Pageant Part 7
“They drive me up the wall,” said Kim, when they were back at her house.
“Tell me about it,” said Craig. “They’re worse than the kids.”
This was not the first time that town friction had almost ruined something Kim had tried to do. The Book Week parade earlier in the year had very nearly turned into a civil war when two girls turned up to school dressed as Katniss Everdeen and their mothers had instantly remembered the exact same thing happening when they themselves had both come dressed as Princess Jasmine. Mother #1, convinced that Mother #2 had stolen the costume idea just as she had done twenty years earlier, had felt no compunction about proclaiming this accusation to much of the school community, only to have Girl #2’s teacher say diplomatically (if a little untruthfully) that she had given Girl #2 the idea of coming as Katniss. It had been a near miss, and Kim would be forever grateful to her colleague for stepping in at that key moment.
But the fractured dynamics of the town had worn Kim down progressively. Each time she attempted to do something to shake up the town in a positive way it fought back, as though determined to remain set in its grumpy and bickering ways.
Craig, too, had very nearly had enough. Having grown up with it, he was more immune to it than Kim. But even he had his limits. Most of the fights he dealt with the schoolyard these days had more to do with the kids’ parents than the kids themselves.
It was Kim’s idea to rewrite the script that night. At first Craig complained that he was tired and just wanted to go home. He also reminded Kim that she was the one who only earlier that night had wanted to do anything to avoid having to rework the script. Kim, however, reminded him that they still hadn’t set a date for the wedding and that he shouldn’t be so sure it would happen at all, and thus managed in the end to get the two of them sitting at the dining table, computer in front of them, and with a new script rapidly emerging.
It all began with a crowd bickering. The crowd could be easily cast. They had already done away with one angel sitting on a haystack. They could probably do away with them all and reinstate all fired haystack angels as bickering crowd members.
“There goes Mary,” said Villager #1, as Kim typed his words. “Looks like she’s going to pop any day now.”
“Who does she think she’s kidding?” said Villager #2. “Virgin birth? You’ve got to be joking.”
*
Many in the town did not sleep well that night.
Jordan slept badly for fear that the full extent of his words to First Shepherd might come to light.
Tayla slept badly for fear that she would lose her best friend.
Sue slept badly, her mind playing over conversations with Grant both five years ago and that day, with fears of the past resurfacing and with uncertainty over just how much had changed.
Kassie slept badly over fear of what Braydon might do. Braydon seldom slept anyway, so that night was no different to usual.
It was Grant, however, who slept the least. He spent most of the night on his knees.
Go to Part 8
The Consolations of Writing 
LOL this is like being in primary school when the teacher would read us a chapter of Blinky Bill on Friday afternoon if we’d been good.
P/S I’m even learning to be patient, Matthew 🙂
Haha! I hope the story is rewarding in the end. You only need to be patient until Tuesday!