by Ashton Lee
Douglas was gazing out one of his great room windows at the lake, marveling once again at the feeling of redemption it always produced somewhere deep inside him. Whether at early dawn, sunset, or anywhere in between, it spoke to him in ways he could not put into words. Fishing was just the excuse he used to be near the lessons it was trying to teach him.
Connie soon joined him and began peering out into the night herself. “What is it we’re looking for?” she said. “The Lake Cherico Monster? We could always get a myth started and make The Guinness Book of World Records.”
He turned and put his arm around her, smiling. “I was just thinking that we haven’t done enough yet. To help Cherico, I mean. I’m still not satisfied.”
She pulled away just enough to catch the intensity in his dark eyes. “You want to do something more than help pay for the library repairs?”
He nodded slowly and then faced the lake and its shimmering moonlit surface again. “We have so much acreage out here. This was the biggest parcel Justin Brachle had for sale back then, and we got it for a song. I was halfway thinking at the time that we might build a guest house on it someday. It would give Lindy and Melissa a place of their own whenever they came to visit. But not so much anymore. My idea now is that we donate a couple of acres to Cherico as a site for the new library. Maura Beth says they haven’t come up with the land yet. Well, there’s plenty of room between our property line and the Milners. They’ve planted us out with all those willows and pines, so they wouldn’t see it anyway. But imagine it—a library with a view. Maybe they could design a deck overlooking the water like The Marina Bar and Grill. A library like that couldn’t help but have outstanding circulation.”
Connie lifted her chin and narrowed her eyes, clearly trying to picture it. “I think it sounds lovely. But what about the location? Do you think people would want to drive out here to check out books and get on the Internet?”
“It’s a five-minute drive,” Douglas pointed out. “In fact, you know as well as I do that you can get anywhere you want in Cherico in five minutes. The inside joke here is that there really is no greater in Greater Cherico. It’s a wonderfully funny expression, though.”
“When you put it like that, I have to agree.”
He pulled her in again, and their heads touched gently. “I was thinking we could announce our intentions tonight at The Twinkle.”
“I know Maura Beth would be thrilled.”
He took a moment and then pointed to the water. “When I was out there today, I didn’t even cast my line. I just wanted to listen.”
“To what?”
“To the lake. It laps at the shore very gently, and I just listen. And after I’d gotten my usual fill of the sun and started in to the pier, it came to me just what I ought to do with all this extra land we have. But you’re my wife, and this is your land, too. So, tell me, would you like to do this together? I won’t make a decision this big without you being on board.”
Connie looked into his eyes again and kissed him gently on the lips. “You know I’ve been looking forward to sharing our retirement here, and I can’t think of a better way to do it. We’ll tell Maura Beth and the others tonight. Speaking of which, I’ll round up the baked chicken, and we better get going or we’ll be late.”
About a quarter past nine Periwinkle was back in the kitchen getting ready to pour herself a steaming bowl of chicken gumbo and then have that postponed slice of sinful grasshopper pie when she heard the relentless knocking at the front door. “Will you go see what that’s about, Parker? Can’t people read the sign and see we’re closed? You’d think they’d know our hours by now anyway. I don’t know what gets into people.”
Mr. Place could barely contain his excitement as he headed out. “Will do. Can’t imagine what’s going on, either.” But once he’d let the Brachles, McShays, Miss Voncille, Locke Linwood, Nora Duddney, Maura Beth, and Jeremy inside, he shouted back. “Oh, Periwinkle, there are some people out here to see you, and they just won’t take no for an answer!”
“What on earth are you talking about!” she cried out, her irritation beginning to bubble over. “Stand up to them, for heaven’s sake!”
“They won’t listen to me. They really insist on seeing you. You need to come out here and take care of this!”
The ploy worked, and a few seconds later, Periwinkle was greeted with the loudest orchestrated “Happy Surprise Birthday!” of her life. It was clear from her expression and the way she clasped her hands together that she was genuinely caught off guard. But she quickly recovered.
