The trip to Bob’s was rather mundane by Bob standards. They got the groceries they needed, including everything for a nice dinner with Suzi and Carolyn.
Adeline suggested they give them another hour of privacy before calling.
When they arrived at Anna’s, Adeline helped lug in the groceries without thought. At first Anna was going to suggest that Adeline go in to the house and relax, but thought better of it after the conversation they’d had earlier.
Once the groceries were ensconced in the kitchen, Anna brought Adeline upstairs and showed her the guest room.
“I hope you will be comfortable here.”
“Anna, this is a lovely room. The light is beautiful. I’d love to paint in this room.”
“It does need a little updating.”
“Not paint the room, paint in the room.”
Anna laughed. “Oh, sorry.”
Adeline walked over to the pictures framed and hanging on the wall. “Who are all these beautiful women?”
“Those are the women of my family. I never had children to take pictures of, and at the time, in my family at least, it seemed that the women were always in the kitchen or running after kids, waiting on their men. I decided that I would take each of them for a weekend. Just one weekend at my house when my husband was on the road. I’d pamper them a bit. And I always took a picture.”
“You took these pictures?”
“Most of them were taken right here in this room.”
“They are lovely. You captured something, Anna. Not just the women, but the power of the women. Their dignity. Their beauty. These are really very profound.”
“Thank you.”
“Did you color them as well?”
“Yes. My mother did that when I was younger. Had all these little tubes of color and her sticks that she would wrap cotton around. She would take the photo and change it sometimes. It was pretty common back then, to color your own pictures, and I loved it.”
“You are quite talented. Have you ever painted?”
“Oh, no, nothing like that. I don’t have the skills to do that. This is just like coloring in a coloring book, and I haven’t done it for years. I couldn’t actually create the picture.”
“I think you are wrong. There is talent in these pictures, Anna. True talent. You have an eye for balance and color and light. You understand. I would love to work with you. Painting. I think you would be surprised with what you could accomplish. I have all the supplies at the loft. It will be no effort to try it one day while you are there. Who knows? You could be the next great Frida Kahlo.”
“More likely Picasso. I admit openly that I’ve never understood his work. I don’t understand how a mish-mash of a face is considered art, but I’d much more likely be able to recreate something like Sargent, isn’t that who painted Madame X?”
“Yes, you certainly know your art.”
“No, I liked to read when I was younger. My husband was on the road a lot. It gave me time to learn.”
“That is quite evident, Anna. You downplay your intellect, but there is no hiding it. You are one of the smartest people I’ve ever met.”
Anna laughed. “You need to find some better people.”
“Your ability to problem solve is impressive. Your willingness to dive into something new without any hesitation is, to be frank, intimidating. But I think it is your open mind that is most impressive. You are open to learning more from any situation, from any person you encounter. I think that is one of the biggest hallmarks of intelligence. There will always be someone who is better educated, but I doubt you will run into many people who are smarter than you are Anna.”
“Well, thank you. I’ll have to think about that. Just let me get some fresh sheets for this bed.” Anna reached up on the closet shelf, unzipped a large bag and pulled out fresh sheets, pillowcases and a duvet cover. A beautiful set in shades of blue.
She plopped them all down on the bed and continued. “I’ll take care of that in a bit. The dresser is empty, plenty of room in the closet. Your bathroom is directly across the hall. I’ll put some fresh towels in there. If there’s anything at all you need, you just tell me. Would you like a cup of tea or coffee?”
“That would be lovely. Give me just a moment to put some things in the closet.”
“Take your time. I’ll go put the kettle on.”
When Adeline came down the stairs, she saw that Anna had set the table with beautiful china, complete with fresh flowers.
“The flowers are quite lovely, Anna. You really didn’t need to go to such trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. They’re from my back garden. At this point they almost grow themselves. My husband planted them when he retired. He said he would keep me in flowers and he’s been true to his word.”
“They are beautiful.”
“I’m sure your greenhouse has some interesting flowers in it.”
“It does. Or, more precisely, it did. Now that I’ll have staff again there will be much more of that.”
“Can I ask you a personal question, Adeline? Please feel no obligation to answer it, I’ve just been curious.”
“Your curiosity is one of your greatest charms, Anna. It keeps you young and I’m hoping it keeps me young by extension. You may ask me anything.”
“Why did you let your staff go? With that big house, there’s no way you could care for it yourself.”
“I didn’t. I had help. I still had my runners. I had a service come in and do basic maintenance on the outside area of the home. The neighbors would have had a petition for my removal had I not. But I worked with only a minimal staff, as Gaston referred to it, my skeleton crew, because I didn’t want people to watch me fade away.”
“But they might have been able to help. Like Cara did.”
“Anna, I’m not at all sure I wanted the help. Not at the time. In my mind, I was an old woman and life was beginning to dim. I did not want anyone to bear witness to that.”
“Funny. My worry has always been quite the opposite. I’ve no children. My husband is gone. Who will be around when my life is ending? I’ve taken measures to guarantee that I will be cared for, but I’ve often wondered over the years if I will be alone.”
