Preface

Tilly Roslyn Vine-Porter was a very proud woman. She was born in the early 1940s and has been an unstoppable force ever since she came from her mother's womb. (Three weeks prior to her original due date, in fact.) She was born to a very poor family and a professor for a father.

After the death of her mother on Tilly's fifth birthday, she was raised around her father's co-workers at the university he taught at. Ever since she could speak, she was told to not hold herself back and speak her mind.

Boy; did she ever.

Graduating years earlier then the average student, she hung around pubs with her father and his friends, fawning over the missed years of their Speak Easy days. She listened and quipped with the others, speaking her opinions on everything from voting for women, racism and the war.

She drank too much, she smoked too much and she said too much. Over the years, Tilly grew into a fine elder woman, broke her father's heart by never marrying, and fell in love with someone – or something, else.

Books.

She ate words up, digging through libraries and finding collections to add to her own. She saved over the years and began to add books, keeping them at friend's houses when she ran out of room at her own.

In the year of 1997, the year I turned five at the time, she opened up her own library to the public. The Vine library was a large brick building. It had huge windows with large white shutters on the outside, so it gave the feel of a very large doll house. It held over ten thousand books and counting, as well it had three computers in a study room.

It was the pride and joy of Tilly's life, but I only met her near the end of it. And this woman changed mine, when a fateful day brought me to her library and I adopted it as my own.

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I found the Vine on a drive through my Father's town. I call it His town, even though I guess I should stake my own claims. I have never stepped foot on this side of country until two weeks ago. He has lived here in the northern part of Mississippi since his divorce with my mother eight years ago.

Yet eight years later my mother dies of cancer. In the hospital the day she died was one I will never forget. She was doing fine, reading a paper back romance novel and I went down the hallway to the soda machine. I came back when I saw nurses rushing to her room, dropping my favorite soda as it splashed along the shiny sterile tile.

I tore down to the room and slid past a nurse, "Mom? Mom!" And I was pushed out by that nurse, telling me to stand outside while they worked to bring my mother back. She didn't come back and I didn't make it in time to say good bye.

Countless doctor visits and sleeping in hospital beds next to my mom, tried of needles and watching her pain until it ended.

I never felt so relieved and guilty in my life after my mother's death. She was a funny and charming woman when she wanted to be and she could always manage to make every sentence come out Shrink-ish. (She was a psychologist.) But the hospitals were too much and never ending. She had cancer for four years and I spent four years beside her. I am seventeen years old and I graduated high school when I was fourteen.

I had to differ college to help take care of my mother, a sacrifice my professor of a father thought I was stupid for doing. Relief along with guilt came when she passed, tears I tried to shed unable to come from my tear ducks. I tried to cry and it didn't work, I knew she was in a better place and I felt relief of not having the burden of the sickness hanging over her and me.

The hospital called my father and he flew in to town for the first time since he came to my 13th birthday party. I was in the waiting room when he came up to me, looking down with sad eyes and longing to be allowed to comfort me.

My father was a tall balding man with a scruffy beard and thick sideburns. His hair was disheveled and his glasses slightly askew on the brim of his nose. I had his height and long arms, along with his mud brown eyes but my mother's corn silk hair.

He cleared his throat and said "Hey, kiddo." I lifted up my head to look at him with raised brows "Hey yourself, stranger."

Dad chuckled nervously and shuffled his warn penny loafers when he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and said with full sincerity "I missed you." He took a deep sigh and said "I am sorry about Meredith, Vivian."

Nodded in thanks to my dad and said "It's Vivi. Not Vivian." He nodded in acknowledgement right back "Right, sorry. Can I get a hug?" His eyes began to water when he asked that question and I felt strange about how my father could cry while I wasn't able to.

I stood up and stepped toward him before being enfolded within his arms and he cried gently into my shoulder. I stood there and being held, bringing the comfort to my father he thought he was giving me, but it seemed he needed it the most.

So, after a funeral that my dad was able to openly weep with my mother's family and I was unable to shed any tears, I was brought to live with him here.

Here is a quaint town in the northern part of Mississippi, named Winnie. Like the stuffed animal and Disney icon.

Winnie has a population of six thousand five hundred and sixty seven people as resident. Use to be sixty six but as of yesterday when my father's neighbor bore her fifth son.

It has one movie theatre, one Wal-mart, three gas stations and an outlet mall. It has a corner grocery store, auto-shops, nail salons, shoe shops, diners and a few restaurants. A brand new McDonald's was built a year ago to compete against a KCF right across the street. And it has no book stores but it does have The Vine.

