Part Four

Friday, March 13, 2009

Rick and I officially broke up today – over the phone. The girls are taking me out to ‘celebrate my freedom’ as they call it. It wasn’t a shock, but I am disappointed. I liked his family so much. And I’d gone out of my way to make our relationship work. Looking back, I’ve put in a lot more effort than he has. I guess that’s why I’m here now, because he never cared as much as I did.

Two weeks had passed since the break-up. Diana opened her eyes in the morning and thought about the day to come, a Saturday with not much planned. She dragged herself out of bed and opened the closet door, looking for something to wear. For the first time, she noticed just how many of her clothes were green. Her brow creased. Today, she did not want to wear green; she wanted to wear purple. She flicked through the garments until she found something that suited her mood. Evidently, it was time to clear out her wardrobe and buy some new things.

Some time later, when she entered the kitchen, she found Barbara staring at her.

“This looks promising,” Barbara commented.

“What?”

“You look like you used to look, when I first knew you.”

Di looked down at her clothes. “Almost,” she agreed. “Do you want to come shopping with me? I think I need to buy some new things that aren’t green. I don’t think I could wear green ever again.”

Barbara smiled. “Sure. That sounds like fun.”

“Great. Do you want any of those green things? I’m going to drop the whole lot off at a charity on the way.”

“I doubt they’d fit me,” her friend replied, with a rueful glance at her own figure. “Get rid of them; we don’t need green clothes.”

Diana smiled. She was feeling better already.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

I’ve made a decision. I’m going to stay here to finish college. I like living with Barbara and I haven’t really got anything to go back to where I was before, so why shouldn’t I stay here? My mother is going to be very disappointed – again! – but I’m not going to let that influence me.

“Oh, Barbara! I’m so glad you’re here. You can take my picture,” Di pronounced. “Here’s the camera.”

Her friend frowned. “Why am I doing this?”

“I thought of something else I could give to charity,” Di explained, waving a handful of hair at her. “I miss my layers. Rick convinced me to get rid of them ages ago and I’ve just realised that I could’ve had them back all this time without him pouting at me and I haven’t done it yet. Only, then I thought that if I was going to cut off that much, it wouldn’t be all that much more to have enough to donate, so that’s what I decided to do. It won’t take all that long to grow out.”

“Well, stand still so I can take the photo,” Barbara directed. “Now turn around so I can take a different angle.” She turned the camera around for Di to see. “Happy with those? How about if I come along and take during and after photos as well?”

Di smiled. “If you want to.”

“You don’t seem very nervous about this,” Barbara commented, as they went on their way.

“I am,” Di answered. “Actually, I’m terrified, but I think this will be good for me.”

Barbara shook her head. “If you say so.”

“It will. I’m making my own decisions, now. I’m not doing things because someone else tells that I should.” She smiled. “And, anyway, it’s been driving me crazy. I haven’t ever kept my hair the same way for so long in my whole life.”

Barbara shook her curls. “The trials of having lovely hair,” she teased. “I don’t think mine has ever been all that much different. I like it to stay the same.”

“To each their own,” Di answered.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Today I lined up a vacation job for the summer and I ran into someone I hadn’t seen in years – the Beldens’ Uncle Andrew. We ended up spending an hour together. It was really nice to see a familiar face and to talk about the Bob-Whites. I think I’ll meet up with him again sometime.

Diana gazed into her closet and nodded in approval. Her clothes covered a variety of hues, mostly purples and blues, without a hint of green to be seen. She selected a garment and held it up to herself in front of the mirror. Shaking her head, she put it back and tried another. This time, she nodded and slipped into the dress. She pulled up the zipper and smoothed the fabric into place.

“Are you ready, Di?” Barbara called. “It’s time to go.”

“Almost,” she replied.

She ran a brush through her chin-length hair and fastened a necklace around her neck. A few moments were enough to touch up her make-up and then, stepping into a pair of shoes, she twirled in front of the mirror. Satisfied with her appearance, she snatched up her handbag and left the room.

“Finally,” a male voice breathed. “You look lovely, Di, but do you have to always take so long to get ready?”

“Dan?” She stared at him, hardly believing he could be there.

“In the flesh,” he answered, grinning. He strode over and kissed her cheek. “Surprise!”

“I didn’t know you were coming. It’s so good to see you!” She smiled up at him. “Why are you here?”

