“Of course I’ll be there,” Laura said, kissing his forehead and forcing herself to calm down. She had to be strong for the both of them . . . because if she thought about what would happen if the surgery didn’t work, she might fall apart. “Now, are you sure you don’t want the chocolate cake?”
Brian grinned, his mood instantly lightening. He reached around her to grab the room service menu, “Well, maybe just one slice.”
• • •
IT HAD ONLY been twenty minutes into Brian’s operation when Janet opened up her purse and pulled out three sandwich bags filled with powdered sugar-covered Chex. “I made some puppy chow for us,” she said handing Laura a bag. “I always get hungry when I’m nervous.”
Laura, Rob, and Janet were sitting in the hard green faux leather chairs in the waiting room. Laura had been studying but was finding the waiting room too distracting. Two young kids kept tugging on their mother’s sleeve to show her their drawings. An elderly man with a smoker’s rattle coughed on cue every five minutes, and a woman with a faux-hawk and a snake tattoo on her neck kept checking her watch and sighing. Everyone was restless, which in turn made Laura restless.
Laura smiled and took the bag from her mother-in-law, grabbing a handful of the sugary snack. “How’s your knitting coming?” she asked between bites.
Janet held up a big square of knitted yarn featuring a gray and yellow geometric design. “Well, I just started. It’s gonna take me a while to finish it.”
“It’s beautiful,” Laura said, admiring the piece. “What’s it gonna be?”
Janet blushed. “A baby blanket.”
“Aw, that’s sweet.” Laura paused. “Whose baby?”
Janet looked back down to her work, as if she didn’t want to make eye contact with Laura. “Yours.”
Laura suddenly felt like the powdered sugar had congealed in her throat, and started to cough. She doubled over, and Janet patted her on the back. She waved her mother-in-law off. “I’m fine . . . wrong pipe.”
“Don’t worry,” Janet said, sitting back. “I know you’re not pregnant, dear. But I hope that you and Brian are able to start your family soon, and thought I may as well get this done so when I do get a grandbaby, it’ll be ready.”
Laura’s stomach roiled and she felt her face growing hot. She was only eighteen—did Janet really want her to become a teen mom? She fought to keep her cool and stay polite.
“Well, that’s just the sweetest,” Laura lied, twisting her wedding band around her finger anxiously. “I’m gonna go get a Coke—do either of y’all want anything?”
“No thanks,” Rob grunted from two seats down, not looking up from the issue of Outdoor Life in his hand.
“Could you get me a Diet Coke, sweetie?” Janet reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of ones.
Laura pushed Janet’s money away. “Of course, but it’s my treat. Y’all paid for our hotel room. It’s the least I can do.”
As Laura made her way to the vending machine area, she began to feel dizzy. She stared at the glowing soda machine, remembering her conversation with Brian the night before. What if he had complications with the surgery? What if he couldn’t play football again, and they were stuck living with Rob and Janet forever? What if Brian, like Janet, just expected her to get pregnant and pop out three babies by the time she was twenty-five?
As she pushed the Diet Coke button, she felt a wave of frustration pass through her. Janet expected Laura to focus her whole life on Brian. It was selfish. But honestly, hadn’t Brian been a little selfish, too? Brian had let her quit high school to be with him. Yes, she had wanted to do it, but he’d never even questioned that decision, never encouraged her to think about what she might be giving up.
Laura grabbed the soda from the machine and she pushed the button for the Cherry Coke, startling as her phone vibrated in her back pocket.
It was a text from Vince.
Missed you in class today. Mr. Leblanc may or may not have been stoned. I’ll tell you everything when you’re back. Hope the surgery’s going well.
Laura smiled and started to write back, her stomach fluttering a little. Then Madison’s words from the night in the hot tub popped into her head: “Does this have anything to do with Vince?”
