Class of '59 (American Journey Book 4) (15 page)

Mark had already taken his share of risks in the preceding hours. He and Ben had smuggled Mary Beth and Piper into the Painted Lady while Donna Ryan slept, woken them before Donna got up, and led them through the time tunnel and into the drizzle of June 2, 2017.

Mary Beth and Piper rewarded Mark and Ben by inviting them to lunch. They told their parents they had met some boys on a morning walk and wanted to liven up a family meal by bringing them along. Neither parent objected.

Mark sipped his water again and looked around the table. He wanted to assess the faces in his party before jumping into another conversation. He saw both safety and danger.

Mary Beth and Piper grinned. They had arranged the unlikely gathering and no doubt felt they were getting a good return on their investment. Nothing beat watching confident young men from 1959 interact with a perceptive fiftyish couple from 2017.

Ben maintained a poker face and kept to himself. He had objected to meeting Brody and Colleen for reasons that now seemed obvious. He was even more afraid than his brother of saying something that might trigger a barrage of questions.

Brody smiled politely and divided his attention between the people at the table and an investment brochure next to his plate. He obviously had better things to do than interrogate two men he would almost certainly never see again.

Colleen apparently did not. She had asked several questions of Mark and Ben and continued to study them like curiosities in a traveling circus. She sipped her iced tea and smiled at Mark when he looked across the table and returned her gaze.

"I like your attire, Mark. Most college students prefer T-shirts and shorts over nice shirts and slacks," Colleen said. "I admire people who make an effort to look their best."

"Thank you," Mark said.

"Mark is very old school, Mom," Mary Beth said. "He told me this morning that nothing is more important than making a good first impression."

Colleen smiled.

"I like that. I believed the same thing when I was your age."

Mark nodded. He considered letting the matter drop but decided to keep it going. He wanted to move the conversation onto safer ground and perhaps spare Ben unwanted scrutiny.

"Did you grow up in Alabama, Mrs. McIntire?"

Colleen nodded.

"I was born and raised in Huntsville. So was Brody. We consider it home even though we have spent much of our lives living in other places."

"So I hear," Mark said. "Mary Beth said you spent several years in Germany."

Mark looked at Mary Beth and saw her grin vanish. He had control of the narrative now and planned to drive it in a new direction. Turnabout, he thought, was fair play.

"I don't know if 'several' is the right word," Colleen said. "We spent a few years there when the girls were very young."

"So Mary Beth and Piper did not attend school in Germany?"

"Oh, heavens no. We left Europe when Mary Beth was five."

"That's funny. I'm sure she said she attended school in Germany," Mark said. He rubbed his chin. "I guess I misunderstood what she said."

Mark laughed to himself when he saw Mary Beth throw daggers with her eyes. For the first time since stepping foot into Barton's of Beverly Hills, he was enjoying himself.

"That's easy to do," Colleen said. "I misunderstand people all the time when they talk about their backgrounds. I think it is human nature to hear only what we want to hear."

"I agree," Mark said.

Mark relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the meal. For the next fifty minutes, he engaged in light conversation with Brody, his inquisitive wife, and their suddenly reticent daughters. He covered for Ben when he could, changed the subject when he had to, and gently needled Mary Beth every chance he got. He found the experience much to his liking.

Mark was grateful that Mary Beth had asked him to lunch and just as grateful he did not have to pick up the tab. He could not believe that the cost of one entrée exceeded what he had made in a week as a soda jerk in high school. He smiled kindly at Brody when he placed several large bills on the table and the others rose from their upholstered seats.

"Thank you for lunch, Colonel," Mark said.

"Thank you," Ben added.

"You're welcome, gentlemen. It's been a pleasure."

Brody helped Colleen out of her chair and guided her around the large table. He stopped when they reached the young adults on the other side. He looked at his oldest daughter.

"Are you going back to the house?" Brody asked.

Mary Beth shook her head.

"We're going to hang out with these two for a while. We want to spend some more time with them before dropping them off."

