Chapter 3

Sunday August 9, 1987

“Hurry up!” Mart yelled up the stairs. “If we don’t want to be late we have to leave in five minutes.” Brian was already waiting in the kitchen but Trixie had yet to make an appearance. She came racing down the stairs and as she jumped down the last one her weak ankle gave out and she fell to the floor.

“Damn,” she said as she lay there trying to catch her breath. Before she knew it, three pairs of eyes were staring down at her in concern.

“Trixie, are you okay?” Brian asked. He knelt down next to her and began to gently feel her ankle.

“I think so,” she replied. “Nothing bruised except my ego.” She struggled to sit up.

“Take it easy, Trixie,” Mart said as he headed over to the refrigerator and opened up the freezer door. He reached for the ice cube trays and began emptying them into a plastic Ziploc bag.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “It was a stupid move on my part. My ankle finally started to really feel fine and so I forgot it still wasn’t completely back to normal.” She tried to stand but when she put weight on her foot she winced in pain. She fought back tears of pain.

Brian quickly stood up next to her and tried to wrap his arm around her waist and guide her over to a kitchen chair.

She shrugged away. “I’m fine,” she insisted through gritted teeth. “I can walk on it just fine.” She made her way over to a kitchen chair but not without favoring her injured ankle. She could barely put weight on it.

Brian continued to fret about her ankle. Mart intervened. “Brian,” he whispered. “Just let her be. She’ll be okay. If it were too painful, you’d know it.”

“She should really have someone look at it,” he insisted.

“How many times have you or I twisted an ankle or worse and not gone to have it looked at?” Mart asked. “She’s a big girl. She’ll let us know if she thinks she needs more than that ice pack.”

“Quit talking about me like I’m not in the room,” Trixie grumbled. She accepted the ice pack that Mart had made for her. “You might as well go ahead without me. Diana will be disappointed if you don’t see the last performance.” She elevated her foot on the chair next to her. She glanced at the kitchen clock. “You’d better get a move on. Jim, Honey and Dan are going to wonder what happened to you. We said we’d pick them up five minutes ago.”

Just then the phone rang. Mart went to answer it. “Hi, Honey,” he said. “No, we haven’t left the house yet.” He listened for a minute. “Yes, I know we’re going to be late. We had a little mishap. Well, I should say Trixie had a mishap.” He glanced over at Brian and rolled his eyes. “She’s fine. She just turned her ankle. No, she doesn’t want to go to have it looked at.”

“Give me the phone,” Trixie insisted. “I want to talk to Honey.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Honey asked. “You’re not just saying things are you?”

“I’m going to be fine. I was just my clumsy self and decided to skip the last few steps on the way down from my room. My ankle didn’t take too kindly to it. I’m sure I’ll be okay. I’m just going to keep it elevated and ice it down.”

“Trixie,” Honey said in an all-knowing voice. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Honestly, Honey,” she replied, absentmindedly twirling one of her curls with an index finger. “I’m telling the truth. Now, put Jim on the phone so I can let him know I’m okay. If Mart and Brian don’t get out the door soon, you’ll miss the opening curtain.”

“Jim’s not here,” Honey said. “As soon as he heard something had happened to you he raced out the door. I’m surprised he isn’t there yet.”

Just then there was a knock on the kitchen door and the sound of it opening up. “He’s here.”

“Trixie,” Jim exclaimed. “What happened?” He rushed to her side, grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye.

“I’ll be fine. I just did something stupid and twisted my ankle,” she explained. “Now all of you need to leave or you’re going to miss the opening curtain. You don’t want to disappoint Diana. She’s going to be disappointed that we all weren’t there.”

Jim wasn’t satisfied and took time to look at her ankle. It had begun to swell slightly. “This doesn’t look good,” he said pointing to the swollen ankle.

Trixie looked down at it. “That’s nothing compared to earlier this summer.”

“I’ll stay with you,” Jim insisted. “You guys go ahead. Dan and Honey are waiting.”

“You are not staying,” Trixie said. “You haven’t seen the show yet. Diana is so good as Liesl.”

“I’ll stay,” Brian said. “I’ve already seen the show.”

For the next few minutes Brian and Jim argued over who would stay with Trixie. She couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Slowly, she picked up the ice pack, wrapped it in a dish towel and hobbled her way toward the kitchen door. Mart stared at her for about thirty seconds, then realizing what she had in mind he went over and helped her out of the house and into the Bob-White station wagon.

He then went back into the kitchen. “Okay, Mr. Honorable and Mr. Responsible, if you don’t want to be left behind you’d better get into the station wagon now.” He grabbed the keys off the key rack next to the door and walked out.

