Chapter Seventeen
Dinner
Grace and Rebecca pulled into the restaurant parking lot just as a big black Lincoln was parking at an odd angle. Lindy got out of the car, and then they ran together for the first group hug of the evening. It was almost eight o’clock when Emily finally arrived. They were all convinced that she would not come but had ordered a second round of drinks just in case.
Emily had spent most of the afternoon scrubbing down the kitchen and bathrooms in the house. When she finally came back into the kitchen for a cup of coffee, she realized that it was almost seven o’clock. At first, she decided that she would just not show up for the dinner; no one would really miss her anyway. It had been twenty years with no contact with Grace or Lindy. She would call Grace tomorrow and give her some lame excuse. However, just thinking about the girls of SOLA gave her a deep longing to be with her girlfriends once again.
Emily realized that she did want to see if it was possible to recapture even a tiny bit of the friendship that they had shared so many years ago. Besides, she was starving. Quickly taking a shower, she braided her long blonde hair and grabbed the warmest sweater she could find. As she drove out to the restaurant, she almost turned around several times. She had no idea what she feared, but in the end, she knew a dinner with old friends was not going to kill her, so why not go and eat. She figured that she would discover that they had absolutely nothing in common anymore. Life goes on, and people change. Although she had to admit that Grace appeared to be the same sweet, loving woman she was when she was in high school. Perhaps only Emily had grown into a very different person. Oh well, one dinner with old friends is no big deal, she thought. I will have a drink, eat quickly, and leave before dessert.
*
As Emily walked into the restaurant, she immediately heard Lindy’s laugh coming from the corner of the dining room. She stood for a moment by the door just observing her three old friends. Grace was the picture of contentment and simple beauty. Rebecca looked smaller than she remembered and pale, but seemed to be enjoying Lindy’s story. Lindy was dressed in a bright purple patterned blouse, with her massive black hair piled on top of her head. She was waving her hands as she told her story. Emily felt a little happiness sneak into her soul as she watched them enjoying each other’s company.
Emily quietly walked over to the table and apologized for being so late. There was another brief moment of quiet before they all jumped up to give her a hug. They all began to talk at the same time. Emily laughed for the first time in a very long time. As she sat down at the table, she noticed that there was a bottle of Asti in a bucket. Grace had ordered it especially for their reunion dinner. They remembered their last evening together at Emily’s house overlooking Lake Alice. They sat under the weeping willow with their gifts toasting each other with a glass of Asti. It seemed only natural that this was how they would begin their private reunion.
*
Lindy started the conversation by giving a short version of her life story. She told them about loving being a nurse and caring for people, and that God had given her Larry as a special gift. As she spoke about their romantic engagement, wedding, and life together, tears filled her eyes. There was not a word said until she finished by telling them that she was now worth millions of dollars but with no idea how to spend it all. She would much rather have Larry alive at her side living above Daisy Dry Cleaners than all this money and a fancy condominium. Life alone was for the birds! She ended by telling them about the mini family reunion she had pulled off over at the Holiday Inn. If nothing else, she could use the money to spoil her parents and have a little fun with them.
Grace went next and talked about Claire. She told them that she had truly grown to love the business. She felt blessed to have been able to buy the shop and by how close a relationship she still had with Claire. She talked about her drama debut in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. They all laughed when she told them that she used “Singing in the Rain” as her song for the audition. Grace also told them about the theater club, which gave her lots of enjoyment. She finished by telling them that she adored her life in Fergus Falls, where she felt fulfilled and respected.
Rebecca followed the others’ lead and told the girls all about Holy Angels Academy for Young Catholic Women of the World. She talked about her many trips to Europe and all of the honors that her choral groups had won throughout the years.
Emily was the only one who did not share her life story. They all realized that there was pain in her eyes and that she was not ready to discuss it with them. What they all knew for sure was that Emily was suffering, and they wanted to be there for her.
After a dinner of polite chitchat, Grace said she had an important question to ask all of them. She paused for a few moments and then asked if they would please consider singing together at the reunion dance. Grace told them that the band that had been booked for the dance had just cancelled yesterday. The best she was able to do was to rent a karaoke machine. A good friend and local radio announcer had volunteered to be the disc jockey if she could not find anyone else. She begged them to say yes, or a very special evening that she had planned for almost a year was going to be a terrible failure.
Lindy immediately said, “Well, little Gracie here is in a real pickle; and I, for one, am more than willing to help out. You know me, just get two people in a room, and I am ready to put on a show. Count me in, Gracie girl!”
Rebecca also happily agreed. She might even have some music that they could use for the evening.
All eyes turned to Emily, who was sitting there quietly trying to fade into the background. She finally said, “Ladies, I have not sung since we were all together in high school. I am afraid that my rusty voice will only ruin a perfectly wonderful trio. However, if you truly feel that I am needed, I will sing softly in the background. Nevertheless, I want it to be known that I have warned you all about my total lack of talent. So you have to accept me at your own risk.”
