All in all, it promised to be an exhilarating two days. But for Tiffany, Megan, and Allegra, Parents’ Weekend loomed ahead ominously, a dreaded obstacle that none of them wanted to face. The three roommates sat together at breakfast early on Saturday morning, just a few hours before the parents were due to arrive. Not one of them was touching any of the food they had brought to their table. Instead, they were simply slouched over, looking as miserable as they were feeling.
“Maybe it will turn out that we’ve spent all this time worrying for nothing,” Megan said optimistically, breaking a piece of toast in half and then putting it right back on her plate. “Maybe when your father and my mother get here, Tiffany, we’ll find out that they broke up ages ago. Why, that wouldn’t surprise me at all. In fact, the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. They probably found out right after they came up here to visit the last time that their initial attraction had nothing to back it up. You know, since they’re both so different and everything.”
Tiffany simply glanced up from the cup of tea she had been stirring for the past three minutes and cast her a skeptical look.
Suddenly Megan had a brainstorm.
“Hey, is your mother coming up, too, by any chance? Maybe the two of them, your mom and your dad, will see each other across a crowded room and realize that they made a real mistake when they decided to get a divorce. You know, that kind of thing happens all the time in the movies. Maybe it could happen in real life, too.”
“My mother is in Paris right now, shopping for her fall wardrobe,” Tiffany said irritably. “Besides, nothing like that would ever happen to those two anyway. They can’t even agree on whose house I should spend Thanksgiving at.”
“Well, if you ask me, this supposedly terrible problem that the two of you think you’re facing is nothing, compared to my problem,” Allegra interjected. “Imagine, my mother and father are driving all the way up here from New York City, expecting me to perform the Mendelssohn concerto tonight. What do you think is going to happen when they find out that instead, I’m singing with a rock group over at the Ace of Clubs?”
“You mean you haven’t told them?’’ Megan gasped. “You didn’t let them know that I was playing a concerto tonight instead of you?”
Allegra shook her head. “I tried. I really did. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.’’
With a shrug, she added, “Finally I just decided to follow the example of Misha Bodorov. I’m going to let them see for themselves that the thing I do best, and the thing I like doing the best, is not the same thing that they’ve had in mind for me all along.”
Tiffany whistled. “Wow. You’re right, Allegra. That is a big problem. But at least, after tonight, you’ll have gotten it all over with. What happens if my father and Megan’s mother decide to stay an item? That could go on for ages ... maybe even forever!”
The three girls lapsed into silence. Megan finally took a bite of toast and chewed it without tasting it, while Tiffany took a tiny sip of her tea. Allegra, meanwhile, took her entire tray and just pushed it away.
“Well, there’s one positive thing about all this,” she said, folding her hands on the table in front of her. “It won’t be long now before all this is over. Just think: by this time tomorrow morning, we’ll all know how our dilemmas ended.’’
Instead of making any of them feel better, however, Allegra’s encouraging words simply made them all feel a little bit worse.
* * * *
“See, I told you they’d show up here together,” Tiffany said sullenly, pointing to the black sports car that had just pulled into the circular driveway in front of Ellis Hall. “They are still together, just the way I said they’d be.”
She and Megan had been standing at the window of their dorm room, debating over whether or not the unlikely pair would still be as lovey-dovey as they had been a few weeks earlier, when they’d first broken the news of their relationship. And then, before either of them could convince the other that her suspicions would prove to be correct, the sleek Mercedes had showed up—with both Tiffany’s father and Megan’s mother in the front seats.
‘‘It figures,’’ Tiffany went on. “Ever since my parents got divorced, my father has had a new girlfriend practically every time I saw him. First it was Linda, the flight attendant. Then it was Sheila, who had been his divorce lawyer, of all things! Then Marilyn ... wait a minute. Was it Marilyn who came next, or was it Carol? Or maybe it was Ginny?”
