Anna's Visions (8 page)

Tori managed to regain her composure before it was her
turn to give a cheer. She was fifth contender up. She walked to the center of
the floor and gave a flawless performance, finishing with a back-flip and a
side split.

As she walked back to the bleachers, she looked into
the crowd and was surprised to see Wesley Asner looking right at her, He was
clapping his hands so hard,
she
knew they had to be
stinging. She sat beside Jill, one bleacher below Wesley, and she was sure she
could feel his breath on the back of her neck – sweet and warm.
She
slyly turned and looked up at him, and he smiled broadly and gave her a wink.
I’ve
got his attention. Good start.

Another contestant followed Tori, and then it was
Jill’s turn. Tori held her breath as Jill did her routine – and she was
perfect, too, with her blond hair cascading down her back, her blue eyes
sparkling, and her smile beaming.

Billy Rice was sitting next to Wesley. As Jill took
her seat, Tori looked up at Billy, who was clapping and smiling warmly. She was
sure she could see his heart beating rapidly through his jersey. She leaned
over to Jill and whispered, “Wesley Asner and Billy Rice are giving us the old
once-over, or maybe the thrice-over. They can’t seem to peel their eyeballs off
the end of their noses.”

“Which one is looking at me?” Jill asked, her face
reddening. “I hope
it’s
Billy. He had my heart going
pitty-patter when he came out of the locker room.”

“It
is
Billy,” Tori replied. “And that’s
perfect, because Wesley’s the one I want.”

“Oh, great
doodleberries!
The two
best-looking guys in school are staring at us. Can you believe it?” Jill said,
wiping her palms on her shorts.

“I’m trying to believe it,” Tori answered, wanting to
turn her head and stare at Wesley again, but she didn’t want to seem too
interested. Grammy had always said that a man would chase after a woman who
acted aloof. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to act. Her heart was beating
like a drum.

After cheerleader tryouts, Coach Norman announced it
was time for all students to go to first period. Tori could have sworn she could
feel Wesley’s eyes following her as she walked down the bleachers. Or maybe it
was wishful thinking?

* * * *

Five minutes before the end of last period, the
principal’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “May I have your attention please?
I’d like to announce our varsity cheerleaders for this school year.”

Tori and Jill were seated across from each other. They
clasped hands, held their breath, and their eyes were wishing the other good
luck as the principal started calling names. “Mary Shelton. Glenda Roman. Linda
Glass.”

Then Tori heard the sweetest sound ever – her name was
on the list!

After Tori’s name, the principal announced, “Sara
Parker.”

Then there was a maddening pause. There was only one
more cheerleading spot left! What would Tori do if Jill didn’t make it?

After what seemed like forever, the principal finally
announced, “Last, but not least – Jill Moss! Congratulations to everyone, and
let’s have a great season!”

Tori and Jill hugged and quickly found themselves
surrounded by other students, congratulating them, and all talking at once.
When the last bell rang, Tori and Jill edged their way through the crowd,
hurried to the locker they shared, and Tori dug through her purse, looking for
the piece of paper with the combination written on it.

She was so excited that her hand shook a little as she
held up the paper and read the numbers aloud so Jill could turn the dial. After
three attempts, the door finally opened. They gathered up the books they needed
to take home, and then closed the locker and headed for the front door.

They’d only taken a few steps when Tori saw Wesley and
Billy, standing in front of a locker, talking.

“There they are,” Tori whispered, grabbing Jill’s arm.

“I know, I see
them.”

As soon as they noticed Tori and Jill, Wesley and
Billy smiled and walked toward them. Billy nudged Wesley with his elbow and
Wesley stepped in front of Tori. “Hi, I’m Wesley Asner, but everybody calls me
Wes.”

I know,” Tori said. “I heard Coach Norman introduce
you this morning. My name is Tori Hicks. Everybody calls me Tori.” She
instantly wanted to slap herself upside the head for saying such a stupid
thing. What else would she be called, Toe? She was hoping her voice wasn’t
quivering like her stomach was. She could feel her face turn red, and she wondered
if she looked like the idiot she felt like.