Grace was so thankful to them. She told them that this was really going to be a wonderful evening for all of them. They agreed to meet at Emily’s house the next morning to select their songs and then practice using the karaoke machine.
Tonight, they had all been overly polite to each other. There was none of the usual bickering or teasing that had gone on in the past. As each of them had given a brief overview of their life for the past twenty years, they all had decided to eliminate the most painful parts of their stories. A stranger listening to their conversations would have thought that they were four successful happy women in town for a class reunion.
As they left Mabel Murphy’s that evening, each of them felt that their special friendship was beginning to resurface. Yet at the same time, none of them felt comfortable enough to trust the others with the complete truth of how they had really lived their lives. They all had the same longing to be able to tell the others about their pain as well as their victories.
Tears welled up in Emily’s eyes as she thought about her college years; all the mistakes she had made; Danny Driscoll; a tiny baby girl named Rebecca Grace, whom she never had a chance to love; and the Women’s Center, where she failed to protect the women who had trusted her.
Lindy thought about Larry and the deep pain that his death still caused her every time she thought of him; the cloud of loneliness continued to hang over her.
Grace thought back to the feeling of being left behind and struggling to find her new place in Fergus Falls. She was always amazed that after all these years, the scar of polio and the loss of Denny was still an open wound. Even though she had given up on any dreams of having children, she still yearned to find a good man who would love her and allow her to love him. The older she had grown, the more she felt a deep sense of loneliness that working twelve-hour days could not cure.
Rebecca was thinking that whatever her past mistakes were, they were now so terribly unimportant. She gr
ieved that her life held so little future. There were still so many things that she wanted a chance to experience. Yet she knew that she had no major regrets as to how she had lived her life. She trusted that God would be with her and lead her to whatever future she had left.
Yes, all four of the women went away from their dinner with false smiles on their faces and pain lingering in their souls. Each of them separately thought the same thing: Maybe tomorrow when we meet at Emily’s to practice some songs, I will have the courage to tell the truth. Maybe tomorrow I will find the sisterhood that I had as a young, innocent girl at Fergus Falls High School.
Chapter Eighteen
Singing Again
Emily was wide-awake by six o’clock. Last night she had slept in her bedroom for the first time in twenty years. She curled up under the quilt and fell into a deep sleep. This morning she felt refreshed and ready to face the challenges of getting this old house fixed up. She was also ready to face her old friends.
Emily was astounded at how gracious Grace, Rebecca, and Lindy had been at dinner. They had every right to cut her out of their lives, just as she had done to them. They never asked for an explanation of her complete disappearance. She was so grateful to them for simply allowing her to enjoy an evening with old memories and a few good laughs.
Grace arrived at 9:00 AM, carrying the karaoke machine and a bag of warm donuts from the City Café and Bakery. As Emily opened the front door, they both had a rush of old memories. How many hundreds of times had this same scene been played out? There was rarely a time when Grace had not arrived with a bag full of their favorite donuts. Just as they had over twenty years ago, they immediately walked into the kitchen. They both automatically sat in “their” chair at the table.
Grace smiled and said, “Well, I guess some things never need to change. Eating our favorite donuts together before Rebecca and Lindy arrive was the way we started many mornings a long time ago. It feels so good to be here with you again. Even after all this time, I still feel a special bond with you. It’s funny that it does not make any difference about what has happened to us in our lives; being in this kitchen feels right.”
Emily simply nodded as the tears welled in her eyes. There was something so comforting about just sitting there with the sun shining on Grace’s face. For a brief moment, Emily forgot about her pains and worries. It was good to enjoy this peaceful moment in time. She promised herself to let go of the past and simply enjoy today for what it was—a simple day with old friends.
*
Without bothering to ring the bell, Lindy walked in the back door with Rebecca. She gave Emily and Grace a hug and said, “Looks like once again, Rebecca and I have missed getting the two best donuts in the bag. Well, I still love girlfriends. I swear, if I arrived at 5:00 AM, you two would have been eating those donuts at 4:45! Now, hand over that bag, and who is in charge of getting some coffee going? I guess we are right back to where we left off—just a little older and a little wiser.” In a matter of moments, they were back in their old familiar pattern. It felt right even if the once stately house was now in need of some tender loving care.
Grace set up the karaoke machine in the living room. Rebecca joined her with a large folder filled with music sheets that she had brought along to share with the girls. They all sat on the floor looking through the songs and humming. They had mutually decided that each of them would do a few solos, except Emily who refused. The rest of the songs they would sing together in their once-famous harmony. Lindy started because she was the most familiar with the machine, which she had used many years ago at Molly’s in Mankato. She showed them how it worked; explaining there was a pedal where you could speed up or slow down the background music or tempo.
