A story about three friends.

The Blond Man
By Jan Richards

When Joan’s parents purchase a television set, Joan’s friends always came to her house to watch Howdy Dowdy, and enjoyed the cookies Joan’s mother made for them. Joan’s mother would sometimes watch the children laugh, as they watched different programs. When it came time for the children to go home, Joan’s mother saw sadness. The children didn’t want to leave the big screen.

Kathy’s parents bought Kathy a blue and white bike, with a bell and basket, when she turned ten years old. Kathy enjoyed riding her bike up and down the street. When she saw the sadness in her friends eyes, Kathy let her friends ride it.

And Lin was no different, she shared everything she too. If she got money for running errands for the neighbors, or helping out at home, she always shared it with her friends. They would go to the soda fountain and Lin would pay for the ice cream.

The three of them were friends from the start. In elementary school the girls giggled when a boy looked at them, did homework together, listened to records, talked on the telephone, and things young girls usually do. They went roller skating, ice skating, sledding, bowling, and joined clubs like girl scouts. They took trips with the school class and recorded their memories in a scrapbook, with pictures they took.
When they went to Jackson High, they looked at boys in a different light. They were pretty and well liked. Lin seemed to be the shyest of the three. She would never approach a boy.

The Senior dance was scheduled for May. Kathy and Joan tried to fix Lin up for the prom, but it seemed all the boys they asked had dates. Lin knew boys, but they were not the type she wanted to date. She really wanted to go to the prom. A boy, shy like her, seemed to be watching her in class. She liked him. He was good looking and tall. She was tall herself. She hopes he would ask her to the prom, but figured he already had a date.

One day to Lin"s surprise, the boy she liked walked over to her and said, "You must have plenty of
dates. I bet you are already booked for the prom."
"No."
"No, you do not have plenty of dates, or no you don’t have a date for the prom?."
"No to both questions.".
"Would you be my date?"
"Yes, I would love to go with you."
"Then it’s a date." He walked Lin to their next class, and they talked about what time he would pick her up and also asked for her address.
When lunch came, Lin met Kathy and Joan in the cafeteria.
"I have a date for the prom."
"With who?" Joan asked.
"Bobby White."
Oh! My gosh! He is a dream. Did you ask him"
"No, he asked me. I noticed him looking at me a lot lately. He just asked if I had a date for the prom and when I told him I didn’t he asked me."
"Wow!" Kathy said.
"Wow! Indeed," Joan said.
The girls finished their lunch and went back to class. Lin could hardly wait to go home and tell her mother.

Lin told her mother and saw sadness in her eyes. "Why are you sad?" She asked.
"Your father and I don’t have enough money to buy you a prom dress. Your father works hard for his the money, and I try to budget it the best way I can. There is just not enough money in the budget to buy you a dress for the prom."
Lin held her composure, she knew how hard her mother worked to keep within her budget, but she wanted so much to go to the prom with Bobby White. Now it would never happen. She felt so sad, but she was not going to show her sadness to her mother. She was going to act grown up about it. "That’s ok mother, I really didn’t want to go."
Her mother knew differently. She had to find some way to get a gown for her daughter, so she could go to the prom with her friends. She did not know, but she was going to try.

It seemed someone was watching over Lin, the phone rang, and it was Kathy.
"Hello," Lin said with a sad voice.
" You sound so sad. What’s wrong?"
"My parents can’t afford to buy me a prom dress."
"Then you can borrow one of mine."
"Oh! Kathy, thank you."
"When are you coming over? Joan is here, we’re waiting for you."
"As soon as I tell my mother."
Lin was so happy Kathy was going to let her borrow a gown for the prom. She hanged up the phone, then turned to her mother and said, "Kathy is going to let me wear one of her gowns. Now I can go to the prom with Bobby White."
Lin’s mother smiled. "You guardian angel was watching over you."
"I’m going over to Kathy’s house, Joan is there, There’re waiting for me, we’re going to talk about the prom."
"Don’t be late. Supper is at 5PM."
"I’ll be back in time. Goodbye mother."
"Goodbye. Have a nice time."
"I will."
When Lin arrived at Kathy’s house the three of them looked through Kathy’s closet to find a gown for Lin.
"Lin try this one on," Kathy said.
Lin tried more than one, but could not decide which one to wear.
"Try this power blue one on. It will go good with your blond hair."
When Lin had the gown on, the girls shouted, "That’s the one for you."
" You look stunning. You’ll knock Bobby White’s eyes out when he sees you in it," Kathy said.
"Yes, it does show off my figure."
"Certainly does," Kathy said.
"You don’t think too much is showing?"
"Of course not. All the girls will be wearing gowns like that."
"I don’t know, my dad, my mom."
"Take the gown home."
Lin took the gown home and put it on for her mother. Her father had not arrived.
"Mom, isn’t it beautiful?"
"Yes, it is dear, but a little low."
"Do you think dad will say no."
"I’ll cover your cleavage with a handkerchief, then when you get outside take it off. Remember, put it back before you come home again."
"Mother, I love you."
"And I love you too."

