16. “Kodachrome”

16

"KODACHROME"

PAUL SIMON

U nable to contain my excitement, I was up and out the door at six the next morning. I hadn't swung a golf club in nearly a week, so I decided to go a little early and hit some balls on the range before jumping into a cart to show three women I didn't know how rusty I was.

The golf club was only twenty minutes away, and when I pulled into the driveway, I turned off the radio after an American Idol-worthy duet with Stevie Nicks (as Tom Petty of course). I hopped down, grabbed my clubs from the back, and headed around the back of the building to look for the pro shop.

After about thirty minutes on the driving range, I decided to roll some balls to check out the speed of the greens. When I turned around a few minutes later, there were a couple ladies already chatting and putting their clubs in their carts.

I figured it was as good a time as any to meet some of them.

One of the women putting her clubs in the second cart back in the line looked to be about my age and the other a little older, so I walked up and introduced myself .

"Hi, I'm Paige." I mentally shook my head. For someone who was paid for her choice of words, that skill did not translate well to in-person communication.

The older woman turned toward me. She began tucking her bright, multicolored floral top into her equally bright pink golf skirt. "Hi, Paige. Are you new here?" Her gravelly voice threw me for a moment. It was equal parts chain smoker and phone sex operator.

"I'm visiting kind of on a long-term basis, and I decided to join the ladies' league so I could meet a few people."

"It's nice to see a new face around here. I'm Grace Thompson. I've lived in this area all my life, and right now, I'm in one of the condominiums along Clearwater Beach. This is Elyse," she said, putting her hand on the shoulder of a woman who looked to be about ten years younger and almost a foot taller than me. "She's riding with another of our friends, Cat, who usually runs up to the first tee box at five after seven. She owns a café that she needs to open in the morning, so we give her a little bit of grace."

Elyse turned and faced me, raising her right hand in greeting. She was wearing a sleeveless golf polo and the artwork on the arm she'd raised was on full display, although I was only able to catch a few pieces—a tree and a fireman's axe—without looking like I was staring. "It's nice to meet you, Paige. Grace was our third wheel today, so why don't you throw your clubs in her cart, and we'll roll as a foursome."

I put my hand out and shook Elyse's while Grace picked up my clubs and strapped them in behind the passenger side of the cart. Within a few minutes, twenty or so women were paired up in golf carts, ready to go. Grace and I climbed into our cart and turned to continue chatting with Elyse while we waited. She sat in the driver's seat, alone.

"Dan usually lets us go off on hole one," Elyse explained. " He knows Cat will be here just in time to tee off, and he doesn't want her dodging everyone else's golf balls to get to us. How long have you been playing?"

"About twenty years; I started when my kids were little. It was a great excuse to get out of the house for a bit on the weekends, then a few years later I was able to sneak out while they were both in school. It's been a love-hate relationship ever since."

Elyse nodded her head in agreement. "I hear you loud and clear on that last part. Lately, it's been more hate-hate for me, but I'm trying to push through the pain. It's the one time my stubbornness pays off."

The starter motioned us over, and we headed to the first tee box, climbed out, and grabbed our drivers. Grace pulled a neon yellow sun hat down over her spiky, platinum hair. I couldn't help but picture it looking like a tinfoil hat after a round in Florida's heat and humidity. I stifled a giggle just as I saw Elyse driving up to the tee box behind us, with a woman I could only assume was Cat in hot pursuit. I knew we were going to be fast friends when I saw the devious smile on Elyse's face as she looked over her shoulder while rolling to a stop.

"I've had some periods when I didn't golf as much," I continued as I looked back to Grace, "but since my kids have left for college over the last several years, I've definitely been golfing a lot more than usual."

Grace briefly broke eye contact with me to glance back at our playing partners, who were engaged in a playful shoving match now that Cat had caught up.

"Children!" she chided, then turned back to me, probably realizing it was hopeless to rein them in at that point. "Well, my kids left for college a few decades ago, but I'm typically out here on league day, and I also play two or three rounds throughout the rest of the week. I keep myself pretty busy."

Elyse had disengaged from Cat and was walking up to meet us on the tee box while forcing wavy hair that didn't appear interested in cooperating into a ponytail. She was followed by Cat who was holding both of their drivers and trying to goose her with one of them.

"Good grief, you two. Cat, this is Paige. She's staying in Dunedin for a while and trying to meet a few people while she's visiting. Luckily, you two knuckleheads are on your best behavior." She rolled her eyes, but her sarcastic tone was dressed in affection.

