Teaberry Class Reunion

by R A Wallace

  “There will also be a few short speeches while everyone is eating, and I believe there may be one or two comedy skits thrown in to keep everyone entertained during dinner. Once we get the food out of the way, the DJ will be here, and the floor will be open to dancing.” Libby cast an appraising look around the room.

  “Everything looks so nice,” Bev commented.

  “We have Caitlyn to thank for that,” Libby turned to Susan. “Your daughter definitely inherited your talent for decorating.”

  Susan personally thought Caitlyn did a better job than she ever had, but she smiled politely at the sentiment before Libby excused herself to greet more arrivals.

  “Amos! I’m glad you could make it,” Libby said.

  Amos tried to look around the room without being too obvious. It didn’t work.

  “Looking for anyone in particular?” Libby asked.

  Amos gave a noncommittal shrug. “Just seeing who’s here.”

  Libby gave a wise nod. She patted him on one arm and quickly pointed toward one of the tables before leaving him to greet someone else. Amos glanced in the direction she had pointed and saw Linda. He wondered when he’d gotten so obvious, then decided he didn’t really care. He made a beeline for the table Linda was standing next to. As he passed by the other tables, he found his name on a card and picked it up.

  “Have you found your seat yet?” Amos asked Linda as he approached her.

  Linda nodded toward the table next to her. “Good thing Claire and I already made up. We’re sitting at the same table.”

  Amos laughed as he set his name card down on the table. After reading all of the names, he picked up another card and tucked it into his pocket. He’d take care of it in a minute. “Looks like I’m sitting here too. Am I the first one to ask you to dance?”

  Linda was surprised that he asked but in a good way. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d danced with anyone. “I can’t promise your toes will survive the night.”

  Amos’s eyes twinkled as he responded. “Not a problem. I wore my steel-toe dancing shoes just in case.”

  “Oh, you!” Linda shook her head at him then motioned to Claire across the room when she saw her entering.

  Claire joined them as Amos turned to check out the line at the bar. “What are you ladies drinking?”

  “Wine,” they both said at the same time. They turned to each other and laughed. Amos left them talking to get their order after dropping the name card on another table.

  Linda set her purse down on the table. “Are you getting settled in the house?”

  Claire tilted her head to the side and grimaced. “Moving back to your old house is pretty strange. I keep thinking I should use the bigger bedroom, but that was my parents’ room.”

  Linda understood completely. She lived in the house she had grown up in. “It’ll get easier with time, though the holidays might bring back a lot of memories too.” Linda thought for a moment. “I might actually decorate for Christmas this year.”

  Claire looked at her in surprise. “I talked myself out of it. Now that I’m not… well, you know that I’m getting divorced.” Why pretend otherwise? “Now that I’m not with my husband, I was thinking it would be too much trouble.”

  “That’s what I thought every year. I was by myself, why bother? I’ve decided this year I might be worth the bother.” Linda wasn’t sure when she’d made the decision, but it felt right.

  Claire considered it as she looked around the room, watching her former classmates. “Maybe you’re right. The house would seem less lonely if I put up some decorations.”

  Linda turned to her. “I can’t remember the last time I had a real tree. It was probably when we were in high school. How about you?”

  Claire’s eyes widened as she thought back. It was probably that long ago for her as well. Both of her parents loved decorating for Christmas. They used to go to the tree farm every year and get a real tree.

  “Wow, that brings back memories,” Claire said with a sad smile.

  “Maybe it’s time to make new memories. Do you want to come with me tomorrow?” The more Linda thought about it, the more excited she got. “I’m going to get a real tree.”

  Claire nodded slowly as she considered it then made up her mind. “Why not? I’ll meet you there, though. That way, I can tie the tree on the roof of my car.”

