Do Unto Others

Civilization could be falling around your head and Janice’d just giggle and say we could have a bake sale to help the survivors. Where Beta had been dour about folks’ relationships to their Maker, Janice was sure that God really did love everybody and that he’d give those extra bad sinners a pat on the head and forgive them right away, so they wouldn’t even get their toes warm before they strapped on their angel’s wings. She sided with me against Beta in the censorship fight, to my surprise. But I felt that Janice had stuck by me because her God liked Mark Twain and Maya Angelou and Jay McInerney and all those other folks Beta objected to. Her God liked everyone, even me. “I just can’t tell you how devastated we all are,” Janice sniffed as she dumped a chunk of sugar in her coffee. I didn’t think she could get any sweeter, but I refrained from comment. “I saw Hally the other day.

He said that Beta baby-sat for y’all sometimes.” Janice nodded, looking desolate. She caught herself, though, and perked right up.

“Yes, Miz Harcher was real sweet to our Josh. I know that might be hard for you to believe, Jordy, but she truly was fond of Josh. I think she sometimes wished she had children of her own.” “I must’ve missed her maternal streak.” “Oh, it was there,” Janice assured me.

“But, you know, living alone in that old house, with no real involvement in her life but church-” Janice faded off, shaking her head. “We all make our choices,” I answered. “Yes,” Janice agreed.

“But I tried to help her. Before all that to-do over the library, I even tried to set her up on a date.” “Date?” My throat caught. A date.

With Beta Harcher. One could only imagine the possibilities, since none of them would ever take place. “Yes,” Janice smiled, remembering, “but her reputation preceded her. I couldn’t find a willing widower in all of Bonaparte County.” That seemed to me the saddest part of all. I felt bad for Beta all of a sudden, despite everything. No matter how much trouble she’d caused folks, each day she had to wake up and live the hell of a life she’d created for herself. Alone and unloved, and now cold in the morgue with hardly a person to mourn her. I got up from the couch and walked into the warming sunlight streaming through the sliding-glass window that led to the Schneiders’ porch. I felt Janice’s eyes follow me. “You were working with her on the Vacation Bible School plans, weren’t you?” I could almost hear her relax behind me. “Yes, I was. I have to admit, I think both Tamma and I were dreading it after her getting kicked off the library board. But she was easy to work with, undemanding and even calm.” “Did you know that she was planning on moving to Houston and opening a fundamentalist church there?” I asked, turning back to her. Janice obviously didn’t.

Her perky face tightened in surprise. “Beta? Her own church? I find that hard to believe.” “Believe it. She told her niece all about it and stashed away a little money as her start-up funds.” “How… surprising. I’m sure folks at church didn’t know anything about this.”

She paused. “If it’s true, maybe that’s why she’d gotten even more involved in the administrative side of the church lately. The youth trips, the rummage sale, the school. Maybe she wanted to learn how to run such things.” I nodded my agreement. Janice cleared her throat and tried to change the subject. “How is Anne doing? Are you and Arlene holding up?” “Fine, thank you for asking,” I answered, keeping the sarcasm out of my voice. I wanted to say: come down and see her for yourself-it’s not catching; but I refrained. I walked back to Janice, sitting perfectly on her perfect little couch in her perfect little house. I pressed onward. “You know that when I found Beta, there was a list of names in her pocket. With Bible quotes next to them.” Janice set her coffee cup back in its saucer with a rattle. “Yes, I know.

Junebug Moncrief told us when he came to ask Hally some questions.”

“Then you know that Hally’s name was on that list.” She nodded. “The whole thing’s silly. Hally had nothing to do with Beta.” “Except that she went to his church, he headed up a youth group that she chaperoned, and she baby-sat for his brother.” Janice took refuge in silence. She sipped at her empty coffee cup. “Most of the other names of people on that list are library board members. There are a few, though, that aren’t. Hally made it onto Beta’s list, and you didn’t.