She entered her bedroom, towel-drying her hair. She was late for the party, but was wondering if she should bother attending at all. Sitting on her bed, she rubbed her shoulder-length curls with the towel.

Twenty-three-year-old Trixie Belden glanced at the dress hanging on the back of her closet door. It was a simple navy, a-line dress, with three spaghetti straps on each shoulder, that went down to her knees. The dress was something she had found in California and was one of the few dresses she owned. Even with the perfect dress to wear, she still wondered if she should attend.

Moving to the dresser, Trixie grabbed her hairbrush and ran it through her hair. She thought, Maybe I should just stay here. It’s not like anyone will really miss me. One person in particular won’t: Jim. We’ve been having such good times these past couple months, but this last week, things have changed.

Jim has been so busy, or so he says. Each time I’ve called to see if we are doing something, he brushes it off saying there’s work to be done at the school. Part of me feels there’s something else. I don’t think I did anything to anger him, but maybe I did and don’t realize it.

She set her brush down and turned to look at the dress. I guess if I have to go to the Wheeler’s anniversary party, I can find out what’s going on. I might as well get dressed and get going.

* * * * *

A half hour later, Trixie made her way up the path to the Manor House on the warm mid-September evening. As she entered the house, she saw a lot of people milling about talking. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Matthew and Madeleine Wheeler off to the right side of the main hallway. Standing with them was their daughter and son-in-law, Honey and Brian. Ready to greet them warmly, her mind’s eye still focused on finding the person she sought.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler, happy anniversary,” she said when she reached them.

“Thank you, Trixie,” Madeleine said.

“It doesn’t seem like we’ve been married for 25 years,” Matthew said. “It seems like just the other day we said our vows.” Matthew leaned over and kissed Madeleine on the lips.

Trixie glanced at Honey who was smiling happily, but surprised at her parents outward expressions of love. Trixie knew Honey was still surprised at the affection her parents showed each other, since she had not seen much of it growing up. As Matt and Madeleine turned their attention to some other guests, Trixie looked at Brian and Honey.

“So, Honey, how are you feeling?” Trixie asked, looking at her sister-in-law‘s slightly swelled stomach.

“Wonderful,” Honey said, smiling. “The morning sickness has passed and I love being pregnant.”

“I think you’re loving the pampering you’re getting from your husband,” Trixie said with a grin.

She watched Brian wrap his arms around Honey’s waist. “Honey deserves to be pampered.”

“I can tell you’re both excited about this Belden,” Trixie said.

“It’ll be our Belden,” Honey said, beaming with pride.

“You two look like you need to be alone, so, I’m going to mingle,” Trixie said as Brian and Honey gazed at each other.

“Mart and Di are around somewhere,” Brian said.

“Probably at the buffet table,” Trixie said.

“Probably,” Honey said. “I also saw Dan a little while ago with his latest girl.”

“I’ll find them,” Trixie said. “I’ll see you later.”

“Jim is around somewhere too,” Honey added. “I saw him a little while ago. I wonder where he disappeared to.”

“I’ll bump into him sooner or later.” Trixie said with a shrug of her shoulders as she made her way through the crowd missing the puzzled looks on Honey and Brian’s faces.

As she made her way, she greeted people she knew and nodded to those she didn’t. After a while, she made it to the buffet table and saw Mart and Di filling their plates. Di smiled as Trixie approached them. Di said, “Trixie, you look stunning.”

Trixie glanced at her dress, then back at her sister-in-law. “Thanks, Di.”

“You do look nice,” Mart admitted between bites of food.

“Thanks, my almost-twin.”

“Did you just get here?” Di asked.

Trixie shook her head. “I’ve been mingling.”

“You can hang with us if you want,” Mart said reaching for another hors d’oeuvre.

“I’m going to wander around a bit more,” Trixie said. “But I know where to find you.”

“I saw Jim a few minutes ago,” Di said, looking around. “He should be nearby.”

“I’ll find him.”

“We’ll see you later,” Di said.

“Okay.”

