Yesterday Once More
by Ann Douglas
Dorothy Kerr turned her head as her daughter, Cassie,
walked into the kitchen. To her disappointment, the soon to be
high school graduate still wore the same look of disappointment
she had carried around all week.
"I was just making some tea," the thirty-eight year old
brunette said, "just the thing for a rainy afternoon. Would you
like some?"
"No thanks, Mom," Cassie said as she sat down at the
kitchen table.
Taking her tea mug in hand, Dorothy sat down opposite her
daughter. She had been trying to come up with a way to cheer her
up for the last few days with no success. Deep in her heart she
knew her daughter's mood wasn't her fault, but she still felt
responsible.
"Could I say I'm sorry one more time," Dorothy said.
"You don't have to, Mom," Cassie replied, "It was my fault,
not yours."
"Still, maybe I shouldn't have even brought it up unless I
was totally sure," the older woman said.
"No, you told me to keep it to myself and instead I told
Janet," Cassie went on. "What was it that Dad used to say, a
secret stops being a secret when a third person learns about it. I
should've known that Janet couldn't keep her mouth shut.
It had all started two weeks ago when the band hired by the
graduating class for the Prom had cancelled their appearance. Two
of the members had been injured in an automobile accident and
wouldn't be able to play for months. The cancellation had set off a
mad scramble to find a replacement group. Not the easiest thing
to do with half the proms in the county all being on the same night.
At least if you wanted to get a half decent act.
It was then that Dorothy had come up with a suggestion
that she thought might make her daughter's Prom truly
memorable. Why not, she told her daughter, try and get someone
famous to appear in their place.
"Yeah, right," Cassie had laughed, "That kind of thing only
happens in the movies."
"You never know," her mother had replied.
"In the movies, it usually involves someone's dying wish or
someone knows the star personally," the seventeen year old said.
"I don't suppose you know any major stars, do you?"
"Well actually ..." Dorothy started to say but was cut off by
her daughter.
"And Johnny Brown and the Dreamboats doesn't count," she
said, bringing up the name of her uncle's old time rock band which
had a state wide following among the over forty crowd.
"Actually," Dorothy said slowly as she debated even
mentioning it, "I was thinking more of Kassandra. You have heard
of her, right?"
"Shut up," Cassie shot back, "There's no way you know
Kassandra."
Kassandra was one of those mega stars that were known the
world over by just her first name. She had taken the music world
by storm fifteen years earlier and was only eclipsed by the likes of
Madonna. It was nearly impossible to get tickets to one of her
concerts, much less think she would ever appear at a high school
show.
Yes way," Dorothy smiled, "But when I knew her she still
had two names. Back when I was your age and the world was still
flat."
"You really know her?" Cassie repeated.
"Yes I do," Dorothy likewise repeated. "There was a time
when she was just a small town girl as well. We went to school
together back in Fort Bradford."
"You think you could actually get her to come to the Prom?"
Cassie asked.
"I can try and ask," Dorothy said. "I's a long shot, but who
knows."
"That would be so awesome," Cassie bubbled.
"Remember, this is really a long shot," Dorothy reminded
her daughter, "so let's not say a word about it until I can try and
make some calls."
"Oh wow, I can't believe my Mom actually knows Kassandra,"
Cassie was saying to herself, only half hearing the rest of what
Dorothy had said.
Of course a secret this good just had to be shared with her
best friend, Janet. Then of course Janet had to share it with
Connie, promising her to secrecy as well. A promise that Connie
made sure to likewise extract from Kathy, and on and on it went.
By the end of the weekend, most of the senior class had heard
that Kassandra was coming to the Prom. All of this before
Dorothy had even been able to call Kassandra's manager on Monday
morning.
A call that was having very little success. Despite her being
able to call on an unlisted line and asking for Mary Glenn, the
pseudonym Kassandra traveled under, the business manager who
screened the call refused to put her through to the singer. He
said that he had never heard of her before and he had been with
the star almost from the beginning.
"It was a good try lady," he said before hanging up the
phone.
"Pigheaded ass," Dorothy said as she hung up the phone.