“I know who you are,” he said with a smile.
“Congratulations on being a cheerleader. That means we’ll probably be seeing a
lot of each other during the season.”

“Yeah, I suppose so,” Tori said with a nervous giggle.

Billy was looking at Jill, and he finally said to her,
“My name is Billy Rice. I’m on the football team, too.” He self-consciously
stuffed his hands into his pockets as he waited for Jill to reply.

Jill flashed Billy a beautiful smile and said, “I’m
Jill Moss. I’m a cheerleader, too.”

After an awkward silence, Wes looked into Tori’s eyes
and stammered, “Er – do you date?”

“No, I don’t, and I don’t have a boyfriend,” she
answered, then wondered why she’d said such a stupid thing. If she didn’t have a
boyfriend then of course she didn’t date.
Duh!

Wes just smiled, but said nothing.

A moment later, Billy asked Jill, “What about you? Do
you date?”

“No, and I don’t have a boyfriend, either,” she
replied, again flashing a smile.

Wes nodded, and then looking into Tori’s blushing
face, he asked, “Well, would you mind giving me your phone number? Maybe we
could do something this Friday night – that is, if you don’t have other plans.”

Tori grinned when she saw that Wes’ face was turning a
bit red, too. That made her more comfortable. Maybe he was almost as nervous as
she was, though she found that hard to believe. She almost dropped her books
trying to get a piece of paper out of her notebook. She finally managed to rip
out a page as Jill handed her a ballpoint. She jotted down her number and
handed it to Wes. Then she jotted down Jill’s number on another piece and
handed it to Billy.

“Thanks,” Wesley said with a wide smile while Billy
nodded.

“Call us,” Tori said as the boys turned to go.

When they headed up the hallway, Tori slapped her palm
against her forehead and said, “They wouldn’t have asked for a phone number if
they weren’t going to call. That was a stupid thing to say!”

“They’re as nervous as we are, and they probably don’t
remember what any of us said.” Jill giggled, but she didn’t seem nervous.

They watched as Wes and Billy folded the papers,
tucked them into their pockets, and headed for football practice.

Tori and Jill hurried for the bus, climbed aboard, and
took a seat up front. When the bus stopped on Maple Street, they hopped down
the steps, ran across the street, and into Tori’s house.”

Tori tripped over the mat in the kitchen and almost
fell as she reached for the wall phone by the back door, but she managed to
steady herself and dial Grammy’s number.

When Grammy answered, she said excitedly, “Grammy,
guess what? Jill and I were elected cheerleaders, then the two best-looking
boys at Dixon High, asked us out!” She paused to take a breath, and continued,
“They’re both football players, and very handsome. You can’t do any better than
that, right?”

There was a silence on the other end of the phone, so
Tori added, “You already knew all that, didn’t you? Just once I’d like to be
able to tell you something exciting that you didn’t already know.” She rolled
her eyes. Sometimes, Grammy’s gift was a pain in the butt.

“I’m sorry,” said Grammy with a chuckle. “If it makes
you feel any better, I knew that you’d met a boy, but I didn’t know for sure
about you becoming cheerleaders, so you did surprise me a little.”

Tori placed her hand over her heart and said, “Grammy,
I felt an electric tingle when I looked into his eyes, and his voice makes me
want to swoon. Am I in love?”

“No, sweet, you’re moonstruck,” Grammy said, then
added, “But you soon will be in love. And so will Jill – and the four of you
are going to be love mates forever!”

Tori put her hand over the receiver and said to Jill,
“Grammy says we’re soon going to fall in love and we’ll stay in love forever.
She says that Wes and Billy are our love mates.”

Tori said goodbye to Grammy, and then she and Jill
hugged each other and did their pee-dance.
“Holy jumping
jacks!”
Tori cried. “I can’t believe it. It sounds like Grammy thinks
that we’ll be like the Four Musketeers.
Forever!”

