My stomach shrinks into a hard knot. I’ve heard enough. I back up a few steps and walk down the hall more heavily toannounce my presence, stepping into the library with an amiable smile.
“Jay,” Phoebe says. She’s also smiling, but hers has a tight quality. I want to tell herDon’t worry, I heard you loud and clear.
“Phoebe,” I say, nodding at her, my smile not changing. “Catherine, how are you?” I hold out my hand for a shake.
Catherine accepts it. “I’m well, Jay. And you?”
“Couldn’t be better.”Unless I were literally anywhere else right now.
“How was your research trip?” Phoebe asks.
“Informative. I just got back and came over without grabbing a bite. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to check out the refreshments.” I make my way over to the food, and after I fill my plate with a couple of ham sliders and some sliced fruit, I choose an easy chair and not the sofa where Phoebe and I wrestled.
Catherine comes over to examine the offerings, but Phoebe is kept busy as the rest of the board members arrive, exchanging greetings with each of them.
Michaela Berg calls the meeting to order right on time. Phoebe is in another suit, this one with no personality. Flat shoes, her regular lipstick. She’s always beautiful, but this is a direct contrast to the last board meeting, one more visual cue to Catherine that Phoebe Means Business, that she can be Taken Seriously.
She’s driving that point into the ground.
Michaela does all the required points of order and says, “That takes us to Phoebe. Director Hopper, I’m looking forward to your update. The floor is yours.”
Phoebe turns on the screen for her PowerPoint. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the board. After our last meeting, I asked the treasurer to elaborate on her reservations about my exhibit proposals. I did know Foster Martin fairly well, but as Mrs. Crawford pointed out, she knowsSerendipity Springs, and I did not. Do not, still, to be honest with you, but I’ve been learning. And as I’ve learned, my vision for the museum has changed.”
The next slide is an overview of her map, the one she divided up to learn the city, and I force myself to keep a straight face as I remember how seeing it over her shoulder affected me. Or not the map, exactly, but her enthusiasm. The need to kiss her and breathe some of that … Phoebe-ness in, it had been almost overwhelming, but also the exact wrong way to respond to a woman being brilliant. So I’d escaped to the kitchen.
She goes through the discoveries she’s made in her exploration over the last two weeks, and how that’s begun to influence the role she sees the museum filling. “The best pierogi in town are at Tom’s Deli, and at least three other pierogi shops in this square right here are almost as good.” She highlights it on the map. “This is where the earliest Polish immigrants settled when they came to work in the Mass Med factory, and their influence is all over this neighborhood, from the beautiful Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa to Pulaski Hall, which hosts wedding receptions most weekends of the year.”
The next slide is a mockup of an exhibit titled “Mówic Prosto z Mostu: Polish History in Serendipity Springs.”
“This expression translates, roughly, as ‘to speak from the bridge.’ The idiom means to tell it like it is, and it’s an apt approach to interpreting the ways in which the Poles have contributed to the city’s culture and vibrancy. It’s one of many unique lenses for examining the city’s history, and no sooner do I round a corner than I find another one.”
The next slide shows objects I recognize, although this time she has photos of the items the Willards donated arranged as another exhibit mockup titled “Quack! How to Tell Science from Scams.”
“I laughed when I first looked up some of thesedevices,” Phoebe says, “but did you know that sham doctors and their often-dangerous cure-alls are the very reason the Better Business Bureau was formed? It was so out of hand that lawmakers were yelling for regulation or at least a way to warn people of the most shameless offenders. It reached a peak in the Gilded Age, but many legitimate medical breakthroughs also happened during this time, including the one that became the cornerstone of the Martin family empire.”
“Empire is a little strong,” I say. No Martins have ever aspired to empire.
She blinks at me. “The Martin family prosperity.”
I don’t contradict her. We do like to prosper.
“This exhibit proposal came about as a direct result of me discovering the apothecary. These were donated by the Willards, whose ancestors bought up as many of these devices during their heyday as they could to keep people from being swindled or even hurt. Over time, it became a family hobby of theirs to collect old medical memorabilia, and the current Willards were generous enough to donate their collection to the museum.”
It’s unsurprising that she talked to one of the old Willards to get more of the story, or that she’d characterize that blunt note as a generous donation. She’s clearly very good at this job.
She continues with her presentation, explaining how she’ll continue to learn the city, to understand its story, and find a way to represent every section of her map with exhibits that will rotate on a quarterly basis to give residents a chance to learn about the lesser-known or nearly forgotten history of Serendipity Springs.
When she finishes, Michaela, Dr. Smithson, and Professor Martinez all break into applause, Catherine and I joining a half beat behind. But Catherine is smiling.
“I’m even more impressed,” Michaela says. “You’re onto something special here.”
Dr. Smithson nods. “Agreed on both counts. Of course, my particular interests will mean I try to convince you to do the quack medicine exhibit first, but I find myself interested in elements you mentioned that I thought I understood on the surface. I look forward to digging deeper.”
“I look forward to seeing how you interpret these concepts and to seeing any new ones you’ll present,” Professor Martinez says. “May I assume you’ll have new ones for each meeting as you continue your explorations?”
“You may,” she says, smiling. She knows she nailed it.
“I have no concerns,” Catherine says, and that is the biggest green flag Phoebe could have asked for. She gives Catherine a single, measured nod of acknowledgment.
