Voting on the Proposal, Part 2

[This sketch is part of the Three Corners story.]

“I’ll miss this place,” Eunice said, though not with much depth. “But it’s all for the best, for those poor homeless people.”

“Ha ha. Yes, I think you’re right,” Jonson McCraig said.

“What homeless people?” Corbyn McCraig demanded, the crackle in his voice breaking the weak sense of well-being.

“There’s homeless people in Wayland, Jonson. Don’t think that just because you don’t know any, they’re not here. Besides, we can hook up with Wayland Institution and maybe set up a half-way house. Isaac here can help us set it up.”

“Not many people coming out want to live in Wayland. That’s one reason they put the penitentiary where they did—so people would go back home and not stick around.”

“Still, ha ha, I might be able to set something up,” Jonson McCraig said.

Isaac shrugged his shoulders. Isabel had already decided, for them, that they’d be going to the little Baptist church out in the country.

“Well that’s settled then.” Tyler said. “I’ll drop by your office on Monday to draw up the papers. Like I said, I really think this is a good thing for Wayland. The General Council is saying in about ten years, pretty much all of the churches will be gone. You can’t fight the future.”

“Terrible what’s happening in China, isn’t it?” Corbyn said.

Everyone glanced at each other, unsure how to take the comment. They were trying to connect it to what Tyler said about the future, and couldn’t.

“Oh, you mean that Wuhan virus thing,” Eunice said. “My daughter Barrice says the WHO says it’s going to be the next big thing.”

“Oh, like SARS?” Jonson said, with a chuckle. “I remember they closed down that hospital in Toronto over it. Too many Chinese people in Canada anyway, that’s what I say.”

“No matter what,” Alymer said, contributing to the meeting for only the second time, “I don’t see it affecting us.”

To be continued…