The Future Homemakers of America (7 page)

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘I've been thinking about that too.’

Gayle was still on the bed, where I'd left her. Audrey climbed in beside her, gave her a hug.

‘Baby,’ she said, ‘I'm sorry I yelled at you. Can we make up? Be friends as well as neighbours?’

Gayle didn't look too good. Far as she was concerned I think the room was still spinning.

‘Now listen,’ Audrey said. ‘I understand how you're feeling. I mean, it's a real tragedy about Carol Benedetto, but you know, maybe she would have done it wherever she was. Or maybe they should have sent her home sooner than three weeks. You ever think of that? Maybe the military has got it right, forcing people to pick theirselves up and get on with the rest of their lives. Hm? And as for us, we're wives of the 96th. Whatever turns up we got to do our bit, keep the military machine humming ‘cause those Soviets sure aren't gonna give us any compassionate leave.’

Gayle just lay there listening.

‘Now, you take my advice,’ Aud said, ‘you'll close your eyes and play possum, ‘cause Betty just pulled upside with a thermos of that ham-bone soup of hers.’

That raised a groggy smile.

We left Betty coaxing spoonfuls of broth into her. I said, ‘She'll be okay.’

Audrey said, ‘She better be. Now. You wanna try and do something about the Lois situation?’

We went in her car.

She said, ‘I couldn't give a damn about Lois you understand? But if Kath Pharaoh finds out, she could make waves. It could get back to the CO, and we don't want that kind of ‘trouble in the squadron.’

I said, ‘It's Herb I feel sorry for.’

‘Him too,’ she said. ‘You think you'd be able to keep Kath under control, if it came to it?’

I said, ‘Me?’

‘Well, she's your friend,’ she said. ‘You think you could keep her quiet?’

I said, ‘Somebody set their cap at your Lance, would you keep quiet?’

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘And so would you. We have our careers to think of.’

First I knew I had a career.

She said, ‘You think she meets him at his house? I don't think so. What if Kath came home?’

Just beyond the railroad crossing there was an old piece of hardstand, used to have a gas pump on it. She parked there.

‘Let's walk a little,’ she said.

So we walked where a path was worn, along a ridge, up above the fields. The sun was shining. There was a warm breeze just riffling through the grass and not a sound except for birds singing.

‘There's a lapwing,’ she said. ‘Hear him? Pee-wit, pee-wit.’

I said, ‘Do we have a plan?’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘let's see if we can see her car.’

‘And then what?’

‘I don't know,’ she said. ‘I'd just like her to know we've had her in our sights. Give her a jolt. Then maybe she'll come to her senses. Quit running around. I don't see what else we can do, short of getting her seen to by a veterinarian.’

‘Okay,’ I said, ‘and how do we happen to be walking out here ourselves? We sure as hell can't say we're on our way someplace.’

‘We're getting a breath of spring air, Peggy,’ she said. ‘We're
communing
with nature. Oh look. Stop. Don't move. See what I see? In the field? Way over, nearly in the middle?’

They were up on their hind legs, ears pricked, slugging it out like prize-fighters.

I said, ‘Jeez, I never seen conies that size before. I didn't think they had anything in this place bigger'n we've got back home.’

‘They're not conies,’ she said. ‘They're jack hares, and they're boxing. That's what they do in the spring. It's a sign the sap is well and truly rising.’

At the end of the ridge we could see across to Blackdyke Drove. No sign of anybody at Kath's. I knew for a fact she was beet-hoeing.

Aud said, ‘Let's go as far as the willows over there. They run right down to the water. She could be there. Getting a lesson on eels.’

We carried on along the track. Every step I took, I wished more and more I'd minded my own business. I was feeling like a guilty party myself, sneaking around, trying to catch a person doing wrong.

I never noticed the tyre marks. I think Audrey did though. I seem to remember she suddenly picked up the pace.

We were right past the old tractor shed before I saw the trunk of Lo's old Chevy poking out. Then there was John Pharaoh, staring right at us outta the rear windowshield, but not really seeing us, his being otherwise engaged. Me and Audrey were rooted to the spot. Then he must have said something ‘cause the door opened and Lois scrambled out with her nylons round her ankles. Her hair was all mussed up too. She was trying to push it out of her eyes.

I turned and ran. But Audrey stood her ground. Then I heard Lois start up. ‘What the hell is your game?’ she yelled.

‘What's
our
game?’ Audrey shouted back. ‘Well, that's pretty rich!’

