Journey, The (27 page)

Michelle pondered bringing up Tony, but she figured that April had already considered that option and she did not want to encourage the very thing she had tried all year to prevent. She wondered how it was even possible for a beautiful, brainy, funny girl like April Burke to be dateless ten days before the senior prom.

"Would you mind if I did some checking around? I can't do anything right now, but I might be able to help later this week. I have a pretty good nose for this sort of thing."

April shot Michelle a sideling glance.

"You would help me?"

"Of course I would."

"I would require plausible deniability if the mission failed."

Michelle smiled. Even in a moment of crisis she was a comic.

"That goes without saying. I'm very discreet, April," Michelle said.

"Then I believe we can do business, Mrs. Land."

April smiled and offered a hand.

Michelle laughed as she shook the hand. What a kid. She returned to her bench at the back of lanes three and four, where she joined the rest of the Schoolmarms in their epic rubber match against the Temporary Girls.

"Where have you been?" Marsha Zimmerman asked. "We almost had to forfeit. You're up!"

"I'm sorry. I got in a conversation with a couple of students and lost track of the time."

Michelle lifted a hot pink bowling ball that she had purchased in March and casually threw a strike. She did the same in the second, third, and fourth frames, much to the chagrin of Marsha, who had improved her game only marginally over the winter despite extra lessons and practice. She finished with a score of 170, which was more than enough to lead the Schoolmarms to a rare team victory in the Wednesday women's league.

Michelle congratulated her teammates and put her ball in a matching bag. She didn't care much for the competitive side of bowling but admitted that she liked winning more than losing. She wondered whether Robert might be interested in the coed league, which met on Thursday nights and started again in the fall. When Michelle returned to the front desk to turn in her shoes, she noticed that Brian Johnson was alone. She saw him smile as she approached.

"I heard about your score. That's awesome. I rarely break 150."

"Thanks. I've been working on my game. Where's April?"

Brian's smile morphed into a frown.

"She left a few minutes ago with what's his name."

"Who's what's his name?"

"Tony Bronson. He smelled like a distillery."

Michelle's inner alarms started sounding.

"Brian, what did Tony want with April? I need to know."

"I'm not sure, but I think he came to ask her to the prom."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I heard the words dinner and dress in the same conversation."

Brian's matter-of-fact reply triggered a rush of unpleasant memories and sent Michelle into a panic. April had never gone to her senior prom because she had never lived to see it. April had died in April and today was the last day of the month.

"Did she drive here?"

"No. I think her mom dropped her off."

Michelle didn't stick around to ask another question. She raced out the front door and into a dark parking lot, where she saw April step into a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang.

"April, stop!"

April rolled down the passenger-side window.

"Hi, Mrs. Land. Is something wrong?"

"You have to get out of that car. You have to find another ride."

Tony Bronson leaned toward the open window.

"You're crossing a line, lady," he said.

"I don't think so, Tony. I can smell the whiskey from here," Michelle said. She turned back to the passenger. "Please, April. I beg you. Please get out of that car. I can give you a ride now if you'd like."

"It's OK. We're only going back to my apartment."

"That's too far. Trust me. You need to get out."

Tony started the ignition.

"I've heard enough. Let's get out of here."

"Tony Bronson, you pull those keys out right now. If you don't, I will call the police and then you're parents. The choice is yours."

"What a bitch," he muttered.

"Yeah, I'm a bitch. But I'm a bitch who is determined to save two lives tonight. I mean it. Get out of the car or I'll make this a very memorable day for you."

Tony stepped out of the Mustang and slammed his door.

"I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" April asked.

"I have to make some calls."

He walked briskly through the lot and stormed into Holiday Lanes.

Michelle stepped away from the Mustang and watched Tony walk out of sight. When she returned to the car she saw a high school senior stare blankly through the windshield. She could feel the anger stream out of the open window.

"Thanks, Mrs. Land," April said. She looked at Michelle with watery eyes. "You just chased away my chance to go to the prom."

CHAPTER 50: SHELLY

Sunday, May 11, 1980

Shelly soaked up her surroundings as she walked up a brick path leading to the front door of the imposing house on Crestview Lane. Blooming spring flowers, trimmed shrubs, and small conifers greeted her every step. She could see both the substance of the property owner and the subtle influence of his adorable new wife.

So this is how the other half lives.

Shelly knocked on the door and awaited an answer. She had spoken to Michelle at church but had not had the chance to speak at length. She had not seen the attendance secretary more than two or three times in the past two weeks and wanted to catch up on girl talk. So instead of waiting for a fortuitous break in their schedules, she made an appointment.

"Are you looking for Michelle?"

Shelly turned and saw Robert Land walk up the path.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Land. I am."

She watched Robert set a trowel atop the railing of his porch and brush dirt off of a grubby blue work shirt. He looked much different than the math teacher who almost always came to school in rayon shirts and polyester slacks.

"She's inside cleaning the bathroom. Come on in."

Robert led Shelly into the house and through a hallway to a large table in the dining room. He asked her to take a seat and then disappeared around a corner. A moment later, Michelle emerged with a smile and a dirty rag.

"Sorry I didn't get the door. I didn't hear your knock. I've been scrubbing the tub. This place is a lot more work than my tiny apartment."

"I believe it. Your house is impressive."

"It is. I have to pinch my side every now and then to remind me that it's mine," Michelle said. "Make yourself comfortable. You picked a good day to visit. I did some baking this morning. Do you like cinnamon swirl coffee cake?"

Shelly smiled sheepishly.

"Do monkeys like bananas?"

Michelle laughed.

"I'll get you two slices."

Michelle retreated to the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a plate of cake and two porcelain mugs filled with peppermint tea. She sat in a chair opposite Shelly and placed a mug in front of her guest, who had picked up a brochure filled with photos of smiling children.