  ***

  Yolanda sat at a table with an empty wine glass in front of her and wondered where Clay had disappeared to. She really needed another glass wine and she didn’t want to have to get it herself. She looked around the room and tried to find him. Finally, she saw him standing in the line at the bar and breathed a sigh of relief. Hopefully, he’d be bringing her another glass soon. He was talking to everyone while he waited in line. Yolanda didn’t know anyone else here. She hadn’t grown up here with Clay, but he had, at least, introduced her to a few people when they’d first arrived. She’d spoken to them for a while before excusing herself to take a seat.

  She turned again to check his progress. It looked like he was going to be in line for a long time. Frowning, Yolanda took out her phone. She needed something to do to keep herself entertained while she was waiting. Scrolling through her contacts, she found her girlfriend’s name and selected it. She spent the next several minutes happily complaining about Clay and the stupid class reunion he’d made her attend.

  ***

  Ellen Harris glanced at the time and turned to find her husband. She spotted him across the room and motioned to him that she was heading for their table. Pointing to her watch first, she then looked at the waitstaff as they brought in the food. He understood that meant that the food was being served now and they needed to take their seats. He nodded his understanding.

  Ellen turned to walk toward her table with a smile. When you’ve been married for over two decades, you had your own way of communicating. Ellen took her seat at the table and turned to introduce herself to the woman sitting across the table from her.

  “Hello, I’m Ellen Harris. My husband, Lee, is that handsome guy walking toward us.”

  Yolanda smiled politely. She didn’t really think that Lee was all that, but whatever. The woman was welcome to her delusions.

  “Yolanda Freemont. My husband, Clay, is getting me another glass of wine.” At least, he’d better be Yolanda thought. No way was she sitting through a whole evening without it.

  Ellen felt herself stiffen. She willed the smile to remain on her face. Lee took the seat next to her and introduced himself to Yolanda. Others realized that the food was ready and began taking their seats as well. Ellen turned to the person who had taken the seat on the other side of her.

  “Hello, Wendy. You look great.”

  Wendy thanked Ellen and then turned to Yolanda.

  “Hello, I’m Wendy Pope, this is my husband, Dale.”

  Yolanda introduced herself and explained where Clay was. She shot a look in the direction of the cash bar. He was finally second in line and should be waited on soon.

  Wendy asked Yolanda several questions about where she was from and how she’d met Clay. Eventually, Clay made it back to the table.

  Ellen noticed that Yolanda seemed unhappy when he returned with only one drink and it wasn’t for her. But then Libby stood up on the small dais at the front of the room and turned on the microphone. Everyone turned their attention to Libby.

  “Good evening, everyone. Thank you all for joining us at the class reunion. The food will be served in just a moment and we have a lot of speakers to keep you entertained during your meal. But, before we begin, I want to take this moment to publicly thank Verna Prince for all of her hard work to ensure that this class reunion was everything you hoped it would be.” Libby scanned the room. “Verna? Where are you? Oh, there she is. Stand up, Verna, so everyone can see you.” Libby pointed to an embarrassed looking Verna who waved self-consciously to everyone as she half stood before taking her seat again quickly.

  Chapter Eleven

  The rest
of the house was still quiet early Sunday morning when Kaylee slid from her bed. Silently, she went down the staircase and into the kitchen. Down here, no one would be able to hear her as she worked on breakfast. She turned on the coffee pot and began taking out the pans and bowls that she would need. By the time she was finished, the coffee was too. She took the creamer from the fridge and poured herself a cup of coffee.

  Leaning back against the counter, she held the mug in both hands and thought about the things she had heard yesterday. She was startled from her thoughts by a noise outside of the kitchen. She wondered what could have caused it. A few moments later, Trevor and Nate entered the room.

  Nate looked at the coffee mug in Kaylee’s hand. He hadn’t learned to like coffee yet. He turned to Trevor.

  “Want a soda?”

  Trevor nodded in relief. If Nate had gotten a cup of coffee, Trevor would have had to also. He couldn’t stand the stuff.

  Nate returned with two cans and sat down at the table after passing one to Trevor. Trevor took the seat next to him and they both looked at Kaylee.

