“Possibly,” I said, acknowledging the partial truth of her words, “but only if you had let us know what you were doing before you went ahead and did it.”
“Well,” she said with a great sigh, “it’s so disappointing. So many young boys are in such need, and they’re at just the age to go down the wrong trail.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what the neighbors are concerned about. But, Madge, surely you can find a more suitable place to have your group home. I mean, just because it won’t work on Jackson Street doesn’t mean that you have to give up entirely. I’m sorry that you’ll have to move from the house you have and look for another place, but better that than just giving up.”
“Oh, we aren’t giving up, I assure you. We are fully committed and feel sure that the Lord wants us to continue on.”
“Well,” I said, sitting back complacently, “with His leading, I’m sure you’ll find the perfect place. But, Madge, you really should look into the zoning ordinances and all the other requirements before you sink money into something else. It doesn’t speak well of the leadership of your board to have made a mistake of this magnitude.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Madge said with a pleasant smile on her face as she glanced at the pastor, who also was smiling. “We are, even now, in the process of regrouping. The house on Jackson Street isn’t zoned for a residential group home, but that’s not what we are. No, we are now rewording our mission statement to reflect our intent to be a foster care home instead. And we’re assured that a foster care home needs no permit at all.”
With a lurch, I felt as if the bottom had just fallen out. No wonder they were smiling! They were busily working around the regulations and getting what they wanted by a sleight of hand in what they called themselves. Lord help us all from self-righteous and determined do-gooders.
Chapter 14
Feeling thoroughly defeated and victoriously crowed over, I hurried home along the dark sidewalk, completely forgetting to call Lloyd. It didn’t even occur to me—a lone woman at night—to fear being accosted, grabbed, or mugged. In fact, I would’ve welcomed a physical confrontation in which I could let loose my frustration by way of my heavily laden pocketbook. Just try it, I thought, I’ll smack you to kingdom come.
All of which was ridiculous. Abbotsville was a safe town and my well-lit house was only a few steps away. Nevertheless, I hurried inside, locked the door behind me, and turned off the porch light. Calling upstairs to Lloyd to let him know I was safely home, I went to the library and called Binkie.
“Binkie,” I said, trying to catch my breath, “Binkie, you won’t believe what they’re doing now. Oh, forgive me, I know you’re busy with Little Gracie, and I should’ve waited until tomorrow when you’re in the office. But, Binkie, they’ve made an end run on us and they’re still in business.”
“Who, Miss Julia? What’re you talking about?”
“Those Homes for Teens people! The bane of my existence. Binkie, if we don’t do something about them, they’re going to run Hazel Marie and her family completely out of town, and I can’t stand the thought of that.”
“Okay, okay. Calm down and tell me what they’re doing.”
“Well,” I said with a great sigh. “It seems they’re changing their stated purpose, but they’re not changing what they’re doing. Not one iota. Instead of being a residential group home, which Madge Taylor admits is not permitted, they are now going to be a foster care home. It’s nothing but semantics, Binkie—calling the same thing by another name in order to get around the law—and I am so angry I don’t know what to do.”
“A foster care home?” Binkie said softly, as if thinking it through. “I’ll double-check in the morning, but I don’t think a foster care home would qualify either—not with one or two so-called parents and a half dozen foster children. I’ll look into it and let you know.”
So I had to be satisfied with that, but I was not comforted by it. Wait, and I’ll let you know. Wait, and we’ll see. Wait, and it’ll work out. I was to sit and wait while those arrogant scofflaws breezed on doing whatever they wanted to do. What arrogance! And all in the name of doing good, and all who disagreed with them were void of Christian compassion.
It was more than I could cope with, yet that’s what I had to do. First thing, though, was not to tell Hazel Marie and Mr. Pickens, at least until the changed designation was made known publicly. They would know soon enough that the work on the Cochran house was ongoing.
“Miss Julia?”
I looked around to see Lloyd coming into the library, and it unsettled me to realize I’d been so caught up in my own thoughts that I’d not heard him.
“Oh, Lloyd. Sorry, honey, I was a million miles away. Did you finish your homework?”
“Yes’m, but I wanted to tell you that Mr. Sam called. He’s in France, and he said to tell you that he’s fine and he’ll call back maybe tomorrow.”
“Oh, my goodness, and I missed him. Did you tell him where I was?”
“Just that you had a meeting at the church.”
“Well, good. I’d as soon not worry him with what we’re contending with here. Oh, my, I hate that I missed him tonight. I’ll probably sit by the phone all day tomorrow.”
Soon after dosing Ronnie’s infected ears—which were looking and smelling much better—at ten o’clock, I went to bed, knowing that my roiling mind would keep sleep far at bay.
—
Actually it