"Where do you boys reside?" Colleen asked.

"We live in West Adams," Mark said. "We live with our mother in a turn-of-the-century mansion. It's not far from where we met Mary Beth and Piper."

Colleen cocked her head.

"What a coincidence. We've stayed in a turn-of-the-century mansion in the same area all week. I didn't realize Los Angeles had so many old homes."

Mark smiled.

"This town has a lot of things."

"I guess so," Colleen said.

Brody looked at Mary Beth and Mark.

"You four should check out the Farmers Market. I understand it's quite a place."

"It is," Mark said.

"I imagine you've been there," Brody said.

"I have. It's nice."

The colonel turned to Mary Beth.

"There's always the tar pits too."

Mary Beth smiled.

"Thanks for the suggestions, Dad, but I think we have it covered."

"Are you sure?" Brody asked.

"I'm sure," Mary Beth said. She smiled. "We might even investigate more of the mansions. You never know what one can find in old houses."

CHAPTER 25: MARY BETH

Los Angeles, California – Wednesday, April 1, 1959

If there was one thing Mary Beth did not like about time traveling, it was that it killed any chance to rest. Since leaving South Pasadena around nine thirty Tuesday night, she had tossed and turned on a guest bed, spent half a day in 2017, and then returned to 1959 in the wee hours of the morning. If she did nothing else on this day of fools, she would sleep for eighteen hours.

"Are you sure your mom is not awake?" Mary Beth asked.

Mark nodded.

"I'm pretty sure. She rarely rises before seven."

Mary Beth sighed. She hoped that was true. She did not want to meet Donna Ryan for the first time while sneaking out of her house under the cover of darkness.

She leaned against the wall of the time tunnel as blue and white crystals flickered above. She never tired of the pretty lights that signified something both beautiful and mysterious.

"Do you have a plan for the day?" Mary Beth asked.

Mark smiled.

"I have a plan for the
week
."

Mary Beth raised a brow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Mark grinned.

"It means I'm taking you to a fraternity formal on Friday."

"What if I don't want to go?" Mary Beth asked.

"Then I'll take Piper," Mark said. "I hear she likes dances."

The others laughed heartily.

Mary Beth liked seeing her sister laugh. She had not seen Piper laugh more than once or twice since she had returned from the Spring Fling Saturday night. She wondered if Piper and Ben still got along. She wondered if they even liked each other.

Sixty seconds after leading three people into the time tunnel, Mark led them out. Then he walked to a switch, flipped on the lights, and stepped to the center of the dingy basement. Mary Beth, Piper, and Ben joined him a moment later.

"What do we do now?" Mary Beth asked.

"We walk up the stairs quietly," Mark said. "When we get to the door, I'll pop it open, check for signs of life, and let you pass if the coast is clear. I don't think Mom is awake, but I don't know for sure. There's a first time for everything."

"Then what?"

"Then Ben will drive you back to the motel."

"Won't your mother suspect something?" Mary Beth asked.

"No. She'll just think he left early for school," Mark said. He looked at Ben. "You have a test today, don't you?"

Ben nodded.

"I have two."

"There you go," Mark said.

"What about you?" Mary Beth asked.

Mark looked at his questioner.

"I'll leave for school at ten like I normally do. If Mom asks why I have bags under my eyes, I'll just tell her I hung out with a wild crowd Tuesday night. She'll believe me."

Mary Beth smiled and shook her head.

"You're something."

Mark laughed.

"I try."

Mary Beth looked at the group leader more thoughtfully.

"I still want to meet her."

"Who?" Mark asked. "My mom?"

"Yes. I want to meet her."

Mark sighed.

"You will. I just need to think of a way to introduce you and Piper. Unlike your folks, my mother won't believe we all met on a morning walk."

"Are you saying my parents are gullible, Mr. Ryan?"

Mark chuckled.

"No. I'm saying
my
parent can tell when I'm lying. I'll have to come up with a story she'll believe. I don't think she'll buy the time-travel thing."

