Beverly, Right Here

Iola excitedly reads a piece of paper advertising Christmas in July. Though it’s August, not July (and it is summertime, not Christmastime), the VFW is hosting a Christmas event, and attendees will have the chance to win the world’s hugest turkey. There’ll be dancing and food, and Beverly notices a Santa and a lone “ho.”

Beverly asks Iola if Elmer can come for dinner, and Iola says he can—she’ll make tuna melts. At Zoom City, Beverly officially invites Elmer to dinner, but Elmer doesn’t want Beverly’s pity. Beverly doesn’t pity Elmer. Referencing Jerome’s nickname, Elmer says Bugs Bunny’s closing line from the Looney Tunes cartoons. Beverly mentions the “crooked little house” line and asks Elmer again if he wrote it. She likes it, and the words make sense. Elmer smiles, and Beverly promises to wait for Elmer to finish working.

Mrs. Deely has “good news”—another edition of her religious cartoon. She reminds Beverly she’s the messenger of truth. A boy rides on the metal horse, and the mom tells him it’s fun. Beverly loathes when people tell others what’s fun. Mrs. Deely tries to give the boy her cartoon, but Beverly takes it—she says she’ll give it to a friend.

Done with work, Elmer walks with Beverly to Iola’s trailer. He notices Beverly’s chipped tooth. She chipped it after she stole the wallet of one of her mom’s boyfriends. He ran after her in his underwear, and she fell. Shortly after, the boyfriend broke up with Beverly’s mom.

Elmer can’t wait to leave Tamaray Beach, but he knows people like Jerome are in New Hampshire and everywhere else. If Jerome bullied Beverly, she’d beat him up. Elmer isn’t Beverly—he doesn’t steal wallets or eat glue.

Iola greets Elmer with a “howdy,” notes his height, and offers to teach him how to dance before the Christmas in July party. She serves herself, Beverly, and Elmer a tuna melt. Iola likes it when more people are at her kitchen table, but she knows people (and animals) often come and go, so people should go to dances together while they can.

Elmer looks at a wedding photo of Iola and her husband Tommy. They met when they were in a play together when she was six and he was seven. He was the sun, and she was the moon. Her first line was, “Oh, world, I cast my dappled light upon you” (165). Elmer draws Iola as she is in the photo and as she is now. He offers to draw Beverly, but she declines.

In the sand, Beverly tells Elmer about the disappearance of Louisiana. Beverly and Raymie went to the house where Louisiana lived with her grandma, and it was empty. They didn’t have furniture, so it was always empty, but this empty was “different.” She got the same empty feeling after she and Raymie buried Buddy, and Raymie recited the “surly bonds” poem. Elmer admits he likes poetry and recites a line from “Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.” He thinks almost everything is “stupid,” but he invites Beverly to the Christmas dance, and she accepts.

A sign on Mr. C’s door alerts customers that it’s having “small problems” and isn’t open today. In other words, Doris and Charles are on strike. They want benefits and better pay. Doris won’t cook and Charles won’t clean until Mr. Denby makes changes. Freddie scolds Doris and Charles and pressures Beverly not to join them, but Beverly allies with Doris and Charles. The three play poker, and Freddie calls Beverly a “traitor.”

Mr. Denby explains his situation. He must support his family, so he can’t raise their salaries. Mr. Denby tries to work the stove, but Doris warns him about blowing up the restaurant. He tries to take the fan but leaves it after Doris reprimands him. Doris and Charles plan to strike until they get a “living wage.” The seagull joins them, but Doris shoots it away.

Elmer thinks Beverly should go home, not to Iola, but to her “real home.” She could return to school, graduate, and attend college. Beverly doesn’t think that will happen. Elmer thinks all kinds of things happen. He gives Beverly a picture of her, and Beverly folds it. Iola scolds her—she’s ruining Elmer’s artwork.

Outside the VFW, Beverly apologizes for folding his picture—it scared her because she both recognized and didn’t recognize herself. Beverly shows him the bird’s nest on the V and asks if his acne hurts. Elmer says it does, but there’s lots of hurt in the world, and he won’t have acne forever.

Beverly thinks about the Annunciation painting. The angel had a message for Mary. The announcement was important—that’s why the angel had blue wings. In real life, she wonders how people judge announcements and if everyone should have blue wings.