As she had told Cassie, it was a real long shot, but it really
annoyed her to get shot down before even getting the chance to
even ask her personally. She would've understood if Kassandra
couldn't do it. After all, a star of that magnitude had
commitments the world over.
It would've been nice to do something really special for
Cassie, Dorothy had thought. They'd all had a rough year with the
death of her father last August. As much as Dorothy hurt, she
had buried it in order to be there in every way she could for her
daughter and she hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed.
Thankfully no one else even knew she had tried to get the singer.
When Cassie had gone to school that Monday, she'd been
shocked to discover that everyone knew about her mother trying
to get Kassandra for the Prom. She was then devastated the next
day when she had to practically announce that it wasn't going to
happen. Despite the fact that she hadn't personally told a single
soul other than Janet, a great many people seemed to act as if she
had promised the whole class. A few even took the position that
her mother had never known the star to begin with, and she had
just spread the rumor to make herself popular.
"I hung your Prom dress in your closet," Dorothy said as she
got up from the table and turned on the tap to rinse out her glass.
"You know, Mom, I've been thinking," Cassie said from the
table. "Maybe I'll just skip the Prom. It's not like ...."
"You hold it right there, young lady," Dorothy interrupted.
"I don't want to hear any such silly thing. Of course you're going
to the Prom, and you're going to have a great time."
"Yeah but," Cassie started to say when she was interrupted
by the front door bell. "I'll get it," she said, rising from her chair.
"Not go to the Prom," Dorothy said to herself as she put
the now clean cup back in the cabinet. "Just because a few other
kids have big mouths ..."
Dorothy's train of thought was abruptly shattered as twin
sounds cut through the air. A sudden scream in her daughter's
voice, and then the sound of a body hitting the floor. A sound
Dorothy remembered all too clearly from the night Jimmy had his
heart attack.
"Oh My God!" Cassie had screamed, causing her mother to
race out of the kitchen towards the front door.
When she reached the foyer, Dorothy saw her daughter
stretched out on the floor. Bent down and leaning over her was a
woman wearing a dark blue cape and hood. The angle of the hood
obscured her face.
"Cassie!" Dorothy screamed, the color draining from her
face.
"She's all right," the cloaked woman said as Cassie let out a
soft moan. "I think she just fainted for a moment."
"Fainted?" Dorothy repeated as to her relief, Cassie opened
her eyes and began to sit up.
"Take it easy, honey," the new arrival said, "Give yourself a
chance to catch your breath."
"Oh my God," Cassie said again as she remembered why she
had fainted. "Mom, it's really her!"
It was only then that the cloaked woman pulled back her
hood, giving Dorothy her first good look at the blond tressed face
beneath. A face that was both strange and familiar.
"Cassie?" Dorothy asked in a surprised voice.
"Yes," both her daughter and the woman in blue answered at
the same time.
"Your name is Cassie too?" a surprised Cassie asked the
woman.
"Yes, short for Cassandra," came her reply. "Back when I
used to spell it with a C. Didn't you know that?"
"Why would I know that?" a confused Cassie asked.
"Well after all," Kassandra smiled, "you were named after
me."
"Oh my God," Cassie said a third time in a more subdued
tone.
Once Cassie was up and off the floor, the three women
moved to the kitchen. Dorothy hung up Kassandra's wet cloak and
put the tea kettle back on.
"I can't believe that you're really here," Cassie said. "I
have like a million things to ask."
"Sweetheart, I'll be more than happy to answer all your
questions, but later," Kassandra replied. "If you don't mind, could
your mother and I have a few moments. It's been a long time since
we've had a chance to talk."
"Oh sure," the excited teenager said as she excused herself
and headed up to her room. As she ran up the stairs, she could
just about be heard repeating over and over, "She's really here."
Both older women waited until they heard Cassie's bedroom
door close behind her. What they had to say to each other wasn't
for her ears.
"It's really so good to see you again, Cass," Dorothy said as
she smiled at the friend of her younger years. "I think of you
often."
"It's good to see you too, DD," Kassandra replied, using the
nickname Dorothy had gone by in her high school days. "And
before I say anything else, I want to say how deeply sorry I am."
