Sisterhood Of Lake Alice (6 page)

Sister Vincent’s heart ached for her. The two of them spent hours talking about Grace’s fears and dreams. Grace took up Sister Rose’s generous offer for private voice lessons. Within a short time, Sister Rose realized that Grace had a beautiful alto voice. She encouraged Grace to sing often. Grace found that singing brought some happiness back into the O’Malleys’ quiet house.

Grace realized that she not only enjoyed singing, but that she really liked being in front of a crowd of people. She was faithful in practicing each day, and within a short time had a large variety of songs that she knew by heart. She sang religious songs for weddings and funerals, as well as popular songs that she heard on the radio. Grace brought the entire audience to tears as she dedicated her eighth-grade graduation song to her brother Denny and then sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” She received her first standing ovation that evening. In her heart, she knew she had found something that would make her feel special. She was starting to feel healed finally; she was finding joy again.

*

The following year, she went to Fergus Falls High School and felt overwhelmed at the size of the school. She studied hard and received good grades, but never really felt as though she belonged there. Grace longed for Our Lady of Victory with its small classes and all the nuns who loved her. Just before Christmas vacation, the choir director asked her if she was interested in joining a quartet with three other freshman girls. She quickly jumped at the chance to do what she loved most. Quickly, she discovered that the girls not only sang well together but also enjoyed each other.

SOLA became their nickname. They went on to win competitions and had so many trophies and awards that the school put up a special display case just for them. The girls sang at all the concerts and school plays. Grace loved every minute of it.

Grace became very close to Emily, officially her best friend. She loved to sit in Emily’s designer bedroom, dreaming of being a star on Broadway. The girls went to the Fergus Theater almost every Saturday afternoon. They saw
Singing in the Rain
six times
.
As they walked home, Grace started singing and dancing on and off the street curb. She knew Debbie Reynolds’s part by heart, convinced that it would be her first acting role on Broadway. She even had her hair cut and styled to look more like Miss Reynolds. With her curly auburn hair, big blue eyes, and freckles, she grew cuter each day. Her perky manners endeared her to everyone she met. She soon discovered that she was truly enjoying life again and knew that Denny would be happy for her. Life was now full of possibilities.

*

During her high school graduation ceremony, Grace once again brought tears to everyone’s eyes as she sang
“To Dream the Impossible Dream
.
”
Graduation was a bittersweet event for Grace. She knew that her family had no money for her to go to college. In fact, they were counting on her to keep her job at Claire’s Dress Shop to help pay some of their bills.

Right after graduation, Emily was leaving for a month of touring Europe. Both Lindy and Rebecca were heading off to college in late August. Her parents had told Grace that it was foolish to be a dreamer. Now, she needed to accept the realities of life. Her life was not like her fancy friends’; her life was going to be one of hard work. If she worked hard, she could save a little money for some nice things; however, she would probably never be able to afford the clothes and lifestyle that Emily Larson enjoyed.

One night her mother sat with her at the kitchen table and told her that perhaps it was best that the girls were all leaving. Now she could start accepting her lot in life and find some ordinary happiness. Grace knew in her heart that she would never settle for ordinary. She was determined to hold onto her dreams. Ordinary was simply not an option for Grace O’Malley.

Chapter Three
 

Lindy Pulaski

Lindy arrived in this world full of noise, surrounded by a family that knew from the start that she was special. Loretta and Lenny Pulaski had been happily married for twenty-five years. As Loretta told everyone, this baby was her change-of-life surprise. Lindy was warmly welcomed by big brother, Lenny Jr., who was seventeen and graduating from high school the next year. He planned to join the air force the day after graduation. Also in the bedroom was a very mature twelve-year-old Lana, named after the movie star Lana Turner. Next to Lana stood Grandma Flo, who lived with them. She did all the cooking for the family.

