They had come together from all different parts of the country to celebrate another birthday party. Audra wished they all lived closer together. It seemed like every other week they were piling into the car on a road trip to another get-together. Bill insisted they never miss a single one. Audra guessed it was because he felt guilty for the twenty-seven missing years.
She'd had the story explained to her. That Bill had had to rush off after the death of a childhood friend. He'd gone to his hometown, met with his old gang and they'd all confronted their shared adolescent trauma together. It was a horrible story. Apparently as children, a homeless pervert had tormented them and many other kids. Bill and the rest of his friends believed that instead of the local psychopathic bully being responsible for the many child murders back in the 80s, the hobo was the real culprit and had framed the bully up. Bill also believed he was the cause of his little brother's death although the authorities said he'd simply drowned in a storm drain. Audra wasn't too sure about this part of the story. As kids they'd banded up, tracked the pervert down to his dilapidated crack house and beat the shit out of him until he left them alone.
They discovered however as adults that the pervert had decided to pick up on his old ways, terrorising children and apparently helping a gang of homophobes in a horrific hate crime. They'd gone to confront him and the ordeal had given the old creep a heart attack. Now he was just some dead hobo rotting in his crack house somewhere.
Although it had been an immensely traumatic time, the plus side was that it had brought all the Losers back together again. Now they were more than making up for lost time. This particular get-together, had Bill, Audra and their three kids off to Florida for Mike and Angelique's little boy's birthday.
Mike had taken up work in a college library. Angelique, a willowy woman with shoulder-length curls worked as a horticulturist, (that got a lot of jokes from Richie) designing gardens. Her and Mike had the best backyard out of all the Losers and their families. A pond with a handmade bridge over it, a bench decorated with black filigree, mosaic paths that wound through flower beds bursting with colour, a white swing hanging from a tree and finally and a wooden cubbyhouse for the kids to have their secret meetings in.
The grown-ups were gathered by the patio, snacking on finger-food and sipping sweet tea. The backyard was full of overexcited kids, racing around, yelling and laughing.
Ben and Bev had two children, Brandon and Emily with another one on the way. Brandon had inherited his mother's gorgeous hair. Bill and Audra had three children, Georgina, Stanley and Jonathan. They were working with a speech pathologist on Jonathan's stutter, Bill imparting some wisdom to the boy from his own childhood. Richie and Eddie had adopted twins Harriet and Denise, who were the loudest, sassiest little monsters out of the group. Mike and Angelique had only the one child, shy Leroy who had to be coaxed into joining the others.
"God, I remember when we were thinking of girl's names," Angelique said to Audra in a murmur. "Mike nearly had a heart attack when I suggested…"
"Penelope?" Audra whispered back. Angelique looked surprised.
"Yes! How did you know?" she asked.
"It was same with Bill," Audra replied. "I've always loved the name but he went white as a ghost when I brought it up. I think maybe it has something to do with what happened in Derry."
They were interrupted by the rest of the Losers bursting into laughter. Richie, with a wicked grin on his face was walking over, carrying a piñata and a bat. Audra and Angelique exchanged puzzled looks. It was normal for the two non-Losers to be on the outside of all the in-jokes.
They watched smiling uncertainly as Richie slung the piñata, shaped like a grinning clown up on a branch.
"Line up, line up!" he called like an old-fashioned carnival hawker, "Line up for a turn to beat the hell out of this fu…this freaking clown!"
The kids all ran over to cheers from the rest of the Losers.
"Birthday boy first," Richie said, beckoning at Leroy who was hiding behind his father.
"C'mon Leroy," said Mike encouragingly.
"Go on honey," said Bev, the other Losers echoing her. Leroy was eyeing the grinning clown warily.
"Don't be afraid of him," said Richie with a contemptuous sneer at the piñata. "He's a little bitch!"
"Richie!" Eddie cried out, trying to look disapproving but smiling despite himself.
"Eddie!" Richie called back. Out of all the couples, Audra found Eddie and Richie the most entertaining. It was a constant barrage of schoolyard insults that made everyone roll around with laughter. Audra had no idea there were so many unique variations of your momma jokes. Of course, if something said was too mean-spirited, there were immediate hugs and kisses of apology.
All the kids were giggling now, including Leroy. He trotted over to the front of the line, to whooping from the Losers.
"Aren't you supposed to blindfold him?" Angelique said with confusion as Richie passed the little boy the bat.
