"Harry, being logical isn't a shortcoming. It's a virtue," Susan protested. "But we are light on categories here."
Chris opened her dark green yearbook to a club photo. "My twentieth reunion was last year. One of the things we did was go through the club photos to see if we could find anyone who became a professional at something they were known for in high school. You know, like did anyone in Latin club become a Latin teacher. It's kind of hokey but you do get desperate after a time."
Harry pulled the book toward her, the youthful faces of the Pep Club staring back at her. "Which one are you?"
Chris pointed to a tall girl in the back row. "I wasn't blonde then."
"I can see that." Harry read the names below the photo, finding Chris Sharpton. She slid the book back to the owner.
"What we also did, which took a bit of quick thinking on the spot, was, we had cards made up with classmates' names written on them in italics. They were pretty. Anyway, if the individual hadn't fit into some earlier category we did things like Tom Cruise Double-anything to make them feel special."
"That's clever," Miranda complimented her.
"The other thing we did was make calls. As you know, people disperse after high school. Each of us on the committee called everyone we were still in contact with from our class. We asked who they were in contact with and what they knew about the people. This way we gathered information for things like Most Community Service. After a time it's a stretch but it's important that everyone be included in some way. At the last minute we even wrote a card up, Still the Same."
"Chris, these are good ideas." Harry was grateful. "You're wonderful to come help us. I mean, this isn't even your reunion."
"I'm not as generous as you think," Chris laughed. "Susan bet me she'd beat me by three strokes on the Keswick golf course. The bet was I'd help you all if I lost."
"What would you have gotten if you'd won?"
"Two English boxwoods planted by my front walkway."
Since moving to Crozet four months ago, Chris had thrown herself into decorating and landscaping her house in theDeepValley subdivision, a magnet for under-forty newcomers toAlbemarleCounty .
An outgoing person, Chris had made friends with her neighbors but most especially Marcy Wiggins and Bitsy Valenzuela, two women married to men who were classmates of Harry's.
"Good bet," Harry whistled.
"I told you my golf game was improving," Susan gloated. "But Miranda, I don't think we've done one thing to help you."
She smiled a slow smile. "Our expectations are different than yours. At your fiftieth high-school reunion you're thrilled that all your parts are moving. We'll be happy to eat good food, share stories, sit around. I suppose we'll pitch horseshoes and dance. That sort of thing."
"Are you in charge of the whole thing?" Chris was incredulous.
"Pretty much. I'll need to round up a few people to help me decorate. I'm keeping it simple because I'm simple."
Before anyone could protest that Miranda was not simple, Mrs. Murphy, Harry's beautiful tiger cat, burst through the animal door.
"What have you got?" Harry rose from the table expecting the worst.
Pewter, the plump gray cat, immediately followed through the animal door and Tee Tucker, Harry's corgi, burst through behind her, bumping the cat in the rear end, which brought forth a snarl.
Susan focused on the animals. "I don't know what she's got but everyone wants it."
Mrs. Murphy blew through the kitchen into the living room, where she crouched behind the sofa as Pewter leapt onto the large stuffed curving arm.
"Selfish!"
The tiger cat did not answer her gray accuser because, if she did, the mole she had carefully stalked would have popped out of her mouth and escaped.
Harry knelt down. "Say, Murphy, good job. That's a huge mole. Why, that mole could dig toChina ."
"She didn't catch it by herself," Pewter complained loudly. "I blocked off the other exit. I deserve half of that mole."
"I helped." The corgi drooled.
"Ha!" Pewter disagreed.
"Thank you for bringing me this prize." Harry carefully reached behind the sofa, petted Murphy, then grabbed the limp mole by the scruff of its neck.
The tiger cat opened her jaws. "Moles are dangerous, you know. William of Orange, King of England, was killed when his horse stepped in a mole hole. He broke his collarbone and then took a fever."
"Show-off." Pewter's pupils narrowed to slits.
Mrs. Murphy sashayed into the kitchen, ignoring her detractors.
"Excuse me, ladies." Harry walked outside, depositing the mole at the back of the woodpile. The minute it was on the ground it scurried under the logs. "That's Murphy for you. She didn't even break your neck, little guy. She was bringing me a present. Guess she expected me to dispatch you."
When Harry returned, Chris said, nose wrinkled, "I don't know how you could pick up that mole. I could never do that. I'm too squeamish."
"Oh, when you grow up in the country you don't think about stuff. You just do it." She pointed to Chris's yearbook. "Lake Shore,Illinois, must be a far cry from the country."
"That it is." Chris laughed.
Susan, flipping through her yearbook, bubbled. "I'm getting excited about this reunion. October will be here before we know it. Time flies."
"Don't say that. I'm nervous enough about getting organized for the damn thing," Harry grumbled.
"Maybe you're nervous about seeing all those people," Chris said.
"I'm as nervous about them seeing me as me seeing them. What will they think? Do I look like a . . ." Susan paused. "Well, do I look older? Will they be disappointed when they see me?"
"You look great," Harry said with conviction. "Besides, half of our class still lives within shouting distance. Everyone knows what you look like."
"Harry, we hardly even see the people who moved to Richmond-like Leo Burkey. Shouting distance doesn't matter."
Harry cupped her chin in her hand. "Leo Burkey will be just like always, handsome and B-A-D."
"Hey, I'd like to meet this guy." The single Chris smiled.
"Is he between wives?" Harry asked Susan.
"BoomBoom will know."
"Of course she will." Harry laughed. "Miranda, we really aren't doing a thing for you but I'm glad our reunions are at the same time. We can use a skateboard to go up and down the halls to visit."
"I'll bet you think I can't even use a skateboard," Miranda challenged her.
"I never said that!"
"You didn't have to." Miranda winked. But just you wait, Miranda thought to herself, smiling.
"It's not fair that Murphy gets all the attention," Pewter wailed as she jumped on the kitchen counter.
"I don't get all the attention but I did bring in a fresh mole. Jealous."
"I am unloved," Pewter warbled at a high-decibel range.
Harry got up, opened the cupboard, and removed a round plastic bowl of fresh catnip. She rolled it between her fingers, releasing the heavenly aroma. Then she placed the bits on the floor where Pewter dove in, quickly followed by Murphy. Harry handed Tucker a Milk-Bone, which satisfied her.
A little coo from Pewter directed all human eyes to her. Blitzed on catnip, she lay on her back on the heart pine floor, her tail slowly swishing. Mrs. Murphy was on her side, her paws covering her eyes.
"Bliss." Miranda laughed.
"I love the whole world and everyone in it," Pewter meowed.
Murphy removed one paw-"Me, too"-then she covered her eyes up again.
"That ought to hold them." Harry sat back down after pouring everyone iced tea. Mrs. Hogendobber had brought homemade icebox cookies, cucumber sandwiches, and fresh vegetables.
"Do you know that some schools now regard senior superlatives as politically incorrect?" Susan reached for a sandwich.