Chapter 28

What would have been Garret and Monica’s first wedding anniversary came and went with little notice. The divorce was finalized months earlier and several weeks before that, Monica moved from Coulson. While Garret put his unfortunate marriage behind him, the tension between him and his father lingered.

In December of 1970, Richard Nixon was preparing to start his third year as President of the United States. American military personnel continued to die in Vietnam, and Tommy, Ryan, and Russell were in their first year of college. Russell was at Harvard while his two childhood friends attended state college.

It was Christmas Eve and they reached Coulson an hour later than they had originally estimated, due to a traffic accident on the highway. Driving in Tommy’s Volkswagen bug, Tommy and Ryan were anxious to get home for Christmas break.

“So you didn’t hear from Russell?” Ryan asked as they pulled into Coulson.

“I called and left a message, but I never heard from him,” Tommy explained.

“I’ll call his parent’s place when we get in town, see if he’s home for Christmas. Can’t believe he wouldn’t come home.”

“Speaking of the devil!” Tommy called out a moment later. He switched lanes and started following a Cadillac; it was pulling into a convenience store parking lot.

“Is that the Coulson’s Caddy?” Ryan asked. It was impossible to see who was driving the car, considering the distance and darkness. The Cadillac had passed them a moment earlier.

“That was Russell,” Tommy explained. He drove the Volkswagen into the parking lot and pulled up next to the Cadillac, which had just parked and turned off its engine.

“Hey, Russell!” Tommy and Ryan cried out in unison as they quickly got out of the Volkswagen. Russell, who had just exited the driver’s side of his mother’s Cadillac, looked more embarrassed than surprised to see his old friends.

Tommy and Ryan paid little attention to Russell’s reserve, each excited over the happy coincidence of running into him when first getting into town. They each took turns giving him a welcome hug.

A young woman stepped from the passenger side of the Cadillac and walked to Russell, who was no longer receiving hugs. Possessively, she latched onto Russell’s right arm. Instead of eying the strangers with curiosity, she looked impatient to be on her way.

Tommy and Ryan smiled at the beautiful blond woman. While she looked about their age, her aura of sophistication placed her in a class beyond the girls from Coulson. Aside from her striking good looks, Tommy immediately noticed the fur jacket she wore. Silently, he was grateful his kid sister, Katie, wasn’t with him, or about now she would be tearing into the girl for wearing the skins of poor dead animals.

“This is Alicia,” Russell introduced. “Alicia, this is Tommy and Ryan. We all went to high school together.”

Instead of a verbal greeting, Alicia gave Tommy and Ryan a nod and smile, then looked up and said, “Russell, we promised your mother we wouldn’t be long.”

Russell shifted restlessly, smiled at Alicia then looked at his old friends. “She’s right, we did tell my mother we’d be right back.”

“I left you a message,” Ryan ignored Russell’s apparent attempt to cut the meeting short.

“Yeah, I’m sorry. It’s been really crazy. How do you guys like school? How is it working out being roommates?” Russell asked.

“I haven’t killed him yet,” Ryan laughed. Tommy punched Ryan’s arm in response.

“Hey, when do you want to get together? How long will you be in Coulson?” Tommy asked.

“Russell,” Alicia said in a low, curt tone.

Russell glanced at Alicia, then looked sheepishly at Tommy and Ryan. “Sorry guys, I really do need to hurry.”

“So when do you want to get together?” Ryan repeated Tommy’s question.

“I would love to, but Mother seems to have plans for every day I’m home. It was great seeing you, but I need to get going. Merry Christmas!” Not waiting for a response, Russell and Alicia turned from them and walked away.

“Well fuck, what was that all about?” Tommy asked after Russell and Alicia disappeared into the convenience store.

“Hell if I know.”

The day after Christmas, Alexandra waited impatiently for Jimmy to install her new eight-track tape player in her battered red Corvair van. Alexandra, her dark hair pulled into two long pigtails, peered into the vehicle’s side window, watching. She wore lavender bellbottom pants that hugged her hips instead of her waist and a paisley print halter-top.

Katie sat nearby on the sidewalk, going through a small stack of eight-track tapes her sister had received for Christmas. Katie’s moccasin clad feet peeked out from the tattered cuffs of her denim bellbottoms. Her colorfully embroidered peasant shirt was one size too large for her petite figure, yet the loose fit didn’t seem to trouble her.

“This is so cool,” Katie said as she read the label of the Creedence Clearwater Revival tape. “I can’t wait until I get my license.”