I saw the entire town expect the library on the drive home from the airport located in a slightly larger town. My dad was listening to the Beatles and humming along to the songs while I stared out the window and taking inventory of all the things that made up Winnie. I passed by the elementary schools, the one junior high and the high school.

(Sadly none of these schools had Winnie the Pooh as their school mascot.)

Thankfully I wouldn't have to attend any of those, been there done that, but when we drove by the University of Winnie Mississippi, UWM, my dad stopped by to show him his office, beaming that I would be attending his school in the fall.

The campus was spacious with buildings blooming along hills. He pointed his building, the English department, and mentioned we would be walking along those steps in August. "Oh, I think you will love your classes. The cafeteria and the library over on there and then there is the interesting Administration building that has a museum inside with tours given…"

After that point I drowned him out and looking at the large white buildings with their gray roofs and cheery flower beds out along the campus. I was interested in the large library I could see over the next hill but my dad dragged me back to the car and off we were again.

His car smelt like lemons and citrus scent wafted through the air. He had a four door Honda sedan and you could tell that he cared about this care greatly. New car smell wasn't present but the car on the inside was spotless and the windows were streak free.

Dad slowly pulled onto a street and slowly pulled into the driveway of the second house on the street. He turned off the engine and he smiled saying "Honey! We're home!"

I stared at him when he began to crack up at his joke but until he noticed I wasn't laughing along with it got awkward. He coughed and cleared his throat, getting out and gently closing his car door.

When I got out I also slowly closed, not wanting to cause him a heart attack and another loss of a parent. He spread his arms wide and said "This is the house." It was a small green house with a white roof and a white garage. The yard was kept nice and it seemed dad was trying to tame a bush of gardenias growing in front of the first window I saw.

He turned to me, looking at me with our identical eyes and said "Like it?" He was worried I wouldn't and he gave me a sad puppy look. I sighed, not really liking it or not liking it. "It's fine," I replied.

He smiled tightly at my reply, "The movers will be here in an hour and mechanic is going to be bringing your car from your old house to here in about two weeks." I frowned, feeling a bad taste in my mouth when mention of my car taking so long to come. I nodded to him, tucking a strand of my long hair behind my left ear.

Grabbing his keys from his pocket, he took a key off his ring and tossed it my direction. I caught it, barely, and grasped in my hand before slipping it into my pocket. "You'll need it to get in and out when you feel like it," dad said before walking up the pavement and up to the front door. He unlocked the door and told me to make myself at home.

I attempted to attach myself to this house. I liked the books my dad had on the shelves lining many walls but it is foreign to me. He had one room dedicated to me, pictures of me hanging on all the walls and copies of awards I made in school in a three ring binder he kept on a table.

The movers did come and bring me all of my stuff which I made myself at home in what use to be my dad's office. He moved his office to the smaller guest room and I tried to make the new room my own. The third day I was here I painted the walls a bright purple and put pictures up on walls, first one of my mom before the sickness took her.

It was a depressing two weeks until today when my car arrived in the drive way. I smiled for the first time since the day in the hospital and I accepted the keys from the man who drove it to me.

My dad came out to look at my car and whistled saying, "Nice ride, Vivi." I nodded to him saying, "Yep." I smiled to myself when I looked at my cherry red mustang 1966 mustang and said "Dad, meet Roslyn." I walked over to my car and hugged the hood.

I missed my car; it was the gift I got from my mother at age fourteen for graduating high school. I wasn't able to drive it until a year later and then I couldn't drive it alone until the year after but I have always loved it.

So, I pocketed my keys to my car and ran inside to grab my bag. I ran back outside past my dad as he was watching my car with great interest. His white Honda was looking sad next to mine. I opened the door and got inside, loving the smell of my mulberry car freshener.

Dad frowned at me saying "Ditching me already?" He was teasing, winking at me before he turned and waved over his shoulder as I pulled out and drove down the road. I began to learn the streets during my first two weeks but I have yet to find anything worth going to besides the diner.

Three days ago I noticed a library book sitting on my dad's desk in his office and I asked him later about it. He shrugged saying "Oh, the book isn't bad." I scoffed at him saying "Not the book, I am asking about the library." Dad then chuckled saying "Ah, my mistake Vivi. It's called The Vine. I guess I haven't showed it to you."

