Goodbye, Miss February by Sally O'Brien

Author:Sally O'Brien
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2019-11-07T19:04:28+00:00

Twenty-Two

The main event was scheduled for six o’clock at El Casa Grande, our former hangout. Located at the edge of town and therefore accessible only by car, it had been the cool place for the older kids. Sue offered to be the designated driver, which saved me from an evening of worrying about negotiating icy roads. I wore my black slacks and red cashmere sweater and did what I could with my hair. The night was cold but not snowy and I risked leaving the heavy boots behind.

El Casa Grande’s parking lot was one-third full. Out of habit, I checked the crowd as we slipped through the entrance. No teenagers tonight, just graying hair. The place still had the rustic theme—knotty pine walls decorated with wagon wheels and pictures of cowboys and cactus. Grease motes hung in the air, and country western music twanged out of overhead speakers. It was the kind of place where people pour catsup on their food. Our group had claimed a big table in the corner next to the dance floor.

“Jane!” John Ferguson threw his arms around me as I took off my coat. No extra pounds on John but his brown ponytail was flecked with gray. “I was hoping you’d come. Kay, look, this is Jane. Come over here and meet her.” His wife, deep in another conversation, smiled and waved, mouthing something that was either “in a minute” or “don’t order me around, mister.” John and Kay had met in college, before he entered the seminary, long before he moved to South Africa as a missionary. I thought she must be a saint.

“Hi, Jane.” Ray, a tall, thin man with steel-colored hair and high cheekbones who still looked like he might run marathons, cupped my face in his hands. Then he lost his balance and his arms fell to my shoulders as we both teetered. Forced to give ground under his weight, I stumbled and grabbed at something cold and metal that rolled away. For a moment I thought Ray and I would end up sprawled on the floor. A terrific entrance that would be. Just in time, hands steadied us and moved Ray’s walker closer. Ray had been one of Beemer High’s best athletes. Many of the trophies in the showcase by the school’s front door had his name engraved on them, and his basketball jersey hung in the gymnasium rafters. Now he shrugged as he said, “Hell to get old.”

Gloria, dressed in jeans and a fringed pink sweater she said she’d made herself, waved and motioned me to the empty chair beside her. She’d gained weight, making two of us who no longer fit into our pep club skirts. Ray and a pretty blond woman sat across the table. She was wearing a red leather jacket I’d seen in a magazine and ordering another pitcher of beer as though her sanity depended on it. Ray had been voted Most Likely to Become a Movie Star, and if he was disappointed the gods had chosen Robert Redford instead, his expression didn’t show it.

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