It didn’t matter. Watching West Heights change over the past few years had proven to April that all those big multinational development companies were the same. They wouldn’t rest until every square inch of land, including national parks the world over, was covered with luxury high-rises, shopping malls, and office buildings.
April returned to her search for Vicki’s contact information. All that came up was the same work email and phone number that April already had. Sighing, April sent off another email. She didn’t know why she bothered. She would just get another canned response back saying that ‘Ms. Blake would contact her as soon as possible.’
It aggravated her to have to chase Vicki for this. April hated the idea of begging Vicki for attention. But this was for the library.
And April would do whatever it took to save it.
After locking up the library, April made the short walk to Eliza’s house. Too late, she remembered that Eliza had been away visiting her sister. April hoped she’d returned.
She reached Eliza’s address. The small townhouse was one of the few remaining houses in the area that hadn’t been bought out and torn down in preparation for new developments. The red brick facade was crumbling, and the door needed a new coat of paint, but April liked the familiarity of it. She’d grown up in one just like it. Of course, April’s old family home had been replaced by a block of apartments several years ago.
April knocked on the door.
“I’ll be right there,” a voice called from inside. After almost a minute, a short, dark-haired woman with bright brown eyes opened the door. “April. Come in.”
April followed her inside. The interior of the house matched the outside. The wallpaper was peeling off, and the floorboards creaked under April’s feet.
Eliza walked slowly down the hall. She was barely forty, but the measured way she held herself made her seem decades older than she was. It was the result of a recently developed autoimmune condition that left her joints stiff. It was the reason Eliza had to quit her job as director of the library. April helped her out by picking things up for her from the store every now and then, but Eliza was too stubborn to accept anything more.
“Would you like something to drink?” Eliza asked. “I’m about to make tea.” She was always drinking tea.
“Sure.” April sat down at the kitchen table. “How was your trip?”
“It was great.”
Eliza filled April in as she made tea in the kitchen. April wanted to help her, but she knew better than to ask. Still, it pained her to see someone she cared about struggling. Eliza had been there for April since the day they had met fourteen years ago. Eliza was a librarian at the time. She and a teen-aged April formed an unusual friendship, which April had sorely needed. Now that Eliza needed her, she wished she could repay the favor.
When Eliza was finished, she handed April a cup and sat down at the table across from her. “How did that town hall meeting go? I heard someone from Oasis came to talk to everyone.”
“The meeting itself was great,” April said. “Half the neighborhood showed up. But it didn’t do much good in the end.”
April recounted the events of the last week. Naturally, she left out the part about having sex with Vicki. Eliza listened calmly and silently, showing no reaction to April’s growing frustration.
“It’s been over a week now!” April said. “And I still haven’t heard back from Vicki.”
Eliza took a slow, thoughtful sip of her tea. “That woman sounds exactly like every other corporate big-shot I’ve had to work with,” she said. “All evasive language and empty words. Unfortunately, these things always take time. A week is nothing. You’ve just got to keep on pressuring them.”
“Keep pressuring them?” April said. “I don’t have time for that! We have less than three months before they tear the place down, and I’m just supposed to keep sending them polite emails and phone calls?”
“April. You need to stop putting your heart before your head. That’s not always a bad thing, but right now, you’re letting your emotions control you. You look like you’re ready to pick a fight.”
April crossed her arms. Lexi had said something along those lines too.
“I understand more than anyone why you feel like you have to stand up for the library,” Eliza said. “But sometimes, you have to slow down and think, and allow time for diplomacy to work.”
“Okay. I’ll be patient. But the moment I get Vicki on the line, I’m going to do everything I can to stop Oasis taking over.”
“April,” Eliza said. “You should be prepared for the fact that you might not be able to stop this.”
“Why are you being so calm about this?” April asked. “You worked at the library for longer than I have. You’ve lived in West Heights longer than I have. The whole neighborhood is being taken over. It’s not fair!”
“Life isn’t always fair. And change is a part of life.”
April huffed.
“You need to be more open to compromise. When the woman from Oasis finally gets back to you, don’t just bully her into doing what you want.” Eliza held up her hands defensively. “Sorry. Poor choice of words. What I mean is you should stay calm and talk with her civilly. Try to meet her halfway.”
“Fine,” April said. “I’ll try.”