She stared at the screen for a second, her heart beating out of her chest. Maybe Brian was being selfish, but if Laura was being honest, she was in the wrong, too. She’d developed an emotional connection with another guy. She looked forward to seeing Vince in class and laughing with him over lunch. Hell, she’d talked to him about wanting to go to college when she hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Brian that yet. She clicked the lock screen on her phone and put it back in her pocket.
Anxiety bubbled up inside of her, and she tried to fight it off. Brian was her husband and he needed her right now. He was in surgery and his career was on the line. That was where her attention—her heart—should be. Not with some other guy.
She headed back to Rob and Janet, and spent the next few hours with her headphones in, focusing solely on her schoolwork—something that she could actually control.
• • •
BY DINNERTIME, THEY were allowed to see Brian. The doctor had told them the surgery went perfectly and they had high hopes for his recovery. After Rob and Janet fussed over their groggy son, they left Laura and Brian alone in the room.
“How’s the food?” Laura asked as he took bites of the roasted chicken, rice, green beans, and carrots the hospital delivered to his room.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna say this . . .” His voice was hoarse from the breathing tube they’d used during the surgery. “But I’d rather have your cooking than this crap.” He smiled and patted the cot. Even though the joke was at Laura’s expense, she appreciated his attempt at humor. She sat down next to him, being careful not to touch his leg.
She grinned back. “You’re a jerk, you know that?” She pushed his blond hair off his forehead and stroked his cheek.
“I can’t wait to get back onto the team and move back to Baton Rouge with you,” he said, a little slur in his voice thanks to the painkillers coursing through his system. “Maybe we can get a house off campus next year, with a backyard and a puppy.”
Laura kissed his cheek. “Can we name him Gumbeaux?”
“We can name him whatever you want.” He squeezed her hand. “Just as long as he’s, like, a hearty dog . . . like a bulldog or a Lab.”
Laura laughed. “Works for me.”
Brian focused his bleary eyes on her. “I love you so much. Thanks for being here for me.”
“I love you, too, babe,” she said, kissing him again. They had been through a lot this year, but it would only make them stronger.
“From here on out, it’s all gravy. Red carpet events, private jets, a mansion . . . baby, I’m gonna make you so happy,” he went on.
Her phone buzzed. She stood up from the bed and read the message from Vince.
When are you back?
She held her phone close to her heart as Brian continued talking about the life they were going to have. Laura closed her eyes and imagined it, too. A happy marriage, a successful husband . . .
She looked back at her phone and stared at Vince’s text again. She hovered over his contact information, then with a deep breath, pressed DELETE. A few seconds later, Vince was no longer in her contacts. She put her phone down, smiled at Brian, and took another deep breath.
For better or worse, in good times and bad, she’d committed herself to Brian. They were married, and Laura for one believed in keeping her promises.
36
gabrielle
IT HAD BEEN a little over a month since Gabby had broken up with Tony and shattered both of their hearts—a long, miserable month. Tony’s father, of course, had been gleeful about the breakup, but true to his word, immediately started the process of getting her mom released. It had been agonizingly slow but Gabby kept telling herself that waiting a month for her mom was a million times better t
han waiting the remaining six years of her sentence.
First she’d had to fill out a petition for her mom, which Mr. Ford submitted to the governor, who in turn passed it along to the parole board. She knew that Mr. Ford being best friends with the governor had everything to do with the pardon getting the green light, but Gabby also liked to think that the board felt empathy for Elaine’s circumstances and could see that she was a good person.
Now the day of her release was finally here. Excited as she was to have her mom back, Gabby wondered if she’d think of Tony every time she saw Elaine, of the life she could’ve had?
As she stood outside the penitentiary, waiting for Elaine to exit through the barbed wire fence, Gabby scrolled through her messages from Tony. It’d become a habit over the past few weeks, as if rereading his words could somehow bring him back into her life. The last text was sent on April thirtieth, and it was the most excruciating of all: I just need to talk to you. Do you know how hard it is to not have closure on something like this?
