All the Right Mistakes

by Laura Jamison

  “Well, at first, I wanted to take it,” Scott conceded. “But then I took your advice and thought about why. It was pride, mostly, I think. I wanted to show everyone at my old job that the higher-ups had been wrong about me. And maybe I could have brought in some of my old friends. That would have been very satisfying. At least for a few days. But then I would be working nonstop. And my old friends don’t want new jobs anyway. They’ve moved on.” Scott sighed and continued.

  “Sara, I need to work. I need to be out of the house. But I also want to be a good dad. When you were in India, I was pretty agitated and thinking I just wanted to go back to a regular desk job. But now that things are settled, I can see all the great stuff that’s coming from me being closer to the kids. Did you know that Tommy talks to me for almost a half hour every day when he gets home? He’s a teen. They’re not supposed to talk to you at all. And Emma draws me pictures every day saying, ‘I love you.’ Every day, Sara. And I actually love consulting. I can set my own schedule and take the work I like, not the work that is thrust on me.”

  Sara exhaled and said, “I feel like you should still wait a few days to be sure it’s what you want.”

  “Look, I know it’s what I want. But I do have a request for you.”

  “All right,” said Sara tentatively.

  “No more task tracker. Ever.”

  “But . . .” Sara started, and then she changed her mind. A decent sex life had to be more important than a perfectly organized home. “You got it. But since we’re negotiating, I have a request too. I want to go to Disney one more time. No, two more times. For Mikey.”

  Scott sighed and said, “Okay, honey, I guess it’s worth it if I never have to see that tracker again.” And with that, he came in for a hug, and Mikey squealed his delight as he was sandwiched between them and enveloped in the love of his parents.

  HEATHER

  From Heather Hall’s Twitter

  Heather Hall @therealheatherhall ·June 5

  Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn

  ← Reply Retweet ♥ Favorite ··· More

  ELIZABETH

  Elizabeth was unemployed for the first time in her life. It was very strange. She had always had some sort of a job from the time she had started babysitting at age twelve. Growing two babies should count as work, she thought. Actually, it should be overtime. At least the way it was going these days.

  She didn’t know if she was going to make it to September. She had developed sciatica and, unlike when she had been pregnant with George, was finding it difficult to get in her three-mile daily walk. It was a good thing she didn’t have to get dressed anymore for work because her options for both professional-looking outfits and footwear that fit were dwindling.

  For their part, William and George were delighted that she was home. She was trying to stay off her feet as much as possible for the rest of the pregnancy, but George had figured out that this in no way impeded her from playing board games. She was beginning to question the wisdom of her decision to quit the firm after her fifteenth game of Candyland. If this was what William did all day, she had zero interest in ever doing his job.

  “Honey, Mommy needs to check her e-mail quickly,” she said to George after he drew double purple for the win. She was ashamed of herself, but she had stacked the deck to give him a quick win. It was pretty low, she had to admit.

  “Okay, Mommy. I’m going to find Daddy. I’m ready to paint.”

  If she were the stay-at-home parent, they would never paint, she thought. What a mess! No way. George was lucky he had William instead of her.

  She grabbed her phone and started glancing at her e-mails. She was still getting lots of e-mails from a variety of partners bitching about all the things they hated about the firm. Elizabeth thought they were all very unprofessional, but she guessed that they figured that now that she had quit, they could let it rip. She noticed that Heather had sent her a message too.

  She wasn’t sure she wanted to read it, but it couldn’t be any worse than the crazy partner e-mails.

  Elizabeth,

  What can I say? I was wrong. Wrong about all of it.

  It does take a village. And my village is gone. Being a single mom to three kids turns out to be harder than anything I have ever done in my life.

  Also, I’m sure you’ve read the papers. I might be doing it without a job.

