Chapter 4

Tuesday, September 8, 1987

Honey was miserable. It was the first day of her senior year in high school. It should have been an exciting day but instead she just wanted to crawl back to bed and sleep for a week. Brian had headed back to school a week ago and he was already so busy he hadn’t come home for Labor Day weekend.

She really couldn’t blame him. She had been depressed for the last month. When she hadn’t been depressed she had been moody and ornery. It was a wonder he was even still talking to her. It was a wonder any of the Bob-Whites were still talking to her.

It had been a trying month. Well, actually more like the last six weeks or so. Ever since she, Diana and Trixie went up to visit the guys at Victory Camp, ever since she lost her virginity. She blushed thinking about that night. It wasn’t that she was embarrassed or ashamed of what she and Brian had done. It hadn’t been like the romance novels said it would. She thought it was probably because it had been the first time for both of them. She didn’t know for sure. The broken condom and its looming results made Brian revert to his overly responsible self so they hadn’t explored that.

Of all the dumb luck. After all, she dated Mr. Honorably Responsible. It wasn’t like they were being irresponsible. The worst part was that she just knew she was pregnant. She hadn’t been feeling well most mornings and on Saturday she threw up before breakfast. She had never been so glad that Jim was not home or she would have had some fast talking to do.

So now she sat on the bus waiting for Trixie, Diana, and Hallie to join her. It was going to be a long bus ride. She knew Trixie was suspicious of something and she really regretted not feeling comfortable sharing this with her. It was just too personal considering they dated each other’s brother.

Brian had told her that he had confided in Jim. At first she had been upset about it. Then she realized Brain had needed someone to confide in. She had spoken to Jim about it once and that was to say she didn’t want to talk about it.

A hand waved in front of her glassy eyes.

“Earth to Honey,” Trixie teased. “Don’t tell me you already have a case of senioritis.”

Honey shook her head to clear her mind. “No, I was just thinking.” She scooted over in her seat to let Trixie sit next to her. Hallie and Diana took the seat in front of them. They turned in their seats so they could all talk.

“Well, you just stop that thinking,” Diana said. “You don’t have to do that until at least tomorrow.”

For the rest of the ride to school the four talked about their schedules, signing up for the Homecoming Committee, and wondering if Mr. Harding, the Economics and Personal Finance teacher, had bought any new clothes. His wardrobe looked like he hadn’t bought anything new for about ten years.

When the bus pulled up to the school everyone got off. Honey made her way to her locker, not looking at anyone as she went.

Even though in her mind she knew that no one would suspect that she could be pregnant, it felt like all eyes were on her in every class. She had tried to cover up the dark circles under her eyes and blamed the dullness of her hair on the time she had spent out in the sun and the pool this summer.

It felt strange at lunch when the four girls sat at the table that had been theirs for the past three years. For the first time it was only the girls that sat there. For a second Honey missed Mart’s banter and Dan’s quiet demeanor.

“It sure seems weird sitting here without the guys,” Diana said. “I keep looking around waiting to hear their voices.”

“Well, I’m not going to miss the teasing,” Trixie said.

“You’re going to miss it and you know it,” Hallie replied.

They put down their books and headed over to get their food. When they returned to the table and began to eat everyone began to talk.

“How was your first morning, Hallie?” Diana asked. “Were you able to find all of your classes?”

Hallie took a bite of her pizza and said, “It wasn’t too bad. I didn’t realize how many people I knew here. Everyone has been very helpful.”

Just as the girls were standing up to return their trays to the dish room, Jane Morgan came rushing up to the table. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “Did you see Kitty Christianson?” She didn’t pause to let anyone get a word in but rushed on. “She looks like she’s wearing a tent. She has to be at least seven months pregnant. I wonder who the father is.”

Trixie, Diana and Hallie didn’t even stop to acknowledge Jane. Honey’s face turned white. She quickly sat back down in her chair and dug into her purse hoping that Jane would take the hint and leave. When no one took the bait about her gossip, Jane went off to spread her venom to another group of girls.

Honey didn’t know how long she sat there rummaging blindly through her purse.

“Hey,” Trixie said. “Aren’t you going to take your tray back? You don’t want to get on the bad side of the kitchen staff on the first day.”

