Class of '59 (American Journey Book 4) (10 page)

She left a Vegas nickel in each of the next two jars. She didn't feel a connection to the couples and figured they would do well even without her financial contribution. She put two dimes in the fourth jar to rid her purse of change and moved on to the last station.

Piper laughed when she reached the station and looked up at a photo of the man who would be king. She smiled at the picture. Ben Ryan smiled back.

Mary Beth laughed.

"It looks like Ben is a BMOC."

"It sure does," Piper said.

"That's funny," Mary Beth said. "He didn't mention that on the trip."

Piper ignored her sister's comment and gazed at the photo of Ben's running mate. Vicki Cole, queen wannabe, was a stunning blonde with a dazzling smile.

Piper scanned all five stations and noticed that students had given more pennies and nickels to Ben and Vicki than to any other couple. They had given slightly fewer to Chip Bennett and Bunny Martinez, the fourth couple and Ben and Vicki's closest competitors.

"I wonder who Vicki is," Piper said to Mary Beth. "Do you think she's Ben's girlfriend?"

"Does it matter?" Mary Beth asked.

"No. I guess not."

"Let's go. We have an appointment to keep."

"Wait," Piper said. "I'll just be a second."

Piper stepped toward the girl managing Ben and Vicki's jar.

"Excuse me. I'm new here and don't know how the prom works."

The girl smiled.

"Just ask."

"OK. I will," Piper said. "Who decides the candidates for king and queen?"

"A committee does. We pair boys and girls who look good together."

"Do the king and queen go to the dance as a couple?"

The girl nodded.

"I think it's a law or something."

Piper stifled a laugh.

"Do you think Ben and Vicki will win?"

The girl nodded again.

"The most popular students usually do."

Piper looked at Mary Beth, who pointed at her watch, and then at the young woman behind the pickle jar. She wondered how one became a money collector.

"I have just one more question," Piper said.

The girl sat up in her chair.

"OK."

"Are Chip and Bunny nice people?" Piper asked.

The girl beamed.

"They are."

Piper reached into her purse and retrieved three five-dollar bills. She walked to the fourth table, stuffed all three bills in the jar, and then returned to the girl at station five.

"Thank you," Piper said. She smiled. "I hope to see you around."

Piper glanced at the grinning girl at station four and then stepped toward her sister. She could hear Mary Beth's laugh even before she could see her smiling face.

"What was
that
all about?" Mary Beth asked.

"You heard the girl," Piper said. "Chip and Bunny are nice. They deserve to win."

Mary Beth laughed.

"Sometimes I think Mom and Dad adopted you."

"What time is it?" Piper asked.

"It's almost one. We need to go."

Piper nodded.

The sisters walked through the lobby, turned right into a long hallway, and weaved their way through a crowd of students toward the main office. They reached their destination just as a loud bell rattled their eardrums and announced the start of the next period.

"Are you ready?" Mary Beth asked.

"I'm ready."

The sisters hesitated for only a second and then opened the door. They walked to the counter, introduced themselves to a secretary, and asked to see Principal Raines. A moment later, they followed the secretary, a friendly woman of forty, through an open work area to a sizeable office.

The secretary pointed to two chairs. Each faced a large desk.

"Take a seat, ladies. Principal Raines will see you shortly."

"Thank you," Mary Beth said.

Piper settled into her lightly upholstered chair as the secretary took her leave. She turned to face her sister when the office worker shut the door.

"Do you think he'll buy our story?" Piper asked.

"I think so," Mary Beth said. "It's pretty airtight. I also have a letter from Dad. If the principal gives me any static, I'll just tell him to take it up with the colonel."

Piper laughed.

"How did you get a 'letter' from Dad?"

"I created it," Mary Beth said. "I wrote a draft for Mark and then asked him to rewrite it in a man's handwriting. It looks pretty good. Do you want to see it?"

"Maybe later," Piper said.

"OK."

Piper took a breath and smiled at her sister. She never admired her more than when Mary Beth stepped up and helped her sibling in a big way.

"You like him, don't you?"

