Chapter Twenty: Waders

Wednesday, July 6, 1910

Jan stayed awake after Amanda left. She could not get back to sleep. Part of her knew that she needed to make some serious changes in her life; while another part argued for the constancy of her lassie-faire attitude. With Karen's tacit support, she'd lived recklessly, more so as of late. It seemed that no matter what she did, her father did not take much notice. He was always busy at the bank. Jan's butler, Daniel, had always been more of a father figure, but he was mostly aloof, as the position required. She was a complete free agent. No one would ever deny her; no challenge was so great that it could not be diminished through bribes; she reigned as a queen of her own vacuous and superficial domain.

In the bathroom, she noticed two tooth brushes. One was pink with a gold faced, curled "P." The other was blue with a gold faced "M." Someday, she wished she would have matching tooth brushes. She envied Sarah's supportive family.

She envied Lynn who spoke so highly of her father.

She envied Emily who had a mother with whom to argue.

She envied Audrey who'd had a life changing moment through Emily's impetuous violence. Had Emily not knocked Audrey flat on her back she would've never known the spirituality she now struggled to comprehend and share.

Knock-knock.

"Are you through, yet?"

"S, s, s, sorry."

Jan opened the door. Audrey stepped in. "Morning."

Jan mumbled, "Morning."

Audrey stretched. "Sleep well?"

Jan nodded.

Audrey chuckled, "After listening to those records, my guess is we all slept well!"

Jan smiled and shrugged.

Audrey motioned with her fingers. "I need to…."

"Sorry." Jan left the bathroom, Audrey shut the door. Jan took a moment to look around the master bedroom. On the wall, she noticed a portrait of Paula Conrad. Beneath the oval image were etched, "Ecce Cor Meum" (Behold My Heart).

She sat on the bed and performed an uncomfortable self examination of her entire life.

An hour later, after everyone had showered and changed, it was time to go. The five princesses joyfully sauntered down the road arm in arm, the sun peaked over the pine trees and a gentle breeze tickled the branches. The birds tweeted a happy tune. Squirrels scampered along, foraging for nuts. Delicate morning clouds graciously gave way to a halcyon sky. The ladies smiled and laughed, as if God the Father himself was lifting them up and hugging them, "Good morning." They were enraptured by the moment which poured over them like refreshing waters. Audrey opened her mouth to sing. She lifted her hands and twirled as she walked. The others followed.

Awake, my tongue, thy tribute bring
To Him Who gave Thee power to sing;
Praise Him Who is all praise above,
The source of wisdom and of love.

They laughed and reveled in the moment.

"Audrey? Why are you so happy?" asked Emily. "Did we fail in our quest to make you look ridiculous?"

Audrey chuckled, "Oh no, not in the least. I feel like a nincompoop but… well, after spending time with Amanda last night… I'm going to be… less critical of my looks and a bit more accepting."

Jan nodded. "I uh, uh, uh, uh, understand that."

As they neared town, Emily took off running ahead of the group. Sarah wore a devious grin, "Em needs to pick up something at the bakery to make Audrey's costume complete."

Audrey moaned, "I can hardly wait."

Emily easily outpaced the others. She entered trough the kitchen. Cheryl Cobblestone was working in the storefront. After greeting Cheryl, Emily walked upstairs. As she reached the landing, she noticed that the door to the office was ajar.

"Emily!" Jean shouted. "What are you doing here?"

Emily shrugged, "I just needed to pick up some-…"

She stopped talking when she saw Paula in the office. Nurse Westbrook held her as she cried.

"I thought Mrs. Conrad was going to River City."

Jean grabbed her by the arm. "Come here, come here."

They walked briskly into Emily's room.

Jean quickly shut the door.

She sighed. "This is going to be odd… for me to say."

Jean took a moment to collect her thoughts.

"I am your mother; but, for the moment, I want you to think of me as… as a friend."

Emily tilted her head. "I don't understand."

"If I say, 'Do not tell Sarah that you saw her mother with me' you'd do it anyway."

Emily did not know how to react.

Jean put a hand on Emily's shoulder. "However, if I was you friend, and I said, 'Please, please, please, do not tell Sarah you saw her mother with me," her voice broke. "You'd do it."

Emily whispered, "I didn't see anyone in the office. I don't know what you're talking about."

Jean smiled. They hugged.

Emily grabbed what she needed and ran out the front of the bakery. The girls were just approaching.