Trixie moved off into the crowd again, her eyes looking for the wave of red hair she knew was Jim’s. As more time passed, she began to wonder as she threaded her way through the crowds of people, Is he avoiding me? Trixie finally spotted Jim wearing a black suit leaning against one of the windows watching the guests. The closer she got to him, the more she realized that he wasn’t really paying attention.

“Jim,” she said when she finally reached him. There was no response. She raised her voice a little. “Jim.” Nothing. Putting her hand on his arm, she gave it a squeeze.

“What?” Jim asked, quickly turning to face her. He let out a breath. “Trixie, you’re here.”

“Of course. I told you I would come.”

Jim straightened up. “Have you seen Mother and Dad?”

“They were the first people I ran into when I arrived.”

“That’s good.”

Trixie noticed how Jim avoided looking at her. She had put up with enough of this behavior during the past week. “Jim, can we go somewhere to talk?”

He shook his head. “I can’t leave the party.”

“We don’t have to leave, maybe just move away from the others?”

“Trixie, I know you want to talk, but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

He stepped away from her, making his way back through the crowd. Trixie stood there watching. She couldn’t understand what was going on with him.

“Hey, Trix,” a voice said behind her.

Turning, she saw Dan Mangan standing there, but he wasn’t alone. A woman with long, brown hair wearing a black dress was by his side.

“Hey, Dan,” Trixie said. “How are you?”

“Pretty good,” Dan said. “Trixie, I’d like you to meet Miranda Leeson. Miranda, this is one of my best friends, Trixie Belden.”

Trixie smiled, reaching out her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure’s mine,” Miranda said. “Dan has talked a lot about you.”

“Don’t believe a word he’s said,” Trixie said.

“I’ve only told her the good things,” Dan said. “I swear.”

Trixie laughed. “Miranda, if Dan gets out of line, let me know. I can handle him.”

Miranda laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“So, I saw you talking with Jim,” Dan said.

“If you want to call that talking,” Trixie muttered.

Dan took a step closer to her. “Is everything all right?”

Trixie looked at Dan and could tell he was concerned. She forced a smile on her face. “Everything is fine.”

“You sure?”

Trixie nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

“Can I talk to you later?” Trixie asked. “I need to talk to Honey.”

“Of course. We’ll meet up later.”

Trixie looked at Miranda. “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too.”

Trixie made her way back in the direction she had seen Honey and Brian. She really needed to talk to her best friend. Spotting them both, she made her way toward them.

Honey looked up and saw her, the expression on her face changed from one of happiness to one of concern. Honey asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Honey and Trixie made their way upstairs to Honey’s old bedroom after promising Brian they would be back. Once in the room, Honey closed the door and they settled on the bed. “What’s going on?”

“I wish I knew.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know,” Trixie said getting to her feet and pacing. “Jim has been pushing me away this entire week. I’m wondering if I’ve done something that’s angered him. Or that he’s found someone else.”

“Oh, Trixie, don’t be ridiculous. Jim adores you.” Honey sobered. “I don’t think you did anything wrong.”

Trixie stared at her best friend. “What do you know?”

“I don’t know anything definite, but he always seems to get this way around Mother and Dad’s anniversary.”

“I haven’t seen him like this before.”

“You haven’t been around the past couple years.”

“Do you remember when he started acting like this?”

“It’s hard to say. I really noticed it the year after he graduated college. In the days leading up to their anniversary, he seemed to spend more time by himself.”

“And you have no idea what’s going on?”

Honey shook her head. “Sorry, Trix. Maybe you and Jim need to sit down and talk.”

“I’ve been trying, but he doesn’t want to.” Trixie resumed pacing.

“You really shouldn’t feel bad, Trixie. He’s barely said two sentences to me all week.”

“I can’t understand why he’s shutting all of us out. We’re all family.”

“I don’t know either.”

Trixie stopped pacing and stared at the window. She had an idea and hoped Honey would help her with it. “I need a favor,” Trixie said, turning to face her sister-in-law.

“I’ll do whatever I can.”

Trixie smiled. That was exactly what she wanted to hear.

