Barefoot Girls - Kindle

by Unknown

  Hannah reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around. The living room was empty, everyone outside on the boardwalk and dock mingling and drinking champagne and waiting for the ceremony to start. Pausing a moment longer, Hannah admired the three paintings lined up on the far wall, a new sandpiper series by Zo. Although Zo always laughed off any suggestions that she turn professional, there was no doubt that she still painted regularly, her style even more assured in this series, incorporating color so that each painting had a faint dominant color – one pale blue, one gray, one with droplets of orange – the sandpipers running on the beach in twos and threes near the water’s edge, faint tracks left behind them being swallowed by wet sand.

  Hannah heard voices and followed the sound into the kitchen where Zo and Pam were taking turns juicing limes for the pitchers and pitchers of Mean Greens that Dog Days was known for and would be served along with champagne and the usual beer and full bar

  “Hey, it’s the bride to be!” Pam said, spotting Hannah and shaking out her sore wrist, turning away from the glass citrus juicer set on the counter. She was already dressed in her favorite bright green and yellow muumuu and wearing a yellow rose behind her ear.

  Zo, who was standing next to her cutting limes in half at the counter wearing slim navy Chanel shorts and a crisp white t-shirt, turned and looked. “Hannah, honey, why aren’t you wearing your dress? The ceremony starts in…“ She looked up at the vintage kitchen clock with the mermaid on it that Keeley had put up only hours before, a find from an antiques store in Connecticut. Keeley was relishing living there again in a house walking distance from the beach in Fairfield that Ben had deemed acceptable. The huge Fifth Avenue apartment was up for sale and Keeley’s wine glass was usually filled with Perrier these days. “Fifteen minutes! Oh, my God. We’ve got to juice the rest of these limes after. I’ve got to go get dressed.”

  “It keeps getting drenched with sweat every time I put it on. I’m going to wear this, it’s lighter and more Captain’s anyway,” Hannah said, lifting her hair up off of her neck.

  “Oh!” Zo said, making a sad face. “But your dress! You were so excited to wear it.”

  Hannah shrugged and nodded. She had been excited, twirling in front of the three way mirror in that fancy wedding boutique wearing the simple silk dress with the delicate dogwood-flower detail around the low-scooped back. Zo had taken over when Hannah had admitted how intimidated she was with all the choices involved in planning a wedding, and Hannah had gratefully followed her lead. Zo, having just started her own wedding planning business after filing for divorce from Neil, already knew where to find the best of everything and had made her daughter’s dream wedding a reality, down to the last Captain’s-casual beach-themed detail.

  “I’m more excited to be comfortable. Is it really only fifteen minutes? I’d put on makeup, but it’ll just melt off. Thank God for waterproof mascara.”

  Pam, drying her hands on a towel, tsked and said, “You don’t need makeup. You’re beautiful just as you are. And barefoot I see. Good girl.”

  Hannah stuck out her foot and wiggled her toes, the nails painted a pale shell-pink. “At least I’ve got polish on. You know, Mom? Now I really appreciate my feet. They’re like yours: elegant.”

  Zo made a little curtsy. Hannah could see a little blush in her cheeks. Zo still got off on being called Mom. Keeley preferred being called “Mommy”, so it worked out. Zo said, “They aren’t too bad, are they? Well, you can get away with a cotton sundress, sweetie, but not I. I’m going to run and dress, even if I end up sweating in my silk.” She ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the bedroom they were using as a dressing room for the bridal party.

  “How long have you both been slaving in here? I couldn’t stand it. I’m so hot,” Hannah said, fanning her face, just as Jeff Hall and Kevin Walsh walked in. Jeff and Kevin were two of the Barefooter’s closest male friends and were renowned all-around trouble makers. Tall and muscular, their physical fitness from competitively sailing year-round would have made them look years younger than their actual ages of forty-five and forty-six if it hadn’t been for the sun and wind that had weathered their faces dark and leathery. The two men had abandoned their usual Dog Days gag-costumes for neatly pressed khakis and button-down shirts in honor of the special day.

  “What did I just hear?” Kevin said.

  “Our hostess is hot!” Jeff said, bugging his eyes out comically at Kevin.

  Kevin shook his head. “We’re going to have to do something about that.”

  “Oh, no,” Pam said, chuckling and putting her hands on her hips. “Here goes. This is going to be a real Captain’s wedding.”

  Hannah turned to look at the two men with surprise. This was the routine they did with Keeley every year at Dog Days, yet another tradition special to Keeley that Hannah took as evidence of Keeley’s unique popularity.

  “Alley-oop!” Jeff said, grabbing Hannah suddenly by the waist and throwing her over his shoulder.

  “Hey!” Hannah screeched. “Aren’t you supposed to do this to my mom?”

  “Zo? She didn’t say anything about being hot,” Kevin said, walking backwards in front of them through the through the living room and holding open the front screen door.

  “No, no, I mean Keeley!”

