The Painting

#65 The Lily Pad Place Part 1 - Ait An Pillin Lile Cuid 1

As we waited for Frankie to ditch our overly peppy attendant back at the Club Lyle and I took a walk around the grounds. We walked along an invisible line that extended from the edge of the Country Club straight back to the tree line. My steps were labored as I came down from the passionate high I found myself at after seeing my mother's signature. I rested my head on Lyles shoulder as we walked arm in arm in perfect silence. About a third of the way to the tree line a whooping sound rang out.

My heel caught in the thickly sewn grass as we swiveled in our spot to see Frankie in the distance waving frantically.

"Shit!" He yelled and although he stood a few hundred feet away I could see his hand clap over his mouth as he realized how loud he was being. Self-consciousness stopped there as he continued to excitedly point to his side with his free hand.

I squinted at the metal post beside him but couldn't make out what caused him to perform his happy dance. He stood at the opposite end of the house across the patio, to the right of the stairs I'd run down. We jogged across the green space reaching him within a minute.

"What?" Lyle asked a trace of annoyance in her voice.

Frankie brushed it off but didn't speak as he pointed to the plaque at his side. The metal pole stood a few inches higher than Frankie's hip but for me it came clear up to my chest. The bronzed metal angled away from the house was surrounded by neatly trimmed topiary, no wonder I hadn't noticed it as I rushed out of the Club. The scene was like a small shrine with annual white flowers planted at the base of the poll.

The tarnished plaque was no bigger than a magazine cover with small typed words etched into the frame. An image in the corner stuck out to me immediately. An embellished lily pad leaf and frog like the one I'd seen on Monroe's trophy.

On July 18th 1957, the construction of the Bull Frog Country Club was completed. The first president and founder, Milton Edgar oversaw the project from start to finish and through a controversial site change. Milton, an avid fan of amphibians so named the Bull Frog Country Club after his love of the frogs common to the area. His original dream was to create a club overlooking a pond where he could bring his family and friends to share the joy brought to him by the wildlife. Many considered Milton to be a loveable eccentric, but after potential members visited the site it was clear the building plans needed to be changed.

One story goes that when several wealthy bankers were invited to the original site next to the pond they were unable to hear Milton's pitch at the behest of the mating frogs. When given the ultimatum by investors of either draining the pond or moving the site Milton opted for the Club to be moved further down the property.

Milton died two years after the Club opened for business, but as a testament to his name and driving force of creation the Bull Frog Country Club has kept its original name. Once a year the Bull Frog festival is held in the month of June. Members and friends follow the sounds of the mating bull frogs past the tree line for a day long picnic and party then stay to stargaze the night away.

"Oh my god." I ran my hand along the etched words until I ran off the plaque. My head was spinning for the second time within the last two hours. It had to be. I shot a look over my shoulder at the tree line. The Lily Pad Place had to be the pond referred to in the story. I looked from Lyle to Frankie.

I could count Frankie's teeth as he grinned at me, knowing since the moment he waved us over what the plaque meant. Without willing it to my mouth copied his broad smile as I turned to Lyle.

"We were right." I almost laughed and she returned the breathy noise.

"Ready?"

I'd been ready my whole life. We turned to face the tree line so dense that I would have never guessed a frog populated pond sat beyond it. Lyle and Frankie flanked me, each taking a hand as they waited for my cue. I was calm, completely serene as I squared my shoulders ready to take the first step.

The Lily Pad Place could be the last place my mother visited before Monroe... I closed my eyes spitting out the bitter thought. I just needed to get there, no matter how many steps it takes.

I opened my eyes revealing a brighter sun thanI'd ever seen before, and in the distance a new moon shone a faded silhouetteat the right corner of the thicket. "I'm ready."     

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The Lily Pad Place is about to be revealed, what do you think it will be like ?