Date: Tue, 23 Oct 2001 16:54:59 +0000
From: Ann Douglas <ann_douglas@hotmail.com>
Subject: Yesterday One More

	Yesterday Once More
	by Ann Douglas

Part One

	Dorothy Kerr turned her head as
her daughter, Cassie, walked into the
kitchen.  To her disappointment, the soon
to be high school graduate still wore the
same look of disappointment she had
carried around all week.
	"I was just making some tea,"  the
thirty-eight year old brunette said,  "just
the thing for a rainy afternoon.  Would you
like some?"
	"No thanks, Mom,"  Cassie said as
she sat down at the kitchen table.
	Taking her tea mug in hand, Dorothy
sat down opposite her daughter.  She had
been trying to come up with a way to cheer
her up for the last few days with no
success.  Deep in her heart she knew her
daughter's mood wasn't her fault, but she
still felt responsible.
	"Could I say I'm sorry one more
time,"  Dorothy said.
	"You don't have to, Mom,"  Cassie
replied,  "It was my fault, not yours."
	"Still, maybe I shouldn't have even
brought it up unless I was totally sure,"
the older woman said.
	"No, you told me to keep it to
myself and instead I told Janet,"  Cassie
went on.  "What was it that Dad used to
say, a secret stops being a secret when a
third person learns about it.  I should've
known that Janet couldn't keep her mouth
shut.

	It had all started two weeks ago
when the band hired by the graduating
class for the Prom had cancelled their
appearance.  Two of the members had
been injured in an automobile accident and
wouldn't be able to play for months.  The
cancellation had set off a mad scramble to
find a replacement group.  Not the easiest
thing to do with half the proms in the
county all being on the same night.  At
least if you wanted to get a half decent
act.
	It was then that Dorothy had come
up with a suggestion that she thought
might make her daughter's Prom truly
memorable.  Why not, she told her
daughter, try and get someone famous to
appear in their place.
	"Yeah, right,"  Cassie had laughed,
"That kind of thing only happens in the
movies."
	"You never know,"  her mother had
replied.
	"In the movies, it usually involves
someone's dying wish or someone knows
the star personally,"  the seventeen year
old said.  "I don't suppose you know any
major stars, do you?"
	"Well actually ..."  Dorothy started
to say but was cut off by her daughter.
	"And Johnny Brown and the
Dreamboats doesn't count,"  she said,
bringing up the name of her uncle's old
time rock band which had a state wide
following among the over forty crowd.
	"Actually,"  Dorothy said slowly as
she debated even mentioning it, "I was
thinking more of Kassandra.  You have
heard of her, right?"
	"Shut up,"  Cassie shot back,
"There's no way you know Kassandra."
	Kassandra was one of those mega
stars that were known the world over by
just her first name.  She had taken the
music world by storm fifteen years earlier
and was only eclipsed by the likes of
Madonna.  It was nearly impossible to get
tickets to one of her concerts, much less
think she would ever appear at a high
school show.
	Yes way,"  Dorothy smiled,  "But
when I knew her she still had two names.
Back when I was your age and the world
was still flat."
	"You really know her?"  Cassie
repeated.
	"Yes I do,"  Dorothy likewise
repeated.  "There was a time when she was
just a small town girl as well.  We went to
school together back in Fort Bradford."
	"You think you could actually get her
to come to the Prom?"  Cassie asked.
	"I can try and ask,"  Dorothy said.
"I's a long shot, but who knows."
	"That would be so awesome,"  Cassie
bubbled.
	"Remember, this is really a long
shot,"  Dorothy reminded her daughter,
"so let's not say a word about it until I can
try and make some calls."
	"Oh wow, I can't believe my Mom
actually knows Kassandra,"  Cassie was
saying to herself, only half hearing the
rest of what Dorothy had said.
	Of course a secret this good just
had to be shared with her best friend,
Janet.  Then of course Janet had to share
it with Connie, promising her to secrecy as
well.  A promise that Connie made sure to
likewise extract from Kathy, and on and on
it went.  By the end of the weekend, most
of the senior class had heard that
Kassandra was coming to the Prom.  All of
this before Dorothy had even been able to
call Kassandra's manager on Monday
morning.