Brian and Jim looked around the kitchen and were shocked to see no sign of Trixie. They looked at each other and began to laugh. “She did it again,” Brian said. “I guess she showed us.”

“Well, we’d better get going or Mart will leave us behind.”

When they got to the car, Trixie was already seated comfortably in the back seat. She had her foot propped up on the seat and was buckled in. Jim gently lifted her foot and climbed in. He looked at her sheepishly but didn’t say a word.

As soon as Brian and Jim were buckled in, Mart backed out of the driveway and headed toward Manor House. Dan and Honey were pacing on the front porch.

When Honey saw Trixie in the back seat, she rushed past Brian who had gotten out to open the door for her.

“Trixie, are you sure you shouldn’t be home?” she asked. Jim got out so Honey and Dan could climb into the back seat of the car.

Exasperated, Trixie sighed. “I can sit in the theater just as well as I can at home. Besides, this way I have something to take my mind off the pain.”

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Jim hurriedly asked. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Slow down,” Trixie warned. “I’m fine, remember. The pain isn’t that bad, but when we get to the theater I’m going to take some ibuprofen. It will help with the pain and the swelling.”

When they got to the parking lot, Mart pulled up to the entrance so that everyone else could get out. “I’ve got the tickets,” he said. “They’re in my wallet so you’ll have to wait for me in the lobby.”

Jim got out and ran around to the other side of the car to help Trixie out. She wasn’t ready to admit it but she was grateful for the arm he placed around her waist. She gave the ice pack to Dan and then leaned into Jim as they made their way into the lobby.

“You’re sure you’re all right?” Jim asked again as they waited for Mart.

“I’ll be fine as soon as I find a glass of water to take this pill,” she said. Dan went in search for it.

By the time Mart had parked the car and entered the lobby, Dan had returned with the water. After taking the pill, the group headed to find their seats. They had excellent seats about ten rows back and in the center of the theater.

The pain killer did its job and Trixie was able to enjoy the performance. Again, she was amazed by quality of all of the performers but especially Diana.

“She’s really good, isn’t she?” Jim whispered to her after Diana had finished singing “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”.

“Yes,” she replied. Trixie smiled in pride for her good friend. She could hear Mart applauding and whistling after the song.

When the intermission began, Jim asked Trixie if she wanted to go out into the lobby.

“I don’t need anything,” she said. “but I should probably get up and move around so my ankle doesn’t stiffen up.”

Dan and Mart had already headed out to the lobby to get something to eat. Brian and Honey decided to stay in their seats. Trixie made her way into the aisle. It took a minute for her to put weight on her foot. Slowly, they made their way out to the lobby. Trixie leaned on Jim more than she cared to admit.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jim asked.

“I’m fine. The painkiller did its job.” She walked over to a garbage can and put the melted bag of ice into it. “By tomorrow the only thing that will be hurt will be my ego and Mart probably won’t let me live it down now that he knows I’m okay.” Secretly, she kind of hoped he would give her a hard time about her latest klutzy move. Then she’d know that all was going to be okay.

Jim bent down and placed a kiss on her nose. “You never cease to amaze me,” he said. “Always looking for the positive.”

Dan and Mart made their way over to them. “So how do you like the show?” Trixie asked them.

For several minutes they discussed how surprised they were by Diana’s voice and acting. Dan commented on how well the scenery changes went, especially when the drops flew in and out.

“Only you would notice something like that,” Mart teased.

“Well, Hallie clued me in on what was happening after last night’s show,” Dan defended. “I was amazed what happens back stage. It’s like they have their own choreography. It must be organized chaos backstage between the set changes, worrying about props and there are some very quick costume changes that have to be done in the wings.”

“Even though we helped with Romeo and Juliet a couple of years ago,” Mart started. “I really didn’t realize all that went into a production like this. In addition to the artistic part of the show, there’s the marketing and ticket sales.”

The lights flickered to let them know the second act was about to begin. While the stage musical was similar to the movie, there were several noticeable differences. Trixie didn’t mind because it was less predictable.

When the curtain came down at the end of the second act, the audience stood and applauded. As the actors took their bows, the Bob-Whites in the audience whistled when Diana came out. She blushed, but her smile was radiant.

As the rest of the audience filed out, the group waited in their seats. Before the cast party, the set had to be struck, costumes collected and the theatre swept. The Bob-Whites had volunteered to help out.

As soon as the theatre had been cleared of the patrons, the stage crew began to get ready to strike the set. Honey had volunteered to help with the costumes. The rental costumes would need to be separated from the ones that had been made. All of them would have to be cleaned before they were put away.

Mart, Brian, Dan and Jim were going to help tear down the set. Trixie had planned on helping as well but decided that probably wouldn’t be the wisest idea. She decided that she could help with the costumes.

