Chapter 6: Edna Gets a Phone Call

Chapter 6: Edna Gets a Phone Call

Yesterday afternoon, when Joe had come back from town with the news about Sue and her shop, Edna hadn’t been surprised.  Sue was always one to cut corners, but then it was unlikely she had the money to do things properly so Edna couldn’t really blame her.  

“Is she really going to have to shut down?” she’d asked Joe, as he tucked into the hot roast beef sandwich she’d placed in front of him.

A moment passed as he took a few bites.  “Travis says it’s up to the county inspector, but that this new guy is pretty tough.  He’d be surprised if he’d let her stay open with those shelves up.”

Edna took a bite of her own meal, then added a little salt and pepper.  She was surprised at how all of this was affecting her.  Sue yelling at Joe made her blood boil, but then she might have done the same thing, considering the situation.  Frankly, the whole Sue and Piece of Work situation just made her tired.

“I hope she doesn’t have to close up, it’s all she has now that Buck’s gone.”

Joe stopped chewing and looked at his wife.  Edna was eating slowly and her eyes looked sad and tired.  “Are you okay Sweetie?”  he asked.

Edna looked up at him, “I’m fine Joe, I’m just getting a little tired of all the drama.   I know everyone, including you, thinks I hate Sue, but I really don’t.  I just wish she’d let things be and not have to have everything be all about her.”

Joe shook his head, Edna was right, Sue was very self-centered, but it wasn’t just that, he was also concerned.  Didn’t Edna understand that someone like Sue, wounded as she was, could be dangerous?

“You need to be careful, Sweetie, you know how Sue is.  She’s really going to be after you now since she blames me for everything.”

Edna sighed deeply and set her fork down.  “I know and that’s why I’m so down, I just don’t want to fight with her anymore.  Heck, I never did want to fight with her in the first place and I try so hard not to. But…..”

Joe reached across the table and took her hand.  “It’s all right Edna, I know you aren’t the one behind this feud, but I can’t see Sue changing her ways.”

Edna gave his hand a squeeze then picked up her fork.  “I guess wishing things were different doesn’t make it so.”

The next morning while the county inspector was over at Sue’s place, Edna was just getting ready to start piecing when the phone rang.  She always kept a portable phone near her workstation, so she could hear it ringing, the only question was, where was it?  Piles of fabric surrounded her, and it was obvious the phone was under one of them but she wasn’t sure which.  The phone was just about to go to voicemail when Edna finally picked it up.

“Hello,” she said, a little breathless from her search.

“Hi!” said a chipper female voice, “Is this Edna Chambers?”
Edna hesitated a moment, “Yes” she said, drawing out the word questioningly.

“Hello Edna, this is Janie Jamison, from Quilter’s Weekly Magazine.  I’m so excited to speak with you.  One of our readers sent in a photo of one of your quilts, and we’d love to publish it.  I can send you a Fedex pick up if you can box it up for me.  We have a fabulous photographer, and of course we’ll send you copies of all the pictures.”

Edna had been standing when she answered the phone, but as Janie spoke she found herself sinking into her chair.  She was confused, she hadn’t sent in any photos, what was this woman talking about?

“Edna, are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m here.  I’m just a little confused because I don’t remember sending you any photos.”

“Well, I’m looking at one right here, it’s of a gold and blue quilt with all kinds of interesting things stitched onto it.  Hmmm,” she said as 

Edna heard shuffling papers, “Here it is!  The quilt is called Memory Tree.  That is your quilt isn’t it?”

Edna swallowed, hard.  “Yes, it’s my quilt.  Can you tell me who sent you the photo?”

Janie shuffled another stack, “Someone named Jolene Johnson, from Carson City?”

Edna smiled and sighed, “That’s my sister.  She kept telling me she was going to send it but I never thought she would.”

“Well, we’re very glad she did!  Your work is so unique it needs to be shared.  Is it a problem if we publish it?  The art director says that if the photos come out as well as we hope it might make the cover.”