	A call that was having very little
success.  Despite her being able to call on
an unlisted line and asking for Mary Glenn,
the pseudonym Kassandra traveled under,
the business manager who screened the
call refused to put her through to the
singer.  He said that he had never heard of
her before and he had been with the star
almost from the beginning.
	"It was a good try lady,"  he said
before hanging up the phone.

	"Pigheaded ass,"  Dorothy said as
she hung up the phone.
	As she had told Cassie, it was a real
long shot, but it really annoyed her to get
shot down before even getting the chance
to even ask her personally.  She would've
understood if Kassandra couldn't do it.
After all, a star of that magnitude had
commitments the world over.
	It would've been nice to do
something really special for Cassie,
Dorothy had thought.  They'd all had a
rough year with the death of her father
last August.  As much as Dorothy hurt, she
had buried it in order to be there in every
way she could for her daughter and she
hoped she wouldn't be too disappointed.
Thankfully no one else even knew she had
tried to get the singer.

	When Cassie had gone to school
that Monday, she'd been shocked to
discover that everyone knew about her
mother trying to get Kassandra for the
Prom.  She was then devastated the next
day when she had to practically announce
that it wasn't going to happen.  Despite
the fact that she hadn't personally told a
single soul other than Janet, a great many
people seemed to act as if she had
promised the whole class.  A few even took
the position that her mother had never
known the star to begin with, and she had
just spread the rumor to make herself
popular.

	"I hung your Prom dress in your
closet,"  Dorothy said as she got up from
the table and turned on the tap to rinse
out her glass.
	"You know, Mom, I've been
thinking,"  Cassie said from the table.
"Maybe I'll just skip the Prom.  It's not
like ...."
	"You hold it right there, young lady,"
Dorothy interrupted.  "I don't want to
hear any such silly thing.  Of course you're
going to the Prom, and you're going to have
a great time."
	"Yeah but,"  Cassie started to say
when she was interrupted by the front
door bell.  "I'll get it,"  she said, rising
from her chair.

	"Not go to the Prom,"  Dorothy said
to herself as she put the now clean cup
back in the cabinet.  "Just because a few
other kids have big mouths ..."
	Dorothy's train of thought was
abruptly shattered as twin sounds cut
through the air.  A sudden scream in her
daughter's voice, and then the sound of a
body hitting the floor.  A sound Dorothy
remembered all too clearly from the night
Jimmy had his heart attack.
	"Oh My God!"  Cassie had screamed,
causing her mother to race out of the
kitchen towards the front door.
	When she reached the foyer,
Dorothy saw her daughter stretched out
on the floor.  Bent down and leaning over
her was a woman wearing a dark blue cape
and hood.  The angle of the hood obscured
her face.
	"Cassie!"  Dorothy screamed, the
color draining from her face.
	"She's all right,"  the cloaked
woman said as Cassie let out a soft moan.
"I think she just fainted for a moment."
	"Fainted?"  Dorothy repeated as to
her relief, Cassie opened her eyes and
began to sit up.
	"Take it easy, honey,"  the new
arrival said,  "Give yourself a chance to
catch your breath."
	"Oh my God,"  Cassie said again as
she remembered why she had fainted.
"Mom, it's really her!"
	It was only then that the cloaked
woman pulled back her hood, giving
Dorothy her first good look at the blond
tressed face beneath.  A face that was
both strange and familiar.
	"Cassie?"  Dorothy asked in a
surprised voice.
	"Yes,"  both her daughter and the
woman in blue answered at the same time.
	"Your name is Cassie too?"  a
surprised Cassie asked the woman.
	"Yes, short for Cassandra,"  came
her reply.  "Back when I used to spell it
with a C.  Didn't you know that?"
	"Why would I know that?"  a
confused Cassie asked.
	"Well after all,"  Kassandra smiled,
"you were named after me."
	"Oh my God,"  Cassie said a third
time in a more subdued tone.

