Authors Note

Hey guys! This is my first attempt at a To Kill A Mockingbird Fan fiction. All rights and characters (apart from my OC) belong to Harper Lee.

This story takes place in 1946, eleven years after the events in the novel.

A Widowers Affair

The old, tired bus pulled up in the town square, the wheels squealed with age as the breaks were applied. I hurried to grab my suitcase from under the seat as the doors opened with a creak. The crowded bus slowly emptied leaving me the only one, I struggled under the weight of my bag but managed to carry it onto the sidewalk near the courthouse.

This was Macon, a tired old town in Alabama. Not much happened here that affected the surrounding areas. Why was I here? After the depression I couldn't afford to live anywhere else so my Aunty Maude offered me a place to stay. She was waiting by the bus stop when I arrived, she didn't drive so instead she helped me manage the weight of my bag as we walked towards her house.

She didn't live far from town so it wasn't too much of a struggle between the two of us, to carry my bag down the street. Once we arrived at her house she showed me to my room and left me to get settled.

I had lost my husband in the war and because I wasn't working I was unable to afford the house I lived in, so the banks took it and forced me to move into this town. At first I resented the idea of living in a small town, but I loved my Aunty Maude and rarely got to see her so I agreed to move here to live with her.

By the time I'd finished unpacking and settling in, it was time for dinner. Aunt Maude cooked wonderfully and I looked forward to the first of many dinners I'd be sharing with her.

As I had expected dinner was fabulous, I helped her with the washing up and then joined her for coffee out on the porch.

Macon really was beautiful, the silence was relaxing and a great change from the constant city noises I was use to.

"Tomorrow I'll show you around the town, you simply must meet my dear friend Atticus and his two children," Maude said as she sipped her coffee.

"The towns fairly small, I'm sure I'll meet them eventually," I teased as I looked out at the small house in front of Maude's. The idea of meeting other people excited me.
"Atticus has two children about your age dear, his oldest son got back from war just last year," Maude continued as if ignoring me.

"That's wonderful Aunt Maude, I'm glad he's alright…" I whispered.

"Maudie!" A old voice echoed up from the street.
"Atticus dear, nice to see you this afternoon," Maude smiled.

Atticus approached our house wearing a grey suit ensemble, his button up shirt was white and contrasted against his charcoal grey jacket and trousers. His feet were wrapped with worn out leather shoes and a light blue tie sat proudly on his chest. His hair was combed back and he wore large glasses, he was a really handsome man especially for his age.

"Atticus, I'd like you to meet my niece," Maude began as she pointed to me, "she's just moved in with me and will be staying with me until further notice."
"Very nice to meet you Atticus, I'm Evelyn," I spoke as if I'd rehearsed this encounter.
"Pleasure to meet you young Evelyn," he smiled.
"Evelyn's a widower, and around the same age as Jem," Maude continued.
"Sorry to hear about that," Atticus sympathised. "You two ladies should stop by soon."
"We will Atticus," Maude said as Atticus crossed the street and disappeared into his house.

"Isn't he a lovely man?" Maude smiled as she sipped at her coffee.
"He is quite handsome, how lucky his wife must be,."
"Not very lucky dear, you see…Mrs Finch passed away a while ago…" Maude whispered.
"Oh, how terribly tragic…" I breathed.
Once my cup was emptied I said good night to Maude and went to bed after washing my cup.

xxxx

After a few weeks in this town I began to go stir-crazy, the promise of people my age was short lived. Atticus's son didn't want company and his daughter wasn't fond of me so she kept her distance. So instead of hanging out with likeminded people I ended up spending my downtime with my Aunt Maude and her friends.
These small town housewives acted as if they were royalty, they sipped tea and dined on pathetically small cakes. During morning and afternoon teas I'd have to excuse myself for a couple minutes just to get out of the house and be myself for a few moments before I had to return to the front room and endure an hour of senseless gossip.

One afternoon the ladies had gathered at Aunt Maude's house to begin their weekly bickering. Just before they started swapping stories I excused myself and ran out onto the street.

As I reached the centre of the street Jem appeared from the Finch's house, he was wearing an old flannelette shirt that was buttoned most of the way up. The bottom of his shirt hung over a pair of dusty jeans. On his feet sat a pair of sneakers and his hair was a mess. He wasn't as neatly presented as his father but he most certainly took after his father's appearance.

"Hey Jem!" I called as I crossed onto his side of the street.
"Oh hey, who are you?" he smiled as he picked up the newspaper from the front garden.
"I'm Evelyn, Maudies niece…I've been here for a couple of weeks."
"Oh so you're the one Atticus has been talking about, you're not what I expected," he laughed gently.
"And can I ask what you were expecting?" I asked.
"Some stuck up snob…but I can see that you're not what I envisioned when Atticus told me you came from the big city," Jem blushed.
"Your father told me that you fought in the war, my husband was also in that war fighting the good fight," I smiled proudly.
"Atticus told me about your husband, I'm terribly sorry…" Jem began.
"No that's fine, really…I've had a few years to come to terms with it," I confessed.
"Are you busy or did you want to come inside for some tea?" he asked.
"I'd love to."

I followed him inside and sat at the table while he boiled the kettle, some people during this time would think it odd for a man to boil the kettle and make tea for a woman. Regardless of what society may or may not think, I fell in love with him the moment he turned up the heat on the stove.