by Taylor Storm
“You slut,” Nina whispered as the two girls fell into a fit of laughter as they went in search of some privacy. Nina and Susan, along with her friends, Anna and her cousin, went to the back Sunday school room in the church. They sat in toddlers ‘chairs when they could fit and all started asking Susan about her plans. After a while, Nina got a call and stepped out into the hallway to have a private conversation.
She came back to Susan and waved her out into the hallway. Everyone was chatting away and thought Susan had some last-minute arrangements to work out.
Susan stood up, and followed Nina out into the hallway.
“What now?’ Susan insisted.
“Bob called. He says that you two should get married immediately.”
“I already told him that we cannot do that! We can’t do anything as long as Harris is missing.
“Well, he says he is sure they won’t find Harris. Bob usually keeps to himself and stays quiet, but he must really have it bad for you. He’s even dredging up old stories about how he saved you with the broken wrist and what not.”
Susan hissed, “He knows damn well this has nothing to do with my broken wrist or his puppy dog eyes! Harris is missing, and I would look like a terrible person if I married another man while the first man was still missing.”
“Well you should know, he is pleading for a second chance. Something about a night after an ATCC basketball game? I see that little smile. So he was the one you were giggling about the next morning.”
Nina grabbed Susan and forced her to look at her squarely in the face, “He says at least for old times’ sake you two should do this soon. He’s afraid he’ll lose his nerve and something else might interfere. He told me that. Now since you both know you want this marriage, it is better to be married soon. It’s the rest of your lives. And Bob says no matter what your parents or Harris say, you two should do what will be best for the two of you. Susan, I know I sound crazy and your mother will probably never speak to me again once she finds out I helped you, but Bob didn’t really leave. Bob just parked his car around the corner behind the big sycamore tree and hedges that keep the little private school out of view of prying eyes. When it’s time, you can sneak out the back door and take that little alley behind the church that leads out to Maple Avenue. The guests are getting restless, and everyone will probably leave soon. You guys can leave from here right after we leave the church. I’ll tell your mom that you are staying at my place. It’s an hour’s drive from here to Little Falls. In the morning you can get married by a justice of the peace. At least you can get the paperwork started through a lawyer. Remember Sarah, my cousin? Her fiancé is a lawyer. I’ll put in a call to her. He could come in handy.”
Susan felt the room beginning to spin. My goodness! All those years, she thought, waiting for Bob to make his move, crying into her pillow at night out of frustration. She finally settled on Harris, because he was always right there. It seemed she could go nowhere without him helping her. She thought for sure it meant he loved her. After giving up on Bob it seemed so weird. Now? Susan looked at Nina like she was insane. You honestly want me to run off with Bob?
“Of course I do!” Nina exclaimed. “You have been wanting this since kindergarten, girl! You have known nearly your whole life that Bob is your destiny. He is your soulmate, Susan!” A tear was forming in Susan’s eyes.
“You’re serious then? You think I could handle the fall out?”
Nina frowned at Susan, “What is wrong with you? You have been in love with Bob and disappointed because he would not fight for you. Now he is fighting for you, so stop being such a little coward!”
Susan laughed timidly, “Oh, I am so happy. Bob finally stepped up. Well, it will be awkward to explain, but I’m sure we’ll have a story to tell our grandkids and it will all blow over.” She sighed softly as she reflected. This is like a love story-a real love story. As she dreamt of small children and white picket fences, she realized that every love story has a dark side. An evil witch or a dark sorcerer always worked to kill the heroine. Susan tried to shake the bad feelings and resigned herself to the notion that her mother was clearly the wicked witch in this fairytale love story.
“Awww, you two are going to be so cute,” swooned Nina.
“Yeah but I hope you realize my Mom probably won’t ever talk to me again.” As an afterthought, Susan added, “ I’ll just have to come back and patch it up with Anna and Dad sometime later.”