	Once Cassie was up and off the
floor, the three women moved to the
kitchen.  Dorothy hung up Kassandra's wet
cloak and put the tea kettle back on.
	"I can't believe that you're really
here,"  Cassie said.  "I have like a million
things to ask."
	"Sweetheart, I'll be more than
happy to answer all your questions, but
later,"  Kassandra replied.  "If you don't
mind, could your mother and I have a few
moments.  It's been a long time since
we've had a chance to talk."
	"Oh sure,"  the excited teenager
said as she excused herself and headed up
to her room.  As she ran up the stairs, she
could just about be heard repeating over
and over, "She's really here."

	Both older women waited until they
heard Cassie's bedroom door close behind
her.  What they had to say to each other
wasn't for her ears.
	"It's really so good to see you again,
Cass,"  Dorothy said as she smiled at the
friend of her younger years.  "I think of
you often."
	"It's good to see you too, DD,"
Kassandra replied, using the nickname
Dorothy had gone by in her high school
days.  "And before I say anything else, I
want to say how deeply sorry I am."
	"For what?"  Dorothy asked,  "That
your manager didn't take me seriously
when I called.  That was hardly your
fault."
	"No, not that,"  she replied as
Dorothy put a cup of hot tea in front of
her.  "Although that shouldn't have
happened either.  I'm so sorry I wasn't
here for you when Jim died.  I didn't find
out until after the funeral and I was on
tour in Tokyo and ..."
	"You don't have to explain, Cass,"
Dorothy interrupted.  "I understood and I
really appreciated the letter you send.  It
meant a lot to me."
	"You know I could never talk on the
phone if it was something important,"  the
blond said.  "In hindsight though, what I
really should've done was got on the first
plane back to the states and come to see
you no matter what."
	"That wouldn't have been fair to all
the people who were waiting to see you,"
Dorothy said.  "I understood, and Jim
would've too."
	"I loved him you know,"  Kassandra
said.  "I really did.  I loved the both of
you."
	"He knew, we knew,"  said Dorothy,
"and we also knew that of the three of us,
you had the best chance of making it big.
We were so happy for you."
	"That's a load of crap and you know
it,"  the singer said unexpectedly.  "You
were a lot more talented than I was."
	"Then maybe you just wanted it
more."
	"Do you ever think about it?"
Kassandra asked.  "What might have
happened if I was the one who got
pregnant and you went to Los Angeles
instead.  You know the way the three of us
were back then, it could've just as well
have been me."
	"I really don't dwell on what might
have beens,"  Dorothy said as she took a
sip of tea.  "We had a happy life together,
that was enough."
	"I can't get over Cassie,"  Kassandra
said, changing the subject.  "She looks so
much like both you and Jim.  I haven't
seen her since she was six and the
photographs you've sent over the years
don't do her justice."
	"She's a really great girl,"  the
brunette smiled,  "life wouldn't been the
same if we didn't have her.  I wouldn't
have survived losing Jim without her."
	"She didn't know she was named
after me,"  Kassandra noted.  "I take it
then you never told her about all of us and
the band we had.  Or what we all meant to
each other."
	"No, we didn't,"  Dorothy admitted,
"but not because we were ashamed of any
of it.  We just thought it was a topic that
could wait until we were all older.  It
seemed a much better idea that she think
that her folks were always the no fun
squares people sometimes took us to be."
	"Now, that I can't believe,"
Kassandra laughed.  "You might not be as
wild as we were back then, but I refuse to
believe that you and Jim turned into
anything like that."
	"Well, maybe not that bad."
	"I thought so."

