Detours

by Vollbrecht, Jane

  A tiny wave of jealousy washed over Ellis. Would she always have to compete against Nathan’s ghost?

  Mary turned and wrapped her arms around Ellis’s midsection. “But I’m at least a thousand percent happier with you than I ever was with him. My love for you is so real. With him, I was always forcing myself to pretend I felt things I knew I’d never feel.”

  “I’m happy to hear you say that. I worry sometimes that you’ll regret asking me to move up here to live with you.”

  Mary took a step away from Ellis. “Why? Why would I possibly regret having you with me every single day?”

  “Because of what it’s doing to your relationship with your family. I don’t intentionally eavesdrop on your phone calls, but sometimes I can’t help but overhear what you say to your mom and sisters.”

  “Sister,” Mary corrected. “Gloria’s come a long way since that day she and I talked about us and Adam’s uncle. She can see how happy I am and how much better Nat is doing now that you’re here.”

  “Okay, so Gloria’s come around, but I’m not sure your mother hasn’t convinced Barry to meet me at the door with a shotgun if I show up for dinner today.”

  “Barry’s an asshole sometimes, but he’s a harmless asshole.”

  “Harmless if you discount the half-dozen hunting rifles he owns.”

  “He can’t have you stuffed and hang your head on the wall over the fireplace. I think you’re safe.” Mary glanced at the clock on the microwave. “Honey, I know you’ve got some worries about Naomi and Barry and my mom, and I swear I’m willing to talk to you about anything that’s bothering you, but we’ve got to pull Nat away from whatever she’s messing with in her room and get to Mother’s.”

  “All right. I’ll put the pie in your Xterra and make sure Sam’s settled in for the afternoon. You get the rug rat, and we’ll do our version of the Plymouth Rock thing at Anna Moss’s house.”

  ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

  Seven hours later, Mary, Ellis, and Natalie returned home. Among them, they lugged enough leftovers to last until next Thanksgiving. As they entered through the kitchen door, Sam bolted out past them for the yard.

  “Nat, I want you to go to your room and get ready for bed. If you’re going shopping with Aunt Gloria and Amber and Ashley tomorrow, you need to be in bed with lights out by eight-thirty tonight.” Mary crammed containers into the refrigerator.

  “We’re not walking to the Mall of Georgia, Mom. I don’t need to go to bed early.”

  Mary leaned against the closed refrigerator door. “I’m not in the mood for a debate. Please, for once in your life, just do as you’re told, okay?” She hugged Natalie and gave her a push toward the hallway.

  “’Night, kiddo,” Ellis said. “See you in the morning.”

  Natalie trudged out of the room.

  “Who pooped in your pumpkin pie?” Ellis nudged Mary with her hip. “They’re not leaving for the mall until ten o’clock, so Nat will be up in plenty of time to be ready.”

  “I know.” Mary pulled a chair away from the kitchen table and sat down. “I guess since I can’t send the rest of my family to their rooms, I’m taking it out on my kid.”

  “I take it something happened between you and your sisters while I adroitly avoided helping clean up after dinner.” Ellis dropped into the chair across from Mary.

  “More like didn’t happen.” Mary twisted her face into a snarl. “I’d try to say something about how great you and Nat are getting along, and my mother or Naomi would act like they were deaf.”

  “And this surprises you why?”

  “Not a surprise, but sure as hell an annoyance.”

  Ellis held her hand out for Mary to take. “Let me see if I can balance the ledger.”

  “I suppose you’re going to tell me you and Barry and Adam bonded over your touch football game with the kids.” Mary accepted Ellis’s outstretched hand.

  “Well, I don’t know about Barry, but Adam and I had a very interesting conversation.”

  “Do tell.”

  Ellis heard the sarcasm in Mary’s voice. She cleared her throat before replying. “Good afternoon, Miss. Welcome to Moss Motors. I see you’re looking at our newest dual-fuel hybrid. Would you like to take a test drive?”

  “Did someone slip a hallucinogenic into your mashed potatoes?”