"I see you found some interesting reading."

"Are you and Robert still thinking of adopting?"

"We are."

"I think that's so cool. How long do you think it will take?" Shelly asked.

"If we're lucky, it shouldn't be long. I really want to have a child by Christmas."

Shelly gazed at Michelle and wondered whether it was possible to admire her more. When most 49-year-olds were planning their retirement, she was planning to be a first-time mother.

"Do you want a boy or a girl?"

"It doesn't matter. I think Robert would like a son, but he's open to both."

"Have you picked out any names?"

"We both like Kevin for a boy, but we haven't agreed on a girl's name. There are so many good choices. Fortunately, we still have at least a few months to think about it."

Michelle took a sip of her tea.

"That's enough about me. I know you didn't come here to talk about adoption. How are things with you? How was the prom?"

"It was OK. I felt awkward at times, but I enjoyed myself."

"I sense mixed feelings."

"That's always the case with Scott. He was great last night: thoughtful, funny, and even romantic. I'd forgotten that he had a romantic side. It's been so long since I'd seen it."

"But . . . "

"But he wants to get back together and I don't. That was the only downer of the night. He kept talking to me as if we were still going out. He has all these plans for the summer and even the fall. He knows I'm going to go to a different college, no matter what, yet he won't let the matter drop. It's as if he had never agreed to the terms of the date."

"What terms?"

"We agreed to go to the prom as friends – and
only
friends. I practically gave him a contract to sign. But once we got to dinner, it didn't seem to matter."

"Do you see yourselves getting back together?"

"I don't. I like Scott. I admire him. I respect him. I want to be his friend, but I don't want to date him. Not now. It would take something pretty earth-shattering to bring us together and I just don't see that happening."

Shelly looked at her host closely.

"You seem pleased."

"I am," Michelle said. "I know how unhappy you've been with Scott and Nick this year and I think you need a break, even if that break is temporary."

"What do you mean by temporary?"

"You're going to meet a lot of boys in college, Shelly, and I suspect that you'll have to beat them back with a stick if you want your break to be more than temporary."

"That's what
I
think!"

Both women laughed.

"How did the others do last night? Did April and Brian have fun?"

Shelly frowned.

"No. They didn't. The prom was kind of a disaster for both."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, first of all, Brian and Darla broke up."

"They did what?"

"They broke up, or rather she broke up with him. I saw it coming too."

"I don't understand."

"When they started dating, a lot of guys took notice. It's like Darla got discovered," Shelly said, emphasizing the last word. "I told Brian that other boys were hanging around her locker a lot, but he didn't want to hear it. He said they were doing fine. But they didn't even make it halfway through the prom when Ricky Fellows started asking her to dance. He just ignored the sophomore he took and started hitting on Darla. Brian and Ricky almost got in a fight until Darla stepped in."

"I hope she at least went home with Brian," Michelle said.

Shelly shook her head in disgust.

"No. She didn't. She went home with Ricky. The whole thing made me nauseous. It was unbelievable. Brian was so good to Darla. He even paid to fix the brakes on her car. But none of that mattered. She pissed on him in front of everyone. I'm so sick of selfish people."

Michelle sighed.

"How about April? I assume she went with Tony."

"She did, despite your talk."

"I imagine she's pretty upset with me."

"She was at first. She was really ticked. She thought you overreacted. Then she got tired of answering a million questions from people who heard about the flap at the bowling alley. I guess Tony told everyone with ears that you were an out-of-control bitch. April wouldn't even talk to me about it, not after the first day. She just wanted the whole thing to go away."

"I could have handled the situation better."

"You shouldn't apologize. You did her a huge favor."

"How so?"

"You got her to finally see that bozo for the drunken idiot that he is."

"Really?"

"Really. Not that you needed any help."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean Tony did a good job of convincing her all by himself. They weren't at the dance even an hour before he asked her to go out in the parking lot for a shot of whiskey."

"What did she say?"

"She said no."

"Good for her."

"Tony got pissed, of course, but April held her ground. When he asked her again, she got in his face and told him flat out that he had to choose her or the bottle."

"What did he do?"

"He picked the bottle."

Michelle closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Scott and I took her home at midnight," Shelly said. "I felt really badly for her. She was so excited to finally be able to go to a prom and this is what she got. Guys can be such jerks."

"Girls can too, Shelly. Don't forget about Darla."

Shelly laughed. Michelle didn't miss a beat.

"You're right. People are jerks."

"Let's talk about something more positive. What are your plans for the rest of the month? Do you have any big graduation parties coming up?"

"Are you kidding? Do you think Evelyn would pass up a chance to show off her prized filly? She's planning a big reception for relatives on May 24 and a smaller one the next day for local yokels. My dad's working on something too, but he hasn't told me the specifics."

"They're proud of you, Shelly, and so am I. You've overcome a lot this year and still kept your head. That says a lot about you."

"Thanks."

Shelly looked at her surrogate mother and smiled. She loved talking to this woman and hoped that she would find similar friends at Oregon or Yale or wherever the winds blew her in the next four years.

"Do you have any plans for the weekend?" Michelle asked.

"I don't. I have to work Friday night. My parents talked about going camping Saturday, but I think we'll stay home. It's still pretty cold in the mountains. We'll probably go Memorial Day."

"So you're
not
going out of town this weekend?"

"I don't plan to."

"Good."

Shelly watched Michelle sigh and cast a faint smile. She seemed relieved that Shelly was sticking around town, which struck her as odd. Was Michelle planning a party too?

"Why is that good? Is there something going on next weekend?"

"No. There's nothing special, except a quilt show on Sunday. It's just that Robert will be in McMinnville with the baseball team all day Saturday and I thought you and I could do something fun in town. You name it and we'll do it."