Sisterhood Of Lake Alice (10 page)

Grace had chosen the song “Singing in the Rain
.
” As she walked to the stage, she closed her eyes and tried to remember how Gene Kelly had danced down the street in the movie, which she had seen so many times. As she began to sing, her feet started to mimic the funny dance that she had come to love. By the time her song ended, she felt she had a chance to get the part that she had almost thrown away because of her fear of rejection. A week later, she received a letter with an offer for the part of one of the brides.

She went to rehearsals every Wednesday evening and Sunday afternoons. Two months later, the play opened to rave reviews. Grace’s beautiful voice was mentioned in several articles. She had fallen in love with being on stage. After six weekends, the play was over, but her love for drama was deeply embedded in her soul. She was convinced that she needed to bring plays to Fergus Falls. Grace had finally found a passion that she knew would bring her happiness.

*

With a newfound confidence in herself, Grace made an appointment with the dean of students, Mr. Sorenson, at Fergus Falls Junior College to present him with a proposal. She had spent a week carefully creating the plan and making sure the proposal was perfect. The proposal was to start a theater group at the college. She offered to work without pay. One of the directors from the city theater group had volunteered to assist in organizing the program.

Grace was willing to do whatever it took to produce their first musical. She had already convinced Claire that it was a wise investment to use some clothes from the shop as wardrobe. In return, she was to become an honored patron and receive a free ad in the play’s program. Warren Rovang from Rovang’s Men’s Clothing Store matched the offer and agreed to take care of dressing the men in the play. The City Café agreed to pay for the printing of the program in exchange for an ad. Victor Lundeen’s bookstore had already committed to the largest ad on the back cover.

Mr. Sorenson was so impressed with all of Grace’s preparation that he knew he could not refuse her proposal. Therefore, the Fergus Falls Theater Group became a reality. Grace now had her job, the theater group, and school to keep her happy and fulfilled.

*

The first production of the Fergus Falls Theater Group was in the fall. The group had twenty-two performers and a six-piece band. Another group of fifteen volunteers made the scenery and props. More than sixty people of all ages were involved and dedicated to the group.
Brigadoon,
the first play, turned out to be far more complicated than anyone had originally thought. However, opening night and the next three weekends, they played to a sellout crowd. Grace played the starring role of Fiona. Nightly, the audience gave Grace and her leading man, Roy Kastelle, with his strong tenor voice, standing ovations. They loved their characters of Fiona and Tommy.

People came from Dalton, Detroit Lakes, and Fargo. Great reviews were written from as far away as Minneapolis. Grace’s family came to every performance, cheering her on. Her father often sat there with tears in his eyes, while her mother smiled brightly. As an added surprise, Grace realized that she had feelings for Roy. They began to date, spending hours talking about their dreams for the future.

*

When the play ended, the group immediately started planning for the spring musical production of the roaring ’20s play called
Flapper
. There were parts for all ages. Grace put an article in the
Daily Journal
for auditions. More than a hundred people of assorted ages from as young as six to as old as eighty tried out for the various parts. The play called for thirty-two actors. Those who were not chosen eagerly signed up for the production crew. Sets were created and clothes collected from those that still had their old raccoon coats, ukuleles, and flapper dresses.

Grace took a smaller part this time. Once again, the play was a huge success. This time people came from as far away as Alexandria and Breckenridge. The Fergus Falls Theater Group was now in great demand. They came together every Tuesday evening. When they were not rehearsing for a play, they practiced their singing, dancing, and acting skills.

This lighthearted group truly enjoyed their time together. Grace and Roy became a couple, with dates on Saturday evenings. They both knew that they would always be good friends. When Roy left to go to Mankato State College the next year, once again Grace cried and felt abandoned. However, she had so much to be grateful for this time. She loved her job at Claire’s, liked taking some classes at the junior college, and never missed a Tuesday night with the theater group.

*

The two years of junior college passed by quickly. Each summer, she spent some time with Lindy and Rebecca when they came home. It became more obvious that they were changing and growing in different directions. The close bonds of high school were disappearing. They never heard from Emily. After many discussions, they all decided that Emily had replaced them with new friends in Madison and no longer cared about them.

When Grace graduated with a two-year degree in business, she knew she had to face the decision about what to do next. She had been saving her money and now had enough to go away to school. She applied and was accepted at Mankato State, St. Catherine’s College in Minneapolis, and Duluth State College. All of them had strong programs in business and a drama department. Grace had all the college information spread out on the dining room table one evening, when her sister Faith came running into the room. She gathered the family together around the table for important news. She had just become engaged to her high school sweetheart, Rodney. Everyone hugged and congratulated her.

Faith immediately started making plans for a June wedding. She wanted a large wedding with all the fancy fixings. Anna and Paul sat silently listening to all of her plans, knowing there was no money that would allow her dream wedding to come true. It seemed to be a simple decision for Grace. She offered to loan Faith her college money for her wedding. Therefore, Faith had the wedding of her dreams and Grace remained at home.

*

The same thing happened when Hope needed money for her wedding. It seemed that every time one loan was repaid, there was another O’Malley in need. Grace was always happy to help. She often thought that perhaps this was a sign from God that she needed to stay in Fergus Falls. Much to her surprise, she did not mind. She had found friends, purpose, and a good life in Fergus Falls. After awhile, she could not think of anywhere else she would rather be. Most days, as she curled up in the special quilt from Isabel, she felt content and at peace.

Chapter Eight
 

Lindy

Lindy graduated with top honors from high school. She worked hard all summer helping her parents and training her replacement at the dry cleaners. She went on shopping trips with her mother, but in the end, Mom made most of Lindy’s college wardrobe. It seemed that every one of her outfits had something that either sparkled or glittered.