  “Not so far as I know, but your brother-in-law did ask me if I thought I’d like to try my hand at selling cars at your dad’s old dealership.”

  Mary reeled in mock astonishment. “Adam asked you to come to work for him?”

  “Uh-huh. We agreed it would be on a trial basis for a few months to see if I’m any good at it and if he wants to keep me on.”

  “Call me Cliff and do drop over.”

  “I’d rather call you sweetheart and ask if you’d let me take you to bed.”

  “In a minute,” Mary said as she brushed the back of Ellis’s knuckles. “Maybe my family isn’t a total waste after all.”

  “I admit, your mother and Naomi could still double as side-by-side cold storage lockers, but Gloria was really nice to me today, and laugh if you want to, but that touch football game gave me a chance to get to know Barry on his own turf. I can’t imagine he’ll ever be one of my favorite people, nor will I make his top ten, but we talked about the pros and cons of reinstituting the two-point conversion option and the merits of challenging a call and using instant replay to decide. At least we found some common turf.”

  “My little jock.”

  Ellis saw the light in Mary’s eyes as she spoke.

  “It was more than that. I saw how he treated his sons. It was clear he’s absolutely devoted to them. And he was good with his nieces, too, in a clumsy, manly sort of way.” Ellis paused. “And both he and Adam talked about how fantastic Nathan was.”

  “That’s nice. I always liked how the sons-in-law got along so well. As big a screw-up as this family is, picture what it would have been like if those in-laws had hated each other’s guts.”

  “Yeah, and they said something else that really made me think.”

  “What’s that?”

  “They said they really wished he’d lived long enough to get that son he always dreamed about having.”

  Ellis noticed Mary swallow hard. “It would have meant the world to him,” Mary said. “Not that he didn’t love Nat, but there’s something about men and their sons.”

  “It probably would have meant a lot to you, too, huh? And we dare not forget the girl in the back bedroom who claims she’s incomplete without a sibling of her very own.”

  “Gretchen Alina VanStantvoordt! Someone did lace your green bean casserole with LSD. More than once in recent weeks, I’ve heard you waxing eloquent about the merits of having children.”

  “I’m not waxing anything. I’m merely reporting what was discussed on your mother’s front lawn after too much turkey and dressing.”

  Mary got to her feet. “Come on. We need to get you into bed before you tell me you’ve got baby names picked out. I wouldn’t necessarily object, you understand, but I want to be sure you’re not trying to cast me in a supporting role in a grade B remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.”

  Ellis went to the door. “Let me get my dog in, and then we can do some mutual body invading in the bedroom.”

  ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

  “You can invade me like that as often as you want to.” Mary exhaled contentedly, savoring the afterglow.

  “You make it sound like I’m a hostile nation.” Ellis dragged her fingers through Mary’s tousled hair.

  “Not at all. But maybe the prospect of paid employment has boosted your confidence levels in more than one arena.”

  Ellis sat up a bit straighter. “Now that you mention it…”

  “I was joking.” Mary tugged on Ellis’s close-cropped hair.

  “I know, but after the way things went with Naomi and your mother today, we can’t keep putting off talking to the rest of your family about us. If everything is going to blow sky hi
gh, I’d rather know it once and for all and get it behind us. It would be stupid for me to go to work at the dealership if your mother is going to make Adam kick me out a week later. It’s still her dealership, after all.”

  “You sound like your mind’s made up.”

  “It is. When I emailed Anika and Nicolas to wish them happy Thanksgiving, I told them I was thankful that they were back in my life, and I told them about you and Natalie—the whole truth about us—and how much the two of you mean to me. I even used the line from my mom’s letter.”

  “What line?”

  “That a real family isn’t determined by bloodlines, but by love and shared experiences. It’s true for them and me, and it’s really true for you and me.”

  Mary wrapped Ellis in a hug. “All right. We’ll talk to my family.” Her voice dropped an octave. “But first, show me again how you’ve perfected your invasion strategies.”

  ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

  Despite how poorly the auto market was doing, in her first week as a sales trainee, Ellis sold two cars. That was a good sign. In the course of the same week, she and Mary survived their obligatory, cursory, staring-daggers-through-them conversations with Mary’s mother and Naomi to confirm their suspicions about the relationship between Mary and Ellis. No one had ruptured a blood vessel or summoned the National Guard. Another good sign.

  It was Friday night, so the showroom stayed open late. Ellis stopped for a burger and a milkshake on the drive home. By the time she got there, the only light in the house shone through the master bedroom window. Ellis slipped out of her Moss Motors blazer as she entered the room. “Hi, love. What are you reading?”

  Mary, sitting on their bed, tucked the book against her, her finger marking her page. “It’s Nat’s baby book. I found it when I was sorting through some of the last boxes from the move.”

  Ellis kicked off her loafers and undid her belt. “Mind if I join you?” She draped her dress slacks over a chair.

  Mary slid over to make room. “You’d better.”

  Ellis took the book from Mary. “Can we start over from the beginning?”

  “I already have. Twice. I’d forgotten just how beautiful she was.” Mary pointed to the photo of Natalie wearing her pink knit beanie in the hospital bassinet. “Amazing. The most gorgeous child in all of creation, and I gave birth to her.”

  “Not a surprise to me. Take a look in the mirror.” Ellis edged in for the kiss she’d been craving.

  Mary stared at the picture a moment, then closed the book and set it aside. “I need to ask you something really, really important, Ellis. And I don’t want you to tell me what you think I want to hear. You have to tell me the truth.”

  “I always do.” Ellis raised her hand as though taking an oath. “I swear.”

  Mary hitched herself up on her knees and straddled Ellis’s legs. “Lately, I’ve been thinking—”

  “That it’s time Natalie stopped being an only child.”

  Mary’s eyes about popped out of her head. “How did you know?”

  “How could I not?” Ellis cupped Mary’s chin in her hands. “I’ve seen you with little Erin, watched you puddle up over the baby shampoo commercials on TV, and heard all your remarks about how Natalie has grown so fast and isn’t your baby anymore.”

  Mary bounced up and down on the mattress. “What do you think?”

  “Ask me a year from now when I’m changing yet another dirty baby diaper.”

  “You mean it? We can try?”

  If it meant she could bask in Mary’s radiance for even one more moment, Ellis would have promised her anything. She was reminded of how her neighbor at the apartment in Tucker had said all the difficulties of being pregnant were worth it just to see her husband’s joy every time he told someone that their baby was on the way. “Sure. You have to do the hard part, though. I draw the line at morning sickness.”

  “Oh, Ellis. You’re the best. The absolute best.” Mary jumped from the bed and danced around the room. “I hope I’m not too old.”

  Ellis opened her arms, inviting Mary back to bed. “Don’t be silly. A bigger question is who you’ll get to be the sperm donor.”

  Mary claimed her spot next to Ellis. “I’ve thought about that. Let’s make it simple. If we use the sperm that Nathan and I froze when we thought he might have cancer, the baby will be Nat’s full brother or sister.”

  Ellis pursed her lips. “Do you think they’re still good? Well, active, I mean?”

  “They should be, and I’ve thought about something else, too.”

  “Sounds like you’ve done a lot of thinking, missy.” Ellis stroked Mary’s thigh. “Tell me what else.”

  “If we try with Nathan’s sperm and it doesn’t work, then that will be the end of it.”

  “Isn’t that limiting your options?”

  “I suppose, but it’s what feels like the right boundaries to put on it. It if takes, it was meant to be, and if it doesn’t, well…”

  “If it doesn’t, we listen to Natalie moan about your ineptitude as a mother for the rest of our natural lives.”

  “Oh, good. You understand.”

  Mary’s kiss triggered an undeniable response from Ellis. “Want to pretend we could make a baby ourselves?”

  Mary rocked suggestively against Ellis’s upper leg. “What a great idea. Hurry up, will you? That sound you hear in the background is the last few hopeful minutes ticking off my biological clock.”

  ∗ ∗ ∗ ∗

  Gloria grabbed the pitcher from the trivet on the table in her living room. “More iced tea, Ellis?” She stood beside Ellis’s chair, pitcher poised.

