Hometown Series Box Set

by Kirsten Fullmer

  She stared down at the little box, knowing what it looked like, but not quite able to believe it. Holding her breath, she carefully pried it opened, and sure enough, nestled inside was a diamond ring. Her head came up, her eyes wide. “Are you serious?”

  He shrugged. “I was, but if it’s not what you want—”

  “Yes!” she shouted, tackling him, causing both of them to nearly topple backwards off the bench. “I do want to marry you! Yes, oh yes,” she cried into the neck of his suit. “Yes, yes, yes!”

  Thomas laughed, his arms coming around her. “Are you sure? I don’t mean to pressure you.”

  She pulled back, her eyes shining with happy tears. “I meant I didn’t want to go home and be kept in a kitchen, not that I didn’t want to marry you!”

  He grinned. “How do you know I won’t keep you in a kitchen?”

  She laughed, loud and joyous, ignoring his comment. “Oh Thomas, this is the best day of my life!”

  “Winnie,” Marge tapped Winnie’s shoulder again. “Winnie, are you okay? Are you having a stroke?”

  Winnie shook her head, trying to focus on the people milling around the school gymnasium. Why did they have to interrupt her memory? Oh, how she would have loved to stay there with Thomas, in that happy moment, for a little longer.

  Marge picked up Winnie’s hand to check her pulse. “Say a tongue twister. You can’t do that if you’ve had a stroke. Try saying ‘Sally sells sea shells—'”

  ‘No, no,” Blanche interrupted, it needs to be more difficult. Have her say ‘how much wood, would a woodchuck—'”

  Winnie got to her feet. “I’m fine!”

  “Hickory dickory doc?” Marge offered.

  Blanche put her hands on her hips and glared at her sister. “That’s not a tongue twister.”

  “Stop it!” Winnie insisted. It was agony to be pulled away from such a sweet memory and tossed into this. “I’m fine, I tell you, now back off!”

  Katie came to Winnie’s side, offering a wink to the other ladies, and linked her arm through the old woman’s. She was fairly new in town, but she knew Winnie well enough to see that she was in trouble. “How about we step out for a bit of fresh air?” Then without waiting for a response, she gave Winnie a tug in the direction of the door.

  Once they were outside, and Winnie caught her breath, Katie spoke up. “Did something happen that upset you?”

  Winnie shook her head and leaned against the railing. “No, I was just… lost in thought.”

  “I see,” Katie said. “Well, I’ve been meaning to call you, I’m glad we get a chance to talk.”

  Winnie eyed the pretty young woman suspiciously. “Talk about what?”

  Well,” Katie said, glancing over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. “I have someone staying at my glamping park who knows you.”

  Winnie knew who Katie referred to, and a surge of adrenalin shot through her system. “I heard some such, but I didn’t know if—” She couldn’t finish. Tonight’s reunion may finally give her a chance to correct long-buried wrongs. Was she up to it?

  * * *

  An hour later, after finishing the decorations at the school, Tara slid into a booth at the diner and settled Bella next to her. There was no time now to go home for dinner; she’d have to feed the baby here, then hurry back over to the reunion dinner. She’d promised the committee she’d help serve, and she didn’t intend to be late. Maybe, if she was lucky, she’d see Blanche there and be able to apologize for her ridiculous behavior. She wasn’t sure if she could manage to offer the woman her job back, it had been so lovely to have the house to herself this morning, but an apology was definitely in order.

  She pulled a menu from behind the salt and pepper shakers, as if she didn’t have the thing memorized. That morning she’d asked Justin if he’d escort her to the football game after the reunion dinner, but, as usual, he said he had somewhere else to be. And he’d seemed happy about it too!

  “Samich pweese,” Bella said, pointing to the menu.

  Tara chuckled. “You’re so cute, do you know that?”

  Old Bud bustled around from behind the counter. His cheeks were red and his once-white, stained apron was pulled tight across his big belly. “Marge is over to the high school settin’ up, can I—” his eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Is that a black eye?”

  Tara tilted her head to cover her face and ignored the question. “Hi Bud.”

  He stared for a minute more, then regained his bearings. “What can I get for you two ladies?”

