“What?”
“With Kenny. You’re sleeping together?”
“Ah, did he say that? Margs, I’m at the hospital. There’s been a terrible car crash. Both Linda and Rolland are injured.”
Margot was on a tear. “When were you going to tell us? I had to find out about it by accident. I’m devastated. I had to take the day off to deal with this, Mom.”
She sounded like she was having a temper tantrum. Overwhelmed by the events of the last hour and her concern for Linda, Georgia felt like spanking her. “What exactly is involved in your day of dealing with it? You sound a little out of it.”
“If you must know, I smoked a joint to calm myself down, and I’m curled up on the couch.”
“Margot, are you listening to me? I said I was at the hospital.”
“Is everyone going to be all right?”
“I don’t know. Linda is unconscious. I rode over in the ambulance with her.”
Somehow Margot kept her voice low-pitched as she screeched, “Don’t make this about you, Mom. I’m really angry with you.”
Georgia was done with her self-absorbed child. She carefully articulated, “Why don’t you come to the ER and we can discuss it,” just before she hung up the phone on her. She immediately dialed Christopher, “Sweetheart, it’s Mom. How did everything go this morning?”
“Awesome. These antique lights are great and your chandelier looks like it was made for Margot’s house.”
She told him, “Well, Margot just called me and she sounded upset.”
He quickly said, “She’s always upset.”
“What happened today?”
He thought for a moment. “She was asking Kenny a lot of questions. We had to kind of shut her down because she was rude. We left, Kenny followed us to our house, and that was it.”
“I see. Honey, I’m at the emergency room. We don’t know what happened yet, but somehow Linda and Rolland had a head-on collision on Route 200. It’s been pretty awful, and I needed to hear a friendly voice,” Georgia said as she choked up.
“Do you want us to come, Mom?” Georgia smiled at his use of the word us. It was always a package deal with her sons.
“You know what would be a huge help? Can you guys go over and take Dolly Parton out? Throw her ball for her awhile and make sure that she does her business. I’ll call you and keep you updated about Linda and Rolland. You don’t need to come to the waiting room right now, honey. The next phone call that I’m going to make is to Kenny, and I’m sure he’ll rush right over to be with me. Just so you know.”
“Mom. Just so you know. We think he’s a great guy.” Now, Georgia really was smiling.
Thirty-One
“If you obey all the rules you miss all the fun.”
—Katharine Hepburn
Peter, Kenny, and Georgia stood around Linda’s bed. Peter was talking in his doctor’s voice, “Linda’s blood sugar is wonky, and she fainted.”
She seemed embarrassed to have caused all the fuss. “When I started to get dizzy, I tried really hard to slow down.”
Georgia told her, “You did slow down. Rolland said you weren’t going fast at all.”
“I thought I could bring the car to a stop and park on the side of the road, but I blacked out.”
Peter explained to the others, “We’re going to run more tests. It’s likely hypoglycemia or a related condition. I’m sure it will be a matter of managing her blood sugar. It’s a nuisance, but this all could have been so much worse. She broke her wrist, her shoulder, and her collarbone, so they will take some time to heal. The entire right half of the car caved in, but plenty of space was left on the driver’s side. We’re lucky her head wasn’t injured in the collision.”
Georgia staggered forward and had to sit on the end of the bed for support as she filled with relief. When she got a hold of her emotions, she asked the men, “Peter, I know I don’t have any right to ask this of you, but could I have a few minutes alone with Linda? Can you guys go get a cup of coffee or something?”
Peter shifted his gaze from Georgia to Linda who nodded back at him. “No problem. I’ll give you girls some time.”
Kenny put a hand on his friend’s shoulder as he and Peter walked out of the room and shut the door.
