Riverstar

by Tess Thompson

  Ellen, sitting next to Verle, raised her glass. “Here’s to the happy couple.”

  Verle, nodding vigorously, raised his glass as well. “Mazel tov.” Everyone raised their glasses and toasted them. She looked over at Ben, who winked at her.

  “If you’re all so hellfire determined to have a wedding to plan, Verle and I have decided to go ahead and get hitched.” Ellen straightened her dessert fork and sniffed. “So you know, feel free to go crazy on the planning.”

  “Badass, Momo,” said Alder.

  Ellie-Rose clapped her hands together. “Yay, Momo.”

  “You don’t even know what we’re talking about, Munchkin,” said Alder, shaking his head and laughing.

  “Thank you, children,” said Ellen before looking over at Tommy and Lee. They were staring at her as if she were a stranger that had suddenly come in from the street to join them for dinner. “And I want a big wedding. Huge. Pulling out all the stops.” She took a large sip of wine. “What? You two can afford it.”

  Tommy laughed. “It’s not that. Whatever you want, Ellen, I’ll give you. We’re just surprised.”

  “Good.” She turned to look at Linus and then Gennie. “Feel free to take over the planning if you’re so inclined. I’ll be much too busy preparing for the big day to bother with all the details. I mean, I am almost seventy-five. I may get a little Botox before the big day.”

  “Do you even know what Botox is?” asked Lee.

  “Botulism injected into your skin,” said Alder, matter-of-factly.

  “You’re not getting Botox,” said Lee. “It’s ridiculous.”

  “I may or I may not,” said Ellen.

  “I’m sending you on a honeymoon,” said Drake. “Wherever you want to go.”

  “I’ve always wanted to go to France,” said Verle, who had methodically worked his way through a heaping plate of food, never ceasing except during the toast to Bella and Ben. “I live for bread and cheese, you know.”

  “Done,” said Drake.

  “I do not think it’s a good idea for you two to go to a foreign country alone at your ages,” said Lee. “Absolutely not.”

  “You’re not the boss of me,” said Ellen.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” said Lee.

  “I’m excited to help plan your wedding, Ellen. I’ll get my planner on it right away,” said Gennie, already typing something into her phone.

  “I don’t think so, Missy,” said Linus. “I’m doing the planning.”

  Gennie looked over at him and put up her hands. “Of course. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  Stefan leaned close to Gennie, whispering something in her ear that made her blush. Bella wondered what he’d said. What was going on between them?

  “Bella, could I throw you guys a party? At my house in Malibu,” said Gennie. “Nothing fancy. Just however you want it. You can all come and stay at my house. Enjoy the beach.”

  “Like a big barbeque type of party with tequila shots and chips and guacamole?” asked Bella, blowing her friend a kiss. “And can we have cake? White with raspberry filling?”

  Stefan laughed and slapped the table. “That’s the spirit, Bellalicious.”

  “I had my toast prepared and everything,” said Annie, sniffing.

  “You can give it at the party,” said Drake, with an indulgent look at his pregnant wife.

  “Fine,” said Annie, smiling in her gentle way. “But it won’t be the same.”

  “I’m sorry, Annie. But maybe this will make it up to you.” Bella cleared her throat. “We have another announcement.”

  “Oh God, don’t tell me you’re not knocked up too?” said Alder.

  “Alder!” said Annie. “Completely inappropriate.” She turned to Bella, appearing almost hopeful. “That’s not it, is it?”

  “No, I’m not knocked up. But Ben and I are moving to River Valley. We’ve bought Lee’s house.”

  “And I’m quitting my job and opening a fly-fishing shop.” Ben said it like it was nothing important.

  The room, for the second time that night, went silent.

  “Cool,” said Alder, breaking the tension.

  “Yeah, cool,” said Stefan. “Can I invest?”

  “Dude. Totally,” said Ben. “What the hell? Really?”

  “I love fly-fishing,” said Stefan.

  “Can I work there when I get older?” asked Alder.

  “Sure.” Ben paused, lifting his glass toward the two of them. “You guys get me.”

  “You sure about this?” asked Drake.