  I shouldn’t be talking about this, but I know you can keep a secret, and it will be all over the news Monday anyway (Just don’t trade, OK?). It looks like the board is going to sell to our rival and at a bargain-basement price. It’s too late for me to sell my shares, of course. My net worth is set to take a beating, and there’s nothing I can do now. It’s killing me that I didn’t take your advice all those years ago and diversify. I didn’t want to miss out on FLASH’s growth, you know?

  What’s worse, I don’t think the new company will want me either. Because of my stupid book, they think I’m a know-it-all prima donna.

  So that’s the measure of it.

  I will still have some wealth, of course, but I probably won’t be left with much other than our family home and maybe the Carmel home if I can figure out how to rent it out from time to time. I already let all my help go.

  You probably think I deserve this. Go ahead and say I told you so. I’ll be OK, I always am.

  Can we start over, the five of us? I hope so. Come to Carmel for a weekend and let’s see.

  Love and kisses,

  Heather

  Finally, thought Elizabeth. Maybe there was a chance to get the band back together after all. She typed a response.

  Heather,

  Nobody deserves something like this. As I said when we spoke in March, these things happen no matter how much planning you do. That’s why you have your friends and family. Don’t be proud—you are going to find raising a family takes a village, job or no job. And of course we can start over. I’m a big believer in second chances. Please realize, though, that you have work to do with the others.

  E

  Elizabeth picked up the phone to call Carmen.

  CARMEN

  “No way,” said Carmen. “We’re busy, and she’s a big snobby bitch who doesn’t deserve us. I am living a new life now, and it doesn’t include Heather, period.”

  “Come on,” pleaded Elizabeth. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Let’s hear her out at least. I don’t want to go alone when I’m this pregnant. Please?”

  “Fine, but if you give birth to my godbabies three months early on the plane, there’s going to be hell to pay,” Carmen retorted.

  Carmen pressed “end” on her phone and smiled despite herself. It would be fun to witness a little Heather groveling for a change. And anyway, she needed to shop for her honeymoon wardrobe, and those lovely shops in Carmel would be perfect for that. Whatever happened with Heather, it wasn’t going to be a total loss.

  The landline rang. Probably another telemarketer, she thought with annoyance. No one else ever used that number. Except one person, she corrected herself as she saw the number pop up on the television screen.

  “Hi, Mom,” she answered, vowing to be patient.

  “Carmen! I’m so glad I caught you! Oh, honey, I’m so excited about the wedding, I just can’t stand it. I was thinking it might be the right time to show you some of my ideas. I’m on Pinterest now, you know.”

  “That’s great, Mom,” Carmen replied, wanting to be irritated but not being able to resist enjoying her mother’s happiness. “I’ll take a look tonight, promise. Hey, Mom, can I call you later? I have my realtor coming over soon. Paul and I found the greatest little farmhouse. You’re going to love it. Anyway, I have to get this Lake Geneva property on the market ASAP.”

  “Of course, honey. I’ll try you later. But Carmen, may I please say something now?”

  “Sure, Mom.” It had become nearly impossible to hang up on her mom since she had announced her engagement to Paul.

  “Honey, I’m sorry for how your dad and I b
ehaved all those years ago at your graduation. I was so worried for you when you told us about your pregnancy and Mark and all. I should have been more supportive.”

  “Ancient history, Mom,” said Carmen.

  Her mom plowed ahead, ignoring her. “And Carmen, you have been the very best mom for Avery. She was such a lucky little girl to get you. I know you wanted more babies, but you are going to have the time of your life with Paul. And you’ll finally get your chance to run a company. I knew that would happen for you someday. My smart girl. We love Paul, by the way. He is such a well-mannered young man. You won’t miss the mom thing even for a second.”

  “Actually, Mom, I’m going to be a godmother to Elizabeth’s twins! So I’m not totally giving up the mom thing,” said Carmen.

  “It’s not really the same, though, honey,” her mom said carefully.

  “Actually, it sort of is. She used my eggs. I will explain later, I see my realtor pulling up.”