Although she wasn’t handy with a needle she could help sort the costumes and mark any ones that needed repairs. With the entire cast helping to get everything put away, it didn’t take long for it to be finished.

Trixie’s ankle started to ache more. As she walked through the theatre, Jim came down from the stage. “Are you sure you’re not overdoing it?” he asked. Concern clouded his eyes.

“Yes,” she replied. “I think I just need to take another pain pill. I’ve been good and been sitting for most of the time.”

Brian and Dan joined them and soon the rest of the Bob-Whites were there as well.

“Everyone’s heading over to the cast party,” Diana said. “They’re having it in the pavilion in the park.”

“Were we supposed to bring anything for food?” Honey asked.

Diana smiled. “Is your middle name Mart?” she teased.

Honey blushed but laughed with the rest of them.

Diana continued. “Mummy and Daddy decided to pay for the cast party. Usually everyone pays their own way but they wanted to do something special. They thought about hosting it at our house but decided it would be better to have it in town.”

“So who’s providing the food if it’s at the pavilion?” Dan asked.

“Wimpy’s,” Diana said with a knowing smile. “They were thrilled to do it. They’ve wanted to do more catering and so this was perfect for them.”

Trixie took one look at Mart and noticed he looked like he had just died and gone to heaven.

The pavilion was within walking distance from the theatre. Earlier they had decided to leave their vehicles and walk over.

Jim asked Trixie if she wanted a ride.

“I think I’ll be okay. The pain pill has kicked in and it actually feels good to give it some exercise. I just won’t try to sprint over there.”

They all enjoyed the cast party. There was plenty to eat. The Bob-Whites mingled with the cast and crew. They had been surprised that there were as many people that had worked behind the scenes as there had been actors and actresses on the stage.

Diana found herself in the center of attention with Mart not straying too far from her. It wasn’t that Mart was overprotective or jealous. Diana enjoyed his company and he put her at ease with all of the attention that had been lavished on her.

Hallie and Dan made their way around the pavilion. He made sure that he introduced her to as many people as he could. Despite working on the play all summer and meeting all kinds of different people, Hallie still was nervous about starting school at Sleepyside High School in less than a month. By the end of the night Hallie felt she might just survive the first week of school.

Jim, Trixie, Brian and Honey spent most of the night seated at a table. It wasn’t that they were being anti-social. Necessity made it difficult for Trixie to stand for long periods of time.

“I can’t believe how fun it was to help dismantle the show,” Trixie said. “I worked with several people that I’ve never even said ten words to. By the time the last costume was checked over, we were laughing so hard I think I’ll be sore tomorrow.”

“You’re going to be sore tomorrow but not for that reason,” Brian teased. “Your acrobatic moves of earlier in the day will come back to haunt you tomorrow.”

Trixie didn’t say anything right away. It had been so long since Brian had teased anyone. He had been so serious since he came home. She looked over at Honey. She was giggling as well. Trixie hoped that was a good sign. Honey had been so quiet and reserved the last month. It was like she almost returned to the girl that she had first met four years ago. Maybe Honey had missed Brian more than she was willing to let on.

“Don’t remind me,” Trixie said. “I was hoping to resume running this week. I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer. I’m just glad I’m not sporting some colorful bruises after that act of grace.”

Jim bent down and placed a kiss on her nose.

“What was that for?” Trixie whispered.

“I like that you can joke about this,” he replied. “I don’t like that it happened, but you’re not letting it ruin the night.”

Ruthie Kettner and Lester Mundy stopped by. “I earned a new belt in karate this week,” Ruthie said.

“Congratulations,” Trixie said. “At the rate you’re going you’ll have your black belt before I even get started.” She motioned for the couple to join them at the table.

“I’m sure once you start, you’ll catch up to me in no time,” Ruthie said. “I can’t believe how much I like the class. I decided to take it for the self-defense but I’ve noticed it’s improved my concentration as well as my confidence.”

“That’s wonderful,” Jim said. “I’ve been doing some research on the martial arts. There’s a lot of good research on how they are good for mind, body and soul. I think it would be great for my school.”

“You should join us, too,” Ruthie said to Honey. “The more the merrier.”

Honey hesitated a minute then looked away from her as she responded. “It sounds like fun. I’ve got a busy schedule though.”

Trixie glanced sharply at Honey. She thought about her schedule and Honey’s. They were very similar except Honey would not be working during the school year and Trixie would. It wasn’t like Honey to back down on something like karate.

Trixie thought for a minute about her friend. One minute she seemed like herself. Then another minute she looked like she was going to cry and that she’d lost her best friend. The curiosity was killing her but Trixie was not going to give in to it. Somehow she knew if she pressed the issue she could be ruining a great friendship. She knew Honey. She’d either figure it out on her own or when she was ready she would talk to Trixie.

