The Letter - Chapter 20

My cell phone rang.  I dug deep into my purse to find it.  My sister, Marnie, was returning my call.  We’d been trading phone calls for several days without connecting.

“Hi Marnie.”

“Ellie.  Finally, we’ve connected.  Is this a good time to talk?”

I looked over at Jillian, who stood behind a heavy set woman in the stylist’s chair.  “About five minutes, Ellie,” she said as she continued to snip the woman’s too blonde hair.

“What’s with all the noise, Ellie?  Where are you?”

“At the hair salon.  My friend Beverly recommended it to prepare for my trip to Pittsburgh.”

“So you’re coming then.  Great!  Have you made flight reservations yet?”

“No, Marnie.  I was waiting to talk to you before I made them.  I was hoping to see Jeff play basketball.”

“So that’s why you’re having your hair done.  I mistakenly thought it had something to do with getting reacquainted with a certain divorced gentleman that lives in Pittsburgh.”

“Quit teasing.  I’m just getting a trim, dear sister.  I’ve let it grow too long – just through neglect, mind you.  But it definitely needs a tune-up.”

“Are you getting it colored as well?”

“No, I never have.  It’s a bit streaky with gray, but my friend says that’s trendy and I shouldn’t mess with it.”

“You’ve got a great friend in that Beverly.  I’ve got to get out there to see her again.”

“Anyway, what about Jeff’s schedule?”  I looked nervously over at Jillian who had started to blow dry and comb her client’s hair.

“Don’t worry, honey,” Jillian called to me over the noise of the blow dryer.  “Take your time.  I’m going to run next door to get a cup of coffee.”

“Bill!  Where did you put the basketball schedule?”  I heard Marnie call to her husband.

“In the drawer next to the refrigerator,” I heard my brother-in-law call back.

Jillian turned the chair so her customer faced the large mirror on the wall.  The customer nodded her approval and got up from the chair and walked to the register.

“OK, Ellie.  There’s a home game on Friday.  That’s probably too soon, right?”

“Uh, yeah.  I don’t think I can get a flight that quickly.  And I’m sending George Leskovic another letter to see if he wants to meet me there.  The letter’s basically written.  I just have to plug in the date of the game and recopy it to my stationery.”

“Recopy it?  How many drafts have you gone through to get it just right?”

A bell rung as Jillian’s customer left the salon with Jillian right behind her.

“Oh just stop it, Marnie,” I chuckled.  “Beverly and I worked on it together.  She’s quite good.  Maybe it’s all the romance novels she reads.”

“There’s another home game the following Friday.  That’s February 3^rd.  Would that work for you?”

“Yes, that would be perfect.  I hope the weather cooperates.”

“We’ll have to see what the groundhog says.”

“Well, Groundhog’s Day is when I’ll plan to arrive if it’s ok with you and Bill.  Then I’ll book my return flight for Monday.”

“Unless George persuades you to stay longer, Ellie.”

“Please, Marnie.  Let’s not get my hopes up.  The higher they go, the more pain I’ll suffer when they come crashing back to earth.”

“Oh, pooh, Ellie.  Once George realizes what a catch you are, he’ll be on the next plane to Seattle.”

“Do you really think he’d move?”

“I hope not.  I’d much rather he’d convince you to move to Pittsburgh.  But if I were writing your story, George would fly to your town first to show how much you mean to him.”

“You’re such a hopeless romantic, Marnie.”

“A hopeful romantic, Ellie.  And when he arrives on your doorstep in Issequah, he’ll have a ring in his pocket!”

“Git outta tahn,” I said using my best Pittsburgh accent.

“Not bad, Ellie.  You haven’t lost it,” Marnie laughed.

You can take the gal out of Pittsburgh,” I said.

“But you can’t take Pittsburgh out of the gal,” we both laughed together.

The door rang again as Jillian walked in with a coffee drink topped with whipped cream.

“I‘ve got to go.  Time for my haircut.”

“We can’t wait to see you, Ellie.  Email me your itinerary as soon as you make your reservations.”

“Will do.  Give my love to Bill and the kids.  Bye for now.”

I put my phone away and walked over to Jillian’s chair.

“So are we just doing a trim?” she asked.

“Whatever it takes to make me irresistible.  I’m going to Pittsburgh in a week and a half to meet my future husband!”

“Jillian put down her comb and scissors.  Okay.  Why don’t we look at some pictures to get a better idea of what you’d like me to do.

I smiled as she handed me a book of hairstyles.  “You’d better watch out George Leskovic,” I said under my breath.  “I plan to knock your socks off!”