"Hey, nice to meet you, Paige. How long will you be visiting?" Cat reached into the back pocket of her yellow golf shorts (which coordinated perfectly with her yellow and white striped shirt), pulled out a matching bandana, and tied it around her head, topping the whole ensemble with a baseball cap that was a lovely pastel green… just kidding. It was yellow.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure how long I'm staying, but I'm trying to get the lay of the land and meet a few people in the process. I work remotely, which will help a lot. Oh my gosh, we've been standing here forever. How do you decide who tees off first?"

Elyse bent over, holding her sides as she laughed. "This day could not get any better!" she squeaked out as she stood up straight. "Grace, Paige mustache you a question!" She and Cat doubled over with laughter as Grace fought off her amusement, the left side of her mouth quivering upwards. "I try not to engage when they're like this, or it takes us five hours to finish a round, and we hold up the entire field. So, to answer your question, whoever hasn't waxed their mustache in the longest time starts us off. It's a real honor."

Cat snorted. "The competition gets really hairy!"

Grace huffed and then chuckled. "Well?" she prompted, looking back at me.

"I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing I'm not first," I said as I looked at each of the other three women. I didn't feel like we'd reached a point where I could examine them for facial hair, but I did mentally thank one-week-ago-me who had taken care of all personal grooming appointments before leaving Madison.

"It's always me," said Grace. She stepped up to the front of the tee box, then put her tee in the ground and left a ball behind on top of it in one smooth motion. "These two have a laugh at my expense every week, but I've embraced my menopausal mustache. These two have apparently never heard of that old adage that begins, ‘She who laughs first….' You can go after me, and we'll let these two duke it out next."

Grace swung the club, sending her ball into the air straight toward the green. "Looks like you're my good luck charm today, Paige. You're up."

My first shot and every shot after it was as smooth and easy as the conversation between Grace and me as we made our way through eighteen holes. I filled her in on the higher-level details of my life: the kids, my chosen singleness, my parents, and Kari. We talked about her daughter, Sarah, who was thirty-five, married with two small kids, and worked as a social worker at a local middle school. She told me about her son, Bill, who was thirty-three, also married with two kids, and owned a successful business, Bill's Body Shop, in Dunedin.

"Raising the kids with William was an adventure, but he was always so supportive of my career. I turned my love of books into thirty-eight years of running a few of our local libraries. William and I got married the same year I started behind the desk as a staff librarian, and there were times he practically raised our kids on his own while I worked on a few of my passion projects. My dreams were always as important to him as they were to me."

She paused as we pulled up to our next tee box and kept her eyes on the group ahead of us as we waited for them to make it to the green. "He's been gone five years now, and I miss him every day." Her husky voice broke as she continued. "I stayed on as the head librarian for three more years, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. I've been retired for two years, and it was a big adjustment, but I eventually returned to the hobby I'd taken up when the kids were younger, and that's been keeping me pretty busy."

I didn't have the opportunity to ask her to elaborate as the group ahead of us was finally putting, and she changed the subject back to me as soon as we returned to the cart. As we pulled up in front of the cart barn forty-five minutes later, she turned to me and smiled. "Are you in a hurry to get home? We usually stay for lunch afterward. You're welcome to join us."

"I'm off work until next week, and I love lunch. Actually, I don't discriminate against any mealtimes; they're all my favorite. You've sold me." I was grateful for a chance to get to know them better. I'd been enjoying their company and wasn't in a hurry to get back to the house for a staring contest with my dog.

We settled around a table in the grill and, one by one, took off our hats and giggled like school girls at the state of our hair. Nothing is more humbling than removing your hat in public after eighteen holes in the heat and humidity. It turned out my prediction about Grace's tinfoil hat was a hundred percent accurate, and, having just met her, I fought off the urge to share my observation.

When Elyse took hers off, the ponytail holder that had been straining to maintain some sense of control over her mass of hair saw it as its cue to split, and while most of it was weighed down with sweat and settled across her shoulders, the rest was waving and dancing to rave music only it could hear. Other than being brown instead of blonde, it reminded me of Kari's mop of thick, wild hair. I'd been watching her try to tame that beast for forty-five years, and she'd recently given up the fight and let it live in whatever dimension it had been intended to. Elyse gave up trying to turn the volume down and pulled a turquoise ponytail holder off her wrist. "I always have a few backups," she told me with a wink. "What brought you to the Clearwater area? I'm sure you already told Grace while we were out there, but she doesn't allow a lot of time for chatting."

"Well, it's kind of a long story."

"We love long stories," said Cat, who had removed her own hat, leaving the folded bandana covering her close-cropped hair. "I don't have to be back at the café until one, so as long as it's not two hours long, I've got plenty of time."

