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"How did the conversation go?" Bethanne didn’t want to appear too eager, but judging by the look on Ruth’s face, she already had her answer

"We agreed to meet before the reunion to talk"

"Oh, Ruth, that’s wonderful" Bethanne was pleased for her and grateful that the conversation had gone well She’d wondered if Ruth would find the courage to contact Royce--and hoped she would

"I talked to Jane, too"

"Is everyone excited about the reunion?" Annie sank back against the pillow and yawned

"Yes, and everything seeht "Jane told ym for the dinner and dance, just the e did for the senior prom She heard from Jim Maxwell and Alice Coan They’ve been married for fifty years now, so it’s a double celebration for the her grandet it"

"Were you with Royce?"

"Oh, yes," she said dreamily

"It must’ve been so romantic"

"Hardly" Ruth shook her head "Actually, it was one of the worst nights of my life"

"Grandma, how can you say that? What happened?"

Ruth pulled down the covers and sat on the edge of the bed "It’s quite a story"

"Tell us," Bethanne urged

"Well…I ht have mentioned that Royce’s parents didn’t have a lot ofthey owned for the opportunity to purchase an orange grove Unfortunately, for the first couple of years the crops didn’t meet their expectations Royce worked with his brothers and parents, but there never seerove pay off over tiht of that kind of effort going unrewarded

"I believe so, but not while Royce was living at hoain

"Oh, yes, our senior prom" Ruth smiled as she said it "Royce asked me, and naturally I said yes"

"Naturally," Annie echoed

"He couldn’t afford to buy e for the dance, so his e blosso to offend her, Royce took the corsage she’d ht ht you a plastic rose for the prom?" Annie sounded incredulous

"Annie," Bethanne said, "that was all he could afford"

"Did he wear a tux?" her daughter asked, despite Bethanne’s caution

"A tux?" Ruth repeated "My heavens, no He had on his Sunday best, but it wouldn’t have mattered to me if he’d been in his coveralls He was still the handsomest boy in his class"

Annie stared at her, clearly fascinated by this glimpse into a life so different from her own

"He picked roves It didn’t have a top, although it et any worse?"

"I’m afraid so It rained on our way to the prom"

"No!"

"Oh, yes, and until you see rain in Florida, you haven’t seen rain The drizzle we get in the Pacific Northwest can’t compare"

"And you were in your prom dress?"

She nodded "With my hair all done up andlike solades"

"Oh, Grandma"

"Royce felt terrible"

"The poor boy," Bethanne said, picturing the night

"And yet Royce onderful about everything He wiped the strea mascara from my face and kissed away my tears"

"He must have been drenched, too"

"Oh, for sure, but he didn’t care about hiht special for me, and he’d tried so hard" She s to the prom, of course He took e, then we spent the rest of the evening watching TV"

Bethanne hadn’t met Royce yet, but she liked hied much over the years?" Annie asked

"I don’t know about hie," Annie said, sounding s that happen to us"

Bethanne nodded She’d changed since Grant had left their inning to understand