She sighed angrily. “Anyway, it just figures that out of all the people in the world, the one woman he would decide to latch on to would be your mother.”
“Listen, I’m not any happier about this than you are,” Megan reminded her. “I’m not crazy about my sweet, considerate, innocent mother being preyed upon by a slick businessman like your father....”
“Oh, enough of this.” Tiffany scowled. “Look, let’s just get this stupid weekend over with, okay? We can worry about the future some other time.”
“That’s fine with me,” Megan returned.
To herself, she muttered, “I just hope that ‘other time’ doesn’t end up being while the two of them are walking down the aisle.”
Joanna Davis and Arthur Forrester were strolling up to the front entrance of Ellis Hall, arm in arm, as Tiffany and Megan came dashing down the stairs to meet them.
“Megan!” Joanna cried. “You look wonderful!”
“You, too, Mom. Wow, you look great!”
And Megan meant it. From what she could see, her mother was a changed woman. She looked positively radiant. Her blue eyes were bright, her cheeks were glowing, and her face was more animated than she had ever seen it. She was dressing differently, too. Her outfit was the brightest, most flattering, most stylish thing Megan had ever seen her wearing. Joanna Davis was even holding herself straighter, as if something basic, something deep down inside her, had become more alive.
Well, maybe this Arthur Forrester isn’t so bad after all, Megan admitted to herself, however begrudgingly. At least if the effect he seems to be having on Mom is any indication.
“Honey, you must be so excited about tonight,” her mother said after giving her a big, long hug. “Imagine! Performing one of your favorite concertos with the Wildwood Student Orchestra—and with Amos Derwood, no less! Goodness, I’m so thrilled for you, honey. I can hardly wait for tonight. And to think it’s all because your friend changed her mind. By the way, is Allegra around?”
“She’s off with, uh, some friends of hers,” Megan explained. “She got a call saying that her parents had been delayed in the city and wouldn’t be able to make it up here until right before the concert. So she went off and found something else to do.”
“I see. That’s too bad. I was wondering if perhaps she would want to join the four of us for lunch.’’
“That’s okay, Mom,’’ Megan said, glancing over at Tiffany. “I think there’ll be enough people with just the four of us.”
Tiffany, meanwhile, was busy talking to her father.
“Hello, Daddy,” she said coldly. “I see you’re still with that... that woman.”
Arthur Forrester smiled. “Yes. Isn’t she something? I’ve never met a woman like Joanna before. She’s warm, she’s considerate, she’s gentle, she’s honest, she’s ... she’s real.”
“Of course she’s real, Daddy,’’ Tiffany said in a cross tone of voice. “How could she not be real?”
Arthur looked at his daughter for a few seconds, then shook his head slowly.
“Come on, Tiff,” he said. “Let’s go to lunch. Joanna and I had a long drive this morning, and we’re both famished.”
* * * *
As they drove off toward town, Joanna and Arthur invited the girls to choose the restaurant in which they would all have lunch. Megan wanted to go the inn she had gone to with Paul, while Tiffany insisted she wanted to try the place Allegra had gone to with Misha Bodorov.
In the end, Arthur grew tired of their inability to agree.
“
Joanna, why don’t you decide?” he suggested. “You managed to find us a terrific place last time.”
“Oh, I see,” Tiffany cried from the sports car’s tiny backseat. “What I want doesn’t matter anymore, is that it? All of a sudden I don’t count with you, Daddy?”
Mr. Forrester peered at his daughter through the rearview mirror. “Tiffany, I’ve put you first ever since you were born. Maybe it was a mistake; I don’t know. At any rate, it’s about time you started learning that there are other people in the world besides you.”
“Arthur, honey,” Joanna ventured, “the restaurant that Tiffany suggested sounded just fine to me. Why don’t we go there?”
“Oh, great,” Megan wailed. “So Tiffany’s always going to get her way, is that it? Just because she’s so spoiled ... and because she’s so much better at whining than I am?”
