1 Lowcountry Boil

by Susan M. Boyer

  “Do you have any sanitizer handy?” I asked.

  Merry and Mamma exchanged a look.

  “I am not crazy. I’m getting ready to handle your food. I’d think you’d want my hands to be clean.”

  Merry smothered a grin. “You just scalded them.”

  I fantasized about smothering her. “Fine. Don’t blame me if we all come down with a stomach virus tomorrow.”

  Mamma took the last of the squash out of the cast iron frying pan and turned off the burner.

  She glanced up as she handed me the platter. With a pained look, she offered the advice she had shared with us countless times since our sixteenth birthdays. “You girls would be amazed at how much your dispositions would improve if you’d just put on a little lipstick.”

  It was Mamma’s philosophy that eighty percent of a girl’s problems could be mitigated—if not completely solved—by putting on a little lipstick, preferably Estée Lauder.

  “I’ll have a Jack and Coke,” Daddy called from the den. “And Chumley here needs to go outside for a walk.”

  “You’ve already had a Jack and Coke,” Mamma told him. “Walk the dog yourself, and then come open a bottle of merlot. Merry, use the green napkins. Liz, here, these serving dishes can be put in the dining room.”

  I delivered them, and popped into the family room to grab my sanitizer.

  In short order, we were seated around the dark mahogany dining room table. Fresh yellow tulips graced the centerpiece and soft candlelight flickered off the prisms of the dimmed crystal chandelier. Mamma offered her hands to Merry, on her left, and me, on her right. Following deep-seated tradition, we joined hands and bowed our heads.

  As was her custom, Mamma returned thanks. “Father, bless this food to our use and us to thy service. And please smile down on us tomorrow and make The Most Fabulous Spring Bazaar Ever a huge success. To the glory of thy name, amen.”

  Daddy looked at Mamma. “What do you have for Chumley to eat? The gravy on that steak might upset his stomach.”

  “I broiled his piece,” she said. “He really shouldn’t have fried foods at all.”

  “Mamma, please tell me you did not broil that ridiculous hound a piece of steak.” I stared open-mouthed at her.

  “Liz, close your mouth, darlin’, that really is unattractive. Of course I did, I just told you he shouldn’t have fried foods. I broiled a piece for Rhett, too.”

  “We shouldn’t have fried foods,” Merry said.

  “Speak for yourself.” I closed my eyes and savored the first bite of steak and gravy.

  We all looked up as Blake came through the front door.

  “Hey, everybody. Sorry to be late.” Blake kissed Mamma on the proffered cheek and slid into his place at the table.

  “What kept you?” Mamma picked up his plate and shoveled on steak and gravy.

  “Somebody broke out of the hardware store.”

  “Broke out?” Finally, Daddy’s interest had been captured by something other than his dog.

  “Believe it or not. From what Adam could tell, nothing was taken. The back window sure was destroyed, though. Somebody was locked in and smashed a chair through the window to get out. Probably just some teenage prank, but…” The look on his face said he didn’t buy what he was saying.

  I thought it prudent not to tell Mamma I had been involved in a police chase. Apparently Blake agreed.

  “Why would you automatically assume that teenagers are responsible?” Merry demanded.

  “Why not just open the window and crawl out?” Daddy always favored simplicity.

  “According to Adam, the back windows haven’t worked in years. They’re painted shut. The front windows are display only. And all the doors have keyed deadbolts.”

  “Sounds like a fire hazard to me,” I said.

  “I’ve raised Adam’s fire-safety awareness,” Blake said.

  “Whoever it was probably went home with at least a few scrapes and scratches. I’ll ask around tomorrow morning,” Mamma said.

  A guilty teenager could not hide from the Stella Maris grapevine. But Elvis’s “phantom” was looking good for it to me. Adam and Scott both left through doors.

  “Whoever it was hightailed it out of there pretty fast,” Blake said. “They weren’t hurt too bad.”

