“Hemlock?” Frankie chortled.
“Ha! Wine? Or a stronger adult beverage?”
“I’ll have what you’re having,” Frankie replied, and Nina held up two fingers to the bartender.
Frankie lowered her voice further. “They all look so frumpy! Sure, you would expect that of the people who graduated a few years before us, but even our own classmates! Most of them look like they gave up caring years ago.” She nodded to a woman wearing clogs. Nina almost spit out her drink.
“Oh my gosh. That’s Amy Blanchard. She hasn’t changed a bit.” Before either of them had an opportunity to say hello to Amy, a loud cry came from the throng.
“Ladies!” It was Rachael Newmark, one of their old pals, doing a little rumba dance in their direction.
“Honey!” Nina gave her a one-arm hug, trying not to spill her drink. “You look great! Still dancing, I see?”
Rachael Newmark was the shortest and most petite of the three, with a brown pixie haircut, turned-up nose, and green eyes. “Chicas! So good to see you. You both look fabulous.”
They immediately huddled and joked that they were not old enough to be at the reunion.
Amy caught a glimpse of the three women and started in their direction. “Well, if it isn’t the unholy trinity,” Amy teased.
Frankie bit her lip, Nina was taken aback, and Rachael couldn’t help but blurt out, “I see the fashion police haven’t been here yet.”
Amy blinked. “Oh these?” She pointed to her feet. “I broke my toe and, quite frankly, I don’t give a darn.”
“When did you ever?” Rachael said, with a touch of sarcasm.
“Good point,” Amy agreed. “But I’ll have you know that it’s quite the geek fashion statement now.” She took a bow.
All four women laughed. Amy had been the geek, dweeb, nerd of the group. She was president of the science club in school but had a lot of team spirit and would always sign up to be the stage manager for the plays. She would often get teased because she was much more the intellect than most of her classmates, but Nina, Rachael, and Frankie always included her. They would refer to Amy as “the brains of the operation.” She still wore the same big black-rimmed glasses. Her ash-blond hair was adorned with a pink headband that matched her maxi dress. She had a pretty, round face with a milky complexion and rosy cheeks. There was a spunk and youthfulness about her that belied her age of thirty-three.
Nina took the lead. “Well, ladies, perhaps we should grab a table before we’re forced to sit with some creep from biology class.” They all laughed, recalling Billy Gwyer chasing the girls around with a garden snake.
“Do you think he might be here?” Frankie surveyed the room.
“The big question is, is he as cute as he used to be?” Rachael snickered.
“You were always boy-crazy.” Amy poked at her.
“And look where I am now,” Rachael replied. “I got married because my parents didn’t want me running all over the world chasing men. And how did that turn out? Well, now I’m divorced.”
“But are you still chasing men?” Nina joked.
“I’ve given up.” Rachael sighed.
“You?” they mocked in unison.
“It’s slim pickings out there, girls. Even old Slim Pickens himself is no longer available.”
The women hooted. “I hear you loud and clear.” Frankie joined in. “I haven’t had a date—I mean a real date—in probably three years.”
“You can’t be serious.” Nina crowed. “Look at you. You’re stunning and successful.”
“Thanks, but that doesn’t seem to make for a great date, let alone girlfriend. My friend Ken once told me that I’m very intimidating.” Frankie shook her head. “I don’t get it. I’m so charming.” She smiled wryly.
“Honey, I’m in the same single boat,” Nina confessed.
“But you’re in the land of glamour and excitement,” Amy protested.
“It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors. Trust me,” Nina replied. “If I were a high-powered producer or an agent, I’d have a new date every night. But unless you can do something for someone, you’re not dating material.”
“I don’t believe it,” Amy objected. “You, famous actress, can’t get a date?”
“I’m not that famous,” Nina said.
“Well, you are to us,” Amy insisted.
“Yes, you are,” Frankie added, and Rachael agreed.
All eyes were on Amy. “So? What about you? Have you found geek love?” Nina asked.
“Nah. Most of the guys I meet are asexual or indifferent.”
“Funny how things change. When we were in high school, we had to beat the boys away with a stick.” Frankie laughed.
“That’s because you weren’t so intimidating back then.” Rachael poked fun at her friend.
They leaned conspiratorially toward each other, ignoring everything that was going on around them, and caught up on the past fifteen years.
After high school, Rachael Newmark had attended NYU. After she graduated, she had traveled to South America, where she met a suave but unemployed Paulo. With her trust-fund maturity on the near horizon, her parents clamped down on her escapades, forcing her father to hire a private jet to bring her back home. Following weeks of pouting, Rachael realized that if she ever wanted the money left to her by her grandmother, she needed to think about settling down. The thought sent chills up her spine, but reality had set in. She took a job at a bank, working in their international department, and began dating one of the accountants. She wasn’t madly, passionately in love with Greg, but he was steady and would be a good provider. Love was not her parents’ main concern. Stability was. A year later, they got married.
Two years after getting married, they had a son, but being a stay-at-home mom just wasn’t her thing. She was restless and needed a purpose, something Greg couldn’t understand. Greg left the bank and went to work for an independent accounting firm. Rachael’s parents thought it would “look better” for Greg in their social circle if he worked at a high-powered company. If she wanted, Rachael could be a local socialite, join the garden club or the Junior League. But Rachael’s personality was not compatible with women who were prim, proper, and phony. Especially phony.
Before Ryan started school, Rachael would arrange playdates with other moms and kids, but after a period of time, she would get bored with the vacuous conversations and move on to another group.
By the time Ryan entered kindergarten, Rachael was ready to climb the walls, so she took a part-time job at the local dance studio. She had always been an excellent dancer and had taken lessons in jazz, ballroom, and a variety of other disciplines. By the time she was eight, her parents had her schedule completely filled. Dancing lessons, piano lessons, tennis lessons, and water skiing were planned. Tutoring in foreign languages was also on her calendar. It was no surprise that she had rebelled after graduating.
Of all the extracurricular activities, it was the dancing that made her feel alive. She could lose herself in the music and the moves. Plus, it was important to know how to dance, especially when you had to attend galas and fundraisers. It wasn’t surprising that she was everyone’s favorite dance partner.