“More”
Listen to this chapter, “Epilogue: The Big Day.”
[Editor’s Note: The narrative stops abruptly at the end of Chapter 8 and resumes several years in the future with the Epilogue.]
Sandra smiled to herself as she watched the sleek Emory station wagon peel out of the driveway. Steve was the same ol’ playboy, grown up physically, cute enough to make any girl swoon, but still as mischievous as ever. He was a flirt and a tease, but actually bashful with asking for dates. He was a college man now, but far from serious. Steve would make good, she knew, when he got over being torn between dentistry and politics. Or perhaps he would incorporate both into his life. Only time would tell.
Her thoughts drifted toward Cynthia. She hadn’t changed much either—especially regarding Steve. Of course, Carolyn the “wolverine” had long since disappeared from the scene. There had been Phyllis and Diana and Suzi, and who knows who else? But for seven long years, Cynthia had not given up. Sweet, sophisticated Cynthia was still chasing Steve.
Then there was Ella. She now thought Riverdale was such a dead town, and she had gone out of state to college. Boyfriends? Sandra didn’t know. But surely Ella was a part of Riverdale, and Riverdale was still a part of her. Ella would move back to California, to New City, to work as a dental hygienist. But there would always be those childhood memories of the swimming parties and hayrides and weekends at the RYC—and of Ken.
Ken! Sandra closed her eyes for a second. She had Ken’s wedding invitation in her scrapbook. That RYC! It was in RYC that Ken had given her that silver heart, and it was in RYC that vivacious Gloria Martin had taken him from her. But through the months, Gloria—like Carolyn—had disappeared. And Ken had met Rebecca. He had been only eighteen when they got married, and Sandra didn’t envy Rebecca. But she was happy for Ken, now a father-to-be.
Sandra turned from her window to answer the telephone that was now ringing. Her startled expression turned to laughter as she recognized the voice on the other end.
“JoAnn Cunningham! What are you doing back in ol’ Riverdale?”
The girl laughed. “Oh, Sandra, I just had to see you. I heard about the special occasion, so I came to stay the weekend with my aunt. If you could come back to Riverdale after having gone away to Pacific Christian College up north, I guess I could drive over from New City.”
Sandra laughed. “JoAnn, it’s been so long—nearly five years. Say, why don’t you come over and we’ll talk over old times?”
“Fine with me! But aren’t you too busy today?”
“Oh, not now,” Sandra said. “I’ve been in a mad rush for the past two weeks. But everything’s all ready now, and I’ve got all afternoon.”
“Okay!” agreed JoAnn. “Be right over!”
So in just ten minutes JoAnn was at Sandra’s front door. When they saw each other, the surprise was even greater.
“Little Sandra with the pigtails!” JoAnn exclaimed. “Wow!”
Sandra laughed. “And what’s happened to ‘freckle face’?”
JoAnn stretched out her arm, smiling. “This happened.”
“You’re engaged!” Sandra cried. “How wonderful! Who is he?”
And so the afternoon passed, the two girls sharing plans and reminiscing about past years.
“And how are the Donaldsons?” JoAnn asked presently. “Cynthia and Jim and Bruce?”
Sandra’s eyes twinkled. “Especially Jim?”
JoAnn blushed. “Well, we did spend a lot of time together the few months I lived in Riverdale. Working on the paper, going to banquets, spending time at Riverdale Youth Camp—”
“Oh, the RYC!” Sandra sighed. “Too bad Mr. Marcos got transferred. We had such good socials. But then the kids started moving away and going away to school. How are Paul and Donna Mott? Didn’t they move to New City?”
“Yes, but we don’t see them too often. New City’s a big place. All I know is that their little girl will start Kindergarten this fall.”
“Their little girl! Why, JoAnn, they were only newlyweds when they came to Riverdale. Time really flies, I guess.”
“Speaking of time,” JoAnn said, “look at the clock. I’d better be going. Just two hours, Sandra!”
The girls rose to their feet. “It’s been a lovely afternoon, JoAnn. Thanks for stopping by.”
“Thank you,” JoAnn said. “You can meet my husband-to-be tonight when I meet yours. See you there. And, Sandra, calm down!”
Sandra giggled. “‘Bye, hon.”
Too excited to eat, Sandra showered and dressed and waited. Then an old scrapbook in the corner of her closet caught her eye. She sat down and thumbed through it. There were pictures of a high school banquet and very familiar faces. The snapshots were candid shots Jim had taken, and now Sandra laughed out loud at some scenes.
There was best friend Julie, perplexed and surrounded by three boys–Dennis, Billy, and Eddy. Sandra remembered that banquet well—and afterward. Julie had probably long since forgotten the dilemma of choosing between Dennis and Billy, since both fellows had disappeared from the Riverdale group. Not long after Dennis moved away, Eddy and Billy Kingston’s family had moved away, too. Now they lived in Riverdale only in memory.