“Oh, yeah,” Honey said, slowly getting up and mechanically taking the tray to the dish room.

Trixie followed behind. Honey was having a hard time keeping her emotions in check. All she wanted to do was have a good cry. She could imagine what people would be saying about her in a few months if she was pregnant. She was so deep in thought that she ran into Troy Bergman, the quarterback and captain of the football team. Honey wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Trixie continued to follow Honey down the hallway. She didn’t say anything and she didn’t think Honey even knew she was there. For the past six weeks Trixie had kept her concerns to herself, hoping her friend would eventually confide in her what was bothering her. Part of her was a little hurt that she hadn’t. In her heart she knew that there was a reason for it.

At their lockers, the two friends parted ways. They only had two classes together this semester and both of them were in the morning. Trixie decided that at the end of the day she was going to quietly confront Honey. She didn’t know what she was going to do if she couldn’t get through to her.

At the end of the day, Trixie raced to her locker, hoping to catch Honey before she made her way to the bus. She had already told Hallie not to worry if the bus left without her. If worse came to worse she could walk the two miles home.

“Honey,” Trixie said to get her attention as she walked away from her locker. “Can we talk?”

Honey looked nervously around, grabbed a notebook and text book and started toward the bus line. She didn’t say anything.

“I know something’s been bothering you for some time,” Trixie said. “And I’ve tried to stay out of it, hoping that you would eventually feel comfortable enough to confide in me.” As hard as she tried she couldn’t keep the hurt out of her voice.

Honey looked like she was about to burst into tears. “I’m sorry,” was all she managed to squeak out. She hurried toward the buses, knowing that she would be lucky to catch it before it left. As she exited the building the buses were pulling away from the curb. Honey sank to the ground in defeat.

For several minutes Trixie stood back, concern in her eyes, letting Honey decide what she wanted to do. When she didn’t move for several minutes she said. “Come on, Honey. You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

“We missed the bus,” Honey said vacantly.

Trying to liven the situation up, Trixie said, “Well, it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time. We’ve got two semesters of bus missing ahead of us.”

Honey managed a weak smile.

“So are you going to walk home with me or do we call Tom and see if he can come and pick us up?” Trixie asked.

Honey got to her feet. “Let’s walk home. We can talk more privately that way.”

They started out toward Glen Road. Trixie held back and waited for Honey to say something. She had opened the door for conversation, but if Honey didn’t want to share, she would try not to push.

“Trixie,” Honey finally said. “I think I’m pregnant.”

Trixie stopped dead in her tracks. She tried not to let her jaw drop or blurt out something stupid.

“Okay,” Trixie said slowly. “So you and Brian decided to take your relationship further. When did this happen? Wait, I didn’t ask that question.” She resisted the urge to cover her ears.

“You’re not going ask me why I think I’m pregnant or lecture me about taking the necessary precautions?” Honey said.

“You know best about your body,” Trixie said, “and since you are dating my brother, Mr. Responsible, I know you wouldn’t have done anything without some sort of protection.”

“Can I tell you about it?” Honey asked.

Trixie shuddered and then replied, “As long as you don’t go into details. That would be just too icky.”

“So Brian and I made love,” Honey said. “It was very sweet. Everything was going well until we were done. Then we noticed the condom had torn.”

“Oh, no,” Trixie said. “No wonder Brian has looked like a walking zombie for the past few weeks.”

“It’s so frustrating,” Honey said. “Brian is always so cautious about everything and the one time he decides to throw a little caution to the wind it all falls apart. What am I going to do? My parents are going to kill me. Your dad is going to go ballistic. Brian will feel it necessary to quit school after he graduates next spring. My mom will decide I should go to a boarding school or hide me away some place so I don’t embarrass them. Jim knows about this, but it will put a strain on their friendship. That will lead to the breakup of the Bob-Whites.”

Trixie wrapped an arm around Honey’s shoulders. “Whoa,” she said. “Let’s take this one issue at a time. So how sure are you that you’re pregnant?”

“Well, it’s been six weeks since it happened and I haven’t had my period,” Honey said.

Trixie tried to think back to what she had learned in health class years ago. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you’re pregnant,” she said encouragingly. “It’s not uncommon for teens to not have regular cycles.”

“But I’ve always been regular,” Honey insisted.

