CHAPTER III
Six years later
"It was great seeing you guys!" gushed Chrissy. "Thank you so much for coming!"
"What are you doing, Chrissy?" asked Larry. "Are you kicking us out?"
"What? No! Why'd you say that?"
"Usually, when the hostess thanks the guests for coming, it means it's time for them to leave."
"Where did you dig up this pearl of wisdom, Larry? Greece?" asked Jack. "I've never heard of such a custom."
"Yeah, I think so. Must be Greece. Or Russia. Or Israel…"
"Great, except we don't live in any of those, no doubt, fabulous faraway lands but in the good old US of A. And my wife and I don't want you guys to leave any time soon."
"Of course we don't! I'm so glad we decided against a big celebration with twenty people. This is so nice. Just us and you guys and nobody else – " Chrissy was interrupted by the doorbell.
"And obviously, somebody else," quipped Terri.
Chrissy and Jack exchanged puzzled glances.
"Who could that be?" mused Jack. "We weren't expecting anyone else tonight."
"Jack, honey?" Chrissy turned to her husband. "Why don't you go and see?"
"Ohh, sweets, I'm so full I can't even move," groaned Jack. "Could you?"
"What's wrong with you guys?" exclaimed Terri. "Are you afraid to answer the door? Who do you think it is, a boogeyman?"
"Okay, nobody move a muscle. I'll go." Larry got to his feet, pushing his chair back noisily.
"No, sit, Lar, sit! I'm going!" Jack jumped up as well.
All four ended up rising at the same time and crowding one another in the doorway.
When they finally pushed through and the front door was opened, they all stood frozen and staring. Then everybody started shouting all at once.
"Oh my goodness! It's Janet!"
"How about that! Janet!"
"Who could've thunk it! Janet!"
"Let me through!" shrieked the hostess who had found herself bringing up the rear. She shoved everyone out of her way and crushed the newcomer in an embrace. The two of them stood in silence, cheek to cheek, with their arms around each other.
Then the clamor resumed:
"Enough hogging her, Chrissy!"
"I also wanna say hi!"
"Come on, pass her around!"
"Don't fight over me, you guys!" said the cause of the commotion. "I've got enough hugs for everybody." She held out her arms, and they all rushed in for a group hug.
When they finally made it back to the living room, for a while they sat in incredulous silence. Then questions started spilling out all at once, like dry beans out of a ripped sack.
"What happened to you?"
"Where've you been hiding all these years?"
"You fell off the map!"
"Why didn't you ever call or write?"
"We couldn't reach you!"
"Guys, I am so sorry. I've been a terrible friend, I know." Janet looked remorseful. "I would've loved to keep in touch. But things got too… too complicated. Anyway, I am here now, aren't I?"
"Are you? Let me check." Terri squeezed Janet's arm. "Oh good, you feel real. For a minute there I wondered if I was hallucinating."
"How come you dropped in just like that? Why didn't you call?"
"I didn't even have your phone number anymore. But I did have this address, even though I didn't know if you guys were still here. And I did remember what a special day today was."
"You remember today is – "
" – our fifth anniversary?"
"You weren't even at our wedding!"
"Come on, guys. Just because I couldn't be there doesn't mean I didn't know it was happening. Or when."
Chrissy's eyes welled up. Jack stared at the tips of his shoes.
Janet reached into her purse and pulled something out. "I know how tacky this may look. But I thought and I thought about what to get you and realized how easy it would be to get it wrong. Your tastes and interests might've changed. So, rather than saddle you guys with something you don't want – " She handed Chrissy an elegantly colorful envelope.
Chrissy looked dubious. "Oh Janet, you didn't have to – "
"Please open it," said Janet softly.
Chrissy slit the envelope open and unfolded the beautiful greeting card inside. Then her eyes and mouth formed perfect zeros.
"Janet, no," she whispered. "There's no way we can take this."
"What's that?" Jack peered over his wife's shoulder, and his face took on the same expression. "We can't accept this! It's, like, a year's – "
"Guys, please. Believe me, it comes straight from the heart. Think of it as five years' worth of gifts – birthdays, anniversaries, everything I missed." She looked from one to the other with a bright smile. "Whatever you get yourselves with this, you'll know it's from me."
"Oh honey..." Speechless, Chrissy again crushed Janet in a hug and stood with her forehead pressed against her friend's temple. Jack put his arms around both women.
"Are we done with the formalities?" Larry swung a chair around and straddled it, facing Janet. "Now quit stalling and start talking. You have six years of your life to account for."
"That's true. There's so much to tell I don't know where to start."
"From the beginning!"
"No, from the end! What are you up to these days?"
"Where do you live now?"
"What about your work?"
"Wait a minute! Where's Philip? Is he coming?"