Julie had grown up very much since that banquet. She had known the childhood agony of young and foolish first love, the excitement of dating an “older man” when she was a high school junior, the heartbreak and insight into the problems of going steady, and the phases of retreating then “playing the field” and then beginning to settle down and grow up.
“Sandra, honey, are you ready yet?” The voice broke through her thoughts.
“Yes, Daddy,” she called. “I’ll be right there.”
Sandra smiled inside as she walked out to the car with her new family. It had been so hard for so long after Mother died, but Sandra and her father shared a strong faith in God. Now he was happy with the new Mrs. Lee and the son he had always wanted. And, of course, he had his only daughter Sandra.
The 17-year-old boy climbed into the back seat beside his stepsister. “Hey, Sandra, why does an elephant have flat feet?”
Sandra looked at her little stepbrother Joe. “From jumping out of trees,” she answered in mock nonchalance. “Why does an elephant wear tennis shoes?”
“Because he has flat feet,” Joe returned. “And he floats downstream on his back so he won’t get his tennis shoes wet, and you can tell if an elephant’s in your bathtub because you can smell peanuts on his breath.”
Sandra sighed, looking at Joe from the corner of her eye, trying hard not to laugh.
Joe giggled. “Now that I’ve wrecked all your elephant jokes—”
“Oh, yeah?” she retorted. “How do you get down from an elephant?”
It stumped Joe. “Aw, come on, sis, tell me!” he pleaded.
“After the honeymoon,” she teased.
While Sandra waited for Julie to arrive in the bridal room at the church, her mind wandered again. Riverdale, like the people who lived in it, had changed, too. The “little kids” who once had been so unimportant to Riverdale were now the center of everything. There was Cynthia’s younger brother Bruce, Ella’s little brother Frank and sister Judy, and many more who had moved in and grown up. Beth and Fred and Carole and—Sandra couldn’t possibly name them all.
At that moment, Julie appeared, duly excited. “Well, Sandra, it’s almost time for the big moment!”
Sandra could not hide the anticipation. “Oh, Julie!”
“Oh, yes, I meant to tell you—Marsha’s here with Larry!”
“Oh? Did you talk to her?” Sandra remembered for an instant the trivial childhood jealousies she had forgotten long ago.
“Just for a few minutes. She was so sorry I wasn’t able to go to her wedding, but I told her you said it was beautiful.”
“Speaking of weddings, Julie, didn’t Sarah get married recently?”
“Yes,” Julie answered, “she married a very fine Christian man. I’m thrilled for her. You know, everybody worried about her for such a long time. But no one could blame her much for running away from home—if you could call it a home. She’s had such a hard time in life. I’ll never forget that Christmas when they moved to Riverdale, right next door to us—”
Sandra nudged her. “Excuse me, but isn’t that Darlene?”
Julie looked. “Say, it is! And that’s Dr. Smith’s son she’s with! She’s doing pretty well, I guess.”
Sandra smiled. Then she sighed. “Oh, Julie, just think. In just a few minutes, Bob will stand up there on the platform just waiting for his bride…”
“Oh, Sandra! How could things be any more perfect? You know, when I first met Allen at Highview, I had wanted to be a minister’s wife for as long as I could remember. And we made all those plans for when Allen and Bob would finish seminary then the four of us would be an evangelistic team. But I never dreamed that I would meet my best friend and soulmate, Howard, at La Paloma College, much less be getting married to him this summer. God has been so good to us both. Sandra, we’re the luckiest women in the whole wide world!
“Julie, our cue’s coming pretty quick,” Sandra whispered. “This is it!”
It was just a few seconds until the Wedding March would begin; but in that few seconds, Sandra’s life seemed to pass through her mind. The summer after Ken, there had been LeRoy Chester who moved next door. They, too, had planned to marry—until he moved away. He was gone completely from Riverdale and from Sandra’s heart. Then there had been George, rich and romantic. George’s wedding had been two years ago.
Then there was the schoolteacher, Raymond Pierce, eleven years older but full of life and living it to the fullest. He had proposed to Sandra and promised her a nice home, prestige, and a way through college with all the trimmings. To Sandra, it was wild and exciting, but not exactly what she wanted to live with 24 hours a day.
But it was through Raymond that Sandra had met Bob Miller, the Bob she was going to marry today. She remembered the Christmas Eve they spent with Allen and Julie and the plans they had made for their years at college and seminary and the evangelistic team, but especially for Sandra and Bob’s life together for God. Of course, their courtship and engagement had been long. She had even had a brief fling with Kurt Gaston and Bill Johnson, who had been so much a part of Riverdale. And, of course, things had changed a lot for Julie, too. She had finally gotten over Allen Macintosh and had found the love of her life in Howard Davidson.
Now Sandra and Julie were grown-up women, not little girls of Riverdale. The Bridal Chorus had begun, and Julie as maid of honor had started down the aisle. A little nervously, Sandra smiled at her father and took his arm. Then they started down the aisle toward the minister on the platform where Bob stood, waiting for his bride….
“Bridal Chorus” (Wagner)
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