Later that day, Amy relaxed in Wilma's living room, where she had a hint of a sparkle in her eyes because of the drive in the Thunderbird. She watched Oprah on the TV while Wilma was in the kitchen, making them some hot tea.
Amy caught a glimpse of a photo album on the bottom shelf of the coffee table. She saw it the other day but suddenly became curious. She grabbed the photo album and opened it up.
Wilma entered the living room with a silver tray with a teapot and two cups. "Curious about my past?" she asked when she saw Amy open up the photo album.
"I hope you don't mind?" Amy asked while she looked at the first page of old photos.
"Be my guest," Amy said while she set the tray down on the coffee table and sat down next to Amy.
Amy glanced at the first page of the photo album.
She saw a picture of a young and beautiful Wilma who was nineteen years old. Wilma had a curvy slender body in a nineteen-forties bathing suit at the beach in Santa Monica.
"Who's that beautiful girl?" Amy asked while she touched the picture.
"Me. I was nineteen years old, and it was around nineteen forty-nine," Wilma replied with a gleam in her eyes while she looked at the old picture of herself.
Amy looked at another picture where Wilma posed with Dorothy and Edith, who were also nineteen-year-old curvy beauties in bathing suits. They stood on the Santa Monica beach with the pier in the background.
"That's me with Dorothy and Edith also at the Santa Monica beach. We went there during college spring break," Wilma said while the gleam in her eyes continued remembering those beautiful years.
"Wow! You remained friends all these years," Amy said while she looked at some more pictures of Wilma, Dorothy, and Edith on the Santa Monica beach.
Amy turned a page and saw a picture of Wilma, Dorothy, and Edith who stood with handsome Jason Moore, who was a slender twenty-three-year-old. Jason wore an Air Force uniform with sergeant stripes and had a cigarette that dangled out of his mouth.
Also in the picture was Barney who was a slender twenty-three-year-old and wore an Air Force uniform with airman corporal stripes standing next to slender twenty-three-year-old Wilbur who also wore an Air Force uniform with sergeant stripes. The picture was taken on the Santa Monica pier while the guys were on leave in nineteen fifty-three.
"Who are these two guys?" Amy asked.
"That's Jason, my husband," Wilma said while she touched Jason on the picture.
"What happened to him?"
"He died in nineteen eighty-two from lung cancer. He just wouldn't quit that nasty smoking habit," Wilma said and looked sad while she missed all those good times she had with Jason.
"He died kinda young," Amy said.
"The last four months he was dependent on an oxygen bottle to breath," Wilma replied and looked sad while she thought about those days.
"I'm sorry," Amy said while she looked at Jason's picture.
"Thanks. Losing loved ones goes with the territory of getting old," Wilma replied.
Amy pointed at Barney on the picture. "Who's the other guy? He's cute!"
Wilma smiled while she looked at Amy for making that comment. "You've met him."
Amy looked confused with Wilma's comment. She looked back at Barney's picture. "I did? When?"
"You danced with him the other day," Wilma replied while looked at Amy to catch her reaction.
Amy thought for a few seconds, and then it dawned on her. "That's Barney? What's his story?" she said while she looked amazed at a young and cute Barney.
"He was Jason's best friend and grew up together. His wife passed away five years ago, so he moved here. Poor guy desperately wants to find another wife."
"That's so sad. So, why don't you date him?" Amy replied while she looked at Wilma.
Wilma chuckled. "Oh no, I love Barney to death as a friend, but never as a husband."
"I know what you mean," Amy said while she turned the page.
"Would this other buy be Wilbur?" Amy asked while she touched Wilbur on the photo.
"The one and only," Wilma replied.
"So young," Amy said while she turned the page of the photo album.
"When did you meet Dorreen?" Amy asked.
"I met her about three years ago at one of the senior dances we attend. She's been tagging along as she had eyes for Barney," Wilma replied.
