Lilly and Tommy
Lilly Scanlon’s mother should have been there by now. The parade was starting to come into the square already, excitement buzzing in the air as people of all ages lined the sidewalks, eager to catch a glimpse of the colorful floats, marching bands, and the reason for the parade – the newly crowned Miss America, Maria Fletcher. People were jammed together shoulder to shoulder. Lilly was looking for her mother by the Vance monument, their designated meeting point. Lilly held her son Tommy’s hand and leaned down to speak to him over the crowd noise. “Let’s find a spot where we can see better.” Tommy was seven, too big for Lilly to hold him up for long, and too small to see over the crowd of people lining the streets and pressing close to see the parade. The crowd was too thick. She couldn’t see over the crowd herself, even on tiptoes. She told Tommy he would get to see Miss America, but could he actually see? This was his first big parade, maybe even the biggest parade Asheville had ever had.
The parade was a swirl of colors and sounds, marching bands playing lively tunes, and floats adorned with vibrant decorations, slowly making their way down the crowded street. The big monument in the middle of the square offered a bench where they might be able to stand. Lilly could see other people standing on it. She wormed through the crowd to get closer to the monument, holding tightly to Tommy’s hand, hoping for a better spot.
It seemed all of Asheville and half the state had come to see Maria Fletcher, the newest Miss America, who hailed from Asheville. The newspaper reported a reception the evening before that included the governor of North Carolina, Asheville’s mayor, and local officials. There was even a congressman and a representative from the UN.
Lilly glanced up at the sky, anxious for the clouds to part. She hadn’t brought her umbrella, but there wasn’t room to open it here anyway. She had on a big floppy sun hat, maybe not the best thing to be wearing, unless the sky cleared. The floats and marching bands would have been a soggy mess if it had rained, but that threat seemed to be passing. Lilly’s mother was delivering flowers from her shop to several of the participants. Miss Asheville and Miss Waynesville would be carrying her bouquets today. Miss America would be carrying the biggest one. She wondered where her mother was and whether she would make it in time to see Maria Fletcher, the star of the parade.
A high school marching band went by, all horns and drums. Lilly heard the crowd’s excitement level rising, cheering for this year’s Miss Asheville, Vicki Greene. Maria’s Miss America float would be there soon. Lilly held Tommy’s hand and led him to the monument. There were already people standing on the bench. She worried about Tommy, whether he would be able to see anything at all. There was a dapper man standing on the bench, who she recognized as her ex-husband’s divorce attorney. She couldn’t remember his name. She asked him politely, “can we make room for my son to stand beside you?”
The crowd noise increased as the parade passed slowly by them, and another marching band went by. Soon people spotted Maria Fletcher approaching. Everyone was waving madly and cheering. Lilly picked up Tommy so he could see. She held him on her hip and pointed toward the parade, “She’s getting closer, Tommy” They still could not see over the people in front of them.
The attorney on the bench made room for Tommy on the bench beside him. A tall man who was next to him stepped down too, making more room. Tommy allowed himself to be placed, but he was still barely tall enough to see the parade. The man who had stepped down offered his hands, asking Tommy if he wanted to be lifted higher, but Tommy spotted his grandmother on the other side of the monument. Lilly had turned and was waving both hands at Maria Fletcher, hopping up and down to get a better look. Tommy said, “There’s grandma,” and jumped off the bench. The noise of the crowd drowned his small voice like a raindrop on a pond.
Lilly said, “That’s Miss America. She used to teach classes at the Fletcher School of Dance where I took lessons years ago. She grew up here in Asheville, and now she’s Miss America. Isn’t that amazing?” She turned to Tommy, but he was not there. “Oh, God, no!” she thought. “Where’s Tommy?” She froze for a heart stopping instant. Kidnapped, lost, taken? Where did he go? Who would…? “TOMMY!” she screamed at the top of her voice, projecting out over the boisterous crowd, frantically searching for any sign of her son. The attorney pointed the way Tommy had gone. Lilly’s mother came in view with Tommy leading, edging their way over. The crowd was going wild over Miss America, Maria Fletcher. Lilly’s fear collapsed and relief flooded over her, spilling out in quick tears.