“You’ve also been under a lot of stress worrying about this. That can goof up your cycle,” Trixie explained. “Have you taken a pregnancy test?”

Honey shook her head. “No, I’ve gone to the store several times, but I just couldn’t do it. I keep thinking I won’t need it.”

“Well, it is a little early to test,” Trixie said. “I remember reading some place that you need to miss two cycles before the clinic will do a pregnancy test.”

Honey let out a sigh. “I don’t know if I can make it another few weeks.”

“I’ll be there for you,” Trixie said. “And you know Brian and Jim will both be there for you as well.”

They were walking along Glen Road. “Thanks for being so understanding,” Honey said. “I was so worried about what you would think.”

“Honey,” Trixie said. “I’m your best friend. I’m not going to desert you over something like this. If it’s true, you’re going to need all of the support you can get. You know all of the Bob-Whites will be there for you.” She stopped and embraced her friend.

Honey began to cry. “I was so afraid that you would be mad at me and not want to be my friend. I know that you really wouldn’t do that, but I wasn’t thinking straight.”

“Let’s do this,” Trixie suggested. “We’re going to enjoy the first week of our senior year. Then on Saturday, if we need to, we’ll go over to White Plains and buy a pregnancy test. After we know the results of the test we will decide what to do next.”

They were at the Manor House driveway. With one last hug, the two friends parted ways.

Trixie was deep in thought as she made her way to Crabapple Farm. She still hadn’t recovered from Honey’s revelation. She wasn’t going to judge Honey and Brian on the decisions they made. That was a decision that they had made when it was right for them. She was glad that she and Jim had made the decision to wait to make love. She knew she was not ready to have to deal with the consequences of failed birth control.

Friday, September 11, 1987

It had been a long week, even though it was a four-day week, for Honey. Telling Trixie about what she was dealing with had helped. Trixie had been supportive and had not judged her. She still hadn’t had her period and every day that passed the more concerned she got. She felt like she had gained about 10 pounds and her breasts had been tender the past few days.

She’d only spoken to Brian once this week and it had been a quick call. He had a very full schedule and spent all his spare time keeping up with his classes and studying for the MCAT exam. She missed their conversations but until she knew if she was pregnant, she didn’t know what to say to him. She didn’t want him talking about finding a job and giving up his dream of becoming a doctor. From the day she had met him he’d talked about that. If he couldn’t fulfill that dream she wouldn’t know what she would do.

There was a home football game this evening. The girls had made plans to attend the game. The Homecoming Committee had suggested everyone try to attend the game. They were looking for inspiration for the theme. It would be good for the committee to show their support of the team.

She’d been invited to Crabapple Farm for dinner and would be spending the night when they returned from the game. Her parents were out of town and with Jim gone, her parents suggested she might enjoy spending the weekend with the Beldens more than being all by herself.

She was nervous about the weekend. Trixie had already promised to go to White Plains in the morning. Hopefully, the football game would keep her mind off of other things.

The girls had decided to take the Bob-White station wagon into school in the morning. The Homecoming Committee was meeting after school. Honey wasn’t as excited about serving on the committee as the rest of the group but she was going to stick with it.

The meeting went well. They had decided that Ruthie Kettner would chair the committee. Diana and Hallie were going to work on the decorations for the dance and organize the hall decorating competition. Trixie and Honey volunteered to head up the parade committee. They would also help out with the dance. The dance was a month away. They discussed how to encourage alumni to attend the festivities.

Fortunately, there was a pretty active Sleepyside Junior-Senior High Alumni Association. The committee would work with them to organize some activities for them.

It was almost five o’clock by the time the meeting was done.

“It’s a good thing I put my bag in the car this morning,” Honey said. “Or we might miss part of the game.”

Diana would be spending the night as well. As the quartet piled out of the station wagon and headed into kitchen, they could smell the dinner that was just about ready. Without being asked, the girls put away their backpacks and bags, and then began helping get supper on the table.

“Set the table for ten,” Moms said.

“Are Larry and Terry coming for dinner, too?” Trixie asked. She wasn’t quite sure if she was up to the three boys’ antics.

“No,” Moms said. “As a matter of fact, Bobby is spending the night at the Lynch’s.”

