Sweet, Sweet Wine

by Jaime Clevenger

  Ana’s hands tightened into fists, but her arms hung at her sides. She shook her head. “I was only offering to pick something up if you needed it.”

  “I’ll see you at home, Ana. We have everything we need.”

  Riley didn’t offer to drive the rental car back to the airport. She just took the keys. Ana had climbed into the passenger seat wordlessly. The first half hour, they listened to music, then Ana switched off the radio. She stared out the window to the dark fields beyond the highway lights. Not long after her first drink, Mrs. Potrero had insisted Riley call her Terese and she’d kept Riley at her side for most of the afternoon and evening. The stories she’d told about Ana ranged from missed lines at a grammar school play to a high school boyfriend fiasco involving three boys that had all showed up at Terese’s house the same night, each one thinking that they had a date with Ana.

  Ana’s sudden outing seemed to have relieved some pressure between Rick and Johnny, because they’d both murmured jokes about Ana’s past relationships and discussed how the reason she’d left so many boys heartbroken was going to be retold many times over at the church.

  “How are you doing?” Riley finally asked.

  Ana placed her hand on Riley’s thigh but continued to stare out the window. “I don’t know. Numb?”

  “That bad?”

  “I’ll tell you tomorrow. My mom will call me and leave a voice message. Then Isabel will call but only because Mom asked her to. Then Sabrina will call to check in afterward. She hugged me tonight. But I knew she’d be fine with everything. Sometimes I think she is the only reason I come back to Lodi at all.” She sighed. “I’m relieved, I guess. And yet waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

  “I liked your family. Johnny is kind of rough around the edges, but he’s sweet with Sabrina. Rick and Isabel gave me some advice for surviving your mom’s Christmas as if I were already invited. And I think your mom likes me.”

  “I knew she would. But she didn’t talk to me at all after our conversation at church.” Ana pulled her hand off Riley’s leg. She sank back in her seat and covered her face with her hands.

  “Maybe because you acted like you didn’t want to be in the same room as her,” Riley said. She noted Ana’s murmur of dissent but continued anyway. “Maybe you weren’t ready for this.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Riley glanced at her. “We haven’t been together that long.”

  “I never once thought about bringing Tom to meet my family and we were together for years. Not even after he proposed. I figured they would all meet at the wedding.”

  “So why bring me?”

  Ana took several minutes to answer. “I finally feel like this is the real me. When I’m with you, I don’t have to try to be anything. I just relax and…am.”

  “Where were you hiding today, then?”

  “I don’t think my family has ever let me be that person. I’m used to pretending with them, like I did with Tom.” She sighed. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I wasn’t ready.”

  * * *

  Ana had started the morning off listening to messages from work and returning a stream of emails. She seemed upset by something that had happened in Atlanta, and Riley didn’t want to interrupt her to say goodbye. She left a muffin on the table near her laptop and a note wishing her a good week in San Antonio. Ana was due to fly out that afternoon and wouldn’t be back in Denver until Friday. Riley was exhausted from their late flight back from Lodi but managed to make it to work in time for her first appointment. She was distracted all day, though, thinking about Ana’s family and whether they would call Ana as she had predicted. She went to the gym after work and only noticed a missed call from Ana after she’d finished the weight class.

  Riley showered and called Ana from the car.

  Ana answered on the first ring.

  “How’s San Antonio?”

  “I’m not in San Antonio,” Ana replied.

  “Change of plans?” Riley asked. After a long silent pause, Riley continued, “What happened?”

  “Are you on your way home?” Ana asked.

  “I can be there in ten minutes. Why aren’t you in San Antonio?”

  “The trip was canceled. Can you just come home?”

  Riley hung up and then stared at the phone for a moment. Ana’s voice had been shaky, as if she’d been crying. Riley considered calling her back but started the car instead. She had planned to go to the grocery store after her workout. She knew there was nothing in the refrigerator and her stomach was already growling. She drove home, wondering what would have made Ana cancel the San Antonio trip.

