“I suppose,” Mel said miserably.
“Oh, fuck them,” Angel cried, causing Troy to look at her askance. “It doesn’t matter a damn what they think any more. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. And they should be happy for you too. After all, you’re giving them the gift of a grandchild.”
“That’s true,” Mel agreed. “Okay, I’ll call them tomorrow.”
“Some mothers shouldn’t be allowed to have children,” Angel said bitterly.
She’d been having major therapy counselling and had come to realise that she was a love addict – as opposed to a sex addict. Delving back into her past, she came to understand that her mother’s rejection of her was the underlying cause of her search for love. The therapist suggested that she seek out her mother and try and work out things between them but Angel knew it was too late for that. She could beat this thing without her mother.
* * *
They were all in Lexi’s the next day for lunch when Brenda asked Mel if she’d called her parents.
“Not yet.”
“Okay – now!” Angel ordered, handing her the phone.
Mel reluctantly left the room and called her parents. Ten minutes later she came back, beaming broadly.
“I don’t believe it! It’s a miracle! They’re actually pleased about it. My mother even said she was proud of me for not opting for an abortion. Of course she had to add ‘seeing as how you’ve been left in the lurch by the father’.”
“That’s great, Mel,” Brenda said hugging her.
Lexi held out her hand to Mel. “We’re all proud of you, aren’t we, girls?”
“You bet! Absolutely! Without a doubt!” the others chorused, making Mel blush.
She was on a high after that and felt secure in this circle of friends who loved and supported her. She felt fearless and ready to face the challenge of bringing this little boy into the world.
* * *
In the meantime Troy had to settle for seeing Brenda whenever he joined in their bridge games. When Lexi had heard that Brenda had started bridge and loved it, she was delighted and she organised a bridge game with Marvin and Troy two or three times a week. Troy was delighted to be asked and happy with the opportunity to see Brenda more often.
She was improving quickly at this difficult card game and they proposed that once Lexi was better Brenda should join the bridge club in Clearwater with Troy as her partner. He was grateful for small mercies.
* * *
It was time for Lexi’s next round of treatment. This one was even more gruelling than the one she’d had before her operation. She was so brave that at times Brenda found it difficult to hold back her own tears but she had to, for Lexi’s sake.
The treatment made Lexi even more ill than before but she never complained. Marvin found it almost impossible to bear and shed his tears in private. Her hair fell out completely and she took to wearing brightly coloured headscarves. “My badge of honour,” she called them.
But finally, that block of treatment was done and her doctor said it was enough for the moment.
Lexi was exhausted but relieved it was over.
Having Brenda with her had helped Lexi to bear it. She had stayed by Lexi’s side through it all, like a ministering angel. Mel and Angel had also been extremely supportive. They kept her spirits up and she wondered what she would have done without them. She was truly lucky to have such wonderful friends.
As for Marvin! There were no words to express her love and gratitude to him. Now she was going to concentrate on getting strong and well again and start planning their wedding. They’d set a date, the twenty-fourth of July. She was also very anxious to take up her brushes and get painting again. Life had to go on despite this awful cancer. She now had to build herself up again before the next block of treatment.
* * *
Brenda’s twins had arrived in Florida the first week in June and everyone was charmed by them. Mel was pleased that Ryan settled into the job so quickly and she soon found him to be invaluable to her.
Troy and Dylan hit it off immediately and Troy offered him a job. He was a jack of all trades, some days answering the phone, others helping out with a yacht. He was very flexible and had no problem running errands or making coffee for visitors. It suited Dylan down to the ground – “Stress-free, man” – he told his twin when he asked about it. Troy was very fond of him.
Carly had also taken up her job in St Petersburg but had been met off the plane and taken directly to the camp. She loved the job, she said when she called, and would come visit on her first weekend off which would be at the end of the month.
Lexi had asked Brenda to be her maid-of-honour. Brenda was delighted to be chosen but worried that Mel and Angel might feel left out. It was her daughter, Alex, who solved the problem when she said she wouldn’t dream of missing her godmother’s wedding and would travel all the way from Sudan for it. She’d been very upset to hear of Lexi’s cancer and wanted to support her. She had two weeks’ holidays due as she had volunteered to stay on in Sudan for another year.
She had been a flower girl at Lexi’s wedding to Gianni and they decided now that Alex would be her bridesmaid, so Mel and Angel needn’t feel Lexi had preferred Brenda. Having her goddaughter as her bridesmaid made it even more special for Lexi.
Brenda was happy to have her children there, with the exception of Megan who was now working in Australia.
* * *
Now that Lexi was resting between treatments, Troy hoped that Brenda would at last agree to go out with him. They had become close during Lexi’s chemotherapy and he had been a shoulder for Brenda to cry on when things got tough. She was also very grateful to him for taking Dylan under his wing. There was no denying the chemistry between her and Troy but Brenda was afraid of where it might lead. He was already head over heels in love with her.
Eventually, he appealed to Lexi to help him and she agreed. She could see how perfect they would be together.