“No.”
“I hope you are right.”
“I know I am right. Cara has spoken of Morgan’s love for you. Morgan feels that you carried her through the most difficult time in her life. She has told Cara that it was you who helped her after the attack, when her parents couldn’t bring themselves to be of proper support. Morgan told Cara that you were the first to touch her.”
“What?”
“She said that after the attack, no one touched her. Her mother and father stood quite far away. You came and you enveloped her, body and soul. She said she has never been able to communicate what that meant to her. That you didn’t treat her as something dirty.”
“I never knew that. It would never dawn on me that the child would feel that way. Dirty? How could she think such a thing?”
“It is a normal and common reaction. Morgan told Cara that you never saw her differently and that you were genuinely excited for her to have her son. You were the only one. That she can never repay you for your kindness.”
“She did tell me that once. That I was the only person excited about Jordan. She asked me to be his godmother and I told her I was much too old, that a younger person would be a better choice. She told me that I’d already done more for her and for him than anyone ever had or would.”
“She still feels that way, Anna.”
“I’m very glad to know it, but I would never want to be a burden to her.”
“As Cara has told me often enough, you are never a burden to the people who care about you.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
“Oh, I will grant you there will be times when your niece’s support is stronger or your personalities clash, but the important thing is that she loves you and you her. Like my soldier daughter and me. She is m
y saving grace. She is the reason I fought back and the reason that I need to get whatever it is that happened in Las Vegas under control. Quickly.”
“I agree. But we need to do this one thing at a time. First we deal with Barry. Then we will deal with your family problems.”
“It is not necessary for you to burden yourself with my family problems, Anna.”
“A wise woman once told me that you are never a burden to those that care about you, Adeline. Your family is not your worry alone, any more.”
“Thank you.”
They drank their tea in silence.
Anna put down her cup. “Do you think we should bother Carolyn and Suzi or just leave them to themselves?”
“I think that is a decision Carolyn should make. Shall we call them? We can give them a few options. We can have dinner delivered to the loft and allow them their privacy. We can have dinner delivered and join them there. We can go out someplace and allow them to relax a bit outside of the loft.”
“We can always invite them over here.”
“Would you like to make the call or shall I?”
“Would you do the honors please while I clear this table and check to see just what I have hiding in the house should they decide to come here? I’m sure a bit of dust has gathered and there must be a dust bunny or two under an unsuspecting table.”
Dinner was a bit sedate but the girls managed to get a smile or two out of Suzi and just as important they were able to talk to her about a plan. A plan to catch Barry and a plan about what to do with herself now that her white picket fence fantasy of marriage was blown completely out of the county.
“Gran, I never thought Barry would do something like this. Not to Cara. Not to anyone.”
“I know that sweetheart.”
Anna kept her voice very gentle. “Suzi, I’m not trying to make this any more difficult on you, but honey, you had to see that Barry was not a good man.”
“I know. Well, I really don’t know. I never thought of him as a bad man, just a man with a bad temper. The really pathetic part is, that’s the way I still see him.”
Carolyn couldn’t contain the horrified look on her face.
“Gran, I know what you’re thinking. How could I see him as anything but a monster after what he did to Cara, but I know that he’s sorry. I know he didn’t mean to lose control. It’s just that sometimes he, well, he – never mind. You aren’t going to understand anyway.”
It was Adeline who spoke next. “Suzi, dear, that is where you are very wrong. I understand completely.”
The calm, thoroughly elegant woman couldn’t possibly mean what it sounded like she meant. “I have been where you are. It is not a pleasant place to be.”
“No, it isn’t. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to dig up old memories or to make you uncomfortable. We don’t need to talk about this.”
“There is no reason for you to be sorry. You have done nothing wrong and I feel as if I am among family here. I don’t mind sharing my story. I trust that it will go no further than this room.”
The girls and Suzi all shook their heads.
It seemed none of them were able or willing to speak.
“I got married very young to a very handsome and charming man. He was cultured. I was not. He was wealthy.” Adeline let out a long slow breath. “I was far from wealthy, but that is a story for another time.”
She gave Suzi a knowing look and continued. “He took me away from everything and everyone I knew. Oh, there were indicators from the very start. Some I ignored. Most I simply didn’t understand. I made excuses for him. I enabled him. I allowed him to go from charmer to intense and brooding bad boy to bully to tyrant — all without so much as a question. When he progressed from verbal and psychological attacks to physical, at first they were subtle, just like the verbal pummeling had started. A comment that could be taken as a joke or a punch to the gut. A look that could mean confusion or complete disgust. A shove that could be playful or more menacing. It took him years to transition from the best of himself to the worst of himself, but when he finally did so, there was no doubt just how evil he was. Still, he was a powerful and complicated man and I made excuses. I genuinely believed that he was over-stressed or overburdened and that with time and the understanding I had to offer him, with unconditional love, we could work it out. I know that people would assume I stayed for the money or the stature that being married to him brought me, and maybe there was a small bit of that, but mostly I was confused and in denial.”