"For what?" Dorothy asked, "That your manager didn't
take me seriously when I called. That was hardly your fault."
"No, not that," she replied as Dorothy put a cup of hot tea
in front of her. "Although that shouldn't have happened either.
I'm so sorry I wasn't here for you when Jim died. I didn't find
out until after the funeral and I was on tour in Tokyo and ..."
"You don't have to explain, Cass," Dorothy interrupted. "I
understood and I really appreciated the letter you send. It meant
a lot to me."
"You know I could never talk on the phone if it was
something important," the blond said. "In hindsight though, what
I really should've done was got on the first plane back to the
States and come to see you no matter what."
"That wouldn't have been fair to all the people who were
waiting to see you," Dorothy said. "I understood, and Jim would've
too."
"I loved him you know," Kassandra said. "I really did. I
loved the both of you."
"He knew, we knew," said Dorothy, "and we also knew that
of the three of us, you had the best chance of making it big. We
were so happy for you."
"That's a load of crap and you know it," the singer said
unexpectedly. "You were a lot more talented than I was."
"Then maybe you just wanted it more."
"Do you ever think about it?" Kassandra asked. "What
might have happened if I was the one who got pregnant and you
went to Los Angeles instead. You know the way the three of us
were back then, it could've just as well have been me."
"I really don't dwell on what might have beens," Dorothy
said as she took a sip of tea. "We had a happy life together, that
was enough."
"I can't get over Cassie," Kassandra said, changing the
subject. "She looks so much like both you and Jim. I haven't seen
her since she was six and the photographs you've sent over the
years don't do her justice."
"She's a really great girl," the brunette smiled, "life
wouldn't have been the same if we didn't have her. I wouldn't have
survived losing Jim without her."
"She didn't know she was named after me," Kassandra
noted. "I take it then you never told her about all of us and the
band we had. Or what we all meant to each other."
"No, we didn't," Dorothy admitted, "but not because we
were ashamed of any of it. We just thought it was a topic that
could wait until we were all older. It seemed a much better idea
that she think that her folks were always the no fun squares
people sometimes took us to be."
"Now, that I can't believe," Kassandra laughed. "You might
not be as wild as we were back then, but I refuse to believe that
you and Jim turned into anything like that."
"Well, maybe not that bad."
"I thought so."
"So are you happy being one of the beautiful people?"
Dorothy asked.
"To tell you the truth, DD," her old friend said, "and I
think you are the one person that I can be totally honest with, I
can't really say that I am."
"I'm surprised"
"Oh I love performing, making all those people happy," she
explained. "It's just that so much of it all so phony. Too many
people that'll say anything to you, just to have a piece of the
action."
"You were married twice," Dorothy said, "wasn't that for
love?"
"I thought so, at least at first," Kassandra replied, "but
both of them just wanted what they could get as part of the
Kassandra Express."
"I read about you all the time in People and some of the
other magazines. You seem to lead an exciting life."
"Most of that is pure unadulterated crap," the singer
laughed. "If I slept with every man and woman they've reported
me with, I'd never have time for anything else."
"So they're all made up?" Dorothy asked out of curiosity.
"Well let's just say half of them are," Kassandra grinned.
"What was it we used to call it back in the day? Working off the
strain, or something like that"
"Something like that," Dorothy agreed with a broad smile as
she remembered days and nights long past.
They chatted for a few minutes more as Kassandra
explained how she had finally learned of Dorothy's call. Her
manager had brought over some papers for her to sign before she
left for a promotional tour in Hawaii and happened to mention that
he thought they should change her private line and code name
again.
"Why is that?" she asked as she read the papers he handed
her.
"Because we got another fan calling last Monday claiming to
be a long lost friend who had to speak to you," he said. "That's the
fourth time this month. It's only a matter of time before they
post it on the Internet."
"Okay, take care of it," Kassandra said as she put her
signature on the papers. "Just out of curiosity, what did this one
want?"