“Honey, I wish you would go out and enjoy yourself now. You’ve been cooped up with me for far too long,” she said, broaching the subject the following Saturday when the four girls were having lunch in Frenchy’s. “I know Troy is very anxious to take you out. Why not go with him?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Brenda replied, pushing some shrimp around her plate.
“What don’t you know?” Mel demanded. “He’s perfect for you. You make a lovely couple.”
“Brenda, honey, anyone can see that he’s crazy about you. Grab him, before some other woman does,” Angel added her tuppence worth.
“I don’t know . . . I suppose I’m scared of getting hurt.”
“Fiddlesticks! If everyone felt like that there’d be no love in the world at all,” Mel retorted.
“Troy wouldn’t hurt you for the world,” Lexi added. “I know he loves you very much. Life is too short, honey. Don’t throw away the love of a good man.”
“I suppose.”
“Good, that’s decided then. You’re going out with him the next time he asks you,” Angel said, brooking no argument.
“Or you’ll have us to answer to!” Mel grinned, shaking her finger at Brenda.
“God, you’re all so bossy,” Brenda remarked but she was grinning too.
Lexi recounted this conversation to Troy that evening and quick as a flash he was on the phone to Brenda.
“I was wondering if you’d like to spend the day with me tomorrow? I thought you might enjoy a visit to Homosassa. It’s a Wildlife Park, one of my favourite places in Florida.”
She hesitated for a second and then saw Lexi looking at her sternly.
“Yes, that would be lovely, Troy. Thank you.”
* * *
He picked her up at nine the next morning and Lexi and Marvin waved them off, both of them grinning broadly. Brenda felt a little nervous at first but quickly relaxed and soon both of them were laughing and joking as always. Troy slipped a CD in the player. It was Paul Simon’s Graceland album.
/> “That’s my favourite album,” she exclaimed happily, humming along.
“I know. You mentioned that to me when I first met you so I bought it. I really like it too.”
She was touched by his thoughtfulness. He really was the most extraordinary man.
They had a wonderful day and she agreed with him that Homosassa was a very special place. They were taken on a boat tour where they spied many of the wild animals in the park, even an enormous bear, and then went on the floating observatory to check out the manatees. Brenda had never seen one before and was fascinated by these huge but gentle creatures. She wasn’t so fond of the alligators but Troy assured her that they wouldn’t touch you unless you bothered them.
“Safer not to wade in the lakes here in Florida all the same,” he advised.
“Don’t worry, I won’t!”
At lunchtime they went back to the car and Troy extracted a big coolbox out of the trunk. Going back into the park he set a blanket on the ground and proceeded to take out the delicious picnic that he’d collected from the deli that morning.
“There are picnic tables over there,” Brenda pointed out to him.
“I know, but I think it’s not really a picnic unless you sit on a blanket on the ground.”
Brenda laughed and broke into the Billie Jo Spears song, ‘Blanket on the Ground’, as he set out the appetising lobster and salad and opened a bottle of chilled white wine.
“Thank you for a wonderful day. I feel so happy,” he said, toasting her.
“I’m happy too. I’m having a truly fabulous time.”
He had brought cheese and bread too and fruit for dessert. It was a delicious picnic.
Afterwards, they walked hand-in-hand through the park and it seemed the natural thing to do. Maybe the girls were right, she thought. If she hadn’t listened to them she’d have missed this wonderful day.
On the way back, he put the car into cruise control and held her hand.
“Do you want to talk to me about why your marriage broke up?” he asked her.
“Not right now. I don’t want to spoil a perfect day.”
“I’d invite you back for coffee,” he told her, “but I’m afraid I might not be able to control myself and then you’d never want to see me again.”
Brenda laughed. She didn’t say that she’d have a problem controlling herself too. Troy stopped the car outside Lexi’s house and when he took her into his arms she didn’t pull away but kissed him back with the all the passion she felt for him. Reluctantly, they parted, and Brenda promised to spend the following Sunday with him if Lexi had no other plans.
Brenda was relieved that Lexi and Marvin had gone to bed. She wanted to relive the day and hold on to the warm feelings she’d experienced with Troy.
Chapter 38
Angel’s life was back on track in earnest. She had been nervous about the temptations of alcohol and prescription drugs that she knew she would have to face but with all the help she was getting, she was managing to stay clean. It was also a lucky break for her that neither Mel nor Lexi were drinking at the moment and Brenda had never been a big drinker so she was abstaining too. Angel suspected she was doing it to show solidarity with her.
And then there was Kenny. He was proving to be indispensable in her life – her sponsor at AA and her life support. They went to the local meetings in Clearwater where Angel found everyone to be welcoming and friendly. Stripped of all the outward trappings, people got to know the real person and this honesty was very refreshing to Angel who had been part of the fake Hollywood life for so long. People liked her for herself which still continued to amaze her.
She and Kenny had become very close and, although he obviously adored her, she kept him at arm’s length. It was her therapist who had shown her that she was a love addict, always seeking the approbation of others. The one thing she was learning from these sessions was that she first had to learn to love herself, before loving anyone else. She was in the process of doing just that at the moment and she was doing fine.