"Ok. My kids, Jason and Anna, are mostly grown. Jason lives in Boston and works for an architectural firm, and Anna is a junior at Washington State. She's studying to go into Oncology research. It's been hard having them so far away, especially being single, but we make time every Sunday to catch up with each other via FaceTime."

The ladies all nodded in understanding. I continued, "My uncle, Mike, owns a home here, and he called me last week with a bit of a bombshell. He's moved in with his life and business partner, Chris, and he asked me to come down and stay in his house for a bit. As luck would have it, the very next day, my friend-slash-neighbor in Madison had a little teenager-related incident involving a car and a new entrance to her kitchen from the garage?—"

There was a collective gasp from my captive audience and a muffled chuckle from Cat.

"—and I took that as my cue to accept his offer. My friend and her family are staying at my house for the time being. And here I am. I have no idea how long I'm going to stay, but with the kids all grown and living in other states, I'm not in any hurry to get back."

Elyse's jaw hung loose before replying, "Ummmmm… that seems like an easy decision to me. You don't have to shovel sunshine," to which Grace and Cat nodded their heads in ag reement. Elyse slapped the table in front of her. "Do your uncle and his partner happen to own a clothing store?"

"Yes! They own Dash of Flair in downtown Dunedin."

"I know them well. The bookstore I run is right across the street from their shop. They're good people."

"The best. I'll stop in your bookstore next time I visit them."

"Please do! There's a lot to do in the area and I've got some maps I like to hand out to visitors and new residents. Stop in any time."

We paused to peruse the menu, but Grace, Cat, and Elyse seemed to already know what they wanted. Luckily, it was mostly standard golf club fare, and I was able to find my trusty stand-by lunch choice within moments.

"Yeah, the Wisconsin winters are pretty rough, but I've been there all my life, so I should be used to it. But, I'm getting a little tired of the winter weather now that it's just me; if I ever see a snow blower again, it'll be too soon. Aside from that, my family seems to think I need to make some major changes in my life, and my well-intentioned mother is probably home in Madison right now crafting lists of all the ways I could improve my life. So, yeah. I've been a little unmoored since my kids—and husband—left."

Cat picked up her menu, took a picture of the bottom of it, and moved it to the pile formed by Grace and Elyse's on a corner of the table. "When my son, Sam, left for college almost ten years ago, I was in the same position. I'd been a single mom for a few years at that point and had no idea what to do with all the time I suddenly had on my hands. I ended up opening the café within a few months, and it has been an adventure. Over the last few years, I've been able to hire some local women who really needed a job, and that freed me up to do some traveling. Sam eventually moved back to the area and opened up his own law practice, but I can completely understand the feeling of being washed out to sea. I'm glad you decided to give things a go in Florida. I think you're going to love it here."

"Who's your friend?" asked the waitress who had just arrived at our table.

"Laci, this is Paige. She's staying in Dunedin for a bit and hopefully—" Elyse looked pointedly at me, "will be joining us on Tuesdays. Paige, Laci is another local native. You'll probably be seeing a lot of her."

I awkwardly raised my hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise! What can I get you for lunch? And before you ask, everything on the menu is my favorite. Our chef is one of Cat's former cooks and she is a wizard in the kitchen!" She winked at Cat who nodded her head and beamed with pride.

"I think I'll have the club sandwich this time," I said. "On sourdough if you have it. And an ice water."

Laci nodded and scribbled down my order.

"Good choice. I'll have the same, as usual," agreed Grace.

"And Caesar salads for the two of us," said Cat, motioning to herself and Elyse. "And no lemon in Elyse's water."

"Of course. You know, Elyse, we don't actually let the lemons roll around on the floor of the kitchen."

Elyse chuckled. "I don't know that for sure, and I am not taking any chances."

The corner of Laci's mouth bent upwards in a barely concealed grin. "Three ice waters with floor lemons and one without. Got it." She pretended to pick something up and dust it off, winked at me, and left the table, returning a few moments later.

"How did you ladies play today?" she asked as she set four sweating glasses down on the table. She counted out straws from the pocket on her crisp, green apron and set them where our menus had been stacked .

Cat stretched her arms above her and leaned back. "Only lost eight balls today. Two better than last week."

"That's good to hear. You're probably paying one of the pro's salaries with all the golf balls you buy here." She winked at Cat who beamed with pride. "I have to ask," she continued, turning her attention to Grace, "have you received any alien communication today? That's quite a hat you've got there," she deadpanned. Then, as if she hadn't just thrown a shot at my playing partner, she turned on her heel and walked back toward the kitchen. "Those will be right up for you," I heard her say over her shoulder.