  “What?” Kaylee asked.

  Nate shared a look with Trevor, then shrugged. “We were talking last night. Did you notice anything odd?”

  Kaylee frowned at her brother. She had, but she wanted to make sure they were talking about the same thing. “What do you mean?”

  “This weekend. You know, with our parents?” Nate asked. “I mean, why was dad seeing a lawyer?”

  Kaylee had wondered the same thing. When her aunt Anita had asked her dad about seeing him there, he had shot his wife, Sarah, a guilty look across the room to make sure she hadn’t heard then changed the subject.

  “I have no idea.” Kaylee frowned again. “Maybe it’s nothing.” She knew her voice didn’t sound convincing.

  Nate didn’t look convinced. “Did you tell mom why you left college yet?”

  Kaylee shook her head.

  “Why not?” Nate asked.

  Kaylee rolled her eyes. “You know she’s going to freak. She’s always on us about school and how we need to get a degree in order to get a good job.”

  “My parents say that too,” Trevor said.

  “Yeah, but our mom is a fanatic about it. She’s always telling us that we shouldn’t give up.” Kaylee set her coffee mug down and wrapped her arms around herself.

  “I heard them fighting before we came here. It’s happened before, but it’s really been happening a lot since Dad decided to come here for the holiday. And Mom has really seemed upset since she’s been here.” Nate pinned his sister with his gaze. “What if they’re getting a divorce?”

  The thought had crossed her mind too. She only hoped it wasn’t her fault. “I’m sure that’s not the case.”

  “Then what do you think she’s doing now?” Nate asked.

  Kaylee looked at him. “What?”

  Nate looked at Trevor again. “We just saw her getting ready to leave the house.”

  Kaylee looked at the clock on the stove. “She was? Where is she going?”

  Both boys shrugged.

  Kaylee glanced at the clock again and quickly made a decision. “Grab your coats. There’s only one way to find out.”

  ***

  Kaylee waited until she was sure that her mother had returned to her car and driven away. Then she looked over at her brother in the passenger seat. Nate shook his head. Putting the car back in drive, she slowly drove closer to where they’d last seen their parents’ car. Pulling off to the side, she turned off the engine and reached for the door handle.

  She wasn’t sure why, but she was afraid to get out of the car. Something told her that whatever secret she learned now was going to be big. Whatever it was, learning the secret would somehow change them all forever. She looked back at Nate. His hands were in his lap. He looked at her with indecision.

  Kaylee reached out and opened the door. She walked around looking at the names, wondering which one her mother had been looking for. Eventually, Nate and Trevor joined her.

  “It was pretty cold last night. Even without snow, we should be able to tell where someone walked. There’s like a frost on the ground,” Trevor pointed out. “The sun hasn’t warmed it up enough to melt yet.”

  Nate was impressed. He turned around and saw his own footprints clearly. Wherever he had walked, he’d made impressions in the frozen grass.

  “Good point.” He stopped and looked around. “Maybe if we spread out a little.”

  After several more minutes, they managed to find Sarah’s tracks and followed them to a headstone where the tracks stopped. It looked like someone had knelt down in front of it.

  Nate read the name out loud. “Keshia Vance?”

  Kaylee saw the shock on his face and knew her own face mirrored the same emotion.

  Trevor leaned down to read the rest. “According to the birth date, she would have been eighteen now. That’s a year older than us.” Trevor looked up at Nate.

  Nate turned to Kaylee. She was staring at the headstone and frowning.

  Who was Keshia Vance and why was her mom keeping it a secret?

  ***

  For the first half of the return drive, Nate and Kaylee argued about what they should do. Eventually, Nate agreed that they would keep it to themselves until they learned more. They asked Trevor to agree, then drove the rest of the way in silence.

  When they got back to the house, they found everyone in the dining room eating leftovers. The three of them grabbed plates and joined the others. When asked where they’d been, the three of them gave the answer they’d agreed on.