Her mother was short too, like Lilly, so neither of them could see over the crowd. The tall man who offered his hands earlier said “Lilly Scanlon!” She looked up at his smiling face. “I’m Jerry Pruett,” he said. “We went to High School together.” Lilly remembered a boy much less tall. He had asked her out once, but she had been going with Earl Tomkins at the time. Jerry punched his buddy who stepped down to give Lilly the spot. He put Tommy on his shoulders. Then he offered Lilly’s mother a spot too. She said, “Oh, no thanks, I’ve seen them already. They’re carrying my flowers; Simply Gorgeous Flower Shop, that’s my business.” Lilly was smiling again. Tommy was smiling back at her and pointing to the parade. “Mommy, there she is…”
Robert the Lawyer
The parade seemed to be going too smoothly. Robert was observing the festivities with a thoughtful expression. Nothing ever went smoothly. There’s always something. He had a lawyer’s eye for anomalies, for trouble brewing or commencing. Nonetheless, he was enjoying this moment of reprieve from his office job, finding solace in watching the simple joys of life unfold before him. His day had begun with a divorce case.
He noticed Lilly with her young son, looking for a way to raise her child high enough to see the parade over the heads of so many adults. Robert was a short man himself, but he had found a bench to stand on. He was by the Vance Monument in downtown Asheville’s central square, dressed neatly in a gray suit with a white shirt and black tie, a pressed seam on his pants. He dressed carefully in the mornings, but his suit would be rumpled and lived in by evening. He considered it a professional uniform, like when he had been in the military during the war. His office was two blocks north on Market Street, outside the parade route. He loved seeing Maria Fletcher being honored by her hometown for winning the Miss America contest.
Robert had helped Maria’s parents, Beale and Peggy, with legal work when they opened the Fletcher School of Dance. They were nationally known touring dancers who went by “Beale and Peggy Fletcher, Americas Most Versatile Dance Team.” They settled in Asheville when their children were young and started the Fletcher School of Dance and then Asheville Ballet. Robert had met Maria years ago when she was a small child. He also knew the parents of the current Miss Asheville, Vicki Greene, who came by on a float as he watched.
Standing on the bench, he motioned to Lilly and her son, indicating with his hand that the boy should join him on the bench. The woman understood the gesture, asking politely for permission. Excitement was rising as the parade passed by. Robert scooted over just a bit, enough to give the boy room. A tall man next to him stepped down, making more room.
Robert was a man with generous personal presence. He was happy to help. In fact, that’s how he saw himself as a lawyer: he helped people, some who were in trouble, and some were looking to stay out of trouble. He studied his clients, knowing he could help them stay out of jail. When their conflicts could be anticipated and avoided, he felt justified as a counselor. Most people learned something from a brush with the law.
Empathy was valuable to Robert; he recognized the emotional hardship his clients experienced and honored those feelings. Empathy was difficult in his profession, there being so much drama in the practice of law. As a lawyer, he often dealt with the complexities of human relationships, navigating through disputes and conflicts, like the divorce case that morning. Though it was supposed to be fair, sometimes you had to settle for the best you could get. That was Robert’s job, he felt, finding the best outcome in difficult situations.
Watching the parade was a joy, a different kind of pleasure. The collective population of the city was delighted that one of their own was elevated to national prominence. Miss America was popular all over the country. And there she was: Maria Fletcher was certainly beautiful and talented. He could see her waving back at the crowd as her float approached. She was holding a huge bouquet of flowers in her lap.
Lilly’s boy next to him jumped down and ran to the side of the monument. Robert saw him join an older woman, take her by the hand, and lead her back. His mother missed that movement, and turning to see him behind her, she found her son missing. Her expression transformed from joy to panic in an instant. She scanned the crowd frantically, calling out her son’s name, her voice barely audible over the parade’s cacophony. Robert could feel her immediate distress, her sense of black panic. Emotion exploded from her as a wave of intense fear. She cried out “TOMMY!” at the top of her lungs over the cheering crowd.
Robert pointed the direction the boy had taken. She put her hand over her mouth, glanced up at Robert, and quickly moved in the boy’s direction. Reunited with Tommy and the older lady, who most certainly was the grandmother, Lilly’s face softened with relief as they came back to the bench. Robert noted the simple yet profound connections between generations. Then the tall man next to him spoke to her as if they were old friends. The boy’s mother climbed onto the bench beside him so she could see the parade too. She wiped her eyes and smiled.
The parade moved by ponderously. The crowd was ecstatic, cheering and whistling their approval. Maria Fletcher waved back, acknowledging them and pointing when she saw somebody she knew from school or dance classes. Having grown up in Asheville, and as the previous year’s Miss Asheville, Robert realized, she knew a lot of people.
Robert took a deep breath, feeling a sense of peace settle over him. He knew that when he returned to his office, he would carry the moment with him, reminding him to seek the human side of every case he handled. Life was not just about winning or losing; it was about understanding, compassion, and the bonds that tied people together. Robert sighed, thinking about the work back in his office.
