A White Picket Fence

by Laura Branchflower

  “How come I never heard about this before?”

  “I don’t know. Ask your mom.”

  “You’re not just saying this to get me to talk to her, are you?” Katie asked.

  “No, everything I said is true,” Alice said.

  “What’s true?” With curly dark hair falling just past her shoulders and in cut-off shorts and a tight tank top, Shiloh Rayburn was dressed more like a teenager than a thirty-nine-year-old woman, and thanks in part to never having had children, she had the body to do so.

  “I was just telling Katie about her parents’ connection,” Alice said, turning her attention to her youngest daughter. “What are you doing here?”

  “Julian is taking me away for the weekend. I came by to drop off the dogs.”

  “Julian?” Alice shook her head. “I told you last week after I looked at your chart not to make rash decisions. You’re in a period of impulsiveness, and you may regret—”

  “Hello,” Julian said as he stepped into the room, his gaze shifting between Alice and Katie.

  “Oh, don’t ‘hello’ me,” Alice said, poking him in the chest. “You’re as bad as she is! The two of you never learn. You are not compatible! Now get out!”

  “Mom! He’s my husband!”

  “That was your choice, not mine! Out!” She pointed towards the front of the house.

  “I started talking to a counselor,” Julian said. “I know I was wrong.”

  “You’ve run out of chances with me! The last time was too much.”

  Katie turned her back on them, only half listening as the argument raged on. She hated being around Julian. He was a first-class asshole, and he looked like a weasel with stringy brown hair, a thin face and close-set eyes. Last time he came to their house, he called Shiloh a bitch in front of everyone, and her father banned him from coming over again. They were supposed to be getting a divorce, but she wasn’t surprised that they were back together. Shiloh was always leaving Julian and then getting back with him.

  Katie opened her backpack and began slipping some books inside.

  “What are you doing? You can’t take those books home. They are for you to read here.”

  Katie looked back over her shoulder at her grandmother, surprised to find Julian no longer in the room. “I won’t lose them.”

  “Your parents won’t allow those books in their house. You know that. And after the tirade I received from your dad last week over the T-shirt I let you buy, I don’t think we should push our luck.” She held out her hand. “Come on.”

  Katie pulled the two astrology books from her pack and handed them to her grandmother.

  “Is that it?”

  “Yeah,” Katie said, closing the bag before her grandma could see the book of spells.

  Lina normally avoided the street where she grew up, but she was already late, so she took the most direct route to Alice’s, and when her childhood home came into view, she tried not to look. But her eyes were drawn to the brick colonial, and a flood of anxiety gripped her chest. She should have taken the long way.

  A few turns later she was at the house Alice had bought two weeks prior to Lina’s seventeenth birthday. At the time, Alice said she chose the closing date as a birthday present for Lina so she could be home for her birthday, but Lina never moved into the house, never made it her home, instead choosing to remain with Phil and his family.

  Her heart dropped when she saw Julian’s black Jeep in Alice’s driveway. “What’s going on?” she asked Shiloh, who was smoking a cigarette on Alice’s front porch.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Are you back with him?”

  “Yes.” She avoided Lina’s eyes.

  “He threw all of your things on your front lawn,” Lina said. “You called us crying at one a.m.”

  “He was drinking. He feels awful about it.”

  “He always feels awful about it. You were doing so well. Why would you go back?”

  “Because I love him, and I wasn’t doing well. You just saw what you wanted to believe. I missed him. Every day without him was awful.”

  “He makes you miserable, Shi.”

  “I’m more miserable without him, and he’s my husband, so I would appreciate if you would keep your negative opinions to yourself.”

  “Hey.” Julian nodded at Lina as he stepped out onto the porch. “You ready, babe?” He slapped Shiloh’s butt. “We should get on the road before traffic gets bad.”

  “Megan’s graduating tomorrow,” Lina reminded Shiloh. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “Sorry, I completely forgot,” Shiloh answered, slipping her arm around Julian’s waist as they left the porch. “We’re going to the beach for the weekend. Tell her congratulations for us.”