“Hah! Sure Susan, we will tell them all that you had a bad case of the nerves and so you traded the groom in on a newer, improved model.” The girls laughed together as they lived out a real live fairytale.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me. Okay, now what?” Susan asked. Nina had been studying her nails and smiling. Maybe it would work this time. Maybe Susan would chill out and they could all just breathe a little easier.
Nina woke up from her thoughts and said, “Well, we have to wait for your dad to come back. My dad went with him, and if we don’t wait, my dad will give me hell. I need to stay here and smooth things out for you, and that won’t be possible if my dad is blasting me in front of your mother. She’ll just try to hunt you down, and if I am not around to stall her, then you and Bob might not make it out of town. If Bob is correct, then as soon as they arrive, we’ll all hear the news about Harris. Good or bad, we’ll probably be leaving. Whoever is left of the guests will all be leaving too. Most of them have started to make their way to their car. I just pray that Harris is all right. All of this should be happening for a reason. After all, you said it was fate.”
“Okay, fine, that’s the way it should be. Wish me luck, Nina.” Susan hugged Nina for a while, and as they both had tears in their eyes. Nina was, in fact, her only friend since the third grade.
“Let’s get back into the room before they start asking a bunch of questions,” said Nina, and the two of them went back to their group of friends and cousins. Susan was quiet as she sat by the window staring up into the clouds. Nina was charming and gregarious keeping the girls laughing without paying any mind to Susan. No one noticed the tear on Susan’s cheek.
After a little while, their fathers returned from the police station and Susan’s father told them that although the police have found Susan’s car, they were still clueless. It looked like someone just took a joy ride. Everything was still in the car and they had just abandoned it at a rest stop along Highway 29. When they got back into town to check out the bistro, they came to another dead end. The restaurant had the “CLOSED” sign just like Susan reported, but the owners were missing. The police said the owners matched her description as well when they interviewed a couple of people that had shops in the area. The other shopkeepers said it was a little strange, but that they had been known to keep odd hours when they couldn’t find enough help to keep the bistro open. Of one thing the other shopkeepers were certain: they had not seen the owners in town for at least three weeks. It was impossible that Susan would have seen them, especially in a restaurant that was in operation with dirty dishes and butcher knives.
The police reported it was now an ongoing investigation and that they would update all the interested parties first thing the next morning. As for the burglary and stolen dress, Susan’s mother shot a disapproving glare in her direction before they continued. The store clerk admitted to the mistake. The younger one had made clear to the police that the majority of the dress had been paid for when it was ordered. The dress that Susan “chose” from the rack was significantly lower in price than what she had paid. The policeman said the younger shop clerk was very clear that Susan had paid for the dress and did not owe the store a single dime. As for Harris, there was still no news.
Although there was relief that Susan would not face charges for stealing the wedding dress, she could not get past the terrible shock about Harris. It was as if Harris had evaporated into thin air. He had one of the hottest, snazziest cars that Chevrolet makes. It also has a big “Come Shop at Bill’s” sign slapped on the driver and pass
enger car doors, so it was pretty easy to spot.
Susan approached one of the police officers, “How is this possible, sir? Do people just disappear? Do they disappear without a word and then reappear unharmed? What should we be hoping for at this point, sir?”
One of the guests at the wedding piped up that he had seen Harris driving toward town earlier that morning. The rest of them looked at him with skepticism and Susan wondered to herself: “Why is he just now telling us that he had seen Harris this morning?” Another strange occurrence on this very strange day. The policeman wrote down the information, although he did not appear to believe what he had just been told. As he prepared to leave, he addressed the group. “At this point we have an APB out on Harris and his car. If he is in this state, we will find him.”
Turning to the crowd with Susan standing on the front steps of the church, Mr. Christiansen said: “We all need to send up a quick prayer for Harris. We don’t want to alarm anyone, but the police have expanded their search and launched a large investigation.
Mom turned and looked at the police officer who addressed Susan directly, “And Susan,” he said: “You need to be close by so that you can give a more detailed report to the state police in the morning.
