by Lesley Crewe
“Where is he?” Mary cried.
“We wrapped him in a blanket. He’s in the truck.”
Mary was inconsolable. She went back to the apartment and held Weechee in her arms like a baby. She couldn’t look at him, just rocked him in his blanket back and forth. Her mother sat with her. Jerry said he’d be downstairs.
Roscoe sat in the hallway, not wanting to come in the room but not taking his eyes off the blanket.
“I didn’t even want him! I complained about him all the time. He just wanted to kiss people. Even when I was mad at him, he’d just kiss me.”
As the afternoon grew longer, Mary knew Daniel would be home. She couldn’t bear it.
“Stay with me, Mom.”
“I will.”
They heard Daniel’s truck pull up and then the door open and shut. He whistled coming up the stairs, bounding into the room.
“There’s my girl! This is a surprise. Did you get off early?”
When no one answered him, he looked closer. “What’s wrong? What’s that?”
Mary cried and cried. Carole got up and put her hand on Daniel’s shoulder. Her voice quivered. “It’s Weechee. He was hit by a car. I’m so sorry.”
Daniel’s face crumpled. “No,” he whispered. “No.” He reached out and took the bundle from Mary’s arms and then walked around the room with him cradled on his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. I’ve got you. You’re going to be all right.”
Mary grabbed her coat and purse and ran down the stairs. She jumped into the car and took off. She saw her mother in the rear-view mirror on the porch, with her arm in the air, calling her back.
It was hard to drive when tears kept blinding her. The only thought she had was to get away from everyone. It was her fault Weechee was dead. Why hadn’t she called Janet to say she was sick or that she’d be in later? Why was she rushing? Why didn’t she just take a minute and let him out to pee? Why? Why? Why?
Mary eventually got to her destination. She walked into Gran’s room and stood by her bed. Gran opened her eyes and held out her hand.
“Can I lie with you?”
Gran pushed over and Mary crawled into bed with her, hiding her face against her saggy breasts. Her grandmother pulled up the covers and tucked her in. They didn’t talk. Mary felt safe.
She must have fallen asleep. The room was in shadows. Her breath was calm and her heartbeat steady, but she wasn’t sure where she was for a split second. And then it all came rushing back.
Mary had run away when Daniel needed her. She had thought only of herself. Maybe she wasn’t such a nice person after all. She needed to apologize to him.
“Gran. Gran?”
She moved her head and lifted it away from Gran’s chest. “Are you awake?”
There was no movement. Mary got up on her elbow and looked at Gran’s face. She’d seen it before.
Gran was gone.
Mary nestled back into her chest and held her close. There were no tears. Gran was where she wanted to be and Mary had helped her get there.
She got off the bed gingerly and stroked her grandmother’s face. Then she went out to the nurses’ station and told them. They immediately went into action, and asked Mary if she was okay. She assured them she was fine.
“Don’t call my house or Aunt Peggy’s, please. I’d like to tell them myself.”
She drove home and saw the lights were on upstairs and downstairs. When she walked into her mother’s kitchen, Mom and Jerry stood up, their furry kids beside them.
“Are you all right?” Mom asked.
“Yes. I’m sorry—”
“That’s okay.”
“Is Daniel—”
“He’s better. He’s worried about you. Where did you go?”
“Gran’s.”
“I should’ve thought of that.”
“She’s dead, Mom. She died in her sleep, in my arms. It was beautiful. I felt only peace.” Mary walked over to her mom and hugged her.
“Thank you, Mary.”
Then she walked up the stairs to her apartment. Daniel held out his arms and gathered her close. “Gran died. She and Weechee went to heaven on the same day.”
Daniel held her for a few moments, then said, “Heaven?”
Mary smiled despite herself. “You’re right. They’ll give the devil a run for his money.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Carole drove over to Peggy’s. News like this wasn’t delivered over the phone.
The moment Peggy opened the door, she knew.
“Was she alone? Goddammit.”
“Mary was with her.”
“Thank the lord for that girl. Come in. I’ll make some tea.” Peggy reached out and hugged her sister. They stayed like that for a few minutes, letting reality sink in.
Two cups of tea and a slice of low-fat banana bread later, they felt a bit better about facing the job ahead. Peggy was going to call Sheena after Carole left. Right now they needed to call the manor and the funeral home and think about the arrangements.
“You write the obituary,” Carole said. “That’s more up your alley.”
“I’ve never written one in my life. What should we say?”
“Not the truth, that’s for sure.”
“Of course the truth. She raised two daughters, has two granddaughters, liked to sew and—”
“—drink, gamble, and swear?” interjected Carole.
“If everyone told the absolute truth in anyone’s obituary, it would be a horror novel. ‘Liked to chase women, cheat on his taxes, steal cars, and pick his nose.’ People leave more out than in, and I don’t blame them.”
“I know one thing,” Carole said. “I don’t want our father’s name in it. She’d have a fit, and rightly so.”
“It’s not hitting me yet. When does it sink in?”
“When you see them, I suppose. Do you want to see her?” When Carole glanced at her sister, she saw a frightened little girl. She reached over and held her hand.
“I’ll be with you.”
