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As Maye approached the corner of Main Street near the market entrance, she could hear music. “Wow, they got a band? They are really going all out for the first night.”

“Um, Maye…” Tracy said as she lightly jogged to catch up. “I think I should warn you about something—”

But it was too late.

Maye turned the corner to see the regional high school band playing and a large crowd gathered at the entrance.

“They’re here!” Mayor Mayer announced from a stack of egg crates. “Let it rip!”

A banner unfurled from the Downtown Fall Market arch: Welcome to Greenville, Christoffer Robett R. Walker!

Maye stopped and her jaw fell wide open.

“I’m sorry, Maye,” Tracy said as she caught up. “I wanted to warn you…”

The music fumbled to a stop.

“False alarm, folks,” Mayor Mayer announced. “Roll up the banner, Todd.”

“Tracy! What! The Heck!” Maye stomped her foot with every word. “How does this happen?”

“We all thought Chris would be here and that it would be a nice welcome. I’m so sorry!” Tracy pleaded. “In our defense, you said ‘no conspiring,’ you never said ‘no banners.’”

“It didn’t even cross my mind that I would need to say no banners, or no marching band, or no welcome party! But I will now. From now on, no banners and no marching bands!”

“Well…” Tracy hesitated. “We already have the banner, so…”

“Ugh!” Maye stormed through the crowd and into the market.

After a few minutes, Tracy found Maye taking out her frustrations on the Whack-a-Gourd game. Tracy slid a warm apple cider in her direction.

“Thanks,” Maye said.

“Look,” Tracy began, “I get that you don’t like all the surprises, but everyone is just so excited. They want to be involved, you know? They want Chris to feel welcomed.”

“I know,” Maye admitted as she slammed down a gourd with the foam mallet.

“Are you still mad at me?” Tracy asked.

Maye continued to whack at the gourd holes.

“Because…” Tracy continued, “the game is over now…”

“I know,” Maye mumbled.

“Okay…Are you upset that we planned to welcome Chris?”

Maye slapped at an empty gourd hole.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Tracy said.

Maye knocked the mallet again.

“Okay, good,” Tracy said. “So you didn’t like the welcome party. Did you want to know about it? Did you want to be part of it?”

Maye whacked the mallet and looked up at Tracy. “I am aware that I might be overreacting a little bit,” Maye said. “I just don’t want things to continue to happen around me in my life without knowing about them. I have been trying to participate in my life more, so it’s just upsetting and a bit humiliating, I guess, to feel so ignorant and unaware.”

“Well, I will try to fill you in on things when I can,” Tracy said. “I want you to be part of the fun, but you can’t say no to everything. For starters, there’s a welcome party tomorrow night at the market entrance. There’s a marching band and a banner,” Tracy wrapped an arm around Maye.