Part II

Skirts rustled together as three young ladies made their way to the retiring room. once inside they checked their hair and dresses while making pleasant conversation.


"I say, I don't know what I'm going to do at my coming out," Michal' exclaimed while running a comb though the dark auburn hair hanging down her back. "I haven't danced nearly as much as Anne has and I am exhausted."


"It's really not all that bad. The excitement of the night overpowers the aching of your body," Carol replied settling herself onto a bench to wait for the younger girls.


"That's easy for you to say, Carol, now that it's all over with," Josephine commented.


"True," Carol said smiling, thinking six years back to her special night that she wished could go on forever.


The ladies continued walking through the crowded room (When did they leave the bathroom???) Carol admired the decorations and elegance of the Irving house. Then we went on to think about the people who lived there.


Henry Irving and his wife Marie (Are these names sounding familiar??) were one of the more regarded people in Rose Hill. Marie had grown up there and met Henry when he moved to North Carolina to start his own law firm. Marie's mother said it was love at first sight. The first time she witnessed the love in Marie's eyes when she saw her daughter looking at the tall, blond haired, blue eyed, Henry, she knew marriage was in their future (Huh??). After they married, Henry met Mac Haltom, another young lawyer who had come out east to start a new life with his family. It was the beginning of a close knit friendship between the two familiar. (What does that have to do with anything??) Two years later Henry and Marie's first child, Anne Margaret, was born. Anne had ended up with the dark hair and eyes of her mother. At 18, she had grown into the spitting image of her graceful mother and her mother's mother before her. Always the lady, she had a gentle presence and timid smile. Almost a year and a half later, Michal' Elizabeth was born. Adventurous and outgoing, Michal' became the exact opposite of her sister. While Anne enjoyed reading a book or doing stitch work, Michal' could usually be found outside riding horses or walking by the large lake not far from the house. She was now 17, reddish hair and hazel eyes that were full of life and that lit with enthusiasm when she laughed. Her tomboyishness (Apparently I made up words.) had worn off, however her sense for adventure and wild ideas still kept everyone guessing what she would come up with next.


"Carol, did you want some punch?" Michal' asked interrupting her thoughts. Being pulled out of her thoughts, Carol noticed that they had made their way to the refreshment table & Michal' was holding a cup filled with a peach colored drink.


"No, thank you. In fact I think I'm going to go find Parrish (Oh brother!!), it's getting late & his mother is keeping the boys."


"Alright, tell them hi for me," Michal' said referring to Carol's three young sons.


Paul, 5, Michael, 3, and Matthew, just over a year were adorable little boys sporting their father's handsome Spanish good looks but as rambuncuous as three brothers could be.


"I will. Good night."


"Bye," the two girls said in unison. Michal' watched Carol walk away and thought of the day almost seven years ago when Carol came back from an extended trip to Spain with her family to announce her engagement. While there, she had met Parrish Diego (There are no words ...), a tall Spaniard with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. At first, she detested the sight of him, but he was determined to win her heart. After much work, he had.


Jo (huh? Where'd she come from?) and Michal' were standing close to the dance floor trying to blend in so they wouldn't get asked to dance. They needed a moment to rest their feet. It didn't work. In just a few minutes, Jo's fiance, Randall, had claimed her for another dance. Michal' was left drinking her punch, grateful that it wasn't her that had been chosen for yet another dance.


To be continued ...