Sisterhood Of Lake Alice Read online

  Sisterhood

  of Lake Alice

  MARI M. OSMON

  iUniverse, Inc.

  New York Bloomington

  Sisterhood of Lake Alice

  Copyright © 2010 Mari M. Osmon

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  ISBN: 978-1-4502-6292-7 (pbk)

  ISBN: 978-1-4502-6294-1 (cloth)

  ISBN: 978-1-4502-6293-4 (ebk)

  Printed in the United States of America

  iUniverse rev. date: 11/4/10

  Contents

  Dedications

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dedications

  A special thank you to my husband, Roy, who introduced me to this magical little town of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I immediately fell in love with its tree-lined streets and easygoing residents.

  I also want to thank Kelli, Traci, Eric, Chad, Lauren, and Samuel for the joy they bring into my daily life.

  A special thanks to Judy and Dee for their inspiring friendship, which is filled with laughter, tears, hugs, and comfort that only true friends can give to each other. Also to Marlene, a wonderful example of what being a volunteer is all about.

  JUST FOR TODAY

  Just for Today, I will box up my worries, cares, and concerns.

  I will place them in my box with its strong lid and lock.

  I will lock them up and tuck the key away—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, I will be kind to me and know this is well deserved,

  I will allow all my gentle thoughts to simply flow from me and

  I will be free to be happy—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, I will be kind when logic says I should not be,

  I will find some way to make this a better day for all who come my way.

  I will give smiles instead of frowns—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, I will learn to be better than I am right now.

  I will fill my mind and soul with one great inspiration.

  I will give myself the gift of knowledge—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, I will look for beauty in everyday places.

  I will smell a flower and look at the evening stars.

  I will find pleasure in what I already have—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, I will love someone who simply needs to be loved.

  I will show a child, a loved one, or a friend that I cherish and honor them.

  I will give the gift of ME—Just for Today.

  Just for Today, when I reach for my box of worries, cares, and concerns again,

  I will take out my key and lift up the lid.

  Peeking inside, I will find my box empty, and I will be free …

  Just for Today.

  Mari M. Osmon

  Prologue

  Welcome to Fergus Falls, 1955

  Welcome to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, population 12,460 proud Americans—at least that is how the sign reads that greets people entering town. There are 10,026 assorted types of Lutherans and 1,130 Catholics, and the rest of the people are considered “the others.” This little town lies in the middle of beautiful and abundant land with rolling green hills. It is about fifty miles east of Fargo, North Dakota. A scenic little place, the town is surrounded by farms that have the blackest dirt you have ever seen. The cows almost seem to smile. Aside from the regular Fergus Falls residents, almost every Saturday the farmers and their families come to town to bring something in for trade, shop, visit relatives, or just have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. They talk about the wind and the weather. The town resembles a mix between a Norman Rockwell and a Currier & Ives painting, with tree-lined streets and flowerbeds of daisies, mums, and roses everywhere you look.

  Only four blocks long, downtown Fergus offers you every kind of shop you can imagine. For example, City Café and Bakery serves some of the best coffee and Danish pastries around the area. Viking Restaurant boasts of the best, big, juicy burgers, rich, thick chocolate malts, and blue-plate specials known for miles. Victor Lundeen’s bookstore is the place to buy a book, candles, or writing paper—or to just run into someone and chat for a while. All the women in town shop for dresses, hats, aprons, and other necessities at Norby’s, O’Meara’s. and Gambles department stores. Claire’s Dress Shop is the only place where women would think about going to buy their special occasion and fancy clothes. Many of the men in town go to Claire’s to buy their wives a surprise gift for a birthday, anniversary, or Christmas. Claire makes a point of knowing almost all the women in town. She keeps a card file with the women’s names, sizes, special dates, favorite color, and what would be the perfect gift for her.

  Olson Furniture and Funeral Home takes up half a block. They were the first in the area to start selling television sets. They keep one turned on in the front display window at all times. There always seems to be a crowd of people standing around watching a TV show from the sidewalk. Then, there is St. Claire & Rovang, where the men go to buy their one going-to-church and funeral suit. The store also carries overalls, blue jeans, and flannel shirts in the downstairs shop.