Honey and Trixie were setting the table as Hallie finished up with the salad. Diana began to pour milk into glasses. They heard a car drive up.

“If the boys aren’t having dinner with us, who is coming?” Hallie asked.

The kitchen door opened and they heard several sets of footsteps.

“We are,” announced Mart. Diana carefully set the gallon of milk on the counter top and went over to give him a hug and kiss.

Behind him, Dan tried to get past him. “Hey, let the rest of us through,” he said. “You shouldn’t have all of the fun.”

Dan made his way around Mart, stopped to give Moms a hug and kiss and then embraced Hallie. Following behind him were Brian and Jim. They also gave Moms a hug before seeking out their girlfriends.

“This is a surprise,” said Honey. “I hadn’t expected to see you for several weeks. You sounded like you were swamped when I spoke with you on the phone.”

“We can be sneaky if we want to be,” Brian said.

Jim had embraced Trixie. “We could always go up to Manor House and spend the evening if you had other plans,” he teased.

“You aren’t going to hear any complaints from me,” Trixie replied. She glanced at the clock. “We do need to get going if we don’t want to miss the opening kickoff. It begins in less than an hour.”

As they ate dinner they caught up on what had been happening in the past few weeks. “I’m still a little confused,” Diana said. “Mart, how did you get here? Didn’t you have class today?”

“I guess I failed to mention that I only have one class on Fridays and it’s done at nine o’clock. I was able to catch the train to New York. I met the rest of the guys at the train station and we took the train out to Sleepyside together. Tom picked us up and dropped us off here.”

They finished up dinner quickly and everyone started to help clean up and do the dishes.

“Leave it,” Moms said. “Mr. Belden and I will clean up tonight. You guys get going or you’re going to miss the game.”

“Are we having a Crabapple Farm house party this weekend?” Hallie asked. “Or are you guys going to stay someplace else?”

“It depends on how clean Bobby’s bedroom is, since someone will have to sleep there,” Brian said.

“It’s your choice,” Moms said. “You can stay here or Miss Trask said you can all spend the weekend up at Manor House. Of course I do expect you all to join us for dinner Sunday before you leave.”

“We’ll probably stay here tonight,” Mart said “but maybe we’ll give you a break and spend tomorrow night at Manor House.”

Quickly, the group grabbed jackets and made their way to the car. They all piled in and somehow Dan managed to get the driver’s seat. They made it into town with plenty of time to spare. Brian, Honey, Jim, and Trixie made their way into the student section of the stadium. The others had to make a stop at the concession stand for popcorn and something to drink.

As they made their way to the student section, they were stopped by several people welcoming Brian and Jim home for the weekend. By the time they made it to their seats, Mart, Diana, Dan and Hallie were there.

“How is it that we stopped for food and still beat you to the student section?” Mart asked.

“Well, when you are with these two.” Brian pointed to Honey and Trixie. “You can’t go five feet without someone stopping you to talk.”

They had just settled into their seats in time for the national anthem. The eight friends sang along with the marching band. Their voices were not going to win them a singing competition but they sang with their hearts.

As they settled into their seats after the kickoff, Brian put his arm around Honey and whispered into her ear. “Any news?” he asked hopefully.

Before she answered she looked around to make sure no one was listening. “Not yet,” she replied. “I was going to call you this weekend. I had a heart-to-heart with Trixie the other day and told her everything.”

“Everything?” he gulped.

“Well, not everything. But I did tell her what I’m going through. She’s been very supportive. In fact she volunteered to go with me tomorrow to White Plains,” she explained.

“What’s in White Plains?” he asked.

She blushed and quietly said, “A pharmacy.”

“You can’t go to Dick’s Pharmacy in town?” he asked.

“I could,” she replied, “If I wanted the entire town to know my business.”

He suddenly nodded with understanding. “I’ll go with you,” he said. “It took both of us to get us in this situation. We’ll both go to the pharmacy.”

Trixie, who was sitting next to Honey, nudged her. Honey gave Trixie a startled look.

“You might want to save that conversation for another place,” Trixie suggested.

Honey paled a little and then looked around to see who might have overheard their conversation. She was relieved to see that no one was paying attention to her. That might have been because Sleepyside had just completed a pass for over fifty yards and were setting up for the first score of the night.

