Rita chewed on her bottom lip. “I’m sorry, Mom. I didn’t think. I can’t remember now if I said anything about this to Victor.”
Sunny patted her daughter’s hand. “It’s okay, we’ll figure this out. What did he want?”
“He wants me to come over and see if there is anything of Gina’s we’d like to keep.”
Sunny felt her heart sink. “Oh, that’s nice of him, and awful, at the same time. Seems to me a little too quick. I don’t want anything. It’s too soon and too horrible.” She thought for a moment. “But you know him. He’ll probably just give her stuff away. That’s also terrible.”
“I can’t handle taking her things right now,” Rita said. “It’s too hard on me. Plus, I don’t want to be anywhere near Eva. But I don’t want her to have Gina’s things.”
“Maybe I’ll take the dream catcher earrings I made for her when she first came to live with us. She always wore them,” said Sunny. “Now that I think about it, I’m sorry I didn’t have them put on her to be buried in.”
Rita took a step down the hall, turned around, walked back, and gave her mom a hug. “I’m tired; I’m going to go to bed.”
“Me too, but, I want to finish writing in my notebook. Then I’ll turn out the lights.”
Sunny was asleep when she felt Gina’s presence. She sensed her coldness and tried to hold her close. Gina’s ghost form swayed back and forth. “Oh, Gina, I miss you. Why would you do such a horrible thing? Why?”
Gina gazed at her. I need to be with my boys. I can’t leave. Suddenly Sunny felt Gina shake her shoulders and heard her piercing scream. What happened to me? I can’t find peace. Where are my boys?
Sunny grabbed at Gina’s hands, trying to hang on to her. Her spirit disappeared. “No! Gina. No!” she hollered. “Don’t go!”
“Mom. Mom, wake up! Are you okay?” Rita shook her. “Wake up.”
Sunny’s eyes snapped open. She breathed hard as she looked at her daughter. “Damn, I had a dream about Gina again. She asked me what happened to her and where her boys are. I tried to hold her. I thought it was her shaking me until I woke up. She’s still with us. But her spirit is unsettled.”
Sunny watched her daughter leave the room and bring her a drink of water. They sat and talked about the dream, while Sunny’s breathing returned to normal. Rita gave her a bear hug and lay with her mother, until they both fell asleep.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
EARLIER IN THE EVENING
Jesse had made a quick run to the liquor store, grabbing his usual six-pack and a fifth of Old Crow, before he pulled into his driveway. His gaze was on the radio knob so he didn’t notice the identical silver Mustang until he looked up, seconds later. “Shit!” he hollered, feeling his eyebrows pull together. Eva! In his house! He jumped out of the car, slammed the door, and took the stairs two at a time. His lips were set in a hard line. Boomer, his black lab, ran to him to be petted. Jesse was too mad and ignored him. He swung open the front door. “What the hell are you doing here?” She stood at the phone like a innocent bystander, but couldn’t pull it off, as she covered the mouthpiece with her hand. She seemed surprised to see him, then embarrassed, as she slowly hung up.
“Wh-what are you doing here?” Her face turned red.
“What do you mean, what am I doing here? I live here! What the hell are you doing here? Who were you calling?”
“No one. I dropped by to pick up some of my clothes.” She snatched up her small bag from the chair. As she passed Jesse, he grabbed her arm and swung her around.
“Leave my key on the table and get the hell out of here. Don’t come back unless I invite you. Which ain’t gonna happen.” He turned on the porch light and shoved her out the door. Sniffing the air, he said, “Driving drunk again? I can smell it on you.” She yanked her arm free.
“No.”
“Bullshit, I know that smell.” He pointed. “What’d you do to your front bumper? It’s all dented.” Eva squinted her eyes and gave him a dirty look.
“None of your business.” She unlocked the car door, slid behind the wheel, and sped off.