Edna was stunned, the cover of a quilting magazine?  How could that be?  She’d never even thought of such a thing.

Recovering herself she said, “Of course, I’d love to have it published.  What do you need me to do?”

After taking down all the information, Janie told her she’d be sending along some legal paperwork for her to sign and that as compensation she’d not only receive copies of the photographs, but also a gift package from the magazine’s advertisers.

“If your quilt does make the cover one of our writers will be calling you for an interview and you’ll get a small feature article.  Is there anything exciting happening for you quilting wise in the next six months or so?”

Edna’s first thought was “nothing,” but then she remembered the annual guild show.  “Our guild has a show in April, and I’ll have at least one new quilt in it.”

“That’s fabulous!  We won’t be publishing your quilt photos until our June issue and that’s our annual guild edition.  If we decide to go cover, we’ll be in touch.  I can send a photographer and writer up there to do a story on you and the guild.”  Janie seemed excited, and was, she’d been wanting to tie a cover quilt to a guild show for a while but it never seemed to work out.

After Edna hung up the phone she sat quietly for a while.  This can’t be happening, she kept saying to herself, I’m dreaming, I’ve got to be dreaming.  It was then that Joe walked into the studio from the kitchen, he was jabbering away about something but Edna didn’t hear him.  She looked up at him and he stopped in his tracks.

“Edna, I heard the phone ring, what’s wrong?”  He was beginning to panic, had something happened to Joey?

Edna burst into laughter , “Everything’s fine Joe, it’s better than fine!”  She ran over to him and gave him a huge hug and kiss, and started leading him in a dance.

Joe was laughing too, there was nothing better than Edna in a great mood. 

“OK, that’s enough dancing, tell me what happened.”

Edna sat him down in her recliner and told him everything; about Jolene sending the photo, and this Janie person, and the possibility of her quilt being on the cover….oh, and the quilt guild being featured in the magazine…

“Oh Edna, that’s wonderful!  It’s about time you got some recognition.  And that sister of yours, good for her!  Are you going to announce it at the guild meeting tonight?”
Edna blanched, she hadn’t thought of that.  She supposed she should tell them, but then she didn’t know anything for sure yet and if it didn’t happen, well, that wouldn’t go over well.

“I think I’ll wait until I hear for sure what’s happening, No point in getting their hopes up if it doesn’t happen.  Do you think we could head in to town tomorrow to pick up the packing materials?  She’s sending a FedEx pickup for Thursday.”

“We can go today if you’d like.”  Joe was beaming, “I’m so proud of you Edna, now you’d better get on the phone to Jolene and let her know what’s happening.”

Jolene was thrilled with the news, and after a few “told you so’s” had to head out to her guild’s afternoon meeting.  “We’ll talk tomorrow, enjoy everything and make sure you tell that nasty Sue all about it at the meeting tonight.”

Edna had already decided she wasn’t going to say anything to the guild members.  There were a few people she’d love to tell, but they’d be too excited to keep it a secret and considering the way things were it probably wasn’t a good time for the news to get out.

Joe always went out to eat on guild meeting nights, he met up with a few other “quilt widowers” over at Al’s place.  Edna met up with her friends at the local diner where they took over a large table and watched each other eat as little as possible.  The funniest part is that there wasn’t one lady there under a size 14; those salads with dressing on the side weren’t fooling anyone.

Tonight Edna was in a good mood, and she was hungry.  When she ordered the Patty Melt the other ladies looked on in envy, and the extra order of fries she had the waitress place in the middle of the table were gone in a flash.  There’d be a lot fewer grumbling tummies tonight!

Of course, the main topic of conversation was what was happening at the Piece of Work.  Turns out that Sue didn’t have to shut down if she took the shelves down, and she and Belinda and Amy worked all morning getting the shop ready to open. 

Edna was relieved, at least she didn’t have to shut down completely, maybe tonight wouldn’t be as bad as she feared.
 

Next:  The Guild Meeting from Hell