  “Enough now. Eat your dinner, it’s getting cold.” Mamma had piled a small mountain of food on Blake’s plate while he wasn’t looking.

  Daddy glanced up at Merry as he slathered butter on a biscuit. “How’s that roommate of yours?”

  Neither Blake nor Daddy particularly cared for Merry’s roommate, Kristen, though the reasons always seemed vague to me.

  Mamma shot Daddy a warning glance.

  “I’m just asking after the girl, Carolyn. Just being polite.” He reached for the blackberry jam. “She still selling drugs?”

  “Daddy,” Merry said. “Kristen is a pharmaceutical sales rep. You make it sound like she’s pushing crack on a street corner. I assure you that is not the case.”

  “So you tell me,” Daddy said.

  After a moment, he tried another approach. “Could be your sister will be needing a roommate. Your grandmamma’s house is awful big for one person to ramble around in.”

  A forkful of squash froze halfway to my mouth.

  “In case you’ve forgotten,” Merry said. “I have a house of my own. I’m not moving in with Liz.”

  “Save you some money,” Daddy said.

  “Frank, enough.” Mamma patted her lips carefully with her napkin. “Did you girls get a look at my azaleas?”

  “They are breathtaking, Mamma, as always,” I said. “Something else that sucks the breath right out of your lungs is that billboard of Merry’s on I-26.”

  I’d noticed the sign on my trip in on Monday. It featured a man in a coffin, surrounded by elaborate floral arrangements and six women in funeral attire, one of them my sister. The caption in three-foot letters read, “Are you positive you’re negative? Call Teen Council of Charleston at 1-800-GET-TESTED.”

  “It’s a good picture of her.” Daddy cut a bite of steak. “The TV commercials are better, though. Merry’s got real screen presence, don’t you think?”

  “What I think,” Mamma said, “is if we can’t find something more pleasant to discuss, perhaps we should enjoy our dinner while we each silently reflect upon the topic of our choice.”

  Merry’s work at Teen Council involved several programs that upset Mamma. She preferred not to know about teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, and drug addiction. My mamma has a big heart, and she works tirelessly for the less fortunate, but the less she knows the happier she is. In her world, the less fortunate are all innocent victims of circumstance.

  “I shouldn’t have brought it up,” I said. “It’s just so outrageous, it’s funny.”

  “It would be more amusing if everyone in the picture was a member of someone else’s family,” Blake said.

  “Would you like to hear the STD statistics among teenagers in Charleston County?” Merry bristled.

  Mamma stood abruptly, picked up her plate and left the room.

  Silence hung heavy in the dining room as we finished dinner.

  I searched for a safe topic of conversation. “Anybody want cake?”

  “Where’s that cake at?” Daddy grasped at the cake like a life preserver. “Coffee would be good with that, wouldn’t it? That poor little hound has got to be fed, too.”

  I rose, stacked the dinner plates, and joined Mamma in the kitchen. Several minutes later, Mamma waltzed calmly back into the dining room brandishing a three-layer chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and fresh raspberries. Mamma served and I passed around the generous slices of cake. Like a gentle breeze of nitrous oxide, the decadent confection dispelle
d the fog of ill temper, and serenity returned to the dining room.

  I grinned. If Mamma ran the world, everyone would be happy. Fat, but happy.

  “This is wonderful.” Merry relished her first bite.

  “Ummph.” Blake offered his ultimate compliment.

  “Ohmygosh. It’s been so long since I had this cake, I’d forgotten how good it is.” I closed my eyes.

  For the next thirty minutes, the conversation never strayed from the scrumptious dinner, the exquisite azaleas, and The Most Fabulous Spring Bazaar Ever. Only after everyone finished dessert and coffee, the table was cleared, and the kitchen cleaned, and after we meandered one by one into the homey family room and settled into the overstuffed sofa and chairs, did Blake tell Mamma, Daddy, and Merry about the next day’s headlines. Everyone got quiet. It still felt surreal to be discussing Gram’s murder.

