by Jo Gibson
He pressed his pen to the paper so hard, it almost tore through. The happy days of fly casting with Gramps had all taken place before the contest. After that, fishing was ruined. And he’d just written down the name of the person who was to blame.
The contest had been in all the papers, and he’d begged Gramps to enter. It was a father-son contest, but grandfathers and grandsons could enter, too. Gramps hadn’t wanted to enter, but Grandma had talked him into it. It would be fun for the boy, she’d said. And the boy deserved a little fun in his life.
He still remembered how excited he’d been, and how sure he’d been that they would win. There weren’t really any rules. You just fished all day, in any of the designated spots, and brought your catch in to be weighed at the local butcher shop before dark.
When they’d gathered that morning, to check in for the contest, almost all the other contestants had crowded around to admire the delicate flies that lined Gramps’s tackle box. There had been only one exception, one father-and-son team who’d looked at the flies and turned up their noses. While the son had smirked, the father had bragged that they’d ordered their flies from an expensive fishing catalogue, the finest that money could buy. And then the son had announced that they were sure to win the contest.
During the morning session, the man and his son had fished right next to them, and it was clear that they didn’t like to lose. Although it was supposed to be a friendly contest, the man and his son had gotten angrier and angrier with each fish that Gramps had pulled from the river. And then the sun had reached its highest point in the sky, and one of the contest officials had come around to announce the lunch break.
They’d put down their poles, and left their tackle boxes by the side of the river to mark their spots. Picnic tables had been set up under the trees, and they’d found a nice, shaded spot to enjoy the lunch that Grandma had packed for them. Everyone else had been very friendly, but the man and his son hadn’t taken part in the conversation. They’d sat by themselves, glaring at Gramps. And then the father had leaned close to whisper to his son. The son had left the table for a couple of minutes, and when he’d come back, he’d been grinning. And then the contest official had announced that lunch break was over, and the afternoon session had started.
They’d walked back to their spot, and Gramps had opened his tackle box, looking for his favorite fly. But he hadn’t reached inside to pull it out. He’d just groaned, like someone had kicked him in the stomach.
He’d rushed to Gramps’s side, feeling fear rush over him in a wave. Was Gramps sick? But Gramps had pointed to the tackle box, and he’d groaned, too, when he’d looked inside. The tube of glue they’d carried to make repairs had burst open, and every single one of Gramps’s hand-tied flies was covered with sticky adhesive.
The father and son had come over to ask what was wrong, and Gramps had shown them the tackle box. The father had patted Gramps on the shoulder. What an unfortunate accident! He’d offered to let Gramps borrow one of his flies, but Gramps had said that wouldn’t be fair. He still had one fly left, and he’d fish with that.
Naturally, they’d lost the contest. And the father and son had won. But after they’d gone home, he had looked at the tube of glue very carefully, and he’d seen the hole that someone had punched in it. He’d remembered how the boy had left the picnic table and come back grinning. And he’d known exactly what had happened.
Gramps had stopped fishing after the contest. He’d put his tackle box up in the attic and he’d never looked at it again. There had been sadness in his eyes when he’d walked out to his clear, sparkling river and stared down at the water. Grandma had tried to get him to tie new flies, but he’d told her that all the fun had gone out of it. And now it was over. Gramps’s river was gone.
They’d dammed up the river when they’d built this place, and the shallow trickle that was left provided the water for the large fountain that decorated the front lobby of the mall. The boy had ruined Gramps’s favorite sport. And the mall had turned his sparkling river into a concrete fountain, where giggling girls tossed in pennies to make wishes. It was a tragedy, but Santa would take his revenge. He’d punish the naughty boy and the mall, all at once.
Fifteen
Hal had suggested they get all dressed up with clothes borrowed from stores in the mall to have dinner at the Crossroads Bistro, and they were all seated at the very best table in the restaurant with a view of the surrounding countryside. Of course the view wasn’t exactly what they would have liked. It was snowing again, and the winds were blowing so hard they could barely make out the lights on the Christmas tree at the entrance to the mall.
“This was a great idea, Hal.” Diana looked over at him and smiled. Hal had even done the cooking, and the meal was delicious. “You’re a fantastic cook.”
Hal grinned, but he shook his head. “Thanks for the compliment, but I don’t deserve it. The chef had the entrees in the freezer. All I had to do was turn on the oven and bake them.”
“That might be true, but none of us would have thought to do it.” Cindy patted Hal on the back. “And I’ve never had Beef Wellington before. It’s delicious!”
“Mine’s great, too. And I’ve never had it before, either.” Jay started to smile, but then he realized what Hal had said and he began to frown. “You didn’t have any trouble with the oven, did you, Hal?”
Hal was clearly puzzled as he shook his head. “No. It worked just fine.”
“Thank God!”
Jay looked very relieved, and Hal looked at him strangely. But then he nodded. “Oh. I get it. But you didn’t have to worry about me. I made sure the floor was perfectly dry, and I wore rubber gloves when I turned on the switch.”
Paul opened the second bottle of red wine, and filled their glasses. Then he picked up his camera, and nodded to Jay. “Let’s have a toast.”
