Elusive Headpin - Part IX

“Ron… How’ve ya been man… still running letters for the USPS?” I stated as I approached my former doubles partner with an outstretched hand.

“Nah… that never panned out. I got a job working in a warehouse for the Shop-Mart folks. It’s actually been pretty good. I have more standard hours now.” He replied.

“Well, it looks like the gang’s all here.” I heard Raymond state behind me.

“Randy! Hey Cap…long time no see…” Commented Ron.

Randy moved forward slowly but with a wide grin on his face… “Yeah, too long kiddo…”

We gabbed over inane topics for a few minutes and in that time frame I almost completely forgot the forum or the reason we were all gathered. That reverie was shattered when Joe’s sister arrived.

I never really knew Joe’s sister but, I gathered it must be her as the room seemed to quiet down rather suddenly. We watched as the only blood relative of our newly departed comrade walked into the room. Sharon Burke had never married and was five years Joe’s senior. She wandered in with a stoic look on her face wearing a simple black dress and her pulled back away from her face. She appeared to be much older than I think she was. She moved quite easily and acknowledged familiar faces with a brave smile, a nod and some brief words as she made her way to her brother’s casket in the front of the room.

I scanned the room at that time looking for Lisa again but, I guess she must have left already.

“Hey Ron, did you see Lisa Howe as you came in?”

“No… Lisa was here?”

“Yeah, I was talking to her when you showed up and then she must have slipped out as I was doubling back over to you guys.”

“Shoot. How’d she look? Is she staying in town? What has she been up to?”

“Whoa, whoa there big fella… I didn’t gather much info. We only talked for less than a couple of minutes. I have no idea where she’s staying, or living, or what’s she been up to. I was surprised to see her too.”

“How’d she look?”

“Great. She certainly seems to have weathered the years well. She had a younger woman with her that I didn’t get introduced to. I don’t know if she was a relative or friend.”

“Hmmm. That’s too bad, I would have loved to see her again.”

“Well maybe she will show up at the service tomorrow…” I offered.

The rest of the evening was a bit of a bore. We hung around for another half hour or so and then slowly the crowded trickled out. I made my over to Sharon and offered my condolences and conveyed the usual words of encouragement and we shared the only real story I could remember of Joe in high school.

We all checked with one another before taking our separate paths to hotels, friend’s houses or where ever we were spending the night and committed to a brief breakfast tomorrow morning at the local greasy spoon before proceeding to the church for the services and the ride out to the cemetery.

I drove through the streets of my old home town marveling at some of the changes that I hadn’t seen and reminiscing about times past as I made my way out to the edge of town and my sister’s house where I had planned to bunk down for the night.

As I passed the Triangle Diner where we had agreed to meet in the morning, I saw that they were still open and decided to have a cup of coffee before and some alone time there before ending the night.

As I approached the door, I could see that there was only one booth being occupied in the diner by customers. I saw two blond head’s over the top of the aqua marine vinyl top of the seats. There was something about the mannerisms of one of the two women there that looked familiar somehow…