Same Old Truths (9 page)

“That’s a lot of emails, Virginia. I told you I don’t have time,” Carol Ann said.

“No, that’s one email, mass-mailed to everyone on the membership list. If you stay for a few minutes after the meeting I’ll show you how to do it. Give them the information you presented here tonight, along with a deadline to respond. We can even scan the brochure and attach it to the message. Give them the link to my email address, and I will manage the responses.”

Kay was hoping Virginia’s “take-charge” attitude might just turn things around.

Carol Ann was not finished throwing up roadblocks. “But how are we going to collect the money? Does this group have a bank account? How will you pay the deposit?”

By the way Virginia was standing there chewing her bottom lip, Kay thought her next executive decision would be to fire Carol Ann and her committee. But she just shook her head, sighed. “It’s my fault for not checking in with your committee, Carol Ann. I just assumed you guys were handling all these details.”

Carol Ann opened her mouth to make an excuse, but Virginia cut her off by addressing the group. “Well, it’s clear the time constraints involved with tying up all these loose ends mean the houseboat weekend is probably a no-go.” Then she glared at Carol Ann and said, “But we’re still going to send that email and let everyone know what’s going on. Maybe we can give it another try in the spring.”

If there was anything else on the agenda it was clear Virginia didn’t have the wherewithal to bring it up. She was done. The meeting adjourned to the kitchen and Kay asked for directions to the bathroom. She needed to splash a little cold water on her face.

“Well Kay, that’s what you get for not listening to your gut,” she said aloud to herself in the mirror. She had wasted a gorgeous outfit, not to mention an entire Saturday evening. Kay knew she wouldn’t be making this mistake again.

Oh well, you probably dodged a bullet.

She pictured Delbert Shoemacher standing on the topside deck of the boat, clad in Bermuda shorts, Hawaiian shirt, black socks and sandals, big straw beach hat with the frayed edges, offering her a pina colada with that hungry wolf leer while he ripped a big, stinky, lactose-intolerant fart.

As much as she wanted to, Kay knew she couldn’t hide in bathroom all night. With a deep breath, she rejoined the group in the kitchen standing at the refreshment table chatting while they plunged chips into dip, speared cocktail franks with toothpicks, and built slider-sized sandwiches from an array of cold cuts and cheese. Nothing appealed to her, including the conversation. Luckily, she spotted a makeshift bar set up on one end of the table and made a bee line for the bottle of red wine so graciously provided by someone who clearly understood the need for liquor at this queer gathering.

It was a cheap Merlot, but Kay didn’t mind. It was just what the love doctor ordered. She stood off to the side, sipping her wine, trying to be inconspicuous. Her plan was to finish the drink and then beg her leave.

Oh, shit!
The crock pot.

Normally, she would have taken the time to empty what was left into a bowl and wash the pot before transporting it back home. But not tonight. She didn’t want any unnecessary delays. The pot lid was going on and it would go, as is, into the bamboo tote.

She took a step toward the table when she heard a man’s voice say, “You’re not coming back, are you?” She turned to see Delbert, whose amorous leer had been replaced by a look of stony disdain. Even the tone of his voice had gone from welcoming to near intimidating.

“I’m sorry?” Kay asked, feigning ignorance.

“I’ve seen your type before. You come here with your pretty face, tight pants, and tasty cheese dip, looking for the guys with the six packs and the fast cars. And when you don’t find them, you’re outta here. You bitches never give nice guys like me a chance. I may not look like Tom Selleck, but at least I know how to treat a woman.”

But before Kay could say anything in her defense, Delbert walked away in a huff with an audible “toot” escaping from his backside.

Well
,
if that’s how you treat a woman, you don’t deserve a chance.

With her purse and tote in hand, Kay hurried for the front door, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. She doubted if anyone even noticed. As she turned the corner to the entry, she almost bumped into Virginia who was standing there counting the money in the donation basket. She had a defeated look on her face but managed to smile when she saw Kay.

