“I haven’t seen her in at least twenty years.”  Sharon’s eyes misted when she thought about it.  Tammy had been her best friend in grade school.  In junior high they weren’t as close, though they were still friends.  When Sharon’s parents got divorced and her family moved to a nearby town she and Tammy went to each other’s houses but it wasn’t like living around the corner.  Their mothers had to drive them back and forth.  Suddenly, Tammy disappeared from her life.  The last time she heard about Tammy was fifteen years earlier from a mutual friend, Candy, who told her Tammy got engaged. 

          “When they say ‘it’s a small world’ they’re not kidding,” Sharon’s mother, Gladys, put in.  She ran into Tammy at their junior high’s parents’ teachers’ conference.  Tammy was an English teacher and Gladys was filling in for her son Rowland at PT night to check on her grandson Matt’s school performance. 

“Did you recognize her?” Sharon asked.  “Her last name is different.” 

          Gladys’s face went blank while she thought about it, and then shook her head.  “She must’ve recognized Matt’s last name.  When she saw me, maybe she connected it, though I don’t think I look anything like I did then.  I’m skinnier now,’ she said proudly, looking down at her plump belly.

          Sharon smiled.  Her mother always looked good to her.  Gladys was older, but Sharon was too, and her mother seemed younger.  “And don’t forget the pretty blonde hair.”

          Gladys fluffed the back of her hair.  “That’s what I mean, dear.  How could she have possibly recognized me?  And I have a different last name too.”

          Sharon thought about it, trying to figure it out.  “Did she ask you if you were Mrs. Linwood?”  That was Matt’s last name.

          “Well, of course she did.  I told her I’m not her anymore.”

          “Okay, once the connection was made – she knew who you are and you knew who she is…”

          Gladys interrupted, shaking her head.  “I don’t remember her.  Oh, the name sounds familiar but I can’t place the girl.”

          Sharon stared in disbelief at her mother.  When they were kids they were always at each other’s house, or Gladys was driving them or picking them up from the mall or movie theater.  But people changed – colored their hair, gained or lost weight.  She let it pass and moved on to the next point.  “What did she say once she knew who you were?”

          Gladys’s eyes brightened.  “Well, I’m pleased to say Matt is doing very well in his English class this year.”

          Frustrated, Sharon slapped her hand over her eyes.  She shook her head.  That wasn’t what she meant.  After a few seconds, Sharon lowered her hand and leaned across the kitchen table toward her mother.  ”That’s great, Mom.  I’m glad Matt’s doing good in school.  But what I’m asking about Tammy is…did she say anything else, on a more personal level?”

          “Now why on earth would she?  This wasn’t a social call, dear,” her mother refuted.

          Sharon sat back heavily in the wood chair.  Her mother was right.  Folding her hands on the table in front of her, Sharon tried again.  “I was wondering if she asked about me?”

          Gladys raised an eyebrow.  “Well, of course she did.  I never said she didn’t.”

          Sharon stared at the ceiling, counting to three.  “And what did you tell her?”

          “That you’re doing fine.  Was there any message you wanted me to give her?”

          “Lovely idea,” Sharon retorted sarcastically.  “I didn’t know you were going to run into her.”  She sat back again and sighed heavily.  “I’d really love to see her again.  It’s been so long.  I don’t even know what happened, how we lost track of each other.  We were supposed to be friends forever.”  Sharon licked her bottom lip.  An idea struck her.  “Did she give you her email or are you going to be seeing her again that you can ask her for it?”

          Gladys shook her head.  “She most certainly didn’t give me her email.  I’m sure it never crossed her mind.  As for seeing her again, I’ll probably attend next year’s PT night, but Mrs. Wilson won’t be Matt’s English teacher anymore, though she might be Kim’s.”  Kim was Rowland’s daughter, Matt’s younger sister.

          Sharon smacked her lips together in frustration.  That didn’t help. 

