SEPTEMBER, 1992, SEATTLE, WA
THE DAY THAT Lindy's life changed fell upon her in a way that she would not have ever expected it to. She had been hoping and wishing for so long that some monumental whirlwind would come and shake up her daily routine that she did not even realize that it had finally found her.
She was in Seattle's Pike Place Market on her day off, ambling through various produce stands and antique pop-up shops. Fall was creeping up on Seattle and bringing the cold along with it and Lindy had elected to wear her long hair down around her face to protect herself from the biting air.
Two days prior, she had been inside her apartment watching MTV's Video Music Awards. Nirvana had taken home awards for Best Alternative Music Video and Best New Artist, two notable triumphs that had made Lindy smile besides herself with pride. They had performed too, and Lindy had to hide her tears as they fell from her eyes and onto the couch. Jack had been there too, and was stunned to see Lindy cry to the least-saddening music that he could think of.
She had blamed it on her allergies, but on the inside, she was as emotional as ever watching Kurt and his bandmates walk up to MTV's podium and accept their award. Kurt looked healthy and pleased, something that had greatly relieved Lindy. He'd even cut his hair short, looking more boyish than he ever had before.
Lindy, from the start, had never wanted to obsessively follow Nirvana nor Kurt in fear that it would depress her, but on that night she had found a certain peace in looking into Kurt's face and seeing that he was alive and well. He appeared happy to be both a father and successful musician and she was proud. She was proud to have known him.
Milling around the market, Lindy placed a few selections of fruits into her straw bag. She had thought that a day to herself would be just what she needed. Never before had Lindy been able to freely shop for the things that she wanted, but her salary had changed that. Now, she did not feel so bad about purchasing the pretty, old-fashioned wristwatch that she had seen in a shop window. She told herself that sometimes, physical things did indeed make for a nice distracton.
"Lindy?"
From over the heads of a crowd of Pike Place shoppers, Lindy could hear her name being called. The voice that beckoned her sounded distinctly familiar. Her stomach clenched and she put down the fruit that she was holding in her hand.
She turned, peering through the crowd in search of her pursuer. She wondered vaguely if it was Jack, but remembered that he was at work.
She nearly fainted when she finally caught sight of one head that stood out above the rest, covered in a shaggy mop of brown hair. Next to him was a small woman, her eyes opened wide and her mouth rounded around another oncoming shout.
"LINDY!" the woman screamed.
Everything clicked instantly. Lindy did not have to sift through her memories to realize who the two people calling for her were. She would have known them from anywhere.
She took a wobbling step forward, staggering as her jaw dropped open. It wasn't a hallucination. They were really there. They were real.
Shelli Novoselic charged Lindy through the crowd, bounding up to her and throwing herself against her old friend. Lindy gasped in shock, dropping her straw bag but wrapping her arms tightly around Shelli as she caught her in her embrace. Her discarded fruit rolled past the feet of the onlookers that stared curiously at the two women.
"Shelli," Lindy choked out, pressing her fingers into Shelli's back as if to confirm through touch that it really was her, holding Lindy in the middle of Pike Place Market. Her bewilderment was only furthered when Krist strolled up to them, grinning with an excitement that matched Shelli's.