  “You women are confusing,” Jeff said, turning his head to look back at Hannah who was dangling over his shoulder. “Listen, you said you were hot. We’re just trying to cool you off.” Then he jogged down the wide wooden steps of the house. Pam followed them out, laughing.

  “Yeah, that’s all we’re doing. Hey, gangway! Hot hostess coming through!” Kevin called, running ahead and clearing a path through the assembled crowd of islanders and friends from Fairfield who had come to witness Hannah and Daniel’s wedding. A little cheer went up when everyone saw that it was the bride. Then laughter rose up when those who had attended other Dog Days celebrations recognized the traditional “dunking” was about to happen.

  “Wait…” Hannah trailed off, her eyes falling on the canvas-slipcovered folding chairs that were lined up for the ceremony in the sandy yard beside the house and the huge flower arrangements flanking the driftwood alter. She was so shocked, she didn’t know what to say. They were going to do this – to her?

  Hannah was too serious and boring for antics like the annual “dunk”. It was Keeley who was the popular fun one you dumped in the water while everyone laughed. Keeley, who would do a silly water ballet routine after being thrown in, sticking her leg out of the water with her toe pointed and spitting a stream of water out of her mouth, fluttering her fingers as she made huge elaborate strokes in the water and hummed the “Blue Danube”. They had their shtick down cold. Where was Keeley anyway?

  Hannah looked around for her, and then felt a slap on her bare foot. Then another one, as they passed through the crowd that rose up and pressed around them, palms high-fiving her bare foot, just like they always did with Keeley. She saw her Aunt Amy and Uncle Gus in the crowd, hands raised and reaching too.

  Wait. Why couldn’t she do this? Why couldn’t she be fun, too?

  They reached the end of the dock and Jeff set her down for only a brief moment before the two men grabbed her up again, this time holding her at both ends. They started swaying her back and forth. They were really going to do it! Hannah heard Keeley’s unique bawdy laugh and twisted her neck to look for her.

  Just then, there was a shout. A man’s voice called out, Daniel’s, and abruptly the two men stopped swinging Hannah, and just held her by her ankles and under her arms, looking up.

  Daniel came striding down the dock, his face thunderous. He looked incredibly handsome, his dark hair trimmed short, a brightly colored lei made from orchids resting on top of his crisp white linen shirt. “What are you doing with my bride?”

  “To-be?” Kevin asked, his voice squeaking.

  “She said she was hot,” Jeff insisted.

  “I am!” Hannah called. A peal of laughter reached her from th
e crowd. “Really! I’m dying here.”

  Daniel looked at Hannah and then at the two men still holding her. “Well, what are you waiting for? The lady says she’s hot.”

  “This woman is hottahottahotta!” Jeff called, breaking into a grin.

  “Cool her off, man, cool her off!” the crowd started shouting, per the usual script.

  The world started swaying back and forth again, and for a moment, Hannah heard, below the happy hubbub the low scratching voices of the sea witches waiting below and felt that old fear thrill up her back.

  Up and down, up and down, gaining velocity, the crowd’s roar growing as Hannah was swung through the air, the two men preparing to launch her high and then into the water, Hannah closed her eyes. This was life, wasn’t it? The terror, the joy?

  “Witches, I’m gonna getcha!” Hannah whispered, clenching her teeth.

  Then she was flying up before crashing into the cool water of the bay, splashing plumes of water rising up all around her, the sudden temperature drop knocking the oxygen out of her lungs. Through the surface she dove down with a purpose, reaching for the bottom, when a slick tickling hand reached for her with web-like fingers. A shock shooting through her, her eyes opened and she gasped out the last of the air in her lungs, bubbles rising before her face.

  There, floating in the water. Bright green seaweed, long drifting strands of it. It was always seaweed. And even if there were witches and other scary things, she wouldn’t run anymore; she would fight them. She dove down again, grateful to be wearing lacy nude-toned boy-shorts instead of a thong as the maneuver she was about to attempt, one of Keeley’s, would have given more of a show than she wanted to give in the case of a thong.

  Reaching bottom, she pushed at it, hard, and rose to the surface with her legs straight up, her toes pointed. As she broke through, there was a brief silence followed by a smattering of applause that grew as they realized she was really doing the whole annual routine. Taking a mouthful of water and then spitting it out through her teeth, she lay on her back and fluttered her hands in the water, smiling.

  Then, beside her, someone dove in. Hannah looked up and saw that it was Daniel, grinning at her, his clothes ruined, too. Then there was another splash, and then another, until single splashes of each diving guest became a churn of the entire party.

  Hannah realized she was crying and laughing at the same time. It had all been in her mind, this exclusion, this idea of being an outsider.

  “Hey, bride!” Daniel said. “Will you be mine?”

  Gasping and blinking among the splashing waves, she swam to embrace him. Their arms wrapped around each other, their faces so close, she looked into his eyes and saw the truth. He was really hers. He wasn’t going anywhere. She replied, “I will.”