"How's he supposed to beat it up properly then?" Eddie asked to more laughter. Then they all let out a raucous cheer as Leroy gave the clown piñata an almighty whack.
Audra wasn't sure if she approved of encouraging violence in the children. The Losers Club all looked delighted as their kids took turns pummelling the ever living shit of the clown piñata. Bev was whistling, Ben was cheering, Bill was clapping his hands to egg them on, Eddie was bouncing in his seat, Mike was laughing at the top of his lungs and Richie was yelling; "yeah get 'im, get 'im right in the face, go on get the bitch!"
Little Stanley managed to knock the clown from the branch and Georgina pummelled it open, its candy guts springing forward. The kids swarmed and Angelique went over to make sure everyone got their fair share. When Harriet noticed she'd taken too much and left Leroy with next to nothing, she pushed sticky handfuls of candy into his hands. Ben looked a bit uncomfortable as he eyed Brandon and Emily munching happily down on their sugary treats. Bev patted him on the hand, giving him a reassuring smile.
Bill met Audra's eye and grinned sheepishly at the disapproving expression on her face.
"You need to teach them to be able to defend themselves," he said with a shrug.
"Against a piñata Bill?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"You know what I mean," he said, laughing a little. She really didn't.
Soon, Mike had Leroy on his knee as he was passed presents. Angelique had given Audra the hint that the boy was a real little bookworm, nearly reading the children's section of the library dry. So Audra and Bill had decided to get him the Harry Potter book-set. Leroy let out a delighted cry as he ripped the wrapping paper open
"He's seen the first two movies already," said Angelique with a grin to her son. "These will be your first chapter books won't they?"
Leroy nodded with excitement.
Mike nodded gratefully at Audra and Bill. He caught eyes with Bill and the two men stared at each other for a few moments, fondness on their faces, before turning away. Audra exchanged a quick look with Angelique. She'd seen it too and shrugged slightly back.
The two women both had the same theory. That there was some unacted on romantic feelings between their husbands. Neither had mentioned it to them. Neither was very surprised either.
"Most of the Losers have gotten married or dated at one point or another," Angelique had said. "Sharing trauma tends to bring people together."
She was referring to the brief romance Bill and Bev had shared as kids. Bill had told Audra that they had shared a kiss after their first confrontation with their childhood tormentor and another one as adults. It had caused real tension in their relationship until Audra met with Beverly and Ben. She realized there was no romantic feeling between Bill and Beverly anymore. The kiss as adults had been something done under great stress. Audra realised she didn't feel threatened by Bev. She was so deeply in love with Ben, it would have been silly to worry about her and Bill.
She had spoken to Stanley Uris's widow on the phone. Patricia had mentioned hearing him lovingly whisper Bill's name from the bathroom on that terrible night.
Audra couldn't help but agree with Angelique. The adoration between the Losers Club was incredibly strong.
The sky was darkening as Angelique ducked inside to get the birthday cake. The children all squealed with delight as it was brought out with sparkling candles. There was appreciative applause from the adults but Audra noticed Mike glance away from the leaping flames with discomfort. After the birthday song was over, she noticed Ben politely shaking his head at an offered slice of cake.
She knew Bev was trying to stop smoking. She'd joked to Audra and Angelique that getting pregnant was her only sure-fire way of keeping off the cigarettes. Richie wouldn't touch a drop of alcohol, but Audra had seen him clutching at a bottle of booze, staring at it as though engaged in a battle of wills, before putting it away again. Audra and Bill had been shopping for the kids and Audra had picked up a yellow raincoat, showing it to Bill for his opinion. Bill had walked out of the store, sitting down on a bench to get his breath back.
Ben carefully read the ingredients on every snack offered to his kids and would politely decline if he deemed it too unhealthy. Once while they were hosting dinner, the stove had lit up with fire as Bill cooked. Mike had clutched at Angelique's arm in a vice grip, turning away and shuddering all through his body. When the twins came down with the flu as toddlers, Eddie had been a barely restrained ball of panic. During their Christmas get-togethers, they'd light the Menorah as well, despite none of them practising the Jewish religion. They'd do it for their long-lost childhood friend.
Audra graciously took a slice of the birthday cake as Angelique went to turn on the patio lights. She watched as the group laughed and ate and joked around, cast in warm light, their tired kids in their laps.
They were still fighting the trauma. It wasn't over with their old tormentor gone. But Audra was glad that at least now they were fighting it together.