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‘VIP Harry White, eh?’ He grins back.
‘You’re the only one to have that dubious honour so far, Harry. I just made it up then.’
‘I’ve never been called a VIP before. I could get used to it.’ He grins through the woolly mane of his beard.
‘Why not? Now even though my Sunday was mostly spent prone, I managed to give the beef and Guinness pie recipe a go. Have to admit the pastry is store-bought – turns out that’s a lot harder to make than it looks! I’ve made you a few smaller-sized pies, so you can leave them in the fridge here and heat them up whenever you’re ready.’
He takes the proffered container and pops open the lid. ‘These look delicious, Elodie. We’ll make a gourmet chef of you yet.’
I laugh. ‘I don’t know about that; you haven’t tasted them yet.’Or seen the state of my kitchen after attempting such a feat. The clean-up took the better part of an hour and a half. I’ve learned that making pastry is strictly for professionals and that store-bought is the only sane option. I’ll never look at a pie the same way again.
‘Well, thank you very much, Elodie. I’m going to be barrel-shaped soon. Anyway, I’ll pop to the shower and then I’ll get my breakfast sorted and my book started.’
‘Let me know what you think ofI Am Pilgrim.’ I know he’ll love it if he’s into espionage thrillers. I’m not usually a fan of spy books, and I couldn’t put it down. ‘Oh wait! Before you go …’ I take another handwritten card from my handbag and hand it to Harry.
‘What’s this then?’ He pats his pockets for his specs and eventually finds them under his jumper and places them on the bridge of his nose. Harry reads the note aloud in a halting voice.‘We’d like you to share your story. You matter. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we didn’t judge a book by its cover? #PeopleLibrary #BorrowPeople.’
‘What do you think?’ I ask, knowing that Harry might not be as amenable as Sofia who so desperately wants to join in, but I still hope he’ll consider it in time. I feel as though Harry has only just come to trust me but asking him to trust in an audience is a whole other level.
‘You’re the shake-up this town needs,’ he says so softly I have to lean closer to catch it.
‘Thank you, Harry. Will you consider being part of the People Library? I’m wondering if it’ll help to share what you’ve been through? Maybe it’ll stop you feeling invisible because I have an inkling if people knew how you felt about being ignored,they’d act differently.’ I bite my lip, hoping I haven’t gone too far. I don’t want to make Harry feel anything other than respected but deep down I know he wants to be included,seen; he just doesn’t want to risk being rejected again like he has so many times. ‘Part of me thinks the locals act in such a way because they incorrectly assume that’s what you want so this could be your chance to set them straight.’
He swallows hard, fighting against emotions that are so clear on his ruddy, etched face. ‘Would they really want to hear it from me though? Sometimes I wonder if I’m real, as people step aside, and look anywhere but me.’
‘I presume it’s misguided politeness on their part, Harry. If you tell them your story, I bet things would change for the better. But it’s completely up to you and I want you to make sure you’re comfortable about it before you say yes. I know that it’s not an easy thing to do, speaking up in front of people about such personal matters.’
Harry glances at the card again, as if willing himself to say yes. ‘OK, thanks, Elodie. I’ll give it some thought and let you know.’ He shuffles off, head down. I hope the book will give him some joy today and ignite his love of reading once more and convince him that every story matters,hismore than most. Like Sofia, Harry has so much goodness inside him. I’d love for him to be able to look people in the eye and not scurry away like he does now.Hematters, and I hope the People Library experiment will prove that to him.
Maisie arrives and I check my watch. Twenty minutes late. I let it go so we don’t start the week off on a bad note, but it feels like she’s pushing the boundaries to see how far they stretch. I want to inspire her today so I know I need to start off on a happy note.‘Good morning, Maisie. Once you’re settled in we can go over the plans for the week. I have sugar-glazed doughnuts!’ Like any good Brit, she cannot start the workday until she’s got a cup of tea in hand and I know her morning process is a slow one.
‘Are they gluten-free?’
My face falls. ‘Oh, no sorry they’re not.’ Damn it! I thought we could bond over sugar! ‘Let’s sit down anyway. There’s something I want to run past you.’
‘I’ve got a few things to do first.’
‘Oh like what?’ I ask.
‘Like returning calls, and emails.’ She flicks the red of her hair over her shoulder.
‘Well, that can wait for a bit.’ I’m keen to tell her about the People Library idea and work out how we best tackle it. Might it be just the thing that perks her up and makes her fall in love with her job all over again?
Harry wanders back and goes to the kitchen to heat up his pie. Maisie narrows her eyes and tracks his every move. ‘You’re still lettinghimin here, strutting around like he owns the place? A word of advice, people don’t like it. Everyone thinks you’re going to let Pilferer Pete in next. May as well let that thief clear out what stock we’ve got remaining, since there’s no chance we’re going to save the library.’
I’m so shocked I can barely form words, but that soon wears off as anger replaces it. ‘Pilferer Pete?’ I ask, knowing this poor man has this terrible name given to him by locals, but wanting to hear Maisie’s reasoning.
She tuts. ‘Yeah, the local shoplifter. Comes from a family of bad apples – there’s only him left now. Would steal from his own mother,if he could, but then again, he probably learned off her, so …?’
I take a deep breath and weigh up how to handle this. ‘Maisie, you can’t speak about people that way. It’s insulting and it’s not professional. If you’re not up to the job here, then just say so. What I’m looking for is a staff member who is prepared to give their all to help save this place and not look for excuses to do the opposite.’
She bristles but stays quiet.
‘I’m sure we can do this together, Maisie.’ I try and think of a way to appeal to her while her face is a closed book. ‘I’ll have to get used to small-town life …’ As soon as the words escape I want to snatch them back. Her eyes widen and I know Maisie’s caught it.
‘I thought youwerefrom a small town?’
I let out a sigh as if my patience is thin so she’ll back off. ‘I am, I meantthissmall town.’ She’s not quite buying it but she stays quiet. I give her a dazzling smile and remind myself to be more careful. ‘Let’s get that tea brewing while we have our meeting, eh?’