“Well, you know how it is for those of us in the working world. We go where we’re sent. I was sent to Chicago… and managed to take a little personal time for a side trip.”

“Some side trip,” she murmured. “But I’m so glad you’re here. Thank you.”

“No trouble,” he answered. “Now, are you lovely ladies going to take me somewhere? I’d really like to be seen in your company.”

“Of course,” Di answered, taking his arm and waving Barbara to his other side. “We’ll take you wherever you like and dutifully adorn your arms so that everyone can see what a chick-magnet you are. They’ll be dropping at your feet.”

Dan smirked and pulled her closer. “Sweetheart, with you two on my arms, no girl is going to bother me tonight – they’ll think they don’t have a chance.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Mangan,” Di teased.

“Good,” he answered. “Right now, I’d like it to take me to a nice meal and a conversation with two girls I haven’t seen in too long.”

“Done,” Di agreed, pulling him towards the door. “Let’s go.”

Friday, June 26, 2009

I’m really enjoying this job. When I graduate, I’d like to do something like this. I just hope that I can find something like this when the time comes – and not in some obscure place that I’d never like to live! I can’t imagine what my mother would say if I took a job in Alaska, or Iceland, or Siberia, or somewhere. She thinks I should go back to Sleepyside to live. I don’t think that’s going to happen, somehow! I almost think I might stay here. I’m meeting Andrew for coffee again tomorrow. I’m looking forward to that – he’s another connection to home and I really need that right now, even if I don’t want to actually go there.

The telephone was ringing as Diana walked in the door. She snatched it up and greeted, “Hello?”

“Di, it’s Trixie. How’s things?”

She sighed. “Fine, thanks. You?”

“Great,” her friend responded. “Jim and I are going to be passing through Des Moines in a couple of weeks as part of his never-ending search for the perfect place to further his career and we were wondering if we could stay with you. Don’t say yes if it’s a problem, though, because we can always call my uncle, or even get a room somewhere.”

Di thought of the emptiness of the house. Barbara was touring with her brother for the next couple of months and their other housemates had graduated college and left town. “You can stay here, if you want to,” she offered. “I’d love to see you both.”

“That’s wonderful! Thanks, Di,” Trixie gushed. “I’ll call you with an exact date a bit closer to the time, but I expect it’ll probably be the second week of July. It’ll be so good to catch up.”

Diana smiled. “It will be. We don’t see each other enough any more.”

“Well, whose fault is that for staying in Iowa?” her friend teased.

“I like it here. Most of the time, I’m happy here.”

The two talked together for a few minutes more before Trixie ended the conversation as abruptly as she had started it. Di set down the phone and looked around herself. There was some work to be done before the place was ready for visitors. Thinking of that, she smiled. It would be worth it.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Jim and Trixie arrived today for their visit. They say they’ll be here for about three days. I’m not sure what they mean by ‘about’. Does that mean they might get sick of me after two, or that they won’t want to leave and stay for four? I don’t mind. It’s hard to see them so happy together when I’m by myself, but on the other hand it’s so good to see them. I don’t see the other Bob-Whites enough these days.

“So, how are you really going, Di?” Jim asked. Trixie was out picking up a few groceries, leaving her husband and their hostess behind.

Di shrugged. “I’m holding my own. I like my job. I like living here – though, it’s better when Barbara is here.”

“It must be a little lonely over the summer,” he observed.

Once more, she shrugged. “There are other people around that I know.”

“You’re not seeing anyone? Romantically, I mean?”

She shook her head and he looked relieved. “No, I’m just taking it easy. I don’t need another heartbreak.”

Jim smiled and patted her arm. “I hope, next time, it doesn’t work out that way.”

“I hope so, too.” She sighed. “I think I just need some time to sort through my problems. My mother doesn’t understand it, though. She thinks I should come back closer to home, now that there’s no one here to stay for. I just couldn’t face the thought of moving again, not when everything not related to stupid ex-boyfriends was going really well.”

“You look well,” he observed. “You look happy here, like you belong.”

“I feel like I belong,” she answered. “I never would have guessed, but I really like it here. It feels like home.”

Friday, August 21, 2009

I’m sorry this summer is coming to an end, but I’m glad, too, because they’ve offered me a part-time job in the same place I’m working now that will last all through the year. They even told me that they’re hoping there’ll be a full-time position ready for me when I graduate! I’m so excited about that, but there’s no way that I’m telling my mother!

