Ch. 2
"It's so nice to see you again, too," Lela said. "How is Brady? Still a dreamboat?"
Mack laughed. "He's adorable! We're still together, actually."
Lela squealed with delight. Mack was amazed at how she managed to sound so much like a giggly teenage girl.
"Would you like to see a picture of him?" Asked Mack.
"Would I?" Said Lela."I'd love to!"
Mack reached into her purse and removed her cell phone. She scrolled down her pictures until she found a recent photo of her boyfriend, then she handed it to Lela. Lela studied it intently, her frail-looking hands shaking a bit.
Finally, she said; "This is such an unusual camera, Mack. Where does the film go?"
Mack laughed. "This is a smartphone. It doesn't take film. They weren't, um, around yet when we were younger." She wasn't sure how to refer to the time when she and Lela were both 16, yet decades apart.
Lela handed the phone back to Mack. "You were so ahead of your time, even back then. And Brady is still as cute as ever. He hasn't changed since 1962!"
Mack and Lela chatted as if they'd never been apart. Mack learned that Lela had married Tanner when she was 19, became a voice teacher, and had five children. She also learned that Tanner had passed away over a year ago. Before she knew it, it was late in the afternoon, and she had to get home. She promised to return and visit the next day.
"I'll bring a surprise," she told Lela, as she hugged her goodbye and kissed her papery cheek.
Later:
"Are you sure it was really her?" Asked Brady. He and Mack were laying in bed talking that night.
"Yes," said Mack. "Without a doubt. She's aged a lot, of course, but it is her. When you see those eyes, Brady, you'll know."
"What's she like now, anyway?" Questioned Brady. "I can't even imagine. She was so hot in a bikini."
Mack jabbed him in the side. "She's really sweet," she told him. "And she's still beautiful. She actually looks a little like Betty White, but with silvery hair. She's obviously suffering from some type of dementia, though. The way she talks, sometimes she sounds like that Summer was just a few days ago, and she's still 16. But other times, she talks about things that happened later in life, like her marriage to Tanner."
"Dude!" Exclaimed Brady. "They got married? I knew it!"
Mack laughed. "And they had a very happy life together, raising five kids."
"Sweet," said Brady. "Maybe that will be me and you someday?"
Mack rolled her eyes. "Well, I don't know about the five kids."
There was a pause, then Brady said; "It's so weird to think of Lela as old. I guess I'll always think of her as a teenager, hanging out at Big Mama's."
"I know," said Mack. "Hey? Would you come with me to visit her tomorrow?."
"Sure," Brady replied. "That'd be great."
"She'll be so happy to see you." Mack told him.
To Be Continued