  The Fergus Theater is right next to Olson’s. A Saturday afternoon matinee costs ten cents, and another ten cents will buy you popcorn and a small pop or a box of candy. Eddy is the head usher and always on the lookout for a troublemaker. He wears a fifteen-year-old navy blue jacket, which is many sizes too small for him, with his name embroidered on it. No one has ever seen him smile. Rumor has it that he lost all his teeth from eating too much candy. He is mean and loves t
o throw kids out of the movies. By some unknown magic, whenever he does kick kids out of the show, their parents always find out about it. Once that happens, it normally means you are not going to the movies for a few weeks.

  *

  Fergus Falls just installed the only two automatic stop signs in town. They are both downtown—one on the corner of Union and Lincoln, and the other at the intersection of Mill and Lincoln. They sit right in the middle of Lincoln Street on a six-foot block of wood. Two sides of the block are painted red, and the opposite sides painted green. Every three minutes the block turns. All the drivers obey the color in front of them. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the stop signs. Some folks feel all you need to do is to just be polite and wait for your turn. Nevertheless, when an outsider hit Doctor Burns's car, nearly injuring Anna Burns, everyone knew the time had come to do something. Change is good, at least once in a while. Within a few weeks, Kenneth, the town handyman, invented the two automatic stop signs.

  On the Friday after Thanksgiving, with all the stores competing for the prettiest and most creative windows, the town always celebrates the beginning of the Christmas season. It was a perfect time to introduce the new automatic stop signs. Everyone in town came to witness the event. People clapped as they all watched the signs slowly move into action. Kenneth’s picture appeared on the front page of the Daily Journal with the mayor and a few of the important downtown businessmen. The mayor let Mrs. Burns cut the ribbons that were tied around the new stop signals. It was quite a big change for Fergus Falls. Change does not happen fast or without some pain in this town.

  *

  Most of the houses in Fergus Falls are well maintained and often have vegetables gardens in their backyards. Mighty oaks and graceful elm trees line the streets. During the summer, the trees keep most of the houses cool. During the fall, the leaves turn incredible shades of red, gold, and orange. As the leaves fall from the trees, they are raked into huge piles that sit on the curbs waiting for the street cleaner machine to come and get them. In the meantime, it is a great place for the kids to take a running start, throw themselves into the middle of a pile, or play a game of hide-and-seek covered with leaves. It smells so good during the fall when the air is crisp and clean.

  Fergus Falls is a small enough town that everyone seems to know each other’s business. There is the group of rubbernecks, the town gossips who can send a story around town faster than the Daily Journal. The only real outcasts in town are the people who drink too much at The Spot. Sometimes the hoboes hang around behind the train station. If the police find them, they take them to the city jail, where they get a hot shower and a good homemade meal, which Millie Moody makes for them. After a good night’s sleep, they go on their way with a brown bag lunch. Everyone figures that it is a nice thing to do for the hoboes.

  *

  Another wonderful part of Fergus Falls is Lake Alice, which is only a few blocks from downtown. A tiny lake, probably more like a big pond, it’s beautiful anytime of the year. All the kids and even some adults go ice-skating as soon as the water freezes and the green light on the lamppost tells them that it is safe to skate. From the small warming shed, you can hear the music playing over the loudspeaker. Not one fish lives in Lake Alice, but lots of ducks, geese, and even an occasional swan glide through the murky water. People bring stale bread or crackers to feed them. Some of the biggest and most beautiful houses surround Lake Alice on Lakeside Drive. Most of the residents of these houses are doctors, dentists, lawyers, and businessmen. Everyone knows this is where the rich people live.

  *

  It seems as though there is a church on almost every corner in Fergus. All of them take great pride in their beautiful stained-glass windows, steeples, and huge wooden doors that weigh a ton, making them hard to open. There is even a Catholic church in town. Our Lady of Victory is a huge church and has the only private grade school in town. Everyone gets along okay; however, the silent rule is that Catholics and Lutherans do not mix socially. Each group seems to have their own way of doing things. For example, the Lutheran women make and sell lefse several times a year. They have a big celebration in May, called “Sitnamae,” which is a meatball dinner with all the fixings to raise money for their needy causes. The Catholics have bingo games, “smokers” for the men where they have beer and cigars and play cards, and New Year’s Eve dances that are all capable of raising thousands of dollars while having a good time.

  *

  Recently, Fergus Falls decided it was time to merge two small hospitals into one big one. Lake Region Hospital is the new name, and there are many plans for it to become an impressive place in the next few years. The most beautiful building award in Fergus Falls goes to City Hall. Covered in gold tin, its tall steeple can be seen from miles away. The Post Office building is the biggest building, with beautiful marble floors and a statue of someone that no one knows. Surrounded by churches on each corner, the courthouse stands in their midst as a reminder to the “criminals” in the jail on the top floors of the building to mend their ways. Almost all of the churches are Lutheran: there is German Lutheran, Norwegian Lutheran, Free Lutheran, and just plain Lutheran.