Jerry, a Competitor’s Uncle
I’m never alone,” Jerry told himself, “I have friends everywhere.” He had the freedom, though, that comes from being alone. He picked up Sol at Ellis’s place at 100 Biltmore, and they grabbed hot dogs across the street. He didn’t want to see the parade, necessarily, but Sol said it would be a hoot. Sol was bald and stout. He was a bricklayer and built for it. They walked up the street to the square early and deposited themselves on a bench at the Vance monument. They could hear the honking and cheering before the actual parade even showed up. Jerry told Sol if it started to rain, he wouldn’t stay even if Sol gave him his raccoon hat. Sol said sadly he’d lost the raccoon hat in a poker game.
Sol said he watched Maria Fletcher’s motorcade yesterday from the balcony where he was staying. She had come up Biltmore Avenue from the airport with police escorts and limousines. The newspapers today said 3,000 people were at the airport when she came in. Hard to believe, but you know how people can be. They sure came out for this parade, even though it looked like rain in the morning. The square had filled up while they were sitting there.
The cars and floats of the parade finally came around, noisily. There were booming school bands and active civic organizations. Jerry was having a good time just watching the beauty queens from all over the area. His sister Jenny would have been one of those twenty-some-odd years ago. Then this last summer she had entered her daughter for Miss Asheville, but her daughter lost. Jenny was mad about it. She wanted that for herself, Jerry thought, but back when she was young enough, those were war years, and everything was upset. Certainly, the family was upside down with their older brother in the army and their dad ranting like he did about Roosevelt. Jenny had sprained her ankle in an accident just as the Miss Asheville contest needed her to be at her best. Now her daughter is just as pretty, but maybe it was Jenny’s dream instead of hers.
The lady who won Miss Asheville this year wasn’t even interested, Jenny said, until the prize money was announced. Like she was play acting. She had been in summer theater over in Black Mountain and joined the pageant as part of the job, as advertisement for the theater. She hadn’t done any of the prep work the other girls did. Jerry stood up and watched as she came by the square, riding a float in a white gown. She looked pretty good, waving at everybody. Miss Waynesville was nice too. He said to himself, “Miss America must be really special.” He could hear the crowd cheering as the parade came on, as she got closer. His sister Jenny was probably in the crowd somewhere, still stewing.
Last year it was Maria Fletcher who won Miss Asheville, then Miss North Carolina, and then Miss America. Yessir, a real hometown girl; her parents would be really proud of her. It looked like all of Asheville was too, judging from the turnout. Jerry wondered if she’d leave Asheville when it was over and never come back. She’d go to New York or somewhere. All these people cheering for her would do the same if they had half a chance. Sol says New York isn’t all that great, ‘cause he grew up there and had a rough time of it. He says small town Asheville is quieter. He gets jittery sometimes. He chews gum all day, except when he’s eating and puts the gum on his plate.
Miss America got close enough to see her. Everyone was standing on tippy toes except Jerry. Being tall had advantages. Sol was already standing up on the bench. Wait till she gets closer, he said to himself. He leaned up against the monument and kept his hands in his pockets. People were all craning their necks like a bunch of geese. One fellow was watching people like he was looking for pockets to pick.
One lady was looking for somebody. She looked familiar, like somebody he used to know. Her little boy got stuck on the bench next to him. She seemed engrossed in the parade while she talked to her son, a lively kid. The boy’s eyes sparkled with excitement, darting around to take in every detail, but not sure what everyone was so excited about. That would be Jerry’s kind of kid.
The boy hopped down and ran to his grandma. His mother had a fit when she looked around and he was gone. Jerry imagined he could see the adrenaline pumping behind her eyes, but she saw the kid before it even registered. Then she flushed red, and her eyes dilated. He half expected her to swat the kid and scold him, but she choked it down and practically cried relief. It had happened so fast. He recognized her then. Her mother, yeah, pretty sure it was her mom, came over and hugged her. The kid got back on the bench, and they all turned back to the parade.
“Lilly Scanlon!” he called, and she turned to him. “Long time no see! You look like you and your little guy could use a better view,” he said. He picked up her kid and put him on his shoulders so he could see the beauty queens. Lilly, his mom, was surprised again, but climbed onto the bench behind Jerry and stayed close with her hand on his arm. Sol gave the kid a stick of chewing gum. Maria Fletcher could be my new dream girl, Jerry thought, but he had Lilly Scanlon standing with him.
He wondered what paths Lilly’s life had taken and where she might go from here. He wondered if this unexpected reunion was a chance to reconnect, to rediscover an old friendship, and to create new memories. He caught himself smiling. He wasn’t alone, he reminded himself, he had friends everywhere.