	"So are you happy being one of the
beautiful people?"  Dorothy asked.
	"To tell you the truth, DD,"  her old
friend said,  "and I think you are the one
person that I can be totally honest with,
I can't really say that I am."
	"I'm surprised"
	"Oh I love performing, making all
those people happy,"  she explained.  "It's
just that so much of it all this is so phony.
So many people that'll say anything to you,
just to have a piece of the action."
	"You were married twice,"  Dorothy
said,  "wasn't that for love?"
	"I thought so, at least at first,"
Kassandra replied,  "but both of them just
wanted what they could get as part of the
Kassandra Express."
	"I read about you all the time in
People and some of the other magazines.
You seem to lead an exciting life."
	"Most of that is pure unadulterated
crap,"  the singer laughed.  "If I slept with
every man and woman they've reported me
with, I'd never have time for anything
else."
	"So they're all made up?"  Dorothy
asked out of curiosity.
	"Well let's just say half of them
are,"  Kassandra grinned.  "What was it we
used to call it back in the day?  Working
off the strain, or something like that"
	"Something like that,"  Dorothy
agreed with a broad smile as she
remembered days and nights long past.

	They chatted for a few minutes
more as Kassandra explained how she had
finally learned of Dorothy's call.  Her
manager had brought over some papers for
her to sign before she left for a
promotional tour in Hawaii and happened to
mention that he thought they should
change her private line and code name
again.
	"Why is that?"  she asked as she
read the papers he handed her.
	"Because we got another fan calling
last Monday claiming to be a long lost
friend who had to speak to you," he said.
"That's the fourth time this month.  It's
only a matter of time before they post it
on the Internet."
	"Okay, take care of it,"  Kassandra
said as she put her signature on the
papers.  "Just out of curiosity, what did
this one want?"
	"I'd give this one credit, although
I'm not sure for imagination or audacity,"
he said as he collected the papers and put
them in his attache case.  "She wanted you
to sing at her daughter's high school Prom.
Imagine that, asking a woman who
regularly fills Madison Square Garden to
sing in some school gym."
	"Might be fun,"  Kassandra mused.
	"You can't be serious."
	"No, I guess not,"  she said,
remembering how long it'd been since
she'd sang in a place where she could
actually connect with her fans without a
small army of security between them.
"Did you at least get her name and
address?  We should at least send her
daughter a personal letter congratulating
her on finishing high school."
	"Let me think,"  her manager said,
"Dorothy Kenny, no not Kenny,  I think it
was Dorothy Kerr, from some place called
Orange Rock in California."
	Kassandra didn't take another
breath before she told him to cancel the
Hawaii trip.  Tell them that I need to take
a rest, she told him.
	"What better place to rest than
Hawaii?"  he had asked, unable to
understand her sudden decision.
	"And I want you to find out what
school that girl goes to and make
arrangements for me to sing there,"  she
went on,  "I don't care if you have to call
every school in Orange Rock but I want
you to do it without calling Mrs. Kerr back.
I want it to be a surprise."
	"Look, Kassandra, could you explain
to me what the hell you're doing," he said.
"A lot of people are expecting you in
Hawaii."
	"I'm correcting a mistake I never
should've made,"  she said in a tone that
he knew meant that she wasn't going to
explain any further.  "Just make it happen,
understand."


	Yesterday Once More
	by Ann Douglas

Part Two


	"I'm grateful,"  Dorothy said as
Kassandra finished her story.
	"You don't have to be,"  Kassandra
said.  "I'm the one who should be thanking
you.  It's a chance for me to do something
for my daughter that almost was."
	"You'll stay here of course,"
Dorothy insisted.
	"I was hoping you'd asked,"
Kassandra grinned.  "I'm so sick of hotels
and I could use the peace and quiet.  My
back up band will get here on Friday
afternoon, just in time for the Prom.
That'll give us two days to just visit."
	"Well, I'm sure a little peace and
quiet is something that we can provide,"
Dorothy smiled,  "and this time I'm sure
Cassie won't be blabbing to her friends."

