What Friends Share Between Them

"Juniper, what time do you want to throw this little shindig you're trying to throw?" Hale didn't really want to deal with other people tonight, but whatever. Juniper was fussing with her hair and clothes, spraying her Halston perfume in the air and twirling around in the mist. "Why are you always so grumpy about other people being around?" Juniper was far more outgoing than her husband, Hale, a serious, professorial sort, and thought frivolity was tantamount to blasphemy, a cardinal sin. The couple was as different as any two could be, but, in a true example of opposites attract, their relationship flourished.

"What possessed you to invite Halster Jaymes?" Hale gave her a mischievous look, knowing full well why. The threesome had a complex history, one that, all things considered, made his invitation seem like a pretty bad idea. There are pivotal moments in a person's life which change them and everything about the world around them. On December 21, 1971, a group of friends will have to rethink their relationships and their own perceptions of themselves. A coffee house conversation would be the beginning of an unraveling, one of the hugest proportions. There would be ramifications that would result in the most unlikely events.

Mr. & Mrs. Hale and Juniper Hartjoy

Respectfully request the honor of your presence at 7:30pm on May 5th for a semi-casual dinner party. The celebration is in recognition of the friendship they have shared with you. Please, R.S.V.P. by April 25th. We are excited to celebrate with all of our friends, hoping to see you there.

Hale re-read the invitation, dreading the whole evening ahead. He knew, beyond any doubt, tonight would bring them closer together or rip already fragile bonds apart. Juniper, although a deeply loving woman, changed after that night in 1971, became more reckless. Hale, a psychiatrist, tried to peel away the layers, trying to understand how best to help his wife. The textbooks explain how people cope with varying disorders, but they lack the ability to explain how to repair broken relationships. He watched her, a quiet, introspective woman, begin to act out, becoming more and more daring, not uncommon in certain situations. She started dressing like a teenager and behaving like one as well. Her regression, while amusing at first, turned dangerous. Hale had reached out to their friends, asking for them to aid in her recovery process, but he'd come to regret it. Tonight he felt the weight of ten thousand anvils sitting on his chest. How would they all interact? Who would mention it first? Would it be brought up at all? "What's got you in such deep thought?" Juniper asked, startling him.

"Oh, nothing." He felt the relief of being distracted from his unpleasant thoughts. "The food sure smells delicious." The kitchen was giving off heavenly aromas. He stirred the soup, checked the bread, and made another cocktail. " Is that really what you are going to wear?" Juniper moved to the closet, trying to find something more comfortable for him. "What's wrong with my outfit?" He stared down at his attire, jeans, and a nice shirt. "You could at least wear socks." She always preferred he wore socks. "I'll put some on if it'll make you feel better." He heard the doorbell, ending the whole matter over the socks. "Hale, it's been a long time," Gaila said, leaning in to kiss him. They'd been lovers, with an intense passion that took many years to extinguish. "Where's Jack?" Hale asked, not sincerely giving a straight damn. Jack had been a rival for Gaila's affections, finally conceding defeat. "He'll be here shortly, last-minute office work, you know how he can be." She looked marvelous, impeccably dressed, smelling even better. Hale felt an exhilaration rush through his veins, a desire to touch her.

"We'll just have to get along without him, for the time being then." Juniper had entered the room as if she could sense the desire coursing through him. " Everyone else should be arriving shortly, fashionably late, as usual," Gaila said. Everyone else soon arrived, the atmosphere filled with electricity. "I'm simply thrilled that you all could join us, cheers!", Juniper said, offering up her glass for a toast. The night wore on, the range of conversation shifted from art, politics, favorite comedian, childhood memories about favorite Christmases, some subjects brought tears to the eyes. Laughter and tears, the things that constitute a great gathering of friends. It was shaping up to be one for the books, another memorable dining experience. "Well, who's got a secret?", Stella Orangeglade said. Stella was a character, to put it very mildly, she could never be called boring, anything else, never that. "You know the trouble with brilliant people getting together in the same room?", Hale asked. "Why don't you tell us, after all, the brilliant minds want to know.", Gaila said. She was staring at him, watching the expressions change on his face, amused at his struggle to answer his own question, a grin crossing her lips.