“Oh, it’s so good to be back!” Barbara cried, dumping her guitar case and a variety of bags all over the living room floor. “I felt like I’d never see this place again.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Di told her, giving her friend a hug. “How was the tour?”

“Fun. Successful. Exhausting.” Barbara sank onto the sofa. “I’m torn between wanting it to go on forever and never wanting to do that ever, ever again. I wonder if that’s normal?”

Di laughed. “I have no idea.”

“Well, whether it’s normal or not, it’s finished and now I have to go back to everyday life.” She grimaced. “I think I’ll take a long, hot shower and then, maybe, we could go out and get something to eat, since I haven’t had lunch yet and it’s almost three. Or do you have plans?”

“I do have some plans,” Di explained with a rueful smile. “I thought you were coming home tomorrow, so I said I’d meet Andrew for coffee today. You could come with me, though. He won’t mind.”

Barbara shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just see what we have to eat here.”

Di nodded and mentioned a few things that were in the kitchen that she thought her friend would like.

“See, I’ll be fine,” Barbara assured her. “You go out and have a good time with Mr. Belden. Now that I think about it, I think I’d rather stay home anyway. My bed is calling me, as well as the shower and the kitchen.”

Di giggled. “Just don’t get those mixed up.”

Saturday, September 19, 2009

I just got the most shocking news from Trixie! Well, it’s not so much shocking as surprising, or maybe it’s just that I’ve been away so long and never saw it coming, but – oh, I’m starting to sound like Honey, which is fitting, considering that’s who I’m talking about. She and Mart are getting married! And I never even knew they were dating. Well, I kind of had an idea that she was dating someone, but for no one to tell me that it was actually Mart? I really want to go and see her and talk to her in person, but I don’t know that I want to talk to Mart. I know it’s been years and that I should be completely over him by now, but it’s still hard, especially since I still don’t really know what happened. I’m happy for Honey, though. I hope she gets the happily ever after. And, one day, maybe my happily ever after is coming, too.

“How are you feeling?” Barbara asked, as she and Diana sat down to breakfast. It was the morning after they had heard the news about Mart and Honey’s engagement.

Diana shrugged. “Numb, I guess. I can’t believe that no one told me they were dating. It’s like I live on another planet, instead of just in another state.”

Barbara nodded. “I feel out of touch with a lot of my old friends, too. I thought we’d all be best friends forever, but they all went away to college and I was the only one who stayed. It’s kind of your situation in reverse.”

“I wish I was close enough to drop in and see them,” Di murmured. “I’d love to see Honey, even if it will be difficult to talk about Mart with her. That’s going to be so weird. I hope it doesn’t hurt our friendship.”

“You always had that trouble with Trixie, though, didn’t you? She didn’t want to hear about you swooning over her brother.”

Di smiled in reminiscence. “Those were good days. Honey and I would talk about Brian and Mart and Trixie would cover her ears, shut her eyes and moan loudly about how awful it was to have to listen to us. It was so much fun.”

“Well, you’re just going to have to think up new rules between you and Honey and Trixie,” Barbara suggested. “I’m sure you’ll sort it out soon.”

“I hope so,” Di answered with a sigh. “I want all of my friends to be happy.”

“You need to be happy, too.” A gleam came into Barbara’s eyes. “I think you might have someone in mind to be happy with and I want to know who he is.”

Diana looked at her in confusion. “I don’t know what you mean. Why would I have someone in mind?”

Barbara gave her an appraising look. “I thought I noticed you having that look lately. But then, maybe you don’t know it yourself, yet.”

“Now that’s a little too cryptic for me,” Di complained, but with a smile.

“Whoever he is, I’m sure you’ll figure it out soon.”

Sunday, October 18, 2009

My mother is going to drive me insane. Really. She’s started talking to me about getting a job in Sleepyside after graduation and one of the places she suggested I work was Crimper’s! I did not spend all this time and effort at college to be a shop assistant!

Diana had a spring in her step as she approached the coffee shop to meet Andrew. In spite of the continuing struggle with her mother, she was feeling upbeat about her life, her studies and even her lack of love-life. She placed her order at the counter and sat down at ‘their’ table by the window to wait. He did not keep her long.

“Sorry, I got a little side-tracked this morning,” he offered, by way of explanation. “I’ve got a project happening at the cabin in the Ozarks and I was reviewing some of the paperwork on that.”