  “Of course,” Blake said, “there won’t be any mention of Adam or Scott. We have no evidence against either of them. But I need to keep everyone safe while we sort this out.”

  Mamma was appalled. “I never did care for Scott. He has far too high an opinion of himself. But Adam Devlin? Why, his family helped build this town. I just can’t believe it.”

  “Doesn’t make any sense,” Daddy said. “If they thought they’d ever get their hands on your grandmamma’s land…that’s just foolish. Scott’s a jackass, but he’s a smart jackass. He had to’ve had a better plan.”

  For a change of pace, Mamma brought up another not-during-dinner subject.

  She crossed her wrists in her lap and raised her chin. “Esmerelda, suppose you fill us in on this youth camp that has the entire island in an uproar. Somehow I had the impression you were building a fellowship hall for local teenagers. But I’ve heard three different stories from three different people today, none of which sounded remotely like what you told me.”

  “Fine,” Merry said. “I’ll be happy to tell you about it. You all act as if I’ve been trying to do something behind your backs. I’ve tried to talk to you about this, but none of you had time to listen. Now, suddenly, I have your attention. I don’t know why—”

  “Merry, you know your father has a limited attention span, please get to the point,” Mamma said.

  Merry flushed, swallowed hard, and started again. “It’s simple. The Devlin family has agreed to donate land at Devlin’s Point for a camp for at-risk youth. The facility’s purpose will be to get inner-city kids away from the gang and drug culture to show them a glimpse of a better life.”

  Warming to her topic now, she continued. “We have an opportunity to share our world with kids that would otherwise never get to visit a place not covered in concrete and asphalt, a place without danger of being hit by a stray bullet every time you go outside.”

  I crossed my arms. We’d be the ones hit by stray bullets.

  Merry raised her palms, her face lit with passion. “If we can show them a life outside of the violent drug culture, we can make a real difference in their lives.”

  My heart softened. I’m not against helping kids. I just don’t want our home to become a battleground.

  Merry’s eyes held mine. “The New Life Foundation is a nonprofit organization that only accepts kids who have never been convicted of a violent crime.”

  I processed her last few words. Blood surged to my head and my eyes felt as if they might pop out of their sockets.

  Merry rolled right on past my shock. “They approached me to run one of their other facilities. I was so excited about the concept, I asked them to consider a new camp here instead. If the facility is built on Stella Maris, they’ve promised me the director’s position.”

  I could not have been more stunned if Merry had sprouted snakes in her hair. She quickly averted her eyes.

  “You said there would be convicted felons—”

  “Well, it’s possible that—” Merry searched the corners of the room.

  Daddy stood. “You don’t need to build facilities to go camping. You can go camping anytime you like—take anybody you want to.” He looked at Merry long and hard. “Although I’d like to see that.”

  Merry was not known for her love of the great outdoors.

  “The hound needs to go for a walk.” Daddy brushed past us, leash in hand and dog in tow.

  I stood and planted myself in front of my sister. “You said rival gangs. I had visions of shoot-outs on the beach dancing in my head. You deliberately mislead me. Why?”

  “Umm…let’s go for a walk on the beach. You must have misunderstood.” Merry jumped up and grabbed a quilt from the back of the chair. Shoving it into my arms, she pushed me towards the front door.

  I shoved the quilt back at her. I grabbed my purse, fished out Sig, and stuck it in the back of my Capris. We made for the door.

  “Elizabeth!” Mamma must have seen the gun.

  “Hold it.” Blake sprang to his feet. “Walk on the beach? Did you miss the part about the hit man?”

  “It’s okay,” I called over my shoulder. “I’m armed.”

  NINETEEN

  Colleen joined us on the front porch. “Let her explain.”

  I shot her a warning look. “Scram.”

  Merry stopped walking and turned toward me. “Liz, please—”

  “Not you.” I waved my hands wildly in front of my face and kept walking. “Damn mosquitoes.”

