Flora’s eyes were closing again. She gathered up the papers and photos on her bed, set aside the pictures of Wendy, and returned the other things to the box. She was about to slide the box under her bed when she retrieved the photo of her mother and Mary. There was something about the photo, something … what was it? It nagged at Flora. She studied her mother and the woman again, checked the writing on the back again. Nothing came to her, but the nagging feeling wouldn’t go away.
At last, Flora slipped the photo into the drawer of her bedside table and turned out her light. Her dreams that night were unsettled.
If you were to walk the country roads west of Main Street in Camden Falls, Massachusetts, on a rainy evening in early September, you might eventually come to an isolated house off the main road. The drive leading to this house is rutted, and the ruts are filling with chilly rain. The drive seems long, especially in the growing dark, and the only noises to be heard are outdoor, nighttime noises — a few brave crickets calling, the sudden barking of dogs, an early owl out hunting, twigs snapping under your feet as you trudge along. At the end of this drive is a sad-looking house, small and drooping, but with signs of care, too. Flowers have been planted by the front stoop, the steps have been swept clean, and a wreath of dried roses has been hung on the door.
Now take a peek through the windows. There is Nikki Sherman reading James and the Giant Peach to Mae. The sisters are snuggled together on a couch that’s full of holes, but they don’t mind because they have traveled to another land and their thoughts are with James and the peach. The house is quiet for once, and Nikki is grateful. Her father is out (Nikki doesn’t care where, as long as he’s out), Tobias is in one of the sheds working on a car, and Mrs. Sherman is in the kitchen. She’s humming, which means she’s happy, which means Nikki and Mae are happy, too. Nikki is also happy because for the first time in her life she has friends. Three of them.
Turn away from the Shermans now, travel back to Main Street, and soon you’ll find yourself on Aiken Avenue. There are the Row Houses with mist twining around the corners and rooftops, a few damp maple leaves squishing beneath your feet. You’ll see that most of the windows have been closed to keep out the damp, and since it isn’t too late, lights are on in many of those windows. Through one of the open windows, music can be heard.
Take a peek inside the house at the north end of the row. There are the Fongs, sitting together on one kitchen chair, both trying to talk on the phone at the same time. They have just found out wonderful news, and they are calling all their relatives to pass it along.
“Dad!” exclaims Barbara Fong. “Marcus and I are going to have a baby!”
Marcus leans into the phone and adds, “You’re going to be a grandfather!”
When they finish their call, they dial another number right away.
At the other end of the Row Houses, the Morris children are trying on last year’s school clothes. The twins’ outgrown clothes are being passed down to the smaller children. “I’ll never get anything but hand-me-downs!” wails Travis. “Because I’ll always be smaller than Mathias.” Alyssa adds, “Only Lacey and Mathias get new clothes. No fair!” And their mother says, “For heaven’s sakes, you’re all going to get new shoes tomorrow.”
In the Malones’ house, Lydia has closed herself in her room and is playing music at top volume. She’s lying on her bed, totaling up the money she has earned so far by baby-sitting for Robby. She has already returned as many of the stolen items as possible, and she has begun to repay the shopkeepers for the things she can’t return, but she has a long way to go. Lydia sighs. She thinks about Robby. Baby-sitting for him hasn’t been as bad as she thought it would be. In fact, she admits (but only to herself) that she really likes Robby. He was a sweet kid, and now he’s a sweet teenager. Lydia pictures Brandi imitating Robby, and she cringes. Then she thinks about school. She hasn’t seen Brandi since she began her sitting job, and that’s been fine. But what will happen when school starts? She can’t avoid Brandi forever.
Next door at the Willets’, Mr. Willet is having another evening tussle with his wife. He has been talking to her for almost an hour now about brushing her teeth. And Mrs. Willet doesn’t want to do it. Not because she doesn’t want clean teeth, but because she isn’t sure who this man is. He’s a stranger in her house, and he wants her to brush her teeth, and this does not seem right. If only she could find her husband.
