Class of '59 (American Journey Book 4)

by John A. Heldt

  Then she pondered the matter and concluded her theory had holes. Mark and Ben had their own cars, money, and independence. Both loved and respected their mother. They would sooner walk through a hail of bullets than risk shame and disapproval.

  So Donna said nothing to her sons. She kept to herself and went about her daily routine. She was confident that the truth, whatever it was, would announce itself in due time.

  Donna gave the matter another moment and then turned to more pressing questions. Who were these girls? Why had they come to Southern California? Where were they from? What spell had they cast on her sons? She laughed silently and looked at Mary Beth.

  "Did you enjoy the formal?" Donna asked.

  "I did," Mary Beth said. "I enjoyed every minute."

  "Did you see much of the hotel?"

  "I saw enough. I could spend a week there."

  "I feel the same way. I remember my first visit. Ted took me there for our seventh anniversary, a few weeks before Pearl Harbor. I had never been to a hotel that large or fancy," Donna said. She took a breath. "Did you go to the Cocoanut Grove?"

  Mary Beth nodded.

  "We went there after the dance."

  She smiled.

  "I could spend a week there too."

  Everyone laughed.

  "I'm glad you had fun," Donna said. "I think it's important for people to get out and enjoy life while they can. You never know what tomorrow will bring."

  "I agree," Mary Beth said.

  Donna turned to Piper.

  "I take it you're enjoying California as well."

  "I am," Piper said. "Thanks to Ben, I am."

  "I'm afraid to ask what that means," Donna said.

  Piper giggled.

  "It's nothing bad. Ben just knows how to show a girl a good time. Your son is a lot of things, Mrs. Ryan, but he's definitely not boring."

  Donna stared at Ben.

  "Have you been racing?"

  Ben blushed.

  "He didn't race," Piper said. "He just showed me what his car could do."

  Donna sighed.

  "I hope so. I don't want to get another call in the middle of the night."

  "You won't," Ben said.

  Donna looked at her son with skeptical eyes but let the matter drop. She knew there was only so much she could do to prevent an eighteen-year-old from acting his age. She stared at Ben for a few more seconds and then returned her attention to the table at large.

  "So what is everyone doing this week?" Donna asked.

  "I've got classes and tests," Mark said. "You know that."

  "How about you, Mary Beth?"

  "I'm going to go to a campus lecture."

  "Is that so?"

  Mary Beth nodded.

  "A science fiction author is giving a lecture on time travel on Thursday."

  "I think that's a fascinating topic."

  Mary Beth smiled at Mark and then at Donna.

  "So do I. That's why I talked Mark into going."

  "You'll have fun," Donna said.

  "I'm sure we will."

  Donna looked at Ben.

  "What's on your plate this week?"

  Ben sipped some water.

  "I have some tests and a match on Thursday."

  "Is it a home match?" Donna asked.

  Ben shook his head.

  "It's in San Bernardino."

  "Darn it," Donna said. "I was hoping to see you play."

  "You can a week from Tuesday. We host John Muir."

  "OK."

  Donna looked at Piper.

  "Are you doing anything special?"

  "I am, actually," Piper said.

  "Oh?"

  Piper nodded.

  "I'm going out with Ben, Mark, and Mary Beth tomorrow night."

  "This sounds interesting," Donna said. "What are you going to do?"

  "I'm going to do something I've wanted to do since coming to Los Angeles."

  "Oh? What's that?"

  Piper smiled.

  "I'm going to watch the stars come out."

  CHAPTER 30: MARY BETH

  Hollywood, California – Monday, April 6, 1959

  She saw the glitter before she saw the gold. Sitting next to Mark in the back seat of Ben's open convertible, Mary Beth watched with awe and interest as the four time travelers drove west down Hollywood Boulevard and approached the historic Pantages Theater.

  Nearly three thousand fans lined both sides of the street and cheered loudly as limousines and taxicabs brought actors, directors, producers, and others to the 31st Annual Academy Awards. Those who could not sit in bleachers stood on sidewalks or drove past in cars or motorcycles.