“Next time, call first,” he shouted after her. He picked up a small rock and threw it at the dust behind her moving car. “Damn crazy woman, sneaky bitch, always slithering around, and talking to herself or her cat. Drives me crazy.” He walked back into his house accompanied by Boomer. In his kitchen, he put the beer in the refrigerator, save one, popped the top, and took a swig, trying to forget about how Eva infuriated him. In his recliner, sipping his beer, his mind began to relax. The boys could stay at his mom’s for a while, but then what would he do? Then he wondered about Rita’s comment to him over the phone about finding some papers. “She sounded sexy.” He smiled. “What papers is she talking about?” Boomer licked his hand.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Driving along the wet street, Eva smiled and turned up the radio. One of her favorites, “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul, came on and she sang her version. “Me and Mr. Jesse.”
“I think I’ll go by Rita’s one more time. Last time she came out on the porch and almost caught me.” She laughed and continued singing until she parked across from Rita’s house and cut the engine.
“Darn, they closed their blinds. Shit. I wish I could see inside. There’s only a little glow. I wonder if they’re talking about me. I bet they are. Good.” She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. “Humph. Well, if I can’t see anything I don’t want to just sit here.”
The light sprinkle changed into big drops. Splatters smeared the dust on her windshield. The rain picked up and hammered the roof and hood. As she turned the key to leave, she saw a small drenched dog whose thick fur hung like a heavy blanket. “I can’t stand seeing the poor defenseless creature in the rain. I’ve always been a sucker for animals.” Eva opened the door. “Come here, little guy. You’re all wet. Bet you’re cold.”
The soaked terrier scurried over. She scooped him up and set him on the passenger seat. “Phew, you smell like a wet dog.” She laughed. “Oh, you are a wet dog.” She turned on the heater, aiming a blast of warm air at the dog. She grabbed an old sweater from the back seat to dry him. “There, how’s that, little guy?”
He trembled in her arms like an infant. She’d thought about having a baby once, but once was all it was. Plus, no one ever wanted to have kids with her. Maybe Jesse’d want to start a second family? She decided to be satisfied with her cat.
Lost in thought, she glanced through the windshield. Good, the rain’s stopped, just a black cloud passing over. The dog whimpered and squirmed. She opened the door so he could jump out and watched him run toward a block of houses.
Eva started the car, turned on the radio, and sang to the music as she drove home. Now she smelled like a wet dog. It made her laugh. “Life can be good for me,” she mused. “I just have to take care of one more detail. Then the future I’ve always wanted will come true.”
Entering her house, Eva mumbled, “Gina’s gone. Now I have to get Rita out of the picture. Then I’ll have Jesse all to myself.”
She started straightening the living room, picking up socks and shoes, arranging pillows on the couch. She’d never been very neat. She wondered if Jesse would care about that when they were together, but didn’t really care if he did. She had first dibs on him, way back when.
“I’ve loved him forever,” she declared, stooping to pick up a fast food wrapper. “I always thought Jesse and I would get married. Hell, I didn’t even know Gina existed. Ended up, she’s my half sister. Same mother, different fathers. Who cares? Big deal. I was fine on my own since I was eight, with my foster family.” She looked at her cat. “Isn’t that right, Pandora?”
Satisfied with the room, she threw her coat toward the couch. It landed on the floor.
She looked around her small place. It was tidy now, well, if she didn’t count the cobwebs or the water stain on the ceiling, or the slippers under the couch. “Jesse belongs here with me. I should have had the big house, not G
ina. He should have married me. Now we can fix things.” Her gaze moved in the direction of her living room and bedroom. Two bookcases with scarves hanging over them blocked her bed. She tilted her head toward the little hall to the bathroom and the pink kitchen.
“God, this place is tiny. Well, it’d be cozy if Jesse lived here. There’s enough room when Gerald stays over. He’s sexy, and fun. I’ve known him a long time. But he’s not Jesse.” She thought she could smell Gerald’s cologne. The smell made her wrinkle her nose. It wasn’t the smell she wanted. She focused on Jesse.
“I’ll invite Jesse over for dinner. After all, he has to eat,” she said as she looked in the fridge and checked the freezer. “Wow, nothing but beer and ice cubes. Guess that means a trip to the store.”
