Episode 29: Founders' Day

Today is the 150th anniversary of the founding of Neighborful Station. You are standing on an empty stage, set up at the foot of College Avenue. There will be a dedication ceremony for the gigantic mural covering the street, telling the history of the town, from here all the way up to the entrance to the college itself. As the falling leaves dance across the images from decades past, you feel the cold and crisp air tracing a path through your nose, on its way to your lungs. You pull the collar of your coat up around your neck, with the morning sun bursting through the bare branches on the ridge above you, and as you enjoy a sweet sip of your cappuccino, you take a centering breath.

Joshua appears on the road in front of you, at the foot of the stage, seemingly from nowhere. He pulls his headset away for a moment and looks up at you with a smile, asking, “Are you all set here, VIP?”

You say, “Yes. Everything is ready backstage.”

Joshua says, “Wonderful. I need to go check on the bagpipes.” With that, he is gone, just as quickly as he had appeared.

You hear a commotion behind you, and you turn to see Mayor Ashley, her wife Lauren, and their kids climbing up on the stage. The mayor is wearing a sleek navy blue suit, with a wool overcoat. She calls out, “Hello, You! Happy Founders’ Day.”

You say, “Happy Founders’ Day to you! I’m here to make sure you have everything you need before the ceremony.”

Lauren, wearing an elegant dress in autumn colors, and an overcoat of her own, chimes in, “She needs a run-through. This is such a big day that she actually wrote her speech down this time.”

Mayor Ashley scoffs and says, “Only because you made me.”

Lauren leans close to Ashley and kisses her on the cheek, saying, “You’re gonna be on TV for this one. I want everyone else to know how amazing you are.”

The mayor closes her eyes and murmurs, “The most amazing thing about me is you.” But her eyes pop open again as she says, “Hang on. I recognize that sound.”

Behind the mayor and her family, an elderly Latino man with a cane is gingerly making his way up the stairs and onto the stage. The kids run over to him, shouting, “Mayor Andy! Mayor Andy! Did you bring treats for us?”

The man chuckles softly and says, “Por supuesto, ninos. Always.” He pats the kids on their heads, handing out small wrapped candies from his coat pocket, and then looks up to you, saying, “And you must be our volunteer helper, is that right?”

You say, “Yes, Mayor Andy. It’s wonderful to meet you.”

The former mayor makes his way over to you surprisingly quickly, and shakes your hand vigorously. He says, “I’m so glad to meet you.” He scoops another wrapped candy out of his pocket, and hands it to you, saying, “Here, have a little treat. It’s gonna be a hectic day.” You feel the warmth of the candy from its cozy home in his pocket.

Mayor Ashley gives Mayor Andy a warm hug, and with her arm around him, turns and says to you, “This is the guy who saved our town.”

Mayor Andy blushes and mumbles, “Oh, it wasn’t just me. Everyone worked together. It was truly a team effort.” He looks out from the stage for the first time, taking in the mural. He says, softly, “Wow. Will you look at this?” The rest of you turn your attention to the story of the town, laid out at your feet, and as you smell the faint scent of oranges from the kids opening their candies, you take an appreciative breath.

Mayor Andy says, “We had a rough time here in the ‘70s and ‘80s, as the steel mills and factories started fading away. A lot of people were out of work. It was hard to stay hopeful. The town council and the unions decided that we had to find a way to keep this place going.”

Mayor Ashley adds, “I was just a kid when the college got that grant for the underwater robotics work. And then the shipwreck movie happened….”

Andy laughs and tells her, “Do you know, I flew out to Hollywood to meet with that guy? He was crazy. But he helped us get a federal grant for the robotics lab. That was big.”

The former mayor gets a twinkle in his eye, and he turns to face you as he asks, “Would you like to hear about how I first met Mayor Ashley?”

She swats his arm as you say, “Oh yes, I would.”

Mayor Ashley says, “No, you wouldn’t.”

Andy gently pats her hand on his forearm as he says, “She was the most punk rock 4th grader you’ve ever seen. Purple hair, combat boots, the whole nine yards. Comes into my office on a class trip and sits right down in my chair! Says to the whole group, ‘I can do this job. It’s easy. You just figure out what’s right, and then you do that. Every time.’”

Ashley says, “The figuring out part is a little harder than I expected.”

The former mayor takes her hand in his, and tells her, “You are better at figuring out the right thing than anyone else I’ve ever known. That was true when you were 9 years old, and it’s still true today.”

Ashley sniffles and says, “That’s very kind of you to say.”

Still holding Ashley’s hand, Mayor Andy turns to Lauren and says, “You and your family have given up a lot of things to make this work. You’ve made so many sacrifices. We are all grateful for the love and support you give our dear mayor, so she can take care of the rest of us.”

Lauren bows her head and whispers, “Thank you.” You bow your own head, in gratitude for all the people who have made this town a home for you, and you take a deep breath.

The bagpipes start up again in the distance, and Mayor Andy says to Mayor Ashley, “Have you got your speech ready?” 

She replies, “Yep. I just need one more run-through.”

Mayor Andy gestures grandly toward the podium and says, “The chair recognizes the gentle-woman from Pennsylvania.”