III. Southern bound.

When Regina’s dad died, she kind of lost her place in the world. To the rest of the world, she still offered a bright light and a warm heart. But within herself, she felt lost. When Regina was with Maggie, she felt whole again. Maybe that is why she made the trip to Marymount that day. Maybe it was fate. Maybe it was her Dad’s hand from heaven. Whatever it was, when Maggie emerged that day from the Dean’s office, what happened next changed the direction of her life. The Dean followed Maggie out of his office and extended his hand to Regina, “Come on in, young lady.” Regina, being a well mannered Catholic girl, did as asked and went right into the office. The Dean, assuming she was there for an interview, brought Regina in and asked her the interview questions and was clearly impressed. Because two months later, she received an acceptance letter in the mail. From Marymount…in the south. Tsk. Tsk. 

Now of course I wasn’t there on the day the letter was received, but if I was a betting girl, I would lay money on an atom bomb level explosion in the Harold home. You know, the kind where mothers scowl, siblings hide in cupboards (giggling at the fact it was not their fault for once, but also fearful the sibling count may shortly decrease by one), and one can actually feel the air as it is sucked out of the room. In this case, the villain of the issue (the kid, in this case, Regina) can either deny, deny, deny like Nixon or can dutifully accept their fate. 

So after the nuclear waste settled, Regina packed her hand-me-down suitcase, the one she was given by her favorite aunt, Aunt Jane, after she retired her traveling shoes. The last dinner Regina had at her home with her mom was quiet but a sense of pride and love overwhelmed the room. Grammy swallowed her fears and prepared to let her little bird fly.

Regina loved the school, maybe it was the art and design classes, or her unending appreciation of her own space but I truly believe it was the day in, day out adventures with her soul sister Maggie. College will change childhood friendships. The evolution is inevitable and frequently the catalyst is each friend's endeavors on different paths. We see it all the time in high school sweethearts, high school best friends who, one way or another, split like a stream as childhood passes by and adulthood sets in. But not with Regina and Maggie. Did you ever see the movie “White Christmas”? I am not referring to the classic duo of Danny Kaye and Bing Crosby. I mean Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Regina and Maggie could, and would, sing the song “Sisters”, frequently heard belting “all kinds of weather, they stick together”. Their connection was the definition of synthesis. Always. Maggie would study, Regina got the A. Regina ate pizza, Maggie got ingestion. Maggie tried a cigarette, Regina coughed. I am fairly certain that when Regina was in labor with me, Maggie felt it. They were two of a kind. But their taste in men couldn’t be more different. But God help the man who broke either of their hearts. Revenge is NOT always a dish best served cold.