  “Did you get Gatorade?” Logan was on his feet as soon as Lina and Katie entered the kitchen, relieving Lina of a couple of grocery bags.

  “In the back of the car. Would you bring in the rest of the groceries?” As soon as he was out of the house Lina turned to Katie. “Your grandparents are going to be here within the hour. Would you make sure your room is presentable?”

  “I don’t want them in my room.”

  “Well just the same, I’d like to make sure it’s picked up.”

  “Dr. Drayton said it’s my sanctuary—that you’re not supposed to comment on it.”

  “Fine,” Lina sighed. “Just make sure the door’s closed.” With Phil’s parents’ impending arrival, the graduation the following day and learning Shiloh was back with Julian, Lina couldn’t handle the stress of an argument with Katie, which, as Dr. Drayton predicted, was now a daily occurrence.

  “Need me to do anything else?” Logan asked after bringing in the rest of the groceries.

  “Just make sure your room is clean.”

  Lina was on her second glass of white wine when Phil’s parents arrived. Bruce and Susan Hunter were what Lina’s mother referred to as “country club” people, but to Lina they were family and had been since they took her into their home when she was sixteen and treated her like the daughter they never had. Ultraconservative, wealthy by most standards, Phil’s father was a retired judge, and his mother had served on the boards of numerous charitable foundations until they retired three years earlier to Palm Beach.

  “You look stunning,” Mrs. Hunter said after releasing Lina from a warm embrace. “Doesn’t she look stunning, Bruce? Are you having skin treatments or is your skin naturally keeping that porcelain look?”

  “Just the monthly facial,” Lina answered before turning to greet her father-in-law.

  “Where are my beautiful grandchildren?” Mrs. Hunter asked. “I can’t believe I’ve gone six months without seeing them.” They’d visited over Christmas, but Phil had been too busy to travel down to Florida over spring break as originally planned.

  “Megan is at graduation rehearsal…” Lina trailed off as Logan appeared from the front of the house and was enthusiastically greeted by his grandparents, who both were convinced he’d grown six inches since they last saw him. “Why don’t you help your grandpa with the bags?” Lina suggested.

  “And where is Katie?” Mrs. Hunter whispered. Lina tried to speak to her mother-in-law weekly, so Mrs. Hunter was well versed on Katie’s progress.

  “Upstairs—her room’s a mess, but it’s the type of battle I’m not supposed to fight.”

  Mrs. Hunter squeezed her hand. “I’m just so thankful our prayers have been answered and she’s doing better. I’ll run up and say hello.”

  Phil arrived moments later. “I told you not to worry about cooking.”

  “I didn’t want to make your parents go out. I’m sure they’re tired after traveling.”

  “They wouldn’t have minded.” He took a swallow from her wine glass. “Where is every…” He trailed off when they heard the door from the garage opening, and then Adele was entering the kitchen.

  “Why aren’t either of you answering your cell phones?” Adele kissed Phil’s cheek and then Lina’s. Barely five f
oot three, Adele made up for her lack of height with enough energy to light up a small village. “Luckily I was showing a house down the street,” she continued. “Have you talked to Mom or Shiloh today?” Her gaze settled on Lina.

  “Yes.” Lina averted her eyes.

  “What’s going on?” Phil asked.

  “She’s back with Julian,” Adele said.

  “Fuck.” Phil ploughed his fingers back through his hair and gripped the back of his neck. “You knew?” he asked Lina.

  “I was going to tell you after graduation.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  “Let’s go outside,” Phil said. “The kids don’t need to overhear this.”

  “At least he doesn’t physically abuse her. We all know it could be worse,” Adele said as soon as the door was closed, alluding to Shiloh’s first husband, who had knocked her down a flight of stairs.