“Okay. I don’t think I could do it alone.”
For the first time they felt like orphans.
When Peggy called Sheena, Sheena howled. Peggy got a fright. “Are you all right, honey?”
“Gran’s dead? I’ve never known anyone who died before! Why her?”
Peggy wanted to say, “Why not her?” She never did anything she was told and was living on borrowed time. It was a bit of a shock that Sheena was taking it so hard.
“It’s okay, love,” soothed Peggy. “Gran wanted to go. She was tired and unhappy.”
“I’m tired and unhappy, but I don’t want to die!” Sheena sobbed.
“Is everything all right with you and Drew?”
“Of course! Why do you always think something’s wrong?”
“Why are you in hysterics?”
There was a pause. Sheena cleared her throat. “Sorry. That time of the month, I guess. When’s the funeral? Maybe I’ll come up and stay until Christmas. Drew can come before the holiday.”
“That would be lovely. I can’t wait to see you.”
They had a small service in Sydney Memorial Chapel, with only family in attendance. They saw the body before the cremation and Carole took out a brush and fixed her mother’s hair to her liking. Sheena sobbed through the whole thing while Mary hugged her. The minister asked them if they wanted to say a few words about their loved one. All eyes focused on Mary.
Mary walked up to the lectern and took a deep breath. “Gran was an original. She wasn’t perfect and she drove us crazy, but we loved her and she loved us and in the end, that’s all any of us can hope for. We will miss her.”
They picked up Gran’s ashes the next day and sat around Carole’s kitchen table wondering what to do with them.
“I suppose we should buy
a plot at Forest Haven,” Aunt Peggy said.
Mary shook her head. “She’d hate that. Put her urn on the side table by the couch. I’ll put her teacup beside it. Then she’ll be happy.”
They agreed.
In a bit of a ceremony, they placed the urn on the table and even poured tea in the cup. Mary threw in the last of the gin. Standing back to look, they knew they had the perfect solution. Until Liam and Will came tearing into the room and jumped up on the arm of the couch. The urn went flying and the teacup followed. There was Gran on the floor, soaking up the gin.
All of them stared at it, horrified, until Carole said, “How fitting.”
They laughed until they couldn’t catch their breath. Gran would’ve loved it.
Christmas Eve was vastly different from the previous year. Mary was invited to Daniel’s parents’ house for dinner, Carole was going to Jerry’s to be introduced to his boys, Sheena and Drew were having drinks with his parents and their new partners, and Peggy and Ted were going out to dinner to celebrate his return.
Mary was a bit overwhelmed at the horde of people around Bob and Millie Hennessy’s table. Daniel had six siblings and all of them were married with kids. It was a bit like being at an amusement park. Mary wasn’t sure where to look first. She tried to remember everyone’s names, but it was a lost cause. All his siblings looked alike, and they had an easy manner. Everyone teased everyone else and there was a lot of good-natured prattle between shouts of laughter. Mary found herself smiling all night.
She knew she’d passed the family test when Millie came over and handed her a recipe card. “I’ve written out Maman’s sugar cookie recipe. She always said how much you liked them, and I thought you could make them for you and Daniel. And just between us, I’ve never seen Daniel so happy. I’m not a woman who gossips, but I have to say I was rather dismayed when I first met Amber. I knew it wouldn’t last, but you can’t tell your kids anything. Let them find out themselves, is my motto.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hennessy.”
“Call me Millie,” she said kindly. “Everyone does.”
Carole was almost sick she was so nervous. What did she know about young men? At least she was bringing along the boys. Jerry suggested they come, perhaps to break the ice. His sons were home from out west and spending Christmas Day with their mother, so this was Jerry’s chance to have a visit.
Jake and Joe seemed nice enough, both of them shy with her, but they came to life around Billy, Will, and Liam. Nothing like dogs to distract you from uncomfortable repartee.
Carole liked Jerry very much. Probably loved him, but couldn’t quite say it or even admit it to herself. Her limited experience with the male species made her guarded and she kept waiting to be disappointed, but so far, Jerry hadn’t put a foot wrong. He was loving and kind to his kids, a big softie with Ruth, and great with Carole’s three dogs. Even her mother had liked him. So why was she afraid to admit that she’d fallen for him?
Because maybe he’d find out she wasn’t a nice dog lady but a disappointed, bitter woman who had always lived in her little sister’s shadow. The jealous kid in the family. When did you stop being who everyone thought you were? How late was too late? Was she a changed woman or was she just putting on an act for this man?
Why did he like her so much? What was wrong with him?
They sat in Jerry’s living room, all of them with a beer. Jake lit a cigarette and Carole wanted to crawl over the couch and tackle him for it.
“Our mom is a hairdresser too,” Jake said. “Seems like Dad has a type.”
Carole looked at Jerry. “You never told me that.”
“It’s not important.”
“She owns her own salon,” Joe added. “She has ten people working for her.”
Carole caught the look Jerry flashed his youngest.
“Do you have people working for you?” Joe asked.
“No, I don’t. I work out of my dining room. I’m a one-woman operation.”
He looked unimpressed.
