Things Worth Remembering by Jackina Stark Page A

chair, plopping into it and using my lounger for a footstool.
    “It was. When they were in grade school, I don’t think the four of them ever spent a night when we didn’t play beauty shop. I was usually the nail tech, exhausted and ready for bed after painting eighty little nails.”
    “One more reason I’m glad I had boys.”
    “Today they did each other’s nails while I watched. But when they were through, Jackie insisted on doing mine too.
    She tested three colors on my thumbnail before she decided this one was just the thing. She’ll be glad you approve.”
    “The girls about ran over me when I was coming into the house. Where were they off to?”
    “They have a final fitting for their dresses. One or two of them are still too long. They’re tea length apparently, and Maisey wants to make sure they’re just right. Jackie was telling her to relax when they headed inside earlier. Her exact words were, ‘I’m getting your meds.’ ”
    “They showed me their bracelets. Quite nice, I must say.”
    “They are, aren’t they? All three of them came out and showed them to me too. Jackie said it was a good thing they did their nails, because they’ll be holding out their hands all day long to show off their bracelets.”
    “It sounds like things went well.”
    “Very well. I don’t know why you’ve been so worried.”
    “Oh really?”
    Paula is nothing if not observant, and though we’ve talked little about it, she is borderline angry that I have not so much as seen Maisey’s wedding dress and have not been consulted about anything related to the wedding except the menu for the reception dinner and the whereabouts of our checkbook. She said one Saturday in March that it was “awfully nice” of Maisey to finally tell me that her wedding colors were black and white so I could buy a dress. We actually managed to laugh that day.
    “The girls enjoyed being together so much,” I say. “And Marcus, well, he’s an angel.”
    “He seems like a good guy, all right. Maisey chose well. He’s the silver lining in all this, isn’t he?”
    “Pure gold, as a matter of fact. Every time Marcus comes to visit, I like him more. In fact, I love the boy already. Did I tell you I wrote his mother after they became engaged? I told her I considered Maisey blessed to be marrying her son.”
    “Do you suppose I’ll get one of those letters someday?”
    “You should. Your boys are a gift to the world too. As are you.”
    “Since you feel that way, I’m sure you’ll agree to go to Indy with me. I need a dress for the wedding.”
    “You’ve got a dress.”
    “I hate it. I don’t know what I was thinking. I look downright frumpy in it. Why in the world did you let me buy it?”
    “You do not look frumpy in it or anything else.”
    “I do too, and I’m taking it back. I’ll embarrass you if I show up in it.”
    I laugh at the absurd statement. “You’re making this up, aren’t you?”
    “What is it you and Maisey used to say? I’m ‘embellishing’ a bit. I am returning the dress, though; the hem is coming out, and I don’t think I should have to put a hem in a brand-new dress. And I have decided to buy something else.
You should go with me. It might do you good to get away for a few hours.”
    “I don’t really want to send you off by yourself, but I think I’d better hang around here. I have to fix something for dinner tonight. The kids aren’t going to be here long, you know. We have what’s left of today and tomorrow. Friday hardly counts, so much will be going on.”
    “Well, I’m off, then,” Paula says, standing up and stretching.
    “Are you absolutely sure you don’t want to come?”
    “I’d better not.”
    “I knew you’d say that.”
    “And still you came. I don’t deserve such a good friend.”
    “Oh, but you do,” she says as she heads around the house to her car. “You really do.”
    Maybe I should have gone with her. Marcus and Luke went to check on tuxes shortly before the