She smiled at Sarah. "I got them. Let's eat."

After Lillian took their orders, the girls sat around the table telling funny stories.

Preacher Sam and Crystal walked up.

"Good morning Sarah, Emily, Lynn."

They each politely waved. "Morning."

Emily said, "These are our friends Jan Johnson and Audrey Livingston."

Sarah added, "Jan is from Helena."

"That's quite a long way from Eagle Creek. How do you like our little town?"

Jan smiled. "Qua, qua, quaint."

"It is," Crystal agreed with her. She smiled at Audrey. "And I can tell that you're expecting."

Audrey's eyes bulged. "Um…," she looked down at the basketball in her blouse. "I'm not…."

"Married. Audrey is not married, ma'am. Sarah and Emily and I are trying to set a better example for her."

Crystal consoled her, "We've all made mistakes dear. Your boyfriend didn't want to marry you?"

Audrey instinctive replied, "I don't have a boyfriend." She cringed upon realizing what that statement implied.

Sam tried to step carefully around the subject.

"Um… Audrey, I see that you have a fondness for the trout fishing in these parts."

"Huh?"

"You're wearing waders."

The other girls were trying hard to hide their snickering.

Sarah cleared her throat. "Stand up, Audrey."

Audrey growled at Sarah and then reluctantly arose.

Crystal tilted her head. "You're wearing a pistol belt?"

Sam asked, "Why do you have a toilet plunger instead of a pistol in it?"

Lynn asked, "And, Audrey, can you explain those pink bunny ears you're wearing?"

Audrey popped her lips. "Well, it's all the rage in Paris this season. I'm from Helena and I'm trying to be an example of high style in front of these prairie girls."

Sam shrugged. "Ok, I suppose, I never much understood women's fashion."

The girls' attempts to keep from laughing were now becoming futile.

Finally Crystal winked: "I used to play Scandal when I was your age."

Audrey sighed. "Thank you, ma'am."

The laughing continued as Crystal took Sam by the hand and walked back to the table.

Audrey shook her head. "This is the most embarrassing moment of my life. No one has ever suffered as much humiliation as I am at this moment!"

Sarah leaned over the table. "For what its worth, Audrey, last winter, when Emily had the flu, she threw up… in front of a boy she'd been flirting with… in River City, an hour away from home, in the middle of the arcade."

Everyone laughed. Emily raised her hand. "Yup, that was my masterpiece."

Jan held up a piece of paper, "M, m, m, m, m?"

Emily grabbed it. "Ok, let's see what she wrote."

"Last November, Karen and I were in the Last Chance Gulch district shopping. It was snowing and we wore matching long, black coats. We got a little zany and she threw a snowball at me. Not to be out done, I threw one at her.

Karen took off down the street and I chased her. She got in a couple of more hits but I kept missing her. She ran around a corner. I built a prime frozen chunk snowball and as soon as I rounded the corner and saw her in that long black coat and I threw the snow ball. Bulls-eye!

It hit her on the back, she fell face forward. I laughed until I realized she was surrounded by several police officers inquiring about her condition. She turned around and it was not Karen. It was the governor's wife.

I started to run but a policeman caught me and said, 'I got ya.' I took out my note pad and tried to explain. Karen, who had stopped running and was now wondering why I was no longer chasing her, verified the story. The governor's wife was not hurt; I didn't break any major law so they let me go."

Sarah took a bite of pancakes. "You've already heard about my fanny meeting Tommy Grossman. That was my most embarrassing moment. Oh well, I'm in the clear on this one."

Lynn swished her mouth. "When I was thirteen, I volunteered to cook lunch for my family one Sunday after preaching. I worked hard, solo, but, I managed to pull it off.

My mother was impressed. 'Oh, I love what you did with the table.'

Even my sister Mary Kate was happy for me. 'Flowers in a vase? she said, 'How elegant.'

My brother Gordon said, 'It looks yummy.'

The menu today includes baked potatoes, green beans, okra, cauliflower and the meat was hamburger.'

I placed a large plate of hamburgers in the center of the table. Everyone put the burgers them on the bread, each adding lettuce, ketchup, mustard, pickles and/or onions.

It was so exciting!

My father was the first to bite into her hamburger, 'Ahhh! Hot, hot, hot.' He gulped down his iced tea.

