"Like a Poet hidden
In the light of thought,
Singing hymns unbidden,
Till the world is wrought
To sympathy with hopes and fears it heeded not:
Like a high-born maiden
In a palace-tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour
With music sweet as love, which overflows her bower:"
- 'To a Skylark' by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1820)
Chapter Forty-three -Music Sweet as Love
"She's pretty" Nancy observed, glaring at Kat as she jostled her in an attempt to crane her neck around the doorway.
"But also, very talented" Chris added from her perch on the counter opposite the row of empty stalls. "Last year Henley Hall put on a production of Twelfth Night* and she played Viola. It was incredible, so naturally Ginny's admired her ever since."
Ginny's awe had been clear from the moment the girls set foot in the diner. They had settled into a booth by the window, ready to put the milkshake versus hot chocolate debate to a vote when Ginny had sucked in a breath loud enough to silence even Nancy's vehement argument. The three girls had fallen silent, following her fixed gaze to a short, raven-haired girl curled up in a corner booth reading a Tennessee Williams* play over a strawberry milkshake.
"Milkshakes it is" Chris met their eyes with a loaded look.
An hour later, Chris had sent Ginny over to her table to bond over their inappropriately summery drinks while she dragged the others with her to the restroom. While Chris reapplied her lipstick, Nancy had taken it upon herself to narrate the events occurring across the vast sea of check linoleum flooring. Although, in Kathleen's opinion the colourful dialogue she provided seemed more fitting for an 'I love Lucy'* sketch than small town diner talk.
"How long should we give it before we drag poor Ginny away?" Chris mused, smoothing the edges of her lips.
Kathleen cast one last look at the table in question before darting back from the doorway. "We're lucky it's relatively empty as it is. I doubt we can continue on like this without drawing any attention."
"There is no harm in keeping an eye on things!"
"Spying, Nancy" Chris laughed, "Kat's right. Hanging out the restroom door looks a little strange even for you, cousin."
She backed away from the half-open door with a glare, "if we go out there and introduce ourselves it will make things awkward."
"I have some change" Kat suggested, "we could use the jukebox."
Chris' eyes lit up. Before they could blink, Nancy and Kathleen were being dragged out of hiding, their shoes gliding across the shiny floor as Chris skipped over to the jukebox with her arms looped through theirs. The trio came to a sudden halt as Chris landed her hands either side of the large, lit up box of wonder.
"Lonely boy? Venus? "She reeled off titles like a record spinning out of control, cheeks flushing in excitement, "Sweet little sixteen? Tequila Song?"*
Kat examined the list for a moment, "surprise us."
With a bright smile she closed her eyes and punched a button.
The upbeat notes of 'At the Hop'* began to filter through the speaker, quickly accompanied by the tapping of Nancy's patent heels on the hard floor as she began to bounce along. Chris swiftly took Kathleen's hands, lifting them until she was spinning. The bright decor became a blur as the girls spun, swayed and pulled each other along as they each stumbled this way and that trying to keep up with the beat.
Ginny caught the smiling eyes of the waitress watching them from behind the counter, all pretences of cleaning dropped now that the diner was devoid of customers expecting her service. By the time Ginny made it over - ducking just in the time to avoid Nancy's rogue swing - the song dwindled until the tinny speaker fell silent once more, leaving only the faint buzzing of the overhead light to fill the cavernous space.
"Shut up."
Nancy threw her hands up, "I didn't say anything."
"You were thinking it" Ginny retorted without so much of a blush. Kathleen looked on reverently at her composure. If only her own emotions could be contained with such poise, she thought as she tried to stabilise her breathing.
"Besides" Ginny continued, "my idiot brother should be outside any minute now." As she spoke a roaring engine cut off outside the diner. The disruption turning heads in the streets took the disappointing form of a navy Buick. "Father will kill him for driving his car like that."
Chris pulled open the diner door, setting off the bell hanging above. "Then let's hope your neighbours aren't wandering around town this time."