  “What do you mean ‘used your eggs’?” replied her mom in confusion.

  “Gotta go, Mom, talk later.”

  “Carmen, you can definitely expect a call later,” her mom said with a note of concern in her voice as they both hung up.

  As the realtor approached with the “For Sale” sign in her hands, Carmen smiled. Her mom hadn’t needed to apologize. Carmen knew that her mom had only ever wanted the very best for her. But she had to admit it had really felt good. Do any of us really get over not having our parents’ unconditional love and approval? Carmen wondered. She hoped that Avery knew Carmen was proud of her and approved of her choices. When the rest of the world was so judgmental of women, it was nice to be able to count on your mom no matter what. And the family you make too—Martha, Elizabeth, Sara, and, possibly, even Heather.

  MARTHA

  Martha’s initial instinct was to decline the invitation to go to Carmel. When she got the invitation, it had gone right into the trash. Robert had actually spied it, fished it out, and had been urging her to go for days. She had reflexively replied that she didn’t want to leave Hope so soon after her surgery.

  She couldn’t help but remember what had happened the last time she had gone to Carmel. She had left a thriving, beautiful baby, and when she’d returned, that baby was gone. She would be beyond devastated if the same thing happened again.

  But her rational side knew that one had nothing to do with the other. And she needed to telegraph to Robert that she trusted him, completely, to care for Hope. Also, the truth was Hope was recovering nicely.

  In the end, she had given in to Robert’s pleas. And if she was being honest with herself, she had more than a little curiosity about how Heather was going to handle the whole situation.

  As she walked out the front door to the car waiting to drive her down to O’Hare, Robert came out to say goodbye.

  “Thanks, Martha,” he said.

  They both understood exactly what he was talking about.

  “It’s all in God’s hands, isn’t it?” replied Martha.

  “Sometimes it is,” said Robert. “But occasionally he needs us doctors to give him a helping hand.”

  Martha smiled, gave Robert another kiss goodbye, and jumped into her ride to the airport.

  She and her three friends had booked themselves on the same flight, and before they knew it, they were driving down Highway 1 with the ocean outside the passenger window. Martha enjoyed every second of breathing the healing ocean air.

  They pulled into the cottage around two o’clock. Heather was due to arrive any minute now.

  Martha perused the wine selection with Carmen while Sara started digging through the fridge for a Diet Coke. Elizabeth headed directly to the couch and plopped down in exhaustion.

  “I’m not moving from this spot, so if you people want to talk, you will have to come to me,” she joked.

  They all joined Elizabeth in the living room and had just started to relax when they heard the front door close.

  “That’s her,” hissed Martha.

  “No shit, Sherlock,” replied Carmen.

  “Who’s going to start talking?” Sara asked. “Elizabeth, you were her closest friend.”

  “Fine,” said Elizabeth with annoyance. “But I can’t be responsible for anything I say when I’m in this state.”

  And then Heather walked into the living room, and the four of them immediately fell silent.

  SARA

  Sara thought Heather looked great, all things considered. She wasn’t dressed like the woman on the front of her book. And she certainly didn’t look like the kind of person who hobnobbed with celebrities. She looked pretty and soft in dark jeans, a white peasant top, and plain white sandals.

  “I’m sorry,” said Heather simply and directly to her old friends.

  Nobody spoke for several moments. And then the dam broke. Elizabeth managed to haul herself off the couch to hug Heather. Sara went next.

  Carmen came forward and said, “Look, you’re on double secret probation. But I’m willing to hear you out.”

  It appeared that they were all terrible at holding a grudge.

  Except one of them.

  Martha stood quietly to the side. She clearly wasn’t there yet.

  “Ladies, I need your tips on how to manage three kids without a husband and without a budget,” Heather said with as much confidence as she could muster. “My life is one big hot mess.”

  “I can certainly help on the multiple kids on a budget part,” offered Sara kindly. “But I don’t know how I would do it without Scott. I’m so sorry about Phil, Heather. I don’t know what else to say.”

