AT THE HARDWARE STORE, Cate walks in on three old men sitting around, chewing the fat. This place is old-looking and dimly lit, but she’s relieved to note that one of the old guys is Black. He’s the first Black person she’s seen in town. Because of this, she feels an immediate affinity for him. They’re both different in a town where everyone else is the same.
“Hi,” she says.
Her entrance has already interrupted their conversation. They’re all watching her the way she might watch a jackrabbit, wondering what it’ll do next.
She decides not to feel intimidated by their appraisal, and simply says, “I wonder if you can help me. I’ve got this list? It’s from our plumber, Saint Paul, or just Paul. I don’t know if you know him. He needs all this.”
She holds out the piece of paper, not