"A nosy old couple like that?" Ginny retorted, "he'll be lucky."
"Who's getting lucky?" Chet took off his red letterman to drape over his girlfriend's shoulders with a kiss. "You girls had fun?"
"We did. How was practice?" Chris slipped into the front seat while Ginny immediately circled to the back, gesturing for the girls to follow.
He smiled, eyes flicking up to the rear-view mirror to gauge their attention to his answer as he gunned the engine. "Scored three times. Coach reckons I've got a scholarship in the bag."
"That's great, Chet." He frowned at her vague answer, the lines of his lips becoming more downturned when his girlfriend's focus shifted to the window. Ginny smirked at the girls as she mouthed along to Chet's next words with the same familiarity as her lines in the play; "he said I'm the best Captain the team has seen in ten years." She paused for breath in scary synchronization to her brother. "Isn't it great dating Ridgeway's star athlete?" Ginny bit her lip to stop a laugh erupting when her mimicry drew to an end in the silence left by the half-hearted hum of agreement from Chris.
New England's breath-taking scenery did little to ease the tension as they hurtled down the provincial road to Welton Academy.
"You want me to stop at the gates, um...Kathleen, right?"
Startled, she nodded. "That gates are good, thank you." She hadn't expected him to remember her name.
"Great." He adjusted his grip on the wheel as they turned smoothly, his knuckles whitening as he glanced over at his girlfriend. "Overstreet better not be there if he knows what's good for him."
"Chet!" Ginny snapped, her glare fierce. Her outburst remained ignored by her brother whose focus remained on the passenger seat. Chris made no response but her reflection in the wing mirror showed her lips pressed together. The unnaturally harsh line was startling against the memory of her peach painted cupids bow.
"What? No welcoming committee?" His joke fell flat, all eyes fixed on the asphalt rapidly disappearing as they progressed.
"No" she said eventually, "my grandfather is expecting me for dinner." His jaw tightened. If she hadn't been watching Kat would have assumed she imagined it. A chill crawled down her spine. He was annoyed Knox was unlikely to be waiting outside the gates for them. Suddenly, she was glad she hadn't known what time to tell the boys she would be back. All of her previous hesitations over setting Knox up with Chris went out the window as fast as the hand indicated on Chet's speedometer.
Christine Noel deserved better than Chet Danbury, and Knox sure as hell would not cross paths with him again.
XXXX
I'm cold" Kat complained. She tried in vain once again to lift her legs, but Charlie's calves rested diagonally over her own. "If you won't get a blanket, move and I'll get it."
"Hmm" he placed his finger on his chin in mock thought, leaning back against the armchair Meeks occupied, "I think I'm quite comfortable as I am."
"Or just lazy."
"Here" he sighed dramatically; he signalled Meeks to pass him the school jumper thrown over the back of his chair. It had been there all evening. Actually, it had been on hand all day and quite possibly all week now that Kathleen thought about it.
"A jumper over a jumper, that's your solution?" She took it despite her rather valid - albeit sarcastic- complaint. "I don't understand why you carry a jumper every day when you never wear it."
He shrugged, keeping his eyes glued to his sketch pad. "Neil's mothering must be working."
"Don't get me involved" came a voice from the sofa that Kat was sat against with her legs out straight. "I'm just as interested in your answer to Kat's very relevant question." Neil signalled for Todd to throw over the blanket Kathleen had been referring to, but she shook her head. The double layer had insulated her arms effectively from the frosty air.
"Fuck off" he grumbled. "It's a jumper in winter."
Neil raised an eyebrow.
"Sure" Cameron snorted, catching the attention of the group. He rarely took notice of his friend's quiet murmurings during study group.
"Don't you have work to do?"
"Yes. Coincidently, so do you" Cameron shot back. His roommate simply rolled his eyes.
Kat sought Todd's eyes questioningly, but for once he ignored her and kept his gaze fixed on Neil's script. She sighed and went back to her menial task, humming softly to the Buddy Holly record someone had put on in the common room.