She picked her coat off the floor and walked out to the car. The streetlight showed dents in her front bumper. “Ha, Jesse thought I smashed my bumper because I was drunk. Oh no, honey. I was stone sober.”
She chuckled to herself.
“Humph. Let’s see. I’ll serve Indian stew with fry bread. That should get him over here. He won’t stay mad. I know how to butter him up.”
In the store Eva picked up a pound of hamburger, green and yellow vegetables, and tomato sauce. In the cooler she eyed a twelve-pack and giggled, as if she’d just run into an old friend. “Eeee, can’t ever have too much beer.”
While paying for her groceries, she stared at the back of a thin woman with waist-length black hair. As Eva walked past the counter she tried not to stare but couldn’t help it. Is it who I think it is? Sunny? What’s she doing here? Hatred rose from her gut. She clenched her fingers on her grocery basket. “Bitch. I hate her and her whore daughter!” Her words tumbled out loudly. The woman in front of her turned and frowned at her. Eva moved around her. On closer scrutiny it was a stranger. Eva blinked, wondering how she had made such a silly mistake. Then she forgave herself. Oh, it’s not her. Just as well, what would I have done anyway? I can’t punch her out in the supermarket.
Interrupting her thoughts, the clerk asked, “Miss. Miss, are you okay? Do you want to sit? Your face is bright red. Can I get you something?”
“No, no, I’m fine. I just need a moment.”
“That’ll be fifteen dollars and twelve cents.”
Eva paid with cash and grabbed her groceries before the clerk could make change and hurried out. Gripping the keys at the bottom of her purse, she felt upset for no good reason.
Gratefully, she sank behind the steering wheel, safe but breathing hard. “Boy, those two women sure can get my heart racing. Why do they do this to me? I hate them. They can go to hell, for all I care. They never liked me anyway.” Eva wiped tears of frustration from her eyes.
After a few minutes, feeling better, she turned on the ignition and drove toward her tiny house, humming and singing her favorite country song, “Somebody Needs to Leave,” by Reba McEntire.
At home she set the groceries on the kitchen counter and checked the clock. It was too late to call Jesse. Or cook dinner. She opened the refrigerator and laughed. “I’ll just have a liquid dinner tonight.” She pictured herself in bed with Jesse. She’d be a good wife for him. After finishing off the six-pack she called it a night.
MONDAY MORNING
Eva woke up early, excited about her big plans to have Jesse over for dinner. She turned on her radio and sang while she mixed up flour and water for fry bread. Patting the dough like tortillas, she dropped them into the pan as the oil snapped and crackled. Then she plated and stacked them to save for dinner.
Taking out the ingredients for her Indian stew she heaved the big kettle onto the stove and chopped and fried the hamburger, all the time singing.
“I should be a singer. I feel like I’m in a Disney movie. Some day my prince will come, and be mine, all mine. What do you think, Pandora? You always listen to me.”
Later in the afternoon she called Jesse. “Hi. Want to come over for dinner? I made Indian stew and fry bread. And I have plenty of ice cold beer.”
“No. I can’t.”
She hadn’t expected his refusal. It shook her up. “But I cooked all day for you.”
“What? What do you mean for me? Don’t be doing shit like that. I told you before, I run my own life.”
“I know, I know.” She tried the guilt routine. “I’m just disappointed. Can I at least ask where you’re going to eat?”
“It’s none of your business, but I’m having dinner with my mom and the boys.”
She saw herself in the mirror as she faked a smile. “Oh. Can I tag along?”
“No!”
“Oh, okay.” Eva felt her world collapsing.
“I might take a run by Rita’s.”
She gripped the receiver so hard she thought it would break. Tears welled up.
“Well, then, I guess that’s … all right. Goodbye.” She was having a good cry and was ready to trash the fry bread and stew when the phone rang. Oh good! He changed his mind! Excited, she raced to answer, but it wasn’t the voice she hoped to hear.