“I’m so glad you were able to come. I’m afraid we didn’t make a very good first impression on you. But I hope you’ll give us another chance. Like I told you on the phone, we need people like you.” It was sad to see the woman so disheartened.

“It was fine,” Kay said trying to bolster the spirits of the crestfallen woman. “Don’t let the houseboat thing get you down. You know how hard it is to get people to commit to anything. I mean, just look how long it took me to get here.” Kay smiled really big trying to make Virginia feel better.

“Yes, and now I’m afraid you won’t be coming back,” Virginia said as if reading Kay’s mind.

Kay kept the big smile on her face, frantically searching her mind for something to say that wouldn’t sound like a lie. “Well, I’m anxious to hear what people’s reaction will be to the email you’re going to send out.”

“Oh my god!” Virginia said slapping her hand to her cheek. “The email! I’ve got to show Carol Ann how to do the mass mailing. I hope she’s still here. Well, bye Kay. Be careful going home.” She rushed away, leaving Kay standing alone in the entry.

Kay looked down at the sorry little stack of money laying at the bottom of the donation basket. She dug her wallet out of her purse, pulled out a five and tossed it in.

My dues for dis-membership.

8

September Skies

What is it about the blue of September skies that makes it so special from all the rest
?

Kay sat gazing out the window of her bedroom, mesmerized by the beauty overhead. She was sure there was a scientific explanation having to do with the angle of the sun this time of year, or some other equally-as-boring reason for its uniqueness. But Kay preferred to imagine it like a divine (either small or big “d”) overture playing a sentimental recap of summer which gracefully segued to a seductive preview of the coming autumn.

But as captivating as this little parenthetical season was, there was an ever-present, low grade sadness preventing Kay from fully relishing this special time of year.

It must be “cell memory.”

This was the explanation she gave herself for these feelings sneaking up on her every September. Once reminded by her cells, her full memory took over and she could recall in detail, the pain and anguish that were hers in those last weeks of September, when Dave slowly but deliberately made his exit from their family. It also didn’t help that she was still feeling the sting of the previous night’s social let-down.

Kay looked at the clock on the nightstand next to her bed. It was almost 1:00 p.m. Dave was nearly an hour late bringing Mariah home. Not that she was one of those ex-wives who insisted on strict adherence to agreed-upon pick up and return times. Far from it. Mariah was Dave’s child too and if he was a little late it was no big deal. She was with her dad. Kay was just anxious to see how the visit went - especially since Mariah had gone without her sister.

As soon as she saw Dave’s truck pull up to the curb in front of her house, Kay ran downstairs to welcome Mariah and say hello to Dave. She wanted the girls to see she was making an effort to keep things civil. But truth be told, she wanted to talk to Dave - friendly-like, in the spirit of new beginnings.

It only took her a couple of seconds to reach the front door, but as soon as Kay opened it she saw a cloud of dust left in the wake of Dave’s truck as it zoomed away from its brief parking spot. Mariah stood on the sidewalk where her dad had unceremoniously dumped her, looking as crumpled as the little overnight bag laying next to her feet. Kay felt her heart drop to the floor.

“Wow, I hope your dad at least slowed the truck down before you got out,” Kay said, trying to make a little joke. “What’s the hurry?”

“Oh, you know,” Mariah said with a sigh as she bent down to pick up her bag. “He had to get back home right away so Sandy wouldn’t be mad at him.”

Kay wondered if Dave actually said this to Mariah, or if she had concluded this on her own.

“Here, let me help you with that,” Kay said taking the bag from the little girl’s hand. “I’m so glad you’re home. I missed you.”

“I really missed you too, Mom.” Kay could hear pain in Mariah’s voice. “I wanted to call you last night, but Dad wouldn’t let me.”