  Ben nodded, glancing at Bella. “Life’s short and unpredictable. If the last couple of months have taught me anything, it’s that.”

  “Well, maybe keep your job for a while longer,” said Lee, with a worried nod of her head. “Just until you get the shop established.”

  “That’s smart,” said Ellen, mirroring Lee’s expression. “Best to be cautious.”

  And the room erupted in laughter.

  ***

  After dinner Bella stood with Drake on the deck. The temperature had dropped into the 30s and the forecast called for snow. The night sky was inky black. “My sister. Married. Hard to believe.” Drake lit a cigar and the unique and pungent scent filled the air. “You realize Annie’s going to cry over this for several more days. It’s the pregnancy hormones. She’s a mess.”

  She laughed, thinking of the reception and dress in her future for the supposedly casual affair. There was no way that was happening if Gennie and her party-planner-on-steroids were in charge. “She’ll have her revenge.”

  “I’m glad for you, Bella. I love Ben like a brother. You know that. And I’m proud of you. Beyond proud.”

  “Speaking of which, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” She hesitated, nervous to say it out loud. From the yard she heard a rustling. It was the doe, her soft brown eyes glimmering in the light from deck. She pointed at the doe and Drake murmured something under his breath she couldn’t decipher. A sudden gust of wind came, blowing Bella’s curls.

  “I miss Mom. Every day.” She slipped her hand into Drake’s like she had when they were children.

  “Me too.” He squeezed her hand.

  “Someday we’ll see her again. All of them. There’ll be rose gardens for you and Mom to tend for eternity.”

  “I want to believe that so very much.”

  They stood in silence then watching the doe. She remained near the rose garden, steadfast in her gaze. The clouds parted, suddenly, revealing a slender window of stars. Bella took in a deep breath, startled by their unexpected brilliance. Anything was possible if the universe made such a thing as this, she reminded herself.

  “I’m ready to start my makeup line. Ben helped me with the business plan. Before I left Los Angeles I found the chemists to do it. They’re willing to do it how I want—no preservatives and with natural ingredients and all that. Mike’s agreed to help me build a factory where the mill was in exchange for providing jobs for his displaced workers. Gennie said she’d be the face of the product and wants to invest as an equal partner but I’d need the capital in order to match her contribution equally.”

  “Bella, you know I’ll invest. I’ve told you that for years. What good is my money if I can’t do something for people I care about?”

  “What if it flops?”

  “Gennie’s face? Your talent? I don’t think so.”

  “Thanks for always being here for me. I don’t say it enough. I love you.”

  “Jeez, Bella, you’re getting soft on me.” But his voice was strangled as if he was fighting back tears. “I love you too, kid.” He squeezed her hand. “Make it rain, Bella Webber. Make it rain.”

  Such a thing as this. Surely anything was possible.

  The doe moved her head toward the forest as if someone called to her. Then, she bounded across the yard and was swallowed by the thicket of trees.

  A bright star, larger than the others, twinkled. “Coming in?” asked Drake.

&nbs
p; “No, I’ll stay with the stars for a while longer.”

  “Don’t linger too long. It’s cold.”

  “You’re so bossy.”

  “I know. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  After he was gone, she raised her fingertips to the shards of scattered light. They were made just for her. Of this she was certain. One by one she plucked them from the inky sky, gathering them inside her body until she was satiated and lustrous and courageous and so effervescent the pain and fear diminished to dormancy. Yet, even as the stars filled her they regenerated, perhaps for someone else who stood and watched, who needed and yearned to be nourished with something brighter and grander than their own timorous and desolate heart. And although she could not see it now in this night of silver and black, she knew the currents of the river flowed below her in their undaunted drift to the tumultuous sea and gurgled her name, ever vigilant lest she forget.

