The server interrupted again. This time he had wheeled a dessert cart near their table.
“Ahh,” Tony said. “What will you have?”
“Oh, I couldn’t possibly,” Sylvia told him.
“They have an excellent pastry chef,” Tony told her. “You won’t be sorry.”
Sylvia caved under a winning smile from Tony and agreed to dessert and coffee.
The server returned with tiramisu for Tony and a chocolate cake filled with raspberry cream for Sylvia.
When they pulled up into her driveway, Tony walked her to the door and took the key to open it for her.
“Will you come in?” she asked him.
Tony hesitated. “No,” he said. “Another time, I think. Thank you for coming out this evening.”
“Thank you for the wonderful dinner and…” she stopped and looked at him.
They both broke into chuckles.
“Too many ‘thank yous,’ are getting in the way,” Tony said. “We’re being much too polite,” he commented.
“Look, I’m headed back to Jersey tomorrow. I don’t know when I’ll be back down,” he told her. He shrugged his shoulders, “I, I need to figure out what to do about Joyce. You’ll see activity at the house, as I’m redecorating.”
“Oh,” she replied, not sure what to say.
“Next time I come, I’ll bring some of the wine for you,” he said. “We can share a bottle,” he smiled.
“Sounds like a plan,” Sylvia said returning his smile, “Good night.”
“Good night,” he said, quickly reaching for her hand, kissed her cheek gently before he turned back to his car.
Sylvia waited until he was out of the driveway before she turned off the porch light and hung up her coat. She felt a little dazed. She felt tired, but restless. First, she had to get out of her shoes and into something comfortable. In stocking feet she went upstairs to change into her pajamas, robe and slippers.
After making a cup of herb tea she sat and pondered the evening. Tony was certainly charming, polite and… she was at a loss. He was a puzzle as well. It had been an interesting evening.
Chapter 10
At every crisis in one's life, it is absolute salvation to have some sympathetic friend to whom you can think aloud without restraint or misgiving.
Woodrow Wilson
Life settled into a winter routine for Sylvia. She headed to work and usually straight home to settle in for the evening with a frozen dinner. Bored. She was bored. She left home in the dark and came home at twilight. The frigid temperatures of January blew frozen winds from the water. She gave up her evening walks and settled inside. She couldn’t help it. Each day she searched the cafeteria for Owen, but he never came. Each weekend she looked for Tony’s car at his house when she finally ventured a walk at mid-day when the sun was shining.
The deep freeze settled in and temperatures dipped into the single digits. The bay froze almost completely across. A small strip of dark running water in the center showed the movement of the tide, but other than that, it was quiet and still – pale blue and white framing the dark moving streak. Sylvia felt like the river – frozen, with a streak of pain haunting her every move.
“Snap out of it, girl!” Carol chided. “You need to get out! DO something!”
Sylvia flushed under her comments. “What would you have me do?” she asked.
“Something to stop you from moping,” Carol told her firmly. “I’ll think of something.”
“I guess I have been wallowing,” Sylvia agreed.
“Y-e-a-h, just a little bit,” Carol interrupted with sarcasm. “It’s been a month, Syl. Owen isn’t coming back.”
“I guess you’re right,” Sylvia agreed. “I’m not sure I was hoping for that, Carol.”
“Y-e-a-h, right,” Carol repeated her sarcastic comment. “You’re in mourning. He is a dickhead. “
Sylvia looked down at her lunch.
“Sorry,” Carol apologized quickly. “I probably shouldn’t have said that. It’s really not my business, but I don’t like you living in zombie-land all of the time.”
“I think,” Sylvia hesitated, “I think I’m feeling a little bit lost,” she admitted to Carol, trying not to get emotional. “I thought he was the love of my life, and then I doubted it, and now he is gone. It’s left a pretty big hole.”
“I know,” Carol said, patting her arm. “But, you need to come back to the land of the living.” Carol brightened. “I know, come over to my house tomorrow. My Mom is cooking and we’re working on junk for my cousin’s baby shower. You know my Mom. She has to stamp and cut and make it all by hand. She’s the crafting queen.”