Georgia went over to the same side of the bed as Linda’s uninjured left shoulder. She lifted up the covers and crawled in next to her. Linda was so astonished that she burst out into that infectious laugh of hers. “What are you doing? If the nurse catches you like this, she’ll throw you out of the hospital. Georgia, what is wrong with you? Hey . . . oh, oh . . . har, har, harrrr. Ouch, it hurts to laugh.” Georgia was laughing too as she gently put an arm around her and buried her face into her good shoulder.
As best she could, Linda turned toward Georgia. They were eye-to-eye when Georgia begged to know, “What would I do without you, Linda? This was terrifying. What am I supposed to do without you?”
“I know. I know. It was awful. A long time ago I heard a Chinese Proverb, ‘Enjoy yourself. It’s later than you think.’”
“What are we waiting for, Linda? Remember the day at the pond when we first met Kenny and were helping him put his docks in? We played like we were little kids. Why don’t we have more days like that? Thank heaven you’re all right.”
Georgia held tight. In fact, they both did. When they heard someone turn the door handle, they froze. To their relief, it was Yvonne who walked in and not Linda’s nurse.
Yvonne put a hand on one hip and wore an animated expression of profound shock. “Talk about a sight to behold. What are you doing in there, Georgia?”
“I’m making Linda comfort me because I’m traumatized.”
“Never mind how she’s holding up.” Yvonne never missed a beat.
Linda freed her uninjured arm and put it up across her chest. She touched her collarbone on the opposite side and groaned. “This was a nice snuggle, Georgia, but I am going to need the whole narrow bed now.”
Georgia had to roll out to get to her feet. She stood a minute bent over with her hands on the side of the bed then pushed herself upright and faced Yvonne. “We were just talking about the day we put Kenny’s dock in. We all had a blast. Why aren’t we planning more times like that?” To Linda she announced, “Life is fragile and too short.”
Instead of Linda, it was Yvonne who responded first, “Wow. This is kind of eerie. I was having the same exact conversation with Rolland. I have been consumed with taking care of Spencer for years, but he’s much better and, of course, he has Zelda now. It’s time to move on to the next phase of our life. I’m not sure what it’s going to look like but we think the first step is knowing it’s what we want to do.”
Linda reflected as she sunk back into her pillow and closed her eyes. Her mind was spinning from all that had happened that day. She took three full breaths in and out before her eyelids fluttered and she looked up at her friends, “Maybe we can help each other figure this out. But I’ll tell you one thing I already know for sure: when I get out of this hospital and start to feel better . . . I’m going to have the time of my life.”
Thirty-Two
“If you can make a woman laugh, you can make her do anything.”
—Marilyn Monroe
This year would mark the twentieth year in a row Linda and Peter had a Valentine’s Day cocktail party. She was frankly apprehensive about hosting it because of her injuries. It had traditionally been an unruly event because it stretched out over at least nine hours, owing to the fact that Linda liked the casual feeling of an open house. People started showing up at three o’clock in the afternoon and some didn’t leave until late at night.
Peter rented a variety of glasses and set up a full bar with high-end mixers, top shelf liquors, imported bitters, and garnishes that had become legendary. He stationed himself there all night serving his guests himself and socializing. There were soft drinks, beer, and wine too, but it was known to be the one event of the year everyone looked forward to having an a
ctual mixed drink.
Linda’s role was to make sure the house looked its best and to provide food and music. Because there were always some guests who wanted to take a tour of the house, she would inevitably use the party as an excuse to redecorate a room or to have a major repair project done. Joey Tia, the best piano player in the region, knew this was a standing gig for him, and he brought in other players to provide exactly the right atmosphere.
Linda also hired a caterer to serve waves of hot and cold appetizers that were replenished until ten o’clock. It was assumed dinner would not be served, but the buffet of finger foods was available and hearty. Some people came for the entire time, while others would stop by for a cocktail, go out to a restaurant for dinner, and then come back for the music that started at eight. On her invitation Linda put, “Wear that little black dress.”
