Playing by the Rules

Chapter One CHRISTMAS DAY, 1973 Louise couldn't figure out what Medford's problem was, which made her feel as angry as a Virginia tiger beetle stuck on its back. For the past week, he had been more restless than a church bell waiting for Sunday to roll around. To say that Medford was acting strangely was an understatement. Lately, whenever she and Medford were together, it seemed to Louise that his mind was preoccupied with something or someone else. In fact, just last week she'd called him several times during the evening and the phone just rang and rang. Usually he picked up the receiver no later than the third ring, because normally at that time he'd be home. Normally, he'd already be in bed, stretched out flat on his back, talking to her in a relaxed state of comfort. The other thing that made her eyebrow raise was when he came to visit her at the library last week and he walked right past her office in a daze as if he had forgotten the room where she worked. If it was another woman he was thinking about, and he had changed his mind about her, Louise thought she'd rather hear about it now, when they were only six weeks into the start of their relationship, than later. She wondered whether or not she had done something to put him off, but that was a question she wasn't going to ask. She wasn't going to get involved in one of those "let's talk it over" conversations that usually carried on like crickets chirping endlessly into the night, that quieted down for stretches of time, then started back up again--same song, different day. She wasn't going to talk about his mood change at all, she decided. Well, maybe she'd be willing to participate in a conversation about them being together on a long-term basis, but she wasn't going to bring it up first. At best, Louise told herself they'd had fun while it lasted and if it were over between them, she was ready to accept the end was near and move on. It was Christmas Day and she wanted to crawl back into bed, but that wasn't an option because Nana and Granddaddy were preparing a holiday feast, having her and Medford and the family over for dinner along with several of their friends. Besides, Medford would be coming to her house to pick her up soon so she had better get ready, and she had better not be too evil by the time he got there. The good part was, they didn't have to travel too far for dinner since her grandparents only lived across the street. Rummaging through her closet for something to wear, Louise turned her thoughts to her grandmother. She knew Nana would be expecting Medford to present her with a diamond ring for Christmas, since Nana had hinted at that on more than one occasion. But Louise also knew that as far as gifts went, Medford was as practical as straws on a broomstick, and more prone to giving long johns or socks at best, things that were useful and had a purpose, and that was fine with her. Even so, Louise understood her grandmother's desire to bring Medford into the family. Nana thought that Medford would make a wonderful husband, not only because he was the son of Clement, Granddaddy's best friend, but because he was the perfect example of a rule-abiding Lemon City citizen. For over a hundred years, Lemon City's Rules were the foundation of its success and prosperity, with their purpose being to establish a strong sense of community and moral way of life. Lemon City's last rule, Rule Number Ten: SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY IN EVERY WAY POSSIBLE AND IMAGINABLE, was the soul of the town and the heart of its people. Lemon City never took kindly to strangers and discouraged the influences that unknown forces brought along with them from stepping inside its borders. "Outsiders," as they were commonly called, were as unwelcome to Lemon City as a heat wave hovering over a crop of tobacco ready for harvest. Following The Rules was essential to the toBrown, Elaine Meryl is the author of 'Playing by the Rules', published 2006 under ISBN 9780812970340 and ISBN 0812970349.