"I'd give this one credit, although I'm not sure for
imagination or audacity," he said as he collected the papers and
put them in his attache case. "She wanted you to sing at her
daughter's high school Prom. Imagine that, asking a woman who
regularly fills Madison Square Garden to sing in some school gym."
"Might be fun," Kassandra mused.
"You can't be serious."
"No, I guess not," she said, remembering how long it'd been
since she'd sang in a place where she could actually connect with
her fans without a small army of security between them. "Did you
at least get her name and address? We should at least send her
daughter a personal letter congratulating her on finishing high
school."
"Let me think," her manager said, "Dorothy Kenny, no not
Kenny, I think it was Dorothy Kerr, from some place called Orange
Rock in California."
Kassandra didn't take another breath before she told him to
cancel the Hawaii trip. Tell them that I need to take a rest, she
told him.
"What better place to rest than Hawaii?" he had asked,
unable to understand her sudden decision.
"And I want you to find out what school that girl goes to and
make arrangements for me to sing there," she went on, "I don't
care if you have to call every school in Orange Rock but I want you
to do it without calling Mrs. Kerr back. I want it to be a surprise."
"Look, Kassandra, could you explain to me what the hell
you're doing," he said. "A lot of people are expecting you in
Hawaii."
"I'm correcting a mistake I never should've made," she said
in a tone that he knew meant that she wasn't going to explain any
further. "Just make it happen, understand."
"I'm grateful," Dorothy said as Kassandra finished her
story.
"You don't have to be," Kassandra said. "I'm the one who
should be thanking you. It's a chance for me to do something for
my daughter that almost was."
"You'll stay here of course," Dorothy insisted.
"I was hoping you'd asked," Kassandra grinned. "I'm so sick
of hotels and I could use the peace and quiet. My back up band will
get here on Friday afternoon, just in time for the Prom. That'll
give us two days to just visit."
"Well, I'm sure a little peace and quiet is something that we
can provide," Dorothy smiled, "and this time I'm sure Cassie won't
be blabbing to her friends."
Sure enough, this time Cassie did indeed keep the secret.
Of course she also kept Kassandra up half the night asking what
seemed like a thousand questions about the life of a superstar.
The answers she got, of course, were a lot more tempered that
those Kassandra had given Dorothy.
Thankfully, the next night would give Kassandra a chance for
a full night's sleep as Cassie was going to spend it at Janet's
house. It was a long planned sleepover, but one that the young girl
would've been glad to skip. It was only at her mother's insistence
that she kept her original plans, saying that it would give
Kassandra a chance to rest as well.
Dorothy had no doubts that, even with the added temptation
of spending the night with Janet, Cassie would keep her mouth
shut about their houseguest. It now meant too much to her
daughter to have Kassandra show up unexpectedly at the Prom and
make fools out of all the people who had made her feel so bad. If
she even suggested it to Janet, half the school would know by
tomorrow afternoon.
Kassandra spent the afternoon making last minute
arrangements for the dance. The school was overjoyed when
contacted by her people and had managed to keep the secret as
well. Widespread public knowledge of an appearance by a star of
her magnitude would draw a crowd far larger than the school
auditorium could ever hope to hold.
It was late when Kassandra finally returned, but Dorothy
had waited up for her with a home cooked meal. The two old
friends ate together, remembering again what the world had been
like when they were Cassie's age. It was a remembrance that went
almost as late into the night as Cassie's questions the night before.
An hour after they had said their goodnights, Dorothy still
lay awake. Her mind was too filled with the memories her dear
friend had reawakened in her. Memories of the love that she and
Jim had shared. A love that had included their friend Cassie
Morgan as well.
The memories brought with them sensations that had lately
been absent from Dorothy's life. A stirring between her legs that
had only been satisfied by a battery powered toy in the long
months since her husband's death.
An arousal also reflected in her breasts as she ran one hand
across them , her fingers playing with the stiff, thick nipples that
could be felt even through her pajamas. Nipples she yearned to
have sucked by a lover.
Dorothy moved her other hand down between her legs,
stroking the already damp mound between them. She had always
kept her hair tightly trimmed, better to savor the electric touch
of her hand as first one, then a second finger slid deep in side of
her.
