Finding Libbie (2 page)

“You have to keep those,” Bev said. “You just loved playing with them as a child.”

Emily agreed and put the tin aside to take home with her later.

“I wish your mother were here to help,” Bev said as they worked. “She’d offered to sort through things with me years ago before she became sick, but we never had a chance. Poor Kate. She was such a sweet soul.”

“She would have enjoyed this,” Emily agreed. Her mother had died of breast cancer two years earlier, after fighting the disease for four long years. She missed her mother terribly, and she knew her father, Jack, did also. Even at age sixty-four, he still worked five days a week at his garage, fixing cars, tractors, motorcycles, and just about anything else with a motor. In fact, Emily knew he worked even more than he had before her mother died. He rarely left the garage. He was using work to deal with his grief, and Emily found his loneliness heartbreaking.

They separated out which toys to keep and which to give away. As the closet began to empty, Emily stepped inside it and, using a flashlight, searched the top shelf to make sure they’d taken out everything. To her surprise, there was a round box at the very back of the shelf. Using the little stepladder, she climbed up and reached for the box. As she brought it out into the lighted room, she blew on it and a cloud of dust flew in every direction. She took a rag from her pocket and dusted it off, then marveled at how lovely it was. It was a very old hatbox, covered in a creamy-white fabric with soft-pink cabbage roses and green leaves on it. The top of the box was trimmed in eggshell-colored crochet edging. A faded pink ribbon was tied around it to keep the lid secure. The box had also faded over time, but it was still beautiful.

“Grandma? What is this? I’ve never seen this box before.”

Bev turned from where she’d been packing puzzles into a box. She gasped when she saw what was in Emily’s hands. “Oh my!”

Emily set the box on the dresser and stared at her grandmother curiously. “What is it, Grandma?”

Bev walked over to where the box sat and gingerly laid a hand on it. “I’d forgotten all about this,” she said softly. “I haven’t seen this box in nearly forty years.”

Emily watched as a sad expression crossed over her grandmother’s face. “Maybe we should just put it away,” she suggested.

Bev shook her head slowly. “No, it’s been hidden away long enough. Go ahead and open it, dear. The past can’t hide forever.”

Emily stared down at the box a moment, wondering what memories such a beautiful old box could hold that would cause her grandmother to act so strangely. Carefully, she pulled on the end of the ribbon and the bow came loose, falling away. She put both hands on the lid and lifted it up slowly, so as not to ruin the aging box. Peering inside, she saw the very young face of her father in a black-and-white photo staring back at her.

“It’s old photos!” Emily exclaimed, setting the lid aside and reaching inside the box. She lifted the first photo of her father. He was wearing his high school cap and gown and held a diploma in his hand. Underneath was another one of him in swim trunks by a lake, smiling crookedly at the camera. “He’s so young,” Emily said, smiling widely. “No wonder I’ve never seen many photos of him at this age. They were all in this box.”

She lifted up a pile of photos and began looking through them. “Look, Grandma. This one must be his high school prom. He’s wearing a suit and there’s a flower in his lapel.”

Bev drew closer and glanced over Emily’s shoulder. “Yes, that was his senior prom.”

The next picture was in color and was of Jack with a beautiful girl by his side. She was much shorter than Jack and very petite, with light-blond hair that fell below her shoulders and large blue eyes. Her skin was creamy white, and she wore a lovely pink satin dress with a lace overlay that was long and skimmed the floor. Emily thought she was the most beautiful girl she’d ever seen. Jack stood behind her, his hands circling her tiny waist as they both smiled brightly.

“Who is she, Grandma?” Emily asked. “She’s so beautiful.”

“That’s Libbie,” Bev said softly. “Short for Elizabeth.”

Emily glanced over at her grandmother. “Was she Dad’s high school sweetheart? Is that why these pictures were put away?”

“Yes, she was,” Bev said, looking into Emily’s eyes. “She was also your father’s first wife.”

Emily’s mouth dropped open as she stared at her grandmother. “First wife?”

Bev reached out and patted Emily’s arm. “I know this is a bit of a shock, dear. It was something none of us talked about. But now there’s no reason for you not to know. Let’s take the box downstairs, and you can look through it while I make some coffee.”