I shook my head at him and he piped up saying "It is a large library and a crazy old lady named Tilly owns it." I was impressed with her owning it and frowned at my dad saying "Not nice to call her names." He chuckled once again and said "My apologies. What's for dinner?"

Since then I couldn't get the thought of The Vine out of my mind and with Roslyn back in my possession I was going to go find it. I turned down many streets and only came up with houses and shops. I drove the University and pass a fancy restaurant dad and I have yet to go to.

Driving by an old grave yard which gave me goose bumps but I drove straight down into a dead end. (Dead end? Ha!) And then down in this end I found The Vine. It had a small parking lot where a light baby blue mustang was parked in the first parking space. It was older than my own and I appreciated it before turning my head to gaze at the library.

It was huge. And the design of it made me think I was Barbie going into a doll house library. I pulled into the space next to the mustang and looked up through my windshield the building.

It wasn't just the huge building that was surprising but the willow trees and oak trees all over making it feel like a library in the middle of an unknown forest that I stumbled upon. I got out of the car and locked up Roslyn.

A mini van and gray truck parked three spaces down from mine and I walked up a small brick sidewalk until I reached the tall front door. It seemed eerie how doll like it reminded me of and I expected it to have a giant door bell but I just pushed it up open and walked right in.

There seemed to be an endless row of book shelves. The building is the size of a factory; you walk in and step on a welcome mat that had a book on it. Shelves were on every wall and separate book shelves stood up and created mini hallways between isles.

I walked straight and out of the shelves, looking into a big space where couches were set for reading and a huge front desk and a door behind the desk that I figured led to a back room.

Couldn't see anyone, they were probably lost in the maze that was the book shelves. As I looked more closely at the front desk for the first time and saw an old woman behind the desk.

The older woman had bright white hair and heavy lidded eyes and heavy wrinkles probably caused by laughing too much. I caught the smell of cigarette smoke and walked forward, the closer I got to this woman and I noticed she was the one where the smell was coming from.

She was wearing bright red lipstick when I met her that day and placed a long fancy cigarette back in her mouth, the white part of the cigarette stained from her lips. She looked up when she saw me and smiled, pulling the cigarette out saying "Hello, missy."

I smiled at her slightly and said "I want to get a library card." She leaned forward to look at me and said "Do I know you?" I raised my brows at the older woman and said "Uh, no."

The woman sat back "Well, damn. Oh okay, girlie, I will get you a card. But first things first we need to get some introductions out of the way." She hopped down from her stool and walked around the counter, slightly shorter in height than me. She had light green eyes and gapped teeth but her eyes held the clever gleam to them when she held out a liver spotted hand.

I shook her hand and said "My name is Vivi." She nodded to me grasping my hand with her own and said "My name is Tilly, nice to meet you Vivi." She hand a firm grip for a lady and used her free hand to place her cigarette back in her mouth.

Tilly released my hand and walked back behind the counter; she took a key from around her neck and unlocked the door I noticed. She went inside and shortly returned with a beer, a pack of cigarettes and my new library card.

She spilled her contents on to the counter, first stubbing out her cigarette into a lopsided ash tray and opened up the beer with her bare hand. I was amazed with that feat, having watched my dad struggle to get his open last night with a beer opener. She took a quick sip and placed it back down on the counter.

Looking up at me she smiled and said "Now then, your library card. What's your street and phone number?" I told her and she nodded, placing glasses that were dangling around her neck onto her nose before typing into a small computer screen next to her.

She pushed the glasses back up when she turned to look at me saying, "Full name and age?" I brushed hair out of my face saying, "Oh, Vivian Josephine Watts and I am seventeen." Tilly smiled at my name and looked shocked when she typed in my age, her green eyes large when she said, "Bubs, you look younger than your age. What school are you attending?"

I shrugged at her and bit my lip saying "I am going to be a freshman at UWM." She stopped typing and looked at me, her glasses slipping down the brim of her nose. "You're in college, really?" She said with disbelief. I nodded to her and she whistled slowly before taking another sip of her beer.

Tilly stopped typing and looked up at me, a rueful smile on her face saying "You remind me of me when I was young. I graduated my high school early like I assume you did?" I told Tilly "I graduated when I was fourteen." I had the feeling of heat on my face, secretly liking how this woman, with this amazing library, thinks me and her are similar.

She smiled at me widely and winked saying "I just a month shy of my fifteenth birthday when I graduated." She resumed typing and stopped when she snapped her fingers together saying "Your Jaffrey Watts' kid!" I nodded to her and said "My dad had a book out from here which is where I learned about this place."