‘Can't keep your long nose outta anything, can you, Rudman? Tell you what, you are a sick woman. And you …’ That was me. ‘… I never took you for a snoop. I thought you were my friend.’

I kept running. Audrey walked back in lifer own good time.

We had to clean the earth off our speakers before we could get back into the car. I didn't feel too good.

I said, ‘Jeez, Aud, now I wish we never had gone.’

‘Me too,’ she said. ‘It's made me feel horny as hell, and Lance is standing the duty the next three nights. Still, mission accomplished. We marked her card. Saved the honour of the squadron.’

15

‘Fuck the squadron,’ Lois said. Using a word like that in front of her child. I had gone round to see her. Try to explain things, mend a few fences, but she wasn't ready yet.

Saturday I picked Kath up and we drove to Downham. They had a cute little market there, sold eggs and stuff, laid out on tables under canvas canopies. Potatoes covered in dirt and all kinds of rabbit-food greenery. I wouldn't have touched any of it for fear of disease, but it was fun to go look.

Kath said, ‘You're quiet, Peg. You all right?’

I said, ‘I'm okay. Things on my mind.’

‘Have you?’ she said.

She was buying something called roe. It comes from a fish. There were seabirds sitting in a line along a roof. ‘Look at that,’ she said. ‘Must be bad weather coming in. You sure you don't want any roe? That's smashing on a bit of buttered toast.’

We walked on.

I said, ‘Friend of mine has been playing, around. You know what I mean? Married woman. And I don't want to see her go ruin her life.’

‘Well,’ she said, I don't see what you can do. I think I'll get a bit of celery while I'm here.’

I said, ‘Her husband ever finds out, or the other wife, I don't like to think. If I had that done to me, Vern ever played away, I'd kill him.’

‘But that's different with men,’ she said. ‘That's in their nature. They can't hardly stop theirselves, what I've seen of it. That's like trying to keep a tomcat from straying.’

I said, ‘Like hell it's different. A man stands up and makes his vows, he oughta keep to them.’

My heart was pounding.

She said, ‘I agree. But how do you get them to do it? That's the question. You can't be watching them every minute.’

I was lost for words.

‘I tell you what,’ she said. ‘I always say to John Pharaoh, “Be good, and if you can't be good, be careful. You bring trouble to my door, I shall get you spayded. Then you'll be sorry.” Oh, there's May Gotobed. Can we give her a ride home?’

I reported to Audrey, soon as I could.

I said, ‘I am in shock. I'm sure Kath don't know what's been going on, but then, I'm not sure how much she'd care, if she found out. She has some highly unusual ideas about husbands, I must say.’

‘Mm,’ Audrey said. ‘So we keep Lois under surveillance. And when she's had time to cool down, I think I'll make a gesture of reconciliation. I think I'll invite her to join the Reading Circle I'm starting up. First book we're gonna read is
The Good Earth.

I said, ‘Yeah. I'm sure Lois wouldn't miss that for the world.’

16

A letter come from Mom Dewey. Crystal'd had her picture took at school, looked real cute, so of course I'd sent one to his folks and one to mine.

‘Dear Vern’, she wrote,

I put Crystal on the ledge in the front kitchen, pride of place, and everybody that has seen her has remarked what a angelic face she has, spitting image of yourself aged five. We have had our troubles, your father brought in some grade ewes and some wethers, Romneys and Blue Faces, five got loose, got pasture bloat so bad they were goners, another one swallowed a French letter, excuse my language, and I'd sure like to know how one of them things got on Bolster Graze. If there's a way to die young, you can depend on a sheep to find it. Good money thrown after bad. I had my way we'd sell up, open a yarn store in Skowhegan. Norton Beebe, you'll remember Norton, pumped gas down in Palmyra, had a sister with a withered leg, he got killed out in Korea, he was in the infantry, National Guard, darned if I understand what this war is all about. I just’ give thanks that you're not out there, risking your neck. Best regards to your wife. Your loving mother, Clementine Dewey.

Vern screwed it into a ball and sent it spinning across the room.

‘You read that?’ he said.
‘Not risking your neck?
She ever hear about the Soviet Union? She ever hear a nucular capability? What's she think? I'm sitting here on my finger, flying a desk?’

I said, ‘I dunno, Vern. How's she supposed to know what you're doing? I sure as hell don't.’

