Miss Wanda—I guess you’ll throw the book at me now. So to speak."
There was no sign of shame or remorse, only defiance. Even though she'd been caught red-handed taking a bag full of books from the store.
“But Mrs. Parkland, why did you take the books without checking them out? Don't you remember? There's no charge to read the books in that section." Bertie peered at Mrs. Parkland a puzzled expression puckered her brow.
“They're for the old folks at the Willows. I took'em for them. Most of them can’t get out and they can’t afford to buy books anyway. The apartment manager gave us a corner to set up a readin' nook. They built shelves and everything." She patted her red curls and raised her chin. “But now we need books for the readin' nook." Mrs. Parkland nodded toward the Willows. "They're draggin' their feet over there about getting in books." She settled the bag of books and oranges back on her wagon. "When you said folks could read these for free, I didn’t figure you’d miss em."
“We won’t miss them, Mrs. Parkland, and we have boxes and boxes more in the back that we'll be happy to donate to your reading nook."
"You . . . You'd do that for those old folks over there?" Mrs. Parkland's eyes were bright with happiness, or maybe that's what pure mischief looks like.
The Samaritan sleuths invited their Robin Hood book thief back inside for a slice of homemade lemon cake and a cup of Wanda's coffee. A call to the Willows apartment manager soon had the maintenance man on his way over with a dolly to fetch the first of many boxes of books that would find a welcome home at the willows.
Bertie sipped her second cup of coffee for the morning and listened to Wanda and Mrs. Parkland chatting. She learned that Mrs. Parkland's given name was Rosie; her name matched the shade of her hair.
Bertie made two decisions while listening to the two women chitchatting. First she'd turn the read-n-return section into a 'Free Books' section and Mrs. Parklan—umm, Rosie, would get first dibs on all of them. And second, she would get to know the vest lady. Jane Austen readers were usually of a kindred mind. And really, the vest wasn't that bad.
***
Thank you for sharing your time with Wanda and Bertie, they love books and book readers.
***
You may enjoy my full length novel, "Trespassing On His Heart'. This is a story about people who are in many ways very different from the elderly sisters in Willow Bend, Oklahoma, yet they have things in common. Lauren Ashby, a city girl, is searching for a home in the country. She finds the perfect house.
But the owner, Jackson Montgomery has personal reasons for not selling it, even though he can't bear to live in the house.
Valley Ridge is a community of caring, gentle people with the same spirit of looking out for each other that Wanda and Bertie shared with the town folks of Willow Bend.
'Trespassing On His Heart' has intrigue, romance, suspense, laughter and tears and, oh yes, a cute dog!
Find it at:
www.amazon.com
THE AUTHOR
Mary lives in rural Oklahoma, in the Red River Valley. You can read more about her on her website or contact her through email.
www.maryjhicks.com
[email protected]