“To Hal.” Jay raised his glass. “He planned a great evening to cheer us up, and we’re grateful.”
Diana raised her glass, and so did Cindy and Heather. Larry followed suit, and he even added the traditional response. “A speech from the man who made all this possible. Come on, Hal. Say something.”
“Thanks, guys. But it’s really no big deal.” Hal had a big grin on his face as they started to applaud. He stood up and bowed, and then he sat down again. “I just thought we needed a night out . . . to get our minds off everything bad that’s happened.”
Everyone nodded, and Diana spoke up. “You were right, Hal. And I’m glad you convinced us to dress up. I just hope I don’t spill anything. This dress has to go back on the rack before anyone misses it.”
“Not necessarily.” Paul shut off his camera. “Why don’t you girls do a little promotion piece for the store where you got your clothes. That way the management will probably let you keep them.”
Heather looked excited. “He’s right! It’ll be free publicity for the store and they always love that. Let’s model the clothes for Paul’s documentary, and see if the store offers to give them to us.”
“Do you want to go first?” Paul nodded to Heather as he switched tapes in his video camera.
“Sure.” Heather looked smug as she turned to Cindy and Diana. “Just watch me. And when it’s your turn, do exactly what I did. I’ll do the commentary, since I’ve had acting experience.”
Cindy and Diana exchanged glances. Heather was showing off again, but she probably knew a lot more about modeling than they did. If Paul was right, and they could get these expensive clothes for free, it would be fantastic!
“We’ll work the modeling into our dinner scene.” Heather stood up and took charge. “As soon as Paul starts taping, I want Jay to tell me how fabulous I look. That’s my cue to stand up and show off the dress.”
Jay glanced at Diana. They both knew that Heather was trying to look as if she were still Jay’s girlfriend, but it really wasn’t worth arguing about. Diana gave Jay a quick wink to tell him it was all right with her, and he grinned as he winked back.
“All right. Is everyone ready?” Heather glanced at her reflection in the mirrors that lined the dining room wall, and fluffed her hair. When everyone nodded, she motioned to Paul. “Okay, Paul. Let’s roll.”
Diana tried not to grin. She’d noticed that Paul had been taping the whole thing, from beginning to end. He’d captured Heather being bossy, and that was fine with her.
“Isn’t this fun?” Heather smiled brightly at the camera. “I just love getting all dressed up and going out to dinner at the Crossroads Bistro, especially when the food is this fabulous! What are you having, Jay?”
“Beef Wellington.” Jay grinned as he went along with the scene. “It’s the best I’ve ever tasted.”
Diana bit back a giggle. Jay had just told them all that he’d never had Beef Wellington before.
“Say, Heather . . .” Jay looked thoughtful. “Is that a new dress? It’s really gorgeous!”
Heather stood up and turned around. The skirt whirled out around her hips in a graceful arc, and she smiled at Jay. “This lovely dress is from Elaine’s Boutique, right here at the Crossroads Mall. Fashion experts agree that it’s impossible to go wrong with basic black, and this designer creation combines style with comfort. Notice the loose, flowing design and the graceful lines of the skirt. You can add a touch of jewelry for color, or cinch in the waist with this stunning gold belt, also from Elaine’s. Do yourself a favor and drop in at Elaine’s Boutique at the Crossroads Mall to see the latest in fashion.”
Cindy couldn’t help it. She burst into applause. After a moment, so did everyone else. Heather bowed and sat down. She looked very pleased with herself. “Okay, Diana . . . it’s your turn. We’ll need an introduction from someone.”
“I’ll do it.” Jay grinned at Diana. “Should I tell you how incredibly beautiful you look?”
“No!” Heather looked embarrassed as everyone turned to stare at her. “I mean . . . you could, but you already introduced me. We should give someone else a turn. How about you, Hal?”
“Me?” Hal looked shocked. “But I don’t know anything about women’s fashion!”
“You don’t have to. Just tell Diana you like her outfit. Then she’ll get up and twirl around, and I’ll describe what she’s wearing. Ready, Paul?”
“I’m ready. Go ahead, Hal.”
Hal wiggled his eyebrows as he turned to Diana, and Diana almost lost it. He was even better than Groucho Marx.
“You really look good tonight, Diana. Of course you always look good, but that’s really a stunning . . . uh . . . thing that you’re wearing. The color makes your eyes glow like sapphires.”
“Thanks, Hal.” Diana managed to keep from giggling as she tried to remember what color sapphires were. “I went shopping this afternoon at Elaine’s Boutique.”
As Diana got up to turn around, Heather described her outfit. Diana kept smiling, and somehow she managed to twirl around without losing her balance.
“Okay. I guess that’ll do.” Heather gave her a nod when she sat down again. “Cindy? You’re next. You can introduce her, Larry.”
Larry nodded. “Okay. But I’ve got a question first. What color are sapphires?”
“Search me.” Hal started to laugh. “I just thought it would sound good. It was a line from one of those late-night movies. Of course, that was an old black and white movie, so I just guessed.”
Heather rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Honestly, Hal. Everybody knows that sapphires are blue. But it worked because Diana’s outfit is sort of a blue-green color.”