  “Uh, I just want a diet coke for me and a sandwich for Bella.” Tara muttered.

  “Pee-butter” Bella clarified loudly.

  Bud chuckled. “Sounds easy enough. Are you helping out over to the school tonight?”

  “Yes,” Tara answered, barely able to sit still when she thought of the reunion dinner. “I’m so excited to watch Winnie. Her long-lost friend, Claudia, is coming to the reunion. I offered to serve so I could be there. I don’t want to miss a minute of their meeting.”

  Bud’s wide, sweaty, forehead crinkled. “You talkin’ bout Claudia Taylor?”

  “Well,” Tara hedged, “I don’t know her last name, but they were childhood friends here, and then they went off to college together.”

  “That’d be her,” Bud muttered, “but—”

  A niggling sense of dread tickled Tara’s stomach. “What is it?”

  The old guy shook his head. “Claudia ain’t gonna be at the reunion tonight, honey.”

  Tara’s heart sank to her feet. Bud had to be wrong, she’d been planning this for weeks. They’d given Winnie a makeover and taken her shopping. The poor old woman had been edgy about it for days.

  “And why can’t she be there?” Tara demanded, not willing to be disappointed. Nothing else had gone right lately, this was the one thing she was sure of.

  “Sweetie,” Bud said. “Claudia is over yonder in the Smithville cemetery. She died of a drug overdose in 73’.”

  It took a moment for the words to sink in.

  “But— if Winnie didn’t get that letter from Claudia,” she faltered, “who is going to be at the reunion?”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Winnie bustled down the school steps and across the parking lot. She had just enough time to get home and change and make it back for the reunion dinner. Thoughts of her new outfit came to mind and she smiled. Humming to herself, she pulled out of the parking lot, her mind wandering between the past to the present. It seemed like she’d spent more time wallowing in memories than being in the present, but so be it.

  Those college days had been sweet and so horrible. How she’d cherished Thomas, and she’d loved Claudia and Roy like the siblings she never had. The pain of losing Claudia, then Roy, and then her husband and little girl, had completely taken her will to live. She hadn’t even had the strength to visit their graves for years and years. She’d only managed to hide in her old house and weep.

  It was strange how one letter could bring out so much long-buried trauma. One day she’d been her usual busy self, managing the folk of Smithville, and the next she’d been tossed into a well of memories. The funny thing was, now that she’d gone there and looked at those days, she found that she could cherish the memories, as if they were a special gift, not a dark secret to be afraid of.

  Saying goodbye to Claudia had certainly been a heartbreak though. Her friend had barely been able to hold back her excitement as she tossed her bags into that old Volkswagen bus her buddies drove. She’d taken the time to give Winnie a big hug and a quick peck on the cheek, but if they’d known they’d never see each other again, Winnie was sure they’d have taken the time to say more.

  Oh Claudia, such a pretty girl with a free spirit and lilting laugh. How she would have enjoyed seeing her silly ideas actually come to fruition. She’d been ahead of her time.

  Winnie’s hands gripped the steering wheel and desolation crept back into her heart as she remembered Roy’s departure. She’d known that day she
may not see him again, and she’d been right.

  She’d woken the morning after graduation in Thomas’s arms. As her mind cleared and she remembered the ring, the engagement, their evening together making love, she knew she must be the happiest girl in the world.

  Thomas snuggled up to her back, spoon style, and kissed the back of her neck. “You awake?”

  “I am now,” she purred, turning in the bed to face him.

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Nah, I’m more tired than hungry,” she admitted. She’d been emotionally drained for days, and last night’s engagement excitement had taken the last of her energy.

  “I’m surprised you’re still here, to be honest,” Thomas said, nibbling her earlobe.

  She snuggled closer into his warmth. “Hmmm. Why is that?”

  His hand slipped around her waist and across her back. “What with Roy leaving and all, I figured—”

  She jolted in his arms. “Roy, leaving?”

  Confused at her reaction, he leaned up on one elbow and brushed a strand of hair back from her face. “Yeah, his unit ships out this morning.”

  Winnie flew out of the bed. “Why didn’t he tell me?”

