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“What is this Widow’s Walk I keep hearing about?” He questioned the woman, tired of being led to believe that they were there to witness a glorious event but without any knowledge of what the event actually consisted of.

She looked up at A.J., a smile in her eyes but before she could answer a voice from behind answered for her.

“We honor all of the widow’s of the town.” John’s voice boomed over their conversation.

“All this to celebrate women with dead husbands?” A.J. was confused. He didn’t understand why the town would have a huge celebration, celebrating the fact that these women have lost a loved one and were now alone for the rest of their lives.

John must have caught his look. “Allison, will you make sure the other gentlemen are doing the place settings correctly?” She nodded and rushed off to the other side of the room where Howie and Kevin were setting a table.

“It’s more then just celebrating that they have a dead husband. It’s a passing of their knowledge. All of the young girls gather with each of the widow’s and learn their trade so that they themselves will become better wives and mothers.” John continued. “Today Widow Crenshaw is teaching knitting over at the general store; tomorrow Widow Smith is teaching the young girls how to bake homemade bread. Each night we honor the women with a feast in their honor. It is really a fantastic celebration of learning and remembering.”

A.J. nodded and turned to move towards Kevin and Howie wanting desperately to get away from John, something about him unnerved A.J. and he had the desire to be among friends. John watched him walk away with narrowed eyes; he could tell that this one was going to give the town problems. It was up to him to make the decision if he would find a way to get rid of him without losing his friends, or find some way to make the town grow on him.

A.J. stole a glance back at John, his face hidden in the shadows made A.J. shiver. “What’s up?” Kevin asked as soon as he arrived at the table they were standing around.

“Just coming to see if I can help?” He smiled broadly at Allison picking up the extra silverware in the middle of the table. He held out his free hand and took hold of Allison’s. “My name is A.J.,” he introduced himself.

“Allison.” She replied looking at him awkwardly and removing her hand from his quickly.

She showed A.J. how to set the silverware and then handed him a box to place around the room after Kevin placed the napkins that Howie was working at folding how Allison had shown him.

“Boys,” Shelby’s voice from the entrance called to them. “I’ve laid out a light snack for you to tide you over until the dinner starts tonight. Your other two friends are already over there snacking away.”

He hadn’t noticed until then, but Brian and Nick weren’t in the auditorium, he wondered exactly where they had been all this time. They were probably doing chores like the others so A.J. let their absence slide from his mind and quickened his pace to catch the others.

“There is something strange going on here,” A.J. started to tell the others after taking a bit of his cheese sandwich.

Brian shrugged and finished swallowing his food. “I don’t think so; they seem excited to see new people. Nick and I went to the general store to watch the knitting lesson; the women here are very friendly.”

“I don’t deny they are friendly,” A.J. replied thinking of Allison and her smile. “There is just something about….” He stopped talking as he noticed John walk through the doors and stand looking towards them all.

“We have just a bit more to do boys and then it’s time for the festivities tonight.” John grinned and motioned for them to follow. Nick grabbed another sandwich off the table and shoved it in his mouth quickly before walking out the door.

****

They dragged their feet back into their rooms where they were instructed to dress nicely to show up for the dinner that was starting in only an hour. Five guys trying to all make it through the one shower for guests in that time frame with time for them to get dressed, not something A.J. wanted to remember how they accomplished when they gathered downstairs to walk across the road together.

“Shoveling manure, something I never thought I’d do nothing I’d ever do again.” Nick cringed.

“It wasn’t that bad.” Brian playfully punched Nick’s arm. The doors opened and the boys took the numbers they were given at the door. They each looked at their numbers then up at the numbered tables. Not a single one of them was sitting together and the faces at each of their tables eyed them all with curiosity as they made their way into their seats.

A.J. glanced across the room looking for Allison, he hoped she would have been at the table with him, but he did not, could not see her. He turned his attention back to those at his table. A young girl sat next to him she held his conversation the entire evening, soon he forgot to look for Allison after dinner was over and the entertainment started.

“Folks!” John’s voice called out to the audience. “We are here tonight to celebrate Widow Crenshaw, let’s give a round of applause.”

A.J. started clapping and turned his attention to the woman that John was pointing out. The older lady stood and bowed, unsmiling, towards the others. At that time, A.J. was able to get a look across the table at the rest of the widow’s, his eyes fell on the last woman sitting there. He finally found Allison in the crowd sitting in the fifth widow’s seat.