Home for Thanksgiving

May stood in front of the mirror in her child hood bedroom brushing her long brown hair, her deep brown eyes sparkled as the voices of her high school friends chatted with laughter throughout her room. She could visualize Cindy, her best friend sitting on her bed still in her cheerleader's outfit wearing her long red hair in her piggy tails as Cindy termed as bimbo tails. Carla the true blonde of the group that May referred to her as with a wink loved standing on her head in a corner of the room. Sarah was busy chatting away on the phone to her boyfriend of the week. May wiped the tear from her cheek as her mind raced back to that tragic night that she quickly placed back deep into her memory.

"I miss you . . . so much. I should have stayed with you that night." She said aloud as she straightened out her orange satin blouse and brown skirt. She checked to make sure there weren't any wrinkles or runs in her stockings as she admired the brown and orange twelve inch high heels. She quickly turned to join her family in the parlor.

Greg Leesberg stood talking to May's oldest brother Peter, She did not trust that man and wished her brother would dissociate himself with the man. Greg was a player and loved dumping women after he got all he could get from them. He had always wanted May, but she wanted nothing to do with him. He knew he was good looking back in the days and he knows his looks are distinguished at the golden age of sixty. May was fifteen years younger then their senior. Greg noticed May and quickly fixed the red tie, she had to admit he did look good in that black suit with the white shirt and black leather shoes. She was relieved when Bob showed up at the house, and she quickly met him in the foyer.

"Bob, you were able to make it for Thanksgiving, I am so happy you could get away." She said as her eyes sparkled into her husbands brown eyes of twelve years.

"I told them at headquarters I needed to save a queen. . . . My queen." He told her as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Rescue me? From what Bob?" She asked with a worried look and wondering had the old curse once again returned to claim her?

"Why from eating to many pies and having that plump ass spread." He told her pinching her cheek.

"Oh, are we trying to be a comedian again? Thank goodness you still have a day job or my ass wouldn't be plump." She told him sticking her tongue out at him.

As they walked into the parlor to join the others, Bob pinched May's ass that even JLO would want. He knew he was a lucky man to have such a sexy wife. He looked good for being fifty, his hair was still dark brown and his body was muscular on his six-foot two frame, weighing around 19o lbs. He kept himself in shape by working out daily in the police gym after his shift.

Greg walked over to greet Bob who had been a rival of his in high school. "Well if it's not Officer Sherman, long time no sees Bob." He said holding out his hand for Bob to shake.

"Well Greg you don't look to bad yourself and its Detective Sherman. Oh I am sorry, but I don't do hand shakes." He told Greg feeling the same disgust for this man.

May was grateful when the supper was served and her mother and father sat at each end of the table just as they did as when they were raising their children. The phone rang bringing May out of her jog down memory lanes.

Martha the maid of forty years brought the phone to May. " I am sorry to interrupt your supper, but they said it was imperative to speak with you." She said handing May the portable phone.

May became shocked by the voice on the other end began to scream and yell at her for returning to Ocala. Tears stung May's eye as the voice screamed she should have been dead as well as the others. May dropped the phone as she broke down into hysterical crying. Bob grabbed the phone demanding to know who was on the phone only to hear the sound of the dial tone in his ear. May ran from the table with Bob in pursuit of her.

"Tell me who was that on the phone May?" He asked grabbing her forearm and turning her toward him.

May looked up into her husbands worried face. " It was Cindy's mother. She is upset I am here and alive." She said as she fell into his arms sobbing. " I should have died that night as well Bob."

"What are you talking about May?" He asked holding her close to him. " You shouldn't feel guilty for not dying that night, it was a horrible slaughter of innocent girls. You could not have changed the out come just added to the victim's count." He told his wife.

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May laid in the comfort of her husbands arms grateful he was with her on this holiday visit home. Her mind wandered to the day her whole world had changed. It was Thanksgiving day 1980 and May's parents forbade May from going on the trip to Silver Springs with the rest of the girls. Her mind drifted back to when the police came to her school the following Monday, that is when she met Bob who was just a rookie accompanying the investigating detective. May was upset over the senseless murders of her friends who had been killed on their way to Silver Springs by a group of men who forced Sarah's brand new mustang off the road. Sarah had just gotten the car for her eighteenth birthday a month ago.

The van load of men were drunk and the vehicle swerved all over the road on State road 75 heading in to Silver Springs. Sarah and the rest of the girls were laughing and snacking on chips. Cindy was leaning over the front seat placing a cassette of KC and Sunshine band so she could hear her song Please don't go. They began to make a recording on their tape recorder and snapping pictures so May could enjoy the trip with them even though she was not permitted to be there. Just as Carla snapped the picture of Cindy's butt the white van came speeding out of control across two lanes of on coming traffic hitting Sarah head on. The sound of metal being crushed could be heard for miles around, the car rolled over three times before landing on its roof. Cindy had been expelled through the front wind shield being killed instantly as were the other girls who were spared knowing what hit them.

The detective looked at May holding the recording the girls were making at the time of the accident along with the pictures. " I weighed the decision for a long time before deciding to give you this. Your friends made this for you before their untimely deaths. This could be considered as a death bed request, just remember everything is on there including the accident." He told May before handing the items over to her.

May sat in her bedroom listening to the recording they made and the words from KC were so haunting to her from Please don't go.

May had the CD and the pictures show cased in a memorial on her glass encased shelf with pictures of her friends taken from the trip. Cindy's mom minds snapped from the loss of her only child and has never been right since that tragic day.

* So please save a life and don't drink and drive.*