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Changes 2/4
Terry L Odell (tlco777@JUNO.COM)Sat, 28 Jul 2001 13:13:09 -0400
Changes By T. L. Odell Part 2/4 See Part 0 for Disclaimers Tessa arrived in the terminal just as the public address system announced that passengers arriving from flight 1935 would be deplaning at gate sixteen. *What a stupid word, deplane,* she thought as she hurried to the gate. *You don't de-bus, or de-train, or de-boat; why de-plane?* She looked expectantly around for her friend. She spotted her easily, although it had been almost ten years since they had seen each other. Cheri's once deep chestnut brown hair was a few shades lighter and streaked with gold highlights. She wore a tunic-length green silk sweater, with a gold chain belt and a black skirt, revealing a shapely figure only the slightest bit thicker than Tessa remembered. "Cecile!" Tessa exclaimed as she waved from the cluster of people meeting the other passengers. Cecile walked over, pulling her carry-on bag behind her. The two women embraced. "Tessa, you look terrific. Married life agrees with you," she said when they pulled away. Tessa laughed as they walked to the parking lot. "You speak with the eyes of a very special friend. You still see me the way I looked in college, I think. But you've held up pretty well yourself, Cecile." "Well, if you pay a personal trainer, a hair dresser- excuse me, a "colorist", and an esthetician enough money, they can slow down the clock a little. But sometimes I think I just want to live "au naturel" and sit around eating chocolate and getting fat. More lap for the grandkids." "Cecile! Grandkids? When? Tell me!" Tessa was surprised to find that she didn't feel any of her usual pangs of jealousy. Cecile was probably the only person in the world she could be happy for right now. "Deborah's expecting in March," Cecile said with a huge grin. "Never thought I'd look forward to being called Grandma. Or should it be Granny, or Gram, or goodness knows what else?" "I think it's usually up to the grandchild," Tessa said, returning Cecile's smile. "Here's my car. I made reservations for us at Mario's. Are you all right with going straight there, or do you need to stop at my place to freshen up?" "I'm fine," said Cecile as she put her bag in the trunk. "If we're early, well, we can always have a pre-dinner drink, right? She gave Tessa another enormous hug. "It is so good to see you." Rush hour traffic had begun to clog the roads as they drove to Mario's, and they arrived just a short time before their reservation. Mario came out to greet Tessa and escorted the women to their table. "It's good to see you again, Tessa," he said. "Can I bring you ladies a bottle of wine?" He set the wine list between them. "You pick the wine. I trust your taste implicitly," said Cecile. "Red or white?" asked Tessa. "Mmmm, I think I'll have something vegetarian, so it really doesn't matter." Tessa looked up at Mario. "A bottle of the Rocca del Macie Chianti Classico, please." After the ritual of approving the wine, Cecile leaned over, her eyes twinkling, and stared at Tessa. "So, is it different, now that you're officially married?" "After all these years, not really. But I have to admit, thinking of Duncan as my husband does give me goosebumps." They caught up on all that had happened since they had last spoken. Cecile's husband Frank's plans for early retirement; Cecile not sure she wanted him around the house all day; their vacation plans for Switzerland in the early summer. Tessa listened, trying to pay attention to what Cecile was saying. Before she realized it, the evening had slipped away, as had the bottle of wine. The dessert cart appeared, and both women hesitated only an instant before pointing at the chocolate raspberry torte. They enjoyed their treats with coffee and without rationalization or guilt. As they scraped the last sweet morsels from their plates, Cecile spoke. "Are you sure you want me to stay at your place, Tessa? You seem a bit down; you've hardly said a thing all evening. I can get a hotel room, no problem." "Of course you're staying with me. No argument. The night is young; we can stay up late and talk until dawn like we used to. Duncan won't be back for days, my work is finally taking shape, so my schedule is clear. We can sleep in, eat junk food-do whatever we want." She motioned for the check, and they walked into the crisp night air to Tessa's car. Traffic had dissipated and they were back at the apartment in twenty minutes. "You can put your things in the guest room down the hall," she said to Cecile. "Do you want some more coffee, or maybe decaf?" "You know what I'd really like?" Cecile said over her shoulder as she walked toward her room. "How about a fire and some good brandy? I seem to recall you have a fairly decent liquor cabinet." Cecile returned to the living room. "You've got me in Richie's old room, right? How's he doing? You and Duncan did a wonderful job turning his life around." "Richie's fine. He's in Mexico now, with yet another girlfriend. I don't think he'll ever settle down. He seems to be keeping out of trouble now that he's given up motorcycle racing. He's even done some buying for Duncan." "Now, lets finish catching up," said Cecile, kicking off her shoes and settling herself on the couch. "Sounds like an all-nighter to me." Tessa lit the fire and poured two snifters of brandy. "And an honest one, too, Tessa. No secrets. Just like in school. Truth Night." She accepted the glass Tessa proffered. Tessa hesitated a moment, but after all, she and Cecile had been honest with each other for nearly four decades. "Truth Night," she repeated, nodding her head. "So, tell me, Tess. How are you handling the big five-oh?" "Better some days than others," Tessa replied, sticking to the rules of being honest, without going into too much detail. "What about you?" "You remember Frank had to be in Tokyo, so I pretty much ignored the day. I went to the gym, had my hair cut short, and watched old movies on T.V. Frank did remember to have flowers delivered, so I knew he was thinking of me. And he brought back some exquisite pearls. And of course, there was the phone call from my best friend." Tessa smiled and got up to refill their snifters. "Your younger best friend." "Right. And besides, I'd already starting thinking of myself as fifty when I turned forty-nine," Cecile went on. "You know, forty-nine sounds like you're really older and shaving years off your age. Nobody believes you're lying if you say fifty. So I guess I was pretty resigned to it. "I already know what your big celebration was," continued Cecile. "But you've just had a matter of weeks to adjust; I've been an "old lady" for five whole months now." She stared at her friend, compassion reflected in her blue eyes. "Why the dark circles under your eyes? What's troubling you? Tell me, please." End of Part 2