Almost everyone who came wore elegant black and white attire. Sometimes guests got inspired, rebelled, and wore bright red. The striking contrast would be noted and complimented by all. Linda provided sparkling ruby and pink Valentine’s Day headbands and hats for those who were feeling especially silly.
Since all her friends were required to dress up, Linda and Peter took the extra step of hiring a photographer. Now that their son was of legal age, his friends and cousins were invited to the party too. Entire families organized themselves to have portraits taken in their black-tie garb, and the guests treasured them. As the piano tinkled and the crowd grew warm with their Manhattans or martinis, couples and families gathered and grouped under two umbrella lights in the corner. They were handed a business card with a website where they could access their pictures the next day. When the photographer wasn’t working on the formal portraits, she roamed around tactfully taking shots of the flowers and table displays, as well as candid pictures of the guests as the night wore on. Some of them were hilarious.
A drum kit was already set up behind the grand piano in another corner of their enormous family room. One soaring wall was a mass of fieldstone with a roaring wood fire going. Candles blazed on every available surface, so many in fact that Peter and Linda rented many crystal candle holders too. This was the one night of the year Linda insisted on pure beeswax tapers, and the scent was unmistakable. Their points of light were reflected from the two walls of glass doors, topped by transoms, and fixed-plate panes high above.
At about seven thirty, three more musicians showed up. Together, along with Joey Tia, the four of them were a popular local band called The Innovators. They set up two speakers on black telescoping stands and three microphones. Although most people didn’t pay attention to such details, there were also a small soundboard and monitor speakers so the singers could hear themselves.
The family room had been built as an addition. Cedar beams framed the large opening from the kitchen. When Peter and Linda built this room they considered and planned for two things: the swarms of their child’s friends whom they enjoyed hanging around their house, and this midwinter party. It was a perfect venue to entertain a large crowd.
For the past nineteen years, promptly at eight o’clock, the pianist, who had been playing cocktail music since five in the afternoon, called Linda to the microphone and she sang her signature song, “Paper Moon.”
“You say it’s only a paper moon
Sailing over a cardboard sea...”
When she was done, as the band played jazzily behind her, she addressed the crowd: “Thank you for coming out tonight. This is our nineteenth Valentine’s Party! Are you having a good time?” The crowd held up their cocktails and cheered, “Yeah!” She and the band launched into Bobby Darin’s arrangement of “Mack the Knife,” and their bash was off to the races. The bass player took over the lead vocal next, when they went into a Stevie Wonder song, and Linda slipped her voice into harmonies and played percussion on the side of the stage.
The entire audience was on their feet and dancing. Linda usually stepped off the stage when she felt like dancing with someone she spotted on the floor. As she did, she grabbed a wireless microphone and took it with her. The other musicians and members of the crowd requested numbers they had heard her perform in years past, and she would climb back up again and give a more traditional performance. When she told Joey that she needed a break, he would handle the rest of the set of music. For many years, it went back and forth like that until the wee hours.
A month before the twentieth party was scheduled, in the middle of January, Georgia sat on the couch in this same family room having a quiet cup of herbal tea with a convalescing Linda before a splendid wood fire. It was late afternoon and already growing dark. Linda wore a splint that wrapped across her chest and up around her neck. Her arm was casted so that it was held away from her body about fifty degrees. She still winced whenever she moved. Georgia moved Linda’s cup of raspberry leaf tea from the coffee table to the side table so Linda didn’t have to reach as far.
“Thanks. I’m so distressed because I don’t think I can do it, Georgia. I can’t get off this couch, let alone even think about cleaning the house.”
“You have a month. Maybe you’ll feel better by then.”
“I’m surprised it hurts so bad. The pain at night is unbearable.”
“I don’t mean to bring up the ‘o’ word Linda, but we can’t expect to heal like we used to.”
Linda stared into space considering her predicament. “Instead of having Betsey come in and help me clean, this year, I could hire her whole crew.”
“There you go—the caterer, the photographer, and the musicians have this job down pat. You could basically jump-start them, and they would know exactly what to do.”
