Finding Libbie

by Deanna Lynn Sletten

  Jordan set his laptop aside and slipped off his glasses to look at the photos. “Is that your dad? He’s so young.”

  “I know. We found them when we were cleaning out a bedroom closet. Aren’t they neat?”

  Jordan lifted the photos, one by one, studying them. “Why are they torn and crumpled?”

  Emily grinned. “That’s the amazing part. My dad was actually married before he married my mom. My grandmother told me the entire story.” Emily repeated a condensed version of her grandmother’s story. Jordan listened with interest. After she was finished, he whistled softly.

  “Wow, that is an incredible story,” he said.

  Emily began picking up the photos and carefully placing them back in the hatbox. “I wonder if Libbie is still alive. I guess she still was five years ago, when her sister died. It would be so interesting to track her down.”

  Jordan slipped his glasses back on and picked up his laptop again. “Well, she wouldn’t be that old. She might still be alive. But what would you do if you did find her?”

  Emily shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’d just like to see if she’s still around. Their story never had an ending. Don’t you think it would be nice if it did? Maybe even a happy ending. Maybe they could be friends again after all these years.”

  Jordan laughed. “Well, I guess stranger things have happened.”

  He turned back to his computer while Emily sat on the bed, thinking about her dad and Libbie. Would they even want to see each other again after all these years? Maybe not. But she decided right then and there that she really wanted to find her. If for no other reason than to just make sure Libbie was okay.

  “Hey, I have some news, too,” Jordan said, interrupting Emily’s thoughts.

  She glanced up at him. “What?”

  He took his glasses off again as he looked at her. “I’ve accepted a graduate assistantship down at the University of Minnesota for this fall.”

  Emily stared at him, stunned. She felt she’d been broadsided. “What? I thought you were teaching here this fall.”

  “There were no open positions here this fall or next spring. I had to find one somewhere else, and this one opened up. I only have one more year left to finish my PhD, so I had to take it.”

  “But that means we’d have to move there. I don’t want to live in the Cities—I like it here. My family is here and so is my job.”

  “Yeah, but it’s only a retail job,” Jordan said dismissively. “You could easily find another one down in Minneapolis. You can probably transfer to another store at the chain you work for. It really won’t be a big deal.”

  Emily frowned. Won’t be a big deal? Leaving my family and friends is a big deal to me. “I thought you wanted to teach at this college. You’ve always said that this is where you’d like to stay.”

  Jordan shrugged. “I have to go where the opportunities are, and right now they’re down at the U of M. You know that the graduate assistant position helps pay for my classes. I really have no choice.”

  Emily didn’t answer. She stood up and carried the hatbox out to the dining room and set it on the table. Then she went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. She couldn’t believe Jordan would accept a position without discussing it with her first. Weren’t they a team? Hadn’t she put her life on hold for the past ten years that they’d lived together so he could pursue his degrees? And now he wanted to move, even though he’d told her before that he wanted to teach at the college in Jamison.

  What if he were offered a permanent position at the U of M after he finished his PhD? Jordan was from the Minneapolis area, so it wouldn’t bother him to move back there. He’d come up to Jamison for college because he’d wanted a quieter lifestyle. Emily had never considered that they might move.

  By the time she crawled into bed, Jordan was already under the covers. She turned off the light on the nightstand and laid her head down on the pillow, her mind still spinning. Jordan rolled over and curled up next to her.

  “I’m sorry, Ems, but I really didn’t have a choice. And we both know that, realistically, as a college teacher, I’d probably have to move to find a job anyway. Maybe someday we’ll find ourselves in Jamison again.”

  Emily didn’t answer and soon Jordan was sound asleep. Her mind was swirling with a hundred different thoughts. Jordan had accepted a position without even consulting her. He’d assumed she’d go, too, yet not once in the past ten years had he ever even mentioned the idea of them getting married. She’d always thought that eventually, after he was finished with school, they’d marry. But he had earned his B.A., then his master’s, and now he was working on his doctorate. There’d also been a couple of years that he hadn’t been able to take classes, so he’d worked odd jobs until a graduate assistant position had become available and he could continue his education. Ten long years she had been their main source of support, working in retail, and in one fell swoop tonight, he had dismissed her job as if it was nothing. That had not only hurt her, it had angered her, too. In the beginning, he’d promised that once he was done with school, he’d support her while she went back. Was that ever going to happen, or was she destined to work at an unfulfilling job for the rest of her life? Did Jordan even care?

  That was what scared her the most.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  The rest of that week, Emily spent most of her free time when not at work on searching online for Libbie. She tried not to dwell on her and Jordan moving to Minneapolis. For him, it was a done deal. But for her, she wasn’t as sure. Instead, she immersed herself in looking for Libbie.

  The first thing she did was search for an obituary, but when none came up for an Elizabeth “Libbie” Wilkens, she set out searching for every care facility in a two-hundred-mile radius. Emily was surprised at how many assisted living facilities, nursing homes, and treatment facilities there were in the northern part of Minnesota. And there was the possibility that Libbie could be as far away as Minneapolis, or even in Fargo or Duluth. The list grew long.