  Lina crossed to the edge of the deck, staring mindlessly at the pool, aware of their low voices behind her but not attempting to listen to their conversation as tears filled her eyes. She had no solutions, no idea what to do to help Shiloh. She heard footsteps and then felt Phil’s strong arms wrapping around her from behind. “She has to see it herself,” he said against her ear. “We can’t keep her away from him.”

  “I know. I just hate thinking of her with him.”

  “Me too.” He tightened his hold on her. “I love you.”

  “I’m okay,” she said, knowing he was worried about her. He always worried about her when an issue with Shiloh arose. “Do you want to stay for dinner?” Lina asked Adele as she turned back to the house.

  “I would, but I have a date, and if I don’t leave now I’ll be late.”

  “Already?”

  “Of course already.” Adele reached for the door. “I’m not getting any younger.”

  “Wait—Dan’s gone?” Phil asked. “I liked that guy. What in the hell is wrong with you?”

  “I’m sorry?” Adele looked back at him over her shoulder. “Did you expect me to keep fucking him because you like him?”

  “No. I expected you to keep fucking him because he was a good guy and he was in love with you.”

  “Well, I wasn’t in love with him.”

  “What time do we have to be there tomorrow?” Phil asked. He was sitting on the side of the bed, looking at the alarm on his cell phone.

  “The baccalaureate ceremony starts at ten.”

  “I’ll get up at seven so I can work out in the morning.” He set the phone on his nightstand before disappearing into the bathroom.

  Phil’s phone began to vibrate as Lina turned off her bedside lamp. Her heart dropped when she saw the name “Kim” on the display. Why was Kim calling him at eleven thirty at night? She didn’t normally answer his phone but decided to make an exception. “Yes?”

  “May I speak to Phil?”

  “In reference to what?”

  “I’m sorry. This is Kim Ryan. I work with him.”

  Lina looked up as Phil emerged from the bathroom. “Kim.” She held out the phone.

  “I think you’ve lost track of the time. I’m sure whatever you have to say can wait until tomorrow.” He ran his hand over the back of his head as he turned away from Lina. “No…No…I’ll call you tomorrow and you can tell me whatever you need then…No, it’s late and it can wait.” He hung up.

  Lina watched him. “What was that?”

  “She’s one of the associates. She’s working late and not considering the time or the urgency of what she needs.” He set his phone on the nightstand before stretching out on the mattress beside her.

  “Do I know her?”

  “You may have met her at the holiday party. I don’t know.” He kissed her briefly on the lips. “Good night.”

  Long after Phil’s breathing deepened in sleep, Lina continued to stare up at the ceiling, her mind swirling between thoughts of Shiloh and Julian and the woman on the other end of the call.

  6

  The weather couldn’t have been better for an outside graduation, with temperatures in the upper sixties and just enough puffy clouds in the otherwise clear sky to offer an occasional reprieve from the June sun. As Lina left the baccalaureate ceremony with Phil, Alice and his parents, she was surprised by how emotional she felt. Halfway through the ceremony, the realization that her baby was graduating from high school had become almost overwhelming as visions of Megan throughout the years played in her mind like a video: the day she was born, her first birthday, her smile without her front teeth, her first soccer game. The video went on and, until Phil slipped a handkerchief into her hand, she was unaware she was crying.

  “How are you?” Phil took her hand, lacing his fingers through hers, as they walked along the paved path leading to the seating area for the graduation ceremony.

  “I’m a mess. I had no idea it was going to hit me like this. And I forgot my sunglasses.”

  “Do you want mine?” He brought her hand up to his mouth, pressing his lips against the inside of her wrist.

  “No.” She leaned into him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they continued to walk. Her oldest child was graduating from high school. She could barely believe it. Where had the time gone?

  She felt a degree better as they reached their seats, and then she was greeting Adele and Phil’s older brother, Mike, and his wife, Jeanie. Shiloh was of course absent, which Lina decided was a good thing because she didn’t want anything distracting from Megan’s day.

  “Here.” Phil held out a handkerchief. “A fresh one for the new ceremony.”