Familiar sensations filled her as she caressed her body,
bringing it quickly to the edge of bliss. It was process she had
first learned when she was younger than her daughter. A time
when her world was still fill of dreams. Dreams that included two
people she would love all of her life.
"Oh Jim," I miss you so much," Dorothy softly said as she
brought herself to the edge of orgasm.
Her fingers began to move at a more frantic pace, bringing
her even closer to the chasm. Breaths came in shorter gasps as
tears ran down her cheeks.
"Cassie, I missed you too," she said as the other great
love of her life filled her inner eye.
If Dorothy had tilted her head a few inches to the left, she
would've seen one of her objects of desire in a much more real
image. Unable to sleep either, Kassandra had gotten up to get a
drink a few minutes before. Passing her friend's room, she had
heard her moan and opened the door just enough to see if Dorothy
was okay.
"Oh D.D.," the singing star said silently to herself, "I've
missed you as well. I wish I could tell you how much."
The blond-haired woman started to retreat back into the
hallway, leaving her old friend to her privacy. Then she paused for
a heartbeat. In that single tick of the clock, she knew that
nothing she had gained in the last twenty years mattered as much
to her as the woman laying there in disconsolation.
Pushing the door back open, Kassandra stepped into the
room and sat down on the edge of Dorothy's bed. It took a few
seconds for the brunette to realize that the face smiling down on
her was really there. As she did, the fires that had been building
within her abruptly dampened.
"Kassandra?" Dorothy asked as she realized that she wasn't
drifting in her dreams anymore. "Is there something wrong?" she
asked as she started to get up.
"Nothing's wrong," her old friend said with the warmest of
smiles. "In fact, for the first time as far back as I can remember,
I think everything is right."
"Kassandra, I don't under...." Dorothy started to say as she
sat up, only to have her words cut off as two soft fingers came to
rest on her lips.
"No, not Kassandra," came the reply as she removed her
fingers to replace them with her own lips. "Cassie."
The press of her lips brought the memories Dorothy had
been trying to recall to sudden, vivid life. The dark-haired woman
opened her mouth ever so slightly, allowing Cassie's tongue to pass
between her lips, gently caressing her own.
"Oh God," Dorothy gasped as she felt tears swell up in her
eyes. "Cassie, I love you. I've always loved you."
"Me too, babe," Cassie said as she felt moisture forming at
the corners of her eyes as well. "Me too."
They held each other tight as they kissed again and again,
their hands roaming over the other's body. The years faded away
with each kiss, and suddenly both were teenagers once more.
Cassie and Dorothy stretched out on the bed, their bodies
rubbing together. Nimble fingers undid the buttons of the man's
pajama tops that Dorothy wore to bed, quickly freeing the large
rounded breasts beneath.
Hands no less nimble undid the laces of Cassie's nightgown
until that too slid effortlessly off her body. Back in high school,
the two friends had been able to wear each other's clothes. A
quick comparison of their now nude forms would confirm that they
still could.
Soft fingers moved across each of their bodies,
reacquainting each of them with the touch of the other. It didn't
take much for their bodies to respond as despite a long absence,
the touch was oh so familiar.
Wrapping their arms around each other, they pressed almost
identical breasts together, the nipples of each erect with
excitement. Cassie cupped one of Dorothy's mounds and licked the
inviting tip with her tongue. The soft moan from Dorothy was the
sweetest music the songstress had heard in a long time.
Although she lacked her friend's experience, Dorothy
wasted no time in bringing equal pleasure as they took turns
exploring the other's breasts. The taste of her friend's mounds
was as sweet as she had remembered them to be, a fact that
fueled the fires building within the dark-haired woman.
Breaking their embrace, they pulled themselves a little away
from each other, just far enough for them to interlock their legs.
As they again closed the distance between them, each remembered
how much fun rubbing their pussies together had been in younger
days.
Bouncing back and forth on the bed, each of their clits
pressed against its counterpart, sending oscillating waves of
passion across their now quaking bodies. The stronger each
resounding wash became, the more intense their motions that
followed.
