Maureen circled the park one more time before heading home. Running helped to clear her head so she could sort out details of the cases waiting for her at work. Despite the workload, she thought about tacking on a personal day to the coming weekend. She wanted to spend more time with her aunt and uncle in Goslyn. “And maybe see Detective Winston,” she said aloud as she approached a crosswalk.
When she first met the detective and her partner, she immediately recognized Olivia from years ago. They’d never met, but Maureen would see the then young girl just about every morning during their high school years. She would watch from a backseat window as the pretty stranger walked to the neighborhood school. Maureen instead was bused across the county. It was the confident, slightly tomboyish walk that caught young Maureen’s eye.
She still vividly remembered the day her school bus was stuck at a broken traffic light long enough for her to watch the young girl walk three blocks and disappear into the school building. It wasn’t until her last year of high school that Maureen found out the girl’s name when someone showed her the Lincoln High yearbook. It was Olivia Ann Winston. Those days, as well as many others, had helped an adolescent Maureen realize she was gay.
She reached her front porch and checked her watch. “Not bad for a middle-aged chick.” Just then, her sister pulled up in the driveway. Maureen sat down on the front steps and untied her sneakers.
“What brings you by?”
“Dinner,” Gloria said as she held up a bag. “But I’m just dropping off. It’s a ‘Thank You’ for looking over my salon’s books.”
Relying on physical appearances alone, a stranger would never guess that the two women were related. Gloria described herself as being naturally curvy with an afro that accentuated her full-lipped and wide-eyed features. And her wardrobe always included five-inch heels.
Gloria leaned down to hug Maureen but abruptly pulled back when she saw her sweaty T-shirt.
“Peyew, you stink!” she said.
Maureen sniffed. “That’s what happens to people who exercise. You should try it sometime.”
“Please, I get enough exercise doing hair all day and chasing behind a two-year-old. Here’s one of those big taco salads I know you like.” She handed Maureen the bag.
“Perfect timing.” Maureen got up and unlocked the front door. Gloria followed and headed straight for the stash of chocolate that Maureen kept in a kitchen drawer.
“You got plans this evening?” Gloria asked as she unwrapped and tossed a Hershey’s Mint Kiss into her mouth.
“You must be joking,” Maureen said. “It’s Monday, the hardest day of the week. I’m going straight to bed after dinner.”
Maureen left her salad on the kitchen table, sat in the living room’s recliner, and kicked off her sneakers. Gloria followed and kept eating.
“I’m heading back to the salon,” Gloria said and checked the time on her cell phone. “I’ve got some clients who need their hair done for a wedding tomorrow. Oh, before I forget, Daddy called and wants you to check the attic for his golf clubs.”
“Those old things? He’s better off buying a new set.”
“He says they’re his lucky clubs, and he wants you to ship them if you find them.”
“Right. So lucky that he refused to use them again after I beat him in nine holes.” Maureen slouched back in her recliner and removed the bandana from her hair.
Her dad had recently retired to Florida after decades with the State Auditor’s Office. Maureen had convinced him to sell his Richmond home to her and purchase one in an Orlando senior citizens community. He’d been reluctant to leave his girls, but Maureen and Gloria knew he deserved to enjoy himself after he had made so many sacrifices for them.
The Jeffries had separated when the girls were pre-teens. The sisters lived with their mom in Goslyn during the school year and stayed with their dad during the summers. Mrs. Jeffries died a year after Maureen had finished high school and Gloria had opened her salon. It was a big adjustment not having a mom around to talk to about “girl stuff.” But Mr. Jeffries had done his best--cramming with Maureen for her accounting exams and acting as the salon handyman on weekends as Gloria worked to build her clientele.
Gloria’s cell phone beeped. “Hello?…Hey, Ms. Rogers…Around eight thirty?…Sure. No problem. I’ll see you then.” Gloria dropped her cell phone into her purse. “The wedding party’s running late, so you have to entertain me for forty-five minutes.”