“Okay,” Sylvia agreed.
Carol looked satisfied. “I’ll see you tomorrow at one-ish. Bring some wine,” she suggested. “I think my Mom is making something Italian.”
Sylvia nodded and went to dump her tray and return to the office.
“Uh, oh,” Carol said, “here comes the dickhead.”
Sylvia glanced up to see Owen paying for his lunch. He glanced up and saw her. He didn’t wave, but smiled at her this time. He briefly looked as though he wanted to say something to her, but closed his mouth as if he thought better of it. In the past few weeks it had been avoidance to the fullest extent. She wouldn’t look into his eyes. It was too painful. She had cried too often and now she felt hollow. Turning her back to him she straightened and hurried to the opposite exit of the cafeteria. She could play the avoidance game too. Carol followed muttering ‘good girl’ under her breath.
Carol lived in a small development in the center of Deerfield. The homes were post war ranch houses and bi-levels with neat yards and mature landscaping. It reminded Sylvia of the development where she grew up with her Mom, but these homes were slightly older.
Carol opened the door as soon as Sylvia knocked.
“Come in, come in,” she urged. “Brrr…it’s freezing out there!”
Carol was dressed in a baggy sweatshirt, jeans and big fluffy slippers.
“Mom’s in the kitchen. I have stuff laid out on the dining room table,” she told Sylvia. “Do you stamp?”
“Me?” Sylvia replied. “I haven’t a crafty bone in my body.”
“Well,” Carol said, “You may be growing a few new bones today, or at least in the future if you hang out with my Mom.”
Carol’s Mom, Amber, called out a cheery hello from the kitchen and Sylvia smelled tomato sauce and herbs.
“You girls get started,” Amber directed. “Carol, you know what to do. Show Sylvia what needs to be done?”
Carol led Sylvia to the dining room table where stamp pads, paper, stamps and assorted items lay in assembly line order. She showed Sylvia the baby shower invitation. It had an adorable bunny stamped onto cardstock and was hand colored with markers. It was tied carefully to another piece of cardstock with ribbon. It looked complicated to Sylvia, but Carol assured her it would be easy.
“Look,” Carol said, “I cut all of the squares this week. All we need to do is to stamp and color the rabbits before we put the cards together.”
Sylvia looked skeptical, but sat down and watched Carol.
“Look, I’ll stamp some and you can color and then we’ll switch,” Carol directed.
Carol turned on the radio to an oldies station and sat down to stamp. She handed the bunny to Sylvia who dutifully colored the rabbit using a small sponge and pastels. She felt like she was in grade school at first, but it was relaxing and fun. Carol’s mother joined them after she put lasagna in the refrigerator. Sylvia watched as Amber stamped the inside of the cards and put the layers of cardstock together with ribbon. After a couple of hours they completed the invitations.
“Break time,” Carol said. She poured Sylvia a glass of wine and passed her some nuts to munch on.
“Don’t eat too much,” Amber warned. “I’m going to put the lasagna in for an early dinner.”
“Yes, Mom,” Carol replied obediently. She turned to Sylvia, “Remember that
I told you my Mom didn’t cook? “
Sylvia nodded.
“It’s her new ‘thing,’” Carol said, “Move aside, Rachael Ray, here comes Amber! She’s now a non-stop cooking machine.”
Sylvia laughed, “Well, it certainly smells wonderful.”
The doorbell rang, interrupting Sylvia, and Carol went to answer it.
“Shannon! Come in! We just finished the shower invitations,” Carol led a very pregnant young woman into the living room.
Carol introduced Sylvia to Shannon, her cousin and future baby shower recipient.
“Y-e-s,” Carol said dramatically, “She found out about the shower. It was supposed to be a surprise, but somebody leaked the information to her.”
Shannon waddled over to the couch and sat down heavily.
“I hope you make it to your own shower,” Carol said eyeing Shannon skeptically. “You look as though you are about to pop!”
“I know, I know,” Shannon sighed and rubbed her swollen belly. “This little one is anxious to be out in the world.” She winced.
“Is that a contraction?” Sylvia asked.