	Sure enough, this time Cassie did
indeed keep the secret.  Of course she
also kept Kassandra up half the night
asking what seemed like a thousand
questions about the life of a superstar.
The answers she got, of course, were a lot
more tempered that those Kassandra had
given Dorothy.
	Thankfully, the next night would
give Kassandra a chance for a full night's
sleep as Cassie was going to spend it at
Janet's house.  It was a long planned
sleepover, but one that the young girl
would've been glad to skip.  It was only at
her mother's insistence that she kept her
original plans, saying that it would give
Kassandra a chance to rest as well.
	Dorothy had no doubts that, even
with the added temptation of spending the
night with Janet, Cassie would keep her
mouth shut about their houseguest.  It
now meant too much to her daughter to
have Kassandra show up unexpectedly at
the Prom and make fools out of all the
people who had made her feel so bad.  If
she even suggested it to Janet, half the
school would know by tomorrow afternoon.

	Kassandra spent the afternoon
making last minute arrangements for the
dance.  The school was overjoyed when
contacted by her people and had managed
to keep the secret as well.  Widespread
public knowledge of an appearance by a
star of her magnitude would draw a crowd
far larger than the school auditorium
could ever hope to hold.
	It was late when Kassandra finally
returned, but Dorothy had waited up for
her with a home cooked meal.  The two old
friends ate together, remembering again
what the world had been like when they
were Cassie's age.  It was a remembrance
that went almost as late into the night as
Cassie's questions the night before.

	An hour after they had said their
goodnights, Dorothy still lay awake.  Her
mind was too filled with the memories her
dear friend had reawakened in her.
Memories of the love that she and Jim had
shared.  A love that had included their
friend Cassie Morgan as well.
	The memories brought with them
sensations that had lately been absent
from Dorothy's life.  A stirring between
her legs that had only been satisfied by a
battery powered toy in the long months
since her husband's death.
	An arousal also reflected in her
breasts as she ran one hand across them ,
her fingers playing with the stiff, thick
nipples that could be felt even through her
pajamas.  Nipples she yearned to have
sucked by a lover.
	Dorothy moved her other hand down
between her legs, stroking the already
damp mound between them.  She had
always kept her hair tightly trimmed,
better to savor the electric touch of her
hand as first one, then a second finger slid
deep in side of her.
	Familiar sensations filled her as she
caressed her body, bringing it quickly to
the edge of bliss.  It was process she had
first learned when she was younger than
her daughter.  A time when her world was
still fill of dreams.  Dreams that included
two people she would love all of her life.
	"Oh Jim,"  I miss you so much,"
Dorothy softly said as she brought herself
to the edge of orgasm.
	Her fingers began to move at a more
frantic pace, bringing her even closer to
the chasm.  Breaths came in shorter gasps
as tears ran down her cheeks.
	"Cassie, I'm missed you too,"  she
said as the other great love of her life
filled her inner eye.

	If Dorothy had tilted her head a
few inches to the left, she would've seen
one of her objects of desire in a much
more real image.  Unable to sleep either,
Kassandra had gotten up to get a drink a
few minutes before.  Passing her friend's
room, she had heard her moan and opened
the door just enough to see if Dorothy was
okay.
	"Oh D.D.,"  the singing star said
silently to herself,  "I've missed you as
well.  I wish I could tell you how much."
	The blond haired woman started to
retreat back into the hallway, leaving her
old friend to her privacy.  Then she paused
for a heartbeat.  In that single tick of the
clock, she knew that nothing she had
gained in the last twenty years mattered
as much to her as the woman laying there
in disconsolation.
	Pushing the door back open,
Kassandra stepped into the room and sat
down on the edge of Dorothy's bed.  It
took a few seconds for the brunette to
realize that the face smiling down on her
was really there.  As she did, the fires
that had been building within her abruptly
dampened.

