Page 156 of Tamiko and the Two Janitors
One of the volunteers, whose Lions Club vest jingled withpins, made his way over, and Harrison grabbed the microphone. “While Danconfirms Miss Patty’s win, we’ll have another round of Amaranthine trivia,sponsored in part by our friends at the Perch County Office of Ingress. Kip’salready volunteered for this round. Who’s game? We have room for two more!”
Hands went up all over the room.
Tami laughed when Grandad was pulled from the crowd. Hecould probably give Kip a run for his money on facts, if not speed. This mightbe funny.
Ash raised his voice. “Over here, Harrison. Let Tami struther stuff.”
Her attendance clerk broke into a wide smile. “As I live andbreathe, Principal Reaverson, would you do us the honor?”
Under cover of Archer’s very vocal approval, Ash spoke intoTami’s ear. “Homefield advantage.Youcan be Kimiko tonight.”
She laughed. “I’m really much better at being myself.”
“That’s the spirit.”
The next fifteen minutes was a bizarre cross between agameshow and a talk show, with Harrison at the helm. Once more, Tami had thesense that she was in the middle of a skit for which she’d never seen thescript. And it was fun.
“What’s the name of the first headman of the village atWardenclave, a man whose surname became his legacy to the In-between?”
Bells dinged in near-perfect unison. Kip must be taking iteasy on them. He even deferred to Grandad, who answered confidently. “GerardReaver.”
“Correct!” Harrison straightened his bowtie. “Gerard Reaveris the reason that human Betweeners are called reavers. You may be interestedto learn that Wardenclave—the village he founded and the birthplace of theIn-between—is currently governed by Gabriel Reaver, who is Gerard’s directdescendent.”
The next few questions were easy enough for anyone followingthe Miyabe-Starmark courtship. What was the name of the ballad Kimiko was usingas a basis for her courtship of Eloquence Starmark? What was the name of thetree at Kikusawa Shrine, under which Kimiko always bestowed her kisses?
But current events had their turn. As did pop culture.
“What city’s mounted police recently received a gift of sixKith stallions from Spokesperson Dwennon Thunderhoof?”
“Where do most of the world’s known crossers reside?”
“On the popular television seriesDare Together, whatfamous cryptid did brothers Caleb and Josheb Dare bring out of hiding for aninterview?”
“What PBS children’s television show announced they’ll beadding a puppet of Amaranthine descent to their neighborhood?”
Tami couldn’t keep up with Grandad or Kip, but neither didthey leave her behind. Winning had never been the point of these weekly games. Thiswas just the rallying point. In varying degrees, to the best of their ability, everyonein Archer wanted to be counted as allies of the Amaranthine. This town wasgetting ready to be good neighbors.
After bingo, Tami was surprised when Harrison shook hiscar keys and said, “Meet you there!”
“Right behind you,” called Flootie, who was pulling on hatand coat. “First one there puts on the coffee pot!”
Tami shot a look at Kip, who grinned. “I already orderedtake-out from Swifties. Let’s roll.”
Swifties was little more than a counter and two booths atthe back of a gas station. But they turned out the best hot pastrami sandwichesin the county, and they boasted six flavors of hand-scooped ice cream—none ofwhich was ever vanilla.
“What did you tell them?”
“Two reubans, two hot ham and cheese, two patty melts. And asix-quart sampler for dessert.”
Tami prodded his shoulder. “I meant, what did you tellFlootie and Harrison.”
“Oh! That their beloved principal’s weekend is imperiled bypaperwork. But a late-night push—with tasty incentives—would set the world torights.”
She asked, “At the school?”
“Where else?”
“But … Faisal is there, setting the world to rights.”