* * *
The following Sunday, Brenda agreed to spend the day with Troy as she’d promised. He picked her up at eight that morning and to her surprise drove her to Clearwater airport. There they boarded an Air Key West small plane he’d chartered. Brenda clapped her hands with delight.
“Are we going to Key West?” she asked him, her eyes aglow. “I’ve always wanted to visit there ever since I read Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.”
“I know,” he grinned. “You told me that the first night I met you.”
She looked at him in surprise. He really was amazing. He remembered everything she’d ever said she liked and was making it all happen. He was unbelievably thoughtful and it touched her deeply.
“Actually, we’re going to be sailing back as I’m collecting a boat down there, so we have only the morning here but we will visit Hemingway’s house and drink mojitos, I promise you.”
He was as good as his word as he showed her around. She was fascinated with the writer’s house and stood spellbound on the threshold of the room in which he had written his most famous book. They were not allowed to enter it. The room was as he’d left it, the old-fashioned typewriter sitting idle on the worn table. It was so sparse and bare and she could almost feel the great man’s presence hovering there.
They strolled hand in hand down the quaint Duval Street and Brenda loved everything about the place. The whole town was quite unique and had a buzz about it that was quite contagious. He took her to his favourite bar for lunch, the Schooner Wharf, which was an outdoor bar but with plenty of shade. There they drank mojitos and ate delicious conch fritters as they listened to the live music. Then they strolled to Mallory Square which was abuzz with various stalls and hawkers selling their wares and street entertainment.
“If you think it’s lively now, you should see it at sunset. Massive crowds gather here and sit on the sea wall to watch the most glorious sunset you’ll see anywhere. You can take a sailboat out and cross the path of the sun. Just like the song, Red Sails in the Sunset. It’s truly magical.”
“I can imagine,” Brenda said, thinking how wonderful that would be.
“Unfortunately, we can’t stay till sunset today but we’ll come back here and stay overnight and I’ll take you there,” he suggested, “and we can sail into the sunset together.”
“I’d love that,” she smiled at him shyly.
They left around two o’clock for the long journey back to Clearwater. They sailed up the west coast of Florida and Troy pointed out the various landmarks telling her a little about each place. He had picked up a meal he had pre-ordered before leaving Key West and he dropped anchor just before sunset when they dined on fresh shrimp and scallops and sipped white wine. They stood at the rail and watched the glorious sun go down. Brenda had never felt so happy. As the sun was dipping into the ocean he pulled her to him and when he kissed her, her body thrilled to his touch and she kissed him back with passion.
“Oh, Brenda,” he moaned. “I love you and I want you so much.”
“I want you too,” she whispered, shaking with desire.
“Are you sure?” he asked and when she nodded, he took her by the hand and led her into the master bedroom. There he made love to her, slowly and expertly, till she cried out with pleasure. Afterwards he stroked her hair lovingly as he murmured her name over and over. She felt loved and desired and it was a wonderful feeling. All fear left her and she knew she could trust this man with her heart.
Later, on deck, she pressed close to him with her arms wrapped around him as he steered the yacht back home to Clearwater. She was falling in love and it was a delicious feeling.
* * *
Mel was now as big as a house but her pregnancy was progressing well. Only eight weeks left to go! She had gone shopping for the baby’s nursery and layette in the sales, as the woman in Macy’s had suggested, and all was ready for him now. She couldn’t wait to meet him. The only fly in the ointment was the heat.
Mel found it energy-sapping, as did Lexi, but they stayed indoors in air-conditioned comfort most of the time.
Lexi had started her next course of treatment. The bad news was that the cancer was still there. This course was even tougher and the side effects more severe. She didn’t think she could go through another one. They all prayed that this one would get rid of it once and for all. She stayed optimistic and still insisted on going ahead with the wedding. She’d opted for a very quiet, casual wedding in her own home and would postpone the honeymoon till she felt up to it.
* * *
She had just about recovered from the treatment in time for her wedding. She perked up considerably when Alex arrived five days before the big day. This was the daughter Lexi had always wished she’d had. They spent many hours together and Lexi appeared more peaceful with her goddaughter by her side. Alex was a natural nurse and Brenda was happy to see how Lexi responded to her and to witness the love they had for each other.
* * *
Everyone agreed it was the nicest wedding they’d ever been to. Lexi and Marvin vowed to love, honour and cherish each other standing on the beach in front of her house, at sunset. It was intimate and casual, just what Lexi and Marvin had wanted. Lexi was so weak that she could barely stand throughout the brief ceremony.
It was a small group who gathered to share in this special moment. Besides the bride and groom there was a heavily pregnant Mel, Angel and Kenny; Troy, Brenda and her four children and Lexi’s friend Sandy and her partner. The guys were dressed in shorts, as instructed, and the women wore sundresses. Lexi wore a long white linen dress and white sandals. On her head she had a white scarf underneath a large wide-brimmed white hat. Angel had made her face up expertly and they all agreed she looked so chic she could have been a model on the cover of Vogue. Marvin thought she had never looked more beautiful. Ryan and Dylan had somehow managed to find pinstripe shorts and wore bow ties with them and nothing else, which caused great merriment.
The Birthday Girls Page 29