Grace ran her fingers through her hair in a fruitless attempt to return it to its full, spiky, platinum glory. "Laci's a real sweetheart, but she's got a sarcastic streak that would make Vince Vaughn blush. I wish she golfed, because she'd fit right in with us out there."

"Luckily she's a reader because we also get to enjoy that sense of humor at book club," pointed out Cat.

"I definitely want to come back to that topic, but first, I have to ask. It seems like everyone knows everyone else around here." I swept my pointer finger around the table. "How are you all connected?"

Elyse spoke up first. "My bookstore is down the street from Cat's café. I met her when I was picking up a catering order for a book signing several years ago, and we hit it off immediately. When I found out she golfed in college, I invited her to league several times and she finally relented. She's been an enormous pain in my ass ever since." She dodged a balled-up straw wrapper Cat threw at her. "You missed. Anyway, I met Grace here at the club; we've been golfing together for years."

"And I met Cat the same way, at the café. I was picking up a lunch order for William and me shortly after she opened almost ten years ago and she was running back and forth manning the register while cooking. I was so impressed with her moxie, I instantly knew we would be friends, whether she wanted to or not. I'd been trying to get her to the golf course for a few years when Elyse finally showed up with her."

My curiosity got the best of me. "What changed your mind?"

Cat's face clouded over for a moment, but quickly recovered.

"It's hard enough being a female golfer, let alone a Black female golfer." She looked across the table at Elyse. "But she was relentless, and?—"

"I'm like water on a rock," Elyse cut in.

"You'd give an aspirin a headache." Cat spun back to me. "Like I was saying, she was relentless, and would stop in every single Monday, pick up a Caesar salad, and invite me to league the next day. One Monday, as she left with her lunch, I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I'm tenacious, but Elyse takes it to a whole new level.

"So, the next Monday, there she was with her twenty-dollar bill and her damn puppy-dog eyes. I wish I had cameras in the café just to play back her expression when I finally said, ‘Fine. I'll come, but only if you promise to let it go after this.'"

"I was stoked. I knew she'd fit right in if she'd give us a chance. And was I right?"

"You were. As usual."

They shared a smile that began in their eyes, any involvement of the rest of their face was completely extraneous. I could see the depth of their friendship in that one look.

Cat picked up her phone and began tapping away on it. We sat watching her, waiting to see if she had more to say on the subject. She must have registered the silence because she looked up and set her phone down on the table. "I noticed some new items on the menu and I was texting the chef to tell her how damn proud I am of her. She's come a long way in the last six years. "

"And she has you to thank for that," Grace said, then covered Cat's hand with her own, her blue eyes softening. "You've changed quite a few young women's lives through your mission at the café."

Cat looked down at an imaginary spot somewhere near her edge of the table. She slid the bandana over the back of her head, refolded it, put it back on. When she looked up, her dark green eyes pooled with emotion. "It's been pretty great, hasn't it? I love seeing them light up during the interview when they realize I'm going to give them a chance with little to no experience. They've been kicked around by life for so long, an outstretched hand is a rare but welcome sight."

Grace gave Cat's arm a gentle squeeze, then sat back in her chair. "And now you're doing the same for our sweet Jenna." She looked across at me. "The young lady that runs the register and does the baking at Cat's is a longtime Dunedin resident who's had a not-so-easy life."

Elyse crossed her arms and scoffed. "That's putting it mildly."

"She's almost painfully quiet and reserved, but found her way to Cat's open interviews after her last cashier left to maitre de at our local Italian restaurant, Café Alfresco. Yet another of Cat's success stories. So, back to Jenna, who walked in for an open interview and won over Cat's heart within five minutes."

"She drew the rest of us in just as quick. I love that kid," added Elyse.

"What are you, a hundred? She's twenty-six, hardly a kid." That sarcastic jab earned Cat a bit of delayed retribution in the form of her own balled-up straw wrapper. A direct hit to the left cheek. Elyse snorted, then slapped the table so hard our silverware jumped and clattered back down.

Grace put her palms together and thrust her arms between their faces. "You two are in your forties and behave like toddlers. Cat, you need to learn to take a compliment." She turned to her left. "Elyse… excellent aim." She looked at me and shrugged as if to say, If you can't beat ‘em, join ‘em.

Elyse stuck out her tongue at Cat, who rolled her eyes and flicked a sugar packet back her way. It landed short, slid across the table, and landed in Elyse's lap. "Missed again."