  Later the official ceremony was held on the beach, everyone still dripping and shaking their hair out and finding pieces of seaweed in awkward places. After the ceremony there was dancing and Mean Greens and Hannah’s two mothers making tearful toasts. But it was then that Hannah pledged herself to Daniel, and he to her, among the splashing crowd in the waters at the tip of Captain’s Island.

  Acknowledgements

  My eternal gratitude to my beautiful Beta Readers: Elise Gallivan, Tanya Hale, Yvette Hochberg, Rita Morgan and Tanya Wells. Your help was invaluable and made a huge impact on the final version of Barefoot Girls. You are all goddesses; I worship the ground you walk on!

  A big thank you to my husband, Ash, who stood by me through my moments of doubt and cheered me on - who always believes in me, even when I don't believe in myself.

  Barefoot Girls by Tara McTiernan

  READING GROUP QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

  There were several intriguing settings in the novel: Manhattan and Park Avenue society, the wealthy enclaves of Greenwich and Westport, Connecticut, and remote rustic Captain’s Island (a fictionalized composite of several small islands on Long Island, New York). Which one did you find most fascinating and why?

  Hannah is lost is the world at the beginning of the novel, slowly finding her way and growing more confident, even demanding, as the novel progresses. Did you relate to her? What about her reminded you of yourself as a young person?

  The four Barefoot Girls are a rare group of life-long friends. Have you ever wanted friends like that? Do you already have them? Did you feel that the book genuinely touched on what it’s like to be part of a gang of girls? What parts were most vivid to you?

  One of the themes of the novel is the unique relationship between mothers and daughters. Did you feel that the book adequately described the challenges of being a mother? What about the experience of being a daughter?

  Some of the Barefooters were raised in happy homes (Zooey and Amy and, to a lesser degree, Pam) and some were abused as children (Keeley). How well did you think the story addressed childhood abuse? What about Hannah’s frequent abandonment by Keeley as a child? Did you feel that the book adequately addressed the fallout of childhood abuse and/or neglect?

  Rose is one of the dominant antagonists in the story. Did you think that she was realistic? Did she remind you of someone from your youth? How did you react to her mental breakdown and final acts of violence?

  Keeley has suppressed the memories of her painful childhood and even some of her early years raising Hannah. What do you think the author is saying about suppression of memories and the consequences of "putting the past behind us" without examining it?

  Amy and Pam are both strong characters who bicker frequently yet remain friends. What do you think holds their friendship together? What friendships have you had that are similarly fraught?

  Daniel is a player who has finally been caught by cupid's arrow and faces the inner challenge of not being able to escape the love he feels for Hannah and the outer challenges of Hannah's ambivalence and his former wing-man Brian's efforts to break up his engagement. Do you believe that a playboy can reform and be in a committed marriage? What future do you see for the couple?

  In Keeley and Zo's final confrontation about Hannah's upbringing, Zo said," We do the best we can in this crazy world, we make our stupid mistakes, but if we have love and we show it to each other, nothing can be that wrong that it can’t be fixed.” How is the concept of love's healing power important in the novel?

  Barefoot Girls Playlist

  Sing-Along Songs from Captain's Island

  "Under the Boardwalk" - The Drifters

  "Crystal Blue Persuasion" - Tommy James and the Shondells

  "Running on Empty" - Jackson Browne

  "It's Only Fear" - Alexi Murdoch

  "American Pie" - Don McLean

  "Here I am (Come and Take Me)" - Al Green

  "It's Only a Paper Moon" - Nat King Cole

  "The Way I am" - Ingrid Michaelson

  "Don't Worry, Be Happy" - Bobby McFerrin

  "Margaritaville" - Jimmy Buffett

  "Sweet Caroline" - Neil Diamond

  "Blue Bayou" - Linda Ronstandt

  About the Author

  Tara McTiernan grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut and spent most of her childhood summers on an island in the Great South Bay on Long Island, New York - both of which are the settings for her novel and short stories. Her stories have been published in many literary magazines including Eureka Literary Magazine and Ultimate Writer. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, Ash. Visit the author's blog at http://taramctiernanfiction.blogspot.com/.

  Also by Tara McTiernan:

  Girl-Shaped Shadows - A Short Story

  Eleven-year old Isobel and her guardian and aunt, Marmalee, do everything they can to avoid the sunlight – fearful of skin cancer and suntans – yet they find themselves unavoidably drawn to the beach near their home in Connecticut one sunny June day by the very people they abhor most: the Normals. The lure? The gorgeous Mrs. Johnson, her aunt’s new love-interest. The problem? Isobel’s nemesis and object of obsession: Mrs. Johnson’s daughter Chloe.

  Things take a surprising t
urn on this brilliant burning day by the sea when Chloe abandons her best friend, Hilary, for Isobel, her new best friend. Are things what they seem? Could Isobel’s wildest fantasy be coming true? Or is some darker truth about to be revealed?

  Purchase here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Shaped-Shadows

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