“Lucky for me.”
Everyone cracked up except Heather, and she was frowning when she turned to Larry. “Go ahead. And don’t mention any precious stones unless you know what color they are.”
“Ready?” Larry turned to Paul, and waited until he nodded. Then he cleared his throat. “Hey, Cindy. You look totally fabulous. It’s quite a change from your usual jeans and faded Ts. Where did you get that dress?”
Cindy laughed as she stood up and whirled around. “It’s from Elaine’s Boutique. I’m going to buy all my clothes there from now on, because Elaine’s assistants are so helpful. If you’re like me, and you’re a total idiot when it comes to fashion, they’ll give you expert guidance. To tell you the truth, I never dreamed I could look like this! Isn’t that right, gang?”
Jay whistled, and so did Hal and Larry. And Diana applauded. Heather was just opening her mouth to speak, when Cindy went on.
“I’m going to let our fashion expert, Heather Perkins, take over now. She has to describe what I’m wearing because I don’t know the difference between a camisole and a cummerbund.”
“Really, Cindy! You didn’t have to admit that you were that stupid!” Heather groaned and rolled her eyes toward the ceiling again. “You can edit that out, can’t you, Paul?”
Paul nodded. “Sure. Go ahead, Heather. Describe Cindy’s outfit.”
Diana watched Paul’s expression as Heather described what Cindy was wearing. He was grinning and Diana hoped that he’d leave Heather’s comment in. Heather was running true to form and it would be wonderful to see her bitchiness on tape, even if that snide little comment she’d made got edited out before Paul tried to sell his tape to the station.
“Well? What did you think?” Heather finished her description and turned to Paul.
“Very good.” Paul nodded. “I’m sure Elaine’s will give you the clothes.”
“You want to know what I think?” Jay grinned at Heather.
“Of course.” Heather wore a smug smile. It was clear she expected Jay to compliment her on the wonderful job she’d done.
“I think my entree’s getting cold. Let’s eat!”
After dinner was over, there was the usual discussion of what they should do for the evening. No one felt like going to another movie, not after what had happened last night.
“How about bowling?” Paul looked thoughtful.
“That’s a great idea!” Jay grinned at him. “Does anyone know how to work the machinery?”
“I do.”
Everyone turned to Larry in surprise, and he shrugged. “I worked down at the Portersville Bowl when I was in junior high.”
“The Portersville Bowl?” Cindy grinned. “Wasn’t that the place they called the Toilet Bowl?”
Larry nodded. “Yeah . . . it wasn’t exactly a showplace. But I did learn a lot and I’m sure I can get us started.”
“Bowling!” Heather shuddered slightly and wrinkled up her nose. “Could we think of something a little more refined?”
Cindy grinned at Heather. “Nope. The orchestra’s not playing tonight, and there’s miles of snow between us and the opera house. Come on, Heather . . . be a sport.”
“Well . . .” Heather gave a long-suffering sigh. “All right. I’ll go along and watch. But I just had my nails done, and I don’t want to even think about participating.”
Sixteen
“Oh, my God! I can’t believe I did that!” Heather jumped up and down and threw her arms around Cindy. “What’s that called again?”
“A strike. You got a strike. You’re a natural, Heather. I told you you’d love bowling.”
Heather looked a little sheepish. “I know you did. And I do. But it really is hell on my nails.”
“Why don’t you cut them off?” Cindy suggested. “You can always have them done again later.”
Diana held her breath, waiting for the explosion. Heather’s long, highly polished nails were her pride and joy. But the anticipated explosion didn’t come. Instead, Heather smiled at Cindy and nodded.
“Good idea. Does anybody have nail clippers?”
“I do.” Diana found her nail clippers in the pocket of her purse, and handed them over quickly, before Heather could change her mind. Heather was certainly different, now that she was enjoying herself. Was it possible that she was actually human?
“How about a team tournament?” Jay suggested. “We could have the boys against the girls.”
Diana shook her
head. “That won’t work. There’s one more of you than there is of us.”
“That’s okay.” Cindy grinned at her brother. “I’ll bowl twice. That’ll make it even.”
Jay shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a very good idea. We wouldn’t want to wear you out.”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. Just get your team organized. And say a little prayer while you’re at it.”
While the guys went to the racks to find bowling balls, Diana turned to Cindy. “Jay looked really upset when you said you’d bowl twice. What was all that about?”
“He knows my average. That’s why he’s worried.”
“It’s that bad?”
“No. It’s that good. I was the Prairie Falls teen champ for three years running. If I haven’t lost my stuff, we’re going to beat the pants off them!”
“That’s great, Cindy!” Heather smiled, but she looked a little worried. “I just hope I don’t spoil things for us. Maybe that strike I got was just beginner’s luck.”
Cindy shook her head. “Don’t worry. You’ll do just fine. I’ll give you pointers as we go along.”
“Are you ready?” Hal walked over to join them.
“Almost.” Cindy started to write their names on the transparent grid that was showing on the overhead projector. “I just wish we had a trophy or some prizes. That’d make it more fun.”