“You can entertain yourself,” Maureen said. “I’m going to straighten up my weights then take a shower.” She got up and went out a side door to an attached garage. Gloria grabbed a handful of the chocolate Kisses from the kitchen and followed.
“I talked to Aunt Lena yesterday,” Gloria said. “She asked me to come down this weekend to help replant her garden. Wanna come?”
“Sure, I was planning to go anyway.” Maureen lifted the dumbbells, placed them back on their racks, and pushed the weight bench into a corner. “You do know Aunt Lena will find a million other things for us to do when we get there?”
“I know. She still misses Mama so much and likes having us around.”
“Help me move this stack of weights,” Maureen said as she pointed to several ten-pound plates on the floor.
“Hey, I’m a stylist. My hands are precious.”
Maureen ignored her and lifted the plates herself.
“Anything going on besides work?” Gloria asked.
Maureen asked, “Do you remember hearing anything about the Winston family when we lived in Goslyn? I asked Aunt Lena, and she thought the name sounded familiar.”
“Winston …Winston,” Gloria said and tilted her head. “No, don’t recall…wait…I remember a Mr. Winston. He helped Uncle Frank remodel Mama’s kitchen years ago.” Gloria sat down on the weight bench that Maureen had pushed into the corner. “I remember him working with Uncle Frank on the cabinets at the house one day. Mama asked him if he could build her some bookshelves for the living room. He asked for a piece of paper to do some sketches, and I remember giving him a sheet from a notebook I had just bought for my first cosmetology class.” Gloria peeled the wrapper off another Mint Kiss. “He drew these gorgeous designs,” she said, “and I remember staring at the paper and being amazed at how perfect they looked.” Gloria seemed lost for a moment in a peaceful thought before tossing the chocolate into her mouth. “I think I kept that sheet of paper on top of my dresser for weeks.”
“We never had bookshelves in the living room,” Maureen said.
“I don’t know what happened after that, but you know Mama was always talking about fixing or remodeling something around the house. What’s up with the Winstons?”
“I’m working a case with a detective in Goslyn--Olivia Winston. She grew up there, and I was just curious.”
“And?”
“And what? I’m just ‘conversating’ with you.” Maureen headed back into the house with Gloria right on her heels.
“You never ask about anybody without a reason, and ‘conversating’ ain’t even a real word. So something’s going on!” Gloria grabbed the entire bag of Mint Kisses from the kitchen, plopped down on the living room couch, and waited for an answer.
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?”
Gloria dug through her purse to check her cell phone. “No. I got thirty minutes. So talk!”
Maureen sat back in her recliner, and her big sister threw her a piece of chocolate. As Maureen unwrapped the candy, she said, “I remember Detective Winston from my high school days, and I was thinking about asking her out.” Maureen popped the chocolate into her mouth.
“What’s stopping you?” Gloria asked.
Maureen sighed and gestured for Gloria to throw her another chocolate. “It could make things uncomfortable between us because of the case--you know, trying to stay professional while getting to know each other personally.”
“Hey, genius, you’re an investigator. I’m sure you can figure out how to talk about personal stuff and still do your job. Besides, it’s time you started dating again. Celibacy must be boring you to death.”
“I’m not celibate, you nut!”
“Really? When was the last time you went out on a date? And I don’t mean those lame after work parties with your co-workers.”
Maureen didn’t know what to say. It was years since her last real date, and that was a waste of time. Her date expected a quick hook-up while Maureen was hoping for some interesting conversation. Both were disappointed.
“You know, sis, life still goes on after Denise,” Gloria said as she got up and took the bag of candy back into the kitchen.
“Yes, it does,” Maureen said softly.
“Ask the detective and keep me in the loop. I’m leaving, and you still stink. So no hugs.”
They both headed for the front door.
“I’ll call you about this weekend,” Gloria said.
“I’m going to Atlanta sometime this week, so call my cell phone or e-mail me.”
Gloria rushed out to the car and pulled off.
Maureen locked up for the night and undressed for the shower as she thought about Olivia. It has been a long time. Why not ask her?