Kay felt a burning heat slowly inch up her face. According to the terms of the visitation agreement, phone calls to either parent, at any time and for any reason were supposed to be permitted. Kay did her best to remain calm. “Oh, I know how it feels to be homesick. I remember one time…”

“Mom,” Mariah said, cutting Kay off. “I wasn’t homesick. I was mad and I needed to talk to you.”

Kay’s insides began to churn. This was the first visit of their new agreement.

How could things go off track so soon?

She gently guided her little girl back into the house.

“Sandy wanted me to show her my homework,” Mariah said.

Oh no she di-ent
!

School was another area where Mariah had issues. She was a very bright little girl, and well-liked by her teachers. Her participation in class was excellent and she got along well with her classmates. But when it came to doing and turning in homework, Mariah seemed to falter.

Last school term, after more than one parent-teacher meeting where Kay was shown a grade-book with numerous zeros next to Mariah’s name, she’d become diligent about checking Mariah’s work to make sure it was finished and carefully placed in her backpack for the next day. Unfortunately, for some reason Kay couldn’t understand, Mariah wouldn’t turn in her work. Kay would find the papers in the backpack right where Mariah had put them the evening before. Asking the little girl for an explanation would just elicit a vacant stare and befuddled, “I don’t know.”

In the interest of full disclosure, Kay had made sure to keep Dave apprised of Mariah’s progress in school, or lack thereof. Apparently he had full-disclosure issues of his own.

The girls were only a few weeks into the new semester and Kay had already alerted Mariah’s new teacher to the possibility of a repeat of last term’s problems. So far, things seemed to be going ok. Not only was Sandy’s meddling unnecessary, it was terribly inappropriate. But, of course, that had never stopped Sandy before.

“So, did you show her?” Kay asked, hoping Mariah couldn’t detect the fury building up inside her.

“I didn’t take my backpack with me, Mom. I was going to do my homework when I got back from dad’s today,” she explained. Mariah’s voice trembled as if she was about to cry.

“Did you explain that to Sandy?”

“Yes. But she just got mad and started saying a bunch of stuff about how it wasn’t right that I was making Dad worry and that I was old enough to do my homework without people having to check up on me like a little baby.”

So why is the bitch checking up on her?

Mariah went on. “Then she said something else that really made me mad, Mommy.” Mariah stopped, obviously apprehensive about continuing.

“What was it, Honey?” Kay wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“Well…” Mariah hesitated. “She said, “Your mother may let you get away with murder at home, but that’s not going to happen here. The next time you come you’d better have your homework with you.”

Kay felt pain in her hands from the tight fists she had made without knowing.

“Was your dad there? What did he say?” Kay asked, hoping Dave had stepped in.

“Yeah, he was there. But, as usual, he just sat in his chair watching TV.”

“Was that when you wanted to call me?

“Yeah, and that’s the only time Dad said anything. He told me it wasn’t a good idea.”

So the jerk
was
listening.

“Then what happened?” Kay said, immediately wishing she had waited for Mariah to continue on her own.

“Well, I didn’t want Sandy to see me cry, so I just went to the bedroom.”

Kay wrapped her arms around her little girl, kissed her on the forehead and said, “Don’t worry, Baby. Everything is going to be ok.”

Mariah sank into her mother’s reassuring embrace, allowing Kay to hold her longer than she normally would have…being nine and all.

“Here. Take your bag and go put your stuff away. I’ll fix you something to eat and then you can go back up and start on your homework.”

“Ok. I’m really hungry.” She headed up the stairs, but stopped and turned back to Kay. “Do I have to show her my homework, Mom?”

“Well, I think it might be nice if you showed it to your dad. But if you’d rather leave it here and work on it when you get home, I think that’s fine. I’ll talk to Dad and we’ll get everything squared away.”

The look of terror that flashed across Mariah’s face was instant. “Oh, no. Please, Mom. Don’t call him. You’re going to get me in trouble with Sandy,” Mariah cried.