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she relaxed and had fun.
    She even watched with amusement
as Burke captured the day with his wit and humor over his clumsy
softball playing. He missed grounders and struck out a couple of
times. Spencer razzed him mercilessly.
    Not to be outdone, Burke
razzed him back and made cheesy excuses for his weak play. "The
ball is too round," he claimed, sparking another round of laughter
from the crowd in the stands.
    His larger than life personality
wove them together with a sense of camaraderie, melting away the
years.
    Belle maintained the peace the
Lord blessed her with that morning. For the first time this
weekend, she didn't have a knot in her stomach at the thought of
seeing Burke.
    Once, when he passed by, their
eyes met, and she tried to say she was sorry for last evening's
exchange with a glance and a grin. He obviously caught her meaning
and tipped his head, smiling.
    She sighed. Everything's
different when you examine it under the light of Jesus.
    Saturday evening the class
gathered at the cozy Cheyenne Inn for a formal dinner. Already
Belle found it hard to image that the next day would take them all
their separate ways.
    Meg, and the decorating team,
had transformed the banquet room into a wonderland of candlelight
and soft music.
    " Meg, you're a marvel," Belle said when she arrived that
evening, giving Meg a gracious hug.
    " It is beautiful, isn't it?"
    " Where did you get all these candles?"
    Meg winked. "Ordered them
off of the internet."
    " Smart move," Belle said, glancing around the room again
before facing her friend. "By the way, you look beautiful tonight
with your curls piled on top of your head."
    " Thank you," Meg answered.
    Spencer strode toward
them, sporting his broad, cheeky grin. He threw his arms around
their shoulders, hugging both ladies simultaneously. "My friends,
you look marvelous. Meg, outstanding décor."
    " Thanks, Spence. I wanted this evening to be
special."
    Meg's husband called for her
from a few tables away. She excused herself and, for the first time
all weekend, Belle and Spencer were alone.
    " How're you doing?" he asked.
    " I'm good."
    " Really?" He reached for her hand. "I've been trying to give
you space, let you work things out."
    " I appreciate that," she said, giving his hand a slight
squeeze before pulling away.
    " You look absolutely beautiful. That color of the dress
matches your eyes."
    Belle blushed and smoothed
her hand over her emerald green evening gown. "It's fun to get
dressed up like this once in awhile." She nodded to Spencer and
brushed the lapel of his tux. "You look handsome."
    He thanked her, then
asked, "We ever going to have that talk you promised
me?"
    She winced. "Yeah, we'll
talk. Dinner one night this week?"
    " It's a date."
    The night oozed with memories.
Tyler's after dinner narration of a class slide show mixed laughter
with tears.
    Belle isolated herself in a dark
corner of the room, anticipating the slide show's overwhelming
reminder of the life she once shared with Burke. Image after image
of them flashed across the screen, together, smiling, happy, in
love.
    That was the plan, wasn't it
Burke, to always be together? To always be in love? What happened?
Why did you leave me?
    Pictures flashed by of them at
the ninth grade fund-raiser for the Colorado ski trip. Next, came
the tenth grade football championship with Burke in his uniform,
grinning from ear to ear, his arm around Belle's shoulders. After
that, the eleventh grade homecoming court, followed by a picture of
Belle in Burke's arms after the school's second district
championship game.
    And finally, images from their
senior year flashed by. Belle fought the rising tears caused by
sentiment. The show seemed to present them in almost every other
slide; the homecoming court, the state championship game where
Haskell High walked away with the trophy and a undefeated season;
pictures from the school halls, Winter Festival and graduation.
    Several times, she glanced over
at Burke, sublime and swank in