  Thomas sat up, his hair mussed. “I don’t know, are you two even on speaking terms?”

  “Oh dear, oh dear,” she mumbled, searching for her discarded clothing. “I can’t let him leave without—" her head flung from one side to the other. “Where are my pants?”

  Thomas swung his legs over the side of the bed. “You were wearing a dress.”

  “Oh, right,” she huffed, finding the edge of her skirt on a chair, sticking out from under Thomas’s suit. “Do you think I can still catch him? What time are they leaving? Oh— he won’t have any family there!”

  “Eight o’clock train, most likely.” Thomas replied, fetching his watch from the bedside table. “It’s 7:30 now, if you hurry you can probably make it to the station by eight.”

  Winnie tugged on her dress and dragged a comb through her ratted hair. He was right, the station was only a few blocks away. She slipped on her shoes and planted a quick kiss on Thomas’s cheek. “Thanks, babe, I love you.” she said with a crooked grin. Then she ran out the door.

  Pulled from her memory, Winnie frowned and pushed the brake pedal, causing her old station wagon to slow. A strange car was parked in front of her house. Pulling into her drive, she gave the car the once over. It looked like a rental, but no one sat inside.

  Still caught up in thinking about the morning Roy left, she turned off the ignition. Oh, how she’d run to get to the station in time to tell her dear friend goodbye.

  As she’d hurried through the door of the station, panting and in a panic, she’d scanned the crowd of soldiers. They all looked so similar in their uniforms that it was hard to tell them apart.

  “Roy!” she cried, pushing through the crowd. “Roy!”

  Then she saw him, heading out the door to the platform with his rucksack over one shoulder.

  “Roy! Roy, wait!” She screamed pushing past other folks saying goodbye to their soldiers. Roy’s tactics during the riot no longer mattered, he was her big brother, her friend, her confidant. He couldn’t leave without her telling him how much he meant to her!

  At the door, he heard her calls and turned, searching the crowd.

  A velvet rope kept Winnie from getting close and she jumped in place, frantic to see him over the crowd. He spotted her, and their eyes met. There was so much to say, an apology, so many thank yous, a lifetime of foolishness to laugh over. But she couldn’t get close. She reached out her hand, as if to stop him.

  Roy’s eyes lit up and he tried to turn back, but the line pushed him forward. He struggled against the flow of foot traffic once again, but to no avail. Finally, he raised his hand, offered her a crooked grin, then he was gone.

  Despondent, she stared at the platform doorway, unable to believe that he’d left. Jostled by the crowd, she allowed herself to be pushed back and forth, tossed from side to side. Finally, she found her way to a bench, where she sat and wept for a very long time.

  A truck rattled noisily down the road, bringing Winnie back to the present. Her house sat there before her, austere and empty. How could she have known that within a few short years of the day Roy left, that Claudia, her husband, and later her child, would be gone as well.

  She sniffed, working to push away the misery of her past. Thank God for Tara. The girl had saved her in so many ways.

  With shaking hands, she put her keys in her purse and climbed from the car. Her knees were weak, and she felt very old as she shuffled toward the house. Her heart was broken, and her chin shook with emotion. Perhaps she shouldn’t have allowed herself to remember.

  A tall, thin, old man rose from the rocking chair on Winnie’s porch. “Wynona?”

  Winnie froze, and her eyes came up to meet his. He looked so much older— of course he was older— but the twinkle in his eye, that open smiling face with dimples creasing his cheeks, and the crew cut, those were the same. He stepped off the porch, looking unsure, watching her reaction.

  “Roy,” she whispered.

  * * *

  Unable to wait another minute, Tara wrapped Bella’s sandwich in a napkin and hustled her out to the car.

  “Samich!” Bella cried as Tara buckled her in the car seat.

  “Just a minute,” Tara fussed, tangling the buckles in her haste. Finally, she got the car seat situation fixed and gave Bella her sandwich, then she ran back around the car and climbed in. Here, she’d been thinking Winnie was concerned about seeing Claudia, and now she had no idea what was happening. All she knew for sure was that Winnie was upset about it.