While I was trying to figure out what'd just transpired, my mother yelped, 'Good heavens!' She chugged her beverage post haste. The triplets were also discomforted.

Only me and my sister Mary Kate remained calm and unaffected.

Finally, Mary Kate smelled the burgers. Her eyes bulged and she ran back to the kitchen.

She returned a moment later with the bag I had gotten at the butcher's which was properly labeled, '1 lb. Sausage.'"

Jan, Audrey, Sarah and Emily laughed heartily.

Lynn shrugged. "It looked like hamburger. I dunno. Something must've distracted me when I was at the butcher's. My lesson that day was on the importance of minor details."

Sarah laughed. "Well, I guess we all live and learn."

Emily shook her head. "Not all of us, Sarah. If we learned as we lived, life would be kinda dull, don't ya think?"

Sarah shrugged. "That might be true, Em."

"Sarah?"

Sarah looked up, it was Lillian the waitress handing out the checks.

"Could you do me a favor? Could you take a breakfast over to Julius at the jail?"

Sarah shrugged. "Sure."

"He eats here every day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. As a whistle stop, we have most of a hundred strangers coming into the café and, it's much cheaper to give Julius a free meal then it is for people to run out on their bills."

Sarah nodded. "That makes sense."

"Besides, he's a bachelor, so, it's his way of getting out and socializing."

"Of course. Why didn't he show up this morning?"

Lillian sighed. "I wonder where he could be? I hope its not bad news for Julius."

Emily chuckled, "Maybe it's good news for Lucille."

Lynn, Sarah and Lillian laughed.

Jan and Audrey were confused.

"Lucille owns the women's shop, next door to the police station. She and Julius grew up together. She's been in love with him since high school, but, he's never courted her."

"Too shy?" asked Audrey

Lillian grinned. "Downright bashful. I don't know what happened but Julius is definitely in town. He always tells us if he's going to River City or Plentywood. And, I know he did not have any prisoners because he did not order any extra meals. When our dishwasher went out back to smoke he saw the lights on in Julius' apartment. So, he is here… just not… here."

"We'll check up on him."

After they'd paid their bills, Lillian handed Sarah a tray of blueberry pancakes, syrup, three strips of bacon and a croissant. Emily carried a small pitcher of orange juice. They headed down the street.

"This won't take a minute. Lynn? Why don't you, Jan and Audrey go to Lucille's next door?"

Lynn collapsed her shoulders. "Dress shopping? I dunno. Wouldn't Jan and Audrey get bored?"

"No!" they said in unison and split off from the group.

Sarah and Emily approached the door. Emily opened it.

"Mornin' Jules."

They stopped. Sarah shook her head. "Um… Em?"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

There was no answer at Lucille's.

"The sign says the store opens at 9 am."

"And it usually is, Audrey, I don't know why Lucille would…." She stopped. "Oh dear."

Audrey tilted her head. "She runs a fashion boutique?"

Lucille was dressed in a shabby bathrobe. Barefoot. No makeup.

"I'm not opened yet," she yawned.

Lynn shook her head. "It's 9:20."

Lucille rubbed her eyes. She looked to the clock above the counter. She collapsed her shoulders and whimpered, "On second thought, I am open for business."

She propped open the door and the girls walked in.

Lynn asked cautiously, "Did you spend the night with Julius and his mother?"

Lucille yawned. "How'd you know?"

"Emily told us. Sarah told him to go to bed. She's over at the jail."

Lucille sighed. "Doc Westbrook said there's nothing he can do for her."

Lynn was insistent. "Lucille, get some sleep. Julius' mother is not going to get better if you two ruin your health."

Lucille closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, no. The words, "I've got a delivery this afternoon" were barely audible as she kept her head on the counter.

Lynn put her arm around her. "You don't any more. We can take care of it. Come on."

Lucille tried to shoo them away. "My store. You girls can play dress up but you don't know the first thing about…."

Audrey interrupted, "My father is Otis Livingston."

Lucille's gasped. "Livingston's Department Stores?"

Audrey bowed. "I grew up in one."

Lucille sighed. "I don't want to bother any of you…."

"This is Eagle Creek, Lucille, this is Eagle Creek."

Lucille smiled. "It sure is Emily."

Lynn walked Lucille up the stairs to her loft. Jan and Audrey made preparations to get the store ready to open. Emily went back to see Sarah. Overall, it was the beginning to another eventful day.