Since then, there’d been radio silence. The fact that he’d stopped reaching out made her sad, but relieved. She couldn’t blame him. After all, she hadn’t been responding to him. Who’d want to have a one-sided conversation? Gabby stared at his name on her phone and wondered if he was over her yet. He’d fallen in love with her so quickly; maybe he’d already met a new girl to dance with in the kitchen . . . in the bedroom . . . in the living room. The thought made it hard for her to breathe.
Just as she was debating erasing his contact information, the prison doors creaked open, and for the first time in four years, her mom stepped out into the world. Elaine had cut her hair since the last time Gabby saw her, and her normally dark locks were streaked with gray. Instead of the orange jumpsuit, she wore a purple cotton blouse and high-waisted faded blue jeans. Gabby used to make fun of her for wearing them, but they were now actually back in style.
Her mom stood at the top of the steps, taking a deep breath of fresh air, clearly savoring her freedom. Her head tilted back, her eyes closed, and she smiled. Gabby, through her heartache, found herself smiling, too.
“Mama!” Gabby called out. Elaine’s eyes fluttered open and she looked around, finally spotting Gabby at the bottom of the steps. The two women squealed as Elaine ran down and into her daughter’s arms.
Gabby hugged her mom as tight as she could. “Dang, Mama,” she said, eventually stepping back from the hug and taking a look at the woman before her. “Freedom looks good on you.”
Elaine did a little shimmy of excitement. The two grasped hands and didn’t let go until they got to the car.
• • •
“YOUR PLACE LOOKS great,” Elaine said as they walked into Gabby’s apartment. “You’re cleaner than I am!”
“Well, I knew the queen of clean was gonna be stayin’ with me, so naturally I tidied up.” Gabby walked over to the air conditioner and turned it on. It was only early May, but it was muggy already. “Sorry I couldn’t keep our old place. It was just too expensive.”
“It’s lovely,” Elaine said, looking around the room. “What’s this?” she asked, walking over to a small pink and white Easter basket from Gabby’s childhood that sat on the futon. Gabby had filled it with her mom’s standard toiletries, like Rembrandt toothpaste and Pantene Pro-V shampoo and conditioner.
“I just picked up some of your favorite things.” Gabby pulled her hair into a ponytail and sat on the couch. “I figured you’d probably wanna pamper yourself, now that you’re out.”
“Look at you taking care of your mama,” Elaine said with a proud smile. “I should be the one taking care of you.” She put her hands on Gabby’s cheeks, and the two of them awkwardly stood there in the middle of the room for a moment. Gabby had made space for Elaine in her home, but she still wasn’t sure how to make space for her in her life.
“I’m gonna order some pizza for us,” Gabby said, breaking up the silence. “Pepperoni from Giovanni’s?”
Her mom nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds delicious.”
Later, as they indulged in the pizza, they caught up on the past month.
“So, are you ready to talk about why you broke off your wedding with Tony?” Elaine asked as she blotted the grease off of the pizza with a paper towel. Gabby had mentioned the breakup during their visitation in April but hadn’t gone into detail. She didn’t want her mom to know the truth about why she was being released early—she knew Elaine would feel guilty, and this was supposed to be a fresh start for them. Plus, if Gabby was being honest, it was easier for her not to talk about it.
“Um, it just didn’t work out. We were two different people.” She took a big bite of pizza, trying to stave off any further conversation.
“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Her mom put her hand on her shoulder. “It’s better that you found out before you actually got married though. Saves both of you a lot of pain.” She shook her head. “You will find somebody great one day. . . .”
“I sure hope so,” Gabby said, attempting to figure out a way to steer the conversation elsewhere. “So, what’s your plan now that you’re out? What’s on your agenda?”
“Well, for starters, I’m gonna make up for lost time with you,” Elaine said, her eyes shining. She put her pizza crust on the paper plate and wiped her hands with a napkin. “I’m gonna make things right, okay? I’m gonna get a job and help you pay for college. I owe you that.”