“Well, dang-it-all, it looks like a girl just can’t keep her age a secret these days, can she?”
Many hugs and kisses on the cheek followed, and it took a while for everyone to get settled in, particularly with the covered dishes they had brought along with them. “I’ll take all of those back to the kitchen,” Mr. Place offered. “I’ll be officially in charge of the warming and serving, too. This is your special night, Periwinkle, so you just sit back and relax and let us do all the work.”
Periwinkle scanned the faces of her friends and asked, “Whose idea was this? Was it yours, Maura Beth?”
“Afraid not,” she answered, pointing to Mr. Place. “You can thank your right-hand man there for this little scheme.”
Periwinkle turned and gave him a sweet smile. “So that’s what you’ve been up to all day. Really, Parker, I thought you might have joined Weight Watchers or something the way you were paying so much attention to my diet today.”
Mr. Place shrugged with a display of his hands. “What can I say? I guess I’m not a very good actor.”
“But you’re a very good friend, Parker, and I thank you for thinking of me from the bottom of my heart. Come on over here, and let’s hug it out again.”
Everyone looked on, smiling and making noises of approval at the spontaneous display of affection, and then it was time to get the celebration under way.
“We all decided that the best gifts to bring you would be lots of potluck choices so you wouldn’t have to serve your own food at your own birthday party,” Maura Beth said. “Let’s see, if I remember correctly, I made some stuffed mushrooms, Nora whipped up a layered salad, Becca brought clam canapés and hot fruit, Connie brought some baked chicken, and, oh, yes, Miss Voncille brought her wonderful biscuits and green pepper jelly. I think that about covers it.”
“Except for the chocolate caramel sheet cake I made that’s been hiding at the back of the fridge all this time,” Mr. Place put in.
“Aha!” Periwinkle exclaimed, pouncing upon his words. “You mean the one you kept on describing as an experimental dessert, and I’d better not peek under the aluminum foil in case it didn’t turn out well? I thought you were probably up to something, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Experimental, my foot! Meanwhile, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m starving. So let’s heat up all this good food and chow down on my birthday feast!”
In the end, Maura Beth and Miss Voncille had decided to draw straws in the ladies’ room to see who went first with the straightforward engagement announcements. Well, not straws exactly. Lacking a broom, they had each offered up their lipsticks, and Maura Beth had concealed them behind her back, one in each hand.
“You pick,” Maura Beth had told her. “If it’s yours, you go first.”
“Right hand,” Miss Voncille had said, touching a spot in midair with her finger.
She had chosen her own but had been gracious about it. “Age before beauty, I suppose.”
“Now, none of that, Miss Voncille,” Maura Beth had returned with equal aplomb. “The fact is, you are both ageless and a beauty.”
Miss Voncille nodded in her general direction. “Why, thank you, my dear. You are a true Southern lady. I’ve thought so from the day you took over from Annie Scott, who was always out of sorts and let you know about it, too.”
When it was time for the actual announcements after everyone had eaten their fill of all the delicious offerings,
Miss Voncille chimed her glass of white wine several times. Both she and Locke then stood up while everyone seated around the well-lubricated table halted their chatter and gave them their quizzical attention. After all, Periwinkle had been toasted several times over. Was there anything more left to say?
“My friends,” she began, making eye contact with everyone in turn, “Locke and I have an important announcement to make tonight on this joyous occasion of Periwinkle’s birthday. No doubt some of you think it has been long in coming, but here it is at last. We intend to get married in August at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and, of course, we will want all of you to attend. It just wouldn’t be the same without you. As for my engagement ring, Locke has taken my breath away with this little gem.” She briefly displayed the elegant diamond on her finger. “Now, Locke, do you have anything to add?”
