A Champion for Tinker Creek by D. C. Robeline

Author:D. C. Robeline [Robeline, D.C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781636792125
Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
Published: 2022-07-01T20:12:32+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

The Story Breaks

If I knew how good a boyfriend could make me feel, I might have tried harder to have one a while ago, I thought, before I remembered Manny still hadn’t signed on in that role just yet.

He lay beside me, asleep. I usually like a little bit of morning sex to get the day off right, but since we had been hard at it last night, I decided to let him sleep in a bit. I carefully eased out of bed, visited the bathroom, pulled on sweats, a thick jacket, some boat shoes, and then went out.

The crisp September air that hit me as soon as I stepped off the elevator made me feel glad for my jacket and regret my choice in shoes. I walked up Jackson quickly, crossing a deserted Third Avenue and then continuing up the empty street.

On any other day but Sunday, I would have stopped in at Marilyn’s little newsstand and bought a Record there, but I knew she would be getting ready for Mass now and wouldn’t open until noon. My next best option was the X-Chex, a little bodega on Jackson between First and Second Avenue. I felt pleased Henry, the bodega’s longtime owner, stood at his post when the bells signaled my arrival.

“Good morning, Henry,” I sang out as I walked in. “How’s the Chevy running?”

“Why, Mr. James, this is a pleasant surprise. Chevy’s still running well, but she’s got a scratch on the driver’s door I keep meaning to bring her in about.”

“Remind me, you don’t garage that car, right?”

“No sir. A carport keeps the rain and sun off, but it doesn’t have any walls.”

“Well, don’t let that scratch go too long. If the undercoat is damaged, it’s gonna take more work and money to set right.”

“Tell Parker I’ll see about bringing it in Tuesday,” he said. “Now, what can I help you with this morning?”

“Two of your good glazed donuts, please, Henry, and three copies of the Record.”

Henry put the donuts in a brown paper bag and thumped three thick Sunday Records on the counter. Across the front the headline read “City Moves Against Minority Property Owners” with the step-down heading “Almost 200 Sent Notices of Eminent Domain Proceedings.”

Henry thumped the papers on the headline. “Terrible story about what they’re trying to do,” he said. “Have you read it yet? I saw you were quoted.”

“Nope, that’s why I’m here buying these copies. I’m looking forward to seeing what it says.”

Henry lowered his voice. “You know, we got one of those notices they wrote about in this story,” he said.

“Did you?”

“Yessir.”

“What did you do?”

“We haven’t done anything yet. Pearl, that’s my niece in college, says we need to get ourselves a lawyer, but how am I gonna be able to afford legal help?”

“Well, my friend, as you read in the paper, you aren’t alone. A bunch of us are getting together to fight this thing off,” I said. “We don’t know how much it’s gonna cost just yet,

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