Aunt Jane was seated at a small table near the back of the dining area. Lighting was so dim that at first I couldn't spot her. It was disappointing to see she was alone. I slipped into a seat across from her.
"Jane, you look terrific. That is, as much as I can see in this light!" Jane preffered I not call her Aunt, or Great Aunt. My mother and her friends had already used up "aunt" and she said she really didn't feel old enough to hear "Great Aunt". She was my only aunt and second-mother figure. She was Lotti's identical twin. They had a peculiar bond between them that went beyond time and space. At one time they must have looked just alike, but the years had been kinder to Jane than to Lottie.
"Carrie, sweetie, you look stunning! Is that a new dress?" Actually, Jane was the stylish one. I was always fashionably late, so to speak.
"It's a bithday present to myself...today seemed a great excuse to indulge."
The waiter wasted no time in visiting our table. We both ordered ice tea and absorbed ourselves with the menu.
Jane broke the silence. "Carrie, have you heard anything from Art lately?" Just hearing his name made my stomach queasy. Not that we parted enemies, but it was difficult. Art had decided to go to seminary in Dallas this year. It was a surprise that took me off balance. He had been a pre-law major. His senoir year we had gotten very 'serious'. Then, his last semester he said he felt 'called'. It was a concept that made no sense to me. Sure, I beleived in God, but there were limits to what that involved. To me that didn't include God planning my life for me! That threw a ringer, and not a ring, into our relationship. We decided to 'just be friends'- which meant things had gone from hot to cold quickly.
"Art is supposedly starting seminary in Dallas, but I haven't heard from him since he moved. He's probably very busy." I tried to keep my voice nonchalant-but, who was I kidding??
Just then a very attractive woman in a light fall suit stopped at our table. Jane quealed with delight and jumped to her feet. After a quick hug they both sat down.
"Oh, Aunt Jane, you look wonderful! I don't think you've aged at all!" our newcomer drawled. She was deeply tanned with short dark hair similar to how Jackie Kennedy wore hers these days of 1962. It was what they called a bubble-cut. Her dark eyes were very attention getting and probably her best feature. If she was Jane's surprise-she certainly was one!
"Oh, Kelly,you are just as sweet and lovely as every!"
Their attention soon turned to me.
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