He looked at once sly and subversive, yet still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor. “I just want to thank Voncille for making me see that getting married was my idea from the very beginning.” He paused just long enough to collect a few titters and giggles. “But in all seriousness, she has a certain way about her, and fortunately for me, I fell head over heels as a result. So don’t let anyone ever tell you that you can’t fall in love twice in a lifetime.” There was an outburst of applause, “Awws!” and congratulatory phrases as the couple hugged and kissed. Then Periwinkle rose and hoisted her glass. “A toast to the soon-tobe bride and groom. We couldn’t be happier for you both!”
“To Locke and Voncille!” everyone shouted before tossing back generous swallows of their drinks.
“Thank you, one and all. As a wise retired schoolteacher once said, it’s never too late to change your life for the better,” said Miss Voncille. Then she gestured toward Maura Beth and Jeremy. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for an encore presentation!”
There was general buzzing throughout the room, along with a lineup of genuinely surprised faces.
“Yes, my friends,” Maura Beth began, rising from her seat with her fiancé. “It’s true. Jeremy and I are also going to be married in August, and all of you are the first to hear the good news.” Jeremy inched a bit closer, put his arm around her shoulder, and gave her a peck on the cheek. “As you already know, he’s going to be moving down here to Cherico to teach English to our bright young minds. How’s that for the makings of a devoted husband? All told, I think we’re off to an amazing start.” Then she brandished her ring finger. “And you ladies can all take turns checking out this gorgeous circle of stars Jeremy gave me.”
The already-boisterous group exploded further, and the flurry of hugs, kisses, and congratulations—not to mention the oohs and aahs over the ring—lasted several minutes.
“Well, I think I may need to have birthdays more often,” Periwinkle told Maura Beth, taking her aside at one point. “Good things are happening right and left.”
Maura Beth nodded enthusiastically. “Good things deserve to happen to us. We’re The Cherry Cola Book Club.”
“You bet we are!” Periwinkle exclaimed, feeling the warm, fuzzy effects of the several glasses of wine she had enjoyed. Then she turned to address the others, raising her voice further. “Folks, if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to make a little speech of my own right now!” Everyone eventually settled down and waited for her to begin. “Tonight, I fully intend to show all of you what a liberated woman I truly am. I will no longer keep secrets from my fellow Chericoans. It so happens I have in the past, but no more. The truth is, I officially turned forty-one today. Yes, you heard me right, and I know you all thought I was celebrating The Big Four-Oh. But I was one of those women who tried to hold off forty as long as I could. I kept shaving a year or two off my age thinking it mattered. But I’m here to tell you tonight that it doesn’t amount to a hill of baked beans—which, by the way, is not on the menu of The Twinkle and never will be. I like to think I’m a lot more creative than that.”
Everyone laughed, and Stout Fella even started up a chant: “No baked beans! No baked beans! No baked beans . . . !”
“So here’s to no baked beans and definitely no fear of birthdays. Never, ever!” Periwinkle cried out once the chanting had died off. Eventually, she took up a different train of thought.
“I know I’ve said this before, my friends, but you’ll never know how much this surprise birthday party means to me. It’s really nice to know that you like me and my restaurant this much. I guess you could say it’s my passion, and maybe it was in the stars for me all along.” She pointed dramatically to one of the mobiles dangling above them, which immediately produced some oohs and aahs. “Well, I think I’ve finally run out of things to say. You take it, Maura Beth.”
“Gladly. I’d have to say everything has been in the stars for all of us lately. We’ve shared so much with each other tonight—good food and drink to start with—and then these life-changing announcements such as August weddings one after another.”
“And guess what?” Douglas said, putting his arm around Connie and giving her a gentle squeeze. “We’re not through with the announcements yet. Tonight, Douglas and Connie McShay proudly announce to all of you, but particularly to Maura Beth, that we will be donating two acres of our lakefront property for the construction of Cherico’s new library. We know the site hasn’t been picked out yet, but we thought a state-of-the-art library with a view of the lake would put Cherico on the map.”
