بخش 05 - فصل 27

27 It’s six-twenty when Tanya Robinson arrives at the MAC, and as she joins the line of incoming vehicles, she wishes she’d listened to the girls’

importuning and left for the concert an hour earlier. The lot is already three-quarters full. Guys in orange vests are flagging traffic. One of them waves her to the left. She turns that way, driving with slow care because she’s borrowed Ginny Carver’s Tahoe for tonight’s safari, and the last thing she wants is to get into a fender-bender. In the seats

behind her, the girls–Hilda Carver, Betsy DeWitt, Dinah Scott, and her own Barbara– are literally bouncing with excitement. They have loaded the Tahoe’s CD changer with their ‘Round Here CDs (among them they have all six), and they squeal “Oh, I love this one!” every time a new tune comes on. It’s noisy and it’s stressful and Tanya is surprised

to find she’s enjoying herself quite a lot. “Watch out for the crippled guy, Mrs. Robinson,” Betsy says, pointing. The crippled guy is skinny, pale, and bald, all but floating inside his baggy tee-shirt. He’s holding what looks like a framed picture in his lap, and she can also see one of those urine bags. A sadly jaunty

‘Round Here pennant juts from a pocket on the side of his wheelchair. Poor man, Tanya thinks. “Maybe we should help him,” Barbara says. “He’s going awful slow.” “Bless your kind heart,” Tanya says. “Let me get us parked, and if he hasn’t made it to the building when we walk back, we’ll do just that.”

She slides the borrowed Tahoe into an empty space and turns it off with a sigh of relief. “Boy, look at the lines,” Dinah says. “There must be a zillion people here.” “Nowhere near that many,” Tanya says, “but it is a lot. They’ll open the doors soon, though. And we’ve got good seats, so don’t worry about that.”

“You’ve still got the tickets, right, Mom?” Tanya ostentatiously checks her purse. “Got them right here, hon.” “And we can have souvenirs?” “One each, and nothing that costs over ten dollars.” “I’ve got my own money, Mrs. Robinson,” Betsy says as they climb out of the Tahoe.

The girls are a little nervous at the sight of the crowd growing outside the MAC. They cluster together, their four shadows becoming a single dark puddle in the strong early-evening sunlight. “I’m sure you do, Bets, but this is on me,” Tanya says. “Now listen up, girls. I want you to give me your money and phones for safekeeping.

Sometimes there are pickpockets at these big public gatherings. I’ll give everything back when we’re safe in our seats, but no texting or calling once the show starts–are we clear on that?” “Can we each take a picture first, Mrs. Robinson?” Hilda asks. “Yes. One each.” “Two!” Barbara begs.

“All right, two. But hurry up.” They each take two pictures, promising to email them later, so everyone has a complete set. Tanya takes a couple of her own, with the four girls grouped together and their arms around each other’s shoulders. She thinks they look lovely.

“Okay, ladies, hand over the cash and the cackleboxes.” The girls give up thirty dollars or so among them and their candy-colored phones. Tanya puts everything in her purse and locks Ginny Carver’s van with the button on the key-fob. She hears the satisfying thump of the locks engaging–a sound that means safety and security.

“Now listen, you crazy females. We’re all going to hold hands until we’re in our seats, okay? Let me hear your okay.” “Okaay!” the girls shout, and grab hands. They’re tricked out in their best skinny jeans and their best sneakers. All are wearing ‘Round Here tees, and Hilda’s ponytail has been tied with a white silk

ribbon that says I LUV CAM in red letters. “And we’re going to have fun, right? Best time ever, right? Let me hear your okay.” “OKAAAYYYY!” Satisfied, Tanya leads them toward the MAC. It’s a long walk across hot macadam, but none of them seems to mind. Tanya looks for the bald man in the wheelchair and spies

him making his way toward

the back of the handicapped

line. That one is much shorter,

but it still makes her sad to see

all those broken folks. Then

the wheelchairs start to move.

They’re

letting

the

handicapped people in first,

and she thinks that’s a good

idea. Let all or at least most of

them get settled in their own

section before the stampede begins. As Tanya’s party reaches the end of the shortest line of abled people (which is still very long), she watches the skinny bald guy propel himself up the handicap ramp and thinks how much easier it would be for him if he had one of those motorized chairs. She wonders about the picture in his lap.

Some loved relative who’s gone on? That seems the most likely. Poor man, she thinks again, and sends up a brief prayer to God, thanking Him that her own two kids are all right. “Mom?” Barbara says. “Yes, honey?” “Best time ever, right?” Tanya Robinson squeezes her daughter’s hand. “You

bet.” A girl starts singing “Kisses on the Midway” in a clear, sweet voice. “The sun, baby, the sun shines when you look at me . . . The moon, baby, the moon glows when you’re next to me . . .” More girls join in. “Your love, your touch, just a little is never enough . . . I want to love you my way . . .”

Soon the song is floating up into the warm evening air a thousand voices strong. Tanya is happy to add her voice, and after the CD-a-thon coming from Barbara’s room these last two weeks, she knows all the words. Impulsively, she bends down and kisses the top of her daughter’s head. Best time ever, she thinks.