Sisterhood Of Lake Alice (21 page)

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 grieved 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.

Emily started a fire in her father’s den while Grace opened another bottle of Asti and carried in a bowl of Doritos. Instead of sitting on the furniture, they all sat on big pillows in front of the fireplace, again wrapped in the security of their quilts. For a few moments, they seemed to be lost in their own thoughts.

Lindy broke the silence by admitting that she was getting a little tipsy but that she had no intention of not drinking this wonderful Asti. In a soft voice, which she rarely used, she said, “Girlfriends, can I be honest with you? Maybe it’s the wine talking, but I need you to know that my days have not all been the fairy tale that I have told you about.” Rebecca was the first to tell Lindy that she would be honored to hear about all of her life since she left Fergus Falls. She promised that she would never judge her and that she had become a good listener over the years.

Lindy cleared her throat and said, “There was a time when I was living in New York City when I really hated myself. I would look at the perfect, size 10 New York women walking down the street in their stylish clothes, perfect makeup, and smart hairdos. They all seemed to have such an air of confidence. I felt like the biggest misfit on the planet, like a whale out of water. I felt ugly, unlovable, and totally out of place. There was one night when I had finally had enough of the critical stares and snide remarks. I did not know what to do anymore. It was a real turning point for me. I spent two days crying, praying, getting angry, and then crying some more.

“I got up at four o’clock in the morning and walked to St. Patrick’s Cathedral. I didn’t care if some crazy person killed me that night. In a way, I felt that if I were attacked, they would be doing me a favor by putting me out of my misery. Well, I wasn’t mugged. However, I did discover that the church was locked up tight until seven o’clock. As I sat on the church stairs, I looked up at the sky, which by the way is hard to see in New York City. I did not realize that I was crying and loudly yelling at God until a cop came up to me. He asked me why I was on the church stairs and what drugs I was using. I told him my choice of drugs was chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and Snickers candy bars. Just as he was getting ready to arrest me for being a smart aleck, the church doors flew open.

“An ancient old priest, who had to have been eighty years old, walked down the stairs to me. His name was Father O’Shea. He called the cop by name and told him that he would take care of me. Within minutes, I was inside the most beautiful church I had ever seen. Father asked if I would be okay while he prepared for the 7:30 Mass. He left me standing in front of a statue of a peaceful and kind-looking woman. I later found out that it was a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary.