Frances paused at Lisa's door and knocked. "Lisa? Are you busy?"
"No, come on in."
As she stepped inside her older sister's room it was like stepping into a time machine. Everything was exactly the way it had been since they were in high
school; the same Album covers tacked to the walls along with posters of the celebrities that Lisa and Baby were sure they were going to marry someday and in
various areas of the room stuffed animals of every shape and size.
"Wow."
Lisa laughed. "I know, right? Dad keeps telling me to redo my room; make it more grown up. Well, I have news for him. I'm not going to be living under this roof
much longer."
This was news to Frances. "Why?"
"I'm a woman now and so are you! We need to get out and expand our horizons."
"I've done plenty of that at Mount Holyoke. I'll be in the Peace Corps soon. I guess Dad was right. I really am trying to change the world."
"That's easy for you to say. Dad's always liked you best."
"Lisa, don't start that again."
"It's true! When's the last time that he's ever complimented me or said one of my ideas was good?"
"I-I… What are you crazy? Lots of times!" Frances stammered. "I mean, I can't think of anything specific, but-."
"Because there's not anything specific, Baby. He may listen when I talk but I don't think he ever really hears me. At least he realized what a jerk Robbie was."
"Lisa-."
"I was a jerk too, though. How could I have been so stupid?"
"It wasn't your fault."
"But you tried to warn me and I just-."
Frances went to her sister and hugged her tight. "Since when do you listen to me anyway?"
"At least you found someone who cared about you."
Baby's heart clinched at the thought of Johnny and she wondered if she'd ever be able to stop thinking about him.
"Robbie was-."
"Not the right person." Frances finished. "But don't worry, Lisa. You'll find someone."
"You sound like Mom and Dad."
Frances laughed. "Sorry. But it's true. I bet by next summer you'll find someone new and you will have forgotten all about… him."
"Where, at Kellerman's? God, I can't believe that Dad's making us go there again! Doesn't he know what I went through?"
"Actually he doesn't. But that doesn't mean-."
"You're really lucky, Baby."
"I guess."
"I'm not looking forward to this vacation at all."
"Neither am I." Frances admitted. "But-."
"If it makes Dad happy-." They both finished in unison.
"Oh God, how are we going to survive this vacation?"
"We have each other."
"We do, don't we?"
Frances accepted Lisa's hug. "Always."
After a few seconds they drew back. "Well, we're on Spring Break, so now what?"
"How about a movie? Just the two of us? Maybe some shopping?"
Lisa's eyes widened. "I thought you'd never ask!"
"Last one ready is a rotten egg!" Frances laughed as Lisa pretended to chase her out of the room, a game they'd played a lot when they were kids. When she
reached her bedroom, she quickly changed into shorts and a pink button down shirt that she tied at the waist. For the first time since she could remember, she
actually looked forward to spending the day with her older sister.
They returned late that night, laughing and carrying on about the fun they'd had. Even the fact that they had returned well past their curfew hadn't bothered
their parents who were only too happy to see that their daughters had bonded over a day of shopping and the movies.
"All right girls, time to get ready for bed." Their mother announced.
"Marge, they're grown women. They don't need a bedtime."
Frances smiled at her father. There he went again, pretending that she was an adult instead of his little girl.
"Well, I guess you're right. But it is late."
"That's okay, Mom. I am tired." Frances admitted. But when she and Lisa reached their bedrooms, they looked at each other and laughed.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lisa asked.
"A sleepover?"
"Perfect. I'll meet you in your room in ten minutes."
True to her word, Lisa poked her head into Frances' room exactly ten minutes later. From that minute until they both fell asleep as the sun peaked over the
horizon, they laughed, listened to records and carried on as though they were best friends. And Frances realized that since that fateful summer at Kellerman's
they'd grown closer than two sisters ever could. She missed Lisa terribly when she went off to Mount Holyoke and wrote to her almost every day. She wanted
her sister to share in her college experience and told Lisa things that she would never tell her parents. But the one thing she kept to herself was how much she
missed Johnny Castle. How could Lisa possibly understand her feelings for Johnny when Frances barely understood it herself?