Lucy Van Pelt: A Lost Cause (Part 2)
CHAPTER 1: CATCHING UP WITH FAMILY
Sparkyville, USA 5:00 PM
Charlie had given Violet a ride to her hotel in his rental car. She wanted to hook up with him for dinner later that night, as the next day, the two of them were going to be busy catching up with their friends. After dropping her off and promising to come back after settling in at his folk's house, he took off for his old home. He saw the old neighborhood. It hadn't changed too much. He saw the old ballfield, which was covered in snow due to it being winter. He also drove by the Van Pelts home. He saw Larry snow blowing the driveway. He decided to pay his condolences before continuing on.
"Hey, Mr. V!" Charlie called to him.
"Charlie?" he said. "Well how are you doing, son?" He walked up to shake his hand.
"I'm pretty good, sir," he said. "Came back for your daughter's funeral, and to catch up with old friends. By the way, you have my condolences."
"Thank you, son," he said, somberly. "I never told Lucy or the wife this, but I was glad when you finally stood up to Lucy that day in high school. Linus had told me about it. I know you had a hard time with my daughter, and I'm so sorry about the abuse you suffered at her hands."
"Thank you, sir. I had just got back in town. I actually flew in with Violet from California and…"
"You mean Violet Gray? I haven't heard from her or her family in years since they left town all those years ago."
"Yeah, she lives in California like I do. Only she's in LA and I'm in Vallejo, not too far from San Francisco."
"Your parents told us about your restaurant you run out there. I'm happy you proved my daughter wrong."
"Sir?"
"I have heard her talk bad about you, saying you would never be successful and forever be unloved. These days I wonder how me and Lacey ended up with such an insufferable brat for a daughter. I think maybe we should have… Never mind. Did your dad tell you about Lucy's passing?"
"Actually, it was Linus that informed me that she died. Dad only filled me in on how she did it."
"Did he say anything about coming to town for her funeral to you? Linus doesn't really talk to us much these days. And Rerun doesn't talk to us at all."
"He hasn't said anything to me about whether he was coming or not. Whatever is going on between you and your sons is none of my business."
"I understand. Anyway, I won't hold you up. Welcome home, Charlie. Give your parents my love."
"Will do, sir. I'll see you at the funeral." And Charlie drove off toward his old house.
When he got there, it looked the same, except for some new siding that his father said they recently installed. In the backyard was Snoopy's old doghouse, unchanged from when he was alive. The red paint was flaking off a little, but otherwise still intact. Charlie one day promised that when he was in town one of those days when he had some time off that he would grab all of Snoopy's old belongings and bring them to California with him. He rang the doorbell and a blond-haired older woman answered. It was his and Sally's mother, Maureen.
"Charlie, baby," said his mother. "You made it."
"How are you, mom?" he said as he went in for a hug.
"I'm fine, dear," she said. "How are you doing? You know, with Lucy's suicide and all?"
"I'm actually okay, mom. I'm sorry she ended up like she did, but I'd be lying if I said she didn't put this on herself. As far as I'm concerned, she took the easy way out. Sorry if I don't seem sensitive about her passing, but this girl caused me so much grief over the years, it's hard to mourn her."
"I totally understand, baby. And I don't blame you at all."
"Thanks, mom. You know when Sally and Schroeder are supposed to come?"
"Their flight is supposed to touch down any minute. Why you ask?"
"I actually have a dinner date with an old friend. You remember Violet Gray?"
"Oh my gosh! Is she back, too?"
"Yeah. We flew into town together. It turns out she lives in California, as well. But she's in LA. She also found out about Lucy's passing and we bumped into each other when I was on layover at LAX. It turns out she and Patty stayed in touch over the years."
"Wow. Well I look forward to seeing her again. Your old room is waiting. Sally and Schroeder will be staying at a hotel downtown."
"Okay, thanks, mom. Dad must be down at the barber shop."
"He is. You know how your father loves to chat it up there." And Charlie brought his luggage into his old room. His parents turned it into a guest room with a larger bed and also added a computer desk with computer for folks to use when they visit.
After cleaning up and getting dressed, Charlie went back to the hotel where Violet was staying. She stepped out in a sleek black dress with matching high heels. He thought she looked stunning. He hopped out of the car and held the door for her to get in. Then they took off for Ricardo's, a fine-dining establishment right on the river.
Later at Ricardo's, the two of them continued to catch up on what they've been up to.
"So, Peppermint Patty and Marcie actually fell out?" Violet asked.
"Yeah," Charlie responded. "As you may remember, Patty wasn't the brightest student in town, to say the least. You could say she made me look like Einstein by comparison."
"Ha ha!" laughed Violet. "I never thought you would ever joke about yourself, Charlie. I am still amazed at the change in you."
"Well, Violet, you were right about many things about me," said Charlie. "I had a lot of personality issues that I needed to work on. I even started getting better before my falling out with Lucy."
"Well, you definitely changed for the better, dear."
"Thank you. Anyway, getting back to what I was talking about, Marcie took it personally when Patty announced she was quitting school. Not too long after what happened with Lucy and I, the two of them were about to end their friendship acrimoniously…
Twenty years earlier…
At Sparkyville High School, Peppermint Patty and Marcie were walking fast. Patty was ahead of Marcie, as the two teen girls were upset. Charlie Brown and Linus watched as the fight ensued.
"You're making a big mistake, sir!" argued Marcie.