“When Jimmy gets it hooked up we’re driving out to Sutter’s Lake to meet some friends. Wanna go?”

“Are you going to invite Ryan and Tommy?” Katie glanced to her house where her brother and Ryan were.

“Why? I’m sure they’re going to hook up with their own friends,” Alex said.

“Well, I just figured since they’re home for Christmas break, we could hang out.”

“I don’t care.” Alex shrugged.

“I wonder why Russell hasn’t come over. I figured he’d be here today,” Katie said.

“Who knows?” Alex added, “I heard them mention something about Russell bringing a girlfriend home for Christmas.”

“Your sister, Alex, is looking hot.” Ryan stood at Tommy’s bedroom window looking out toward the driveway.

“She’s my sister.”

“Yeah, so you keep reminding me. But don’t worry; I’m not into jail bait.”

“Probably a good thing, I have a feeling Jimmy would be pissed if you started hitting on his girlfriend.” Tommy sat on his bed holding a guitar, attempting to tune the instrument.

“According to Jimmy, they’re just good friends. Why, has Alex said something different?”

“No. I just figured the kid is always hanging around her. I know if I was spending my Christmas vacation hooking up some girl’s tape player, she’d be more than a friend.”

“Why do you get pissed when I make cracks about your kid sister, but you’re okay with the possibility my brother is hitting on her?” Ryan turned from the window and sat on the floor.

“Probably because I don’t worry about Jimmy. I don’t think he’s a match for Alex.”

“Not sure how I feel about that.” Ryan laughed. “But you’re probably right.”

“Did Russell ever call you?”

“No. You?”

“No. I guess he has more important things to do than hang out with old friends.”

“Yeah, well he is a Harvard boy now,” Ryan said in his best New England accent.

Garret Coulson silently observed the interactions of his family. The day after Christmas, they gathered in the living room of Coulson House, while Gladys served an informal brunch. He watched as his mother congratulated Russell on his new girlfriend.

“She’s a lovely young woman. I’m so pleased she could spend Christmas with us,” Vera told Russell.

“Fine family, excellent connections,” Randall had mentioned when Alicia was out of earshot. He slapped Russell on the back, congratulating his grandson for his wise choice.

Even Harrison Junior seemed to find Alicia an acceptable match, although his comments were primarily whispered to his younger brothers when no one was listening, something along the lines, “I bet she’d be a hot little fuck. Have you done her yet?”

Of course, Sonny boy didn’t dare voice such crude praise when his own fiancé, Shelly, or his parents or grandfather might overhear his comments. The three elders were equally charmed with Shelly.

Garret could not stomach Alicia or Shelly. In his opinion, both women were spoiled, self-centered, and shallow. He prayed Russell would come to his senses. Since it was only his first year of college, there was hope. What made him nervous was how his parents encouraged the match and would probably be delighted if Russell married the girl before finishing college.

He rather hoped his older brother married Shelly. It would serve him right. But if both women became his sister-in-laws, he didn’t imagine future family gatherings would be pleasant. Garret suspected that if Alicia and Shelly were put together in the same room for a prolonged amount of time, they would start sharpening their claws—probably on each other.

“Aren’t you going to see some of your friends while you’re in town?” Garret asked Russell when the two were standing together on the edge of the living room having a private conversation.

“Not really any time. You know Mother.”

“True, she loves to plan her little parties. But you always found time for your friends before. Just surprised me, since this is your first time back in Coulson, and you’ll only be here for a few days.”

“I just don’t have time. And I realized a while back, people change and move on. My life’s different now, and I don’t really have anything in common with my old friends.” Russell sipped his mimosa.

“What about your history with them?” Garret asked.

“A person can only spend so much time talking about the good old days.”

“Does this mean you aren’t moving back to Coulson after graduation?”

“That’s quite a ways down the road. And don’t forget, I may not be as lucky as you when they pull my lottery numbers.”

“I imagine Grandfather can get you out if you get a low number.”

“I wouldn’t do that. Dad didn’t use Grandfather’s connections to get him out of the service.”

“Well, like you said, that’s a ways down the road. And I hope you don’t do something stupid like me.”

“What do you mean?” Russell asked.

“Rush into a marriage.”

“Garret, your marriage, well, that was an entirely different thing. I’m in love with Alicia.”

“How do you know? You’ve only known her for, what, four months, if that?”

“Mother and Dad seem to like her a lot. So does Grandfather.”

“Please Russell, don’t rush into anything. Finish college and then think about marriage, if that’s what you want to do.”