	"Kassandra?"  Dorothy asked as she
realized that she wasn't drifting in her
dreams anymore.  "Is there something
wrong?"  she asked as she started to get
up.
	"Nothing's wrong,"  her old friend
said with the warmest of smiles.  "In fact,
for the first time as far back as I can
remember, I think everything is  right."
	"Kassandra, I don't under...."
Dorothy started to say as she sat up, only
to have her words cut off as two soft
fingers came to rest on her lips.
	"No, not Kassandra,"  came the reply
as she removed her fingers to replace
them with her own lips.  "Cassie."

	The press of her lips brought the
memories Dorothy had been trying to
recall to sudden, vivid life.  The dark
haired woman opened her mouth ever so
slightly, allowing Cassie's tongue to pass
between her lips, gently caressing her own.
	"Oh God,"  Dorothy gasped as she
felt tears swell up in her eyes.  "Cassie, I
love you.  I've always loved you."
	"Me too, babe,"  Cassie said as she
felt moisture forming at the corners of
her eyes as well.  "Me too."
	They held each other tight as they
kissed again and again, their hands roaming
over the other's body.  The years faded
away with each kiss, and suddenly both
were teenagers once more.
	Cassie and Dorothy stretched out on
the bed, their bodies rubbing together.
Nimble fingers undid the buttons of the
man's pajama tops that Dorothy wore to
bed, quickly freeing the large rounded
breasts beneath.
	Hands no less nimble undid the laces
of Cassie's nightgown until that too slid
effortlessly off her body.  Back in high
school, the two friends had been able to
wear each other's clothes. A quick
comparison of their now nude forms would
confirm that they still could.
	Soft fingers moved across each of
their bodies, reacquainting each of them
with the touch of the other.  It didn't
take much for their bodies to respond as
despite a long absence, the touch was oh
so familiar.
	Wrapping their arms around each
other, they pressed almost identical
breasts together, the nipples of each
erect with excitement.  Cassie cupped one
of Dorothy's mounds and licked the
inviting tip with her tongue.  The soft
moan from Dorothy was the sweetest
music the songstress had heard in a long
time.
	Although she lacked her friend's
experience, Dorothy wasted no time in
bringing equal pleasure as they took turns
exploring the other's breasts.  The taste
of her friend's mounds was as sweet as
she had remembered them to be, a fact
that fueled the fires building within the
dark haired woman.
	Breaking their embrace, they pulled
themselves a little away from each other,
just far enough for them to interlock their
legs.  As they again closed the distance
between them, each remembered how
much fun rubbing their pussies together
had been in younger days.
	Bouncing back and forth on the bed,
each of their clits pressed against its
counterpart, sending oscillating waves of
passion across their now quaking bodies.
The stronger each resounding wash
became, the more intense their motions
that followed.
	Breaths grew short and heartbeats
raced as their violent gyrations propelled
both of them on the path to orgasm.  Still
it was evident to both that a more direct
approach was going to be needed.  Not
that either of them was about to complain.
	Again, Cassie took the initiative as
she undid their leglock and pressed
Dorothy down on the bed.  After a quick
kiss on her lips, the blond took hold of
each of the brunette's legs and spread
them far apart.  The small dark patch in
the center of the now outstretched legs
drew her attention like a magnet and
Cassie pressed forward and assaulted it
with all of her skill.
	"Oh Cassie,"  Dorothy moaned as she
felt the singer's tongue slide deep inside
of her.
	Words Cassie hardly heard as she
twirled her tongue around the excited
center of Dorothy's sex.  There had been
more than a few women in her life since
the last time she and Dorothy had shared
a bed, but none of them had ever filled her
with such a desire to please.
	And please she did as the gentle
waves of delight that had been washing
over Dorothy's body were quickly
transformed into a raging storm.  A
tempest that soon reached a shattering
climax.
	Dorothy wanted to scream to the
heavens in praise of the passions that
ripped her body, but the words couldn't be
found.  She just didn't have the energy to
spare.  All of the frustrations that over a
year of empty nights had built up now
faded away, transforming in a single
instant into a rainbow of ecstasy.