The girls graduated from high school and went off to college. Four years of college and then the girls applied for different position. Kathy worked as a secretary, for the President of Beyon Aircraft, where she took notes, wrote business letters, answered several phones, made appointments and greeted clients. Kathy now stood 6’ tall, with blond hair and blue eyes. She had always wanted to be a secretary every since she started elementary school. She loved to read, travel, cook and watch a
movie now and then.

Lin was a photographer, who photographed scenery, children, animals and anything she saw as a beautiful picture, for Beauty Magazine. She had won several awards for her pictures. She was working on a story she hoped would bring in another award. Lin was also a blond and she was 6’ too.
She love reading, taking pictures, traveling, eating out, but not cooking. Every since she was a child and took her first picture on an outing from school, she wanted to be a photographer.

Joan, a writer, wrote general interest stories. She loved interviewing people for Rub, in her hometown. Most of her stories made the headlines. Sometimes, she would ask Lin to tag along and take some pictures for the stories she wrote. Joan was a brunette, with brown eyes. She was just a little under 6’ feet. They used to call her the small one and they would all laugh. She used to write short stories and dreamed of being published. Her stories were just locked away in a box, until one day, when she grew older, and decided to rewrite them. That’s when she became published.
When Kathy became engaged, the friendship through school years continued to flourish. The girls still managed to go out for an evening. A year later, Joan became engaged. Now there were two that Lin would be a bridesmaid for. Lin was happy for them. She wondered if she would become engaged, get married, live in a big house, and raise a family

One day, while eating at a restaurant, Kathy asked, "Would any of you like to go to a fortune teller. I know where there’re a small tea room."
"Sounds like it would be fun," Joan said.
"Count me in," Lin answered.

A week later the girls found themselves sitting in a little tea room. The waitress served the tea and told the girls the fortune teller would be with them shortly. While sipping tea and waiting, they started talking about the fortune teller, and giggling.
"I’m taking off my engagement ring," Kathy said.
"Me too," said Joan.
"I think you’re being foolish.," Lin said.
"Why?" They both asked.
"It means you believe in this fortune teller stuff. I thought this was just going to be for fun."
"I just want to see if he notices I took my ring off," Kathy said.
"Of course, he will," Lin said.
"Why would he?" Joan asked.
"Your ring leaves a mark on your finger."
"Never thought of that," Kathy said.
"I didn’t either," Joan said.

Before the girls could put their rings back, the fortune teller came to their table.
"Hello, ladies," he said. "Would you turn your cups onto the saucer, and make sure to tap the bottom, so all the extra leaves fall."
The girls did what he asked.

The girls were surprised when the fortune teller said, "I know two of you girls have taken off your engagement rings."
Kathy kicked Joan under the table.
"There will be no movement under the table."
The girls looked at each other.
The fortune teller told Kathy’s fortune first. "You are a secretary to the President of Beyon Aircraft. You have a very important job, FBI clearance, and work for the government. You are engaged to a man in the military, who is stationed overseas. His tour will be up around Christmas, when you plan to marry. You will honeymoon in Hawaii and become pregnant within a year."