‘Norton Beebe,’ he said. ‘Guess he's some kinda hero now. Tell you, the trouble with Maine, folks there don't see the big picture. They're so busy thinking ‘bout some yellowskin shot Norton, they don't even know there's a big Russian grizzly after their asses. I guess you gotta look at the world from 42,000 feet to understand.’

He was doing his sit-ups.

‘You seen anything of Lois?’

I wondered where he might be coming from with a question like that. ‘Yeah,’ I said. ‘I think I did. Why d'you ask?’

‘She say anything ‘bout her birthday?’

‘No.’

‘Only, Herb's fixing a surprise for her and he's worried she might have gotten wind of it.’

‘She never said.’

‘He brung it down to Beer Call tonight,’ he said, ‘show us what he'd done so far. He's carving her a roebuck. Amazing what that man can do with a knife. He's got a real knack.’

I said, ‘You sure it's a roebuck?’

‘Yup,’ he said.

I said, ‘You sure it's not a giraffe?’

‘Nope,’ he said. ‘Legs were too short.

17

I kept a low profile, stayed outta Lois's path for a day or two, but in the end she come to my door.

‘Guess we better clear the air? she said.

She came in and I made coffee. It was hard, though, trying to talk normal with her, after what I had seen.

‘Peg,’ she said, ‘I know it didn't look good …’

I said, ‘I didn't want to get involved, Lo.’

‘No,’ she said. ‘Well, I figured it would have been Audrey's idea, snooping around, checking up on me. Thing is, you know, sometimes things happen that shouldn't … but it was the only time. I swear.’

I said, ‘I don't wanna talk about it.’

‘Me neither,’ she said. ‘So that's that.’

‘Yup,’ I said.

She said, ‘You do believe me?’

‘Of course,’ I said. I lied.

‘So we're friends again. Clean slate?’

‘Sure,’ I said. ‘Clean slate.’

‘Great!’ she said. ‘So you coming to Betty's tomorrow night? We're gonna have a pyjama party for my birthday. Booze, records, everything. Crystal can sleep over.’

Vern and Ed and Herb were starting three weeks of night missions. Okey was on assignment, Norway or some place we weren't meant to know about.

I said, ‘How about Audrey?’

‘Yeah. She's up for it,’ she said. ‘We declared a ceasefire. She's bringing potato chips.’

18

I said to Audrey, ‘Betty's twittering around making party favours and popping corn and I feel like I'm going to a party in a minefield.’

‘Panic over,’ she said. ‘I think we've put a stop to that little adventure. And no casualties!’

I took along beer and a card, but I didn't wear my pyjamas. I kinda forgot, but it could just have been my way of holding out on Lois. I still had a certain something on my mind, until I seen some genuine sign of her shaping up.

I said to Crystal, ‘You gonna play nicely with Sherry and Deana?’

‘Only if I don't have to be the baby or the patience,’ she said. Mommies and Hospitals were about the only games the Gillis girls knew. And sure enough, when we got there they were hauling Sandie around like a sack of grain, telling her she had to get a Band-Aid on her head.

Crystal sat in the corner, going through Betty's albums. She never minded entertaining herself. I could hear her making up names for all the people in the photos. ‘Princess Nancy and Princess Jennifer and Princess Crystal Margaret Dewey, and they live in a palace and they are allowed a dog of their very own.’

By the time the kids crashed it was ten o'clock and I was the only one left sober.

‘I'd like to toast a drink,’ Betty said, up-ending a Schlitz all over the rug. ‘To our birthday girl, Lois. And to my Ed, ‘cause Friday it'll be our ninth anniversary.’

‘Nine years!’ Lois said. ‘D'you get a emerald or something for that?’

‘Gosh, no. Nine is … Audrey, help me out here, is nine years cardboard or tin?’

‘Well, whatever you get, you've earned it.’ Lois was on the floor, sharing cushions and a bowl of potato chips with Gayle. ‘Nine years with Ed Gillis. You deserve a Purple Heart. Where'd you find that man, anyway?’

‘In Warsaw, Indiana,’ Betty said. ‘I was visiting with Glick cousins and Ed was the boy next door. It was love at first sight. How ‘bout you, girls? Audrey? How about you and Lance. Was it love at first sight?’

Underneath that rosebud nightdress Betty had a heart of pure mush.

‘Kind of,’ Audrey said. ‘I liked his freckles first. I took my time deciding about the rest of him.’

Betty said, ‘And what brought you together?’