Breaths grew short and heartbeats raced as their violent
gyrations propelled both of them on the path to orgasm. Still it
was evident to both that a more direct approach was going to be
needed. Not that either of them was about to complain.
Again, Cassie took the initiative as she undid their leglock
and pressed Dorothy down on the bed. After a quick kiss on her
lips, the blond took hold of each of the brunette's legs and spread
them far apart. The small dark patch in the center of the now
outstretched legs drew her attention like a magnet and Cassie
pressed forward and assaulted it with all of her skill.
"Oh Cassie," Dorothy moaned as she felt the singer's tongue
slide deep inside of her.
Words Cassie hardly heard as she twirled her tongue around
the excited center of Dorothy's sex. There had been more than a
few women in her life since the last time she and Dorothy had
shared a bed, but none of them had ever filled her with such a
desire to please.
And please she did as the gentle waves of delight that had
been washing over Dorothy's body were quickly transformed into a
raging storm. A tempest that soon reached a shattering climax.
Dorothy wanted to scream to the heavens in praise of the
passions that ripped her body, but the words couldn't be found.
She just didn't have the energy to spare. All of the frustrations
that over a year of empty nights had built up now faded away,
transforming in a single instant into a rainbow of ecstasy.
Normally, after such an eruption of energy, Dorothy
would've been totally drained. Yet this time she felt herself
fueled by what seemed to be boundless enthusiasm. She quickly
changed places with Cassie and began to explore the deep folds of
her friend's womanhood. It had been such a long time since she
had experienced the joys of another woman, but like so many other
things, the memories of it all were flooding her mind.
"Are you sure you remember how to do this?" Cassie joked
as she saw a brief moment of hesitation reflected on her host's
face.
"You just lay back and enjoy." Dorothy shot back as she
lowered her head to within an inch of Cassie's blond curls. "You let
me worry about how much I remember."
Less than ten minutes later, Cassie was wondering how she
could've ever have doubted her once and now hopefully future
lover, even in jest. In the circles she traveled as Kassandra, Cassie
had slept with some of the sexiest men and women on four
continents. None of them had produced anything like the awesome
sensations that now filled her.
Her body rocked under Dorothy's attentions, with an
intensity long ago forgotten. Too many of her lovers of either sex
had simply been people who wanted to be able to say they'd slept
with Kassandra. None of them had been fueled by the unequaled
fires that true love could provide.
"Oh baby, I'm going to come!" Cassie cried out in a loud
voice, "Give it to me!"
And give it, Dorothy did. An orgasm the likes of which
Cassie had long ago forgotten. Or perhaps the memory of which
had been not as much forgotten as suppressed. Buried in the
knowledge that it might never again be experienced. If that was
the case, then this was surely resurrection day because it was as if
all the missing pieces of the singer's life suddenly came together.
The question that filled her mind as the two women finally
collapsed into each other's arms was simple. Now that she had
found what was missing in her life, how did she hold onto it. It was
a question that would fill her for every hour of the next day.
Looking around the gym decorated with balloons and paper
streamers, Dorothy was taken back for a moment to her own Prom.
Some things were identical, but she was sure that her own
graduating class wasn't anywhere as excited as the young men and
women scattered around her.
Kassandra was already deep into her twelfth song and still
the kids were calling for just one more. A request that the
world-renown star was only too happy to give in to.
Earlier in the evening, you could've heard the proverbial pin
drop when the Principal had stepped up to the microphone to
announce that the previously scheduled band had been forced to
cancel but that Cassie Kerr had managed to arrange a last minute
substitute.
Dorothy would never forget the look of satisfaction on her
daughter's face as she walked up to the center of the stage and
introduced Kassandra. A look that grew even happier as the Queen
of Pop Rock dedicated the very first song to her greatest fan and
dearest friend. It would be a long time before anyone made fun of
Cassie again.
Now, listening to Kassandra sing, Dorothy let her thoughts
drift and did something she normally never let herself do. Think
about what might have been.
Deep down, she knew that it could indeed just as well have
been her up on that stage. Last night and into the morning, during
her lovemaking with the woman she always thought of as simply
Cassie, Dorothy had also been reminded of just how good she had
been as well.
