All for One

by Melody Carlson

  “I told Ben and Marcus the truth,” he said. “As soon as they arrived last week, I explained that I could never go back to their mother. They understood.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “They’re well aware that their mother is bipolar and—”

  Janie blinked. “Donna is bipolar?”

  He nodded. “I wasn’t going to mention it. It’s something she’s always tried to keep private.” He almost laughed. “Well, except when she’s in a manic state and out of control.”

  “Does that happen a lot?”

  “Not when she stays on her medication.” He grimaced. “I asked her about it specifically just now. She confessed that she stopped taking them several months ago. She claims she doesn’t need them anymore.”

  “Oh dear.”

  “I encouraged her to get back on them.”

  They quietly talked for a while longer, then, satisfied that Donna had gone on her way, Victor cautiously went up on deck. “Coast is clear,” he called out.

  Janie came out. Not because she didn’t trust Victor, but because she knew Donna was unpredictable and possibly mentally unstable, she went around the backside of the cabin and peered out from behind a pole to be sure Donna was really gone. She noticed something glinting in the water below her. Thinking it was a fish, she bent over to see better, but then she spotted a broken shard of what appeared to be a plate. It was resting on a lump of concrete right next to the pier post.

  “Victor,” she called, “come see this.”

  He came around to join her and she pointed out the broken dish.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “It’s from the things I’d brought over here that day. The things Donna took.”

  He scratched his head. “You think she threw everything into the water?”

  Janie couldn’t help but chuckle. “I think maybe she did.”

  “That’s so crazy.” He hugged her close to him. “I’m just glad she didn’t try to toss you overboard too.”

  Janie laughed. “I’m sure she wanted to. Poor Donna.”

  “I told ‘poor Donna’ to make an appointment with her psychiatrist when she gets back. He’s an old family friend. In fact I think I might even call him and give him a little heads-up.”

  Janie actually felt sorry for Donna. “You know, Victor,” she said quietly, “I can kind of relate to Donna.”

  “You?” He looked surprised and slightly worried. “Don’t tell me you’re bipolar too?”

  “No. But I do remember how mixed up I felt when I lost Phil. It was almost like I was suffering a form of mental illness.”

  “You were grieving.”

  “I know, but I felt lost and confused just the same. My grief over losing him was probably similar to how Donna feels about losing you. Well, minus the bipolar factor. Grief does funny things to a person, and I’m sure I acted a little crazy.”

  “Maybe, but I doubt you threatened anyone.”

  “Even so, I do feel sorry for her, Victor. I hope she can get her life leveled out again.”

  He pulled Janie close to him. “I hope so too.”

  Chapter 30

  ABBY

  Tuesday morning Abby arrived at the coffee house early and told herself to be patient. She would not make her big announcement until all her friends were seated with their coffee and ready. Finally that moment arrived.

  “Now, quiet everyone.” She dinged her spoon on the side of her ceramic mug to get their attention. “I have an announcement.”

  “Go for it,” Marley said.

  “First of all, I’m sure you will all be happy to hear that Donna is on her way to Chicago right now.”

  “Really?” Janie looked hugely relieved. “Does Victor know?”

  “I’m not sure about that,” Abby admitted. “But I arranged Donna’s ride to Eugene. She left the inn at 6:00 a.m., and it was confirmed to me shortly before eight that she made it to the airport just fine.” Abby looked at her watch. “Her flight should’ve taken off about twenty minutes ago.”

  “So that’s why she wasn’t around this morning,” Caroline said. “I thought it seemed awful quiet at the inn.” She chuckled. “And there I was, tiptoeing around like a mouse, trying to keep Chuck from making any noise so I could get out of there without having to have a conversation with her.”

  Abby grinned at her friends, suppressing the urge to laugh loudly.

  “Nice work, Abby.” Marley patted her arm.

  “But I have even bigger news.” Abby looked at her friends, determined to get as much enjoyment as possible out of this moment.

  “Are you going to be a grandma again?” Caroline asked. “Is Jessie pregnant like you’d been thinking?”

  Abby shook her head. “No, Jessie was simply having a regular bout of flu.”

  “Oh, that’s too bad.” Janie gave her a sympathetic look.

  “It might be for the best. I don’t think Jessie is ready for another child just yet.”

  “So what is your big news?” demanded Marley. “Spill the beans.”

  “Well …” Abby placed her hands on the table. “Apparently none of you was watching the Live in the Morning Show today.”

  “Huh?” Marley frowned at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “You were on TV?” Janie asked.

  “How’s that even possible?” Caroline said. “That show’s taped live in New York, and you’re here.”

  Abby started to giggle. “Yes, yes, I know. But you see, I always watch that show. Almost every single day. Paul says I’m addicted. I always enter their contests, too. I have for years now. Today they called me from the show, live, at about six in the morning. At first I thought it was Donna’s driver calling to tell me Donna had managed to mess it up somehow.”

  “Which would not be a surprise,” Janie added. “Donna is an expert at messing things up.”

