"I know that, Fanny. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to talk about it. Some things are better left alone."
' 'Now you have me more curious than ever. I want to know, Ash."
"It's for my son."
"Your what?"
"You heard me. My son."
"How did that happen? When did it happen?"
"In the usual way. I unzipped my pants and she took off her underwear. It never should have happened, but it did, and Jeff is the result. He's finishing up his master's. In May my obligation will be over."
Stunned, Fanny could only stare at Ash as she tried to comprehend what he'd just said. When she did manage to find her tongue she said,''It's not the obligation, it's the act. That means you ... you fathered a child to someone else while we were married."
"That's what it means, Fanny. I could say I'm sorry from now till the end of time, and it won't change a thing. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you. I took the responsibility. It
was a one-night stand. She was a nice girl, and I took advantage of her. That's it. You and I are the only ones who know. Scratch that, I told Simon in a weak moment. I thought about telling the kids a few times, but our relationship was rocky at best. I provided everything I could for him and his mother. He's not in my will. However, I set up a trust fund some years ago. He won't want for anything. He knows the score. He calls me sir. Some things are better left alone."
"I wish you had told me, Ash. Did you ever spend time with him? Were you ever a father to him?"
"No. His mother wanted it that way. I never forgot his birthday or Christmas."
"Do they ... did you tell . .. ?"
"No. I'm not someone in their daily lives. I'm a check once a month. Maybe it's a blessing that things worked out the way they did. I was never husband or father material."
"Ash, what about later?"
"Are you asking me if either one of them will make a claim once I'm gone?"
"Yes, that's what I'm asking."
"Everything was taken care of legally. If either the boy or his mother decided to renege on the arrangement, it would be tied up in the courts forever. The trust fund would revert to my estate. They aren't greedy people, Fanny. They're the kind of people you would like. Jeff's mother bakes cookies. She gardens and sews. She works part-time in a gift store. Jeff is bookish, an honor student. I bought him a car for his twentieth birthday. He's a greedy kid. Selfish too. I bought them a little two-bedroom bungalow with a nice backyard. They keep the property up. It's neat as a pin. It's me that's the louse."
"I think I'm in shock. Should I know their names in case?"
"Only if you feel you want to do or say something at some point in time. My lawyers will handle it all. Her name is Margaret Lassiter. They didn't take my name. The lawyers wanted it that way. I took care of it, Fanny."
"What if the kids ..."
"If that happens, you tell them what I told you."
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"Ash, it doesn't seem right."
"It is what it is. For whatever it's worth, Fanny, I am sorry."
' 'You know what, Ash? I believe you. In my wildest dreams I never thought something like tonight could happen. It almost seems like a dream."
"Some dream, huh?"
Fanny nodded.
"Time to go downstairs to my other responsibility. What time do you want to leave in the morning? By the way, I'm going to Atlantic City day after tomorrow."
"Around nine if that's okay with you. That's good, Fanny. Make the best deal you can. I had a good time tonight, Fanny. I guess there aren't going to be any encores, huh?"
"Nope."
"You sure you didn't take some kind of seminar or go to one of those sex classes?''
"What do you think, Ash?"
"I think I'm getting out of here is what I think. See you in the morning."
Fanny leaned against the door staring at nothing for a long time. She felt like she'd been kicked in the gut. Strangely enough, her stomach had taken the blow and was fine now. Was she numb, dumb, and stupid? Why wasn't Ash's declaration bothering her? Because I've moved beyond all that. Ash said he'd taken care of it, and she believed him. Ash's son had nothing to do with her or her family. She had to believe that, too.
Just another day in the life of Fanny Thornton.
On the ride up the mountain, Fanny and Ash deferred to Jake and his chattering.
1 'How bad do you think I look, Fanny? If you were Sunny, would you be upset?"
"Some of the swelling has gone down, but you have more purple and yellow in your face. You probably should have gotten some stitches over your cheekbone. It's an ugly gash."