  Everyone enjoys a simple and good life in Fergus. You can feel safe walking down the streets at any time of day or night. The kids ride their bikes on their secret routes, taking them through the unpaved alleys all the way to downtown. The winters are hard, with temperatures often going below zero and many feet of snow. Ice-skating on Lake Alice or going sledding down Old Smokey are the favorite ways to pass time during the long winters.

  There are many ways to celebrate the arrival of springtime in Fergus. Everyone opens their windows to air out the house of the stale winter smells. The clotheslines start to reappear. It is a time to start hanging laundry outside and smell fresh, clean sheets again. In most backyards, the men start to plant the gardens, while the women work on their flowerbeds.

  Summer is fun because of the many lakes around here. You could go to a different lake each day and still not make it to all the lakes by the end of the summer. The summer is warm but never humid.

  When fall arrives, it is time for homemade apple cider, caramel apples, and warm sweaters. The air captures the smells of pot roast cooking, leaves burning, and the first hot chocolate being made. Anyone is welcome to take free apples and squash from the baskets outside the stores.

  Yes, Fergus Falls offers all who live here an uncomplicated life. They are not fancy people, but they sure are friendly folks. Life is basic here, with a strong sense of belonging. The fact that everyone in town knows each other has proven to be both a blessing and a curse to most of us at some time in our lives. Some of the young people dream about moving away to the big cities of Fargo or Minneapolis. However, it seems that after you leave for a while, Fergus Falls always calls you back home to the joys of a pretty town with lots of nice people waiting to welcome you home.

  Chapter One

  Emily Larson

  The Meyers moved to Fergus Falls in the early forties. Ralph Meyers owned a large construction company, which had been awarded a contract to build the new Lake Regional Hospital. Ralph and his wife, Ruth, soon became an important part of the community. They often donated large amounts of money to the city for many worthwhile causes. Their twin daughters, Joyce and Julia, were pampered and spoiled. Many thought they were self-centered; however, the town learned to accept them for who they were.

  It came as no surprise when years later, Joyce Meyers announced her engagement to Dr. Howard Larson. Dr. Larson was not known for a warm, caring manner; however, he was considered one of the best surgeons in town. He was also the town’s most sought-after bachelor. In fact, merging the two small hospitals was only accomplished because of his insistence. The new hospital became Dr. Larson’s pride and joy. Shortly after it opened, Dr. Larson took the position of chief of staff.

  Joyce Meyers’s wedding was the event of the year i
n 1947. All twelve bridesmaids were dressed in flowing, lavender satin dresses. Two flower girls wore a miniature version of the same dress and scattered white rose petals as they paraded down the long aisle. Dozens of perfect white and pink roses delivered from Fargo filled the church with their soft fragrance. Joyce’s softly draped satin dress was created by a famous designer from New York City, with an Italian lace train more than twenty feet long. The dress had a sweetheart neckline covered with pearls and lace. She looked like a princess with a stunning tiara sitting on top of her mass of curls and veil. Dressed in a formal tuxedo, Dr. Larson looked cool and aloof. The mother of the bride, Ruth, wore a deep purple dress with matching gloves and shoes. To everyone’s surprise, she also wore a tiara.

  A large crowd filled Bethlehem Lutheran Church. A few important people from Fergus were invited, but the rest of the crowd was out-of-town strangers. The governor of Minnesota and both senators attended the two-day celebration. Pictures of the wedding appeared in newspapers all over the state. Dr. and Mrs. Larson were definitely celebrities in this little city.

  After a month-long honeymoon to Europe, they returned home to their newly purchased home. The beautiful old Victorian house, which overlooked Lake Alice, had been elegantly restored. It was professionally furnished and filled with priceless antiques. While on their honeymoon in Europe, they purchased tapestries, Persian carpets, and artwork to add to their collections.

  People often drove past the house, especially in the evening, just to marvel at its style and beauty. It became the site of many parties and charity events. When Joyce discovered that she was pregnant, she was extremely upset. After the first three miserable months, Dr. Larson surprised her with a trip to New York, where she bought one-of-a-kind maternity clothes. In June, the doctor informed Joyce that she was carrying twins.