"Who?" Mary Beth asked. "Mark?"

"Yes, silly. Mark."

Mary Beth blushed.

"I do. I know it's crazy to like anyone in these circumstances, but I do. He's one of the nicest people I have ever met and a true gentleman."

"Don't get too attached, Mary Beth. Even if we make good friends here, we can't keep them. We can't do anything except go back to you know where."

Mary Beth smiled and put a hand on Piper's knee.

"Thanks, Mom."

Piper laughed. She started to say something about the décor in the principal's office when the interior decorator himself opened the door and walked in. He placed a folder on his desk, turned to his left, and then stepped toward his visitors.

"Good afternoon," Principal Raines said. He extended a hand as Mary Beth and Piper rose from their seats. "I'm Warren Raines."

Mary Beth shook his hand.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Mary Beth McIntire. I've come here today to enroll my sister as a senior at Midway," Mary Beth said. She stepped back. "This is Piper."

The principal shook Piper's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, young lady," Raines said. He motioned toward the chairs. "Please take a seat. This shouldn't take long."

The principal walked to the open door, gestured to a secretary as he closed it, and returned to his desk. A few seconds later, he settled into a richly upholstered chair.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," Raines said. "I had another matter to attend to just now."

"That's all right," Mary Beth said. "We're in no hurry."

Raines smiled at his visitors and then reached for the folder on his desk. He opened the folder wide, pulled out two forms, and gave them a quick inspection.

"I see you came here from West Germany," Raines said.

"Piper and I have lived there for the past few years," Mary Beth said. "Our father, Brody McIntire, is an Army colonel serving with the 3rd Mechanized Infantry Division."

"I see."

"Our parents are still in Germany. They plan to join us in June, after my father is discharged, and retire to the Pasadena area, where we have many friends. Piper is here now so that she can graduate from a California high school and have a California diploma when she applies for admission to one of the state universities. She has her eyes on UCLA right now."

Piper marveled at Mary Beth's ability to take a grain of truth and bake it into a seven-layer cake. She and her sister had, in fact, lived in Germany, but they had moved to the South when Mary Beth was still in preschool and Piper was still in diapers.

"Are you acting as Piper's guardian?" Raines asked.

"I am," Mary Beth said. "My father asked me to look after her even though she is already eighteen years old. He wrote a letter authorizing me to act as her representative in any legal, financial, and educational matters. Would you like to see it?"

"Yes. I would."

Mary Beth retrieved an envelope from her purse and pulled out a tri-folded letter. She straightened the letter, written on Army stationery, and handed the document to the principal.

Piper fidgeted in her chair as Raines read the letter. She wondered if he was the kind of man who would summon law enforcement if he suspected that the sisters were pulling a fast one. She relaxed when she saw the administrator smile and return the letter to Mary Beth.

"It looks like that part is in order," Raines said. "All I need now is proof of your residency in the school district and transcripts from Piper's high school in Germany."

"I have the first thing," Mary Beth said. She pulled a receipt from her purse and gave it to the principal. "We're staying at the Chaparral Motel on Mission Street."

Mary Beth and Piper had visited the motel earlier in the day and rented a suite with two double beds, a kitchenette, and a small dining table. They rented the room at the weekly rate of fifty dollars and paid for four weeks. Mary Beth told the manager that they intended to stay at the motel at least a month and extend their visit, if necessary, on a week-by-week basis.

"What about her transcripts?" Raines asked.

"We were unable to obtain them before we left," Mary Beth said.

"I need records, Miss McIntire. I can't graduate a student without them."

"I understand."

"Do you have the name and address of Piper's last school?"

Mary Beth nodded. She reached again into her purse and pulled out a small slip. She handed the slip to the principal. It contained more fiction than
Gone with the Wind
.

"Roger Timmons is the principal there. He can send anything you need and answer any questions you might have about Piper's coursework, marks, and conduct."

"Overseas mail moves slowly," Raines said. "This could take weeks."

Ding! Ding! Ding!
Piper thought.
We have a winner!

The principal sighed.

"I must have the records by May 15."

"That's fair," Mary Beth said.