"It's healing. What's a scar in the scheme of things? What should I tell Sunny?"
"Would the truth upset her?"
Ash shrugged. "It's a day-to-day thing with Sunny. What might be okay yesterday won't be okay today. I'll wing it."
"We go fishing, Pop Pop?"
"Sure. How many fish are you going to catch today?"
"Six."
"Are you going to tell Mommy you had a good time?"
Jake's head bobbed up and down.
' 'Where's the present you bought for Mommy? Do you have it in your bag?" Fanny asked.
"What did he buy?" Ash whispered.
"Two boxes of crayons and two coloring books. He wrapped them himself. He used three rolls of tape." Ash roared with laughter.
' 'Ash, listen to me. I think maybe it was a mistake to bring the toys I bought him. Sunny might not like it. Why don't you say you bought them?"
' 'We brought them with us because you spent a great deal of time and effort trying to find something Jake would like. He loves everything. You are his grandmother."
"In name only, Ash."
"I'm trying to change that."
"Don't jeopardize your relationship with Sunny over me, Ash. Promise me."
"Okay. Hey, sport, we're home. Toot the horn, Fanny."
"Ash, no. Let me get out and into Bess's car. You can toot the horn while we're turning around. I don't want a problem."
"Bullshit!" Ash leaned over and gave the horn two sharp blasts.
"Do it again, Pop Pop."
Ash obliged. Sunny appeared in the driveway. Fanny scrambled out of the seat so that Ash could maneuver his wheelchair onto the lift. She waited until he was on the ground and in control of his wheelchair before she climbed out. She reached
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for Jake and set him on the ground. "I'll see you guys. Have a nice holiday. Hello, Sunny."
Sunny ignored her. She had eyes only for her father. ' 'What happened to you?"
Ash drew in his breath. "Simon and I got into it. He didn't look so hot when he walked away."
"Did you fight over Mom?"
"No. We fought a battle that's been raging all our lives."
As Sunny struggled to make sense of the words, Jake was straining and tugging to get his new toys out of the van.' 'Here's a present, Mommy. I wrapped it. Is it pretty?"
"Where did you get the money, Jake? Who bought you all that stuff?"
"Her did," Jake said, pointing to Fanny.
Fanny wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole.
"Give them back. Give her this, too," Sunny said throwing her gift in Fanny's direction. Jake started to wail.
"What did I tell you when you left?"
"For God's sake, Sunny, he's only three," Ash said. "Do you think he remembers that mile-long list of instructions? Hell, I can't remember it."
Sunny reached for her son. He howled. ' 'Want to go fishing with Pop Pop."
"No fishing." Sunny grabbed Jake by the ear and started to drag him up the driveway to the house.
Fanny was a whirlwind of movement. She had the little boy in her arms. She was eyeball-to-eyeball with her daughter. "Our problem has nothing to do with this little boy. I want you to remember that. If you forget it again, you will answer to me. Do you understand me, Sunny?"
Sunny's face turned ugly. "You didn't want him before. Now, when you have nothing else, he's suddenly good enough for you. Wrong. Stay away from my son. Do you understand me, Mrs. Thornton? Don't think you can come up here and threaten me."
"I wasn't threatening you, Sunny. I made a promise to you. You know me. I'm a woman of my word. Remember that.
"Ash, I'm leaving now. This can't be good for you. I wish there was something I could do. Take care of them. Call me if there's anything I can do."
"Don't worry about us, Fanny. Tyler is my ace in the hole if things get bad. Go home and water all those plants."
Fanny bent over and kissed her husband full on the mouth. "That's so you won't forget last night."
Ash laughed.
Sunny stared at her laughing parents through the kitchen window. She almost fainted with the rage rushing through her.
Fanny waved from the car window. "Hurry, Bess, I have to get away from here."
She cried all the way down the mountain.
Fanny sat in the rental car as she contemplated the map that would take her to Cape May. Why was she doing this? Because Ash asked her to do it, and she could deny him nothing even when she didn't fully understand what it was she was doing. If she was lucky, she might be able to wind things down and take an evening plane out of Philadelphia and be home by midnight.