Kathy kept quiet and looked at her friends. They knew what the fortune teller said was true . Kathy and Joan listened as the fortune teller spoke to lin. "You are a photographer and work for a magazine called Beauty. You have won several award for your photographs. I see you have no attachments, you will soon, sometime around Valentine Day. You will meet a blond man at a dance, within a year he will ask you to marry him. You will honeymoon in Florida and have twin girls."
Last he took Joan’s cup.
"You write non fiction articles for a newspaper called Rub. The editor likes your writing, and plans to up grade you, sometime in the future. You want to write a novel, and have started it. This novel will bring you fame, but not until you have received many rejections slips. You are engaged to a man who is taller than you, with brown hair and eyes. He is in the movie business and will become the producer of your book. You plan to marry in two years. A year from the date of your marriage, you will become pregnant and have a boy."
The fortune teller finished telling their fortunes and said, "goodbye"
The girls said, "goodbye," then starred at each other, as the fortune teller left the room. They
wondered how he knew so much about them.

Valentine Day, Kathy, Joan, and their boyfriends took Lin along to a dance. The five of them sat at a table and ordered drinks. Then the boyfriends asked Kathy and Joan to dance.
While sitting alone, Lin spotted a blond man who started to walk to her table, then stopped and headed back to the bar.

When Kathy and Joan came back, Lin pointed to the blond man, and said, "See that blond man at the bar, I’m going to marry him."
"Don’t tell me you believe what the fortune teller said?" Joan said.
"I just have a feeling inside of me."
"Yea, sure you do."

The girls got up to dance again, and the blond man started over to Lin’s table. The music stopped, Kathy and Joan came back to the table and the blond man turned, and went back to the bar.
Lin said, "When you get up to dance again, stay out there for a few dances before you come back to the table."
"Why," Joan and Kathy asked.
"Because that blond man is trying to ask me to dance, every time he gets close to the table you guys return and he goes back to the bar."
"All right, we’ll stay away, but we’ll be watching."

The girls got up to dance and the blond man approached Lin’s table.
"Hi, would you like to dance?"
"Yes.".
They got up to dance and Kathy and Joan winked at Lin, while the blond man was not looking.
"My name is Bob Kelly."
"Mine is Lin Terry."
"Do you come here often."
"No, my engaged girlfriends let me tag along, because it was Valentine Day."
"I’m glad they did, otherwise, I would never have met you. Would you like to go out sometime?"
"That sound nice."
"A movie."
"Yes, I’d like that."
"When the dance ends, why not give me your telephone number, I’ll call you."
The dance ended, but Kathy and Joan did not return when they saw the blond man at the table. They notice Lin writing something on a napkin and figured she had a date. They could hardly wait to find out the details.

When the blond man left, the girls returned and started talking at once. Seeing this, the boys went to the bar for more drinks.
"Well, did you get a date?" Kathy asked.
"Yes, I wrote my telephone number down on a napkin."
"When are you going?" Joan asked.
"I don’t know. He said he’d call."
"Sure," Kathy said, "they all say that."
"Well, maybe, but he did seem sincere."
"Did he ask you to marry him? Kathy said.
Both girls laughed.
"We’ll see who has the last laugh," Lin said.
. When the boyfriends came back, they asked their girlfriends to dance again. The blond man was watching from the bar. When the coast was clear, he came over and asked Lin to dance.
Kathy and Joan had surprised looks on their faces. Lin just smiled. The blond man danced a few more dances, then told Lin he would call next week and they could take in a movie and dinner.

The following week, the blond man called and took Lin to dinner and a movie. They laughed at dinner and cried at the movie. They had so much fun together. The blond man asked her out the following week, and kept asking her out for a year. Then he proposed and she accepted.
Kathy and Joan, were bridesmaids. The girls all laughed, remembering the time they went to the fortune teller, and how he was right about all of them.

Lin and the blond man honeymooned in Florida. They went to Disney World and met Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. After a year, Lin moved into her dream house, and all her dreams came true , except one. The fortune teller told Lin she was going to have twin girls. Her husband took her to the Animal Rescue League, in hopes of finding a cute little puppy. Instead of coming home with one, they came home with two. The fortune teller was right in a lot of things he told Lin, but he was mistaken about the twin girls. Do you think he saw puppies in her future instead?