  Considering how she’d been going on and on about Claudia and insisting that Winnie do all sorts of out-of-character things (like a haircut and makeover), the poor old woman must think she’d lost her mind. But how was she supposed to know Claudia had died over 40 years ago!

  Beside herself with concern, and maybe curiosity, she pulled into the high school parking lot then hurried to get Bella and get inside.

  Bella bounced on her mother’s hip as Tara ran up the steps, and her half-eaten sandwich fell from her sticky little fingers. “Oh no! Samich!” Bella cried, arching her back, trying to wrench out of Tara’s arms to retrieve her dinner. “Momma, samich!”

  Tara stopped and turned back, but just then a bird had flapped down and landed on the dirty sandwich.

  “Birdy! Birdy! Samich! No bird!” Bella screeched, directly into her mother’s ear.

  Tara’s ears rang as she worked to keep hold of her angry daughter. “Honey, I’ll get you a new sandwich! Let the birdy have that one.” She continued up the steps and Bella burst into sobs, crying alligator tears and reaching over Tara’s shoulder, opening and closing her hands.

  By the time Tara reached the gymnasium, scanning the crowd for Winnie, Bella was a snotty, bawling, peanut-butter-covered disaster.

  Julia hurried over and put her arms out to Bella. “Oh my, sweet baby, what happened?”

  Bella lunged out of Tara’s arms into Julia’s, then buried her filthy face in Julia neck. “Bird. Samich,” she hiccupped, muffled between sobs. Julia patted her back, giving Tara a questioning, judgmental look.

  Tara didn’t have time to talk. She craned her neck, looking toward the kitchen, then the hallway. “Where’s Winnie, have you seen her?”

  Julia frowned. “What is going on with you?”

  Tara’s face fell and her gaze came down to Julia’s. “Huh?”

  “First, you keep secrets from all of us when it’s clear you are struggling with something. Then I hear you fired poor Blanche.” Her friend shifted Bella to her other petite hip, picking up speed. “Then earlier you show up with a black eye, and now you come running in here with Bella fit to be tied! What is going on?”

  Becky huffed up to the pair, her eyes wide and her jewelry jangling. “What’s happening?” she asked, placing one hand on her chest full of necklaces. “Is Bel
la hurt?”

  “Oh, for heaven’s sakes!” Tara barked. “She dropped her sandwich and a bird got it. She’s fine!”

  “What happened to your eye! It looks horrible!” Becky cried, reaching out to touch the shiner.

  Katie and Lizzie joined the crowd. “Eye? Whose eye?” they echoed.

  Tara dodged Becky’s hand. “Where is Winnie!” She bellowed.

  The four women’s heads jerked back in surprise. Even Bella stopped crying to stare at her mother in shock.

  Tara pinched the bridge of her nose, working to rein in her frustration. Finally, she let go of her nose and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Bella is fine,” she said in a modulated tone. “She dropped her sandwich, and I don’t want to talk about my eye.”

  “But—” Becky started, but she was cut off by Tara’s raised hand.

  “I need to talk to Winnie. Is she here?”

  Julia’s lips pursed into a thin line, showing her dissatisfaction with Tara’s lack of explanation.

  Lizzie motioned toward the door. “You just missed her. She said something about changing her clothes for the dinner.”

  “Damn,” Tara muttered under her breath.

  “No! Say darn,” Bella corrected, glaring at her mother. She then looked to the other women for confirmation.

  Julia gave her a squeeze. “That’s right!”

  Justin strode into the gym, his eyes searching the crowd. When they lit on Tara, he grinned and headed her way.

  Katie watched the exchange with interest, then turned to Lizzie, cupping her hand to cover her words. “Nice shiner, I wonder who the other guy was.”

  Lizzie giggled and shrugged.

  “Hi honey,” Justin said happily, dropping a kiss on Tara’s cheek. Then he caught sight of her swollen eye and he frowned. “Wow, it looks even worse now, doesn’t it?” He strained his neck to see over the crowd. “How’s Blanche?” he asked, still unable to imagine a fist fight between his wife and the manager.

  Tara ignored him, focusing instead on Lizzie. “So, Winnie went home?”