The last week of August, she left for Mankato. In a borrowed pickup truck, Papa, Mama, and Lindy squeezed into the front seat, with the back loaded with all of Lindy’s possessions. Mankato State College was a small campus with less than two thousand students. It was growing in popularity each year and was in a constant state of expansion. The two steep hills in town were located on campus. The campus buildings were divided into the lower campus at the bottom of the hill, which was close to downtown. Most of these buildings were older buildings with lots of character. The upper campus sat at the top of the hill with the newer buildings. Lindy loved the feel of the old buildings. She was happy when she found out that more than half of her classes would be held in the lower campus.

As the family toured the campus, her parents could not hide their pride. Lindy would be the first person on both sides of her family to go to college. They were optimistic for her. Just before her parents left to return to Fergus Falls, they took Lindy out for dinner. Her dad handed her an envelope with ten $10 bills. Lindy hugged them both, knowing how hard they had worked for that money. She promised to make them proud of her. She already had a part-time job at a local restaurant as a waitress. She was excited about her new life and all the adventures that were ahead.

*

When Lindy arrived on campus, she quickly discovered that she seemed to stand out wherever she went. At a size 22, she towered over all of the petite girls who ran around campus in their miniskirts. Her dark, thick, black hair added several more inches to her height. Her wild, colorful clothes and makeup caused many to turn their heads. Lindy decided to just be herself. There would be no changing into a preppy college coed for her. Her style was her statement, and she wore it with flair and no apologies.

Shortly after her parents left, her new roommate arrived. It turned out that her roommate, Catherine, was the worst possible match. Lindy was full of energy, while Catherine was quiet and loved to sleep. Lindy was a night owl, while Catherine was up at dawn. Lindy hated exercise of any type, while Catherine worked out daily. They never really quarreled; they just ignored each other. When forced to, they would tolerate each other’s presence. Lindy just figured that it was yet another of life’s little jokes. Catherine, on the other hand, did not find any of the situation amusing.

*

Lindy had known for years that she wanted to be a nurse. She felt her talent for brightening up any place she went would be very useful as a nurse. She was especially fond of the elderly. All of her special times with her grandma had made her very comfortable in relating to them. For some strange reason, the older folks accepted her bigger-than-life style more than people of her own age, who thought she was just plain weird. On the outside, Lindy looked brave, bold, and ready to take on the world. Inside, she was often hurt and carried much insecurity. Instead of an active social life, Lindy studied hard, taking twenty credits each semester. Her goal was to graduate in three years.

In addition to a heavy class schedule, Lindy worked long hours at a restaurant and bar called Molly’s. It was the kind of place where all the college kids loved to hang out. Every Thursday evening, the bar offered beers for $1 and sponsored a talent show. The winner received dinner for two and a cheap plastic trophy. Lindy sang almost every week in the talent show; she also won almost every week. The crowd grew to love her big bold country-western style.

After six months, Molly offered Lindy a job singing on the weekends. The standing-room-only crowds would cheer her on as she sang her heart out every Friday and Saturday night. Lindy had never been happier. She knew she was going to love being a nurse. However, she loved singing on her little stage at Molly’s in her homemade fancy western outfits. It was a place where everyone accepted her just as she was. For those few hours each week, Lindy forgot all her insecurities.

*

By the end of her first year, she was making enough money that she could afford to stay on for summer school. Just before school started in September, she found a furnished one-room apartment where she no longer had to worry about roommates. Lindy had only been home for one week during the summer. Although her parents missed her, they understood that Lindy needed to get on with life.

Her parents came to visit her over Labor Day weekend. They were anxious to see her little apartment and go to Molly's. They were overwhelmed with pride as they listened to Lindy singing. They were truly touched when they experienced firsthand how much everyone adored their little Lindy. They watched her light up the tiny stage. She made the room come alive with the special way she moved with each of the songs. By the time they left, they knew that Lindy was going to become a star and probably would never come back to Fergus Falls.

*

Just as she had planned, Lindy graduated from nursing school in three years with honors. She immediately had several excellent job offers. The most exciting one was at the famous Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She was getting ready to accept the offer when a friend from Molly's called her with an interesting idea.

Carol Ignace had become a close friend of Lindy’s during college. She was the one person that Lindy knew she could go to whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on or an opinion on anything. Carol was the exact opposite of Lindy. Where Lindy was bold, brave, and full of energy, Carol was quiet, thoughtful, and conservative. The two of them quickly discovered that they balanced each other very nicely. They laughed, cried, and celebrated on a regular basis.

Carol was also graduating and had accepted an internship with a large brokerage firm on Wall Street in New York City. She was shocked by the salary she had been offered working as an actuary. Carol and Lindy had many conversations about how different their everyday life was going to be once college was behind them. Carol was extremely nervous about moving to New York. Being born and raised in Minneapolis, New York still seemed huge and far too cosmopolitan for a girl from Minnesota. Finally, she worked up her courage to ask Lindy if she wanted to move with her. At first, Lindy was going to refuse because the Mayo Clinic was a wonderful opportunity. Then she started to think about the magic of New York City. The Broadway shows, the energy, the excitement would be within her daily reach.

Within ten minutes, Lindy went from a safe bet at the Mayo Clinic to an exciting new adventure in New York City. Look out, world—Lindy is on her way!

Chapter Nine
 

Rebecca

When Rebecca’s father, Tim, returned home to Minneapolis, he immediately arranged for three very profitable apartment buildings in Fergus Falls, which he owned, to be transferred to Miss Rebecca DuPree. All rental income from that date on was to be deposited into an account at Lincoln Bank in Fergus Falls. He instructed his attorney to notify her in writing, with an additional note stating that neither Rebecca nor Monica were to attempt to have any contact with him. He promised himself that his family would never know about the graceful young woman that he watched crossing the stage at graduation.