She thought of what it might've been like, living Cassie's life
- to have been the star. Then she thought of her life with Jim and
how much she had loved him. Out of the corner of her eye, she
caught Cassie dancing with her date, Tommy Golden. Cassie was
the living embodiment of that love.
Watching her daughter for a few moments more, she finally
decided that if not having her was the price she would've paid for
success, well then it was just as well that Cassie had the life in the
bright spotlights. Dorothy was more than happy with the one she
had lived in the warm sunshine.
Dorothy's musings were suddenly interrupted from the
stage. The dance was beginning to wrap up and Kassandra was
saying something to the audience.
"Before I sing the last song of the evening," Kassandra was
saying, "I'd like to share a little secret with you. Long before
most of you were born, in fact, back when I wasn't any older than
the students here, I was part of a band..."
"I don't think I want to hear this," Dorothy said to herself.
"Cassie, what are you doing?"
"... and believe it or not, I wasn't even the best singer in
that band." Kassandra went on. "Of course I really didn't like to
admit that to too many people." she laughed and most of the
crowd laughed with her.
Dorothy was not one of them.
"But as you get older, and you go down the roads that life
takes you," she continued, "you sometimes forget the things that
were really important to you and always should be. I'm not sure if
you really understand what I'm talking about, or even if I'm saying
it right."
Dorothy was now slowly making her way through the crowd
to the side door.
"Anyway, sometimes you're lucky enough to be reminded of
what's really important to you, and you even get a chance to set
things right. The singer I just mentioned is here tonight, in fact I
think you all know her. I'd like her to come up here and sing this
last song with me. It's one we used to do and I'm sure she
remembers it. So, D.D., ... Dorothy, would you join me?"
The crowd suddenly parted around Dorothy, who hadn't been
able to reach the door. It was immediately obvious to the crowd
that Dorothy Kerr was the person Kassandra was talking about. At
first there were a few low murmurs, then someone began to clap.
Then another and another, until the hall was filled with it and
people began to call out her name.
Unable now to leave, Dorothy began to walk toward the
stage. It was her intention to thank Kassandra for the
acknowledgement but politely decline the honor.
Standing next to the star, Dorothy looked out on the
assemblage but only saw one face. Cassie was in the front row,
clapping harder than anyone around her. Tears of joy were running
down her face.
"Oh what the hell," Dorothy said to herself as Kassandra
walked over and handed her a wireless microphone. "You're going
to pay for this," the brunette whispered to her friend before
pressing the switch that turned on the mike.
Kassandra's response was a broad, knowing smile.
The back up band keyed up and Dorothy immediately
recognized the melody. It was a song they both knew well as it had
been Jim's favorite. He had written it for the two of them.
Dorothy closed her eyes and let the intro echo in her mind.
Words she hadn't sang since the last appearance of their band of
almost two decades before. Letting herself go back to those days,
the former Dorothy D'Angelo began to sing. It was yesterday
once more.
Silence filled the converted gym as the last note faded.
Dorothy abruptly returned to the here and now, hoping that she
hadn't embarrassed herself too badly. The lingering silence made
her think that she had done just that.
Then the silence shattered as every hand in the room broke
into applause, accompanied by loud voices of praise. To her left,
Dorothy caught sight of her daughter racing up the steps of the
stage and then across it to her. The look of delight on her face
eclipsed even than she had wore earlier.
"Who would've ever believed it?" Cassie Kerr said as she
wrapped her arms around her mother. "My Mother was a rock
star!"
"Not just your Mom," Dorothy said as she returned her
daughter's embrace. "Your Dad was pretty good too." she added as
she could almost feel Jim's presence next to both of them.
Looking past the child of her lost love, Dorothy caught
Kassandra's eyes. The star stepped close and hugged the two of
them as well.
"I love you," Dorothy mouthed wordlessly to her friend and
lover.
"I love you too," Kassandra mouthed back. "Now and
forever."
As she held both Cassie's in her arms, Dorothy knew it
wasn't just yesterday once more. It was the promise of tomorrow
as well.
END
(c) Ann Douglas 2001
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