Journey, The (26 page)

"I'm afraid not. He's as dead as my father."

"What happened?"

"He died in Vietnam. Tim was a great guy. He had done really well in school. He was second in his class in 1963. He was popular, played football, and even had a nice girlfriend. His future was all set, at least until he had a notion to enlist in the Army. He died of shrapnel wounds in November 1965 in Ia Drang, the first big battle of the war. My mom never got over it. I suspect the irony was too much. She lost a son to a war that he was never supposed to see."

"That is so sad. I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything, Michelle. I didn't come here for sympathy. I came here to find peace and perhaps help you find some as well. I'm sure this experience hasn't been easy for you either."

"It wasn't at first. I almost jumped off of the Main Street Bridge. Imagine that," Michelle said, revisiting a painful week that now seemed ancient history. "But I managed. I got through it. I met some wonderful people and made a new life for myself. I found happiness that I had never known."

"I'm glad to hear that, very glad. Congratulations on your marriage."

"Thank you."

"Have you told your husband about your past."

"No. Not yet. But I will. How about you?"

"I don't see the point. I have nothing to gain and everything to lose. I have a family and a business to consider. I won't put them at risk just so I can share fantastic stories that no one would believe anyway."

Alice took another sip.

"That doesn't mean I plan to remain idle. I would have done anything to save my family, the other Franklins, from stepping into that house. I will do whatever I can to close the mansion to all. But I am just one person. There is only so much I can do."

Michelle smiled and grabbed both of Alice's hands.

"I'm glad you came to me. I am. I hope I can call on you in the future."

"Of course you can," Alice said. "I was counting on that. I think we can be helpful to each other and to those around us."

"I've already started."

"I've noticed. Pam has told me a lot about you. So have others at the school. I applaud your efforts. You have brought new meaning to courage and caring. But you should know that with the knowledge you possess comes great responsibility."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"You have a stake not only in this community and in the school but also in a particular young woman. I understand that you have become a good friend to Shelly Preston."

"I have."

"I had hoped so. I hope you look after her in the years to come, in a way I could not look after my younger self and her family."

"Trust me, I plan to."

"That's good. I wish you luck, Michelle. You have a chance to remake the world around you and steer the people you love in positive directions. Never forget that. Be conscientious and be prudent, but be bold. Whatever you do, don't hold back."

CHAPTER 48: SHELLY

Tuesday, April 15, 1980

Shelly cheered as a classmate raced around the bases and slid headfirst into third with a leadoff triple. She laughed as he stood up, waved to his mom in the stands, and pounded a ton of dirt off of the front of his jersey. She smiled when the player scored on a wild pitch. Damn, she loved baseball.

The gymnast without a boyfriend took a more nuanced view of those playing the game, particularly the young man in the on-deck circle. He had the most fluid swing she had ever seen and could pitch as well as anyone on the team. But he was also a major-league prick and she wanted to scratch his eyes out after rooting for him to hit a home run.

"Do you miss him?" April asked.

"No, not really. But that doesn't mean I don't think about him. How do you stop thinking about someone like Scott Richardson?"

"There, my dear Irene, is your answer."

April pointed to Canyon Creek's third baseman.

"My sources tell me his name is Mario Veronese and that he recently broke up with his girlfriend."

Shelly laughed.

"Do you ever give it a rest? He is hot though."

"Of course he's hot. He's smoldering," April said. She waved to Mario. "He's probably rich too. My guess is that his family owns a vineyard somewhere and that he plays baseball solely to entertain the masses. He's giving back to society and I, for one, am grateful."

Shelly smiled. April Burke was the remedy to any foul mood.

The next batter grounded out to the first baseman. Unionville needed a run to break a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh.

Shelly glanced again at the on-deck circle, where Scott took one last practice swing and flexed his muscular arms before walking to the plate. He stayed in shape. She gave him that. When he turned to face the bleachers, Shelly looked away and returned her attention to the underwear model playing third.

"Maybe we can kidnap him after the game," Shelly said with a laugh. "I'll lure him to the Love Bug and you can tie him up. Then we'll demand he take us to the prom for ransom."

"I like that idea!" April said. She looked at Shelly suspiciously. "But if we do, I get him first. The finder must get her finder's fee."

"At this point I don't care."

"What's the matter, Shelly? You can't still be upset about Nick."

"I'm upset with myself. I can't believe how many bad decisions I've made this year. It's like I've been stuck on stupid since September."

"Well, it's time to get unstuck. You need to mingle again. I'm serious. You're starting to depress me and I am not genetically programmed to frown."

"Do you have any suggestions, Miss Sunshine?"

"As a matter of fact, I do. Let's start with Grant."

"Grant Timmons?"

"Yes, Grant Timmons, silly. He's been staring at you all game from the dugout. I know he's not a starter, but he does have a nice smile and his parents just got cable TV."

"How do you know these things?"

April raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, yes, I forgot. You have sources," Shelly said, more than a little annoyed.

"Yes, I do. You should be grateful that I do too. I can put them to good use."

"Well, right now, all I want to do is finish the semester and graduate. Grant can wait. They all can wait. I'm tired of boys."

April laughed.

"Ooh, how I wish I had a tape recorder right now. That comment is a keeper."

Shelly laughed and threw an arm around her friend.

"You're awful. You can't even let me sulk properly."

Shelly was about to say something else when she was distracted by the crack of a bat. She watched the ball fly over the fence and then glanced toward first, where Scott Richardson began a long trot around the bases. He had just smacked a game-winning home run.

"Yeah!" April screamed as she jumped up and down.

Forty others in and around the stands did the same, including senior cheerleader Christine Tally, who clung to the chain-link backstop and shook back and forth like a rock-band groupie. More than one Unionville player looked and laughed as she squealed and pressed her ample assets to the metal mesh.

