The excited group removed their slickers, hung them up, and looked around. Someone, probably Annie and Myra, had spent a lot of time decorating the dining room for the special dinner that was about to take place. The long table held a bowl of deep orange and bronze chrysanthemums at each end. The autumn flowers matched the gold tablecloth perfectly. Even the dishes matched the cloth and flowers, and were a rich rust color, with a colorful autumn leaf in the middle of each plate. Directly in the center of the table, between the saltshakers and pepper mills, sat nine gifts wrapped in shiny gold paper with bronze satin ribbons. The women stared at the gift-wrapped packages as they whispered among themselves and speculated about what could possibly be inside the elegant wrappings.

But it was the huge bouquets of colored balloons that drew the most attention. They were everywhere, huge clusters of balloons tied to the backs of the chairs, and anywhere else they could be tied down.

"There must be hundreds of them," Alexis said, awe ringing in her voice. "When I was a little girl, I had a balloon once. I cried for days when the air leaked out. I only ever had one."

The next ten minutes were filled with reminiscences of childhood and how balloons were always associated with happy times.

Charles waited patiently until all the stories were told before he said, "And now it's time to have a champagne toast. And for this particular occasion, nothing but the best: Krug Clos du Mesnil 1995."

The women watched, their eyes full of unasked questions, as Charles poured the bubbly into exquisite Baccarat flutes. Jack and Harry longed for a heavy stein of beer but graciously accepted the long-stemmed crystal.

"Who or what are we toasting?" Isabelle asked.

"Our first toast is to the happy times of our past, our lives as they are now, and to a safe, secure future," Charles said. "A bit wordy, but it needs to be said. I'll let you all pick your own toasts when dinner and dessert are over. Tonight we are drinking and dining, and only conducting business later. Having said that, I hope you all enjoy my dinner."

"And what is on the menu?" Kathryn asked. This was the same Kathryn who had a cast-iron stomach and would eat anything that wasn't moving. In an anxious voice, she said, "Please tell us it isn't everything pumpkin, like last year."

"No pumpkin, dear," Myra said. Her face glowed with happiness in the candlelight.

"I made up the menu," Annie said shyly. "I asked Charles to make all of. . .of my family's favorites. I know I don't have a family anymore, but sometimes I long for all the things I used to make specially for my husband and children. It's nothing fancy, and I hope you like the food and aren't disappointed."