Typing a bit more she chuckled saying "I have known your father since he has rolled into town, smart fella'." I smiled in thanks on the compliment of my dad when I heard a cough behind me. I turned to look over my shoulder at a slightly older guy with short hair and a cleft chin.

Tilly grimaced at the guy and said "Hold your horses, Benjamin." She turned her attention to me and smiled saying "You look like your dad." I shrugged saying "But I have my mom's hair." Or was that had since she died?

I heard another rude cough and turned when the guy said to me "Can you move your scrawny ass over so I can check out and leave? I am late." I felt a blush coming on and I glared at him.

Couldn't help the heat rising to my face, I felt so embarrassed and angry but I was shocked when I heard a smacking noise on the counter.

I quickly flicked my eyes over to Tilly realizing her palm was smacked on the counter when she opened her mouth and let this Benjamin character have it. "How dare you say that, Benjamin? You said that rude thing to this nice young lady, you son of a bitch." She stormed from behind the counter and walked up to Benjamin, jabbing her finger into his chest.

Benjamin looked shocked and angry when he growled at Tilly but she then said "You get your dumb ass head out of this library before I drop you on it, you no good piece of shit." She ripped the books out of his arms and stomped back behind the counter, seething she let out her own growl at Benjamin then said "Oh boy is your mama is going to hear about this."

His face fell on the hearing of bring his mother into this business and stammered saying "S-sorry, Ms. Vine-Porter." He turned and ran out of the library into the bright sunlight outside.

I turned to look back at the librarian and she was grumbling "No good mother-fucking coward…" She looked up at me for the first time and sighed; slightly embarrassed she said "I am sorry for the language, Vivi."

Shrugging I nodded to her but felt pleased that she stood up for me. I smiled softly at her saying "Thank you for doing that." She then looked pleased with me and grinned, "Oh I am going to enjoy phoning his mother tonight. Boy needs to get slapped around sometimes."

Tilly took the books the guy Benjamin was suppose to check out and dumped them onto a cart to be dealt with later. She wiped her hands of him and the books before looking up at me and smiling warmly saying "Now where were we?"

Glancing at her computer she printed out a receipt and gave it to me before writing my name on the back of the library card in pretty script. She slid it across the counter to me and said "Here you go, Vivi." Tilly smiled at me and turned in surprise when a man came out from the door behind her.

She placed a hand over her heart in mock shock and said sarcastically "Oh my, Vivi, look, it is Arnold. My only other employee who is doing the walk of shame back into work after being four hours late." The man was tall and fair skinned with greasy looking brown hair.

Arnold looked ashamed from his boss to me and he sighed. He mumbled some excuse before taking the cart that Benjamin's books were discarded on and leading the cart down an isle and disappeared. Tilly took a swig of her beer and shook her head at me "That man is always so late."

I looked back down the isle he went on and said "Well, maybe he had a good excuse?" I turned back to see Tilly had her silver eye brows raised at me making excuses for him. I shrugged at her and she in turned shrugged back at me. I laughed and she did to before she actually placed the library card in my hand.

Slipped the card in my pocket as I smiled at her and I turned when I heard a little girl and her mother carrying books in canvas bags towards us. I felt a pang in my chest that use to be me and my mom. Tilly was watching my face and brows frowned but she didn't say anything to me as I backed away from the desk.

"I am going to go find some books, Tilly." She nodded at me and smiled a greeting to the mother and daughter pair as they unloaded their books onto the counter. I turned and headed down an isle, getting slightly lost among all the books but not bothered by it. I found many new novels I have always wanted to read but could never find like the Harlequin Valentine by Neil Gaiman, a book that was banned from shelves.

I smirked to myself and thought the book was going to be scandalous. I turned down another isle and was scanning the shelves when one book I was looking at was pulled from the other side. Arnold's face was shown on in the next isle through the space and he grumbled an apology and placed the book back.

He seemed like a pretty unhappy person. And as I went down another isle, I bumped into him. Arnold frowned at me and grumbled turning in the opposite direction of where he came. I took my book and headed down a long isle and out of the shelves shadow. I head up to the library front desk, Tilly sitting there drinking another beer as I placed the book on the counter.

She looked at the title and wiggled her eyebrows at me saying, "Very interesting find, Vivi." I giggled at her as we shared the same thought. She checked out the book and gave it back, sliding a bookmark with the receipt. I collected the items off the counter, Tilly leaned forward and whispered "Come back tomorrow, I will have another good book for you."