New Lives (A Nathan Gardner Story)

Chapter 22 - Screen Star...

Not 100% proofread because I REALLY wanted to post this...PLEASE let me know what you think!!!

The weeks passed, October turning to November and the school year progressing without any problems of the year before. David and Arlen were strong and steady – Jess had even made a few appearances at their home, trying to show good will toward the man who loved his uncle after a long absence – and Nathan and Sydney were enjoying every day, even those with disruptions from Celia.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the Halloween extravaganza that Arlen had been looking forward to throwing since the previous winter had to be cancelled, but he refused to let the fall pass without some sort of soirée…and when an idea stuck in his head, he went with it. The weekend before Thanksgiving, Just Be was transformed into a USO hall straight out of the forties. Arlen adopted a World War II theme and the invitations were extended to as much of the community as Arlen could pack in without violating the fire code.

Sydney stepped in to help and had been thrilled during the entire planning process, especially since Nathan and Susan offered their services as well. She had an affinity for this time period. While she knew how terrible the war was, she embraced the romantic stories from her grandparents and was attracted to the fashion, movies, and music. A few days before the party – to thank her for all of her hard work – Arlen helped her to find a true vintage evening gown for the occasion. The deep blue chiffon fell almost to the floor and flowed like nothing she'd ever worn before. On the evening of the event, he even insisted on doing her hair and makeup making everything as authentic as he could.

"Arlen, you're fussing over me a little too much, don't you think?" Sydney asked as he curled her hair.

Arlen's eyes went wide. "What? No, of course not! I know how much you were looking forward to playing dress up with Nathan for Halloween and since that didn't happen…you know, I'm just making up for it a little." He smiled at her. "Besides, how many of these movies did we watch when we were in high school, hm? You could never get over how gorgeous each and every actress looked." He caressed her face before starting her makeup. "This is a perfect way to get some money to the Veteran's fund too and if my hostess looks lovely…"

Sydney giggled. "Ah ha! Ulterior motives!"

Arlen winked at her. "My scheme uncovered!"

A few hours later, an authentic "big band" played on the stage of Just Be. The air was buzzing and everyone had taken to dressing the part for the evening. Sydney socialized and played hostess for a while, waiting for Nathan to arrive. His father had needed some help with a project at the museum he refused to retire from and Sydney refused to let Nathan say no for the sake of a party. He promised to make it there as soon as he could. Sydney spent the better part of forty-five minutes with Susan and Charlie, enamored with their outfits. Charlie looked like he could ship off at any moment and Susan looked every bit a USO girl, they were the cutest couple there and Sydney could see that, despite Susan's concerns and their small spats, they were doing much better.

"Hey, honey," Arlen said, smiling and interrupting them. "Any word from Nathan yet?"

She shook her head. "No, but he'll be here soon. The museum closed an hour ago, so he's probably on his way." She looked at him in his Gene Kelly sailor suit and her own smile grew. "You pull that off so well."

"Don't I?" He started to say something else, but the music changed and he stopped talking.

"Don't say no, no, no, no-no…just say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah-yeah…and we'll go, go, go, go-go.

If you're ready, like I'm ready…"

It took Sydney a moment to realize she knew the song. The lyrics were familiar, but the arrangement was different, sticking to the decade this night was dedicated to. Once her brain caught up to that, she also realized she knew the voice of the singer. She looked up and her eyes went wide. The band continued to play as a man on stage was dancing, his back to the crowd. The familiar notes kept going, but the singer was now silent…and slowing down…and Sydney forgot all about the previous melody.