“Well, if Grammy says it, that’s good enough for me,”
Jill said happily.

Anna’s Note

September 3, 1971

This morning I found myself staring out the kitchen
window, gazing at the Morgan graveyard on the hillside behind the house, and
watching the bright sunlight reflect off the granite headstones. I know my time
is near, but Lord, I need your help. Please show me what I’m supposed to do to
save my sweet Tori.

Anna West Morgan

Chapter Six

Tori was
in a dither as she usually was when things weren’t as
perfect as she thought they should be. The beautician had styled her hair in an
upsweep and she had rushed home with the car windows rolled up. With no
air-conditioning the heat was stifling, and it was just as hot in the house
when she got home. She only had one hour to get ready for senior prom.

She sat at her vanity and looked at herself in the
mirror. Her hair was already starting to work its way out of the hairpins in
various places and sweat was running down her forehead. She began the process
of applying her makeup, and then stopped, and blew a wisp of hair from her
eyes. “Freeze fire fuzzy! My makeup is sliding off as fast as I can put it on.”

She turned the osculating fan toward her bed, sat on
the edge, and as the cool breeze blew over her, she reflected on her high
school years. In the beginning, it had been flattering when the boys had vied
for her attention, but Wesley Asner had been her steady boyfriend since their
first date. The only thing she didn’t like about her high school years was the
sight of Tommy Hill drooling every time she passed him in the hallway. He gave
her the willies.

She thought she had the perfect man. Wes and she were
madly in love and planned to be married after they finished college. She truly
believed that their marriage would be as happy as Momma and Daddy’s or Grammy
and Poppy’s. Nothing could make her doubt their love. They were soul mates
forever – Grammy had said so, and she believed her.

Even though the breeze from the fan felt heavenly,
time was running out, so she stood and wriggled into her pantyhose. Then she
slipped on a teal-green, floor-length, strapless sheath evening gown. She
slipped her feet into satin six-inch heels that had been dyed to match the
gown. The heels would put her head just a little above Wes’ shoulder.

She clasped the single strand of pearls she had
borrowed from Grammy around her neck, and then clamped on the matching
earrings. Admiring herself in the mirror, she said, “Good enough! I’ll be the
prettiest girl at the prom – except Jill.”

She held her skirt up as she descended the stairs, as
if she were floating. She had applied extra coats of both hairspray and
mascara. Tori thought her auburn hair, green eyes, and peaches-and-cream
complexion made her look like a princess.

She’d been popular all four years of high school,
winning the admiration of other students with her flamboyant, rambunctious
personality. They called her a people magnet. Some of the teachers said that
she had an aura that danced around her like fairy dust.

She made her way down the stairs, strolled across the
living room, turned in circles, and said, “How do I look?”

“A perfect
vision of loveliness.”
Her dad
kissed her cheek. “Daddy’s little girl is gone. You’re a woman, now.”

Tori swallowed hard and managed to say, “Thanks,
Daddy.” She looked toward her mother. “Okay, let’s get on with the picture
taking. Wes will be here any minute.” Tori tried to change the subject before
she broke down in tears and had mascara running down her face.

Momma had Tori strike a pose, and just as she was
snapping a picture, there was a knock on the front door.

“Come on in, Wes!” Tori called. “Save me from this
ordeal!”

As Wes entered the living room, he looked at Tori and
whistled. “Wow! Tori, you get more beautiful every day!”

Her mother smiled. “Wes, you stand by the railing.
Tori, you stand on the first step.”

When they reached the stairway, her mother twisted and
turned them as if they were mannequins in a department store window. Once she
had them in position, she snapped several pictures while they forced their best
smiles.

Tori finally said, “That’s enough, Momma! We’ve got to
get going or we’ll be late.”

“I hope I’ll be able to drive with all these flashbulb
spots in front of my eyes,” Wes said.

“Knock, knock.” Jill pushed open the front door and
walked inside, holding Billy’s hand.