“Anything else you want to know?” Jerry asked. “Like how much she makes a year, or if her teeth are real?”
Joe got his father’s drift and excused himself. His brother followed him out to the kitchen.
“Sorry about that. You’re the first woman I’ve brought home since the divorce.”
“I get it. They hate me. It was bound to happen.”
“They don’t hate you. It’s me. I didn’t tell them about you until yesterday. I should’ve prepared them better for this.”
“Yeah, you should have,” Carole said acidly. “Thanks a bunch for throwing me to the lions.”
“I’m new to this game too, Carole. It seems as a divorced father, I’m doing everything wrong.”
Carole softened. “No you’re not. I can tell they love you a lot. And they aren’t being mean…just nosy. I’d be exactly the same way, so don’t worry about it.”
“Want to help me get supper ready? That’s always a good strategy around boys: food.”
Time to confess.
She took a deep breath. “I don’t cook, Jerry. I’m sure you’re aware of that fact since you’ve eaten frozen food every time you’ve been at my house.”
“Everything you’ve served me has been delicious,” he said seriously. He got up from the couch and made his way to the kitchen.
There was definitely something wrong with this guy.
Drew and Sheena were having a whispered fight in Sheena’s old bedroom. They didn’t want Sheena’s parents to hear what they were saying.
“I think we should wait to tell our parents about the baby. I’m only seven weeks. Things can happen.’’
“I want to tell my parents so I can see their reaction.”
Sheena snorted. “I know what your mother will say: ‘my Drew is too young to be a father.’”
“This will be her first grandchild. You don’t know how she’s going to react.”
“If you tell your parents then I’m going to have to tell mine.”
Drew put a comb through his hair while looking in the mirror over Sheena’s old dresser. “I can’t believe you haven’t told your mom yet anyway. It’s not like you to keep a secret.”
“I’m scared.”
He turned around and sat on the bed beside her. “There is nothing to be afraid of. I’m with you.”
“That’s fine and dandy, Drew, but you don’t have to give birth to a large ham. I hate pain.”
“You’re small and I’m not that big. Maybe we’ll have a pork chop.”
She bumped his shoulder with her own. “It’s not fair to make me laugh when I’m trying to be upset.”
Chuck Corbett and his new girlfriend, Elaine, lived in a condo overlooking Sydney Harbour. It was a beautiful, well-appointed spot. Sheena could tell that Drew was having a hard time seeing his dad with this woman, though Elaine was doing her best to win him over. The trouble was, she never sat down, constantly jumping up to offer platters of nibbles and snacks. She had enough food for twelve and looked disappointed when Sheena declined both the food and the drinks.
“Have a glass of bubbly.” Chuck poured champagne into a flute for Sheena. “We’re celebrating your first Christmas together.”
“She can’t have a drink, Dad.”
“Why not?”
Elaine jumped in. “Are you pregnant?”
Chuck looked up. “What?”
Drew smiled at his dad. “We’re having a baby.”
Chuck put down the glass and gave his son a huge hug. “Congratulations, son! Well, well. This is quite something. The first grandchild.” He loomed over Sheena, so she stood up and was caught in a tight embrace as well. “Thank you, my dear. You’re giving us a wonderful gift.” He turned to Drew. “Does your mother know yet?”
“Not yet. Even Sheena’s parents don’t know.”
This put a big smile on Chuck’s face. He looked at Elaine. “Imagine that. I’m the first one they told. I can’t tell you how happy I am.”
Seeing big Chuck so tickled gave Sheena a bit of a thrill. She’d forgotten about this aspect of the whole thing—how special she’d be to everyone in the family. Kind of like being a princess for nine months. Deep down she wished her first reaction hadn’t been panic and uncertainty…hopefully over time that would lessen.
Somehow she doubted it.
Their next stop was Maxine and her boyfriend, Sherman. All the Corbett boys snickered over Sherman’s name, but once they found out he was a retired detective, the laughing stopped. Sherm was a tank. A tank with a crew cut. Drew confessed to Sheena later that he rather liked the guy, even though he wouldn’t want to meet him in an alley.
What surprised Sheena was how feminine and girly Maxine was around Sherm. She tittered at everything he said, and was almost a completely different woman than the one Sheena knew. Maxine must have been desperately unhappy with Chuck, because tonight she was as nice as pie.
And she was even nicer when she heard she was going to be a grandmother. She hugged Sheena and seemed genuinely thrilled. Drew was delighted by her reaction. Maybe mother and son would be closer now. The idea of a baby seemed to make everyone forget their petty differences.
Peggy and Ted went to Governor’s Pub for dinner and Ted raised his glass to his wife. “To surviving an unforgettable year and to a new beginning.”
“A new beginning.” Peggy touched her glass to his and smiled as she took a sip of champagne.
It was over the escargot that Peggy told Ted she had considered divorcing him at one point. His eyes popped. “Excuse me?”
“I hated you for a while because I thought you were having an affair with the woman who called you Teddy.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s ridiculous.”
“It wasn’t ridiculous. I felt abandoned and alone and I thought you went halfway around the world to get away from me.”
Ted buttered a roll. “If I wanted to get away from you, I’d just move across town.”