Waiting and Watching Read Free Page B

meetings she’d gone to with Andrew.
    Finally, they reached their street and stopped in front of their former house.
    â€œWell, I’m looking at it, but with my lack of memory coupled with the renovation, I have no emotional reaction at all.” He glanced at Connie who had her eyes shut. “Go on, Sis. Take a look.”
    It wasn’t as difficult as she expected. Yes, the renovation made it look different, but it was probably the passage of time that had dulled the expected pain. The driveway was the same and the neighbors’ houses were as she remembered.
    The color of the house was gray now instead of white and the front porch had been enlarged. It was as though an old familiar picture frame now held a slightly altered painting. The overgrown landscaping gave it an empty, lonely feeling. Silently, they stared at the site of their happiest memories and most horrid nightmares. A chill went down Connie’s spine as she wondered what really had happened inside their home that awful day.
    They passed Nola’s house, but couldn’t tell if anyone was home. She wondered about Martin; he had been a good friend and neighbor growing up. Hopefully, he would be at the reunion either Friday or Saturday night.
    She recognized Earl Lookey’s house across the street. Her memory of him was of an elf-like man with a spry step and a witty personality. He had a big old basset hound, Sniff, which he took everywhere. Sue, his wife, was a popular teacher at the local elementary school. Mr. Lookey had spent a lot of time at their house, verbally sparing with their parents about politics. He must have been inside because smoke rose from his chimney.
    After staring at the house for several minutes, Julio put his hand on Connie’s. “Let’s go check into our hotel,” he said. “It’s been a long day and I need a rest and a shower before dinner.”
    They drove to the old Tilden Park Inn on the town square. The exterior of the Tudor-style hotel had not changed. Connie remembered her dad going to the barbershop in the lobby. As a young girl, she’d liked coming here with him and watching all the activity. She used to marvel at the shoeshine man who could whistle any song beautifully. She would gaze at the variety of candy sold at the newsstand and always came home with a bag of her favorite chocolate nonpareils and several comic books.
    As they entered the lobby, it was obvious the hotel was no longer the center of the town’s activities. The barber and beauty shops were gone along with the newsstand and the shoeshine boy. The lobby now had a minimal sleek and modern look incongruent with the Olde English exterior of the inn. The bustling activity was gone and was now replaced with soft music. The emptiness of the lobby reflected the hollow feeling she felt at coming back to Tilden Park.

Chapter 5
    Tilden Park Tavern, famous for its burgers, looked the same but a little dated. Julio and Connie grabbed a booth, ordered burgers and a couple of beers. A small crowd gathered around the bar. They sipped their beers and watched the singles crowd hit on each other.
    Julio got up to use the restroom. Navigating through the crowd, a petite strawberry blonde in her thirties barreled into him, practically knocking him over and spilling her drink on the floor. Both rushed to apologize. She flashed a warm, friendly smile and offered to buy him a drink. He declined as his drink was safely on the table.
    Intrigued with what he quickly assessed as a baby doll face with a dynamite body, he insisted on buying her a drink and suggested she join them. They worked their way through the crowd, back to Connie. The young woman sat down and introduced herself as Lily Palmer.
    Connie gave Julio a sharp jab under the table to let him know that this was not the right time to be picking up women. After a second kick just to make sure he got the message, she turned to Lily and smiled. “Hi. I’m Connie