  “No, thanks. This is plenty.”

  “Stop playing hostess, Gloria,” Mary said. “The kids will be home from school soon, and Ellis and I really want to talk to you about what we’re planning to do without three nosey girls interrupting us every five seconds.” She bounced baby Erin on her lap. “At least this one is young enough that we won’t have to worry about her blabbing everything she knows to Mother.”

  “Or to Naomi.” Gloria set the pitcher down.

  “Right. So, what do you think of the idea?” Mary shifted Erin to the floor where she could play in the stack of toys there.

  “It’ll probably kill Mother.”

  “Don’t hold back, little sister. Come on and tell us how you really feel.”

  “You asked what I thought, and quite honestly, I can’t imagine how Mother will survive the horror of it all. She’s barely had time to adjust to the news of you two being a couple.”

  “What horror? I just want to have another baby before my eggs are too old to hatch.”

  “A baby by artificial insemination. And don’t forget, you’re not married. By Mother’s standards, it will be a freak baby born in sin and destined for eternal hell.”

  “But it will be conceived from my husband’s sperm.”

  “Your ex-husband. Your deceased ex-husband, to be more precise. And conceived while you’re living with a woman who Mother regards as leading you directly to the devil’s front door.” She glanced at Ellis. “Sorry, no offense meant.”

  Ellis watched as the conversation ball was lobbed back and forth between Mary and Gloria. They left her no time to answer.

  “Don’t you dare blame Ellis for this. I was a lesbian long before I met her. Besides, you said yourself that I’m happier than you’ve ever seen me.”

  “Easy, Mary. I wasn’t blaming Ellis. I was simply reminding you of what you already know. Much as Mother loves playing Gramma, she’s not going to hang banners in the church sanctuary proclaiming the impending birth of her seventh grandchild. Not if it’s procured the way you’re talking about getting it.”

  “Procured? We’re not going to Babyland General Hospital and picking a Cabbage Patch Kid off the shelf. We’re going to use a tried-and-true method of making a baby. Well, without the usual inaugural act, but you know what I mean.”

  For the next twenty minutes, Mary and Gloria bickered over the imag
ined consequences of Mary being impregnated with the sperm she and Nathan had put in frozen storage. Ellis might as well have been a picture on the wall for all she contributed to the discussion.

  Ellis heard gravel crunching in the driveway. She looked out the window and saw Adam pull up out front after collecting Amber and Ashley from the Christian Academy and Natalie from the elementary school. The children thundered into the house, and Adam honked twice, his usual signal before heading back to the car dealership. Ellis seized the opportunity of the girls’ arrival to excuse herself to the kitchen to make after-school snacks. She’d heard all she needed to of the exchange between Mary and Gloria, anyway. Based on what had been said, when the furor faded—eventually faded, that is—Gloria would be supportive, as she’d been all along. No bets on the rest of the Moss family, though.

  Half an hour later, she and Mary were on their way back to their house. Natalie stayed behind to play with her cousins. The remaining daylight in the early February sky was already heading toward dusk.

  “So, did you and your sister reach any conclusions?” Ellis asked as she pulled onto the road in front of Gloria’s house.

  Mary’s tone was derisive. “Yeah, that the world is only meant for heterosexual Baptists, and that the rest of us are taking up valuable space intended for God’s chosen people.”

  “I think you’re being too hard on Gloria. She only wants you to be sure you understand the consequences.”

  “You’re right. Gloria isn’t the ringleader in the fight against us infidels. My mother is the immovable object.”

  “I guess that means you’ve changed your mind about making a trip to Atlanta to visit the sperm bank.”

  “Oh hell no, it doesn’t. This is right for you and me and Natalie. I’d be happy to have my family’s support, but if I don’t get it, what difference will it make? I’ve never really had it anyway, so it won’t be much of a change.”

  “Not even from Gloria?”

  “She’ll do her best to stand in our corner, but Mother still occupies the rest of the house. I can’t expect my little sister to wreck her life by alienating herself and her kids from the family matriarch.”