* * * * *

Jim stood off to the side of the room watching the people in attendance. He felt so uncomfortable being at his adopted parents’ anniversary party. As he watched them dance to a slow song, his mind drifted back to another couple from long ago.

The thundering beat interrupted Jim’s memories and he looked around wondering if anyone noticed. He thought, they were so happy together. That was their last anniversary. It’s just seems so unfair that they couldn’t have had more time together. I can’t change what happened, but I can at least cherish the memories I do have.

“Jim!”

He blinked his eyes and turned his head to see who had called his name. He saw Honey and Brian making their way toward him. He noticed Honey looked upset. When they reached him, he asked, “What’s going on?”

“Have you seen Trixie?” Honey asked quickly, looking around the room.

“Not for a while,” Jim responded. “Why?”

“It must be nothing,” Honey said.

“Honey, what is it?” Jim asked.

“Honey is just worried because Trixie seemed upset before,” Brian said.

“Do you know why?”

“No,” Honey said. “She seemed upset, but she didn’t want to talk to me about it.”

Jim noticed Honey looked like she was about to cry. “When was the last time you saw her?”

“About an hour ago,” Honey replied, wiping the unshed tears from her eyes.

“Have you looked for her?” Jim asked.

“I’ve checked the house and the immediate area around here, but I didn’t go any farther,” Honey said.

“She has to be around here somewhere,” Jim said, trying to figure out all the places she could have gone. “All right. You stay here and I’ll see if I can find her.”

“Are you sure you want to look for her yourself?” Honey asked.

“If she didn’t feel she could talk to you, she might not want you to find her. I’ll look around and bring her back.”

“If you don’t find her in a little while, come back and we’ll get a search party together,” Brian said.

“All right.”

Jim set his half-empty glass of punch on the table as he made his way through the guests toward the front door. Pulling the door closed, he allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness so he could see where he was going.

Stepping away from the house, he looked around, trying to figure out where she may have gone. Seeing the dark stable, he knew it was possible she had gone there to be alone. With that thought, Jim figured he would start there.

Walking quietly to the doors, Jim pulled it open and turned a light on. He checked the office and each stall, but Trixie wasn’t there. Exiting the stable after turning off the light, he secured the door and tried to figure out what his next move was going to be.

Jim looked into the woods and noticed a glow in the distance. He realized it was the clubhouse and thought, she has to be there.

Hurrying through the woods toward the old gatehouse, he wondered why she was so upset. He didn’t know, but hoped she would level with him. Jim reached the clubhouse and pushed the door open. He stopped quickly when he realized the clubhouse was empty. Jim looked around for some indication that Trixie had been the one to leave the light on inside. His gaze landed on the table and he saw a blue key chain with a key to the clubhouse.

She was here, he thought, picking up the keychain. But where has she gone now?

Grabbing a flashlight, he turned off the light and locked the door. Shining the beam on the ground, he looked for something that would tell him which direction she would have gone, unaware of the person standing in the shadows watching his every move.

Crouching down, Jim shined the beam looking for footprints and found them. The prints seemed to be Trixie’s size and saw the prints head away from the clubhouse. Making his way along, he couldn’t understand why she was upset. He had barely seen her the entire week. He wondered if something had happened.

He crossed the driveway that led to Manor House, going down the hill past Crabapple Farm into the woods. Going past the tree line, Jim saw a blue high-heeled shoe on its side. Picking it up, he knew it was Trixie’s and he was going in the right direction.

“Where are you, Trix?” Jim said looking into the darkness.

Straightening up, he continued moving through the woods, following the trail.

“Trixie! Where are you?” He stopped, listening for a response. “Trix, answer me!”

He resumed walking, wondering if he should go back and get the others to help him search. He figured he’d keep searching for a few more minutes before he did that. The few minutes turned into a half-hour and he finally stopped walking. He was going to call out to her one more time before getting help.

“Trixie! Where are you? Answer me!”

Jim stood perfectly still, listening for the slightest noise. And he heard it. A moan.

“Trixie?!”