"Kat?"
She made a noise of acknowledgement and continued to swirl the ink in calligraphy her teacher at St Mary's would be proud of.
"What does a girl mean when she asks you to go away."
"Go away."
He blinked, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish. "Oh."
She sealed the envelope in her hands, eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"I met a girl at the post office yesterday" Pitts said sheepishly, "we said hi and everything while we were in the queue and then I asked what she was doing next Saturday."
"And then she told you to go away?" Meeks chuckled, "are you sure that's all you said?"
"I may have, uh, asked her where she got her shampoo from. I told her she smells like my Mom's dog." He peeked at Kat's disbelieving face from behind his hands.
"Why on earth would you say that?" Kat eyed Pitts wearily, ignoring Meeks whose face was slowly turning purple as he clutched the arms of the chair, his shoulders shaking.
"Because it's true."
"But you don't say it!" Charlie threw his eraser lightly and it bounced off Pitts' forehead, "even if your mom treats her dog like the daughter she never had."
"Ouch" Pitts mumbled, "no need to rub it in. That mutt eats better than I do."
"Still, you don't say things like that" Knox groaned, "what's wrong with telling her she looks nice?"
"I panicked!"
"Obviously."
Knox's amusement faded as he caught sight of his name on one of the cards in Kathleen's hand. "Hey, what's that?"
She pulled the card away as he reached out for it. "Your lucky invitation to Nolan's annual Christmas party." He leaned closer and she snatched it away again. "No. If I am being forced to waste my time on them, you can be forced to wait for it."
He laughed, "what a special chance to practice your calligraphy ahead of the math test!"
Kat promptly folded the card into a paper plane and launched it at him. "Special delivery."
"All seniors get one" Cameron interrupted. "It is not special."
Knox swiped the envelope labelled 'Cameron' in Kathleen's careful cursive and chucked it at him. He frowned as it bounced off the hardback math textbook he held up in front of his face. "Of course it's special, Kat wrote it."
"She should be revising for the math test" he spat, "not copying out festive party invitations."
"Are you criticising Nolan!?" Charlie shot up, slamming one hand to the floor to steady himself.
Cameron's mouth fell open. His eyes darted around the faces staring intently at him, squinting slightly at the glare of the light against his polished glasses. "I-no" he snapped, "one imperfect decision is not the judge of an individual as whole." He scanned the defeated frown lines marring the profiles of his friends, "besides" his voice dropped as he conceded "I am in the club, am I not?"
Kathleen smiled.
"If music be the food of love, play on" - Duke Orsino, Twelfth Night. I didn't realise how much of a motif I made music until I edited and named the chapter. I also remebered this shakespeare line from the play mentioned in the begining. Sometimes I surprise myself, haha.
* Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare (1602)
* Tennessee Williams (1911-1983) - American Playwright
*'I love Lucy' (1951-1957)- American television sitcom starring Lucille Ball and her real-life husband Desi Arnaz
* Lonely Boy, Paul Anka (1959) - #6 US Billboard, June 1959 & #3 UK Chart, July 1959
* Venus, Frankie Avalon (1959) - #1 US Billboard, Dec 1959 & #16 UK Chart, April 1959
* Sweet Little Sixteen, Chuck Berry (1958) - #2 US Billboard, March 1959 & #16 UK Chart, May 1958
* Tequila, The Champs (1957) - #1 US Billboard, March 1958 & #5 UK Charts April, 1958
* At the Hop, Danny & the Juniors (1957) - #1 US Billboard, Jan 1958 & #3 UK Chart, Jan 1958
In the UK we have The Sunday Trading Act which limits business opening hours on a sunday, back in the 50s all shops would have been closed under the Shops Acts. I tried to find out if this was also the case in the US but could not find a definitive answer. If this is the case, please pretend for the sake of not only the story but also my sanity that diners would be open! If they were, I find it plausible that Sundays would be as quiet as I have portrayed in a small town.