Wednesday, September 14, 1910
The phone in Emily and Lynn's apartment was ringing as the girls stepped inside. Emily put down her bag of groceries and ran to answer it.
"Hello?
Hi Sarah. What are you doing?
Good. 
Lynn and I are home from a trip to Carroll College. We went up there to do more test shots and now we've scrambled back home so Lynn and I can clean up before church."
Emily chuckled, "Yes! We're going to church at night and on a Wednesday! Simon teaches a class there beginning at 7 pm and before we talk any further remember out agreement. If you ask about him I will give you only the most minimal of updates because you need to move on with your life."
Lynn went back down the steps to get the camera equipment out of the truck.
"So how is the bakery?
Yes, of course I would ask about it before I asked about my mother. I already know how she is doing."
Emily squawked in an angry tone, "Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah."
Emily kicked off her shoes and flopped down on the couch.
"Whoa, whoa, what do you mean my mother is happy?
If she wasn't in a crabby mood then why are you at your parents' house tonight?"
Emily began removing her stockings.
"You're at the bakery? The bakery has a phone? You have a phone now? Private line?
No, this must be some mistake. You are working at Clementine Bakery in Eagle Creek and the boss is an even keeled, confident business woman who purchased a telephone? Sorry, but that doesn't sound like my mother."
She threw her stockings over the chair.
Lynn returned with the first of two cameras. She wiped her brow. It was a tiring effort. Emily reminded her, "You lost the coin toss. You've got to empty the equipment."
Lynn playfully sneered.
"How could she afford to have two telephone lines?
Oh, you're paying for the other one. That makes sense."
Emily sat up. "Changes? I heard about the newspaper trick and the nut roaster. What else has changed?
You and Cheryl Cobblestone sold fudge at the River City flea market?"
Emily jumped up from the couch. "Twenty-five cents an hour plus fifteen percent of the sales? She made…?
Emily collapsed back on to the couch. "So, you expect me to believe my mother employed Cheryl Cobblestone, a girl with a worse reputation than I, gave her money to make change, showed her how to make fudge, sent you and her to River City and then my mother paid her twenty-five cents an hour plus fifteen percent of the sales?
Nope, I am waiting for the punch line."
Yes, I suppose the new phone line is proof.
Everybody in town is getting phones?
Are the phones coming in because of Lassiter?
Of course I knew! Lynn told me the day they moved in."
Emily chuckled, "No, Benny hasn't called us yet.
Seriously, Ross Watson is helping him fix up the farm?
Oh, yeah I can understand that. I know Benny appreciates the help, especially with Mr. Windsor being so sick."
Yeah, I thought it was TB when my father described all that blood on Benny's jacket. Poor Mr. Windsor was probably coughing the whole trip from the farm to the church building."
Emily yawned and stretched.
"Yes, yes, Jake told us all about Kimberly Buchanan. I'm glad he's making friends. Also, I heard about the Chinese girl and Amelia the girl with only one arm. Jake said she was born that way.
He told us about getting to ride on the motorcycle with Shawna Noel's father. 
Yeah, I've seen those around town but no I haven't ridden one yet.
Enough small talk, why did you really call?"
Lynn came up with the last of the camera equipment. She locked the door and poured a glass of lemonade.
"If I had to choose, yes, it would be Tommy."
Lynn pantomimed her heart beating for him.
Emily spoke up, "I know it's awkward, but, you seem to be managing things. Pete can be discrete."
Lynn mouthed, "Still with Pete?"
Emily rolled her eyes and nodded.
Lynn made the sign for crazy.
"Ok, yes, I am sitting down, what did Delectably Kissable Thomas Wayne Grossman do?"
Lynn came over to the phone.
Emily related the exchange for Lynn.
"He came into the bakery today. They talked a little."
Emily's eyes bulged. "Two tickets to see Dracula this Friday night at the River City Music Hall?"
Lynn made stuck her tongue out at the phone.
Emily snickered and spoke up, "Ok, I'll be sure not to tell Lynn."
Lynn stuck her tongue out at the phone.
"Yes, I know it’s a dream come true but what are you going to do with Pete and Tommy on the same trip?"
Emily gave a devious grin. "No, not even I am that lucky!"
Lynn rolled her eyes and headed towards her bedroom. She shut the door.
"How is Lynn holding up? Swimmingly.
Well, we're learning how to drive a truck and do basic repairs. We have been operating cameras, disassembling them and putting them back together. All of the equipment weighs a ton. We've got rigging, lights, clappers, tripods, portable black-rooms, chemical canisters and storyboards and phonograph recorders. If nothing else we're both getting a work out moving all of this equipment.
Yup, we're going to have sound effects associated with some of the shots. Yeah, I'd like to try to synch them with people, but, well, the technology is just not there yet. Talking pictures may be ten years away.
Yeah, we've also been learning about camping. We've got a teepee! I wish I had time to sew our names in it.
I saw Diane Grossman the other day in a film class over at Jennings. Running Bear, Mindy, Lynn and I were guest lecturers. Can you believe it? I'm not even out of high school and I got to lecture at a college?
Yes. We got to see A Tale of Two Women, the movie she made starring you and I last Spring Break.
Oh, it was exciting. You turned out great. I was, well, my hair looked good. Remember how she told us the camera takes off ten pounds? She lied just to get me to shut up.
The scenes she shot in your bedroom looked great. I was powdering my face. You were blabbing to me about not being so boy-crazy. And then when we began acting for the camera…."
Emily laughed. Lynn went to the bathroom to take a shower.
"She spliced in some night shots of the Helena Carnival. The electric lights were dazzling. Then there were some crowd shots of co-eds wanting to see me twirl.