“Come on, you two,” Mr. Forrester pleaded. “Let’s try to have a nice, quiet lunch, all right? I’ll tell you what; since I’m the driver, and since I’m the only one who hasn’t voiced an opinion yet, I’ll pick the place. Look, there’s a restaurant right up ahead. I don’t know a single thing about it, but let’s go there just because it’s there. Okay?”
After that, Tiffany said very little. She simply pouted, eating next to nothing over lunch and glaring at both Joanna Davis and her father every chance she got.
Megan, meanwhile, decided to make the best of it. She could see that her mother truly liked Arthur Forrester. And so she tried to like him, too. She ignored Tiffany and her rudeness and instead spent the meal talking to the two adults. And, much to her amazement, she discovered that she actually liked her mother’s boyfriend.
After lunch, Joanna suggested that they all go exploring, rather than simply heading back to the dorm or lingering in town.
“I read about this wonderful nature preserve that’s not too far,” she said excitedly. “It’s at the foot of the mountains, about ten miles from here. I know that none of us is exactly dressed for hiking through the woods, but how about driving up there and seeing what it’s like? If it’s too rugged we can always come back.”
“That sounds like a good idea to me,” Arthur joined in. “How about you, girls? Are you game?”
“I’m willing to give it a try,” said Megan.
“Tiffany?”
She glared at her father. “Whatever you say, Daddy. After all, you’re the boss.”
The Mount Arden Nature Preserve turned out to be impressive indeed. It consisted of thousands of acres of wooded land, totally undeveloped but available for hiking, camping, and boating. While some of it was quite rocky, a large part was made up of forest areas with paths running through. Walking those paths, according to the pamphlet the forest ranger handed them as they drove into the parking lot, was not too demanding, yet it provided breathtaking views of the mountains and the lakes surrounding them.
“Oh, let’s give it a try,” Joanna urged. “It’s not as if any of us are wearing high heels or anything.’’
“I’ve got flats on,” Megan volunteered. “And I’d love to try walking one of the trails.”
“I’m only wearing sandals,” Tiffany grumbled. “But I don’t suppose anybody cares.”
“Oh, let’s give it a try, Tiff,” Arthur said heartily. “If it turns out to be too tough, we can always turn back.”
For the first mile or so, however, the idea of turning back didn’t occur to any of them. Arthur, Joanna, Megan and even Tiffany couldn’t help being impressed by the awe-inspiring scenery they passed. The dense woods were full of life, with birds flying among the trees and small animals like squirrels and chipmunks darting on and off the path. Every once in a while the foursome would find themselves in a clearing, where the openness of a large, untouched field sprayed with colorful wildflowers was like a breath of fresh air.
“Look!” Megan said in a loud whisper. “Over there, by that clump of pine trees. Isn’t that a deer?”
“Yes, it is,” her mother agreed, peering over in that direction, her eyes shielded by her hand. “And she has her baby with her. See? Right behind her, half-hidden?”
“Oh, great,” Tiffany muttered. “Bambi.”
“Don’t be so negative,” her father scolded in a voice soft enough that the others didn’t hear. “You might end up learning something. Or worse yet, you might end up having a good time!”
The four hikers passed over a bubbling stream with a small waterfall at one end, and suddenly the terrain changed. It was much rockier—and much rougher on the feet. They were at the foot of magnificent Mount Arden, where the path was at a sharper incline and the forest surrounding it was even more dense than before.
“What do you think, gang?’’ asked Arthur. “Is it time for us to turn back?’’
Megan and her mother exchanged glances, each wanting to see the other’s reaction.
“I don’t know,” Joanna said cautiously. “I’m kind of enjoying this, and I wouldn’t mind going on a bit.”
“I was just going to say the same thing,” Megan agreed. “I hadn’t realized until now that I’ve been feeling as if I’ve been cooped up in one place all summer. It feels wonderful, being out here in the open air!’’