Emily covered the box and followed her grandmother downstairs, dazed. She sat at the table and started pulling photos from the box and examining each one. One was of the couple sitting in a canoe, smiling playfully at each other on what looked to be Lake Ogimaa. The girl was wearing a two-piece swimsuit with a netlike cover-up and Jack was in his swim trunks. Even in black and white, Emily could tell they were deeply tanned. There were more pictures from prom, and a few of her uncle Larry—her mother’s brother and Jack’s best friend—clowning around with the couple. Another showed Libbie and Jack smiling happily, standing in front of a cottage. Reaching deeper into the box, Emily pulled out ripped up pages that looked to be from a photo album. When she peered closer, she saw that they were wedding photos of her father and Libbie. Some of the pages were torn, as if they’d been ripped angrily from the album.
Why?

Emily glanced up at her grandmother as she set a mug of coffee in front of her. “Dad was married before,” she said, hardly believing her eyes. She gazed down at one of the photos in her hand. It was her father in a tuxedo with tails, and Libbie wearing a lovely satin wedding gown with lace sleeves and a long train that swirled around her feet. Both she and Jack were smiling happily at the camera. Emily returned her gaze to her grandmother, who’d sat down opposite her. “They look so happy.”

Bev sighed as she looked at the photo in Emily’s hand. “They were happy, dear. So happy that there was no possible way for anyone to predict it would end as it did.”

“What happened?”

Bev lifted the photo of Jack and Libbie in the canoe and gazed at it, looking as if she were trying to remember a long-lost memory. Finally, she set it down and looked into Emily’s eyes. “You know that your father loved your mother dearly, don’t you, Ems? He wouldn’t be grieving so if he hadn’t.”

Emily nodded. “I know he did.”

Bev nodded. “Well, your mother was eight years younger than Jack, and she was Larry’s baby sister. The boys really didn’t have much to do with her since they were so much older, unless they’d let her tag along every now and again. Libbie, she was the same age as Jack, and they’d known each other since kindergarten. But it was the year he turned seventeen that Jack’s eyes were drawn to Libbie Wilkens, and he saw no one else after that.”

“Libbie was a Wilkens? One of the rich Wilkenses?”

“Yes. Her parents owned half the businesses in town, what little bit of town we had here in 1968. Of course, they’d been handed down businesses from their parents and grandparents, but her father had built up their legacy even more. They owned the grocery store, hardware store, a furniture store, one of the dime stores, a building supply store, and even half of one of the two banks in town then. They lived in a lovely home on the north end of the lake, where Libbie had friends over every sunny day all summer. And it was that summer, between their junior and senior years, that Jack fell head over heels in love with Libbie.”

CHAPTER TWO

JACK AND LIBBIE

1968

Jack stared across the high school gym at Libbie as she danced in Bill Driscoll’s arms. She looked like an angel as she glided across the floor in a white dress. The full chiffon skirt that fell just below her knees billowed as she moved. Her long blond hair was pulled up into a loose chignon with tendrils curling down around her face and neck. She was the most beautiful girl at the prom, and every boy wanted to dance with her. Jack wished he could pull her out of Bill’s arms and dance with her all night, and he was plotting exactly how to do so at that very moment.

“Hey, at least pretend you’re with me and stop drooling over little Miss Sunshine over there,” Myrtle Hill said.

Jack turned his attention back to the girl he was dancing with. “Sorry, Myrt. I just wish I could sneak Libbie away from snobby Bill. Even for a few minutes. Just because he brought her doesn’t mean he’s the only one who can dance with her.”

Jack watched as Myrt rolled her eyes. At six feet, Jack towered over Myrtle, who couldn’t have been more than five feet, even in heels. She had a little too much padding for her height, and those cat-eye glasses with the fake rhinestones in the corners made her face look wide. But she and Jack had made a deal. Myrtle was madly in love with his best friend, Larry Spencer, and Jack needed a date in order to come to the prom. So she’d agreed to come with him if he’d make sure to get Larry to dance with her, and then Jack could pursue Libbie.

Jack glanced around the gym at the decorations and smiled. He’d spent the entire day yesterday with the other eleventh-grade volunteers, twisting and hanging crepe paper streamers and blue-and-white balloons from the ceiling. He hadn’t done it out of the goodness of his heart or because he’d wanted to make sure the seniors had a beautiful prom—he’d done it to be around Libbie. In their small school, it was traditional for the eleventh graders to host the junior/senior prom. He’d signed up to help with the decorations because he knew Libbie was supervising. From his spot high atop the ladder, he’d been able to watch her move among the other students, giving directions and approving of their work. Twice, she’d stopped under Jack’s ladder to look up at him with a grin and say, “Looking good, Jack.” He’d smile down at her and nod. He knew she was talking about the streamers, but he could dream she’d meant those words to be about him.