  “You brought two?”

  “Of course.” He leaned in, kissing her softly on the cheek. “I knew you would cry.”

  “You could have warned me.”

  Moments later when she glanced back over her shoulder, hoping to catch a glimpse of Megan as the graduates began assembling beneath some trees to their right, Lina found herself instead looking at Dr. Drayton. He was a few rows back, smiling in response to something a woman beside him was whispering in his ear. It felt strange seeing him outside of the office, and she was struck by how handsome he looked in a tan suit, his shirt open at the collar.

  His attention shifted in her direction, and their eyes met, and then for the briefest moment his gaze dropped to her body. When his eyes again met hers, she saw unmasked male appreciation. She returned her attention forward, her pulse beating rapidly. He was attracted to her. Or maybe he just found her attractive. Either way, it was unsettling and strangely exhilarating.

  As Lina’s eyes followed her firstborn child walking towards the stage in a white sundress, carrying a dozen red roses, Lina caught her breath. Megan was all grown up and a female version of Phil with her thick brown hair, wide-set eyes and flawless skin. Her straight nose was a smaller version of his, as were her lips and even the small cleft in her chin. Lina wondered if she contained any of her DNA or if Phil’s had somehow permeated her egg and pushed all of Lina’s out.

  Megan delivered the keynote address flawlessly, exhibiting the same poise and confidence that always came naturally to Phil. And then she was returning to stage again and again to receive one accolade after another. As the headmaster prepared to give the final award to the student perceived by the faculty to be the most outstanding member of the class, he mentioned that this year’s recipient had received more votes than any student in the history of the school, and Lina knew before the end of the announcement that it would be Megan.

  As she stood with the rest of the audience to give her daughter a standing ovation, she stole a glance at Katie, who was sitting between Alice and Logan, and as Lina feared, she remained seated.

  “Tell her to get up,” Phil whispered in Lina’s ear.

  Lina leaned over Logan to tap Katie’s shoulder. “Stand,” she mouthed.

  Katie looked like she might argue or ignore the request, but one stern “now” from her father had her begrudgingly coming to her feet, and to Lina’s r
elief Phil turned his attention back to the stage, ignoring Katie who, although standing, continued to tap away on her phone.

  When the last graduate’s name was announced, the families assembled at a reception outside the headmaster’s house a few hundred yards away, and as Lina and Phil were stepping away from the punch bowl they came face-to-face with Dr. Drayton.

  “Oh, hi!” Lina’s first thought was that he had the greenest eyes she’d ever seen, and the second, and right on the heels of the first, was that Phil was standing directly beside her. “This is—”

  “Phil Hunter,” Phil said, holding out his hand.

  “Nick Drayton.” He returned his handshake.

  “Drayton?” Phil repeated, his brows pulled together in confusion. “As in doctor?”

  “That’s right. Is there a problem?”

  “No, not at all. I just…” Phil glanced briefly at Lina before returning his attention to Dr. Drayton. “I wasn’t expecting you. Do you have a child graduating?”

  “A nephew.”

  “You’re local?”

  “Yes. Congratulations on your daughter’s accomplishments. I’m sure you’re very proud.”

  “Thank you. We both are.” Phil ran his hand over Lina’s lower back. “We should get back to our group. It was, uh, good to finally meet you.”

  “Why in the hell did I picture him as a seventy-year-old with a pipe?” Phil whispered into Lina’s ear after they walked away.

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’ve been seeing him every week for months and never thought to mention he was good-looking?”

  “Maybe I didn’t notice,” she teased.

  He tightened his arm around her and brushed his lips against her cheek. “Push the handsome doctor from your mind, Lina. This is Megan’s day.”

  Lina was stretched out on her bed halfway through a planned two-hour nap when Katie, wearing cut-off shorts and a black T-shirt that said, “I Think Religion is Bad and Drugs are Good,” came into her room and announced she needed a ride to Emma’s house.