Janet shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, Terri. I haven't seen the guy in years."
"Oh no, I am so sorry!" Terri put a comforting hand on Janet's shoulder.
"Please, Terri. You needn't get upset on my account. I am fine."
"What happened? You two looked so happy!"
"The guy was crazy about you!"
"I know," said Janet with insouciance. "He was crazy about me, and I must've been crazy about the fact that someone had finally come along to take me seriously. Once the euphoria wore off, there wasn't much left in that marriage to hang on to."
"Oh, that's so sad…" Chrissy hung her head. "All these years I've been picturing you happily married, with a family of your own…"
"Well, that's not how it worked out. Please, guys, let's skip the pity party. Believe me, I am not a grieving divorcée, far from it."
"Oh, so you remarried!" Chrissy brightened up. "When? Who is he?"
"No, honey, I haven't. Still, there's no need to feel sorry for me."
"But you do have someone special in your life, don't you?"
"Of course, Terri. I've always been blessed with having special people in my life. Like all of you."
"If we are as special as all that, how come you left us behind and vanished without a trace?"
She looked up at Jack. "Things just happened."
"So, now things just happened to bring you back? For how long?"
Janet looked shamefaced. "I don't even know how to tell you this, guys. I am not staying. In fact, I have to leave very soon to catch a flight. I only happened to be in town for a few hours passing through, but of course I couldn't leave without coming here."
"Passing through? On the way from where to where?"
"Now you are just sounding more and more mysterious!"
"We still don't know squat!"
"There's no mystery here. I have to travel a lot for work, so I am hardly ever in the same place for longer than a few days at a time. And those few days are always a frenzy of activity and confusion. That's why I haven't been able to reconnect with anybody."
"What kind of work is that? Weren't you going to go into the flower business?"
Janet smiled pensively. "That's right, I was thinking of it at one time. Back when I believed my future was in the flower business simply because I loved flowers. Then I realized I could still love them in my spare time and do something more exciting for a living."
"And what's that?"
"Technology. Computer science. That's where it's at. The future, the jobs, the real progress. Limitless possibilities. And as for excitement – "
"Slow down there for a sec. How did you end up working in computers? If I remember correctly, you only had a degree in business administration."
"Which has stood me in good stead even in this new line of work. Also, I went back to school to earn another degree."
"So, where do you work now? What kind of job is that? Is it in L.A.?"
"It's based in Washington, D.C. But like I said, there's a lot of travel involved." Janet looked at her watch, then at the four faces around her.
"This is it? You are leaving?"
"What can I do, Jack? I wish I didn't have to."
"Well, okay then..." A pall seemed to have fallen over the group. Janet stood up, and everyone followed suit.
"Hold it right there!" Larry blocked her way. "I need to talk to you for a minute."
"What's up, big guy?" She looked up at him with a smile.
"Listen, I – I needed your help with something but you were nowhere to be found."
"What is it, Lar? Out with it."
"The thing is that I – " he looked mildly embarrassed, "I started a small garden in our backyard."
"Why, Larry, that's wonderful! I've always suspected you were hiding a green thumb!"
"Ha! Most of the time I don't even know what I'm doing there. Could've used your input. That is, if you still remember anything about it."
"I'm sure I remember enough to be able to help you. So sorry I wasn't there for you, Lar. Here," she pulled out a card and handed it to him. "I'll be happy to help as much as I can. Just call this number. I'll be back there in a few days. Leave me a message, and I'll call you back first chance I have."
"Now you are talking!" Larry glanced at the card. "Wow, not bad! Ms. Janet Wood, Ph.D., IT Project Manager? That's pretty impressive!"
"Wood? You went back to your maiden name?" asked Chrissy, surprised.
"I never changed it to begin with. Now do you get it, guys? First school, then this crazy job... I've barely had time to breathe. Am I forgiven?"
"We'll see." Chrissy held out her hand. "You got any more of those?"
"Of course, honey! Here." Janet placed another card on the hall table.
"Good. You are not getting away from me as easily this time."
"I don't intend to." Janet hugged Chrissy and whispered something in her ear.
"Huh?" Chrissy flapped her eyelashes in confusion. "What does that mean?"
Janet winked at Chrissy and held a finger to her lips. Then, after another round of hugs, she was gone.
"What did she say to you?" asked Jack.
Chrissy shrugged, looking nonplussed. "Something weird. It doesn't make any sense."
...
Crossing the street, Janet walked up to the waiting car.
"Everything go okay back there?" asked the grizzled man in the driver's seat. "Did they buy it?"
"Swallowed it. Hook, line and sinker. Give me a little credit."
"Never doubted you for a minute. Hey..." He took her by the chin and turned her face towards him. "What about you, kid? You all right?"
"Why wouldn't I be? Come on, old man, start the car..."