Reunion (standard:drama, 1987 words)
Author: Maureen Stirsman	Added: Oct 02 2006	Views/Reads: 3372/2275	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
These are the first pages of my new mystery novel. Reunion is a story of a family, a bag of money, where it came from, and what happened to it. Follow the sisters as children, from the picnic grove, to the cabin many years later, where the mystery comes

1940 The red, waning sun shone through the green pines that stood like
ghost sentries. Three fair-haired, slender, young men worked quickly 
and quietly. The tallest dug deep and neat. The one with the dark, 
stocking hat held a black leather satchel. The third brother looked at 
the red reflection on the pines. “Red sky at night, sailor's delight. 
Good sign! Okay, that's enough, Charlie, bury it!” 

Memorial Day weekend, 1983 

Her eyes flitted from the speedometer to the rear view mirror and back.
Georgia pushed back her graying, dark hair and tapped her polished 
nails on the steering wheel. She wore the blue pantsuit she had made 
secretly last week when her husband wasn't home. Colors were important 
to her, blue, the color of sky on a warm spring day, red—sunrise and 
sunset. Now the air in the car was red with tension in spite of 
Vivaldi's Four Seasons playing on the radio. This was her home, the 
North Georgia Mountains, and she was on her way to the old family 
cabin. It had been a long time since she had been there. 

At Sunnyside Road she saw the familiar landmark, Macedonia Baptist
church. She breathed deeply and thought of where she was coming from 
and where she was going. She turned the Ford onto the dirt, county 
road, and only then did she feel she was truly home. The fresh, pine 
fragrance of the woods and the brown, earthy, musty smell of moss and 
ferns confirmed she was indeed—home. It is fifteen years since they 
have all been together, except for weddings and funerals. It's not easy 
to arrange so many schedules for one weekend at the cabin. Two years 
ago Margo had suggested it, but Arlene had emergency gall bladder 
surgery and it was postponed for another year. This is that year. 

Georgia could see smoke puffing a warm welcome from the chimney. Someone
was there and had started the fire. Daddy had always lit the fire the 
first thing they entered the cabin. Daddy had not been here for thirty 
years. After he died, Mama didn't like to come to the woods, but she 
would never sell the cabin because all the families came for vacations. 
Now, the grandchildren were bringing their children here. 

Georgia took another deep breath and eased the old, blue Ford in behind
Patsy's black Cadillac. Suddenly four women appeared on the porch. They 
surrounded her with hugs and kisses, all talking at once. 

Emily, the youngest at forty-four, is the first to greet her. According
to her telephone calls and letters she is happily running her business. 
Emily threw her arms around Georgia bursting to tell her about her 
special secret, but knowing this was not the right time. She kissed her 
on both cheeks before she would step away long enough for the others to 
greet her. 

“Georgia, you finally made it. We were beginning to worry about you.”
Arlene's arm went around her shoulder as she took Georgia's overnight 
bag. Arlene, mother of five, salt and pepper hair fashionably styled, 
take-charge-Arlene, was already taking charge. Her blue eyes reflected 
the happiness in her heart and she moved quickly up the stairs shouting 
over her shoulder, “Don't say anything until I get back.” 

Margo, the eldest, is the musical one, the opera singer, now retired.
She brought the old 78's that were spinning on the Victrola. She has 
been a widow for two years and lives alone in a high rise in Arlington, 
Virginia near her son, James, and his family. Her dark hair was pulled 
into a bun on the back of her head. She is a large woman, tallest of 
her sisters. She wore a long, white sweater with a single gold chain 
around her neck and black pants. Margo greeted Georgia warmly with a 
kiss on the cheek. “Are you ready for the Earl Grey?” “Georgie! So glad 
you're here!” said Patsy eagerly. Patsy suffered polio in the epidemic 
in the 1940's. Mama had spent countless nights on her knees at the side 
of the hospital bed. When Patsy's crisis broke Mama collapsed and spent 
the next thirty-six hours in bed herself. Patsy barely shows any signs 
of it today. If she is very tired, only those who know about it can see 
a slight limp. Patsy wore a black headband around her platinum hair, 
black pants and a blue shirt. She showed no signs of weakness now. 

Arlene was back down the stairs before they all found seats around the
fire. They chattered and laughed like children on Christmas morning. 
Two couches faced each other and two green wicker rockers stood in 
front of the fireplace with a wicker coffee table in the center. The 


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