  Riley found Ana still at the kitchen table. The muffin was untouched on the napkin with the note Riley had left. Riley dropped her gym bag and went over to Ana. Her eyes were ringed with red, but she’d stopped crying at some point. She had a half-empty bottle of wine next to her. She was drinking out of a juice glass. Riley only had two wineglasses in the house—which Ana had bought at some point or another—and they were probably both in the dishwasher. There was a doodle on the back of an envelope with the word “Atlanta” and a slash across it. The slash was decorated with fancy swirls, and little stick figures with knives danced along the edge of it. The whole thing was too beautifully intricate to be left on the back of an envelope.

  Riley poured some of the wine into the juice glass and took a sip. She’d gotten used to even the bitter stuff that Ana sometimes brought home, but she still preferred beer. Riley picked up the envelope and turned it over. It was her utilities bill. She set it down again and glanced at Ana. “So, I’m guessing that whatever happened in Atlanta was pretty bad.”

  “I got fired over it anyway.”

  “What? You’re serious?”

  Ana nodded.

  “I’m sorry, Ana.” Riley wanted to ask what had happened, but she held back the question. “Shit.”

  “Exactly.” She paused and shook her head. “I am so done with that entire family and especially Bea. It is absolutely ridiculous to fire someone over something like this, a single, simple mistake, but that’s the way Madam Bea works. And the whole family follows her lead.”

  Riley sat down next to Ana. “Bea fired you?”

  “No. Tom did. Or he will tomorrow. But I know Bea is putting him up to it.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah. I was on the phone with just about everyone in the damn company today. Tom called at noon to say that he was flying into Denver tomorrow. I’m meeting him at the airport to turn in my laptop. He didn’t have to give me a day’s notice. I think he was trying to be nice. He wanted me to have a chance to take off my personal files. They usually don’t give you any warning. That’s why I know I’m going to be fired tomorrow. All he said was that he was going to meet me at the airport and I had to bring my laptop. He didn’t need to say the rest of it.”

  Riley wanted to ask about the Atlanta trip. Instead, she said, “One mistake?”

  Ana nodded. “That’s what keeps going round in my head. Along with every other curse word I know.”

  “I’ll drive with you tomorrow, if you want. I can change my schedule around and block off some time.”

  “I can’t believe he’s going to be the one to fire me. And I know he didn’t even try to stand up for me when Madam Bea sent down her ruling. He doesn’t have that kind of backbone.”

  She paused and looked at Riley. “I won’t be able to swing the winery. Tom hinted that he’s thinking of pulling his money out of the deal. It’s his own money, but he won’t go against Bea. I’ll lose the bank loan without his money as collateral.”

  Ana reached for the juice glass and took a sip of wine. “This one’s terrible, isn’t it? Sometimes I hate wine. Besides all that, I’m not going to have any income coming in from the winery until this summer, at the earliest. Even if I still had his money backing everything, the loan payments will start before the winery is making any money and I’m not going to have my usual paycheck from Bea to keep everything afloat in the meant
ime.

  “So maybe it would be for the best if I did lose the loan…At least I will have the money from the condo when that deal finally closes. The way my day is going, maybe I should say, if the deal closes.”

  “You have other clients besides Tom’s family, right? Maybe you can shift to working more with the other clients. I can help you out over the next few months. I have money in savings.” Riley stood up and went to fill a glass of water. She set it in front of Ana.

  “I used to have other clients. Now I just have Tom’s family. I’ve been so busy working with them that I had to let my other clients go.” Ana paused. “You know what I really hate about all of this? Atlanta had nothing to do with wine. I was helping Bea manage a transaction with one of her other businesses. My screwup happened to be with one of her clients that she doesn’t even like.” Ana picked up the glass of water and then set it down without taking a sip. “I haven’t eaten anything today.”

