29/09/2001 - 10:21 p.m.

Part 1

A sharp wind tossed dry leaves, grit, and discarded plastic bags down the alley and out into the street to meet her. Lisa turned her head and closed her eyes- she hated fall. She hated the feeling that she was attending a funeral that would never end. Fall was the season of death: gardens died, birds died, sunshine died, intellect died. So maybe it WAS just normal patterns of hibernation, the rotation of the planet, and prime time televison showing new episodes, but death seemed closest to the right feeling. Months of a prolonged dreariness and waiting for something to happen.

She turned the corner and entered the apartment building. What Emily wanted she could hardly guess, but as she climbed the stairs, Lisa assumed she wouldn't care too much.

"You pick the worst times to drop by," Lisa heard, over the whoops of a child, when the door opened.

"You said between four and five. I can come back," Lisa said, hoping this would be a possibility.

"No, that's OK. They'll be quiet." Emily raised her voice. "Or else Big Chief Whomp-um and Little Frog won't be getting any of the cookies I promised them!"

The noise ceased and Emily, rolling her eyes, opened the door.

"I hate to give them bribes, but it's the only thing that works sometimes," Emily said, ushering her in.

Lisa entered to see the floor littered with children's toys, and two little Indian chiefs armed for war. They had apparently long ago marked the couch as their territory and were willing to protect it to the last of their plastic arrows. Lisa cast a skeptical glance at Emily.

"OK Tanner, you and Blake take some of this stuff into the other room, OK? You can play in there while Lisa's here, and then we'll see about cookies after she goes."

"Is Lisa going soon?" He narrowed his eyes, bowstring taut.

"She certainly hopes so," Lisa said.

"Tanner, you've been told about that weapon and how you're to behave with it," He dropped the bow. "Thank you. Go on, now. You too Blake."

The savages retreated to another room, and Emily sat down on their sacred ground.

"Just push their stuff out of the way," she said. "They never know the difference."

"Where did they come from?"

"I'm babysitting for Chrissy down the hall. It's good for everyone involved: Chrissy gets time to herself, I get something to do, and the two of them get a little order and discipline in their lives."

Lisa glanced around the room again. She assumed Emily's definition of order and discipline didn't iclude the whirlwind state of the living room or the whoops emitting from the other room which had already risen to fever pitch. Emily laughed and shrugged, pushing toys off a chair for Lisa to sit.

"What's the deal?" Emily asked. "You seem depressed."

"It's October. What more reason do I need?"

"Lisa, there's more than that. I can tell."

"No you can't."

"Yes I can."

"Em, we're in this room, not the other one, there's a reason. Adult conversation please?"

"Sorry. You are depressed though."

"Well, what did you want? I'm sure that'll make my day," she lied.

"What would you say to going to a party next weekend?"

Lisa stared. "You couldn't ask me this on the phone? You had to call me up and ask me round to invite me to a party?"

"Well, kinda. It's not the kind of party I wanted to ask you to on the phone."

"Why?"

"It's a little more special. It's me and Dan, we're getting married."

Lisa's jaw dropped. She hadn't been told anything. Emily had never been known to keep anything secret.

"Why?"

"We didn't want anybody involved. We planned the whole thing from the day he asked me."

"When?"

"In March. Right after my birthday."

"How?"

"We've been doing it together. We wanted it to be simple and cheap, and so we figured the least number of people possible. Just us, the minster and some really close friends."

"No stupid, how did he ask you? Oh, man, that's fantastic." She hugged her.

"It was a week after my birthday, and you remember what I told you about that..." Lisa nodded. "Well, we went out on a huge date, and he asked me when he dropped me off."

"How did you keep this a secret?"

"Pure willpower, and the desire to see the look on your face when I told you. That's why you couldn't know on the phone. So, are you coming?"

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