  THE END

  PREVIEW OF

  CARAMEL AND MAGNOLIAS

  by Tess Thompson

  PROLOGUE

  THE WIND OFF THE PACIFIC OCEAN brought the smell of seaweed and saltwater, everything encased in the constant damp and gray so that it seeped in through skin and flesh to bone, impervious to fleece or knit or rain gear. Alicia Johnson trudged across the Legley Bay High School campus on the way to gym class, the September drizzle on her cheeks and hands, her rain hood pulled over her head. She was coming from math class, thinking about the new teacher, Jack Ball, of the angry scars she’d spotted on his wrists. What had made him sad enough to attempt such a thing? Despite all her angst and disappointment, Alicia wanted to live. That above all. To stay alive and somehow make it through to a life outside of the small Oregon coastal town of Legley Bay that was nothing but the smell of fish and sea air that made houses, cars, and people gray before their time. Yes, this was the best she could hope for. And hoping kept her going despite failing grades and worry over her mother and the endless cycle of classes and her job at the minimart after school.

  Alicia glanced up from beneath her hood. There was a woman just outside the metal gates, leaning against the fender of a white, four-door Mercedes, holding a bottle of water like a beer, as if she were at a tailgate party. The woman had blue eyes, so light they reminded Alicia of ice cubes, encircled by purple glasses. Unusual color, Alicia thought. And she was short, almost square, and wore a long, black coat and thick-soled shoes, the kind nurses might wear, only brown instead of white. Her hair was short and spiky, standing up despite the rain in a way that indicated wealth. Not from around here, Alicia thought. Anyone could see that.

  The woman nodded and their eyes locked, as if they knew one another. Alicia felt the cold, more so than the moment before. Shivering, she pulled the zipper of her raincoat higher, averting her gaze to the muddy path between the main part of the high school campus and the gymnasium.

  Later, in the locker room after gym class, Alicia pulled socks over damp feet. Lola was at the mirror, applying blue eyeliner.

  “Hey,” said Lola, catching her eye in the mirror’s reflection.

  “Hey,” said Alicia, polite but not too friendly. Lola was the type of girl to attach herself to anyone who was kind to her. Like a puppy that followed you home, Alicia often thought. If she were too kind, she’d never be able to get rid of her. Lonely girls recognized one another. Regardless, she couldn’t be seen with Lola. It might mean hazing and teasing, torturous taunts in the hallways and maybe even shoving or punching after school. No, it was better to live on the fringe, on the sidelines, skirting between classes, invisible and unknown, rather than caring whether you had friends or not.

  “You wanna hit DQ after school?” Lola turned back to the mirror and put a thick coat of mascara on her lashes. “I’m supposed to be on a diet but life’s short, right?” She laughed, her lips pulling up to show her gums, and snorted. Alicia turned away. She’d noticed Lola had gained a lot of weight this year. But so had a lot of girls. It happened. Alicia was skinny and never thought much about what she ate but her mother was always on a diet, living on cigarettes and diet soda.

  “Can’t. Have to work,” said Alicia.

  “You still at the minimart?”

  “Yep.” Alicia grabbed her sweatshirt and pulled it over her head.

  “Well, tomorrow, maybe? I’ve got a new car. A Mustang.” Alicia knew about the car. She’d heard Lola telling anyone who would listen about it.

  “Where you working?” asked Alicia. It must be better than her minimum wage job if Lola could afford a Mustang, even if it was used.

  “Nowhere. Nothing around.”

  “How’d you get the money for your car?” Alicia asked, working on a tangle in her hair with the brush she kept in her backpack. Lola’s mother worked down at the Pig-n-Pancake near the entrance to Highway 101 and they lived in an apartment above some old man’s house down a long, dirt road.

  Lola turned to Alicia, her eyes darting back and forth. “Why? You need money?”

  “Thinking about going to masseuse school.”

  Lola’s eyes widened. There was a smear of mascara under her left eyebrow. “You mean drop out of school?”

  “I hate it here,” Alicia said, surprised by her sudden honesty and the lump at the back of her throat. “Just trying to stay under the radar until I can get out.”

  Lola joined her on the bench. “You have a plan?” She smelled of cherry lip-gloss.

  “Not really. Costs ten grand,” said Alicia. “I researched it on the Internet. It’s probably just a dream for other people, not someone like me.”

  Lola glanced behind them. The locker room was nearly empty. “Meet me after school. I’ll tell you about a way to get some money.” She paused, lowering her voice. “But you have to swear to keep it a secret.”

