By six o’clock most people had begun to drift off, making their excuses for why they couldn’t stay overnight. June thought of her own home, with its comfortable bed and a microwave lasagna for one waiting in the freezer. Then she spotted Stanley sitting in his chair, looking exhausted.
“Why don’t you go home tonight and get some rest?” June said to him.
“Thank you, but I’m not leaving this place until the council assure us it’s safe.”
“Mum, can I stay?” Chantal asked Michelle, who was trying to coax her three-year-old twins into the stroller.
“If the others don’t mind. But don’t you dare cause any bother.”
When the last visitor had gone, June locked the front door.
“Well, this is the motliest crew of protesters I’ve ever seen,” Mrs.B said, looking from Stanley to June and Chantal.
They began tidying up the mess from the day. Once the librarywas looking a little clearer, June pulled out her phone and typed a message to Linda, asking her to feed Alan Bennett. A minute later a reply popped up.
Spending the night with Alex?!! Make sure u take clean knickers with u— maybe the slutty ones u got from that shop??
June thrust her phone away. She spotted Chantal over in the corner, searching through the food leftovers.
“I’m glad you’re here,” June said when she joined her. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”
Chantal continued rummaging through the bags without looking at June.
“Your mum mentioned you might not go back to school in September.”
Chantal found a packet of crisps at the bottom and pulled it out, sending everything flying.
“I just wanted to say, please don’t let what’s going on with the library get in the way of your schoolwork. You’re such a bright girl and you shouldn’t give up on university.”
Chantal finally turned to June. “You don’t get it, do you?”
“Get what?”
“This is just some job for you. And if the library closes, all you’ll have to do is find a new job somewhere else, right?”
“That’s not true. My mum—”
“Don’t you live on your own down on Willowmead?”
June nodded.
“Well, imagine if you lived in a house with six other people. A house so small that you don’t even have your own bed, let alone abedroom. Then imagine trying to study for your exams like that. That’s why I need this place, June, because without it I’ll never get my A levels and I’ll be stuck in this shitty village forever.”
June started to reply but stopped herself. What could she possibly say to make Chantal feel better? The teenager was right; if the library closed there would be lots of people like her whose lives would suffer, and June had been so absorbed with her own problems that she’d barely stopped to think about any of them. She looked away from Chantal toward Stanley, who was sitting in front of one of the computers. He was always the first to arrive at the library and the last to leave. Where would he go all day if it closed?
As if sensing she was thinking about him, Stanley looked up and signaled to June. “Come on, the local news is on.”
The four of them huddled round the computer to watch the first two items, but there was no mention of the library occupation.
“Maybe we won’t be featured this time,” Stanley said.
“Vera was right,” Mrs.B said. “We should have got Rocky along.”
Just then Tessa appeared on-screen, standing outside the library. “First there was a stripper. Now, the sleepy village of Chalcot have gone one step further in their attempt to save their library.”
“Look, Mrs.Bransworth, it’s you,” Stanley said, as they watched images of Mrs.B in the crowded library.
“Pensioners from the village have occupied the library in protest at the council’s threat to close it down,” Tessa said over the shots.