He heard the moan again to his right. Quickly making his way toward the sound, he hoped it was Trixie. The beam of light finally hit upon a figure in a blue dress on the ground. The light showed on her curls. “Trixie.”

Dropping to his knees, Jim brushed the curls back from her face and asked, “Trix, can you hear me?” Trixie moaned again and moved her head slightly. “Come on, Trix, open your eyes.”

* * * * *

“Come on, Trix, open your eyes,” a voice said, penetrating the darkness that surrounded her. The voice was familiar.

“Jim?” she mumbled.

“I’m here,” he said and she felt him put a hand on her face. “Open your eyes, Trix.”

She turned slightly and slowly forced her eyes open. She pulled her left arm up and shielded her eyes from the flashlight beam as her head throbbed.

Jim said, “Tell me where you hurt.”

“I’m okay,” Trixie said, rolling onto her back. Pulling her arm away from her face, she was glad the beam of the flashlight had been turned away. She looked up at Jim who appeared worried.

“Trixie, what were you doing out here alone?”

“I was going for a walk.”

“In the dark?”

“I didn’t want to wait for sunrise,” Trixie snapped, as she struggled to sit up.

“Come on, we should go back. The others are probably worried by now.”

“Go ahead back. I’m fine.”

“I’m not leaving you out here alone,” Jim insisted.

Trixie looked at him with surprise. She couldn’t believe he was acting so overprotective just because she had been walking alone in the woods. But she knew his concern was because of what Honey told him.

“What?” Jim asked. “Are you hurt and can’t make it back?”

Trixie softened her voice as she took Jim’s hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I’m not hurt. I’m where I want to be.”

Jim leaned back staring at her face. He asked slowly, “What do you mean?”

“How else was I going to get your attention?”

Jim pulled his hand from hers. “This was a joke?”

“What else was I supposed to do?” Trixie asked, pulling her legs underneath her as her temper rose. “You don’t want to talk to me and tell me what I’ve done wrong, so I had to do something that would grab your attention.”

“If you wanted to talk, why didn’t you say something?” Jim asked, his own temper rising.

“I’ve tried, but you keep brushing me off,” Trixie said, her voice rising.

“So, your wandering around the woods is my fault?” Jim asked loudly.

“I wasn’t wandering!” Trixie protested. “I had Honey tell you those things so that we could spend some time together and actually talk. But I guess you still don’t want to talk.”

She had enough. Struggling to her feet, Trixie was ready to head back to Crabapple Farm. As soon as she was upright, her head began to swim and she began to fall backward.

Two arms caught her and gently settled her on the ground as she closed her eyes. She felt Jim wrap his arms around her and pull her close to his chest. “Easy, Trix.”

She stayed still until the dizziness passed trembling slightly from the cool breeze. Trixie felt the blanket she had brought along with her get wrapped around her shoulders. Jim rubbed her arms in comfort. After a few minutes, she opened her eyes and leaned back. Looking at Jim, she said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He brushed the curls back from her forehead and she winced revealing a bump.

“Oww,” Trixie said but didn’t remember hitting her head.

“You must have hit your head when you fell. You’ve got a good sized bump there,” Jim said. “We should get some ice for that.”

“I don’t want to go back to the party.”

“Then we’ll go to the farm.” Trixie nodded her head.

She held on as Jim lifted her in his arms and got to his feet. She settled her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as he started walking. When she heard the kitchen door squeak, she opened her eyes. Jim carried her through the kitchen into the living room and settled her on the couch.

Trixie leaned back against the arm of the couch and closed her eyes as Jim went back into the kitchen.

I must have hit my head, she thought. That can be the only explanation for the bump. I thought this was a good idea. He was worried about me, but I may have gone a little overboard.

The sound of footsteps returning to the room brought her out of her thoughts. She opened her eyes slightly as Jim sat down on the couch beside her. He reached up and held the ice against her bump.

“You don’t have to do that,” Trixie said.

“I want to.” Jim bushed an errant curl behind her ear. “I guess we can talk now like you wanted.”

“It wasn’t important. I was just worried about you. I’ve noticed how distant you’ve been this past week and was wondering if I had done something to anger you.”