“No, not really,” Shannon told her. “It’s called Braxton-hicks. It’s your body preparing for contractions.”
“It doesn’t look comfortable,” Sylvia said.
“Well…” Shannon winced as another Braxton-Hicks came upon her. “It’s not too bad.”
Carol changed the subject, “Did you find out if you are having a boy or a girl?”
Shannon laughed. “No, I didn’t. You know I like surprises,” she told Carol.
“Hey, what’s that I smell?”
“Hungry?” Carol teased.
“Starving!” Shannon said. “I think this baby is growing.” She turned her head towards the kitchen and shouted, “Hey, Aunt Amber, what are you cooking now?”
Amber came out of the kitchen and told Shannon the lasagna would be ready in a few minutes. “What can I get you until then?” she asked Shannon.
“Food,” Shannon told her. “Food.”
Amber brought Shannon a tall glass of milk and some cookies.
“Here you go,” she told Shannon, “This should hold you until the lasagna’s ready.”
“I don’t know, Aunt Amber,” Shannon told her. “This baby is in a growth spurt and I can’t stop eating!”
They all chuckled.
“Hey, I have an idea!” Carol blurted out. “Let’s do that ring thing to find out if you are having a boy or a girl.”
“What do you mean?” Sylvia asked.
“You know,” Carol insisted, “where you dangle a ring on a string and ask if it’s a boy or girl baby.”
“No,” Sylvia said laughing, “I don’t know.”
“Here, hand me your ring,” Carol insisted, “its gold, right?”
“Yes,” Sylvia said hesitantly and tugged the ring off her middle finger and handed it to Carol.
Carol went to the kitchen and they could hear her as she rummaged through a drawer until she found what she wanted. With a satisfied grunt she returned to the living room with some cotton twine with Sylvia’s ring tied to it.
“Okay,” Carol said, “Here’s what you do. “Ask the ring a ‘yes and no’ question. Usually the ring will swing in a circular motion for a yes answer and it will swing back and forth for no.”
Carol asked aloud, “My name is Carol.”
The ring on the string began to swing in a circle. It started out slowly and then turned in ever increasing circular movements.
Carol stopped the ring and asked again, “I am pregnant.”
“Oh my God, Carol,” interrupted her mother. “Couldn’t you have asked a better question?”
They all watched as the string went back and forth instead of a circle. Carol looked up with a satisfied look. She held the ring on the string over Shannon’s belly.
Without asking a question, the ring on the string started to turn in circles.
“That means it’s a girl!” Carol cried out. “Cool!”
“How do you know?” Sylvia asked.
Carol explained, “Usually if it turns in circles it’s a girl. The back and forth is a boy. It works every time.”
She handed Sylvia’s ring back to her, dangling from the string.
“Do you think she’s right?” Sylvia asked Shannon.
“I have no idea what my crazy cousin will cook up next,” Shannon said with a smile. “A girl would be nice, though Adam would like a boy, of course.”
“He’ll be happy with a healthy baby,” insisted Amber.
“You’re right,” Shannon said. “Now, how about that lasagna.”
They made their way to the kitchen. Sylvia was still holding the ring on the string when it started swinging wildly in a circle.
“Oh, my God!” Sylvia cried. “What’s happening?”
“No worries, Sugar,” Amber said. “You’re a natural!”
“A natural what?” Sylvia asked.
“Dowser!” Amber said. “The ring is circling where our water pipes are. You should see those Amish guys dowsing. That’s how they find their wells. I watched it once in Lancaster. Fascinating.”
Sylvia was still confused, but tried to make sense of Amber’s conversation as she filled plates of lasagna. Carol refilled Sylvia’s wine and they all sat at the table where bread and salad waited.
“There are all kinds of dowsing, sugar and what you have is a gift” Amber continued, “finding water, predicting things…” Sylvia could almost see the Green Man’s wry and knowing smile, nodding at her. Amber trailed off when an elderly dog came snuffling up to the table.
“Oooh, look at this cute puppy,” Carol crooned. “She’s been asleep most of the day. Now she wants treats.”
Muffin, a small, fluffy, apricot colored dog made the rounds sniffing everyone’s hands.
