Behind his back they called him "Quasi" marking the common belief
that he never gave fully of himself or anything to anyone; never understood or felt he needed to understand anything or anyone because there was the expectation that all this would come to him--both people and things; and he was correct, they did.
The withholding, the silences, the numbing lack of words from him made people uncomfortable so they talked to fill in the spaces where he was supposed to speak but he didn't and they did ,and assumed he was not only listening but was smarter than he actually was.
He had the gift of not trying.
Girls and women loved him because he never came on to them. He would sit at the diner table and listen and listen. Many came into the diner when they saw him and sat down with him special and just started to talk. He never turned them away and he would make eye contact with them and they looked back directly in his eyes, feeling confortable in doing so.
No one thought he would ever marry and he didn't. But every woman in town liked talking to him. He never had a girl-friend but many offered.
He would go fishing with those who asked him and they reported he could make the fish jump up on the shore and hop into the fishing pail.
But one day that all changed. She came to town. A librarian from St. Louis who took Mrs. Limet's job beause she was retiring and went to California to live with her son.
There was a going away party and a welcoming party for the two of them and Quasi came and parked his huge frame against the wall, staring ahead as people took turns spending time with him. It was like he had a receiving line where people stood beside him and talked to him and then another one, each having a turn.
The men weren't jealous and didn't seem to mind because Quasi never said much just stood there and gave out that small smile of his and nodded in all the right places.
Well the new Librarian, Amy, stood back for a while and finally came over after a time and right there in front of everyone she stood behind one lady and gestered to Quasi to head for the door. To everyone's astonishment he stood up a liittle taller and nodded and started to make his way to the door, leaving behind the receiving line merging with Miss Amy at the door frame and both went out into the night.
Astonishment would not be the word for the reaction of those in the room. Had these two even met and yet she crooked her finger and Quasi walked right out with her like they were old time friends and buddies.
Mary Riley peeked out the side window and made reports: "They are just sitting out by the Gezbo talking. Talking is all they is doing. Strange, so strange" she said. "just sitting there." People took turns verifying the scene for themselves and having a look out of the window on their own.
The next day the whole thing was the talk of the town. Who was she to Quasi? What was he doing? Did they know one another?
Neither was talking.
Chapter Two
It was Mary Berg who decided to find out what was going on. Mary Berg, was seventeen and she was there watching the Gezbo and was drawn to the mystery of it all.
She went home and started to Google Amy Johnson, that was the new librarian's name. She started with just the spelling how to get as Google would say "lucky."
There were so many Amy Johnson's, and she wasn't sure if Amy wasn't short for something like Abigail. There were over five thousand names on her computer screen. She didn't even know what city or state Amy was from. That would have helped.
She leaned back in her chair frustrated. Too many Amy's.
She decided not to waste time at that point with her computer search, she would go and talk to Amy directly.
She picked up the phone and dialed the number of Riley's home where Amy was temporialy staying under her little house could be finished and her stfuff arrived from wherever she had lived before.
"Hello" she said when Carol, Mrs. Riley's housekeeper came on the line, "hi this is Mary Mary Berg, I wonder if the new Librarian is there. Miss Johnson?
"Goodness no, child, Carol said, she is over with Quasi."
Stunned mumbled "Thanks, could you tell her that I want to do an article on her for the school news paper. I will call back."
With that Mary hung up and took in a deep breath.
"I developed early" she said to me "and all the boys noticed and I was too naive to understand at first how deadly that was going to be and cooperated too much in the first few weeks with tight tops soaking in the admiring looks from the boys and the jealous glances from the girls.
It was the biggest mistake of my life and I had done it for just two scant weeks before I realized how big a mistake it was.
My father noticed during that two weeks of bad judgement and said 'Don't you dare leave this house dressed like that, like a tramp" and he threatened to ground me and told my mother to talk to me, talk some sense into my head."
She told me weakly to "listen to my father" and not make trouble and bring shame to the family."
I was sure that the school vice-principal had called and talked to her because the very next day, me in my huge over-sized sweat shirt was called to the vice-principal's office and informed of my need to do so by my teacher who announced it like a death sentence in front of the entire class and each and every one in that class guessed or was told why I was in trouble. That was the first whisper I heard of the "S" word.
I walked the corridor, escorted by a hall monitor, knowing what it was all about, but angry, feeling picked upon, feeling blameless but also feeling partially to blame but not deserving to this kind of humiliation.
Mr. Hamilton the vice-principal was blunt, "Emily, we expect our students to behave with certain standards, certain standard of decency and I have reports that you have violated that code in terms of how you come to school and how you dress, a revealing dress I mean."
I stared dumbly at him, knowing what he was referring to but dumbfounded that I was to be executed for it.
Other senior girls wore tight clothing. Why was I being singled out?
So I said so. "You mean my tops?
He said "Yes I mean your uh, tops. Are your parents aware of how you come to school or you change clothes after you leave home?"
He struck at my heart, because that is exactly what l had done.
"I see I have struck a nerve" he said staring at my reddened face and said "Look here Emily what do you think ought to be your punishment here in this situation? What do you think is fair.
I didn't answer.
I had fainted.
(Completed story is to be included in upcoming collection of short stories and novellas)