Three doors down, Olivia Walter is in bed, leafing through a book about snails, her bright fabric butterfly hanging on the wall above her bed. Her brothers are in their beds, also reading. Downstairs, her parents sit at the kitchen table, papers and bank statements spread before them. Mrs. Walter takes off her glasses, rubs her eyes, then rests her head in her hands.
Robby Edwards and his parents are also sitting in their kitchen, but their table is strewn with Robby’s new school supplies. “You always have to have a pencil case,” Robby is saying. “This one is perfect. And I have two erasers, five pencils, a three-ring notebook, the paper with the holes on the sides, and a ruler. Uh-oh! Where’s my calculator? I need a calculator this year.”
Next door, Mr. Pennington is getting ready to go to bed. He stands in the kitchen and walks around and around, making certain that the burners are turned off, that the refrigerator is tightly closed, that Jacques’s water bowl is full, that no milk or anything that could spoil has been left out on the counter. He checks these things, then checks again. He makes sure the doors and windows are closed and locked. He plans to make a list of things to do each evening, so he can be sure nothing is amiss.
In the house that Flora and Ruby Northrop now share with their grandmother, Min sits before the television, smiling a little as she smocks an insert for a sample back-to-school dress she plans to display in Needle and Thread. Upstairs, Ruby is in bed and has turned off her light, but she isn’t asleep. She’s lying on her back, hands behind her head, daydreaming about the Camden Falls Children’s Chorus for which she’ll soon audition. Ruby imagines herself standing on risers with the other members of the chorus, singing “It’s the Hard-Knock Life” from the musical Annie. Ruby will have a solo. She’ll get to imitate Miss Hannigan and cry, “You stay up till this dump shines like the top of the Chrysler Building!” Ruby will put plenty of emphasis on the word shines, and everyone will laugh and clap when her part is over.
Across the hall, Flora’s light is still on. Flora is in bed reading her mother’s journal. This has been a year of changes, Flora reflects, many of them heartbreaking, and she knows more changes are to come. She hopes she’s strong enough to face them.
Flora closes the diary and removes the photo of her mother and Mary from the drawer in her bedside table. She studies it again. Something nags at her each time she looks at it. Flora goes over every detail in the photo. At last, her eyes light on the necklace around Mary’s neck. Suddenly, Flora is certain she has seen that necklace somewhere before. She studies it. A tiny star hangs from the chain. Flora stares, then her mouth drops open. She knows where she’s seen that necklace. She has seen it around the neck of Mary Woolsey. This isn’t a photo of her mother with her aunt Mary Elizabeth. This is a photo of her mother with Scary Mary.
Flora drops the photo and feels goose bumps rise on her arms. She yanks open the drawer of the bedside table, thrusts the photo under a notebook, bangs the drawer shut, and turns off her reading light. She lies in bed for a long time, eyes wide open, as one by one, the other lights in the Row Houses blink off, and finally this block on Aiken Avenue in Camden Falls is dark.
Q: What inspired you to write Main Street?
A: When my editor, David, asked me if I’d be interested in working on another series, he tempted me with the idea of writing, in some way, about sewing, which is my favorite hobby. So I began to think about sewing, then sewing stores, then towns with sewing stores in them, and finally about small towns, which I love. I also was inspired by a British author whose books my mother used to love. The author is Dora Saint, and she w
rote under the pen name Miss Read.
When I began to create the town of Camden Falls, the Miss Read stories were on my mind. Also, I had discovered while working on A Corner of the Universe and Here Today that I liked writing about a large cast of characters and creating a setting so important that it becomes a character itself.
Q: Is Camden Falls at all like the town in which you live?
A: I now live not far from the town of Woodstock, New York, and although if you compared a map of Woodstock with my map of Camden Falls you would find many differences, Woodstock is definitely the inspiration for Camden Falls, just as Tinker Street in Woodstock is the inspiration for Main Street. The two towns are not exactly the same, but there are many similarities. Both are very small, both are plunked down in hilly countryside, and many of Woodstock’s town traditions are finding their way into Main Street.
