Family Reunion

Betts hesitated a moment outside the entrance of the hotel. Was she ready for this?

The invitation for this family reunion had shown up the mail a few months ago. It wasn't just her immediate family, though – there would be relatives there she had never met. It made her kind of nervous, actually. There really hadn't been a lot of family around when she was a kid, and she didn't really know much about her relatives.

Betts had moved out of her parents' home at 18, and only returned for Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's not that she had any real problem with her parents – they were very nice people and had done their best for her – but she just didn't fit.

Leaving home had worked for her. At 26 she had made it in the big city – New York. She was a successful magazine writer, with a fast-rising reputation for her Internet blog. She went to loft parties for musicians and artists, and her social life occasionally showed up in the tabloids, when she dated some minor celebrity. If she slept with them, it was nobody's business but hers - the tabloids could only guess.

And now here she was in Memphis. Somebody she didn't know had had the brilliant idea that all the relatives and descendents of the famous Clayton Jones, the baseball player from the '40s, should all show up in a hotel– the one where the ducks paraded through the lobby every day – and get to know each other.

Her brother had called her to ask if she was going. She was dismayed. "God, do I have to go? Why are you going?" But Pete had talked her into it, so here she was.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders in their black spaghetti straps, and went through the grand doors into the hotel. Oh my God – there really are ducks in the fountain! Hey, this place is gorgeous. Wow!

A computerized display listed the events – "Jones reunion." She laughed out loud. Are you kidding? Can you imagine how many people are going to show up uninvited? Half the western world is named Jones! Deep breath. OK, find the elevators, find the "Forest Room,' find a drink. Here goes.

Big open doors. Lots of people. Shit. Maybe I should just leave.

"Betts!" (Oh God, it's that cousin - what's her name? Angie, that's it). "Hi, Angie!" How've you been? "

The cousin she hadn't seen since she was 15 enveloped her in a bear hug. "It's wonderful to see you! It's been years – I was so hoping you'd be here!"

Angie actually looked OK – tall, attractive, and really healthy-looking. God, she must work out a LOT! Would she think I was really crass if I asked for a drink?

"Wow. You look great. Um, is there a bar here?"

"Yes, thank God! This way. Can you believe all these people? I swear I never saw any of them before!"

Five minutes and a Scotch later, Betts started to relax. She and Angie found a quiet corner and started to catch up on the missing 11 years. Angie, too, had left home, but only after getting a pHD in history at a ridiculously young age. (Jeez, she's smart too!) She had spent a year in Europe, and was now settling in to a great job in a small Midwestern college.

"My dad's here," Angie said. "Did you see him?"

"No, you're the only person I know here. I don't have a clue who anyone else is."

"Wait, I'll get him."

"No, it's OK!" But it was too late. Angie disappeared in the crowd.

Left to her own devices, Betts turned to the nearest person and said, "Hi! Who are you related to?"

The guy blinked, and said, "Well, er…no one, actually. I was at a law conference in the next room, and this looked a lot more interesting. My name's Larry."

"Betts."

"Interesting name. Is it Elizabeth?"

"Yes, I was named after my grandmother. She died years ago."

"Yeah, mine too. Even my father doesn't remember his mother – she died when he was a baby."

(Hey, this guy's kind of nice. Maybe something good could come out of this.)

"Is that Scotch you're drinking? Can I get you another?"

"Not until I get something to eat. I don't usually drink like this, but this crowd makes me nervous."

"There's food over here. Shrimp and those little hot dog things."

"Pigs in a blanket? I love them! I shouldn't eat them, I know, but hey, you only live once."

"I'll get you some. Wait right here." He turned and headed for the food tables.

"Betts!" Angie was back.

"Betts, you remember my father?"

"Hi, Uncle Gabriel, how are you?"