	Normally, after such an eruption of
energy, Dorothy would've been totally
drained.  Yet this time she felt herself
fueled by what seemed to be boundless
enthusiasm.  She quickly changed places
with Cassie and began to explore the deep
folds of her friend's womanhood.  It had
been such a long time since she had
experienced the joys of another woman,
but like so many other things, the
memories of it all were flooding her mind.
	"Are you sure you remember how to
do this?"  Cassie joked as she saw a brief
moment of hesitation reflected on her
host's face.
	"You just lay back and enjoy."
Dorothy shot back as she lowered her
head to within an inch of Cassie's blond
curls.  "You let me worry about how much I
remember."

	Less than ten minutes later, Cassie
was wondering how she could've ever have
doubted her once and now hopefully future
lover, even in jest.  In the circles she
traveled as Kassandra, Cassie had slept
with some of the sexiest men and women
on four continents.  None of them had
produced anything like the awesome
sensations that now filled her.
	Her body rocked under Dorothy's
attentions, with an intensity long ago
forgotten.  Too many of her lovers of
either sex had simply been people who
wanted to be able to say they'd slept with
Kassandra.  None of them had been fueled
by the unequaled fires that true love could
provide.
	"Oh baby, I'm going to come!"
Cassie cried out in a loud voice, "Give it to
me!"
	And give it, Dorothy did.  An orgasm
the likes of which Cassie had long ago
forgotten.  Or perhaps the memory of
which had been not as much forgotten as
suppressed.  Buried in the knowledge that
it might never again be experienced.  If
that was the case, then this was surely
resurrection day because it was as if all
the missing pieces of the singer's life
suddenly came together.
	The question that filled her mind as
the two women finally collapsed into each
other's arms was simple.  Now that she
had found what was missing in her life,
how did she hold onto it.  It was a question
that would fill her for every hour of the
next day.


	Looking around the gym decorated
with balloons and paper streamers,
Dorothy was taken back for a moment to
her own Prom.  Some things were identical,
but she was sure that her own graduating
class wasn't anywhere as excited as the
young men and women scattered around
her.
	Kassandra was already deep into her
twelfth song and still the kids were calling
for just one more.  A request that the
world-renown star was only too happy to
give in to.
	Earlier in the evening, you could've
heard the proverbial pin drop when the
Principal had stepped up to the microphone
to announce that the previously scheduled
band had been forced to cancel but that
Cassie Kerr had managed to arrange a last
minute substitute.
	Dorothy would never forget the look
of satisfaction on her daughter's face as
she  walked up to the center of the stage
and introduced Kassandra.  A look that
grew even happier as the Queen of Pop
Rock dedicated the very first song to her
greatest fan and dearest friend.  It would
be a long time before anyone made fun of
Cassie again.
	Now, listening to Kassandra sing,
Dorothy let her thoughts drift and do
something she normally never let herself
do.  Think about what might have been.
	Deep down, she knew that it could
indeed just as well have been her up on
that stage.  Last night and into the
morning, during her lovemaking with the
woman she always thought of as simply
Cassie, Dorothy had also been reminded of
just how good she had been as well.
	She thought of what it might've
been like, living Cassie's life - to have been
the star.  Then she thought of her life
with Jim and how much she had loved him.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught
Cassie dancing with her date, Tommy
Golden.  Cassie was the living embodiment
of that love.
	Watching her daughter for a few
moments more, she finally decided that if
not having her was the price she would've
paid for success, well then it was just as
well that Cassie had the life in the bright
spotlights.  Dorothy was more than happy
with the one she had lived in the warm
sunshine.
	Dorothy's musings were suddenly
interrupted from the stage.  The dance
was beginning to wrap up and Kassandra
was saying something to the audience.