Maura Beth was nearly as speechless as she had been during Councilman Sparks’s press conference in which he had waved the white flag and claimed victory at the same time. But finally she gathered herself. “Douglas . . . Connie . . . this is unbelievably generous of you. It’s more than anyone had a right to expect.” She clasped her hands together and pointed them in their direction. “I just want to make sure. Do you really want to do this? Keep in mind that a year from now you’ll have a busy public library next door. You’ll be giving up some of your privacy, and I can’t promise you there won’t be a little traffic from time to time.”
“We understand that, but we’ve given it a great deal of thought, and this is our time to do something significant for Cherico,” Douglas answered, sounding not the least bit fazed. “I think we’d both be proud to wake up every morning, look out the window and see our handiwork rising right there on the lakeshore. Plus, we’d have no excuse for not returning our books and CDs on time.”
Maura Beth and the others laughed brightly, and she said, “You two are the best, and I think I could find it in my heart to forgive any fines you might have.”
“I do have a serious question, though,” Connie added. “You think Councilman Sparks will be okay with our proposal? For instance, would there be a zoning problem?”
“Oh, believe me,” Maura Beth began, rolling her eyes, “if it won’t cost City Hall a cent, he’ll be just fine with it. You won’t hear a peep out of him, and that will be music to my ears. I’m ready for a little peace and quiet after all the flak he’s given me and the library all this time. Zoning, schmoning. And even if there is a problem, Councilman Sparks will find a way around it. Just trust me on this one.”
Then Maura Beth and Jeremy made their way over to the McShays for an exchange of hugs. “Looks like everyone is full of surprises tonight,” Maura Beth said in the midst of all the excitement.
“Wow!” Jeremy exclaimed. “Uncle Doug . . . Aunt Connie—I’m so proud of you both. I’m sure I’ll be sending my students out there to do research after hours. You’re my heroes!”
“Hey, nephew,” Douglas said, patting his shoulder, “we think you’re a great teacher, too!”
“Well, as long as we’re celebrating all this good news with each other, don’t forget that Justin and I have a little one on the way,” Becca put in. “We’ve been waiting a long time to get pregnant, and now it’s finally happened. And just so you know, I’ve been thinking about an episode of my show that gives pregnant mothers with morning sickness something to swear by. You know, what to eat when you don’t feel
like eating, or can’t keep it down. I’ll be able to say without a doubt that I’ve done the research myself.”
“Oh, we’ve all been so excited for you since you told us a few days ago. Not about the morning sickness, of course. But I think maybe some of us are hoping we’re in the running for godmother and godfather when the time comes,” Maura Beth said.
Becca and Justin exchanged smiles, and she said, “I can’t think of a better group of friends to choose from, can you, Stout Fella?”
“No, ma’am, I can’t. Any one of ’em would do us proud. But maybe I should just say that if we don’t choose you this time, we might next time. We plan on having a nice, big family before we’re through, and when you get that new children’s librarian, we’ll keep her plenty busy, Maura Beth.”
“I can’t wait for them to grow up under her nose—and mine, too,” she answered.
Then Periwinkle stepped in. “Since we’re all about announcements tonight, Parker and I have one of our own we’d like to make right now. We’ve just been waiting for the right moment.” She gestured in his direction. “Will you do the honors, please?”
Mr. Place straightened up in his chair and cleared his throat. “Last year, Periwinkle and I started considering the possibility of a takeout and delivery service for The Twinkle. Someone had suggested it before, and just this past month we worked out all the details. Next month we will officially unveil our new ‘Twinkle in a Twinkle’ takeout menu. You can call in your order and pick it up, or we’ll deliver it to you anywhere within a five-mile radius of Greater Cherico. Now, your choices will be more limited than if you ate with us on Commerce Street, but just about all your favorites will be available. Hey, we know which side our bread is buttered on.”