  “Or she might’ve hijacked the driver to take her over to kidnap Victor,” Marley teased. “And then she could’ve hijacked the plane to take them both to some Third World country to—”

  “Enough about Donna,” Caroline interrupted. “Back to Abby’s story. What happened?”

  “So I answered the phone, and once I got over the shock that they had finally called me after all these years, they asked me the question of the day, and because I had seen the show on Monday, I knew the answer!” She paused to catch her breath.

  “And?” Caroline urged her. “What then?”

  “And then I won a seven-day Carnival cruise trip down to Mexico!”

  “Congratulations!” Caroline reached over to give her a high five. “Awesome!”

  “That’s wonderful, Abby.” Janie grinned. “When are you going to go?”

  “After the new year. I think mid-January.”

  “Was Paul thrilled?” Marley asked.

  Abby frowned now. “No, Paul doesn’t even want to go.”

  “Doesn’t want to go?” demanded Caroline. “What is wrong with that man?”

  Abby shrugged. The truth was, she’d been disappointed too. At first she’d imagined a romantic second honeymoon, but her stick-in-the-mud husband had trampled all over that idea.

  “Paul said no to a free cruise?” Marley looked truly disgusted.

  Abby rolled her eyes. “Yes. He claimed he’s got to finish the Armstrong house in January. Plus he said he can’t stand the idea of being cooped up on a boat for a whole week. He’s been before, and he really didn’t like it much then, although I thought it was mostly the expense that he’d complained about. There’s the food thing too—he’s supposed to be watching his cholesterol and fat intake. So cruise food might not be such a good idea.”

  “So can you take one of your daughters?” Janie asked.

  “Or your mom?”
Marley suggested.

  “I actually won four tickets!” Abby exclaimed. It was all she could do not to simply shout out her great idea, but she had promised herself to handle this just right, stringing out her story for as long as she could, enjoying the moment completely.

  “Then you can take all three of your daughters,” Janie suggested. “A mother-daughter cruise would be such a memorable trip.”

  “I thought of that,” Abby admitted. “But it won’t work. Nicole will barely be back from France, plus she’ll be in school by then, and the other girls have their jobs and responsibilities.” She smiled broadly at her friends now. “So I thought … why don’t I just take my friends with me?”

  “Your friends, as in us?” Caroline’s eyes lit up.

  Abby nodded eagerly. “Yes! Can’t you just see it? The Four Lindas on a Mexican cruise together! Doesn’t it sound perfectly delicious? We’ll go midwinter when it’s dull and cold and gray around here, and we’ll do some shopping for cruise clothes, and everyone will be so envious of us when they hear that we’re heading down there to enjoy the sunshine and—”

  “And margaritas!” Marley added.

  “And food and fun,” Caroline said eagerly.

  “With friends,” Janie said finally.

  “That’s right,” Abby said. “So what do you think? Are you guys all in?”

  “You bet,” Caroline firmly nodded.

  “Count me in,” Janie said happily.

  “I can’t wait!” Marley agreed.

  Abby held up her coffee cup. “Here’s to the Four Lindas hitting the high seas!”

  The others held up their cups too, all clinking them together.

  “Here’s to the Four Lindas making a run for the border!” Caroline added.

  “To las quatro amigas!” Marley frowned. “Or something like that. My Spanish is pretty bad, but I promise I’ll work on it.”

  “You’re sure Paul is okay with this?” Janie asked hesitantly. “He won’t change his mind and decide he wants to go with you?”

  “Or you won’t change your mind and worry about leaving him alone?” Caroline asked.

  Abby laughed. “Well, I will ask Mom to check in on him from time to time. And Paul informed me that cruises are for ‘white-haired grannies and geriatric patients.’ No, he definitely does not want to go.”

  “Well then.” Caroline lifted her mug again. “Here’s to four hot babes amongst a bunch of old-timers.”

  “What if we turn out to be the old-timers?” Marley asked with a furrowed brow. “I don’t want to bum anyone, but I’ve seen those cruise ads on TV. The passengers always look young and fit—all tan and sleek in their string bikinis.”

  “Those are just actors,” Caroline pointed out. “I even did an ad like that once, back in my thirties.”

  “Hey, even if we are the old-timers,” Marley injected, “at least we’re in good company, right? We have each other.”

  “That’s right,” Janie agreed.

  “And if we’re slow or forgetful,” Abby said, “or sagging or lagging or hot-flashing or whatever—at least we’re doing it together, right?”

  “Right. All for one and one for all,” Caroline proclaimed.

  Abby nodded. “Here’s to the Four Lindas cruising with the oldies!”

  … a little more …

  When a delightful concert comes to an end,

  the orchestra might offer an encore.

  When a fine meal comes to an end,

  it’s always nice to savor a bit of dessert.

  When a great story comes to an end,

  we think you may want to linger.

  And so, we offer ...

  AfterWords—just a little something more after you

  have finished a David C Cook novel.

  We invite you to stay awhile in the story.

  Thanks for reading!