Q: Are any of the characters in Main Street based on people you know?
A: Some of the characters are named after people I know. For instance, Min is named for the mother of one of my friends, who really is called Min by her granddaughter because she so often says, “In a minute.” Mr. Pennington is loosely based on a friend of my father’s, and the Willets are based on my own parents and their experiences after my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Sonny Sutphin is based on a man who was well known in the town of Princeton, New Jersey, when I was growing up there. He was wheelchair-bound and spent his days wheeling himself around town, selling candy from the tray of his chair. It was because of Sonny that I became addicted to Sky Bars in high school. Finally, Flora and Ruby are based on two sisters I know. The younger one is very much like Ruby. She loves to be onstage, has performed in community theatre, sings in a children’s chorus, and takes dance lessons. The older one is quieter, more serious, and a bit introspective, and although she’s not interested in sewing and crafts like Flora is, she does develop passionate interests.
Q: Which character in Main Street do you relate to the most?
A: Although I see bits of myself in many characters, I most relate to Flora. Flora’s interests are mine, and so is her personality — quiet, shy, introspective, and as desperate to avoid the spotlight as Ruby is to seek it.
Q: Flora and Ruby have a very spirited relationship as sisters. What was your relationship with your sister Jane like when you were Flora’s age?
A: While Flora and Ruby are based on the sisters I mentioned above, Jane’s and my relationship was somewhat similar to theirs. Jane was far more outgoing than I was, enjoyed playing sports, and did have parts in several plays, but she did not share Ruby’s interest in dance classes, children’s chorus, and so forth (although my sister and I both very much enjoyed being taken to Broadway shows). I, on the other hand, loved crafts, drawing, sewing, and knitting, hated sports, and was as shy as Jane was outgoing. Still, the two of us spent hours together creating imaginary worlds, writing plays and radio shows that we put on for our parents, and taking care of our many pets.
Q: Where did the idea come from to “peek in the windows” of the people in Camden Falls?
A: The town of Camden Falls has many interesting people in it (as does any town), and I wanted to be able to peek into the lives of more than just the main characters. Also, giving the reader a sense of the townspeople contributes to the feel of the town itself. The characters shape the town, the town shapes the characters, and details about the people reveal the world of Camden Falls.
Q: What were your favorite parts of town when you were growing up?
A: When I was growing up, we lived several miles from downtown Princeton, so I wasn’t able to walk into town as Flora and Ruby and Olivia do, nor did I spend nearly as much time in town as they do. But Jane and I went into town fairly often with our parents. One of my favorite places was the public library, which was much smaller then than it is now, and one of my favorite stores was called the Hobby Shop, which was where we could buy paint and markers and pastels and craft supplies. Of course I loved Clayton’s Yarn Shop, too. Then there was a very fancy French restaurant that we only went to for special occasions, and Hulit’s, where we bought our new school shoes every September. If we were lucky, we might run into Sonny and convince our mother or father to buy candy or a Slim Jim from him.
Q: Sewing and crafts are very important to you. When did you start sewing? Who taught you?
A: My father’s mother taught me to knit when I was about eight. Around the same time, my mother taught me to do needlepoint and crewel work. Later she taught me to sew. In high school I took sewing, and as an adult I’ve taken sewing classes, too. I taught myself to smock by reading a book.
My father is a cartoonist, and as a child I took lots of art and drawing classes. Our house was full of paint and paper and craft supplies.
Q: Now, what are your favorite things to make?
A: My favorite things to make are smocked dresses or outfits for my godchildren and my friends’ and cousins’ children. Sometimes I make embroidered dresses or try other sewing techniques. I do a lot of knitting, too, and I knit for my nephew.
Q: Flora and Ruby have a cat, King Comma, and Min has a dog, Daisy Dear. Do you have pets? Do you like dogs or cats or both?
