Crossroad to Love (Fab Five Series)

chapter 4

Katy raced through the gate at O’Hare International airport. She had been running late all morning and had just barely made it in time to catch her flight. She had been thinking about the accident most of the night. She was glad when the sun had finally made its appearance in the clear Chicago sky that morning and she could concentrate on more pleasant thoughts. It was a chilly, sunshiny Saturday morning, as she settled in and looked out the window of the plane. Just a few more hours and I will be seeing my old friends, she thought.

She went over the agenda once more in her head. Angie is leaving from Moline, Illinois and Lizzie from Columbus, Ohio. The three of us are meeting in St. Louis and flying on to Dallas together. There we will rent a car and drive from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport to the Prava Suites hotel, where Marianne has booked a suite for the week. Marianne will be waiting for us there. Since she lives near Dallas, she is going on ahead to the hotel to make sure everything is in order for our stay. It had all been planned meticulously by Lizzie and Marianne down to the last detail. Good old Lizzie, she thought as she began to feel drowsy, her sleepless night catching up with her at last.

The flight to St. Louis was uneventful, so Katy finally dozed to make up for the agonizing night she had spent remembering the past. Not wanting to start her vacation looking tired and draggy, when she awoke she touched up her makeup and did the best she could to conceal the dark circles under her eyes. She asked the stewardess for a cup of coffee and sat back to enjoy it, deep in thought about her friends. Lizzie had called her last night. Dear, sweet, thoughtful Lizzie. She calls every year on the anniversary of the accident. She knows just what to say to make me feel better. It was wonderful to have such good friends. Something in Lizzie’s voice last night had sounded different though, lonely, perhaps. I really need to find some time to talk with Lizzie alone and see what is going on with her.

And then there was Angie, the career girl of the group. So career-oriented, in fact, that it had been the cause of her marriage breaking up. She and Michael had seemed perfect for each other, both ambitious and driven. They had met in college and the ‘Fab Four’ had all thought he was wonderful from day one. They had been delighted when Angie had announced her engagement. They had all been surprised when Angie told them a few years later she and Michael were divorcing. Marianne had tried to reason with Angie, begging her to reconsider her decision. She had told Angie that if she and Michael loved each other, they could work through their problems. She had attempted to make Angie see that there were ways to balance career with a personal life, but in the end, Angie had not listened to her and had gone through with the divorce.

“Marriage, kids, and my career just don’t go together,” she had explained. None of them could believe she was giving up Michael for a job, but then none of them had ever been quite as ambitious as Angie was. And her ambition had paid off. She had a very high powered, high paying job now. But Katy wondered if, deep down, Angie had ever regretted her decision to leave Michael. I wonder what Michael is doing now and if he ever remarried. She had not heard from him for several years. He had kept in touch with all of them for a while, but she guessed he had moved on by now. He had been so thoughtful and helpful to her after the funeral. He had helped her deal with a lot of the financial details in the weeks following.

Unlike Angie, Marianne had chosen her family over her career. She had gone back into nursing recently. Katy wondered how that was working out for her. Marianne had not worked for quite a few years. And she certainly did not need the income. Jon was doing quite well as a surgeon. I hope I get to see Jon while I’m in Texas. They make such a good couple.

The plane landed on schedule in St. Louis, bringing her back to the present. Katy hurried through the airport, eager for Lizzie and Angie to arrive. This is going to be a reunion to remember. Little did she know just how true that statement was.