  "OK. Color me impressed," Mary Beth said. "Thank you."

  "Don't thank me," Mark said. "Thank Ben. He's the one who thought driving in circles for an hour would a great way to spend a Monday night."

  Mary Beth laughed.

  "Thank you, Ben."

  The driver looked over his shoulder.

  "You're welcome."

  Mary Beth burrowed into Mark's side when he threw his arm over her shoulder and laughed to herself when Piper tried to do the same with Ben. Unlike Mary Beth, who shared a bench seat with Mark, Piper had to deal with a wide center console. The obstacle separated the high school daters as effectively as an eighteenth-century bundling board.

  Mary Beth thought about the two as Ben turned right on Whitley Avenue and started another spin around Hollywood's most famous blocks. She knew that their off-and-on relationship had once again taken flight, but she didn't know why. She knew only that Piper had smiled almost nonstop since returning to the Chaparral Motel Saturday night.

  She watched Ben fiddle with the radio. When "All I Have to Do Is Dream" streamed through the speakers, she placed her head on Mark's shoulder, took a breath, and relaxed.

  "Are you having fun?" Mary Beth asked.

  "I'm having fun," Mark said with little enthusiasm.

  Mary Beth lifted her head.

  "You don't sound like you're having fun."

  "I am," Mark said. "That's the problem."

  "I don't understand."

  "I'm having too much fun. I'm dreading the day this will end."

  Mary Beth frowned.

  "I know. I'm dreading it too."

  Mark chuckled.

  "It's all your fault."

  Mary Beth raised a brow.

  "Is that so?"

  Mark nodded.

  "It is. If I had run into anyone else outside that basement door two weeks ago, I wouldn't be here now. I sure as hell wouldn't be cruising Hollywood Boulevard with my brother."

  Mary Beth giggled.

  "I've never looked at it that way."

  Piper looked over her shoulder and smiled.

  "There's nothing wrong with cruising."

  Mary Beth stared at her sibling.

  "Mind your own business."

  Piper stuck out her tongue and then did as instructed. She scooted closer to Ben and pressed a few buttons when the Everly Brothers gave way to an advertisement. A moment later, "Donna," a ballad by the late Ritchie Valens, filled the air and made private conversations possible.

  "I like this song," Mary Beth said. "I like it even though it makes me sad."

  "Why does it make you sad?" Mark asked.

  Mary Beth looked at her date.

  "It makes me sad, Mr. Ryan, because it's a love song. It's a love song that the artist will never again be able to sing to the girl he loves."

  Mark nodded. Like everyone else under thirty or in tune with popular music, he did not need to be reminded of that fact. Valens, Buddy Holly, and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson had died just nine weeks earlier when their small plane crashed in an Iowa field.

  Mary Beth smiled.

  "This song also reminds me of your mother."

  Mark chuckled.

  "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

  "It's a good thing, silly. I like your mom," Mary Beth said. "I like her even though she asked a lot
of questions and stared at me all through dinner."

  "She just likes you."

  "It's more than that. I don't think she believes our story."

  "Sure she does," Mark said. "She would have said something if she didn't."

  Mary Beth laughed.

  "You obviously don't know women. We keep things to ourselves."

  Piper looked over her shoulder.

  "Speak for yourself."

  Mark chuckled.

  "I'm not getting in the middle of this."

  Mary Beth considered a reply but let the matter drop. She had better things to do than debate whether women regularly kept to themselves. She sat up and again looked at the sights as Ben turned off Gower Street and onto Hollywood Boulevard.

  Mary Beth noticed changes as the four approached the Pantages. More people crowded the sidewalks and more cars crowded the street. Cabbies honked horns and competed with each other for curb space. Pedestrians ventured onto the street and crossed when they could.

  Attendants in white jackets and black pants assisted those who could not reach the curb. They rushed to the taxis and limos and escorted academy members to the front of the theater.