Actually, she'd always liked her uncle Gabriel. He was kind of sweet. He'd married her aunt Anna late in life – he was around 60, and she was in her early 30's. People were a little embarrassed about it, but since everybody liked him, nobody said anything. Her mother always made a joke about him being her favorite brother-in-law, and he always smiled and made the expected rejoinder about being her only brother-in-law.

He must be really old now, Betts realized - 80's at least, maybe 90's, but he was still tall and strong, with a gentle face.

"Betts, welcome to Memphis! How are your parents?"

"Fine, I guess. They're going to be here later, I think, but they had to take a late plane."

"Wait. Let me look at you. You look just like her, do you know that?"

"Who? My mother?"

"Your grandmother."

"Really? I was named after her, you know."

"Yes, I remember. She was always so pretty. Just like you."

"But she was so elegant – I'm not like that! I don't remember them very well – I was just a child when they died – but I've see photos. They both look wonderful – Grandfather Clayton in his baseball uniform, and Grandma Elizabeth in those gorgeous 40's clothes. I'd love to look like her. I'm not blonde, though."

Uncle Gabriel chuckled. "Well, neither was she, to begin with!"

"What? Really? She dyed her hair when Granddad got famous? How funny!'

"Well, not then, exactly."

"What do you mean?"

"There you are!" Larry was back, with a plate of pigs-in-blanket.

"I'll leave you young people to have fun. Angie, I want you to meet someone." Gabriel turned away, and Angie followed.

"No, wait! Uncle Gabriel! What did you mean – not then, exactly?"

"Never mind. It was lovely to see you, Elizabeth. Enjoy your evening!"

He vanished into the crowd. Betts considered chasing after him, then thought again. This guy Larry really was cute. And he got her pigs-in-a-blanket, after all. She turned to him.

"So do you live in Memphis?"

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Next day, in a hotel room nearby, the phone rang.

"Mom?"

"Betty? Hello, dear. Where were you last night?"

"I…um…left early. I saw Angie, though, and her dad."

"How is Gabriel? Such a sweet man."

"He's fine. He never seems to get any older. He said something funny about Grandma Elizabeth, though. Did you know she wasn't a natural blonde?"

"Well, yes, I guess so. I never really thought about it."

"People keep telling me I look like her, but I never saw it because of the hair. When did she start dyeing it?"

"Before I was born. I think it was when she was with the Carnivale."

"The what?"

"That's how she and my father met. He was managing one of those traveling circuses, and she was a dancer."

"A dancer? In a circus? Wait a minute. Grandpa Jones wasn't always a baseball player? Did he start really late or something?"

"No, but he hurt his knee really badly and had to stop for a few years. He had to wear a brace on it. So he worked for the Carnivale."

"Years? He wore a brace on his knee for years and then went back to pro baseball? Wow."

"Yes, I guess the brace helped fix it. And some guy named Ben treated it somehow. Pa always said Ben fixed his knee. Maybe he was one of those Chinese guys who do acupuncture or something."

"And Grandma Elizabeth was a dancer? I didn't know they had dancers in circuses."

"Well, it wasn't really a circus. It was more like a traveling freak show. They did stuff like fire-eating and sword-swallowing, but they also had people like giants and Siamese twins."

"Doing what?"

"Not much. Just being there so people could look at them. Pa said the twins could sing, though. They were really sweet, he said."

"People just stared at them because they were different? Yuck!"

"It's not as bad as it sounds. Carnivals allowed people like that to earn a living. They don't do that sort of thing any more, though – not politically correct. I think they still have a carnival in Coney Island, though."

"That's awful. And Grandma Elizabeth was a dancer?"

"To tell the truth, I think there might have been more to it than dancing. But she wouldn't talk about the Carnivale. They always pronounced it like that – carni-vahl. If it wasn't for my father, I'd never have known about it. She had a different name, too. He always called her Libby or Lib, never Elizabeth."

"Wait – what do you mean, more to it?"

"Well, I don't suppose it matters now that she's gone. You know – stripping."

"Grandma was a stripper?"

