where he could reach the telephone. “Joe Esterhouse,” he said, and everybody got quiet to listen to him. “Well, thank you, Mr. Governor. . . . Yes, sir, to tell the truth it does seem like fifty years. . . . Now, that would be up to the voters, but I don’t think another fifty is too likely. . . . Thank you, I appreciate it.” Then there was a longer pause. Luke Goddard’s camera flashed a picture of Joe on the telephone.
“Now, that’s something I might use,” Joe said. “Let me write that down.” Patsy handed him a pink telephone message slip, and he wrote whatever the governor was telling him. “Thank you again, sir. Thank you for calling.”
Joe put the pink paper in his wallet. Then he looked up at everyone looking at him and frowned a bit. “Well, I don’t think we’re getting much done tonight,” he said, while the room was still quiet, “so I’ll consider the meeting adjourned.” And everyone laughed, and of course it all kept going on.
Sue Ann was bringing him a piece of cake. “Best meeting I can remember,” he said to her. “Nothing done means nothing done wrong.”
March 8, Wednesday
Rose sat down at the table.
“Cold morning to work in the barn,” she said.
It wasn’t particular cold. “I’ll be out to it anyway,” Joe said. “I was going to make a call on the telephone first.”
“I have laundry.” She put coffee in his cup and went out to the hall.
He took the book of telephone numbers and found the one he wanted. Bunch of numbers. Then he took the telephone itself and pushed the buttons, checking the book on each one. Then he waited.
Right away a girl answered. “Thank you for calling the office of Marty Brannin, representing the forty-fifth district in the North Carolina House of Representatives.”
“I’d like to talk to him,” Joe said.
“He’s not available at the moment, sir. I’d be glad to take a message.”
Fool telephone. “Tell him Joe Esterhouse is calling.”
“What number should we call you back at, Mr. Esterhouse?”
“Just go in and tell him. I’ll wait.”
“Well . . . I don’t know if he’s . . . I’ll see if he’s in.”
“Thank you.”
It didn’t take a minute but Marty was talking to him. “Joe. Hi there.”
“Morning.”
“It’s been a while. What can I do for you?”
“I want to ask you about a road.”
“Well, sure. What do you want to know?”
“We applied for a grant back in January. I’d like to know how that’s coming along.”
“January? Now Joe, you know those things take forever. Do you have a project number or anything?”
“I’ll tell Patsy at the courthouse to call your office with that this morning.”
Marty waited a minute to answer. “Joe. When Daddy was vice mayor in Asheville and I was running for state assembly the first time, he gave me a few pieces of advice.”
“I knew your daddy real well, Marty. I expect his advice was worth hearing.”
“It was and it’s sure come in handy. And one thing he told me was to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” Joe allowed himself a smile.
“He did. He said if I ever heard from you, I should pay close attention and do as I was told.”
“That’s been twenty years ago.”
“Yes, it was, and you and I have talked fairly often over these twenty years. But I think this is one time that Daddy’s advice might especially apply, at least that I should pay close attention. Because I don’t think you’d call me about a simple road grant unless something wasn’t so simple.”
Marty was a smart boy, just like his father. “I’d be glad to hear that there’s nothing to it, but I’m doubting that’s what you’ll find. I do appreciate your time, Marty. Just when you get around to it.”
“I’ll call you back, Joe.”
Rose was watching him in the doorway, holding her laundry basket. “Decided you can still make a difference,” she said.
“I suppose.”
“Little Joey called you a godly man, in front of all those
“Now, that’s something I might use,” Joe said. “Let me write that down.” Patsy handed him a pink telephone message slip, and he wrote whatever the governor was telling him. “Thank you again, sir. Thank you for calling.”
Joe put the pink paper in his wallet. Then he looked up at everyone looking at him and frowned a bit. “Well, I don’t think we’re getting much done tonight,” he said, while the room was still quiet, “so I’ll consider the meeting adjourned.” And everyone laughed, and of course it all kept going on.
Sue Ann was bringing him a piece of cake. “Best meeting I can remember,” he said to her. “Nothing done means nothing done wrong.”
March 8, Wednesday
Rose sat down at the table.
“Cold morning to work in the barn,” she said.
It wasn’t particular cold. “I’ll be out to it anyway,” Joe said. “I was going to make a call on the telephone first.”
“I have laundry.” She put coffee in his cup and went out to the hall.
He took the book of telephone numbers and found the one he wanted. Bunch of numbers. Then he took the telephone itself and pushed the buttons, checking the book on each one. Then he waited.
Right away a girl answered. “Thank you for calling the office of Marty Brannin, representing the forty-fifth district in the North Carolina House of Representatives.”
“I’d like to talk to him,” Joe said.
“He’s not available at the moment, sir. I’d be glad to take a message.”
Fool telephone. “Tell him Joe Esterhouse is calling.”
“What number should we call you back at, Mr. Esterhouse?”
“Just go in and tell him. I’ll wait.”
“Well . . . I don’t know if he’s . . . I’ll see if he’s in.”
“Thank you.”
It didn’t take a minute but Marty was talking to him. “Joe. Hi there.”
“Morning.”
“It’s been a while. What can I do for you?”
“I want to ask you about a road.”
“Well, sure. What do you want to know?”
“We applied for a grant back in January. I’d like to know how that’s coming along.”
“January? Now Joe, you know those things take forever. Do you have a project number or anything?”
“I’ll tell Patsy at the courthouse to call your office with that this morning.”
Marty waited a minute to answer. “Joe. When Daddy was vice mayor in Asheville and I was running for state assembly the first time, he gave me a few pieces of advice.”
“I knew your daddy real well, Marty. I expect his advice was worth hearing.”
“It was and it’s sure come in handy. And one thing he told me was to keep an eye on you.”
“Oh, he did, did he?” Joe allowed himself a smile.
“He did. He said if I ever heard from you, I should pay close attention and do as I was told.”
“That’s been twenty years ago.”
“Yes, it was, and you and I have talked fairly often over these twenty years. But I think this is one time that Daddy’s advice might especially apply, at least that I should pay close attention. Because I don’t think you’d call me about a simple road grant unless something wasn’t so simple.”
Marty was a smart boy, just like his father. “I’d be glad to hear that there’s nothing to it, but I’m doubting that’s what you’ll find. I do appreciate your time, Marty. Just when you get around to it.”
“I’ll call you back, Joe.”
Rose was watching him in the doorway, holding her laundry basket. “Decided you can still make a difference,” she said.
“I suppose.”
“Little Joey called you a godly man, in front of all those
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