It was an exciting game where the lead changed several times. With two minutes left in the game, it was tied and Croton-on-the-Hudson had the ball on the thirty yard line. They had been effortlessly moving the ball and were trying to run off some of the clock before going for the score. They had a kicker who had verbally committed to play for the West Virginia Mountaineers next year. He hadn’t missed a field goal from under thirty yards in over a year.

All of the spectators were on their feet cheering on their teams. There was now less thirty seconds left on the clock. The center for Croton snapped the ball to the quarterback. As he stepped into the pocket he was hit on his blindside by a Sleepyside defensive man. The ball was jarred from the quarterback’s hands. After a mad scramble to recover the ball, Duane Meinke grabbed the ball and sprinted toward the end zone, scoring the winning touchdown for Sleepyside as time expired. The crowd went wild as the rest of the Sleepyside team bombarded Duane.

The Bob-Whites stayed in the stands as the fans joined in the chaos. They knew it was going to take a while to get out of the parking lot and decided to wait a few minutes for the crowd to disperse.

“Do we want to go to Wimpy’s?” Mart asked.

“It would be fun,” Diana replied, “but there is going to be a ton of people there. I’m going to be selfish and say I’d rather head back to your house and spend some time with you. There will be other times to go to Wimpy’s.”

The rest of the group agreed as they decided the crowds had cleared out enough for them to get out of the parking lot without any issues.

By unspoken consent the four couples each found a place for themselves. The evening air hadn’t cooled off too much so it was easier to for them to spread out.

Honey and Brian headed to the terrace, Jim and Trixie went into the orchard, Dan and Hallie made their way over by the chickens and Diana and Mart went inside.

“So how was school last week?” Brian asked lamely. He wanted to talk about anything other than the possibility that he could be a father in eight months.

“It was okay. It was kind of weird the first few days at lunch. We hadn’t thought how different it would be without any of you guys there,” she replied.

He thought for a moment. “So did just sit there by yourselves?”

Honey chuckled. “No, actually by the end of the week we were joined by quite a few people. I wouldn’t change anything about the past few years but it did make me think about how we had kind of been unintentionally exclusive. We always sat together because we wanted to. It got convenient. We had our group and it was great. But I got to thinking. What if something happened to one of us? Sure, we had done fundraisers for the school but were we really part of school?” Brian nodded in understanding but didn’t interrupt her. “Our club started out because we lived so far out of town and it was difficult for us to participate in afterschool activities. It was kind of convenient. If we had wanted to be active in a club we could have made it work out. You could have ridden home with your dad and we sometimes rode our bikes to school.”

“That doesn’t really put us in a good light,” Brian said.

Honey shook her head. “I knew I would have a hard time explaining. It’s been nice getting to know other people. It started this summer with our jobs. I worked with some great people, as did Trixie. There were so many kids that Diana and Hallie met working on the play. We realized that just because we have more friends doesn’t mean we don’t like our old friends any less.”

Brian bent down and kissed Honey on the nose. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with passion. “I’ve missed this,” she said.

“I have, too,” he replied. His hands wrapped around her waist. For several minutes they explored each other. When his hands began exploring under her shirt, Honey pulled back.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I don’t think we should do this,” she replied. “I’m afraid. On the off chance I’m not pregnant, I don’t have any protection and I’ve lost faith in condoms.”

“We don’t have to go that far,” Brian said. “We’ve stopped before.”

Honey blushed. “I know we have, but I’m afraid that since we’ve already hit a home run, I’m not going to be able to stop at second base.” She giggled. “I never would have thought I’d use baseball as a metaphor for making love.”

He laughed along with her, and then seriously said, “Just don’t push me out of your life. I love you. I can live without sex, but I don’t want to think about not having you in my life.”

Honey’s eyes twinkled. “Yeah right about living without sex. You’re a guy. I’m not going to hold you to that.” She snuggled into Brian and sighed. For several minutes they talked about school and anything that didn’t involve sex or the possibilities of babies.

One by one the couples made their way back into the house. It was late so the guys decided to stay there for the night. Instead of taking a chance with Bobby’s room, Brian and Jim volunteered to sleep in the family room.

