Sandy suggested this idea last spring. I didn’t know what to expect, but I was willing.
That’s a yellow, Can-Am Spyder RT. You see Sandy’s face in the mirror. This is her bike!
Yes, I’m interrupting our current series which is rather heavy in order tell a story. A true story. Well, an episode within the life-stories of three ladies who were friends in high school. Fifty years have passed since we graduated. Yes, yes, I’m one of the three. Yes, yes, I’m that old! Get me on Sandy’s bike? Ha! And what do you think?
Sandy moved to Fremont, Ohio with her family right before her sophomore year. My parents and I moved there before my junior year. (My sister went off to college.) Since Sandy and I did not grow up in Fremont, it was not important to us to attend our reunion, so Sandy suggested that we two plus another friend from our class create our own friendship reunion — a three girl retreat.
And so we did. Just two weeks ago.
Paula made our third person. She did grow up in Fremont, so she attended the class reunion in August. Paula liked Sandy’s idea and even agreed to the location that she suggested — Karen’s house in Fort Wayne, Indiana. A good deal for me!
Sandy (less than 5 feet tall) drove up from Anderson, South Carolina on her yellow, three-wheeled motor bike, a 12 hour trip she did in one day. Gutsy is her middle name, and everyone knows it. Paula drove over from Columbus, Ohio, a 3 1/2 hour trip, in her truck — a big, black Silverado. Paula’s a can-do woman who lived until recently on a horse ranch and still has horses. Hmm, and then there’s wimpo me! I have to summon up discipline and bravery to walk around my beautiful block. Sore legs, ankles, and feet (and whatever) talk back to me: “You really don’t want to do that, do you?! Sit down!” No wonder these wonder women traveled to my house!
Sandy, Paula, and Karen. What a mix.
How long has it been since you graduated from high school? Amazing, isn’t it? Well, we three “retreated” from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday morning. I was surprised and I wasn’t surprised. It was not what I expected, although I did not know what to expect, since I hadn’t seen Paula in over 45 years and nearly 50 years since all three of us were together. How would we do together? And what would it mean?
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Journey North Character 