Make Quilts Not War by Arlene Sachitano Read Free Book Online

other entertainment will be going on?”
    “And a few brave volunteers are allowing their quilts to be hung outside on the walkway where the food vendors are,” Aunt Beth added.
    “Is anyone besides me worried about how well the quilts will be protected in those two places?” Harriet pressed. “What about the white glove people?”
    She meant the volunteers who wear cotton gloves to protect the quilts from body oils when they turned the edges of displayed quilts up to reveal the back side for anyone who asked.
    “I suppose they’ll have a group of volunteers willing to tolerate loud music,” Aunt Beth speculated.
    “I know Marjory asked for utilitarian quilts to hang in the food area,” Mavis said from the back seat. “I brought her one that Curley chewed when she first came to live with me. I cleaned it and repaired the corner. Marjory said that was fine.”
    Curly was the rescue dog Mavis had adopted.
    “There’s Robin’s car,” Connie said and pointed out the side window as Harriet turned into the Foggy Point Exhibition Center parking lot. She found a spot two spaces away from Robin’s mi nivan. DeAnn and Robin got out of the van when Harriet’s car stopped.
    “Hi, everyone,” Robin called out. “We weren’t sure where to go, so we decided to wait for you all to arrive.”
    “Where’s Jenny?” Harriet asked.
    “She called and said she’d drive herself,” DeAnn said. “I guess she has somewhere to go afterward.” She shrugged.
    “That’s weird,” Mavis said. “She told me her husband was on a trip with her son, and she was looking forward to having no obligations for the next week.”
    “Well, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t going to plan anything until he got back,” Aunt Beth said. “She just doesn’t have to serve scheduled meals.”
    “Oh, she gets to live like you and me, huh?” Mavis said, and the two friends laughed in a knowing way.
    “Popcorn and pickles,” Harriet added.
    Carla looked confused.
    “What’s that mean?” she asked and blushed.
    “When I was growing up and was sent to stay with my aunt, we would have popcorn and pickles for dinner at least once each time my uncle Hank was away on a business trip.”
    “Why would you do that on purpose?” Carla asked, still obviously confused. “My mom and I ate combos like that just before we ran out of food.”
    No one knew what to say. Carla’s face got redder as she realized she’d said something wrong, but still didn’t understand what.
    Aunt Beth put her arm around the young woman.
    “They wouldn’t, sweetie. It’s a poor joke by two people who’ve never wanted for food in their lives. We should be more sensitive.”
    “So, did you eat that or not?” Carla pressed, still confused.
    “Yes, we did,” Harriet said. “Not because we had to, though. I’ll tell you all about it later. You want to help me unload a couple quilts from the back of my car? When they put out the call for quilts for the food area, I got to be one of the drop-off points.”
    “Did I miss anything?” Jenny asked as she walked up to the back of Harriet’s car, her quilt held tightly in her arms.
    “We just got here,” Harriet said. “These are some of the quilts Marjory rounded up for the food court.”
    “I’m supposed to meet with the two volunteers who are going to stand with my quilt when I’m not there. They’re also helping hang quilts, so we thought we’d meet here.” Jenny said.
    “We better go inside,” Aunt Beth called with a glance at the darkening sky. “It looks like it’s about to start raining.”

    Harriet and the Threads joined the women assembled in the exhibit hall, where they were divided into groups and given instructions on how to hang their assigned quilts. Jenny took hers and followed the two volunteers and another woman from the show committee.
    Her quilt would be hanging in a place of honor in an alcove created from black curtains and with a raised plywood platform. Jenny or one of the other