Saturday, September 12, 1987

Honey woke up at six o’clock in the morning. She felt bloated and her stomach was upset. She groaned. She knew she was going to throw up and it just confirmed for her that she was indeed pregnant. She quietly made her way to the bathroom and prayed she wouldn’t wake up Brian’s parents. If they found out she had been sick, she would die of embarrassment.

She quietly shut and locked the bathroom door. She swallowed to keep her stomach at ease hoping to keep the contents down while she relieved herself. She wiped herself not paying attention until she stood to flush the toilet. She blinked twice and checked a third time. She stood still for several minutes not quite believing what she had seen. Then she reached under the sink to grab some supplies. She was glad that long ago she and Trixie had shared where they were stored for occasions just like this.

She spent several more minutes in the bathroom. She was surprised that she felt a little sadness. She really didn’t want to be pregnant, but a small part of her had started to love that unborn child.

She quietly made her way back to Trixie’s bedroom. She had just crawled back under the covers when Trixie whispered, “Everything okay?”

Honey hesitated. She wanted to shout from the tops of her lungs but decided that Brian needed to be the first person she would tell her good news. “Yeah,” she said. “My stomach was upset but at least I didn’t throw up.” She rolled on her side and tried to fall back to sleep for a few minutes. She was too excited to sleep.

At about seven o’clock, the house started to wake up. Moms made her way down the stairs to begin making breakfast. Within a few minutes the smell of bacon frying wafted up the steps. Peter Belden headed downstairs shortly after that.

The next person up was one of the guys. Honey heard someone come up the stairs to use the bathroom. She decided she wasn’t going to get any more sleep and decided to get up. She’d forgo a shower right now. Since they were going out later in the day, she decided to wait to take one later.

As she walked out of Trixie’s room, Brian came out of the bathroom. He had on a pair of sweatpants and no shirt. She sighed in pleasure at the sight.

“Good morning,” she purred as she reached up to place a kiss on his lips. She gave him a big smile.

He returned her kiss and said, “Good morning to you, too.” He started to deepen the kiss and tighten his embrace but then realized where he was. “I was just going to go out and gather the eggs since Bobby isn’t here.”

“I’ll join you,” she said, trying to hide her smile. “You get changed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Brian headed to his room to get changed, Honey headed down the stairs. She greeted Mr. and Mrs. Belden with a smile.

“You’re up early,” Mrs. Belden said.

“I guess my body forgot it was the weekend and it could sleep in,” Honey replied. “Brian and I are going to go gather the eggs before breakfast.”

Mrs. Belden gave a knowing glance to her husband and then said, “That’s nice, dear. Tell Brian there’s a new bag of feed in the van. I picked it up yesterday but didn’t get it unloaded.”

Brian came down the stairs, kissed his mother, and then grabbed Honey’s hand. He picked up the egg basket as they headed out the kitchen door.

As soon as they were out the door, Honey stopped him. “I’ve got some news for you,” she said. Taking his face in her hands and looking him directly in the eye she said, “Aunt Flo visited me this morning.”

Brian looked puzzled, “I didn’t know you had an Aunt Flo.”

Honey giggled, “Silly, I got my monthly visit, I’m riding the crimson tide.” Brian still looked confused.

“I got my period,” she finally said. “We’re not pregnant!”

For several seconds Brian just stared at her, not quite registering what she had just told him. Then it finally clicked. “We’re not pregnant,” he said and lifted her in the air and swung her around. For several minutes he didn’t say anything.

“What’s wrong?” Honey asked.

Brian pondered his reply and then quietly said. “I know this is going to sound weird, but part of me feels a sense of loss. I know now is not the time for either of us to have a baby but as I was preparing for the possibility it began to grow on me.”

Tears formed in Honey’s eyes. “I know the feeling. When it happened this morning I felt the same way. I guess that just means when the time is right we’re going to be great parents.” Brian hugged her tighter.

Reluctantly, Honey pulled out of the embrace. “We better get those eggs gathered or your mom is going to come out looking for us. She said there’s a sack of chicken feed in the van.”

By the time they had finished with the chickens, the rest of the household was up. Moms had pancakes and bacon warming in the oven so as they made their way to the table they could eat.

Trixie noticed the difference right away. Honey’s eyes sparkled and she practically bubbled with happiness. Brian had lost that look of dread. Trixie looked over at Jim and he had noticed the change as well.