“No lasagna or treats for her, please,” Amber insisted. “Her tummy’s gotten sensitive since she’s gotten older.”
Sylvia gave the dog some pets. She had a wave of memory of Percy and missed him sorely.
“I’ve been thinking of getting a pet,” she announced.
“Really?” Carol asked, surprised. “What do you want? Cat, dog, rabbit, hamster?”
“Oh, a cat or dog,” she said. “I’m not sure. I really enjoyed watching Percy.”
“Who’s Percy?” Amber asked.
“Her neighbor’s dog,” Carol said dryly. “Her handsome, married neighbor’s dog.”
“His wife left him,” Sylvia explained. “He needed someone to watch the dog for a couple of days. I just happened to be available.”
“Yeah,” Carol said, “Available, or should I say vulnerable.”
“Wow, Carol,” Shannon told her. “Do you have an opinion on this or what?”
“Shannon, you don’t know the story. Sylvia just broke up with her boyfriend and this guy comes along. He could have called a kennel,” Carol said. “I just don’t have a good feeling on this one.”
“Okay, okay, my psychic cousin,” Shannon laughed. “You’re pulling together more predictions than the National Enquirer. First the baby and now this,” Shannon said and turned to her Aunt, “Aunt Amber, do you think the baby could have seconds?” she asked pleadingly.
They all laughed as Amber gave Shannon another square of lasagna that she ate with gusto.
After lunch they filled small baby bottles with candy as favors and Sylvia stood to go home.
“Thanks,” she said to Carol and Amber. “This was fun.”
“See,” Carol told her. “You needed to get o-u-t!”
“You’re right,” Sylvia agreed.
“Good luck with your new little one – girl or boy,” she said to Shannon. Sylvia wasn’t quite sure if she believed Carol’s prediction.
“Thanks for your help with the shower stuff,” Shannon said. “You should come,” she invited.
Chapter 11
To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessl
y. ~Henri Bergson
Sylvia spent Sunday morning in her pajamas and robe searching the internet for information about pets. She wondered if she should get a dog or a cat. She love Percy, but balked at the price of purebred standard poodle puppies. Even the puppies that did not have pedigree papers were hundreds and hundreds of dollars. She became lost in numerous advertisements and kennel sites.
The doorbell rang insistently and she pulled herself away to go to answer it.
Marian’s bright and cheerful face was peering in the kitchen door.
Sylvia hurried through the kitchen, opened the door and threw herself at Marian giving her a giant hug.
“Marian, when did you get back?” she asked breathlessly.
Marian chuckled. “Late last night, Syl. I’m certainly feeling the effects of jet lag this morning. Do you happen to have a cup of coffee?” she asked.
“Of course, please come in,” Sylvia said. “As you can see, I’m being slothful today.” She gave a wave to her robe and slippers.
Sylvia busied herself putting water on the stove and cleaning out her little French coffee press. Marian took off her coat and sat down at the kitchen table while Sylvia prepared coffee.
“Tell me all about your trip. You look wonderful!” she prattled. “I know you went to England. Did you go anywhere else? You were very mysterious on the phone the other week. ”
“Oh, my dear,” Marian stood up and put her arms around Sylvia. “How I have missed you. I do have exciting news, but I understand you’ve had some huge changes in your life as well.”
Sylvia hiccoughed a bit and took a deep breath and nodded. “Good news first,” she told Marian. “I want to hear all about your trip.”
Sylvia gave Marian a fresh cup of coffee and motioned for her to come to the living room.
“Well,” Marian said, “My vacation turned out a bit differently than I had imagined. As you suspected, Jon popped the question and we got married in Scotland! “
“Oh, my God! Oh, my God!” Sylvia squealed and impulsively hugged her friend nearly spilling her coffee, “Congratulations, Marian! What wonderful news!”
“And, you’ll like this, we were married at Rosslyn Chapel where there are over one hundred Green Men,” Marian said. “Jon is a Mason, you know, so it was a special place for him. Remember it’s in the film The DaVinci Code?”
The Leafing: the 2nd book in The Green Man series Page 9