“Especially if you like mosquitoes,” Tiffany said under her breath.
“It’s not the mosquitoes I’m concerned about.’’ Her father had apparently overheard her. “It’s the bears.”
“Bears!” All three women chimed in, horrified.
“I’m only teasing,” he insisted, chuckling. Then, in a quiet voice, he added, “At least I don’t think there are any bears around here.’’
“Oh, great,” said Tiffany. “So if the bugs don’t eat us alive, the bears will.”
“I believe bears are famous for liking sweet things,” her father returned with a frown. “In that case, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
The group trudged on for another quarter mile or so. And then, suddenly, Tiffany let out a yelp.
“Are you all right?” Joanna Davis asked anxiously.
“Yes, I’m fine.” Tiffany sighed in frustration. “It’s just this stupid sandal. The buckle’s almost fallen off. Look, why don’t you keep on playing Daniel Boone while I sit down here on this log and fix it? It’ll only take me a minute.”
“You two go ahead,” Megan offered. “I’ll stay here with Tiffany.”
“Well... all right. If you’re sure you can manage,” said Mr. Forrester. “We’ll just walk ahead a bit. But we won’t go too fast, and we won’t go far.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Daddy,” Tiffany said, arranging herself on a log and attacking her shoe. “Don’t you even think we can take care of ourselves for two minutes?”
Megan sat down next to Tiffany and watched the work that was being done on the broken sandal.
“It sure is pretty here, isn’t it?” she said cheerfully.
“Believe me, you’re asking the wrong person. I’d much rather be back at the dorm, taking a nice, long, hot bubble bath.”
“Well, I’m sure we won’t be staying much longer. It’s been nice for me, though, to get out this afternoon. Otherwise, I would have just sat around worrying about the concert tonight.”
She was silent for a few minutes, then went on. “By the way, Tiff, have you noticed how happy both our parents seem to be?”
“My father always looks happy,” Tiffany replied, working away on the buckle of her sandal. “He’s a businessman. It’s part of his job to look happy.’’
“It’s true that I don’t know your father very well, but I do know my mother. And I’ve never seen her look so happy in my life.”
“So what are you saying, Megan? That the four of us should go out on nature walks together more often?’’
“I’m saying that I’m beginning to like the idea of my mother and your father being together,’’ Megan said. “I think they’re good for each other. You and I were both too quick to judge. We have to put our own feelings aside and let them do what th
ey think is best for them without us getting in their way. It’s only fair. I mean, wouldn’t you be furious if your father tried to tell you who to go out with?”
“My father does tell me who to go out with,’’ Tiffany shot back. She was remembering the episode with Evan, the one that had occurred just before she first learned she was being sent up to Wildwood for the summer.
“At any rate, I’m not going to worry about it right now,” she went on, standing up to test the strength of the buckle she had just fixed. “There. It’s okay now. Let’s get going. Being alone out here like this is starting to give me the creeps.”
The two girls continued along the path, Megan drinking in the beauty of her surroundings, Tiffany worrying about whether her sandal was going to hold up long enough for her to get out of there. And then suddenly they came to a fork in the path. Automatically both of them came to a halt.
“Oh, great,” said Tiffany. “Now what do we do?”
“Well, um ...” Megan looked up one way, then up the other. “This one is much better traveled, and this one is kind of rough. I think we’d better take the more traveled one. It’s obviously the one we’re meant to take.”
“You don’t know my father very well,” Tiffany said. “He prides himself on taking the route that other people don’t take. If he was the one making the decision about which path to take, he definitely took the rougher one.”
“But maybe he let my mother choose,’’ Megan protested. “In that case, I’m sure they took the other one.’’
“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Tiffany said, exasperated. “I don’t want to argue about this all day. Let’s take the rougher route, and if we don’t come across our parents soon, we can turn back.’’
Going Solo Page 20