Ash had made it easy for her. The lots were clearly marked and the owner's name, address, and phone number had been penciled in the margin of the map. Ash had told her to go to the owner's home instead of calling. "When people are selling they want to see a face, not some fancy lawyer with a briefcase. Briefcases mean someone is going to get skinned. Just carry your purse and a couple of checks."
It was eleven o'clock when Fanny rang the doorbell of an old, dilapidated, paint-peeling three-story house in Cape May. She was chilled to the bone as she stood on the porch of the old house. She turned the crank on the doorbell and waited, the gusty wind slapping at her back. How barren it looked with the arthritic trees bending and swaying. Fanny shivered inside
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her warm coat. The door creaked open. "Mr. Scott, I'm Fanny Thornton. I'd like to talk to you if you have the time. May I come in?"'
He was old, wizened, the woman behind him just as old and just as wizened. "Do we know you?"
"No. I'm from Nevada. I'm interested in buying some property you own. I believe you spoke to my husband several times.""
"Everybody wants my property. They don't want to pay for it though," the old man cackled. "Ain't that right, Mother?"
"That's right. We want millions of dollars."
"Okay," Fanny said, sitting down on a chair full of cat hairs.
"We have conditions."
"What are they?" Fanny said as she did her best to breathe through her mouth. Cats, all shapes and sizes, scurried around her feet. There didn't seem to be a litter box anywhere.
"We want to sell this house, too. It's a package deal. Mother wants to move to Miami."
"All right," Fanny said.
"You'll buy this house, too!"
"I have a large family, Mr. Scott. These are the two lots I want, they're marked in red on the map."
"Got three lots for sale. Want to sell the whole kit and caboodle."
"All right. I'll take all three lots and this house. How much?''
"How much, Mother?"
"Ten million dollars." the old lady said smartly.
"Six," Fanny said.
"Nine," the old man countered. "Whatcha goin' to do with the property?"
"Eight and it's my last offer. My husband wants the property for our grandchildren's futures."
"That sounds all right, doesn't it. Mother?" The old lady-nodded. "We'll take your offer." He turned to his wife. "She don't look like one of them gangsters, does she. Mother?" he asked.
"She sure don't, Dad."
The old man held out a gnarled, dry, wrinkled hand. Fanny offered up a gentle handshake. ' 'We had everything sur-veyed, the paperwork is in order. You pay us, file the deed, and the property is yours, Mrs. Thornton. We don't want no check. We want one of them wire transfers down to our bank. That's a condition."
"I'm willing to do that. Would you like me to drive you to the bank? Your bank will have the money in an hour. Do you have a lawyer?" Fanny felt giddy. This was the way Sallie had done business during her day. A handshake, money changed hands, and that was the end of the deal. Obviously Ash had watched his mother conduct business over the years. What was good enough for Sallie was good enough for him.
"Don't need no lawyer. Hate lawyers. All they want is your money. They shuffle papers and charge two hundred dollars an hour. Then when they're done messing everything up they make you go to court in front of some dumb judge who don't know as much as I know. It's sinful."
Outside in the bleak sunshine, Fanny looked down at her mulberry-colored coat. Clumps of cat hairs were everywhere. She sniffed, knowing the smell of cat urine would stay with her, even in the car. She couldn't help but marvel at how easy the whole thing was. Evidently Ash was right, doing business in person was the way to go.
Two hours later, Fanny ditched her coat in the nearest trash barrel, copies of the deeds to the properties secure in her purse. Jake, Polly, and Sage and Iris's unborn child's futures were secure.
It was two in the morning when Fanny, fresh from her shower, sat down to call Ash. "I did it, Ash. Eight million. I hope you know what you're doing. Eight million dollars is a lot of money. It's so stupid, neither one of us had a lawyer."