	"Before I sing the last song of the
evening,"  Kassandra was saying,  "I'd like
to share a little secret with you.  Long
before most of you were born, in fact,
back when I wasn't any older than the
students here, I was part of a band..."
	"I don't think I want to hear this,"
Dorothy said to herself.  "Cassie, what are
you doing?"
	"... and believe it or not, I wasn't
even the best singer in that band."
Kassandra went on.  "Of course I really
didn't like to admit that to too many
people."  she laughed and most of the
crowd laughed with her.
	Dorothy was not one of them.
	"But as you get older, and you go
down the roads that life takes you,"  she
continued, "you sometimes forget the
things that were really important to you
and always should be.  I'm not sure if you
really understand what I'm talking about,
or even if I'm saying it right."
	Dorothy was now slowly making her
way through the crowd to the side door.
	"Anyway, sometimes you're lucky
enough to be reminded of what's really
important to you, and you even get a
chance to set things right.  The singer I
just mentioned is here tonight, in fact I
think you all know her.  I'd like her to
come up here and sing this last song with
me.  It's one we used to do and I'm sure
she remembers it.  So, D.D., ... Dorothy,
would you join me?"
	The crowd suddenly parted around
Dorothy, who hadn't been able to reach
the door.  It was immediately obvious to
the crowd that Dorothy Kerr was the
person Kassandra was talking about.  At
first there were a few low murmurs, then
someone began to clap.  Then another and
another, until the hall was filled with it
and people began to call out her name.
	Unable now to leave, Dorothy began
to walk toward the stage.  It was her
intention to thank Kassandra for the
acknowledgement but politely decline the
honor.
	Standing next to the star, Dorothy
looked out on the assemblage but only saw
one face.  Cassie was in the front row,
clapping harder than anyone around her.
Tears of joy were running down her face.
	"Oh what the hell,"  Dorothy said to
herself as Kassandra walked over and
handed her a wireless microphone.  "You're
going to pay for this,"  the brunette
whispered to her friend before pressing
the switch that turned on the mike.
	Kassandra's response was a broad,
knowing smile.

	The back up band keyed up and
Dorothy immediately recognized the
melody.  It was a song they both knew well
as it had been Jim's favorite.  He had
written it for the two of them.
	Dorothy closed her eyes and let the
intro echo in her mind.  Words she hadn't
sang since the last appearance of their
band of almost two decades before.
Letting herself go back to those days, the
former Dorothy D'Angelo began to sing.
It was yesterday once more.

	Silence filled the converted gym as
the last note faded.  Dorothy abruptly
returned to the here and now, hoping that
she hadn't embarrassed herself too badly.
The lingering silence made her think that
she had done just that.
	Then the silence shattered as every
hand in the room broke into applause,
accompanied by loud voices of praise.  To
her left, Dorothy caught sight of her
daughter racing up the steps of the stage
and then across it to her.  The look of
delight on her face eclipsed even than she
had wore earlier.
	"Who would've ever believed it?"
Cassie Kerr said as she wrapped her arms
around her mother.  "My Mother was a
rock star!"
	"Not just your Mom,"  Dorothy said
as she returned her daughter's embrace.
"Your Dad was pretty good too." she added
as she could almost feel Jim's presence
next to both of them.
	Looking past the child of her lost
love, Dorothy caught Kassandra's eyes.
The star stepped close and hugged the
two of them as well.
	"I love you,"  Dorothy mouthed
wordlessly to her friend and lover.
	"I love you too,"  Kassandra mouthed
back.  "Now and forever."
	As she held both Cassie's in her
arms, Dorothy knew it wasn't just
yesterday once more.  It was the promise
of tomorrow as well.

END