A: I like both dogs and cats, although when I was growing up, we had only cats. I didn’t get a dog until Sadie came into my life in 1998. So now I have Sadie, who’s a mixed breed (she looks like a miniature golden retriever), and three cats, Gussie, Woody, and Willy. Also, I foster stray cats for a local animal rescue organization, so often I’m taking care of a temporary cat or two.
Q: If you were going to work at a store on Main Street, which one do you think it would be?
A: Definitely Needle and Thread. I’ve always wanted to work in a sewing store. It would be fun to work in one of the bookstores, too.
“I can’t believe summer’s over,” said Olivia, letting out a loud sigh. “It always goes by too fast.”
“I thought you liked school,” said Ruby.
“I do. But I like vacation just as much.”
“This summer seemed really long to me,” said Flora.
“Me, too,” said Nikki. “But I still don’t want to go back to school.”
“Why not?” asked Ruby. “School’s fun. You get to be with your friends.”
“You don’t have friends yet,” Flora said to Ruby. “I mean, friends your own age.”
“I do, too. Lacey is my age. Almost. And I’ll have more friends soon. Nikki, how come you don’t want to go to school?”
Nikki shrugged. “I just don’t.”
“Not even if you and Flora and I will be in the same class?” asked Olivia, who knew why Nikki didn’t want to go to school. It must have been awful to be a Sherman in Camden Falls. The Shermans had an unfortunate reputation, mainly because Mr. and Mrs. Sherman drank too much and Mr. Sherman had a terrible temper. The three Sherman kids showed up at school in ill-fitting clothes and were able to bathe only when the plumbing in their little house was in working order. Olivia hoped school might improve for Nikki now that they were all friends.
“Well, that will make it better,” Nikki agreed. “Plus, we’ll have Mrs. Mandel.”
Every student at Camden Falls Elementary hoped to get Mrs. Mandel for sixth grade.
The girls lounged on the couches until Nikki looked at the Needle and Thread clock.
“Oh!” she cried. “I have to go! I promised Tobias I’d get home by three to take care of Mae so he can go to work. He got a part-time job at John’s.”
“John’s?” said Flora.
“That auto body place out by the new grocery store.” Nikki jumped to her feet. “Okay. I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow. Wish me luck on the bus.”
“Good luck,” said Flora and Ruby dutifully.
And Olivia said, “Stick with Mae. Maybe no one will bother you if you’re sitting with a first-grader.”
The door closed behind Nikki, and Flora felt in her pocket for the photograph. Then she glanced at her sister. “Hey,
Ruby. If you’ll go to Ma Grand-mère to get chocolate chip cookies for you and Olivia and me, I’ll pay for the cookies.”
“Cool,” said Ruby, who grabbed the money from her sister and was out the door before Flora could change her mind.
Flora scooted down the couch to Olivia and thrust the photo in front of her. “Look. Look at this,” she said.
“What is it?” Olivia squinted at the picture of a young woman posing stiffly with a little girl.
“I found it in this box of papers that was in the attic,” Flora replied. “I haven’t told anyone about the box yet,” she added, squirming slightly. “It’s old family stuff and I kind of want to keep it a secret.”
“Min’s stuff? How come you want to keep it a secret?”
“I just do.”
“Okay.... Who are these people?”
“That’s just the thing. I’ve been looking at the picture over and over, thinking the woman is familiar. The little girl is my mother when she was four years old. See?” Flora turned over the photo to show Olivia the writing on the back. “It says ‘Frannie and Mary — nineteen seventy.’ Frannie is my mother. And at first I thought Mary might be Min’s sister, Mary Elizabeth. A nice photo of my mother with her aunt. But take a look at the necklace Mary is wearing.”
Olivia brought the photo closer to her face and gazed at it for a moment. Then she screamed and dropped the picture to the floor.
“Shh!” hissed Flora. She grabbed for the photo and turned around to look at Min and Gigi, but they were busy talking with the UPS woman who had arrived at the back door with a delivery. Then she clasped Olivia’s hand. “It’s who I think it is, isn’t it?” she said quietly.