“I’m sorry, honey. It looks pretty grim,” said her mother.
Then turning to the rest of the crowd, he got their attention and offered a prayer for Harris right there in front of the church. The whole crowd mumbled “amen,” before making their way to their cars, already whispering their own theories to one another about the fate of the handsome prince of Bill’s Chevrolet. Most of them stopped by the front steps of the church to console Susan. When everyone had finally left the parking lot, Susan’s dad sat her down for a heart-to-heart talk.
“Pumpkin, there are a couple of things I need to tell you.” Mr. Christiansen sighed and looked at the reflection of the setting sun off of the back of the speed limit sign out in front of St. Olaf’s. “Sweetie, there’s the possibility that Harris was kidnapped.”
“What?” Susan asked, covering her mouth.
“Well, sometimes things are not what they seem in business.”
“Daddy, what are you talking about? You are scaring me now. Of all the weird things happening to me, please don’t tell me that you also have changed. Just tell me in a cold, specific way what you are talking about. I can’t stand any more emotion or mystery today.”
“Susan, when you do really well in business, you not only make a lot of powerful friends, you also tend to make a lot of powerful enemies. Alexandria may be the Best Little Town in America, like the sign says, but quite a few of the families here know that when you and Harris get married, and our family fortunes are tied together, we’ll have the most votes on both the city council and the chamber of commerce boards.”
Her dad continued, “I’m not saying someone on the street just grabbed him. No, we’re all Minnesota-nice up here. You know, better than I do, that some people around here still fume that we got the best spots around Lake Carlos and set up the resort to block out the small-time competitors. Bill had the money, and by the time the two of us had sweet-talked our way into that deal, the Isaksen boys blew their stacks. They got so mad George looked like a tomato about to explode, his face was so red. He actually picked up a chair to throw it at Marjie, who was calmly explaining that there was nothing they could do.” Her dad took a big breath of air and continued as if in teaching a course at the junior college.”
“The Isaksens ran through quite a chunk of their dad’s fishing business cash to sue us, but Bill’s pockets were too deep. They had to fold the lawsuit, and with it nearly all of their business. They have been limping along ever since. I am pretty sure that there is not an end to their anger nor their raging fits. The police won’t say it, but if I put my money on it, I’d say Harris was in the bottom of some smelly Isaksen boat.” Susan blinked at her father as if he had just given birth to a cow.
“What? What are you saying to me, Dad?”
“If I am right, honey, Harris will turn up dead, and Bill will be getting a call here in the next couple of days.”
“Well, what will happen to us, then?” Susan suddenly felt ashamed at her selfish thoughts. Really! How could she be with Harris for so many years and then suddenly feel nothing for the guy. At the least she should be frightened to death for the poor guy. Instead she had an uneasy feeling that Harris was not all he seemed to be. And that tiny little sense that lives deep inside every woman would not let her believe that Harris was gone. In fact, she believed he was very much alive and would soon make himself known in a not-so-nice way.
“Don’t you worry, Pumpkin. We’ll work it out. Bill and I didn’t get where we are by being pansies. Bill served in the Special Forces, and even though he may have a bit of a pot belly and silver hair, I’m sure he has a few tricks up his sleeve.” Susan shook her head imperceptibly as she was lost deep inside her own thoughts.
“You need a ride home sweetheart? I’ve got to go inside and help your mother, but I’m sure I could swing you by the house. You’ve had quite a day.”
“Um…no thanks, Dad. That’s sweet, but it’s been hard on all of us. Mom needs you more. I’ll just get a ride with Nina.
As her Dad disappeared in search of her distraught mother, Susan motioned for Nina. They made their way to the car and slipped inside without a single word to one another. In unison, the girls strapped their seatbelts on. They sat and listened to the familiar song drifting up from the car speakers. It felt so normal. Sitting there together after the bizarre, terrifying day; this simple exchange of unspoken words was a reprieve. Finally Susan looked at Nina and spoke.”