          “Now what do you want for your birthday, dear.  You’ll be forty next week.”

          Sharon didn’t say anything.  Instead, she flipped her hand sideways in the air.

          Closing the front door behind her mother, Sharon leaned against it, sighing heavily.  She adored her mother, but sometimes Gladys exasperated her.  This situation intrigued Sharon.  Touching base with Tammy sounded appealing.

          At the sofa, Sharon leaned down and picked up a throw pillow, clutching it tightly against her.  She plopped down.  Dave was at a baseball game and wouldn’t be home for a while, giving her plenty of time to think and figure things out.  Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes and drifted away.

          When they were girls they were crazy about Nancy Drew, the books and the TV series.  They made up their own mysteries to go sleuthing with, alternating who got to be Nancy Drew, often bickering over it.  Whoever wasn’t Nancy was her best friend, Bess.  They wanted Candy to be Nancy’s other girlfriend, George, but Candy wasn’t interested.  She wasn’t into the same things the other two were – teen rock idols, Barbie dolls, Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew.  That’s how Sharon knew that she and Tammy would be friends forever.

Sharon’s eyes flew open.  Annoyance flashed through her. 

          Jumping to her feet, the pillow still in her arms, she paced around the living room.  She had to figure out a way to contact Tammy, reunite with her – for old times sake, even if just to say hi.  It looked like she would be Nancy Drew this time. 

          The easiest way to get the information she wanted would be to have her mom tell Matt to explain the game plan to his English teacher, find out how she felt about hearing from Sharon and ask for her email address.  But she wasn’t sure she liked involving her teenage nephew.  And going through the telephone book to search for her old friend would be fruitless.  There would be hundreds of Wilsons listed in this area.

          Her pacing brought her to the front window overlooking the lawn, sidewalk and street.  She stared out aimlessly, while an idea formed in her mind.  It was a long shot, but it was something she could do on her own and might work.  Earlier, when Sharon tried to refresh Gladys’s memory about Tammy, she mentioned that Tam used to live around the corner from them.  Sharon clearly remembered her old friend’s address.  She could write Tammy’s mother a letter, explain who she was, and tell her that she was trying to contact Tammy, but didn’t know how.  Granted, Sharon didn’t know if Tammy’s parents still lived there, but it was worth a try.

          Dropping the pillow, she flew downstairs to the den where her computer was.  She booted it and cleared a screen, typing her first draft.  After printing and reading it, she made some changes, then crumpled it up, tossing it over her shoulder.  She made touchups on the screen.  The front door opened and Dave came down into the den.  Sharon was unaware of his presence.  “Did a hurricane hit while I was out?” he teased, picking up some crumpled sheets from the floor.

          Sharon looked over her shoulder.  “Not exactly.”  She explained what she was doing.

          “Here, let me see what you have so far.  Maybe I can give you some input.”  He held out his hand and Sharon gave him the latest printout.  Dave read it.  “Mmm, I like this one.  It says what you’re trying to say, is polite and isn’t too much”

          She looked at him nervously.  “Are you sure?”  Dave nodded and handed the letter back to her.  Quickly, Sharon folded it, placing it in an envelope that was already stamped and addressed.  Together they walked to the corner mailbox.

          The days passed with agonizing slowness.  Sharon was excited over hearing from her old best friend but scared too that Tammy’s mother might think the letter or sender crackpots or Tammy decided it wasn’t worth her time.

          Five days after she posted the letter was Sharon’s fortieth birthday.  When she came home from work, feeling glum, she turned on her computer and opened her email.  She stared at the screen.  There was an email address she didn’t recognize – tmwteach – Tammy Myer Wilson, teacher.  She opened it.  Tears sprung to her eyes as she read the line.

          Happy birthday, Nancy Drew.  Wow, you went to all this trouble to find me?  I’m touched.  Good sleuthing.  Way to go, Drew.  Thumbs up, for old times sake.”