  ***

  Later that night she was on the couch with her mother watching her mother’s favorite show about rich women who were always fighting with one another. The rain was a steady drum on the tin roof of their mobile home. “You wanna diet pop, Mom?” she said.

  “That’d be nice. Thanks, baby,” said Jo, playing with a strand of her long, drab hair, her eyes fixed on the television. Jo wore sweats and a loose T-shirt, standard uniform for her one day off from the bar. Alicia recorded all her favorite shows during the week and Jo watched them on her day off, one after the other.

  Alicia went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. There wasn’t much in it, just a half case of diet cola, the generic kind they bought at Walmart, a carton of nonfat milk, and ketchup, mustard, and mayonnaise in the side door. Leftover cardboard boxes were stacked on the counter from dinner. On Tuesdays Alicia always brought them dinner from the minimart - a corndog for her sister Misty, a hamburger for her mother, and chicken strips for herself. They shared a dozen Jojo’s between them, fried potatoes that only places like the minimart and deli counters at grocery stores sold. According to Misty, no matter where you bought them, they always tasted the same. “Some kind of secret molecular creation by scientists in plastic suits and face masks,” Misty had said tonight, laughing, as she grabbed two more on her way out to her Math Club meeting at school.

  Alicia laughed too. “You’re such a show-off.”

  “These fabricated potatoes will probably kill us yet, but what a way to go,” Misty added before the door closed behind her, causing the trailer to shudder.

  Alicia grabbed two sodas and closed the refrigerator door. At the doorway, she paused. Something was dripping. Her eyes scanned the ceiling. There, to the right of where they kept the trashcan, was a leak – a brown stain the shape of a pineapple in the false-ceiling tile. She sighed and grabbed the bucket from under the sink and set it there, watching the water splash against the plastic. After a moment, she joined her mother back on the couch. “There’s another leak.”

  Jo didn’t take her eyes off the television. “Great. That’s all we need. Did you put the bucket under it?”

  “Yeah. I’ll try and fix it tomorrow,
Mom, don’t worry.”

  “You’re a good girl,” said Jo.

  “You’re a good mommy,” said Alicia, snuggling closer.

  The women on television were at a spa. An attendant wrapped them in seaweed. “I’d like to work at a spa someday,” said Alicia. “Maybe become a masseuse.”

  “You’d be good at that, baby. Such strong hands.”

  “Really, Mommy? You think so?”

  “Sure. Once things pick up at the bar, maybe we’ll send you to one of those schools.”

  “They cost ten thousand dollars.”

  “That much?”

  Alicia shifted so she was sitting on the far end of the couch. “Give me your feet, Mommy. I’ll rub ‘em for you.”

  She held her mother’s feet in her hands, listening to rain beat against the roof of the trailer. She thought about Lola’s offer. If she did it, she could work in one of those swanky spas in the city and wrap women in seaweed. She could send money to her mother so she could fix the roof. And maybe Misty could go to college when she graduated in three years.

  The next day Alicia sat slumped in her seat, watching Mr. Ball explain an equation by scrawling it in messy handwriting on the whiteboard. Jack Ball was a new teacher, young, without the wary defeat of the other teachers. He dropped his whiteboard pen and as he reached for it, his sweater sleeve inched up over his wrist. There was the angry red scar on the inside of his wrist again - this telltale sign of a sad man.

  In the row next to her, Josh Wilson doodled a pattern like a checkerboard on his folder. His brown hair was on the long side, cut in the way all the boys wore it now, brushed over their foreheads. He shifted in his seat and glanced over at her, and seeing that she watched him, raised an eyebrow and smiled. He was an athlete and his arm muscles flexed as he tapped his pencil on the side of the desk and his thigh muscles pressed against the fabric of his jeans. He was considered good-looking but wasn’t the most popular boy because he was on the sweeter side. Would he be interested enough in her to have sex?

  What had Lola said to her? All boys will do it with you if you let them know you want to. So she smiled at him, hoping he would understand - I am available. It must have worked, she thought, since he grinned at her before he leaned back over his notebook, continuing his doodle.