“Your life is so complicated,” Di teased, “with all of your properties.”

Andrew shook his head. “All? Two does not constitute an ‘all.’ Two could more properly be described as ‘both.’”

“Whatever you call it, it’s still a bit of a mystery how you manage it.” She smiled at the woman who was setting down the drinks on the table. “I’ve always wondered how it came about that you even had two properties, and in different states.”

“You’ve really never heard that story?” She shook her head. “It was kind of an accident, really. No one could have guessed that it would turn out how it did. It all comes down to some coincidences and my place in the family.”

“The youngest.” She knew this part. “With a very big gap between you and the elder two.”

He nodded. “Dad had everything sorted out before my unexpected arrival. One son would get the farm and the other would get the money. At the time, he thought the farm would go to Harold, but it was easy enough to reverse that when they made it clear it would work better the other way around. Only, when I arrived, it threw a spanner in the works. Everything needed to be divided three ways instead of two. But then, Dad and I had our big falling out and nothing was ever quite right again afterwards.”

“I didn’t know that,” she murmured.

“Didn’t you?” He shook his head. “I think the trouble was that my parents were a bit too old to deal with an early teenage boy. They weren’t that young when I was born and they were in the middle of the whole teenage thing then – Hal was sixteen and Peter was thirteen – I think they’d just had enough. I went a bit wild, really – or, a lot wild. I did some really terrible things when I was around thirteen. Dad lost his temper with me and said that I’d blown my chance. He settled a lot of money on Harold and transferred ownership of the farm to Peter – who was living there already, anyway – and pretty much made a will that meant that I got whatever was left over, which wasn’t much. Then, he sent me to live with Harold, while he and Mom lived part of the year in the guest room at the farm and the rest of the year they travelled.”

“What happened then?” she asked.

“This is the part that couldn’t be predicted,” he explained. “See, Dad had a good friend who was pretty well-off. That friend had only one son and no other family left. That man and his son were in a car accident. The son died at the scene and the father died later in hospital. Dad was really upset, but never even thought that he might inherit something from his friend. It turned out that Dad inherited pretty much everything the friend had to leave, but before Dad knew that, he had his stroke. He wasn’t in a fit state after that to do any kind of business, let alone change his will. So, instead of being disinherited, I got more than either of my brothers, which has never sat well with me, but neither of them will let me do anything about it.”

“You tried to share with them?”

He nodded. “Plenty of times, over the years. They both insist they got a fair deal.”

Diana smiled. “I really like your family. You’re all so giving.”

He laughed. “You think that now. You didn’t know them when all this was happening.”

“Why? That doesn’t sound too bad.”

Andrew shrugged. “Well, it got a bit more complicated from then. I was fourteen when Dad died and still living with Hal. He tried to send me back to Sleepyside, but Peter thought that Mom wouldn’t cope with my nonsense too well, so I stayed where I was. She got sick a bit after that and not much more than a year after Dad went, she was gone, too.”

“I’m sorry.”

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “After that, I thought I’d like to do my senior year in Sleepyside, but Pete thought it would be disruptive to have me in the same household as his kids. Harold was sick of me, though, so he came up with a scheme where I lived in an apartment in town. Peter was supposed to keep an eye on me, but I hardly saw any evidence that he did.”

“Maybe you just didn’t notice,” she teased. “He can be pretty sneaky, when he wants to be.”

“You’re probably right,” he admitted. “So, I finished school in Sleepyside. When I turned eighteen, I came into the property that Dad had accidentally left me and I set off to make my own way in the world, without reference to my brothers. Part of me wanted to be as far away from them as possible, so I sold up the assets that were close to home and went wandering, looking for somewhere to live. I kind of stumbled across Happy Valley farm and the rest, as they say, is history.”

“And your fishing cabin?” she prompted.

He laughed. “I inherited the land it’s on. I was going to sell up, but I thought I’d go and look at it first. I saw that lake with the bass in it and fell in love with the place. And it was so isolated. Let’s just say that I thought it was far enough away from home to be well clear of my brothers.”

Thursday, November 12, 2009

I’ve had such a surprise. Andrew asked me out to dinner! Like on an actual date. I really didn’t see this coming. I mean, I know we’ve been meeting for coffee about once a week for a few months, now – oh, actually, it’s been almost six months. It doesn’t seem that long. When he first asked, all I could think of is that this is my ex-fiancé’s uncle. But when I get past that, there’s not really anything stopping there being an ‘us’ is there? He’s not all that much older than me. I think I’m going to give it a try.