"Anyway…," Cat said, drawing out the last syllable, "When she told me she'd gone from her parents' house to her marital home and had never had her own money, I was done. A few months after she started, my baker left to open her own catering business, and when Jenna saw me struggling to find her replacement, she offered to help out. She'd been baking at home since she was a young girl, and let me tell you. That woman knows her way around a springform pan. My business has grown by fifteen percent since she put that apron on."

"Sugar, you lucked out with that one. What a dynamo," said Grace. "She's been opening up a little at book club, too."

"Ok, tell me more about this book club." Again, I couldn't believe my luck. I'd met and golfed with three fun people I could see myself spending time with, and they were readers?

"We meet on the third Thursday of every month in various locations," replied Grace as she pulled a compact from her kelly green crossbody bag and wiped off the runaway eyeliner that had not held up to the humidity. "My daughter, Sarah, is also a member, as is Jenna. If you're a book lover, you have to join. We're actually meeting at the library this Thursday night at six. Do you like to read? Are you free Thursday night?"

"I am an avid reader," I assured her. "I pretty much read every spare minute I have, and I have absolutely nothing on my calendar for the foreseeable future."

"Then it's settled," said Cat. "Give me your phone and I'll put my number in it."

I dug my phone out of my bag and handed it to her while we talked about the book they'd be discussing that week. I was relieved to find I'd already read it and had more than a few points I'd love the opportunity to discuss. A few moments later Cat handed my phone back to me and hers began to ring.

"I called myself from your phone; save my number as Cat St. James. I'll text you later with the details for this week's meeting. So, what do you like to do for fun other than reading and golf?"

At that moment, Laci returned with our food. After depositing each of our choices in front of us, she took a deep bow, swept her arm in front of her, and said, "League and Lunch Ladies, please enjoy your meals. I will leave you to it."

She straightened up again. "Grace, how did your hair get worse? I think I hear the mothership calling me." As she started walking back toward the kitchen, she called back, "Love you guys."

" Love you, Laci, " they all sang in reply, then as everyone else began eating, Cat returned to the topic we'd begun before lunch arrived.

"Ok, back to you, Paige. What else do you do in your spare time?"

I quickly swallowed my hastily chewed bite of sandwich. I was starving and had dug right in, forgetting we were in the middle of a conversation. I took a quick drink of water to wash down the last bit of razor-sharp toast. "That seems to be the problem these days. I'm not really sure what I want to do now that the kids are grown. I know what I'd like to do, I guess, but I'm not a hundred percent sure I'm going to be able to pull it off."

"Well, color me intrigued," said Elyse. "What is it?"

"I'm actually trying to write a book. Trying being the operative word. This is my third try and I'm really struggling to get anywhere with it."

Elyse's light green eyes lit up, turning them almost blue. "I can't believe this. It's like divine intervention. Grace here is our resident author. She's written six or seven books already and she's always working on something new. Cat and I are certain we are fodder for her stories."

"That's the risk you take hanging with an author." She turned to me. "Yes, I do a fair amount of writing myself. I've published six romance novels and I am working on my seventh. It's hard to keep that momentum going. Believe me, I understand the struggle. I wrestled my way through quite a few of my first drafts, but I have some tricks up my sleeve I'd be happy to share with you."

"I'd love to pick your brain one of these days. I wonder if my Dad has read any of your books. He loves a good romance."

"Pick away. And as for your dad, I actually have quite a few male readers. Way more than I would have expected."

We spent the next ten minutes inhaling our food, and finished within seconds of one another. After stacking our plates and bowls on the corner of the table, Grace took her napkin from her lap and placed it on top. "Are you ladies ready to go? I need to stop over at the café and check on an order I placed. Cat, I'll see you there shortly. Is Jenna in today?"

"She is, and she was hard at work on getting everything together for you when I left. I don't know what I'd do without that woman."

A look of pure affection softened Grace's features. "You're a blessing to her as well, sugar."

We paid our checks, and as we stood to leave, I felt as if I were getting ready to say goodbye to three friends I'd had for ages.

Grace turned to me as she slung her purse strap over her shoulder. "Will I be seeing you on Thursday?"

"I don't see why not. I have nothing going on, and I really need to start meeting people in this town if I'm going to be here for a while."

"I think book club would be a great place to start now that you've joined the golf club. We'll all hopefully see you Thursday."

We walked out to the parking lot together, said our "goodbyes" and "nice to meet yous" and I got into my Jeep. I couldn't seem to wipe the perma-smile off my face all the way back to Victoria Lane.

What started out just a simple round of golf seemed to have become a potential doorway to a whole new life here in Clearwater. I hoped it wasn't too good to be true.