  “Well, I know how to get by without any help from a man,” said Carmen wryly. “I did that for the better part of twenty years. You might have been up your ass in general when you wrote your book, but you were sure right about Mark. That guy was a big fucking mistake.”

  Heather reddened and said, “I’m really sorry about what I said in the book. All of it. I don’t know what I was thinking. None of your lives are mistakes. And you didn’t deserve having them characterized that way. I was, as you put it so delicately, Carmen, totally up my own ass. I want to rewrite your stories someday. No, I don’t want to. I’m going to. I owe you that much at least. But probably no one will want to read it after everything that’s happened. And I wouldn’t blame them.”

  “Heather, maybe you should just focus on rebuilding your life,” Elizabeth suggested gently. “You don’t need to correct the record. It’s in the past. Let’s just try to move on.”

  “Let’s not beat around the bush,” said Carmen. “Listen, Heather, you really can’t just write about someone else’s experience like you did. It’s just not right.”

  “I know that now. I’m so sorry,” repeated Heather.

  “But if you do want to write something,” said Carmen playfully, “we did come up with a title.”

  Sara smiled and said, “All the Right Mistakes.”

  “I love it!” enthused Heather. “Please, let’s catch up. I missed you guys so much. And I need to know exactly how it is that Elizabeth is having Carmen’s baby. That’s been bugging me since your visit in March, Elizabeth. It’s got to be a good story. And by the way, I think I’m moving with the kids back to Oconomowoc before school starts again in the fall. There’s nothing for us anymore in California. I’ll get a normal job and live in a normal house and live a normal life for a change.”

  “You’d better not be selling this cottage,” said Elizabeth in mock pain. “We’re just getting used to it.”

  “Well, we’ll see. I’m not totally wiped out, and I do love this place. I was thinking about trying to rent it out,” said Heather. “Except in June. That month is reserved for you guys and your families. If you would like to come, that is. Consider it your royalties from the book.”

  “Make it all summer, and we might find it in our hearts to forgive you,” Carmen replied with smile.

  Carmen grabbed two bottles of champagne out of the fridge, and the girls insti
nctively formed a little conversation circle. Except one. Martha sat a little outside the group and was far quieter than the others. But she was there, and that was something.

  SEPTEMBER

  HEATHER

  From Heather Hall’s Twitter

  Heather Hall @therealheatherhall · September 5

  Tune in for my interview with 20/20 tonight—might be the last you see of me for a long time #lessonslearned #meaculpa #secondchances #goinghometoWisconsin

  ← Reply Retweet ♥ Favorite ··· More

  ELIZABETH

  If this were for anyone else other than Carmen, it so wouldn’t be happening, Elizabeth thought as she sat with the girls in the styling salon. They planned to spend the balance of the afternoon in the small, lovely shop getting ready for Carmen’s big day. They had arranged to have the run of the place, including a manicurist brought in for the occasion and, of course, champagne.

  As Elizabeth sat in the styling chair, she had a good look at her substantial baby belly. She was exactly thirty-seven weeks today and was pretty confident that she was over fifty inches around by now. Carmen had been true to her word and had insisted Elizabeth be a bridesmaid no matter how big she had gotten. Elizabeth had decided to be a good sport and had spent most of the day yesterday being fitted by the seamstress for the fourth time. The poor woman had basically resorted to draping yard after yard of the sheer maroon fabric from an impressively wide empire waist.

  Elizabeth was more than ready for her babies to be born. She finally knew what she was having. A boy and a girl. Every time she got frustrated about being so pregnant, she would pull out one of the many twin books she had collected to read the chapter on the importance of carrying the babies as long as possible. Her goal had been to hit the thirty-seven-week mark. When she looked at the probable size of the head and the feet before that milestone, it worried her enough to slow her down. She planned to give these babies every advantage she could, even if it meant staying off her feet twenty-three hours out of the day.