Everyone seemed to be talking at once. All of them were thinking about how life would be changing because of the tiny baby girl with a full head of black hair. Dr. Beal filled out all the paperwork and returned to the bedroom asking the baby’s name. Loretta and Lenny both said at the same time, “Lindy,” as they started to laugh. They told Dr. Beal that the Lindy dance was their favorite dance and they had decided to use the name whether it was a boy or a girl.

The Pulaski family owned and ran the Fresh Daisy Dry Cleaners and Laundry. The business occupied the first floor. They lived in the apartment upstairs. Everyone in the family worked in the business. Lenny Sr. was up each morning at four o’clock cleaning the laundry and starting up the presses. Loretta and the kids were up by five o’clock helping to get the dry cleaning ready for the customers. By seven o’clock, they all came back upstairs for Grandma’s morning breakfast before the kids went off to school.

It was a simple and good life. There was enough money for the basics, though not much left over for anything else. The one thing they all had in common was they were all “big size” people, as Loretta liked to say. Rather than trying to hide her 250 pounds, Loretta chose to advertise it with brightly colored clothes that always seemed to sparkle. Everything about Loretta was big—her coal-black hair, her earrings and jewelry, and her laugh. She told anyone who stopped to listen that she was a big lady with a big love of life. In Fergus Falls, some people called her a character. Almost everyone grew to love the family.

Within a few days after her birth, Lindy arrived in the laundry, sleeping in a wicker wash basket with Grandma Flo’s homemade quilt wrapped around her. Loretta set her on the counter for everyone to see. She already had her tiny ears pierced and was dressed in a frilly pink outfit. All day, the customers came to pick up their clothes and coo over the pretty baby girl. Grandma Flo even made some of her special cookies to celebrate the arrival of Lindy.

*

One day turned into another, always the same routine. Grandma Flo grew older and slower. Lenny Jr. enlisted in the air force and was stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. He came home twice a year, which always meant big parties and lots of food. Lana was now a senior in high school and planning on going to beauty school in Fargo, North Dakota, in September with her two best friends.

Grandma Flo often got Lindy dressed up and would take her shopping downtown. She showed Lindy off to anyone she could stop. Grandma Flo adored her spirited granddaughter. She spoiled her with ribbons, bows, and special clothes that she sewed just for her. Grandma would cuddle with Lindy after her bath, sprinkling her with special lavender talcum powder. She would lie on Lindy’s bed and tell her stories about the old country. By the time Lindy was four years old, she was singing songs in Polish. Grandma and Lindy often danced to folk songs from the old country, laughing as they spun around in circles. On Lindy’s fifth birthday, Grandma Flo had a stroke and never came home from the hospital.

A few weeks after the funeral, Lindy came home from kindergarten to find a bright pink bedroom that was now hers. At first, she jumped with joy. Then she felt guilty about being happy to have Grandma’s old room. Lindy decided that she would share the room with Grandma’s spirit. Many nights, Lindy lay in bed talking to Grandma about her day. She always felt the warm presence of her loving Grandma in that room. It was her secret.

*

By the time Lindy was in grade school, she knew the words to many of the popular country-western songs that she heard on the radio. The radio was turned on from early morning to late at night. It was funny to see this seven-year-old girl with long, curly black hair singing as though she was on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry. She entertained the customers on a daily basis. It never crossed her mind to worry about being shy or embarrassed. She loved to sing more than anything else. She had already developed her own style in clothes, which was just as bright and sparkling as her mom’s wardrobe. The customers were truly impressed with her talents and told her so on a regular basis. Soon, the customers started requesting a favorite song while they waited for their clothes. Lindy felt loved and totally accepted at Fresh Daisy Dry Cleaners and Laundry.

*

Before too long, Loretta was making western style costumes for her daughter. They even saved enough money to purchase bright red cowgirl boots for her. Lindy began to sing at summer concerts. She entered the contest at the state fair when she was eight years old, coming in third place. From then on, each year she won first place as she worked on perfecting her style. She was a mini version of Dolly Parton, except her hair was black instead of blonde. Lindy was a talented and fiery little girl. Each year her hair got bigger and more rhinestones appeared on her outfits.