' 'Fanny, I talked to the guy a dozen times. He hates lawyers. I told him what to do, and he did it. Everything is legal. You filed the deeds, didn't you?"
"Of course I did." *
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"Then stop worrying. Did the guy really have twenty-seven cats 0 "
"'More like 10". I smelled. Ash. I had to throw away my coat. I stood under the shower for an hour, and I can still smell cat. I*m tired and I'm going to bed."
' 'You did good. Fanny. I thank you. One day your grandchildren will thank you when they realize what we did for them. Sleep tight. Fanny."
"You too. Ash."
The date on the calendar said it was April 1. April Fool's Day. Fanny looked around at her family. Even Ash had come down off the mountain for the special event.
"Everything's ready. Mom." Sage said quietly. "The line to Japan is open. Aunt Billie is standing by. We're hooked up to the satellite. We'll be seeing Moss Coleman's plane take off at the same time they do. Dawn's just beginning to break over there. Aw. Mom. don't cry."
Ash reached for Fanny's hand. "I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about that plane. Fanny. I want it to fly as much as you do. Honest to God I do."
"I know you do. Ash. I don't know what Billie will do if things 20 awry. It's been a battle even.' step of the way. Her children are estranged from her over this plane. It isn't right and it isn't fair."
"The test pilot is on his way." Sage whispered. "There he goes into the cockpit."
"He's Amelia's stepson. Lord Rand Nelson. His father was an RAF pilot during the war. Billie says he can fly the wings off a biri
"God. this takes me back." Ash said. "There she goes! She's up. C'mon. baby, get that nose up. There you go! Jesus. I feel like I'm seeing history m the making."
"You are. Ash. It'> so beautiful. Billie's saying something. No. no. she's just mouthing words. 'Rest easy. Moss. In a few minutes it will be history." Fanny, Fanny, we did it.' Thank
you, thank you. We couldn 't have done it without you. Thank your whole family. We did it, Fanny! ''
Tears rolled down Fanny's cheeks.' 'Now Billie' s son's death is not in vain. She did what she set out to do, and if she faltered, she picked herself up and continued. I don't know if I would have had the guts to do what she did."
Ash's voice was a mere whisper when he said, "You would have persevered, too, Fanny. And, you would have prevailed."
"Ash, that's one of the nicest th
ings you've ever said to me. This calls for champagne!"
"I hear you, Mom!" Sage bellowed. "We should sing. Shouldn't we?"
"Whatever feels right, Sage," his father said.
' 'Off we go into the wild blue yonder ..." The family joined in.
Everyone was off key, but no one cared.
Part Three
1984-1985
"A penny tor your thoughts, Fanny."
"Right now, Bess, they aren't worth that much. Simon's lawyer served me divorce papers early this morning. It's been ten months since that night when he came here and punched out Ash. Ten months, Bess!"
"Time has been going by so fast of late. My mother said that happens when you get older. She said she woke up one day and she was in her eighties." Bess laughed ruefully.
"I didn't think it would bother me, but it does. As the months went by I more or less assumed that. . . well, 1 don't know what I assumed. He's not simply filing for divorce; he's charging me with adultery and he wants a percentage share of Babylon. I own fifty-one percent and he's going to go after it."
"You're going to fight it, aren't you? I'm having such a hard time believing all this. Simon was . . . such a wonderful
guy"
"Not according to Ash. To answer your question, yes, I'm going to fight him. I have to find a top-notch divorce lawyer. I have twenty days to answer these papers."
"Get a woman lawyer. They understand better than men.
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I've heard horror stories about women getting screwed in court. Some of them don't even get child support. You need a shark. Or a barracuda. Is there anything you want me to do?''
Fanny shrugged. "Is everything on target for Halloween?"
"Everything's been taken care of. Is Mr. Reed going to attend?"
"Don't look at me like that, Bess. I haven't seen or heard from him in months. He's a friend, nothing more."
"That's because you're still married. Things will change. I think the man really likes you. I think you like him, too. You had stars in your eyes last Christmas."
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