Tori gasped when she saw her. Jill was as beautiful as
a movie star. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and “legs that went to her armpits,”
as Billy described them, made her look like a goddess.

Tori’s heart warmed as she stared at her beautiful kindred
spirit and she felt tears welling. She quickly drew her emotions in check. Now
wasn’t the time to get sappy, she reminded herself.

“Oh, Jill, Billy, I’m glad you made it in time.”
Tori’s mom grabbed the newcomers and guided them to the staircase. “Let’s get a
few pictures of all of you together before you leave.” She snapped away while
the four of them posed, smiled and blinked, trying to remove the spots that
danced on their corneas.

“Momma, please,” Tori finally said. “One more and
that’s it!”

“Okay! Stand still and we’ll make the last one the
best one.”

As soon as the flash went off, they all started for
the front door.

Tori’s parents stood on the front porch and waved as
they drove away, Wes at the wheel and Jill and Billy in the backseat holding hands.

“The four
musketeers!”
Tori yelled,
thrusting her arm into the air.

“The four
musketeers!”
Wes, Jill, and
Billy yelled.

When they reached the school, Tori said, “Wes, pull up
to the front entrance of the school and let me and Jill out. Then drive around
to the back of the school and park your daddy’s new Pontiac Tempest next to the
fence by the football field so it won’t get bumped by another car.”

“Good Idea,” Wes said. “Billy and I will catch up with
you two inside.”

A few minutes later, Wes and Billy walked into the gym
and headed for the punch bowl. Tori thought they looked like royalty in their
black tuxedos, white shirts, and black bowties. Their black wingtip shoes gave
off a glow like the sun reflecting off a mirror.

Wes’ six-foot frame, dark hair and eyes, coupled with
his ruddy complexion, gave him a healthy outdoorsy appearance.

Billy’s sandy-blond hair and steel-gray eyes made him
look like an innocent little boy, though he stood five-foot-eleven and had
muscles like a body builder.

Tori looked around, soaking in the sights that
surrounded her. She wanted to be able to remember everything about that special
night. The gymnasium was decorated with black-and-gold streamers, and large
black-and-gold balloons were bunched together in the middle of the ceiling.

A portable stage had been erected at the north end of
the gym, adorned with pots of fern and baskets of pink and white carnations. An
antique red settee sat center stage, accompanied by a white lattice archway. A
six-piece band was set up on the left side.

At eight o’clock, the band started their first song
and the dancing began. Prom night was the most important night of the year and
the romantic atmosphere was intoxicating.

At eleven o’clock, Principal Branson took the stage
holding a microphone. “May I have your attention, please?” he said as silence
fell over the crowd. “It’s now my pleasure to announce the king and queen of
this year’s prom.” There was a long pause for effect, then Mr. Branson grandly
announced, “Ladies and gentleman,
may
I introduce your
1975 king and queen – Wesley Asner and Tori Hicks!”

Tori gasped and held her hands to her face as if it
were the greatest shock of her life. She thought she had to appear to be
surprised, but the truth was that if she hadn’t been elected queen, she would
have been so disappointed she wouldn’t have gotten out of bed for several days.

Wes tucked his head and his face turned red, but Tori
was all smiles, still trying to act surprised as they walked hand-in-hand
across the floor and onto the stage while flashbulbs popped all around them.
Everyone was applauding, and Tori heard Tommy Hill whistle through his teeth as
she and Wes sat on the settee.

Mr. Branson waited for the cheers to die down, and
then said, “The official coronation will be made by our senior class president,
Billy Rice – and this year’s homecoming queen, Jill Moss.”

Everyone clapped again, and Tommy Hill whistled as
Jill and Billy joined Wes and Tori on stage. When Mr. Branson gave the signal,
Billy carefully placed a gold crown on Wes’ head and squeezed his buddy’s
shoulders. Then Jill placed a gold crown on Tori’s head and kissed her cheek.