  Thomas Vance gave Nate and Kaylee a questioning look but changed the subject as he motioned toward the food.

  “It’s technically a brunch. We didn’t want to let all the good leftovers go to waste.” Thomas smiled at Trevor.

  “Works for me. A turkey and stuffing sandwich sounds good right now,” Trevor said as he fixed himself a sandwich.

  Kaylee watched her dad look over at her mom and smile. Her mom didn’t smile back. A moment later, Sarah excused herself from the table and left. Kaylee looked down at her plate and discovered that she wasn’t hungry.

  Chapter Twelve

  Although Daryl felt that several of the trees they’d already passed would have been wonderful choices, Leah pressed on.

  “This was a great idea.” Leah stopped to inspect another possibility. Walking around the tree to see the other sides of it, she paused again and tilted her head. After a few moments, she rejected it and continued walking down the row of Christmas trees. When they reached the end of the first row, they turned and began down the second.

  “This one looks nice,” Daryl said hopefully.

  Leah made a noise to indicate her disapproval and continued walking.

  “This reminds me of the book we’re reading in my book club.” Leah slowed to get a better look at one of the largest trees they’d seen so far.

  Daryl held his breath and didn’t release it until Leah had moved past it. He definitely wouldn’t have been able to get that one into the house on his own.

  “Is it another mystery?” he asked.

  “Yes. I’m only half way through with it so I don’t know how it ends yet.” Leah stopped at another tree.

  Daryl raised his eyebrows and crossed his fingers. He rather liked this one. It wasn’t much taller than he was. He couldn’t believe Leah was even considering it.

  “I’ve been thinking about putting a tree up on a table and having it rotate. What do you think?” Leah turned to Daryl.

  Daryl suppressed his groan. It sounded like a lot of work. “That does sound nice.”

  Leah half smiled at him. “I was kidding.”

  “Oh, thank you.”

  “I do like this one though. It’s small, but it’s perfectly formed.” Leah looked both ways up and down the row of trees. There were some other shoppers at the far end of the row, but she didn’t see any employees.

  Daryl looked also. “I can go to the office and
ask for help.”

  Leah pulled out her phone and quickly looked up the Teaberry Tree Farm. The phone rang several times before going to voice mail.

  “Looks like you’ll have to. Toni must be so busy, she can’t even get to the phone. I’ll stay here so that no one else steals our tree.”

  Daryl dutifully began walking to the opposite side of the tree farm to get to the office. As he neared the end closest to the parking lot, he passed a familiar face.

  “Hey, Linda. Happy hunting.”

  Linda smiled and waved, then checked the time on her phone. When she looked up again, she saw another car pulling into the parking lot. She waited patiently until the occupant parked and go out. Once she knew for sure it was Claire, she began walking toward her.

  “Beautiful day to go tree shopping,” Linda said.

  “I agree. I’m glad you talked me into this.” Claire looked toward the rows of trees. “Do you have a plan of attack?”

  Linda shook her head. “Not really. Maybe we could walk together for a bit to see if we get lucky and both find a tree. If that doesn’t work, we can always split up and cover more ground.”

  Claire made a face as she considered it. “Sounds good to me.”

  They both fell into step toward the first row, but then Claire stopped.

  “Wait. I’ll bet everyone starts with this row. What if we walk to the farthest point, then work our way back?”

  Linda thought that sounded like a good idea. “That does make sense. Most people probably never get to the end when they’re looking. That’s probably where the best trees are.”

  “Okay, it sounds like a plan. We’ll check out the trees that we pass together. Once we get to the farthest point, we can split up and cover more ground.” Claire began walking again.

  “What did you think of the class reunion last night?” Linda asked.

  “It was nice seeing everyone. I’ve been back to Teaberry over the years to visit my parents, but I didn’t really have a chance to visit with anyone else when I did.” Claire shot Linda a sideways glance. “When did you and Amos start seeing each other?”