Jim cupped her face in his hand. “You didn’t do anything.”

“You sure?”

“I’m positive.”

Trixie slid herself up slightly. “Tell me then why there seems to be a wall between us?”

Jim looked at the floor and remained quiet.

“Jim, if you talk to me, I may be able to help.”

“You can’t help with this,” Jim said quietly.

Trixie looked at him closely and saw the sadness in his face. “Jim, please. I know you’ve been getting like this around this time for the past couple years. What is it you’re not telling us?”

Jim looked up at her and she could see tears in his eyes. Trixie slid closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. “Jim, it’s all right. It’ll be all right.”

They sat that way for several minutes until Jim leaned back and looked at her. He gave her a small smile. “I needed that.”

She returned the smile. “I’m glad I was able to help.”

Jim slid behind Trixie on the couch and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her back against his chest. “This is just a tough time for me.” Trixie rested her head against his chest remaining quiet while he talked. “I had easily pushed the memories to the back of my mind after Mom died because it was too hard to deal with. But these memories have resurfaced.”

“What memories?” Trixie asked softly.

“My parents, my real parents’ anniversary.”

“When is it?”

“Today.”

“How long would they have been married?”

“Twenty-six years.”

“And it just worked out that your real parents and the Wheelers have the same anniversary?”

“Yeah.”

“But why did these memories start coming now?”

“I started thinking about them when Mother and Dad had their 20th anniversary. They had the party here. You see, when I first came here, they held the celebrations in the city and I guess since I really wasn’t aware of it, it didn’t do affect me.”

“But when they started celebrating here, it just opened a can of worms.”

“Absolutely. I mean, I’m happy for Mother and Dad, but...”

“But you’re wishing your parents had the same opportunity,” Trixie finished.

“Yeah.”

“Jim, have you talked to the Wheelers about this?”

Jim shook his head. “I can’t talk to them about this. They have been great. They took me in when they didn’t have to and made me part of their family. And...”

“If you start talking about your real parents, you’re afraid you’ll be hurting their feelings.”

“Exactly.”

“I don’t think you would be hurting their feelings,” Trixie said.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Your Dad knew your father and took you into his family, because he knew him and felt he was doing right after all you had been through. You wouldn’t be hurting their feelings.”

“I guess.”

“Jim, you are still your parents’ son. Even though you’ve spent the past few years with the Wheelers, it doesn’t change who you are.”

“But it may make them uncomfortable.”

“But you may also learn more about them than you know now.”

Jim was quiet for a moment. “You have a point.”

“I know I do.” Trixie smiled.

Jim smiled. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“I’m glad I was able to help.”

He reached up and brushed the curls from her face. “How is your head?”

“It’s all right.”

“So, you decided to get my attention using Honey’s help.”

Trixie shrugged her shoulders. “I had to do something. Besides, I don’t like people ignoring me.”

“But I didn’t mean it,” Jim said, as he gently caressed her cheek.

“I know,” she said softly.

Jim leaned toward her as she closed her eyes. As their lips met, Jim’s cell phone rang and they both groaned. He pulled the phone out and put it to his ear. “Hello?” He paused. “Hey, Honey. Yes, I did find her. We’re down at Crabapple Farm.” He paused again. “We probably won’t be back. Will you tell Mother and Dad? Thanks. Bye.”

“Honey was checking up on us, huh?”

“Yeah.” Jim tossed the phone on the coffee table. “You know, I really didn’t mean to be distant. I am sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize. I understand. I really do.” Trixie leaned back against him. “I’m just glad you finally told me what’s going on.”

“I’m glad I was able to talk to you.”

“I think you were due to talk about them.” Trixie nestled her head against his chest. “And anytime you want to share those memories, I’m here to listen. Jim, it’s all right to miss them and no one would blame you for that. They are your parents and I know you love them.”

“Thanks, Trix. I appreciate it.”

Trixie closed her eyes as Jim tightened his hold on her and planted a kiss on the top of her head. She felt everything was going to be all right.

-The End-