Reunion [FICTION]

Not poetry. Sorry. I still hope it brightens your Friday. 

“Grr. Why did I bring this thing upstairs?” I ask my pillow as I pull it over my head

The thick packet of cotton fails to drown out the danceable beat of the ringtone I assigned to my best friend Anna. The song finally stops. I let the pillow slip from my ears only to grumble as the song resumes. This time I grudgingly place the phone to my ear.

“Susie, get up. We need you.”

“But…”

“You can’t say no. You are the only person who can help us.”

“I’m sleeping.” I groan.

“Not anymore. Don’t make me tell Jessie to tap the horn.”

“You’re outside?” I squeak, sitting up abruptly.

“Yes, and if you aren’t with us in two minutes…” She pauses for emphasis.

“Coming.” I mumble as I step out of bed and find the nearest discarded clothes.

As I stumble out my front door with my shirt half unbuttoned, I can discern Jessie’s silhouette in the driver’s seat of her compact car. One hand hovers over the steering wheel. I shake my head, hobbling toward them with one sandal sliding off my foot. Jessie’s teeth gleam in the glow of the streetlight as she smiles and lowers her hand.

Anna throws open the passenger door and rushes toward me. “Hurry. Hurry. You aren’t going to believe this.”

I choke on my reply as she pulls me toward the car. She shoves me into the backseat. “Let’s ride.” She giggles as Jessie slams on the gas and the car careens down the street, barely missing my neighbor’s overflowing trash bin.

“What did you do?” I ask as she slows down enough for me to catch my breath and gather the cotton balls dancing around inside my head.

“You won’t believe it if you don’t see it.” Anna assures me.

We ride in silence. I begin to zone out until I realize the road we are on leads to our high school. “Where are we going?” I ask under my breath.

Jessie hears and gestures out the window. “You can’t guess?”

“The school? You know they don’t keep our files there, right?”

My friends laugh.

“Guys?” Impatience floods that single word.

Jessie turns the wheel wildly to the left and I exclaim in surprise.

“Our spot.” I gasp as the car cuts through a barely visible path through dried grasses that brush the sides of the car.

“You know it.” Anna holds up one hand.

I reflexively give her high five. The car jerks to a stop, spotlighting a familiar figure.

“Is that…?”

“Mrs. Wimple’s cat.” Anna does a victory dance.

“But that was…”

“On her front lawn.” Jessie finishes.

“And it must weigh…”

“A lot. Want to try to lift it?” Anna asks.

“No. Why did you…”

“Because we could,” Jessie bites her lip.

“But…” I begin

“Now we need a voice of reason.” Anna jumps from the car, flipping the seat forward and leaning toward me. ‘We need you.”

“Too late reason.” I shrug as I step toward the life size mountain lion.

“Go ahead. Pet it.” Jessie cackles.

“I am only touching it to put it back in your car and return it to where it belongs.”

“We don’t want to do that.” Anna whines.

“But you should.”

“She has to know it is gone by now…” Jessie offers.

“Then you two will apologize to her.”

They both begin arguing with me. I can’t pick out any words from the chaos. When their arguments taper off, I cross my arms and steel my voice.

“Help me get the cat back in the car.”

They grumble and grudgingly help me. Silence envelopes the car as we pull out of the weeds. Jessie clenches the steering wheel until her knuckles turn white, but she stays under the speed limit. As Mrs. Wimple’s house comes into view, I gasp.

“Did she win the lottery?” I gape at the immaculate lawn and pristine paint job revealed by artfully placed exterior lighting.

“Nope…” Jessie giggles. “She and her husband both retired.”

“And this is how they keep from killing each other.” Anna adds.

“Do you think they are still up at this hour?” I feel my eyes straining to widen beyond physical possibility as I survey the darkened windows upstairs and a soft glow of light flowing out of two of the windows on the first floor.

“Definitely.” Jessie points to the porch.

Two slender figures step away from the door to be silhouetted against the picture window to the right of it. They lean on each other as they watch our headlights slowly approaching. Jessie slams on the brake. My head slams into the headrest.

“Why are you trying to break my face?” I mumble.

“They saw us.” She hisses.

“Then get out and say you are sorry.” I wiggle my nose and gently touch it with my finger to make sure it isn’t broken.

“Uh-uh.” She shakes her head and looks at Anna.

Anna hops out the car and puts the seat down. “You’re up.”

“But…” She grabs my arms and drags me from the car before my argument forms completely.

The figures on the porch part. I can almost make out the whispered words as Mrs. Wimple steps to the top step. She peers out at us as Jessie pops the trunk. I take a deep breath, but can’t find words.

“Susie Lynch, is that you?” Mrs. Wimple slowly descends to the stone path.

“Yes, ma’am.” I reply, feeling my shoulders straightening, as I retreat slowly toward the trunk of the car.

“Did you find it?” She asks.

“Umm…” I look to my friends for support.

They shrug and lower their heads as Mrs. Wimple’s sharp eyes takes them in, “Jessie Burton and Anna Franklin, what a nice surprise. My husband told me posting to the Internet would have quick results, but it has only been a few hours.”

She joins me at the back of the car, where her concrete cat is nestled among some old bags and blankets. She pats its stone head. “I will tell Mr. Wimple to get his checkbook.”

“Umm…what?” My sleepy mind can’t following this turn of events.

“For the reward.” She says.

“We don’t need a reward.” A light comes on for me and I offer her a guilty smile. “Just knowing this guy is back home is enough reward.” I glare at my friends, who continue to cower inside the car.

“You were always such a good girl.” She smiles and I can tell from the way she glances at my friends that she is cutting back commentary on my ironic choice of friends.

“I’ll just get the girls to help me put him back where he goes.” I glance around the yard, easily finding the place where he belongs. The bare spot in the grass remains exactly where I remembered it from a few midnight acts of teenage terror involving eggs and toilet paper.

I wave for my friends to join at the trunk. They reluctantly get out of the car, shuffling towards me with their eyes downcast.

“Mrs. Wimple is grateful we found her stone cat so quickly,” I reassure them, staring daggers into each of them in case they miss the import of my words. “I told her we would put it back for her.”

“Of course,” they answer brightly as relief infuses both of their faces.

Mrs. Wimple chats brightly as we place the cat back in its proper place. She informs us that the stone monolith represents her college mascot. We grunt noncommittally as we heft the cat into place. Finally, we stand up and dust our hands on our jeans.

“Thank you, girls.” Mrs. Wimple smiles at us. “I am so glad you were able to find him and bring him back.” She gently strokes its stony brow.

Jessie and Anna nod and mumble, “You’re welcome,” before scuttling back into the car.

Mrs. Wimple takes my hand in hers. “I can’t wait to see what you do with your life. You are a force for good even with those who seem hopeless.” She winks at me and looks at my friends through the window, offering them a finger wave.