"Then I guess that settles it," Raines said. He gave the rent receipt back to Mary Beth. "Piper may enroll."

"Thank you."

Raines turned his attention to Piper.

"I assume you have some courses in mind."

"I do," Piper said.

"Then what would you like to take, young lady?"

Piper smiled politely at the principal. She decided if he called her "young lady" one more time she would brain him with a stapler.

"I'd like to take art history, literature, civics, algebra, gym, and maybe something old school like home economics," Piper said. "I could use a cooking lesson."

Mary Beth stifled a laugh.

"I think that can be arranged," Raines said. "Do you need any specific class to graduate?"

"No. I completed all of my necessary coursework in Germany. I just want to enjoy a spring in California and graduate with a diploma from Midway."

"Then I'll do what I can to make it happen."

"I appreciate that, Mr. Raines."

"Do you have any questions for me?"

Piper shook her head.

"I think I'm set."

"Then I will send you to Mr. Bowers," Raines said. "He is one of our guidance counselors. He is in his office right now and can help you work out a schedule."

"Thank you," Piper said.

The principal leaned back in his chair. He studied his visitors for a moment, put a hand to his chin, and finally leaned forward.

"I do have a question for you," Raines said.

"Oh?" Piper asked.

The administrator nodded.

"I detect a southern accent. Both of you have southern accents. Surely you did not pick those up in West Germany."

"We didn't," Mary Beth said. "We picked them up in Alabama. We're Army brats."

"I figured as much."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Oh, no," Raines said. "If anything, it's a good thing. I'm sure Piper will have no difficulty making new friends with such an interesting background."

Mary Beth and Piper exchanged knowing smiles.

"I agree, Mr. Raines," Mary Beth said.

The principal leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I guess that concludes our business," Raines said. He smiled and looked at Piper. "Welcome to Midway High School, Miss McIntire. Welcome to the Class of '59."

CHAPTER 16: MARK

Los Angeles, California – Wednesday, March 25, 1959

Four days after taking Mary Beth McIntire for a stroll along the Las Vegas Strip, Mark Ryan took her for a stroll along the university's most prominent thoroughfare. He conceded that the Parkway did not match the Strip's glitz, but it was familiar, inviting, and active. It was a perfect place for a walk with a woman who continued to amaze.

"Do you like what you see?" Mark asked.

"I do," Mary Beth said. "This campus is amazing."

Mark couldn't disagree. Even after four years, he never tired of the sights. He admired the broad walkways and the carefully groomed vegetation almost as much as the stately buildings that showed off the Romanesque Revival and Italian Renaissance styles.

"Is that all you like?"

"No," Mary Beth said. She offered a playful grin. "I also like the fashions. I didn't see this in Tuscaloosa. I haven't seen this anywhere."

Mark laughed.

"Well, you
are
in California – and in a different time."

Mary Beth smiled.

"I guess I am."

Mark leaned forward to get a closer look at the woman on his arm. He looked for clues that might explain her smile but found only lively eyes and the traces of another grin.

"You have something on your mind, don't you?"

"It's nothing major," Mary Beth said. "I'm just trying to make sense of all this."

"Do you mean 1959?"

"Yes, I mean 1959 – and Los Angeles and the past few days and
you
."

"Am I a mystery, Miss McIntire?"

Mary Beth smiled again.

"That's putting it mildly."

"Then let's unwrap the mystery," Mark said. He guided Mary Beth around a group of students who had gathered near a large bronze statue. "What do you want to know?"

"I don't know," Mary Beth said. "I guess everything. Tell me about your interests, your childhood, and your parents. Tell me why a college senior drives an Edsel bearing the bumper sticker of a high school team."

Mark laughed.

"You don't miss a thing."

"I don't miss things like that," Mary Beth said. "Did you attend Midway?"

"I didn't. I went to South," Mark said. "Ben would have too had the school district not changed its boundaries the year I graduated. My dad put the bumper sticker on the Edsel to show his support for Midway's sports teams. Ben played football at MHS and now plays tennis. He's kind of a big deal there."