Suzi played with her napkin, listening, but afraid to speak.
It was Anna who asked the question for her. “What happened? How did you get out of it?”
“I was saved by his mistress and a little red sports car.”
Anna’s eyebrows went up. Then she smiled.
Adeline continued. “He was very angry one night. More angry than I had ever seen him. I thought it would be the end of me. In the middle of a huge row, his mistress called. I’m not sure of the details to this day. All I am certain of is that he left the house in his little red sports car, one he had only owned for days, and he never returned. The police came by later that night to inform me that he had driven under a semi-truck and hit an embankment at a speed so outrageous the car exploded on impact and was completely unrecognizable. Had it not been for the truck driver’s description and some officers finding his wallet some three hundred feet away, it would have taken much longer to find me.”
All eyes were on Adeline.
“For a short time I believe I was under some sort of suspicion. When they came to the door to inform me, I’d not yet gotten myself under control. I was beaten, bruised and more angry and hurt than I had ever been. I believe most of my reaction was simply because he would walk out on me to run to her even at an exquisitely inopportune time. I later realized just how absurd that reaction had been, but in the heat of that evening, I admit I was jealous of a woman who saved me from a monster.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too, dear. It was easier for me, I would wager. He left me everything. Two spoiled children, a very affluent life that I’ve since been able to grow to wealth and fortunately only a few sleepless nights and scars. In the long run, although I’d have chosen a different path, I believe I came out well. It was a choice to do so. Not a given. You hear so much about survivor-hood these days. It was never my intent to survive. It was my intent to thrive. I suggest that you do the same.”
Forty minutes later, the dishes were put away and the girls were sharing a cup of tea when Suzi entered the room and sat beside her grandmother. “I just called the hospital. No change in Cara. She’s still pretty much in and out of consciousness. There have been no sightings of Barry, thank God. I think I will go in tomorrow and check on her. Her mother said I was welcome any time.”
“I’m sure they would appreciate that, Suzi.”
“Her family has been really nice to me. Probably because of A.J. and of course because I am pregnant, and the O’Flynns are always very baby-centric.”
“They are good people, Suzi.”
“Yes, Gran, they are. But even the O’Flynns are going to have a hard time with this one. Have you seen Cara? Barry really did a job on her.”
“We decided upon our arrival that we would stay very much in the background. We are not needed in this situation. When Cara is out of the hospital and Barry is incarcerated, then we will visit and care for Cara.”
“Okay. I promised you I wouldn’t say anything about you guys being here and I won’t. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your allowing me to stay in your home, Adeline. I literally had no place else to go.”
“You are always welcome, dear.”
“Thank you. Gran, if I can borrow your keys, I’ll go ahead home and I’ll come back and get you when you’re done with your night. All of the sudden I’m just exhausted.”
“Don’t be silly, Suze. I’ll be happy to drive you home.”
The girls exchanged hugs with each other and with Suz
i as well. They promised to be in touch early in the morning.
Suzi and Carolyn drove away from Anna’s house.
Anna and Adeline spent the next several hours trying to figure out just how they could help with the arrest and conviction of Barry.
The fact that they both felt Suzi wasn’t quite done with Barry came up more than once. They would have to be careful not to spring a trap and catch Suzi instead of Barry.
Broken hearts are difficult to predict and it was obvious to Anna and Adeline, if not Carolyn, that Suzi hadn’t yet begun the long trudge toward a healed and healthy life.
FIVE
Adeline answered the phone on the second ring. Anna was out in the backyard washing out a birdbath and putting a couple of feeders up. According to Anna, the feeders were more for the little kids next door. They loved to watch the squirrels do acrobatics trying to get to the seeds. There were enough squirrels in the neighborhood that all the homeowners had long ago taken steps to keep them out of attics and sheds, a problem addressed right after the Rocker-Whitleys had moved out and left everything in their house. That young couple was a testament to idiocy.
The problem the Rocker-Whitleys left behind wasn’t about squirrels, it was about rats, and it brought the neighborhood together in a big hurry.
Decades ago, the neighborhood had been an extended family, but as people moved away and some of the older folks passed, the new people just didn’t bond.
Until the rat debacle.
Amazing what a beady-eyed, little varmint can accomplish when it’s running around on phone wires and making all the women — and more than a few of the men — scream.
Anna looked up when she heard Adeline approach.
“Are you sure I can’t help with any of this? I feel silly sitting in the house while you work out here.”
“I’m almost done. Did I hear the phone ring?”
“Yes. I answered it, I hope that is alright.”
“Of course it is.”
“It was Carolyn. She said that Suzi is going to drop her off here. Suzi will then continue on to the hospital and run some errands. She is going to the studio to make sure A.J.’s business doesn’t collapse while he is at the hospital. He has refused to move from Cara’s side.”
Hawaii Can Wait (The Girls Series) Page 7