  Mary Beth smiled as Ben drove past a particularly active group. Dozens of fans chanted, "We want Ingrid! We want Ingrid!" A few held up signs and openly professed their love. All clamored to see Ingrid Bergman, who had returned to Hollywood after a ten-year absence.

  Mary Beth looked hard for a legendary Swedish actress but saw nothing of the kind. She saw only attendants, policemen, and boisterous fans.

  "Does anyone see a star?" Piper asked.

  "I do," Mark said. He grinned and pointed. "I see two."

  Mary Beth shot up in her seat like toast from a toaster and stared at two people making their way through the throng toward the theater. Eddie Fisher and Elizabeth Taylor had arrived to cheers and jeers – and without Debbie Reynolds, the other member of a highly publicized marital triangle.

  "Do you see her?" Piper asked. "Do you see her?"

  "I do," Mary Beth said. "This is amazing. This is so worth it."

  Ben held out his right hand.

  "I accept gratuities."

  Mary Beth laughed.

  "I'll pay you when you drop us off. How's that?"

  "That works for me," Ben said.

  Mark grinned.

  "I think you've made his day."

  "I hope so," Mary Beth said. "He's made mine."

  Piper looked over her shoulder.

  "Did you see her gown?"

  Mary Beth smiled.

  "Yes, I did."

  "Elizabeth Taylor is gorgeous," Piper said.

  Mary Beth laughed.

  "Yes, she is."

  Mary Beth settled back into her seat and pondered the insanity of it all. She had seen a storied actress in her prime, a woman who had been nominated for an Oscar before even Brody and Colleen McIntire had been born. She could get used to time travel.

  "Are any more stars coming?" Piper asked.

  Ben looked at his watch.

  "I don't know. Do you want to go around again?"

  "Yes!" Piper said.

  Mary Beth laughed. She loved seeing her sister like this. She loved seeing a smile on the face of a girl who had frowned much too often in the past fifteen days. She tapped Piper's shoulder.

  "Are you enjoying yourself?"

  "I am," Piper said. "This is so much fun."

  "I'm glad to hear that," Mary Beth said.

  Piper again looked over her shoulder.

  "I would so love to meet a celebrity in person."

  "So would I."

  "Do you think we will?"

  "I wouldn't rule it out," Mary Beth said. She smiled. "This is Hollywood, after all."

  CHAPTER 31: MARK

  Los Angeles, California – Thursday, April 9, 1959

  Mark knew he was in trouble the second he saw her hand go up. He had expected Mary Beth to follow the lecture closely. He had not expected her to participate in the question-and-answer session that followed. He braced himself for the worst when Professor Austin Ballinger, author of six time-travel novels, called on the pretty brunette in the second row.

  "First of all, thank you for coming to campus," Mary Beth said. "It's not every day I have the chance to hear someone speak on a topic as exotic as time travel. This has been fun."

  Ballinger reached for a glass of water on his lectern, took a sip, and then returned his attention to the complimentary young woman. He folded his hands and smiled.

  "I'm glad I met your expectations. Do you have a question?"

  "I do," Mary Beth said. "You said a minute ago that time travel is still a product of science fiction and will remain so until science catches up to fiction. Is that correct?"

  "That is correct," Ballinger said. "I think we will eventually develop the means to send people forward in time, but I believe that moment is decades, if not centuries, away."

  "Do you believe in other possibilities?"

  "What do you mean?"

  Mark looked around the small lecture hall and saw that Mary Beth had grabbed not only the professor's attention but also that of a hundred other people. He wondered whether she had been this inquisitive in her classes at the University of Alabama.

  "I mean supernatural possibilities," Mary Beth said. "I mean time portals and time tunnels and other things that exist outside the boundaries of science. Do you believe in them?"

  Ballinger grinned.

  "As a writer of science fiction, I believe in many things. I am a man who is open to nearly every idea and possibility. As a professor with advanced degrees in engineering, physics, and mathematics, I am from the Show Me State. I am a man who believes what he can see or smell or hear or touch. I am a skeptic of the first order."