Oh yeah, you weren't there. We snuck into the Town Hall. I jumped up on stage and did a twirling dance called the Spinnaker. Remember, Carmen taught us how to do it before she left for college?
The film of me kissing Julius' brother Charlie was a little too dark. His mustache tickled.
The shots of the roller coaster in River City turned out perfect as did the footage she shot of you down by the creek but the baby shots were a blur. She even got footage inside Spritzer's Dance Hall down in Butte of the dancers doing the Caveman Rumble. Preacher Sam would have a tare if he saw something so wicked.
Her final grade on the project was a B. She would have gotten an A if she'd fixed the lighting and not spelled the word whirling dervish d-i-r-b-i-s-h. Spelling was never her strong suit."
Emily chuckled, "Yes, she's still dating Harold. His voice is… oh, dear. You know that recording you got him to make for Amanda? Romero the Pirate?
Guess what every girl with a phonograph player at Jennings is listening to these days?
Yeah, I know, it's outrageous. The Helena Society for the Blind was going to ban him from their studio until the director's wife begged him to stay."
Emily combed her hair with her fingers.
"Audrey is pleasant as always. We had lunch at her house after church on Sunday. Her little sister Denise thought we hung the moon. We were soooo adult and exotic. It's amazing what an article on page three of the Helena Independent Record can do for your social standing. We're going to a Democratic fundraiser next week at the governor's mansion.
Karen, oh my goodness, Karen got caught smoking in the ladies' room at St. Albans High School.
Nope she didn't get suspended but does have to stay after school for a month and clean erasers.
Jan is Jan. Audrey is trying to convince her to give up booze. Her father knows she drinks but he doesn't care. Her butler Daniel is the only half-way responsible adult in her life and he keeps her out of trouble so as to not lose his job.
Yeah, everyone is still dating everyone as far as I know."
Emily sighed. "I ran into him the other day when we were at Jennings. We talked for about a minute.
No, I don't think he wants to date me at all. There's a thousand girls over at the college who are his age and more… agreeable than I am, if you catch my drift.
Yes, he is still with Harriett.
He asked about you in the most generic sense.
Ok, ok, ok, ok, his exact words were, and you can quote me on this," she cleared her throat. "And how is Sarah?"
Emily shook her head and make a monkey face.
"No! He said, 'And how is Sarah?'
He used the word 'And' to emphasize a continuing thought of congenial, platonic care for a friend."
Emily held the phone away from her face and sighed.
"He said it in one breath with no particular inflection on your name."
Emily hid her face in her hands.
"The only thing he said was… and… how… is… Sarah? Nothing else was said, nor implied."
Emily dropped the phone. Sarah kept talking. Emily walked to the kitchen and made a sandwich.
Lynn came out of the bathroom wearing a thick white robe. She pointed at the phone and made the annoying talking sign with her hand and sour face.
Emily nodded and made a goofy bob with her head.
Lynn walked over to the phone. She spoke in a silly, sing-songy voice. "And then Simon said he was breaking up with Harriett because you are the only true love of his life."
Emily guffawed, "What?"
Lynn made a motion with her hands to forget about Sarah all together.
Emily ran to the phone. She spoke as fast as she could: "Sarah? Sarah? Sarah? Sarah? Sarah! Lynn was joking. Simon is still happily dating Harriett. He asked about you in the most general sense and…."
Emily dropped the phone on the couch. She pantomimed screaming at the phone.
Lynn started do a little jig.
Emily put down the phone. She whispered to Lynn, "She is driving me batty!"
Lynn giggled. Sarah continued to talk unendingly.
Emily picked up the phone. "Sarah, I am going to take a shower now. Here talk to Lynn. I'll give you a topic. Lynn is in love!" Emily ran into the bathroom.
Lynn tilted her head. "Huh? I'm not in love with anybody!"
Lynn trilled her lips and picked up the phone. Sarah was still talking about Simon.
Lynn got desperate. "Yeah, sure, I'm in love.
His name?
Freddie.
Nineteen.
Sophomore at Jennings.
Major? Um… um… pre-med."
Lynn could hear the shower starting.
"Blonde, blue eyes, six foot… um… three.
I met him at… let's see… I met him at the park."
Lynn began to be melancholy. She wore a blank expression as she spoke in a mono-tone voice staring at the wall.
"Nope. I haven't kissed him yet. It'd be wrong."
She sighed. "Just because… we're too different. The whole thing would be a mess; a sweet, passionate crime; an unstoppable avalanche."
Her face fell.
"Yeah, you guessed it, he is dating someone else."
She giggled, "I realize that wouldn't stop Emily. But, this is different. Freddie is so attached to his girlfriend that if I were to make a move it would be disastrous. He is in a position of some influence and he must maintain all the appearances of his high standing."
She shook her head. "No. I have a close friend who is also in love with him. I would be betraying her by taking advantage of my… closeness to the boy in question."
She bit her lip. "No. That will never, ever change. He's out of reach and if he is ever in reach then I am utterly doomed; lost at sea; and helplessly tossed into the wilderness because I could never forgive myself for hurting my friend.
I know, he is just a boy. There will be others."
Lynn smiled.
"Yeah, hundreds of others in Emily's case.
I don't know when I'll see him again, but, it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is right here, right now, the rest of my life is not worth noting.
I appreciate that. Tell Jake I miss him when you see him at school tomorrow. Pet Prissy.
Goodbye Sarah."
Lynn hung up the phone.
She felt unsure about her vague confession. She hated lying only because she had more hatred for the truth.
She heard Emily turn off the shower. "I'm finished Lynn."
"Me too Emily, me too."