  Riley stood up and went to the refrigerator. She closed it a moment later. “Eggs or toast. Or both. That’s all we have.” Ana nodded and Riley took out the eggs and the bread. She cracked an egg and stared at the yolk in the center of the bowl for a long minute. Finally she said, “There’s something I haven’t told you.”

  Ana leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. “This day can’t get any worse, can it? You know, my sisters both called this morning. Each one said they were worried about me. I got their voice messages, but I haven’t called them back. I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from swearing at them. Worried? Your sister is sleeping with a woman. Why does that worry you? As I predicted, my mom never called.” Ana opened her eyes and stared at Riley. “Okay, tell me what you have to say. I just want to get this day finished.”

  Riley scrambled the eggs while the butter melted in the pan. She dropped two slices of bread into the toaster. “I’ve got as much as what Tom put down for your loan sitting in the bank in a savings account.” Riley paused. She didn’t look at Ana. “And my credit score is good. I can be your partner on the loan.”

  “I don’t want you to put all of your savings into this. It’s a sweet offer, but I’m not about to pull you down with me.”

  “Ana, that isn’t all of my savings. I have that savings account plus two other CDs, each with more money than I make in a year.” Riley met Ana’s gaze. She continued, “And I’ve got more money invested in stocks. A lot more, actually.”

  “How much more?”

  “A little over four million, last time I checked the numbers. But I reinvest the interest and don’t really touch anything that isn’t in my bank account.”

  “Wait, what? You have how much money in stocks?”

  Riley waited for Ana to process her omission. It felt like a secret that she’d kept from her, and it was a relief to have finally said it out loud.

  Ana continued, “You drive a ten-year-old car, have Target furniture in your house and the only expensive pieces of clothing you own are overpriced jackets, but you have over a hundred grand sitting in a bank? And four million invested in stocks?”

  “You buy purses from designers in Italy because of the label, but you are going to get on my case for a high quality jacket? It’s cold here.”

  “I’m not talking about the jacket. What the hell, Riley?”

  “Anyway, I didn’t buy the really expensive one. It was a Christmas present from my parents.”

  “And they are rich too, of course. Why didn’t you tell me you had money, oh, I don’t know, six months ago? How did I not know? You don’t act like you have money.”

  “Well, how should I act? It’s just money. It doesn’t change how I’m going to live my life.”

  Ana shook her head. “Only someone with four million would even think of saying that. Damn it, Riley, why didn’t you tell me? And why the hell are you working your ass off as a physical therapist?”

  “I like the job. What would I do otherwise?”

  “I guess this explains why it was no big deal for you to get the diamond replaced on my necklace. By the way, I noticed that you upgraded the chain. It came back a lot nicer than I left it. A chain like the one you gave me probably was over five hundred, wasn’t it? I thought it was odd that you were being so nonchalant about it. Now I know.” She shook her head.

  “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before. I didn’t think it really mattered.” Riley paused. There was no way of undoing what she’d said. “I’m only bringing this up because I want you to know that I can help. I don’t see why you should be upset.”

  “I’m not upset. I just found out my girlfriend is rich. Why should I be upset?”

  “Yeah, well, you sound pissed.”

  “I’ve had a hell of a day.” Ana sighed. “Maybe I am pissed. But I’m not pissed at you.”

  Riley placed a slice of buttered toast on each plate and then scooped out the eggs. She set one plate in front of Ana, then sat down opposite her with her plate. Riley waited for Ana to start eating, but she only stared at the plate. Finally, Riley took a bite to appease her growling stomach.

  “What the hell, Riley? How do you have that kind of money and not tell me?” She paused a moment and then added, “I’ve been calling you my girlfriend since Christmas. But I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say it. Do you call me your girlfriend when I’m not around?”

  Riley hadn’t called Ana her girlfriend yet. She had plenty of reasons for this, but she didn’t know how to admit any of these to Ana. “I haven’t really talked about you to anyone here. My parents knew about you at Christmas. When my mom calls, she always asks about you. Now that I think about it, she calls you my girlfriend. But I haven’t told anyone at work. Seeing as how I was with the boss’s daughter for two years and everyone at work seems to be her friend, there doesn’t seem to be an easy way for me to bring it up.”