The band began playing “Unchained Melody” as Wes and
Tori descended the steps and walked to the center of the floor. Wes held Tori
closely as they basked in the joy of the moment – and in the warmth of their
love.

Tori looked up at him and whispered, “King and queen.”

Wes gently kissed her lips, and said, “You’ll always
be my queen.”

A few minutes later, other students joined them on the
dance floor. It was the last dance of the night and a bit melancholy, because
it also marked the end of the idyllic life they’d all shared for the last four
years. “The class of ‘75 has their dreams,” Tori whispered to Wes. “And I hope
they all come true.”

Following the dance, according to Dixon High
tradition, the seniors gathered by the Ohio River, built a bonfire, roasted
marshmallows and wieners, and whooped it up until the sun rose the next day.

The four of them piled into the Tempest and headed to
Maple Street. Wes pulled to the curb in front of the Hicks and Moss homes. Tori
and Jill jumped out. Wes and Billy drove away, promising to be back in thirty
minutes.

As Jill hurried toward her house, Tori ran through her
front door, yelling, “Wes and I are prom king and queen,” as she headed for the
staircase.

“Hold on!” Momma said, hurrying from the kitchen into
the living room. “I want a picture.”

Dutifully, Tori stood at the bottom of the stairs,
posing for a couple pictures with her fingertips balancing her gold crown. Then
she kissed her parents and raced upstairs, hiking up her dress and taking the
steps two at a time.

“Always a lady,” Momma called out as Tori bounded the
steps. Tori glanced over her shoulder and saw her mother look at her father,
shake her head, and say, “Where did we go wrong?”

Tori changed into shorts, a halter-top, and sandals,
then ran back downstairs, headed for the front door, “Remember, I’ll be out all
night. The party doesn’t end until sunup.”

“We know,” Momma said. “Have fun!”

The Tempest pulled into the driveway and Tori and Jill
hopped in. Not much was said as Wes turned the car toward Trent, a small town
thirty miles from Madison.

When they arrived, Tori’s palms were sweating as she
and Jill waited in the car while Wes and Billy rented two motel rooms.

“Are we really going to do this?” Jill asked, looking
concerned.

“I reckon so,” Tori replied, a little uncomfortable
herself. “We’re here and they’re renting the rooms. What happens when we get
into those rooms – well, we’ll just have to see.”

Jill nodded, and then asked, “Whose idea was this
anyway?”

Tori replied, “Wes said he didn’t want to go to the
river. He wanted us to have some private time, so I said, okay.”

Jill nodded again, then softly added, “Do you realize
this will be the first solo date I’ve ever had Billy? We’ve double dated with
you and Wes for the last four years, so I guess maybe it
is
time that
you and I had private time with our future husbands.”

“You know, I never thought about that,” Tori said. “We
have
always double dated. Even so, I’m not sure I’m comfortable with
this. Maybe I won’t be able to think of anything to talk about without you and
Billy there.”

Jill gave Tori a sly smile. “Well, I think you’ll
figure it out, girl. Here they come with the keys.”

* * * *

By five o’clock the next morning, they were ready to
head back to Madison.
Tori was
hoping to make it back
home before her parents got up.

Wes pulled into the driveway. Tori jumped out of the
car and called over her shoulder, “See you later.”

“See you,” Wes answered.

Jill headed for her house. “I’ll be over after I take
a nap.”

The sun was shining through the trees and birds were
chirping their sweet music as they welcomed a new day. Tori hurried up the
steps, quietly opened the front door, stepped inside, and listened. Not a
sound.
So far, so
good.

She tiptoed across the living room, crept upstairs,
making sure she missed the second step, entered her bedroom, shut the door, and
quickly undressed.

She slipped under the sheet and closed her eyes as
visions of the previous night danced in her head. Sex sure wasn’t what she had
expected – although exactly what she expected, she wasn’t sure, just not
something so...awkward. Was it even really sex? “Wes didn’t get it all the way
in, I don’t think. It didn’t feel like it. He just got close,” she whispered to
herself. “It was over almost before it started.”