“Are you awake?” Barbara’s voice called through the door.

Diana groaned. “No!”

The door opened and a head of black curls poked through. “How was it?”

From her position in bed, with the covers pulled up to her eyes, Di smiled. “Great. Now, can I go back to sleep?”

Barbara shook her head. “I want details.”

With a sigh, Di sat up and patted the bed next to her. “Okay. What is it you need to know?”

“Everything! Where did he take you? What did you talk about? Did he kiss you? Did you kiss him? Did anything else happen?”

Di rolled her eyes. “I already told you, he took me to that new Vietnamese restaurant I’ve been wanting to try. It was lovely, by the way. We talked the way we always talk, about all kinds of different things. Yes, he kissed me. Yes, I kissed him back. No, of course nothing else happened! It was a first date, for heaven’s sake. Did that cover everything you asked?”

Barbara sighed and nodded. “Is there going to be a second date?”

A smile spread across Diana’s face. “Yes, there’s definitely going to be a second date. It’s tonight.”

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I never thought this would happen, but I miss Iowa! Sleepyside doesn’t feel like home any more. I miss Andrew, too. I did invite him to come with me, but he thought it was too soon. He’s probably right.

“You’re moping,” Trixie accused, with narrowed eyes. “Don’t you want to be here?”

Di shrugged and glanced around the clubhouse, where a Bob-White post-Christmas party was in full swing. “I’m feeling a bit out of place, I guess. It’s been a long time since we’ve all been together like this.”

Her friend dropped down on the chair beside her with a thump. “To me, it almost feels like yesterday. What’s up?”

“Why should something be up?” Di cast around for a change of topic. “How long are you staying in Sleepyside?”

“Two more days. Who are you missing in Iowa?”

“Who says I’m missing anyone in Iowa?” Di asked, in exasperation. That was the last thing she wanted to talk about with Trixie, of all people, especially since none of the Bob-Whites knew who it was she was seeing.

Her friend gave her a pointed look. “Nobody had to; it’s obvious. It’s someone I know, isn’t it? You don’t want to tell me because you think I’m going to react. Is it Ned Schultz?”

“No! I haven’t even seen him.”

Trixie frowned, thinking. “How about Bob? No? Oh, I know! It must be Ben, who works for Uncle Andrew.”

“He doesn’t work for him any more. He’s moved away.” Di was so glad to get out of that one that she did not realise how much she was revealing.

“How do you know that?” Trixie asked. “I didn’t know that.”

As Di tried to find a way out of the trap she had set herself, Trixie’s eyes widened in shock.

“You’re seeing my uncle? Di! How could you? He must be about fifty, or something.”

“He turned thirty-five last week,” Di corrected with a squeak. “Twelve years older than me – which isn’t all that much, really.”

“He’s still my uncle,” Trixie cried. “I can’t believe this! You do know that if you marry him, you’ll be my aunt, don’t you?”

“Trixie! I’ve only been seeing him for a few weeks. We’re definitely not talking about marriage at this stage. And considering my past experiences, I’m not going to rush into anything like that, okay?”

“Sorry,” Trixie answered, cringing. “I always seem to put my foot in my mouth, don’t I? But, really, Di, how can you be seeing my own actual uncle?”

Di let out a sigh. “You’re never going to understand this, are you? He’s kind, he’s attractive, he’s interesting. He likes me for who I am and not how I look. We’ve been friends for over six months, now and it’s just naturally developed into more.”

“If you try to tell me how he is in bed, I’m going to scream,” Trixie warned.

“I haven’t been to bed with him, so I wouldn’t know,” Di answered, blushing. “And even if I had, I wouldn’t tell you about it, Trixie. This is a lot worse than dating your brother, isn’t it?”

Trixie nodded. “My brother I could almost kind of understand, but this? Di, this is just weird.”

“I don’t want things between us to be weird,” Di told her friend in a small voice.

Trixie reached over and gave her a hug. “I’ll try not to be too weirded out by your strange relationship with my uncle, just try not to flaunt it in front of me, okay?”

“My relationship with your uncle is not strange.” Di tried to frown, but ended up laughing. “I’m sorry, Trixie, but the look on your face is just too funny.”

Trixie’s expression turned wry. “This is going to take some getting used to. My uncle!”

Continue to part five.