"Well look at me, Marcie!" Patty exclaimed. "I'm not getting any smarter. I'm getting dumber. The teachers don't want to help me. One of them even said I was beyond help! I am doomed to be stupid! So why should I stay in school anyway. I'm 16 now, and legally, I can quit school if I want to. It's different from when we were kids and stayed on Snoopy's doghouse thinking it was Chuck's guest cottage. Now I can leave without repercussions!"
"But what do you gain from leaving school?" Marcie reasoned. "Absolutely NOTHING! That's what!"
"I'm not gaining anything from staying, either. My dad still works late, he's just breaking even every week. I just got hired at that fast food joint, I figured I'd help bring in money to our household. You see? I'm not just quitting school to do nothing. I'm joining the workforce to help my dad. Besides that, if I stay, by the time I graduate, I'll be old enough to buy beer!"
"Okay, Patricia," said Marcie, now getting serious. "It's your choice. But know this. If you choose to quit school. You can consider our friendship over. Because I tried to help, but you wouldn't study. I tried to get you to read over the summer, but you played baseball instead. If you quit school, all of my efforts to help you would have been in vain. All I ask is that you not do it right away. Think it over until the end of the day. THEN make your decision. But I advise you to choose wisely." And Marcie left to go to class. Peppermint Patty went to hers as well. Charlie Brown and Linus, who watched but remained silent, followed suit.
Back to the present
"Well at the end of the day, Patty turned in her form to leave school, and hers and Marcie's friendship came to an end that day," Charlie said, finishing his story. He took a sip from his wine before continuing. "After a while, Marcie made other friends, and she and Franklin became an item not too long after that."
"I figured those two would hook up," said Violet with a smile. "When she wasn't pining for you, she was dancing with him quite a bit."
"Yeah by high school, I guess she figured it was best to have me as a friend than to not have me at all," said Charlie. "Not too long after college, they both got married and had two kids. Like Linus, Franklin also went into the military. And he still works for the army as a staff sergeant at an army base in Baltimore, where they live. Marcie got a job at a technology institute. But the two of them still make time for their kids, although they have a nanny to take care of them when they're at their jobs."
"Marcie didn't invite Patty to their wedding?"
"Sadly, no. There is still bad blood between the two of them. As for Patty, she finally dropped the 'Peppermint' nickname and now goes by Tricia. She eventually went back to school and got serious about finally finishing school, earning her GED in the process. She managed to do that before Marcie and Franklin's wedding. She tried to reach out to Marcie, but I think Marcie figured too much time had passed between the two of them, she didn't even respond to Tricia's messages. Eventually, Tricia stopped even trying to get in contact with her. I talked to Franklin recently about this, and he told me Marcie never got over that 'betrayal' from her quitting in the first place."
"So where is Tricia now?"
"Would you believe she and Roy hooked up? They still live here in town. Tricia works at a local gym, and Roy is a mechanic. They are also engaged to be married, but they are waiting until they have enough money for a big wedding and a new place. She's also determined to do it better than her former best friend. Always the competitor, Tricia Reichardt."
"That's too bad about them ending their friendship. I wonder if Marcie and Franklin are coming for the funeral, as well."
"They might, Vi. But don't expect Marcie and Tricia being particularly warm to each other. They could actually rival the drama between Linus, Rerun and their parents."
"How about Pig Pen? Is he still here, too?"
"He is. And you will be happy to know he is now clean as a whistle these days. He's a lawyer here in town. And Frieda runs a clothing boutique downtown. As far as I know, those two are still single, like us."
"You know, Charlie, I think it was destiny that we reconnected at LAX. In spite of what I said as a kid and how I acted, I always liked you."
"You did?"
"Uh huh. And this isn't the wine talking, either. Charlie, you were a cute boy then, and you grew into a handsome, successful man."
Charlie couldn't believe it. He wondered if Violet was flirting with him. It seemed like it.
"As I said at LAX, any woman would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend. I was wondering, would you be opposed to a long-distance relationship?"
"What are you getting at, Violet?"
"Well, let's just say with you living in Vallejo, California, and, just for an example, let's just say there was a girl you liked living in New York City. Would you be able to handle a long-distance relationship with that girl even though you both are spread a country apart from each other?"
"Maybe. Long-distance relationships are tricky but can work."
"Well, how about a girl 300 miles away south of where you are? A girl you knew as a kid, with long, black hair, brown eyes, tall, yet curvy, and has a great personality?"
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Violet Gray, are you asking to date me?"
"I think I am, Charlie Brown. Let's just see where it goes first. If it's meant to be, we'll go from there. If not, well, we'll see. Are you game?"
Charlie didn't know what to think. He was attracted to Violet, but could he date her with them being miles apart, yet still in the same state?
"I think we can try it out," he said. "Let's see where it goes."
"Exactly," agreed Violet. And she leaned in and delivered a soft kiss on Charlie's lips. He liked it. Her lips were soft and moist. And when she kissed him, it felt very passionate. He thought to himself that never in a million years would he be kissing Violet Gray, beyond a peck on the cheek, that is. But here they were, at Ricardo's, passionately kissing each other.
When they parted, she asked, "How did you like that, baby?"
"Wow!" said Charlie. "That felt good."
"Well, that's just a taste of what's to come. I do care about you a lot, Charlie. And I hope we can be together even longer. But let's see where this goes, first." And Charlie paid the tab and the two of them left Ricardo's. They both had a long day ahead the next day. And Charlie would start the day out as Violet's new boyfriend.
NEXT CHAPTER: PEANUTS REUNITED