Diana and Mart made their way over to the table and sat down. “Is everyone having a good time?” Diana asked.

“It’s a nice party,” Ruthie said. “Wimpy’s did a great job on the food.”

“It was delicious,” Mart replied. “I might have to go for another round. Got to keep up my girlish figure,” he joked as he patted his stomach.

“Thanks for helping with the strike,” Diana said. “Mr. Johnson, the director, was very appreciative. He really appreciated having you guys with your construction knowledge. We were able to salvage a lot of the lumber. That will save the theater guild a lot of money.”

“It really was fun,” Jim said. “Everyone worked hard together so it didn’t take long at all. The group really knows how to work hard and have fun.”

Trixie glanced at her watch. She couldn’t believe it was only eight o’clock. She tried to suppress a yawn but failed.

Jim noted Trixie’s fatigue. “Are you ready to go?” he asked.

Reluctantly, she replied. “I guess so. I hate to miss any excitement, but tomorrow is a work day.”

“Why don’t I go back to the car and meet you in the parking lot outside?” he suggested.

“I can walk,” Trixie insisted half-heartedly.

Jim bent down to kiss her forehead. “I know you can, but would you just humor me? Your ankle will thank you in the morning.”

“Well, since you put it that way, I guess I will,” Trixie said. Brian and Honey were going to ride with them. The party wasn’t showing any sign of starting to wind down. Diana and Hallie wanted to stay. They didn’t have to work in the morning so they were going to stay out late.

If Trixie hadn’t been so tired she would have noticed the uncomfortable silence between the four of them. Honey and Brian sat in the back seat of the BWG station wagon. They didn’t hug the doors but they didn’t snuggle close to each other either.

Jim glanced at them through the rear view mirror and caught Brian’s eye. Brian just shrugged his shoulder and didn’t say anything.

Jim pulled the car up to Crabapple Farm. He got out and then opened the door for Trixie. Grabbing her hand he tossed the keys to Brian. “I’m going to say good night to Trixie and then walk home. You can decide what you want to do.”

The two walked to the terrace and out of Honey and Brian’s view. Honey and Brian climbed into the front seat and headed down the road presumably to Manor House.

“I sure wish I knew what was wrong with those two,” Trixie said. “Honey hasn’t been herself for a month.”

Mr. Honesty, Jim couldn’t say anything. Brian had trusted him when he had confided in him. He hoped Trixie wouldn’t be too upset when she found out that he knew.

“You know something,” Trixie accused.

Jim didn’t know what to say. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn’t.

Trixie pulled Jim into an embrace and didn’t say anything for a few minutes. “You know what,” she said. “Forget I said anything. If Honey wants to share this, she will when she’s ready.”

“Thanks,” Jim said softly. He then kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I know that wasn’t easy.”

Trixie sighed. “Well, I know that if I pushed we’d be back to where we were in January and I don’t want to go there again.”

They held each other a few minutes. “I hate to end this,” Trixie said, “but I have to work in the morning.”

“I know,” Jim replied. “I need to go into the city sometime this week. There’s a problem with my schedule for next year and it’s easier to go in and take care of it rather than try to deal with it on the phone.”

They turned and walked to the door. “Are you going by yourself?” she asked.

“Well, I’m going to ride in with Dad. I was going to see if Brian wanted to go as well. We haven’t been to the apartment for almost eight weeks. We should make sure everything is okay,” he explained.

“I wish I could go with you,” she said. “It’s been so long since I’ve been into the city.”

“We could go next Saturday. Leave early in the morning and maybe take in a play,” Jim suggested.

“That sounds like fun. I suppose it’s impossible to get tickets for Les Miserables,” she said.

Jim kissed her again on the lips as the approached to door. “I can try,” he said. After one quick kiss, Trixie headed into the house and Jim headed up the path.

Honey and Brian sat in the car in front of Manor House. “I can’t take this not knowing,” she wailed. “If something doesn’t happen soon I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Brian pulled her into his arms. “It will be okay. I’m going to be there for you no matter what. Maybe we should tell our parents.”

“No,” she insisted. “I’m not telling anyone until I know for sure. I’m going to wait for a few more weeks.”

“Okay,” he said slowly. “but if you change your mind, know that I’ll be there with you.”

She wiped away the tears that threatened once again to fall. “I just wish we could turn back the clock.”

“Do you regret what we did?” he asked trying not to the let show in his voice.

“No,” she sighed. “I just wish I had thought ahead enough to go to the doctor so we weren’t relying on just one form of birth control.”

Brian gave her one last kiss and then walked her to the door.

As he turned back to the car, he thought, “The next few weeks could be the longest of my life.”

 

 

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