By the time she entered high school, everyone knew Lindy, her talents and her wacky personality. It did not come as a surprise when the choral director asked her to join a girl’s quartet. What did surprise Lindy was the lecture she received on being a team player. It was made very clear to her that this quartet would be a place where all the girls would showcase their talents. It took Lindy a little while to adjust to not being the star of the show.

She quickly discovered that the friendships of Emily, Grace, and Rebecca were far more important than the spotlight. It was the first time she had close girlfriends, and she enjoyed every minute of it. On their sleepovers at Emily’s house, Lindy would bring her bags filled with makeup and hair supplies. By the end of the night, all four girls had Lindy’s big hair, bright blue eye shadow, and rings on every finger. They would dance around Emily’s bedroom, singing and laughing.

*

The girls of SOLA had grown to be such good friends that when they started dating, they promised to get an okay from the other girls before going out. They all agreed that Friday night was their sleepover girls’ night and Saturday was date night. They often would go out with their dates as a group. Most Sunday afternoons, they talked about their dates while they studied and practiced their songs.

Lindy told the girls all about the facts of life. She gave them graphic details about her dates, which sent them all into fits of giggles. Lindy dated a few boys but found that most of them were too afraid of her wild style to ask her out. She preferred to have many good friends that were boys instead of boyfriends. Anyway, she knew that she was destined for fame and did not want to be attached to anyone that she might have to leave behind.

*

Lindy surprised everyone by being an A+ student. She excelled in math and science classes. She knew that money was always tight around the laundry and had given up any hopes of going to college. Just before Thanksgiving of her senior year, the principal called her to his office. When she arrived, Loretta and Lenny were already there. At first, she thought something had happened to her brother. However, when she saw her mom wink at her, Lindy knew it was good news.

The principal stood up, shook Lindy’s hand, and informed her that she had received a full scholarship to Mankato State University. The Pulaskis beamed with pride as they hugged each other. Lindy would be the first Pulaski to go to college. They knew that she would succeed at whatever she put her mind to. Lindy was excited about the promise of a new adventure. There would be no stopping her now. Mankato be warned, Lindy was on the way!

Chapter Four
 

Rebecca DuPree

People often described Monica DuPree as quiet, hard working, and a good student. She had a contagious laugh, gentle smile, and easygoing nature. She lived at home with her mother, Ruby, who had been widowed for many years.

Tim Meyer came from one of the most influential families in Fergus Falls. They owned most of the apartment buildings in town and had recently built a large apartment complex for senior citizens. Tim was the star quarterback on the Otters’ football team. Monica and Tim had been a couple for more than a year. They had become inseparable. During their senior prom, they had sex for the first and only time. Monica considered herself a “good girl” with high morals. However, after a few drinks of rum and cola, they gave into their strong desires for each other. They truly believed that they were in love. Monica knew that Tim would soon be going away to school. She was going to Fergus Falls Junior College for two years. Then she hoped to join Tim in Minneapolis at the university.

Two months later, on Monica’s eighteenth birthday, the family doctor confirmed what she already knew. She was pregnant. Tim had left for early enrollment at the University of Minnesota, where he had a full scholarship for football. He left without knowing about the baby. After weeks of torment, Monica finally broke down and told her mom her secret. Monica was quickly sent to Fargo to live with her Aunt Trudy until the baby was born. Plans were made to give the baby up for adoption.

In a few short months, Monica’s calm world was turned upside down. Her plans for college and to become a teacher were gone. Her boyfriend, whom she thought she loved, had just sent her a letter telling her that he would probably not be back home all year and wishing her well in her future pursuits. She was alone and terrified. As she grew larger with the baby, she started to love this little person growing inside her. By the time Monica went into labor, she knew that she would be keeping the baby. She was determined to love and provide a good life for her child.