  Turn the page for ...

  • Discussion Questions

  • Excerpt from The Four Lindas Book 4

  Discussion Questions

  1. There is a saying that married men live longer than single men because wives nag their husbands into good health. Do you think this is true? What’s your opinion of the way Abby wanted to help Paul manage his health?

  2. Victor’s need for Donna to have a place to stay and Caroline’s need for a home remotivated Abby to get her bed-and-breakfast up and running. Recount a time in your own life when a friend’s need propelled you into a project that you found personally fulfilling.

  3. How did you feel about Donna’s desire to be reunited with Victor? If you were writing their story, how would you have wanted it to go?

  4. How is romance in middle age similar to first-time love? What complications are unique to older couples, and what makes these easier or harder to overcome? Use examples from Marley and Jack’s relationship, or Janie and Victor’s, or Caroline and Mitch’s.

  5. Why was it important for Janie to understand what her father’s war experience might have been like? Do you think her discovery was significant enough to overcome the unresolved pain of her relationship with him? Why or why not?

  6. Because she deeply loves her gay son, Marley finds it challenging to reconcile the love and peace of her newfound faith with the judgmental attitudes about homosexuality among the women in her Bible study. Talk about a time when you’ve experienced a clash between your faith and your life circumstances. How did you cope with the tension?

  7. How would you characterize Marley’s relationship with Ashton (e.g., nurturing, enabling, healthy, unhealthy, and so on)? What decisions and attitudes allowed Marley to empathize with her son even though she couldn’t relate to his experience firsthand?

  8. What aspects of Caroline’s experience caring for her mother made her a stronger person? How did Michael’s abusiveness threaten to weaken her again? Was Caroline appropriately gracious toward him, or would you have counseled her to take a harder stance against him? Explain your answer.

  9. Marley and Abby had a grand adventure and told a few lies while trying to track down whether Joan Wilson was a smoker. Were they being noble or reckless? Have you ever done something you normally wouldn’t think of doing in order to help a friend? If so, what were the positive and/or negative outcomes of that choice? How were you changed?

  10. If you won four tickets for a weeklong cruise in any part of the world, who would you take, and where would you go?

  An Excerpt from

  The Four Lindas book 4

  Chapter 1

  ABBY

  Trying to catch her breath, Abby shuffled her way into the women’s locker room, barely able to put one heavy foot in front of the other. Feeling twice her actual age, she eased herself down onto the only unoccupied bench and gazed around the steamy room. Women with firm, sleek, healthy bodies paraded themselves around in various stages of undress, as if trying to rub it in.

  Lowering her eyes in defeat, she stared down at her pudgy white thighs and found herself craving cottage cheese. Without a doubt, she had lost her ever-loving mind. Why else would she have allowed Janie and Caroline to talk her into this? And why would she have bragged to Paul about her grandiose plan to join the fitness club?

  “I’m starting tomorrow,” she’d boasted to her husband last night. “After I become a member, I’ll start off by taking … what’s it called? A circuit-something class. I think that’s what Caroline said.”

  “You’re starting with a circuit-training class?” Paul frowned at her. “You sure you want to do that?”

  “Janie and Caroline said it’s really fun, a bunch of women working out together with upbeat music. It’s probably like aerobic dance. I loved doing that back when the girls were little.”

  His mouth twisted to one side. “Yeah, but circuit training is hard
work, Abby.”

  “Are you saying I can’t do it?”

  He shook his head. “I’m saying you should start with something easier. When I joined the club, I started with a trainer and a special—”

  “Yeah, well, you were recovering from a heart attack, Paul. I’m in a lot better shape than you were.”

  He looked skeptical.

  “I’ve been walking three or four times a week. I’ve even lost a little weight this fall.”

  “Yeah, but starting out with circuit training—”

  “Why do you always have to rain on my parade?”

  “Because I know you, Abby.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning if you start out with something too tough, you’ll give up.”

  “I will not!”

  “I’ll bet you don’t last a week.”

  “I will!” she insisted. “You’ll see. I’m going to join the club and take that class. And maybe I’ll go five days a week at first, to jump-start things. I could swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays and—”

  “Why don’t you just use that a free one-week coupon I gave you?” he suggested. “Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you plunk down all that dough.”

  “I know what I’m getting into. Janie and Caroline swear by that class. They go three times a week—and love it.”

  He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. “All I’m saying is that the club is pretty expensive, Abby, and I think—”

  “You think I’m not worth it?” She shook her fist at him. “Sure, it’s fine for you to belong to the club, but poor old Abby doesn’t deserve—”

  “That’s not what I’m saying.” His brow creased. “You’re worth it. I just don’t want to see you pay all that money up front and then change your mind.” Of course, he took the opportunity to list all the activities Abby had started but never finished. But instead of falling for that old bait and getting into a ridiculous fight, Abby took their counselor’s advice and the high road.

  “If you love me,” she calmly informed him, “you will support me in this. I’m making a healthy decision for my life, and you should respect that, Paul.”