“Hi, baby. What’s going on?” It was Gerald. “I was thinking about you. I thought maybe you went back to work.”
Eva swallowed hard and answered slowly, “Nah, they gave me two weeks family leave for my sister’s death, and I intend to take full advantage.”
“Yeah, you should.”
“You know, I’ve given the Social Security office fifteen years of my life. Shoot, I should retire.” … and take care of Jesse.
“I thought maybe we could go out to dinner.”
Good old Gerald, always there when I need him. “Why not come over here? I made Indian stew and fry bread. I have plenty of beer. Besides, it’s too cold to go out.”
“Okay, I’ll be there after work. See ya.”
“Great.” She took her time hanging up. Tears blinded her. “Yeah … bye.” She railed internally, wondering why couldn’t it be Jesse instead? Gerald was okay, but she was crazy in love with Jesse. She felt kind of bad using Gerald, but it wasn’t her fault he paid attention to her. Plus, she deserved it.
Gerald showed up handsome, dressed in black slacks with a charcoal-gray shirt under a black V-neck sweater that showed off his turquoise bolo tie. His temples matched the shirt. He smiled. “I’m glad to see you.”
Eva thought she’d better paste on a believable smile. “Ditto.”
“It smells great in here.” He took a deep breath and gave her a big hug.
After the Indian stew and a six-pack, Gerald asked, “How ’bout I stay the night?”
Her head dropped down. “Sure.”
Lying in bed watching him undress, she couldn’t help comparing and wishing it were Jesse. She turned her face to the ceiling, her thoughts elsewhere. She’d close her eyes and pretend. She was good at pretending. But when she and Jesse were married it’d be for real.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
TUESDAY MORNING
As Rita was rushing out to work, she picked up the ringing telephone. “Hello, hold on a moment. Mom, for you.”
“Who is it?”
Rita shrugged, handed her the receiver, and blew her a kiss as she raced out the door.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Sunny, it’s Gerald. You remember, your ex-fiancé?”
“Funny. What d’you want?”
“Since I saw you the other day I’ve thought about you. You look great. I thought we could have a drink or get cup of coffee.”
“Who was it I introduced you to?”
“Your husband. I know, but Eva said you guys are having problems. I thought maybe you could use a good listener.”
“What does Eva know?!” Sunny clenched her hands. “If I were having any problems, it’d be my business. You should concentrate on your girlfriend. Worry about her, not me.”
“I don’t know why Eva even wants me around. All she talks about is Jesse this and Jesse that.”
“Well, too bad. Like I said, she’s your problem.”
“Are you mad at me
about something?” he asked.
“Why?”
“Maybe it’s your attitude?”
“Not mine,” she said.
“What happened between us anyway? We haven’t seen each other in years, but the last time I ran into you at the casino, I thought we were at least on speaking terms. Anyway, you look great.”
“Save the compliments for Eva.”
His voice softened. “Why did we break up anyway?”
“You didn’t want children. Ever. You wanted to be Mr. Party Man. Don’t you remember our conversation?”
“Twenty-some-odd years ago? I don’t think so. Enlighten me.”
“You told me, ‘No kids no way.’ You didn’t want to bring any into the world.”
His voice was low. “Make’s for a small world. I was dumb.”
“Not funny. I’m lucky. I have a good husband, and he’s a great father to our daughter.”
“If you say so. I guess it turned out all right. By the way, your daughter’s beautiful. I’d ask her out, but I’m old enough to be her father. How old is she anyway?”
Sunny sucked in a sharp breath. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Be nice. So, does this mean you won’t meet me for a drink?”
Sunny felt her stomach turn over. She could barely speak. “What do you think?”
Laughing, he said, “If you change your mind, I’m in the book. Under Listener.”
Or Shithead. “Goodbye, Gerald.” She stood ramrod straight for a few seconds, dropped the receiver into its cradle, and rubbed her sweaty palms along the outsides of her thighs. She never thought she’d run into him again. But worse, he’d noticed Rita. She didn’t want him to know the truth about her. She had too much on her mind right then.
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