  Emily knew she couldn’t call every facility looking for Libbie. It was impossible, and due to privacy laws, they probably wouldn’t give her any information anyway. She decided she had to find someone who might know where she was.

  Saturday she spent the day with Bev at the farm, sorting and packing. They finished the bedroom where they’d found the hatbox and then started working on Bev’s closet.

  As they worked, Emily asked Bev more questions about Libbie and people she knew. “Do you think anyone around here would know where Libbie is? The library ladies she worked with, or maybe her best friend, Carol?”

  Bev thought a moment. “The women she worked at the library with have all passed away. I doubt that they ever saw her again anyway. And I didn’t know the neighbor women she was close to, but I doubt if they’d know anything, either. Carol may have heard something, though.”

  “Do you know her last name so I can find her?”

  Bev smiled. “Of course I do, dear. You know who she is, too. She was your fourth-grade teacher, Mrs. Simmons.”

  Emily stopped folding the sweater in her hands. “What? Mrs. Simmons was Libbie’s Carol? Her best friend?”

  Bev nodded.

  “That’s incredible. No one ever said anything about her and Dad knowing each other.”

  “I guess they just felt it was better to leave the past behind them. But that’s who you should ask.”

  And that’s exactly what Emily did as soon as she returned home. Jordan was out golfing with his friends, so she had the town house to herself. She looked up James and Carol Simmons in the phone book, praying they still had a landline like most people her parents’ age did. Sure enough, it was in the book. She dialed the number, hoping she wasn’t intruding on their Saturday evening. A kind, soft voice came over the line.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, Mrs. Simmons?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is Emily Prentice. I was in your fourth-grade class years ago.”

  “Emil
y? Jack’s daughter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, isn’t this a nice surprise. What can I do for you, dear?”

  Emily didn’t think this was something she wanted to discuss over the phone. “I was wondering if we could meet this week sometime. My grandmother told me that you and Dad were friends years ago. I wanted to ask you some questions about that time, if you don’t mind.”

  There was a long pause, and Emily worried that she might decline. Finally, Mrs. Simmons spoke. “Yes, that would be nice. Tomorrow afternoon would be good. One o’clock? We can meet at my house. Do you know where I live?”

  “I have your address. Thanks, Mrs. Simmons.”

  “Sweetie, you’re all grown-up now. You may call me Carol.”

  “Okay, Carol. I’ll be there.”

  Exactly at one, Emily knocked on the door of Carol’s lake home. From what she could tell, this was the same house Carol’s parents had owned, two houses down from the Wilkenses’ old place. It didn’t look like a seventies house any longer, though. It had been remodeled outside and looked very nice with a large lawn and paved driveway. Old, tall oak and maple trees lined the perimeter.

  Carol answered and smiled at Emily. “Hello, Emily. It’s so nice to see you. It’s been a long time.” They hugged, and then she led Emily through the house into the family room, which had large windows that faced the lake. It was an open floor plan with the kitchen at the other end and the dining room in between. Carol gestured for Emily to sit on the cream-colored sofa and then Carol did also.

  Emily noticed how much Carol had aged since she’d been her teacher. She now had silver hair that was cut into a neat bob with fringe bangs. She was still slender, but her skin gave away her age the most, probably from years of suntanning, as everyone had done in the seventies and eighties. But her blue eyes were still bright and her smile genuine.

  “How’s your father?” Carol asked. “It’s been so long since I’ve run into him.”

  “He’s doing fine. He misses my mother, but he’s still working on cars and keeping busy.”

  “I’m so sorry about your mother, dear. She was such a lovely woman and a wonderful teacher. Students adored her. We didn’t teach in the same elementary school, but I always heard good things about her.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said. She cleared her throat. “I guess I should just come out and say why I’m here. My grandmother told me about my dad and Libbie.”

  A sad look crossed Carol’s face, as if Libbie’s name caused her pain. For a moment, Emily was afraid she wouldn’t want to talk about her childhood friend, but then Carol shook her head slowly.

  “Poor, poor Libbie,” she said in a soft voice. “You know, Libbie and I were best friends from the time we were old enough to run back and forth between the houses to play together. We were close all through high school, and even for a while after that. But once Libbie’s troubles began, she pulled away from me. Then I got married, had my children, finished getting my teaching degree, and began teaching, so I was too busy to try to reconnect with Libbie. I wish I had, though. I feel bad about that. I did try to see her once, when I heard she was back home for a time. But her sister, Gwen, wouldn’t let me. Said she was too sick to see anyone.” Carol grimaced. “Gwen was a nasty person. It broke my heart knowing that she was in charge of Libbie’s welfare.”

  “I was hoping you might know what happened to Libbie, or where she might be.”

  Carol looked at her curiously. “Why do you want to know, dear?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. It’s just that dad and Libbie’s story is so sad, I feel a need to find out if Libbie is okay, wherever she is.”

  “You have a kind heart,” Carol said, patting her hand. “What does your dad think of your search for Libbie?”

  Emily bit her lip. “He doesn’t know about it. I haven’t even told him yet that I know about Libbie. But I have to find her—or at least try.”