  “Yeah, of course.” Ana’s voice was quiet. She picked up her fork and pushed at the eggs.

  “I’d like to tell every damn person I meet,” Riley admitted.

  Ana looked up from her plate. “Why don’t you?”

  “I guess I worry that if I tell anyone, maybe I’ll somehow break the spell. I don’t want to say it out loud.” Riley set her fork down. She took a sip of water, feeling unsure about admitting anything more. Ana continued staring at her, waiting.

  Finally Riley said, “Sometimes when you are gone for several days I think about all the ways it could go—you might just not show back up again or maybe you’d email me a breakup letter. I don’t know how these things work when so much of it is long distance. Mostly, I think you would just call and say it over the phone. I know this probably sounds pathetic, or desperate, or maybe even neurotic. All of these thoughts have crossed my mind.”

  “I took you to meet my family and you are thinking that I’m going to drop this just like that?”

  “What if your family convinces you that being with a woman isn’t for you? You wouldn’t come out to them before. Why not? Or what if you realize that I’m not all that interesting when you are around me more than one day a week?”

  “You sound like you’ve been listening to your ex again.” Ana shook her head. “This is crazy. I’m an adult, Riley. My family isn’t going to convince me of anything I don’t want to be convinced of.”

  “Well, that’s how I feel. You asked. So, no, I haven’t called you my girlfriend yet.”

  “You need to start.” Ana took a bite of her eggs and then set down the fork. “How exactly do you have four million dollars?”

  “Trust fund. My grandparents set it up. Their money paid for my schooling and bought this condo. I’ve invested the rest. My brother wasted a big chunk of his money gambling right at the beginning. Now my parents manage his investments along with theirs. He gets a monthly stipend deposited in an account that he regularly empties. He drinks too much and likes expensive call girls. It’s nothing for him to drop a couple thousand in one night. He’s blown through two cars, both of which were more than a hundred thousand each.
He totaled the first one when he was drunk and the other one he drove to Mexico and left there. He won’t say anything more about what happened there. Now he’s got another one. A black Mercedes convertible. I’m just waiting to hear what happens to that one…”

  “So that’s why you don’t like my car? You think luxury cars are a waste of money?”

  “I don’t like your car in particular because it came from Tom.”

  “So it has nothing to do with luxury cars necessarily. It’s just that you might still be a teeny bit jealous of my ex.”

  “I was until about a half hour ago. Now I don’t feel one bit jealous.”

  “I guess that is one good thing to come out of today.” Ana shook her head. “When were you going to get around to telling me you had money? After you decided that I was, in fact, your girlfriend?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I can’t believe you are a trust fund kid.”

  “I’m twenty-nine,” Riley countered.

  “I didn’t mean ‘kid.’ It’s just an expression.” Ana started eating. “You know, I would have never guessed. If I hadn’t lost my job and Tom was still going to let me use his money for the loan, I bet you would never have told me.”

  “It would have come up eventually. I thought about it, but the timing never seemed right. I figured you would think I was jealous of Tom if I told you that I could loan you the money for the winery.”

  “You are jealous of Tom. Were jealous, I should say.”

  Riley shrugged. “See?”

  “I think you should replace your car. How about a nice Mercedes or BMW?” Ana’s face cracked with a smile.

  “No way.”

  “Maybe just a new Honda? Or at least a used one that was made in this decade? Consider the new safety features.” Ana reached over their plates and took Riley’s hand in hers. She squeezed Riley’s hand. “I want to start this conversation over.”

  “Okay. Where should we start?”

  “I want you to offer to help with the loan payments for the winery one more time. Then I’m going to say ‘okay.’ And ‘thank you.’” Ana sighed. “Just for the next few months until we’re open with a full schedule and only if I can’t swing the payments on my own.”