The band stopped playing, and Jack led Myrtle over to the refreshment table for a cup of punch. As they stood sipping their drinks, Larry walked by with his date, Mary Beth Johnson. She was a pretty girl, tall and slender, with long dark hair and warm brown eyes. Larry and she looked well suited, since he also had dark hair and brown eyes and was nearly as tall as Jack. Larry winked at Jack, nodding to Mary Beth as if to say,
Look who I’m with.
Jack couldn’t help but smile. Mary Beth came from a devout Catholic family, so there was no way Larry was going to get even so much as a kiss from the pretty girl tonight.

“Larry’s never going to notice me since he’s with Mary Beth,” Myrtle whined. “I shouldn’t have come here tonight. It was a waste of time.”

Jack knew that was probably true, and he felt bad for Myrtle. He understood how she felt. Poor Myrtle had had a crush on Larry for years, just like he’d had a crush on Libbie since the first grade. But Jack was sure that with a guy like Bill at her side, Libbie would never look twice at him. Steeling himself, he decided it was time to put his plan in motion.

“Don’t give up so easily, Myrt,” Jack said, taking her hand and leading her back onto the dance floor. The band had started playing a slow song, “This Guy’s in Love with You.” It was the perfect song for Jack’s next move.

He danced with Myrtle slowly across the floor to where Larry and Mary Beth were. “Here’s your chance, Myrt,” Jack whispered. “Give it your best shot.” Jack expertly cut in between Larry and his date. “May I cut in?” he asked, handing Myrtle over to a stunned Larry and pulling Mary Beth into his arms. He moved her away as quickly as the slow tune would allow. He looked back only long enough to see Larry dancing with Myrtle—he’d had no other choice.

“Having a good time?” Jack asked as he danced Mary Beth in the direction where Libbie and Bill were.

Mary Beth was too nice to complain. “Yes, I am,” she said.

Soon, they were beside Libbie and Bill. Jack took a breath.
Here I go.

“May I cut in?” he asked Bill. Just as he’d done moments before, he expertly handed Mary Beth off to Bill and pulled Libbie into his arms, moving her quickly across the floor before Bill could protest.

His heart pounding, Jack tried to slow down so it didn’t feel as if he were pushing Libbie around the floor. But she kept up with him perfectly, gliding as if on air. When he finally had the nerve to look down at her, he saw her grinning up at him mischievously.

“Took you long enough to rescue me from boring Bill,” she said.

Jack’s mouth dropped open and then he clamped it shut when he realized how he must look.

Libbie giggled. “You shouldn’t be so surprised. I’ve seen you staring at me all night. I figured you were waiting for the right time to ask me to dance.”

Jack gazed into her blue eyes and smiled. “I thought you’d be mad at me for cutting in.”

“Mad? No way. I’m happy someone finally cut in. If I had to hear Bill brag one more time about going off to college in the fall, I was going to barf.”

Jack laughed and they continued to dance slowly. Libbie felt so good in his arms. She was a good six inches shorter than he was, but she fit perfectly against him. Her hair gently brushed his neck, and she smelled as sweet as she looked. He’d waited a long time for this moment, and it felt as wonderful as he’d imagined.

As the last notes of the song played, Jack pulled away and looked down at Libbie. “I have a surprise for you. Will you come outside with me a moment?”

Libbie’s eyes sparkled. “Okay. But you’d better behave like a gentleman, Jack Prentice.”

Jack slipped his hand around hers and led her through the crowd and out the open door into the cool May evening. Outdoor lights lit the way as they hurried down the path that curled around to a spot where there was a bench hiding amongst the trees and bushes.

“What are you up to?” Libbie asked, but she looked unconcerned as she sat primly on the bench and spread her skirt around her.

“You’ll see,” Jack told her. He walked to a tree behind the bench and bent down, picking something up, and then returned to the bench. In his hands were a wine bottle and two glasses.

“Jack! What on earth?”

“I wanted to surprise you with something nice,” Jack said, pulling out his pocketknife and snapping out the corkscrew so he could open the bottle. “Everyone always sneaks beer on prom night, but I figured a girl like you would prefer wine.” He twisted the screw in the cork a few turns and then pulled it out.