  “Just a minute, dear.” Carol stood and walked over to a bookcase across the room. Emily watched as she studied a row of photo albums before pulling one off the shelf and bringing it over. She laid it on the glass coffee table and opened it up.

  “This was Libbie and I at our kindergarten graduation,” she said, pointing to two little girls, one blond, one dark haired, wearing graduation gowns and big smiles. Even though the picture was faded, you could tell they were both very cute.

  “You’re both adorable,” Emily said, leaning over for a closer look.

  Carol turned several pages. “And here’s one of us at our high school graduation.” This picture was in color, and both girls were beautiful. Libbie was small and petite; Carol was taller with a mass of auburn hair.

  “Wow. That’s so amazing, having a friend for so many years. You must have really missed Libbie when your friendship faded.”

  Carol nodded. “I did. I still do. And I’m sorry I didn’t continue my friendship with your father after everything happened, too. He was such a sweet boy and grew into a good man. I was always a little jealous of Libbie for being lucky enough to have someone like Jack. He loved her more than any man could ever love a woman.”

  “That’s what my grandmother said, too,” Emily told her.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I know he loved your mother, too. Deeply. That’s the only way Jack loves, with all his heart,” Carol said.

  “I know he loved my mother. But I appreciate you saying that.”

  Carol closed the album and turned to Emily. “I wish I could help you, but I’m afraid I don’t know where Libbie is, or even if she’s still alive. Gwen was so closed-mouthed about where she placed her, and then Gwen died and no one ever said what happened to Libbie. I wish I knew, dear, but I don’t.”

  Emily was disappointed. She had hoped that Carol might know what had happened to her old friend.

  “There is someone who might know where Libbie is,” Carol said.

  Emily’s brows rose. “Who?”

  Carol grinned. “Your uncle, Larry.”

  A frown fell across Emily’s face. “Uncle Larry? How would he know?”

  Carol shrugged. “He just always seemed to know things no one else did. He knew everything shady or good that went on in this town—at least he used to. He and Jack were so close, and Larry was always so protective of Jack and Libbie. He may know something about what happened to her.”

  Emily doubted it—after all, he’d been living in Southern California for the past seven years—but then again, it was worth checking.

  She thanked Carol for seeing her and the two women hugged good-bye.

  “If you do find Libbie, will you please let me know?” Carol asked as they walked to the front door. “I’d love to see her again.”

  Emily said she would and then drove away. When she arrived home, she sat in her car, thinking. She had always adored her uncle Larry. He was fun, irreverent, and had often annoyed her dad for teaching her and her brother games like poker or twenty-one, or swearing like a sailor in front of them. It was as if he’d never grown up—which she figured was the reason he’d never settled down and had kids. Seven years ago, he said he’d had enough of living in an icebox and moved to California. He met a woman there soon afterward and they’d been living together for several years now. Emily wondered if he might know something about Libbie’s whereabouts. She didn’t wait to get out of her car. She immediately dialed Larry’s number.

  “Hey, squirt! How’re you doing?” Larry said when he answered his phone.

  Emily smiled. Larry had called her “squirt” for as long as she could remember. “I’m fine. How’s life treating you?”

  “I can’t complain. Is everything okay there? It’s not like you call me every day.”

  She told him all was fine and then explained why she was calling.

  “Hmm. Does your dad know you’re searching for Libbie?” he asked, his tone serious.

  “No, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him, okay?”

  “Sure, sure,” Larry said. “Sorr
y, squirt, but I don’t know what happened to Libbie. Cross my heart and hope to die. But I can tell you something I’ve never shared with anyone else.”

  “What?”

  “Before I moved out here, I was dating a woman who worked for Libbie’s doctor. She’d seen Libbie at the office and said she was healthy looking and just as normal as normal can be. Everyone thought Libs was off her rocker, but if she was, it didn’t show. So if she was healthy then, there’s no reason why she wouldn’t be alive now.”

  Emily sighed. That was good news, but it still didn’t help find Libbie. “Thanks, Uncle Larry. I wish someone knew more.”

  They talked a little longer, and then she hung up. After all this, she was back to square one.

  Jordan was home when she went inside the town house. He’d played tennis that morning with friends, and now he was freshly showered and smelled delicious. She went over to the sofa and gave him a quick kiss before heading to the kitchen for a snack.

  “How did your meeting with the schoolteacher go?” Jordan asked. He was watching a golf tournament on television with the sound off.

  Emily came over with an apple and sat down beside him. “We had a nice talk, but she didn’t know anything about Libbie’s whereabouts. She told me to try asking Uncle Larry.”

  “Your uncle Larry? Why?”

  Emily shrugged as she bit into her apple. “I guess he used to hear about everything in town. But he wasn’t living here when Libbie’s sister died, so he had no idea.”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “Yeah, I just did.”

  “Well, it was a long shot anyway. Finding someone who hasn’t been seen in forty years is pretty difficult,” Jordan said. He placed his arm around Emily and pulled her closer, grinning down at her. “But I’m easy to find.” He tickled her and she squirmed away, laughing, almost chocking on her apple.

  “Ha-ha,” she said sarcastically.