"We're waiting, dear Hale.", Juniper giggled. She could see his eyes flicker with cleverness, as though he were about to say something that was going to enlighten everyone. "An overload of illumination from bright minds, causes a dim question to come up.", he stood there, arms crossed, laughing at himself. The room grew tense, only momentarily, then the others joined in. "Hale, why whatever do you mean?", Gaila asked. "I mean, simply this, nothing good ever comes from peering into some secrets.", he answered. "It's just a harmless observation, let's not make an issue of it, ok?", Stella commented. She was trying to de-escalate the hostility that was building. Drinks were refilled, and the night wore on. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, but, as often happens, alcohol makes simmering tensions bubble over. This can lead to one of two conclusions, 1, It can liberate the captive, or 2, lock away a part of us, that can never be retrieved. The friends shared so much between them, each of them, longing to bring forth the awful truth, to truly be free, and hoping no one pressed too hard on the fragile shell that protected their secret.

"The fact remains, you should have done more.", Stella said, she was pretty soused. "You're a sorry son-of-a-bitch, that's all!", she slapped Hale across the face. Juniper leaped to her feet, screaming at her, grabbing her arm. "What the hell do you think you're doing?", she spun Stella around. "Why in the world are you bringing up this now?", Gaila was now a part of the argument, and pretty soon, there was an eruption of tempers. The December day that caused an unimaginable rift between them threatened to spill out, answers begged to be given. " What difference does it make anyway, do you think you'll feel better?", Hale had to compose himself, afraid he might strike her. "You tell me damnit!", he had started to sweat profusely, his eyes, wild and burning with rage. " You're as guilty as Juror Hutchless, you just excused his actions, you bastard!", Stella went to pour herself another drink. "The police questioned you, several times, and not one time, not once, did you tell the whole truth.", she staggered back to her seat, spilling the contents of her glass. She was crying, a pained look on her face, it was heartbreaking.

"The whole purpose of this dinner party was to get together and catch up, not to talk about this!", Juniper was herself, awash in tears. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing, it felt like a horrible nightmare, how did it happen? "Which incident are we referring to?", Gaila asked, baffled. "You know exactly what incident!", Hale spat out at her, moving toward her. He was himself, smash drunk. He stood behind the bar as if he was shielding himself from a combat zone. "I don't understand why you're pretending to be ignorant!", Hale slammed his fist down on the bar, the tongs from the dry ice bucket falling out of the bucket. The air in the room, thick with anger and hurt feelings, then, an ominous quiet settled over everything. There had been peace that was shattered, a peace that, despite whatever transpired, would be lost, forever. No one said anything for what felt like an eternity, sometimes, our serenity is stripped away, stolen, as if a master crook has snuck in, and in the cruelest of violations, steals our security. We think of ourselves as honest, perhaps, because we settle on a version of a reality we can live with, believing that, in some small way, we are in control.

"We agreed, all of us, we agreed!", Stella said, in a calm voice. Her hands were trembling, she put her hand on her forehead. "You are responsible for all of this drama!", Gaila informed her. "Stop!, it is totally pointless to lay blame!", Juniper blurted out. She had her fill of this conversation, it was time to end it. "I wholeheartedly agree with you, let's just all shut up!", Gaila said. "Our lives have been going along just fine, drudging up this matter, for whatever reason, doesn't change anything,", Hale was resting his head on the bar, blowing out his breath, trying to cool down. "It's very important to me, and I thought, I wasn't alone in that.", Stella choked on her words. The clock on the wall reminded them of the hours ticking by, it sounded abnormally loud. They were exhausted from raw emotions being exposed. "I don't think there needs to be anymore said, let's leave it alone, please?", Juniper pleaded. She felt as though every ounce of her strength and will had been zapped. "That's easy for all of you, but I can't escape it, don't any of you get it?", Stella was wounded to the core, feeling completely betrayed. Her bottom lip, bleeding, she'd bitten it, to keep from saying something she'd regret. "How dare you ask such a question, Stella, how dare you?", Gaila hissed. Gaila was digging her nails into her palms, so hard, it's a miracle they weren't bleeding too.

" I'm going to freshen up, then, I'm leaving.", Stella rose from her seat, making her way to the bathroom. Her legs were wobbly, it didn't look as though she'd make it there under her own power. Once she was out of earshot, the others mumbled to themselves. The long, miserable gathering was on the verge of a conclusion, a collective sigh of relief breathed by all parties involved. "What did you mean, when you said how dare I?", Stella asked Gaila, when they were preparing to depart. " I was hurt that you would think none of us cares about your ordeal, you know that's not the way it is, don't you Stella?", both hugging each other, as if their lives depended on each other. " We know what happened wasn't right, and if the world were fair, Rex would've gotten far worse than he did.", Gaila kissed Stella on the cheek, their embrace broken. The guests left, Juniper and Hale, arms around one another, said goodnight to them as they were leaving, and headed up to bed.