Jessie

She didn’t mean to be rude, she just was. Nobody had taken the time to tell her generally people don’t want to know the truth, especially if it’s just your version of it, you should avoid this at all costs with most people. But Jessie had been brought up by a mother who thought it was best children did not get big ideas about themselves so she made sure at every opportunity to tell her how bad she was doing, even when she did well her mother didn’t think it was a good idea to dwell upon it. Jessie’s father had been a quiet shy man so although he idolized his only daughter he never found the means to tell her. When they were both gone and Jessie was left alone in the big old house she had lived in all her life, she carried on as her mother would have wished. The few men she dated never asked her out for a second time since Jessie usually began the evening by being totally honest about their flaws, she considered it helpful to all those concerned.

She enjoyed her job at the local library; she did not fit in well with the rest of the staff but still managed to keep on good terms with them by being diligent and hardworking. When she first started they had invited her to a staff night out but when she told them the restaurant they chose was awful, the bar they picked was a bit of a dive and no one was any good at karaoke they never asked her to go with them again. Mostly she was left to herself to manage the children’s section. Mr. Brown the head librarian never bothered her much since any conversation with Jessie usually ended in her telling him his shirt didn’t match his tie and that he should really polish his shoes if he wanted to make a good impression or some other small detail that Jessie felt could enhance his wardrobe.

Jessie was well known around the small town which she seldom left unless to visit her Aunt on her annual holiday. The grocery store clerks would complain after she left the store, they disliked her showing them how to pack shopping bags more efficiently or how to speed up their line. Mr. Blaney in the diner hated her, he moaned to all his customers she had tried to tell him how to make his famous meatloaf tastier, “as if that were possible”, he boasted, though the general consensus among the small population was that it was a little dry. Jessie loved her town everyday she went for a walk during her lunch, often to the park to watch the squirrels chase each other through the huge maples. She loved to smell the fragrance of the blossoms in the well tended yards in the summer and watch as the Christmas decorations sprouted on the lawns as that season drew near. She loved all seasons, the warmth of the summer sun and to feel that warmth grow dimmer as the days grew shorter and evening came a little earlier each day. She never felt lonely as she made her way through town saying hello to the people she met on her daily jaunt, she enjoyed being part of the community. The fund raising group she joined to help with the new swing park told her they didn’t need her anymore , she was sure this was due to her extreme meticulousness in helping them make the big decisions. No-one cared to mention that they couldn’t get through a meeting without one of the committee members being reduced to tears by her comments.

It was a beautiful day the trees shone crimson and gold in the soft autumn sunshine. Jessie had decided to take her walk through the centre of town that day. She noticed Mr. Grimes in his delivery truck parked outside the pizza shop. “Your tires look under inflated Mr. Grimes”, she called. “I think they will be fine for now thank you Jessie”, he replied“. “Well I’ll just check the other side”, were the last words she was ever to utter. As she was stepping around the van to inspect the rear back tire she didn’t notice the sports car speeding by. It only took a second for Jessie to fly through the air landing in the middle of the road. Mr. Blaney, who was watching from his diner window across the road, ran out to her but as he approached right away he knew it was too late. Jessie was gone.

Ms. Shelby at the local school thought it best she be the first person to break the news to her class, after all they would hear it all over town as soon as school was out and she could use this as lesson on road safety. Later a shocked Ms Shelby reported to the other teachers in their lounge what had transpired in her classroom.

Robert the shyest boy in the class had been the first to break down, “I loved her he sobbed, she was so good to me, she knew every book I liked and helped me to read them. She never got angry or upset if I stuttered over the words a little, it was always fun being with her”. Libby then told how she looked forward to going there everyday, “Ms. Jessie was always smiling, it was warm and quiet and no one ever shouted at me like they do at home when Mom and Dad get angry at all us kids for making too much noise”. Mary told how no-one was ever allowed to say anything bad about anyone else there and everybody had to respect each other Ms. Jessie called it, nobody could say nasty things about my clothes like they do in the school yard or shove me or pull my hair. Even Charles the bully was really upset. “She used to tell me I looked handsome, she said she liked my red hair even though my dad keeps telling me no one else in the family ever had a head of hair like that, where the heck did a carrot top like you spring from”.

The whole of the room stared at Ms. Shelby with mouths agape Bob Danvers was the first among the astonished group to speak, “well my garden did look at lot better with the Dahlias she told me to plant instead of those asters, you just never know about people do you”.