Table Of ContentSisterhood
of Lake Alice
MARI M. OSMON
iUniverse, Inc.
New York Bloomington
Sisterhood of Lake Alice
Copyright © 2010 Mari M. Osmon All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage
retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the
case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations,
and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously.
iUniverse books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting: iUniverse
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.iuniverse.com
1-800-Authors (1-800-288-4677) Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet,
any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since
publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are
solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-6292-7 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-4502-6294-1 (cloth) ISBN: 978-1-
4502-6293-4 (ebk)
Printed in the United States of America iUniverse rev. date: 11/4/10
Contents
Dedications
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Dedications
A special thank you to my husband, Roy, who introduced me to this magical
little town of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. I immediately fell in love with its tree-
lined streets and easygoing residents.
I also want to thank Kelli, Traci, Eric, Chad, Lauren, and Samuel for the joy
they bring into my daily life.
A special thanks to Judy and Dee for their inspiring friendship, which is filled
with laughter, tears, hugs, and comfort that only true friends can give to each
other. Also to Marlene, a wonderful example of what being a volunteer is all
about.
JUST FOR TODAY
Just for Today, I will box up my worries, cares, and concerns.
I will place them in my box with its strong lid and lock.
I will lock them up and tuck the key away—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will be kind to me and know this is well deserved, I will allow
all my gentle thoughts to simply flow from me and I will be free to be happy—
Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will be kind when logic says I should not be, I will find some
way to make this a better day for all who come my way.
I will give smiles instead of frowns—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will learn to be better than I am right now.
I will fill my mind and soul with one great inspiration.
I will give myself the gift of knowledge—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will look for beauty in everyday places.
I will smell a flower and look at the evening stars.
I will find pleasure in what I already have—Just for Today.
Just for Today, I will love someone who simply needs to be loved.
I will show a child, a loved one, or a friend that I cherish and honor them.
I will give the gift of ME—Just for Today.
Just for Today, when I reach for my box of worries, cares, and concerns again, I
will take out my key and lift up the lid.
Peeking inside, I will find my box empty, and I will be free …
Just for Today.
Mari M. Osmon
Prologue
Welcome to Fergus Falls, 1955
Welcome to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, population 12,460 proud Americans—at
least that is how the sign reads that greets people entering town. There are
10,026 assorted types of Lutherans and 1,130 Catholics, and the rest of the
people are considered “the others.” This little town lies in the middle of beautiful
and abundant land with rolling green hills. It is about fifty miles east of Fargo,
North Dakota. A scenic little place, the town is surrounded by farms that have
the blackest dirt you have ever seen. The cows almost seem to smile. Aside from
the regular Fergus Falls residents, almost every Saturday the farmers and their
families come to town to bring something in for trade, shop, visit relatives, or
just have a cup of coffee and a piece of pie. They talk about the wind and the
weather. The town resembles a mix between a Norman Rockwell and a Currier
& Ives painting, with tree-lined streets and flowerbeds of daisies, mums, and
roses everywhere you look.
Only four blocks long, downtown Fergus offers you every kind of shop you
can imagine. For example, City Café and Bakery serves some of the best coffee
and Danish pastries around the area. Viking Restaurant boasts of the best, big,
juicy burgers, rich, thick chocolate malts, and blue-plate specials known for
miles. Victor Lundeen’s bookstore is the place to buy a book, candles, or writing
paper—or to just run into someone and chat for a while. All the women in town
shop for dresses, hats, aprons, and other necessities at Norby’s, O’Meara’s. and
Gambles department stores. Claire’s Dress Shop is the only place where women
would think about going to buy their special occasion and fancy clothes. Many
of the men in town go to Claire’s to buy their wives a surprise gift for a birthday,
anniversary, or Christmas. Claire makes a point of knowing almost all the
women in town. She keeps a card file with the women’s names, sizes, special
dates, favorite color, and what would be the perfect gift for her.