“But I’m so tired all the time. I can’t sleep because I can’t find a comfortable position.”
Georgia said, “You don’t have to decide right now. I always say when you can’t decide what to do, don’t do anything. If you want to go ahead with the party, nobody says you have to stay on your feet until midnight. You can adjust the hours this year. Have it end at ten.”
Linda stopped talking and rubbed her eyes with her one healthy hand. Her shoulders shook a bit, and she gulped when Georgia put an arm around her.
“You don’t have to have the party, Linda. Nobody would blame you for canceling. It’s not a big deal; we’ll just take a year off.”
“You know how I love our Valentine’s party. It’s my favorite night of the year.”
Georgia asked her, “What does Peter think?”
“He’ll do whatever is best for me. He says if I want to cancel, he’ll even take me away so I won’t think about it.”
“You did the right thing when you married that man.” Georgia took a sip of her tea and waited.
Finally, Linda took her hand away from her face and trained her tear-stained blue eyes on Georgia’s. “I will look ridiculous in a cocktail dress with my arm sticking out to the side.”
“We could drape you with a red feather boa.”
“I don’t know how much I can sing this year.”
Georgia sat upright because she had a sudden thought, “Why don’t we ask others to step up and perform? When you get tired, we’ll have a list of people you can call up to the stage. If the entertainment is your biggest concern, leave it to me. I’ll call around and get some commitments. I’m sure Margot would love to do something.”
“Really?”
“Of course. I get the strong impression you want to go ahead with your celebration, but you’re worried about letting people down. Stop fretting. Let’s be upfront about the fact you aren’t going to be one hundred percent. We can ask for help. It’s as simple as that.”
“Margot does have a beautiful voice. Can you call the band and ask for their song list? That way you can have folks volunteer for a particular number.”
“That’s a great idea, Linda. Consider it done. I’m going to get a glass of water. Do you want anything?”
When Georgia came back, Linda was still looking glum. She leaned back into the puffy couch cushion restin
g her eyes and cradling her injured side. The lines between her eyebrows were prominent. She was uncharacteristically silent.
Georgia put two fingers into the glass of water and flicked them in the direction of Linda’s face, sprinkling a few drops of water on her. Her blue eyes flew open and shifted toward Georgia. “Did you just . . . ?”
Georgia snapped some more droplets on her, but this time, Linda watched her do it. Her entire face comically lit up and she let loose with an ecstatic, almost relieved, “Har, har, harrrr. Har, har, harrrr.” She held her shoulder and tried to minimize her movements, but she convulsed with laughter, as did Georgia.
Georgia reassured her, “You don’t have to do anything about the party today. Not a single thing.” Content that it was the truth, they both picked up their cups and stared at the flickering fire. Georgia stood and put another log on top of the embers, “This wood must be really dry, it’s burning pretty fast.”
When she sat back down on the couch Linda patted her arm in silent thanks. “No matter what is going on, things are always better when you’re around.”
“You know what, Linda? If you let everyone help, you’ll feel more relaxed. This could be the best Valentine’s Day party you and Peter ever gave.”
“That’s it! You’re brilliant. There is no way the party can be the same as it was. So we will make it better than before. Now you have me excited. Let’s call Yvonne and tell her.”
Thirty-Three
“There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”
—George Sand
Georgia had music playing softly as she prepared for the Kingsleys’ big event. The holiday landed on Saturday this year, and they all expected a huge turnout. She had poured herself a glass of wine, which she brought into the tub with her, and with a lazy sip in the fragrant, steaming water she thought, How lovely it is to unwind. I am so grateful for the way things have turned out. Aren’t I lucky to have my claw-foot tub? Here I am in my adorable new house, waiting for my . . . well it sounds silly to me to call him my boyfriend at our age. Waiting for the man I love. Yes, I do love him. She poured some bath salts into the water and swirled her hand around trying to get them to dissolve.
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