  “Oh.”

  Colleen did a backflip and floated upward. She flew in a circle around us, then darted around, mimicking a mosquito. “I’ll leave, if you promise to hear her out.”

  I shooed her away with both hands. She disappeared in a dramatic spray of fireworks.

  “They’re not bothering me at all,” Merry said.

  I inhaled a lungful of salt air and savored it a moment before exhaling. “There was one really big one. She’s gone now.”

  It was a clear evening. A million diamonds glittered in the velvet sky over Stella Maris. We ambled the two blocks from Mamma and Daddy’s house to the beach. Per my agreement with a ghost, I waited for Merry to explain herself. She wasn’t in any hurry. Suddenly I wasn’t either. It had been a long day.

  I tossed the quilt onto the sand at the foot of a nearby dune. “I’m going to leave this here while we walk.”

  This after dinner ritual, stargazing on the beach, was one of our favorites from grade school until I left for college. It felt warm and familiar, and strange at the same time, as if we were watching two other sisters link arms and stroll up the beach. The music of the waves crashing on the sand soothed my nerves.

  “So, what do you think?” Merry didn’t look at me.

  Laughter bubbled up from my chest. “You mean about the youth camp? Or the halfway house for felons from rival gangs?”

  “The youth camp.”

  I sighed heavily, loath to disturb the peace of the evening with a heated debate. I chose my words carefully. “I think you are an incredibly giving person, who sincerely wants to make a difference in the lives of kids who otherwise might not have a chance. And, I cannot imagine why you would give me such a distorted version of your plan.”

  When Merry didn’t answer immediately, I continued, searching for the words that would convey what I felt yet not alienate my sister. “But, I have to tell you, I have a huge problem with the idea of developing Devlin’s Point for any purpose. Opening that door is like opening Pandora’s Box. Before you know it, Stella Maris will look like Myrtle Beach. You know what they say about unintended consequences.” The resort that Adam and Scott were plotting was fresh in my brain.

  “No.” She gave me her trademark sarcastic look. “What?”

  “They’re unintended.”

  “We can’t freeze this island in time, Liz.”

  “Sure we can. Haven’t you heard? There’s this new tree-hugger bitch
on the town council.”

  Merry laughed and shook her head. “My sister, the crusader. I can’t believe I set myself up for this.”

  “What do you mean by that?”

  “I’ve missed you,” Merry said, in her best baby-sister voice. “You’re home now, but there’s no way you’d have stayed. And Mamma and Daddy aren’t getting any younger, you know.”

  “Exactly what have you done?”

  She took three more steps and stopped. “Well…”

  “Merry… ”

  “Remember last night at the council meeting, when I volunteered for Gram’s seat?”

  “Vividly.” I could feel my left eyebrow creeping towards my hairline.

  “Well, I never intended to actually take it.”

  “What?”

  “Can you imagine how breathtakingly boring those meetings are? You couldn’t pay me enough. You have so much more patience than I do.”

  I closed the distance between us by half. “You set me up.”

  “Well… yeah.”

  “All that concern about an outsider on the town council—I knew that didn’t sound like you.”

  “Actually I’d love to see somebody from anywhere but here on the town council. But that wasn’t the most important issue last night.”

  “You manipulated me into volunteering for that seat. You gave me some ridiculous version of your plan, knowing I’d do anything to stop you. Why did you think you had to trick me into staying here?”

  “Call it insurance. It worked, too.”

  I burst out laughing. She’d snookered me. It had been a while since I’d let that happen. I should have been mad. But to be mad at Merry for manipulating me was to be forever mad at Merry.

  Merry laughed too. We laughed until tears rolled down our cheeks and we couldn’t catch our breath. We held our sides, and held each other up.

  Finally, I wiped my eyes. “Just to be clear, I’m glad I’m home, but I was planning to stay.”

  “You say that now, but—”

  “My loft is on the market.”