‘What about our plan? Can we go ahead with it?’
‘Not at the moment. We have no idea how to reach Angel. However, the Controller gave Harry Lantz permission to reveal his name to him. If Angel is interested in our proposition, he will find a way to get in touch with him. All we can do now is wait.’
The banner headline in the Junction City Daily Union read: JUNCTION CITY’S MARY ASHLEY DECLINES AMBASSADORSHIP.
There was a two-column story about Mary, and a photograph of her. On KJCK, the afternoon and evening broadcasts carried feature stories on the town’s new celebrity. The fact that Mary Ashley had rejected the President’s offer made the story even bigger than if she had accepted it. In the eyes of its proud citizens, Junction City, Kansas, was a lot more important than Bucharest, Romania.
When Mary Ashley drove into town to shop for dinner, she kept hearing her name on the car radio.
‘… Earlier, President Ellison had announced that the ambassadorship to Romania would be the beginning of his people-to-people programme, the cornerstone of his foreign policy. How Mary Ashley’s refusal to accept the post will reflect on –’
She switched to another station.
‘… is married to Dr Edward Ashley, and it is believed that –’
Mary switched off the radio. She had received at least three dozen phone calls that morning from friends, neighbours, students and curious strangers. Reporters had called from as far away as London and Tokyo. They’re building this up all out of proportion, Mary thought. It’s not my fault that the President decided to base the success of his foreign policy on Romania. I wonder how long this pandemonium is going to last? It will probably be over in a day or two.
She drove the station wagon into a Derby gas station and pulled up in front of the self-service pump.
As Mary got out of the car, Mr Blount, the station manager, hurried over to her. ‘Mornin’, Mrs Ashley. An ambassador lady ain’t got no call to be pumpin’ her own gas. Let me give you a hand.’
Mary smiled. ‘Thanks. I’m used to doing it.’
‘No, no. I insist.’
When the tank was filled, Mary drove down Washington Street and parked in front of the Shoe Box.
‘Mornin’, Mrs Ashley,’ the clerk greeted her. ‘How’s the ambassador this mornin’?’
This is going to get tiresome, Mary thought. Aloud, she said, ‘I’m not an ambassador, but I’m fine, thank you.’ She handed him a pair of shoes. ‘I’d like to have Tim’s shoes re-soled.’
The clerk examined them. ‘Ain’t these the ones we did last week?’
Mary sighed. ‘And the week before.’
Mary’s next stop was at Long’s Department Store. Mrs Hacker, the manager of the dress department, said to her, ‘I jest heard your name on the radio. You’re puttin’ Junction City on the map. Yes, sir. I guess you and Eisenhower and Alf Landon are Kansas’ only political big shots, Mrs Ambassador.’
‘I’m not an ambassador,’ Mary said patiently. ‘I turned it down.’
‘That’s what I mean.’
It was no use. Mary said, ‘I need some jeans for Beth. Preferably something in iron.’
‘How old is Beth now? About ten?’
‘She’s twelve.’
‘Land’s sake, they grow so fast these days, don’t they? She’ll be a teenager before you know it.’
‘Beth was born a teenager, Mrs Hacker.’
‘How’s Tim?’
‘He’s a lot like Beth.’
The shopping took Mary twice as long as usual. Everyone had some comment to make about the big news. She went into Dillon’s to buy some groceries, and was studying the shelves when Mrs Dillon approached.
‘Mornin’, Mrs Ashley.’
‘Good morning, Mrs Dillon. Do you have a breakfast food that has nothing in it?’
‘What?’
Mary consulted a list in her hand. ‘No artificial sweeteners, no sodium, fats, carbohydrates, caffeine, caramel colouring, folic acid or flavourites.’
Mrs Dillon studied the paper. ‘Is this some kind of medical experiment?’
‘In a sense. It’s for Beth. She’ll only eat natural foods.’
‘Why don’t you just put her out to pasture and let her graze?’
Mary laughed. ‘That’s what my son suggested.’ Mary picked up a package and studied the label. ‘It’s my fault. I never should have taught Beth how to read.’
Mary drove home carefully, climbing the winding hill towards Milford Lake. It was a few degrees above zero, but the wind chill factor brought the temperature down to well below zero, for there was nothing to stop the winds from their biting sweep across the endless plains. The lawns were covered with snow, and Mary remembered the previous winter when an ice storm had swept the county and the ice snapped the power lines. They had no electricity for almost a week. She and Edward made love every night. Maybe we’ll get lucky again this winter, she grinned to herself.
When Mary arrived home, Edward was still at the hospital. Tim was in the study watching a science fiction programme. Mary put away the groceries and went in to confront her son.
‘Aren’t you supposed to be doing your homework?’
‘I can’t.’
‘And why not?’
‘Because I don’t understand it.’
‘You’re not going to understand it any better by watching Star Trek. Let me see your lesson.’
Tim showed her his fifth grade mathematics book. ‘These are dumb problems,’ Tim said.
‘There are no such things as dumb problems. There are only dumb students. Now let’s take a look at this.’
Mary read the problem aloud. ‘A train leaving Minneapolis had one hundred and forty-nine people on board. In Atlanta more people boarded the train. Then there were two hundred and twenty-three on the train. How many people boarded in Atlanta?’ She looked up. ‘That’s simple, Tim. You just subtract one hundred and forty-nine from two hundred and twenty-three.’
‘No, you don’t,’ Tim said glumly. ‘It has to be an equation. One hundred and forty-nine plus n equals two hundred and twenty-three. n equals two hundred and twenty-three minus one hundred and forty-nine. n equals seventy-four.’
‘That’s dumb,’ Mary said.
As Mary passed Beth’s room, she heard noises. Mary went in. Beth was seated on the floor, cross-legged, watching television, listening to a rock record, and doing her homework.
‘How can you concentrate with all this noise?’ Mary shouted.
She walked over to the television set and turned it off and then turned off the record player.
Beth looked up in surprise. ‘What did you do that for? That was George Michael.’
Beth’s room was wallpapered with posters of musicians. There was Kiss and Van Halen, Motley Crue and Aldo Nova and David Lee Roth. The bed was covered with magazines: Seventeen and Teen Idol and half a dozen others. Beth’s clothes were scattered over the floor.
Mary looked around the messy room in despair. ‘Beth – how can you live