Mary Beth giggled.

"I don't either."

Mark looked at the group.

"Is everyone ready?"

Three people nodded.

"Then let's go," Mark said.

The engineering student led the others through the basement and up the stone steps. When he reached the door, he opened it slowly, stuck his head through the gap, and then pulled his head back. He turned to the group, smiled, and held up a thumb.

Mary Beth stifled a laugh when she saw Mark give the OK. She felt like a sixth-grader sneaking out of a slumber party. She hadn't had this much fun in years.

A moment later, the time travelers entered the mansion's living quarters, walked through a dark hallway with a squeaky floor, and gathered near the front door. They managed to do so without rousing anything more than a fluffy gray cat. The Himalayan walked over to Mary Beth, looked up at her, and then nuzzled against her leg.

Mark smiled.

"Meet Charlotte."

Mary Beth waved at the cat.

"Hi, Charlotte."

Ben quietly opened the front door, motioned to Piper, and then stepped back as she exited the residence and walked into the cool morning air. He turned to face Mary Beth.

"We'll be in the car."

"I'll just be a minute," Mary Beth said.

Ben glanced at Mark.

"Tell Mom I'll mow the lawn after school."

"OK," Mark said.

Ben gave his brother a half-hearted salute and walked out the door.

"What's the matter with Ben?" Mary Beth asked. "He doesn't seem happy."

"He's not," Mark said. "He's been that way since Saturday night. I don't think his date with Piper ended on a high note."

"She's acting funny too."

Mark chuckled.

"People do that in high school."

Mary Beth took Mark's hands and met his gaze.

"Thank you for meeting my parents. I think they like you."

Mark smiled sadly.

"I like them too."

Mary Beth leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Call me this afternoon if you can't stop by."

Mark nodded.

"I will."

Mary Beth released his hands and stepped to the door that Ben had left ajar. She opened the door wide, turned to face Mark, and offered a sweet smile.

"I'm looking forward to Friday."

CHAPTER 26: PIPER

South Pasadena, California – Thursday, April 2, 1959

Sitting on a hot bleacher that only a diehard fan could love, Piper stared at an asphalt court and watched a fuzzy ball go back and forth. She didn't care much for tennis – or most sports, for that matter – but she watched anyway. She wanted to show some school spirit and at least passively support one of the best high school players in the area.

"Ben's good," Piper said.

Sally Warner smiled.

"That's putting it mildly."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's the defending league champ."

Piper nodded.

"That's impressive."

Sally looked at her friend.

"You don't sound impressed."

"I'm impressed," Piper said. "I'm just not very happy."

"What's wrong?"

"It's complicated."

Sally smiled.

"Nothing can be
that
complicated. You just got here."

Piper laughed.

"You should bottle that optimism."

Sally studied Piper's face.

"Does this have anything to do with Ben?"

"Yes," Piper said.

"I don't understand. I thought you liked him."

"I do. I like him a lot.
That's
the problem."

Sally tilted her head.

"Now I'm really confused."

Piper turned to face Sally.

"Then let me un-confuse you. I'm leaving school in a few weeks."

"I know," Sally said. "We all are. We're graduating!"

"You don't understand. I'm leaving California and never coming back," Piper said. "So I don't want to start something I can't finish."

"Are you going back to Germany?"

"No. I'm going farther."

Piper laughed to herself as her new BFF frowned and furrowed her brow. She wasn't sure which was more painful to watch: Sally frowning over the loss of a new friend or Sally trying to figure out which countries were farther away than Germany.

"That stinks," Sally said. "We just met."

Piper sighed.

"I know."

"Will you at least stay until graduation?"

"I'll try."

"I hope so," Sally said. "I like you."

"I like you too."

Piper smiled at Sally. She wondered if all blue-eyed blondes had sunny dispositions. Then she saw her least favorite person approach and remembered they did not.

"I see Ben's backers are here today," Vicki Cole said.

Piper braced for battle.

"Hello, Vicki."