"Well, they didn't call it that then. And maybe a little more, too. You know – for money."

"Are you telling me Grandma was a hooker? Jeez, I can't take this!"

"Well, times were bad. People did what they could."

"But a hooker?"

"Stop calling it that. That's my mother you're talking about."

"Oh, God! I have to go. I'll call you later."

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Back home in New York, Betts' life returned to normal. She went to work, dated, and never heard from Larry the pigs-in-a-blanket guy again. Just as well, she thought – I mean, who crashes a family reunion to pick up girls?

Her cousin Angie came to New York for a vacation, and she told her the story. Angie was fascinated.

"Grandma Elizabeth was a whore?"

"No! Maybe she got a little extra money that way, but I can't believe she did it for a living. She was a dancer."

"Sure she was. Who cares, anyway, she was a terrific lady. Remember playing Ring Around the Rosie with her? She had so much fun with all of us."

"Do you know that Ring Around the Rosie is supposed to be about the black plague? People would get this rash and then fall down dead."

"Oh my God, Betts! You really are depressing, sometimes. You have such a dark view of the world."

She paused for a second. "Hey, I have an idea. Let's go to Coney Island and check out that freak show your mother mentioned. I Googled it – it looks kinda cool. And there's a burlesque show, too."

It took some persuading, but Angie talked Betts into going to see the Sideshow at Coney Island. It was a beautiful summer day, and the boardwalk and Astroland were packed. People waited in line for the famous Cyclone rollercoaster and the Wonder Wheel, a huge Ferris Wheel that dated from 1920. In the Coney Island Sideshow, Betts and Angie watched, entertained, as Serpentina charmed her snakes, and a guy swallowed and regurgitated razor blades. Then they visited the museum, full of old postcards and the history of Coney Island.

The last stop of the day was the burlesque show. It took Angie all day to talk Betts into it. Angie was amused. Betts was shocked – even more so to see that a woman named Jo Boobs (God! What kind of name is that?) actually taught burlesque dancing. Betts stood it as long as she could, then walked out. Angie followed her, but Betts could not be persuaded to return.

"Women want to learn this stuff? Look at the poster! It's disgraceful! Is this what Grandma Elizabeth did? "

"Come on. It's not that bad. People are just having fun. And if Grandma Elizabeth did it, she probably had good reason."

"I think it's disgusting."

"What's disgusting?" A young couple had come up alongside them, looking at the posters of the burlesque show. It was the man who spoke.

"That! Women taking their clothes off for money!"

"Come on, Betts," said Angie. "They don't get paid for it – well, not often, anyway. They're mostly doing it for fun."

"It's gross."

The young man looked at the posters again. "They're OK. I used to know people who did that. They weren't bad people."

Betts turned and looked at the guy. He had a nice face, smiling eyes. His wife was nice-looking, too – tall, with dark eyes and hair, and smiling. Betts relaxed a little, and daydreamed for a moment. An image popped into her mind of Grandma Elizabeth playing Ring Around the Rosie with them, and she smiled. It was too nice a day to be angry.

"I guess I know someone who did it too," she said. "OK, perhaps it wasn't that bad. But I just can't imagine doing it myself, no matter how hard up I was."

"People do all kinds of things when they have to. And a little dancing never hurt anyone. Anyway, it's nice to meet you. My name's Ben, by the way, and this is my wife Sofie. Maybe we'll see you again. We come here a lot."

The young couple turned and walked, arm-in-arm, towards the boardwalk. Betts looked after them.

"It's weird, Angie. I feel as if I know them, but I've never met them before."

"It's just déjà vu. Your mind's playing tricks on you. Come on – let's get an ice cream before we have to get the train back to Manhattan. And you promised to call your mother, remember?"

"Yes, I did. I should call my brother, too. You know, you were right about coming here.. I feel much better about everything. Even about Grandma Elizabeth 'dancing' for a living, and calling herself Libby.

"Now where's that ice cream?"