“Well, you did surprise me,” Libbie said, accepting a full glass of white wine. “But you’ll be in big trouble if we get caught.”

Jack lifted his glass and clinked it to hers. “It’ll be worth it,” he said. “To prom night.”

“To prom night,” Libbie repeated, and then took a sip.

“How did you manage to get a bottle of wine? You’re underage,” Libbie asked.

Jack grinned. “Larry helped me out. His uncle has all sorts of booze around the house. He’ll never miss one bottle of wine.”

“Ah,” Libbie said.

They sat there a while, listening to the crickets and frogs singing their nightly songs. The sky was clear, and the stars twinkled high above.

“Another school year has come and gone,” Libbie said wistfully. “Can you believe it, Jack? We’ll be seniors next year. And then what? Everyone will go in different directions and our lives will change forever.”

“Change is a good thing,” Jack said. “Life moves on. Kids grow up. That’s what we’re supposed to do.”

“Everything is changing all around us,” Libbie said, looking at Jack with wide eyes. “Martin Luther King’s assassination and all the rioting last month. The war in Vietnam. College students protesting all over the country. Even though none of that seems to touch our little town, it’s still all out there happening. It’s scary.”

Jack cocked his head and looked at Libbie. “It does affect us, though. We all know someone who’s gone off to fight in Vietnam. Look at the Jacksons’ son. He died over there. Heck, in less than a year, I’ll be registering for the draft, and I could go, too. Even Bill could go.”

Libbie closed her eyes and shuddered. “I can’t even think about that. It’s all too much to deal with.”

Jack smiled over at Libbie. “Then let’s talk about nice things, like warm summer days and long walks by the lake and the smell of lilacs and lavender growing in the garden.”

Libbie giggled. “And who will you be walking with by the lake enjoying the aroma of lilacs, Jack? Myrtle?”

Jack grinned. “Maybe. Would you be jealous if I did?”

“Silly. Why on earth would I be jealous of you and Myrtle? I’ll be spending the summer with boring Bill and all my friends.”

Jack sat silently and took a sip of wine.

Libbie turned to Jack. “I suppose you’ll be working all summer at your uncle’s gas station again this year?”

Jack nodded. “Yep. When I’m not helping my dad build and install kitchen cabinets. He’s booked for the entire summer. And of course you’ll be having swim parties by the lake and getting a great tan,” he said, teasing.

Libbie shrugged. “There’s not much else to do.”

They sat so close that Jack felt Libbie shiver, so he took off his suit jacket and draped it around her shoulders.

“Well, who knew that you could be such a romantic?” Libbie said, smiling at Jack. “And all along I’ve always thought of you as the mean little boy who teased me and chased me around the playground when we were in grade school.”

“Maybe I was chasing you to steal a kiss,” Jack said.

Libbie laughed. “You’re crazy, you know that, Jack?”

“Hey, you didn’t think I volunteered to decorate the gym just because I like twirling crepe paper, did you?”

Libbie moved even closer to Jack. “Then why did you volunteer?”

Jack ducked his head down toward hers. “So I could be around you.”

Libbie giggled and took another sip of wine. “Now you are being silly. You’ve known me my entire life, Jack, and you’ve never once shown any interest in me.”

Jack looked at her seriously. “We have known each other our whole lives. But you’re Libbie Wilkens, whose father owns half of Jamison and who dates the banker’s son. I’m just plain old Jack. I never thought you’d be interested in
me
.”

Libbie looked up into his eyes. “If you wanted my attention, why didn’t you ask me to the prom instead of asking Myrtle?”

“Everyone knew you’d go to the prom with Bill. Myrtle only came with me because she has a crush on Larry and wanted to dance with him. And I only came so I could whisk you away and be alone with you.”

Libbie’s eyes softened. “Really?”

“Honest to God.”

“That’s so sweet,” Libbie said softly.

Jack reached for her hand and held it. “I’ve had a crush on you since the first grade, Libbie. I’m warning you right now that I’m going to do my best to win you away from Bill this summer and steal your heart.”

Libbie gazed at Jack, and then a smile spread across her lips. “Okay, then. I’ve been duly warned.” She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “Good luck,” she whispered. Then she stood, dropping his jacket on the bench, and ran back to the gym, giggling.

Jack sat there a long time after she’d left, a big grin on his face.