Over breakfast they discussed their plans for the day. After they helped clean up the kitchen, they decided to go over to the Manor House stables and exercise the horses. Diana would run home and saddle up Sunny and then meet up with them.

Diana left as soon as the last dish was put away and the guys took off, volunteering to get all of the horses saddled up. Honey and Trixie ran upstairs to change. As soon as the bedroom door had shut Trixie said, “I take it we don’t have to make a trip to White Plains.”

Honey’s eyes glimmered with unshed tears of relief. “It’s such a relief. It’s like we got a second chance.”

Trixie embraced her friend and held her for a few minutes. Honey was overcome with emotion.

“It’s so weird,” Honey continued. “I’m so relieved I’m not pregnant and I know that’s the best thing but part of me feels like I lost something.”

Trixie couldn’t quite comprehend the feeling so she said nothing. She broke off and quickly pulled on a pair of well-worn jeans that hugged her hips and a sweatshirt. Honey put on a similar outfit and they made their way downstairs where Hallie was waiting.

By the time they made it to the stables, the guys had all of the horses saddled. They decided to head out toward the Lynches and meet Diana partway. The path was narrow so they had to ride single file. It didn’t take long and Diana had joined the group.

There was good-natured bantering throughout their ride. They’d barely been riding five minutes when Mart started digging in the saddlebags to find something to eat.

“Some things never change, do they?” Trixie teased. “Has your roommate put locks on his food yet?”

Mart tried to look offended. “Hey, I’m still a growing boy.”

“You’re a growing boy all right,” Brian said. “You’ll be ninety years old and still be claiming you’re one.”

Dan and Hallie had dropped back from the group and appeared to be lost in a deep conversation.

Diana called back to them. “Hey, you two, you look way too serious. This is supposed to be a fun ride. You can get all serious and mushy this afternoon.”

Hallie looked up and laughed. “We’re plotting how to take over the world.”’

“Yeah,” Dan said. “You would be surprised what evil we have planned.”

The path widened and Jim rode up alongside Trixie. He bent down and placed a quick kiss on her lips.

“I didn’t see that,” Mart said. “Public display of affection that involves my sister will ruin my eyesight.”

Trixie reached up to Jim and before she returned the kiss said, “Well, in that case, I’ll continue.”

It was a very enjoyable ride. When they returned to the stables, Regan suggested to Diana that she leave Sunny there overnight. Then they could go on a short ride in the morning before the dinner Mrs. Belden was planning. The eight of them quickly worked to get the tack cleaned and horses rubbed down.

When they had finished, Dan, Jim, Honey and Diana headed up to the Manor House to get cleaned up, while the Beldens headed back to Crabapple Farm. The afternoon was reserved for alone time with the couples.

Sunday, September 13, 1987

The horses had been exercised and Moms had cooked a wonderful meal of pot roast, potatoes, corn from the garden, dinner rolls and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. As much as the girls didn’t want the weekend to end, the guys had a train to catch. As it was, it would be almost ten o’clock before Mart got back to school.

The girls debated whether they would go to the train station, but decided they would have their more intimate goodbyes at the farm.

Brian and Honey made their way out to the orchard.

“I’m so glad you decided to come home this weekend,” Honey said. “I really needed you this weekend. It was so much better sharing the news in person than on the phone.” She found that now that it was over she couldn’t even say the word pregnancy out loud.

“I was glad to be here,” he said. “I probably won’t be able to come home for a month or so. My classes are going to get tougher and I need to spend as much time as possible studying for the MCAT’s.”

“I just hope they aren’t the same weekend as Homecoming,” Honey said.

“I already checked. They are the week before so I’ll be ready to relax,” he said.

Honey didn’t say anything for a moment, trying to find the right words to voice her concerns. Finally she asked, “Is our relationship going back to the handholding stage?”

Brian paused. “I don’t know. Part of me doesn’t want to go back but I’m also don’t want to go through what we just went through.”

Honey blushed. “I can take care of that, if that’s your concern.”

Brian thought for a moment. “Let’s not do anything too rash. We’ll talk in the next few weeks when we’ve had time to think about all of this.”

In the distance they heard Trixie yelling that Moms was ready to leave. After one last deep kiss, Brian grabbed Honey’s hand and they walked back to the house.

 

 

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