  "I see," Mary Beth said.

  "You seem disappointed."

  Several in the audience laughed.

  "I guess I am," Mary Beth said. "I was hoping you could comment on other possibilities. I would like to believe that time travel is not something that only our descendants will see."

  Mark smiled and shook his head. He wondered how long Mary Beth would toy with an expert who clearly had no clue. He now hoped she would do it all day.

  "I would like to believe that too," Ballinger said. "I would like to believe we will someday stumble upon something magical, but I don't think that will happen anytime soon. If a time portal or a time tunnel or something similar existed today, we would surely know about it."

  Mary Beth sighed.

  "I'm sure we would. Thank you for taking my question."

  Ballinger nodded at Mary Beth and then scanned the audience for more raised hands. Failing to see any, he took another sip of water, shuffled his papers together, and smiled.

  "Thank you for inviting me to speak today. I hope to do this again."

  Faculty, students, staff, and members of the public rose to their feet and applauded as Ballinger smiled, waved, and then put his papers in a leather portfolio. When the speaker took his leave a moment later, the attendees stepped toward the aisles and slowly filed out of the hall.

  Mark laughed.

  "You sure know how to keep a guy on his toes."

  Mary Beth grinned.

  "Did I make you a wee bit nervous?"

  Mark nodded.

  "You did at first."

  "I just thought I'd spice things up," Mary Beth said. "I don't have much use for people with little imagination. He's an author, for crying out loud."

  Mark chuckled.

  "He is. He's an author who will probably have a time portal or a time tunnel in his next book. I suspect you've convinced him that time machines are passé."

  Mary Beth offered a warm smile.

  "Thanks for telling me about this lecture. This was a nice change of pace from shopping in Pasadena and watching soap operas at the motel."

  "Then maybe I should take you to my engineering classes."

  "Maybe you should."

  Mar
k nodded, put a hand on Mary Beth's back, and guided her toward the center aisle. He started to ask her a question but stopped when he saw a man and a woman approach the passage from the other side. Both fixed their eyes on the twenty-two-year-olds.

  The thirtyish couple reached the aisle a few seconds later, stopped, and waited for Mark and Mary Beth. They smiled when the two finally joined them in the aisle. The man spoke to Mark.

  "Excuse me. I'm sorry for the intrusion, but I wonder if I could trouble you for a moment. I would like to ask your lady friend about something she said to the lecturer."

  Mark turned to Mary Beth.

  "Do you have a minute?"

  "Unless you're taking me to lunch right now, I have all day," Mary Beth said. She gave Mark a playful glance and then turned to the man. "How can I help you, Mr.—?"

  The man offered his greetings.

  "I'm Joshua Bell."

  Mary Beth shook his hand.

  "I'm Mary Beth McIntire. Do you have a question for me?"

  "I do," Joshua said. "When you spoke to Professor Ballinger, you asked about the 'supernatural possibilities' of time travel. Is that an interest of yours?"

  "It is."

  "How did that interest come about?"

  Mary Beth smiled at Mark and then answered the question.

  "It came about through reading. I read a lot of fantasy novels. I find magic portals far more interesting than time machines and would like to believe they are real."

  "I see."

  "I also like learning about things science can't explain or rule out."

  "I'm the same way. So is my wife," Joshua said. He stepped back and looked at the attractive flaxen-haired woman behind him. "This is Julia."

  "It's nice to meet you," Mary Beth said. She turned slightly. "This is my friend Mark Ryan."

  The couples exchanged greetings.

  "Are you students here?" Joshua asked.

  "Mark is. He's still a student," Mary Beth said. She grinned at the undergraduate and then turned to Joshua. "I graduated from the University of Alabama last semester."

  "I thought I detected an accent."

  Mary Beth laughed.

  "It's pretty hard to hide around here."

  "I believe it," Joshua said.