Finally, each of them had picked their solo songs. Lindy was going to sing her favorite Patsy Cline tunes, “Walking after Midnight” and “Half as Much.” Together they decided to sing a melody of ABBA songs, which included “Dancing Queen,” “Take a Chance on Me,” and “Thank You for the Music.” That would be followed by the disco songs of “Staying Alive,” “Night Fever,” “My Life,” and “YMCA.” After a break, Rebecca would accompany them with her guitar to sing some of their favorite songs by Emily Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton from the album called Trio Two. Rebecca picked “When We’re Gone, Long Gone” for her solo. Grace would sing her signature song, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” After several hours of practice, Emily finally agreed to sing “Feels Like Home” as her solo. They agreed to end their mini-performance by singing “You’ll Never Be the Sun, You Will Be the Light,” which was their very favorite song from the Trio Two album.
When they started singing together again, they realized that their voices had changed over the years. However, to their delight, each of them now possessed a much richer tone and quality. They practiced into the afternoon, singing, laughing, and remembering the good old days. When they left to get ready for the welcome party at the Eagles, they were ready to give their former classmates a good show the next evening. Emily had invited them to come back to her house the following evening after the reunion for a sleepover, and they all quickly agreed.
*
The following days flew by, filled with laughter, warm memories, and the simple pleasures of reconnecting with their past. Classmate and Grace’s old boyfriend, Roy Kastelle, proved to be a wonderful emcee for both evenings. His deep, rich voice, quick sense of humor, and storytelling skills made the reunion a memorable event. After dinner, Roy took the microphone to make some announcements and welcomed several of their teachers who had come to share the evening. Then came the slide show with photos from their high school days. He also told them that three of their classmates had died—one from cancer, one in a car accident, and one in Vietnam.
Finally, the tables were pushed to the sidewall to create a dance floor. As the lights were dimmed, Roy announced what he said was his best surprise of the evening. He introduced Grace, Emily, Lindy, and Rebecca, telling the crowd that they had agreed to perform some songs for them. As they walked onto the stage, the crowd began to cheer.
Lindy started the show, singing her Patsy Cline songs with more feeling than she had in years. After her solo, Grace, Emily, and Rebecca joined her. Their voices blended in perfect harmony. Instead of everyone getting up to dance, the crowd sat in awe of the beauty of their voices. The audience clapped and yelled for more when it was time for a break. As the girls left the stage for a fifteen-minute break, they were surrounded by all their classmates, and drinks were lined up at the bar, waiting for them.
When they came back for the second set, they received the same loving attention from the crowd. As Rebecca played the guitar, they sang their songs with tenderness. At the last minute, they all decided to sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” together. They stood holding each other’s hands as they sang, with tears streaming down all of their faces. All four of them were swept away by the memories of the past and the experience of now. Halfway through the song, the entire room rose to their feet, reaching out to the person next to them as they swayed to the beautiful music. Almost on cue, the entire gathering sang the last verse of the song. When the song ended, for one brief moment there was complete silence. Then the applause began as everyone clapped while wiping the tears from their eyes.
Roy finished the evening by presenting each of them with a bouquet of roses and a kiss on the cheek. He said a closing prayer and wished them a safe trip home. The reunion had been a wonderful success and truly a night to remember for years to come.
Chapter Nineteen
Emily’s Sleepover
Grace rode with Emily, and Lindy drove Rebecca back to Emily’s house. As they came into the kitchen, the first thing they did together was to kick off their high heels. The second thing was to have a group hug without speaking a word. Within fifteen minutes, they changed into pajamas, their faces scrubbed clean and their hair brushed.
Emily had no idea how to prepare for this sleepover. She had offered to do it, thinking that they would probably all take a pass on her offer. She was surprised and anxious about having them stay for the night. After all, they were no longer high school girls but adult women. In the end, she made up beds in four different bedrooms on the second floor. The only room she refused to touch was her parents’ bedroom. For whatever reason, she had still not gone into that room.
*
They gathered back in the kitchen, which was still the most comfortable room in the house. As they sat down at the old kitchen table, they found a tray with a towel over it. Each of them started trying to figure out what the surprise was. Finally, Emily lifted the towel to reveal two chilled bottles of Asti. Without asking, Lindy picked up the two bottles and said, “Well, girls, get your coats on, and let’s see if we are still able to sit under that tree and get honest.”
They each ran to their overnight bags, put on their coats, and within minutes were standing in the backyard. As they looked at each other, they realized that they had all had the exact same idea. They stood there holding the quilts they had received years ago. Emily had put an old tarp on the ground. Lindy lit the dozens of candles that Emily had found in the back hall. Grace opened the first bottle of Asti and poured some into plastic cups.
As all four of them huddled in their quilts on the cool October evening, they felt warm and secure. Rebecca was the first to comment on the various conditions of each of the quilts. She said, “I guess my quilt has had the most use from the looks of things. Emily, your quilt looks almost as new as the day you received it. Grace’s looks as though you have taken great care of it. My dear Lindy, have you really added some rhinestones to that quilt? Why am I not surprised?”
They giggled as they each examined the others’ quilts. They were enjoying some small talk about their lives when Grace announced that the Asti was now gone and that her butt had officially fallen asleep and she was cold. They quickly all agreed it was time to go in and warm up.
Sisterhood Of Lake Alice Page 16