“You won’t believe what my Dad just said.” Nina smiled.
“Just try me.”
Chapter Ten
They all left the church and Susan left for Nina’s house as planned. Nina had been calling Bob and updating him on all the police reports. Susan filled in the gaps about the Isaksens and how everyone was mumbling about it being a kidnapping. When the coast was clear, Nina and Susan crawled out of Nina’s bedroom window just like when they were in high school. There was something about the familiarity of their actions that made the crazy events of the day evaporate with the wind.
“Remember that night, Dad almost caught us?” Nina whispered, giggling as they climbed down the tree.
Susan said, “Yea, and you got the brilliant idea to throw a rock at the McGregor’s garbage can and have me meow really loud. I have to say, I’m not as flexible as I was in high school. All that office work is going to my butt.”
They both laughed and made their way to the rendezvous point with Bob. He had changed clothes and was smiling with a small bouquet of flowers. He brought flowers. He acted like they were all going to the prom. Nina grabbed the flowers out of Bob’s hands playfully and tossed them into the front seat as she slid behind the steering wheel. Susan and Bob piled into the back seat of the car, and the wild group drove two blocks down the street without turning on any headlights. When the coast was clear, Nina cranked up the radio, and fired up the headlights. She let the windows down and the wind whipped through the car making them all feel young and alive again. Nina was humming “Here comes the bride,” and Susan and Bob were sitting in the backseat holding hands, but were kind of quiet.
“You two are acting like it’s your first seventh grade dance. Are you sure you want to get married?” Bob smiled. Susan made the first move by scooting a little closer. “Welcome to Little Falls!” Nina looked at the couple in her rearview mirror and smiled.
“Well that didn’t take long,” she thought to herself.
“Okay, you two lovebirds. Save something for the wedding night.” She smiled. Susan came up for air and straightened her hoodie and blouse. She was smiling self-consciously as she pulled her hair back out of her eyes. Bob was very quiet and seemed to be a million miles away. Susan looked at him, feeling frustrated. What the hell is wrong with everyone in this crazy town! she thought to
herself, but she let the words stay safely resting on her tongue.
Nina pulled into the driveway of one of the new split levels. The development was just off the highway, and even with headlights you could see that it had a nicely trimmed lawn and tasteful small trees planted. Eventually it would snuggle down cozily into one of the millions of suburban cookie-cutter houses that everyone dreams of when they are little. Well, at least not all of the people get stuck living in dives or apartments, like Bob. Susan thought it was a cute little house, about the size of their summer house just off of Lake Carlos. Sarah came out and squealed with delight when she saw Nina, hugging her tight, and pulling her by the hand into the front door. Her fiancé, John, smiled warmly and gave Bob a hearty handshake. He was dressed in a polo shirt and had on khaki shorts. The school ring on his finger was the only thing conspicuous about his dress, and if he was a high-powered lawyer during the day, the sandals definitely let everyone know he was off duty for the evening.
They sat down and had the requisite coffee cake and coffee. The highest sin in Minnesota is to refuse someone’s coffee cake. The second highest sin is to not offer it when you have guests. Toward the end of the small talk, John got up and excused himself to the den. Bringing out a manila envelope, he extracted the papers they needed. Bob and Susan shyly glanced at each other and signed on the dotted line. Sarah gave everyone a big hug and John slapped Bob on the back. Everyone took turns congratulating the new couple.
Nina lifted her coffee cup and proposed a toast. “We come from a long line of long-lost lovers, and even though I’ve had to watch you two pretend about this your whole life, I have to say, Bob and Susan are one of the cutest couples I’ve ever seen in history! To Bob and Susan!” They all cheered, clinked the coffee cups, and took a sip. “And even though today has been a small fiasco, we’ll just chalk it up to fate. Since we’re all family, or about to be, one way or the other, I welcome you, Bob.”