Amy turned the page in the photo album. She saw a 1950s TV guide with a picture of Wilma, then twenty-five years old. Wilma wore a raincoat and hat with an umbrella. Below her picture was the "Wilma Bradley, Channel 2 Weather Girl" title.
"Wow! You were a TV star?" Amy said and looked amazed with Wilma.
"I don't consider myself a star. I was just the young weather girl for a TV station here in Phoenix from nineteen fifty-three until nineteen fifty-six while Jason was stationed here with the Air Force," Wilma said while she poured some tea into the two cups.
"Did your husband retire from the Air Force?" Amy curiously asked.
"He did in seventy-four after twenty-six years. Barney and Wilbur also retired from the Air Force a few years before Jason. We all settled here in Phoenix," Wilma replied.
"Did you get to travel the world?" Amy asked.
"We were stationed in Germany, Spain, England, Japan, and numerous bases in the states. We had a blast," Wilma replied with a smile remembering all those good times.
Amy looked amazed with Wilma's TV past.
They drank tea while she looked at all the pictures of Wilma's past during Jason's Air Force career around the world.
Thirty minutes had flown by, and Amy and Wilma were still looking at pictures of Wilma's past.
The phone in the kitchen rang.
"It's probably your mom," Wilma said while she got off the couch.
Amy followed Wilma out of the living room, and they went inside the kitchen.
"Hello," Wilma said while she answered the call.
"It's me, Kate. Can I speak to Amy?" Kate replied from the phone.
"Sure," Wilma replied, then handed the phone to Amy.
"Hi mom," Amy said into the phone while Wilma sat down at the kitchen table.
"How are you feeling?" Kate asked from the phone.
"I'm feeling okay," Amy responded.
"How's life with Aunt Wilma?" Kate asked from the phone and expected a smart-ass answer.
"She's taking great care of me, and I'm having a good time with her," Amy replied.
There were a few seconds of silence while Kate was a little surprised with Amy's response. "You are?"
"I am. She's a blast to hang out with," Amy said then winked at Wilma.
"I'm glad. So, are you showing any signs of improvement?" Kate asked.
Amy looked sad while she glanced down the aging spots and wrinkled skin on her hands and arms. "No, I haven't changed that much," Amy told a little fib.
"That's good, but you do have an appointment with Doctor Adams on Monday morning at ten. I'll come by Aunt Wilma's and pick you up around nine," Kate replied but still sounded upset from the phone.
"Okay, but listen, mom, don't you go outside to the back porch and smoke a cigarette again to calm your nerves," Amy said in a motherly tone.
There were a few seconds of silence from the phone while Amy waited for a response from her mom.
Over on the back porch of Amy's home, Kate quickly smashed her lit cigarette into the grass and blew away the smoke she just exhaled. "Don't worry, I'm not smoking," Kate lied into her cell phone like a caught teenager.
Back in Wilma's kitchen, Amy had a motherly look in her eyes while she talked into the phone. "That's a bad habit that will catch up with one day. I don't think you want to live dependent upon an oxygen bottle," she scolded her mother.
Wilma looked surprised at Amy.
"I know," Kate replied from the phone.
"Good. Now I love you and don't stay up too late watching TV. A good night's sleep is good for you," Amy added.
Amy hung up the phone.
"Listen to you sounding like a mother," Wilma said with a light chuckle.
Amy thought about Wilma's comment for a few seconds. "Wow. I guess I did sound like a mother."
Wilma looked at Amy's hands and arms. "Why didn't you tell her about your age spots and pain?"
"I didn't want her to worry then sneak out back and smoke a carton of cigarettes," Amy said then looked scared while she rubbed her hands and sat down at the table with Wilma.
Wilma reached across the table, held Amy's hand, and stroked it. She wanted so badly for Amy to return to her usual teenage self.
Wilma's hand was comforting for Amy.
"Let's go watch Oprah," she said then got up from the table.
Amy nodded in agreement, then got up from the table and followed Wilma out of the kitchen.