The stands cleared within minutes. Most in attendance quickly headed for their cars, home, and dinner. Shelly did not join them. She wanted to enjoy the victory. The Big Prick may have hit the home run, but he did so for her school. Her senior year was winding down and she wanted to savor every moment, no matter how bittersweet.

April did not stick around. She told Shelly that she would call her later that night and quickly drifted over to the parking lot, where the Canyon Creek Cougars licked their wounds and prepared to board a school bus home. Shelly laughed to herself as she watched April talk to Mario and presumably try to obtain his phone number. She gave dogged new meaning.

"Hey."

Shelly turned toward the voice and saw Scott. Still in uniform with a bat bag at his side, he looked up at her from a bleacher two rows down.

"Oh, hi. That was a nice hit, Scott."

"It was all right. It's pretty hard to miss a change-up over the plate, but I'll take it. How come you're sticking around?"

"I just feel like it. I don't know how many more games I'll be able to attend this year, so I figure I should make the most of this one. I've got a busy month coming up."

"Shelly?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't owe me an apology."

"Yes, I do. I was a jerk. I treated you like crap and took you for granted. You had every right to give it to me at the bowling alley. I apologize."

"Apology accepted."

Shelly looked at Scott with a mixture of regret and pity. The anger was gone. She turned away briefly to scan the bleachers and the parking lot.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

"Which one?"

"Christine."

"I don't know. We're not going out anymore."

"Oh."

"How about you? Are you seeing anyone?"

"Not at the moment."

"I can't say I'm sorry to see Bender out of the picture."

Shelly saw where the conversation was headed but wasn't quite sure how to manage it. Scott obviously wanted to make up, but she wanted nothing to do with reconciliation. The wounds and the memories from the bowling alley were still too fresh.

"He's gone. I'm glad. I really don't want to talk about him."

"Have you decided what to do about college?" he asked.

"No. I'm holding out as long as I can. I want to see what kind of federal financial aid I get before making a decision. But unless I get another grant it looks like I'm headed to Eugene."

"For what it's worth, I hope you can still go to Yale."

"You're just saying that to butter me up."

"I'm saying that, Shelly, because I mean it. My life has sucked without you. You know the saying that you don't know what you have until you lose it? Well, it's true. I made a big mistake. I realize that now."

"You made a lot of mistakes, Scott, and you made them over and over. You could have had me for a song. I loved you. All I ever wanted was to be treated with respect."

"I know," he said, looking at the ground.

Shelly could not remember if she had ever seen a man grovel, but this came close. She knew that Scott was genuinely remorseful, but she wanted him to stew a while. Justice and propriety demanded no less.

"Are you going to the prom?" he asked.

"No one has asked me."

"What if I asked you to go as a friend, no strings attached?"

"Is 'no strings' even part of your vocabulary, Scott?"

"I'll be honest. I want a second chance. I know I don't deserve it, but I want it and I'm willing to earn it. If it means being your friend for a while and taking some time to grow up, then that's what I'll do. It's killing me to have you out of my life, Shelly."

Shelly turned away and listened to two voices in her mind. The first told her to walk away and teach Scott something he should have learned when he was five: Bad behavior has consequences. But the other voice, the softer, more empathetic voice, eventually gained the upper hand. It told her that there was no harm in being friends with someone who was headed to a different college. Scott would be in her rearview mirror soon enough. When Shelly returned to her chastened suitor, she looked at him like a consumer product she didn't want to buy but felt obligated to try.

"OK, Scott. I'll go. I'll go to the prom with you, so long as you understand what that means. I'll go to the dance and only the dance and only as friends. I don't want to get back together and I don't want to go on other dates. This is a one-time deal."

She paused to let the words sink in.

"If you can agree to that, then we have a date."

"You have a deal," Scott said with growing enthusiasm.

"OK, then."

Shelly looked at him with sadness and longing. Scott Richardson no doubt saw the prom as his second chance, but she knew it was something else. It was their swan song. It was her chance to properly say goodbye to a boyfriend she had loved, really loved, and tell him that he could have been so much more.

CHAPTER 49: MICHELLE

Wednesday, April 30, 1980

Michelle smiled as she approached the front desk at Holiday Lanes. She had hoped to find her favorite high school student manning the station but was not at all disappointed to find Shelly Preston's two best friends. She hadn't talked to either in weeks.

"Long time, no see. How are you doing?" Michelle asked.

"I'm doing great," Brian Johnson said from behind the counter. "Can I get you anything?"

"I think I'm OK for now. I'm just taking a break from my teammates before we start our third game. They get a little crazy at times, particularly when we do well, which isn't often." Michelle looked over Brian's shoulder and quickly scanned the area behind the L-shaped counter. "Where's Shelly tonight?"

"She worked the afternoon shift and left at six. She's helping her dad on some sort of Chamber of Commerce project."

"Oh."

Michelle glanced at April Burke and noticed a rare frown.

"How are things with you, April?"

"They could be better."

"What's the matter?"

"I'm in social Siberia."

Michelle turned to Brian for a translation.

"She doesn't have a prom date," he said.

"It's so embarrassing," April said. "I can't believe it's come to this."

She glanced at Michelle, blushed, and looked away.

"No one has asked you?" Michelle asked incredulously.

"No one has even stalked me in the hallway. That's typically the first step."

"Why don't
you
ask someone to go? There's nothing wrong with that," Michelle said.

"I've already done that. Twice. Ricky Fellows turned me down. So did Ben Simms. They had already asked sophomores. Sophomores!"

"You could ask someone else."

"I could, but I'm not really eager to get smacked down a third time."

"I'd take her," Brian said, "but I find myself in the unusual position of having a date. I think Darla would be upset if I brought April along."