Olson Furniture and Funeral Home takes up half a block. They were the first
in the area to start selling television sets. They keep one turned on in the front
display window at all times. There always seems to be a crowd of people
standing around watching a TV show from the sidewalk. Then, there is St. Claire
& Rovang, where the men go to buy their one going-to-church and funeral suit.
The store also carries overalls, blue jeans, and flannel shirts in the downstairs
shop.
The Fergus Theater is right next to Olson’s. A Saturday afternoon matinee
costs ten cents, and another ten cents will buy you popcorn and a small pop or a
box of candy. Eddy is the head usher and always on the lookout for a
troublemaker. He wears a fifteen-year-old navy blue jacket, which is many sizes
too small for him, with his name embroidered on it. No one has ever seen him
smile. Rumor has it that he lost all his teeth from eating too much candy. He is
mean and loves to throw kids out of the movies. By some unknown magic,
whenever he does kick kids out of the show, their parents always find out about
it. Once that happens, it normally means you are not going to the movies for a
few weeks.
*
Fergus Falls just installed the only two automatic stop signs in town. They are
both downtown—one on the corner of Union and Lincoln, and the other at the
intersection of Mill and Lincoln. They sit right in the middle of Lincoln Street on
a six-foot block of wood. Two sides of the block are painted red, and the
opposite sides painted green. Every three minutes the block turns. All the drivers
obey the color in front of them. Everyone seems to have an opinion about the
stop signs. Some folks feel all you need to do is to just be polite and wait for
your turn. Nevertheless, when an outsider hit Doctor Burns's car, nearly injuring
Anna Burns, everyone knew the time had come to do something. Change is
good, at least once in a while. Within a few weeks, Kenneth, the town
handyman, invented the two automatic stop signs.
On the Friday after Thanksgiving, with all the stores competing for the
prettiest and most creative windows, the town always celebrates the beginning of
the Christmas season. It was a perfect time to introduce the new automatic stop
signs. Everyone in town came to witness the event. People clapped as they all
watched the signs slowly move into action. Kenneth’s picture appeared on the
front page of the Daily Journal with the mayor and a few of the important
downtown businessmen. The mayor let Mrs. Burns cut the ribbons that were tied
around the new stop signals. It was quite a big change for Fergus Falls. Change
does not happen fast or without some pain in this town.
*
Most of the houses in Fergus Falls are well maintained and often have
vegetables gardens in their backyards. Mighty oaks and graceful elm trees line
the streets. During the summer, the trees keep most of the houses cool. During
the fall, the leaves turn incredible shades of red, gold, and orange. As the leaves
fall from the trees, they are raked into huge piles that sit on the curbs waiting for
the street cleaner machine to come and get them. In the meantime, it is a great
place for the kids to take a running start, throw themselves into the middle of a
pile, or play a game of hide-and-seek covered with leaves. It smells so good
during the fall when the air is crisp and clean.
Fergus Falls is a small enough town that everyone seems to know each other’s
business. There is the group of rubbernecks, the town gossips who can send a
story around town faster than the Daily Journal. The only real outcasts in town
are the people who drink too much at The Spot. Sometimes the hoboes hang
around behind the train station. If the police find them, they take them to the city
jail, where they get a hot shower and a good homemade meal, which Millie
Moody makes for them. After a good night’s sleep, they go on their way with a
brown bag lunch. Everyone figures that it is a nice thing to do for the hoboes.
*
Another wonderful part of Fergus Falls is Lake Alice, which is only a few
blocks from downtown. A tiny lake, probably more like a big pond, it’s beautiful
anytime of the year. All the kids and even some adults go ice-skating as soon as
the water freezes and the green light on the lamppost tells them that it is safe to
skate. From the small warming shed, you can hear the music playing over the
loudspeaker. Not one fish lives in Lake Alice, but lots of ducks, geese, and even
an occasional swan glide through the murky water. People bring stale bread or
crackers to feed them. Some of the biggest and most beautiful houses surround
Lake Alice on Lakeside Drive. Most of the residents of these houses are doctors,
dentists, lawyers, and businessmen. Everyone knows this is where the rich
people live.
*