Gabby put her plate down and frowned. “Mom, I’m almost twenty-two. I’ve made it okay on my own and you don’t owe me anything. Besides, looking out for me is what got you in trouble in the first place. . . .”
Her mom sighed and then hung her head.
“Sorry, that came out wrong.” Gabby bit her lip. “Listen, today marks a clean slate for both of us, okay? No more lies . . . no more guilt. Let’s just put everything in the past and start over—what do you say?”
Elaine took a deep breath. “I’d like that.”
“Okay, great!” Gabby grabbed her half-eaten pizza crust and held it up. “To new beginnings,” she said, tapping her mom’s crust with hers.
“To new beginnings!” Elaine smiled. “Hey, you know what I’m craving? Ice cream! Want to go to Dairy Queen for dessert?”
Gabby’s eyes lit up. They used to go through the drive-thru all the time. A cookie dough Blizzard was her mom’s reward for good grades and a pick-me-up when either of them had a bad day. One time they both got the giggles so hard as the car pulled up to the speaker that Elaine couldn’t even get the order out. When she finally did and they pulled up to the takeout window, tears of laughter were streaming down both their faces. The employee’s confused look only made them laugh harder.
“I’m in!” Gabby said.
As Gabby drove them toward the outskirts of town, she scanned through the radio stations until she found her mom’s favorite—the classic country music station. But instead of it making Elaine happy, her mom started to cry.
“Oh my gosh, what’s wrong, Mama?” She kept her eyes on the road but reached her arm out to comfort Elaine.
“I’m sorry,” she said, drying her tears. “It’s just—being out. It’s incredible! I’m so thankful. And being back . . . with you.” She put her hand on Gabby’s leg. “I know you said I don’t owe you anything, but I’m gonna be a better mom. I promise, Gabs.” Elaine looked out the window as a semi-trailer truck passed them on the interstate. “Prison changed me. It made me realize what life was really about.”
“And what’s that?” Gabby asked, slowing the car down as she took the exit for Dairy Queen.
“Family—you.” She leaned her head back on the headrest. “You’re my world, Gabs. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.” Her voice grew angry. “And I was so stupid and so focused on giving you material things that I ended up missing out on years of your life.”
Gabby turned the car into the parking lot and shut the engine off. “Listen, Mama. I know you were just trying to help me. You were in a tough situ
ation, and I get that you were putting my happiness first.” She flashed back to her deal with Mr. Ford; she understood the feeling of putting someone else first all too well. “I want you to know that I forgive you,” she said, realizing that she meant it.
“You do?” Her mom smiled through the tears.
“Yes,” she said, leaning in for a hug. “I love you. And I promise I’ll help you get back on your feet.”
As she and Elaine sat inside the Dairy Queen, catching up and eating their cookie dough Blizzards, Gabby thought about everything that she had gone through to get to this point. Maybe she and Tony weren’t supposed to end up together, after all. Maybe he and Mr. Ford were put in her life to get her mom back, to help her forgive Elaine for what she’d done, to understand how quickly one lie could snowball into another. And as painful as it was that she’d never be with Tony again, there was something comforting about knowing she got a second chance with her mom. She’d wanted so badly to be a part of his family . . . but now, against all odds, she had her own back again.
37
madison
“SO, WHY AREN’T you wearing one of those sexy lil’ black and white uniforms?” Cash asked as he greeted Madison with a nuzzle on the neck and welcomed her into his trailer.
“What the hell are you talking about?” she asked, raising an eyebrow and tossing her backpack of cleaning supplies on the floor.
“You know—like those French maids.” He opened the fridge and handed her a cold can of Budweiser.
She rolled her eyes. “Je ne suis pas française.” It was one of the phrases she remembered from high school French class, and the only one she could think of off the top of her head that was actually relevant to this conversation.
The Young Wives Club Page 23