Daughters (9 page)

Marie talked nonstop for the next hour, telling Esther how she escaped from Richard and ended up in Atchison. She told her about her design business there and her coach house apartment. Then she told her about Jonathan.

Esther’s mouth was agape the entire hour. “You’ve
got
to be kidding.”

“I know. It’s a lot to absorb.”

“So you’re telling me that sweetheart of a husband of yours turned out to be a real creep? Do you know how we all envied you? Oh my God! And your father is a
Negro
? C’mon, Marie. That’s hard to believe.”

“I know. For me too.”

Esther’s brows met in the middle. “Why didn’t you contact us to let us know you were okay?”

“That was so hard, Esther. But I didn’t want you to know anything about me in case Richard contacted you. If he found out you knew something and didn’t tell him…well, let’s just say it wouldn’t have been good for you. I did call Mr. Bakersfield eventually, when I thought it was safe.”

“That rat—your husband, that is. You know we called your house that night.”

“The night of the retirement party when I didn’t show up?”

“Yep. He told us you were running a little late.”

Marie smiled. “That was putting it mildly. Did you have any other contact with him after that?”

“No, but I could swear I’ve seen him drive by our house a few times over the years. That car of his is unmistakable.” Richard drove a 1936 Auburn Boattail Speedster.

“I know.” She paused a few seconds while her mind changed gears. “Esther, how is Catherine?” Catherine was Marie’s old boss, and the last time she had seen her she had been in an iron lung suffering from polio.

“She passed away, Marie, a few months after you left.”

More tears. “I’m so sorry. I feel so awful I wasn’t here for her.”

“Don’t feel bad. Looks like you had your own things to worry about. Besides, we heard that you were the one responsible for getting her an iron lung in their home, and believe me, that helped her through a very difficult time.”

“Well, it was Richard actually. But in any case, I’m glad we were able to help in some way.” She let out a wispy sigh. “Look, I have to go. I came in with my father, and we’re meeting for lunch in a few minutes.” She took out a pen and piece of paper from her purse. “Here’s my address and phone number. Let me have yours too. And I’ll call you when I’m in town next and we’ll talk more.”

The two women hugged again before Marie hurried to the elevator.

“How did it go?” Jonathan asked after they were seated at a lunch table.

She smiled a blissful smile. “It went well. My best friend at the time still works there, and we had a long talk. I had a lot of explaining to do.”

“I’ll bet you did. Will you keep in touch?”

“Oh, yes.”

“You’re not afraid of Richard?”

“Not anymore. He can try anything he wants. I will not let him affect my life any longer.” Marie thought about her response. “You know, at first that scared me.”

“What’s that?”

“Not being afraid of him anymore. Because I think I may have been hiding behind that fear in some respects. Then when I decided I wasn’t going to let him do that to me, I felt a little naked.”

“And now?”

“I’ve moved on from that.”

Jonathan put his hand over hers. “That’s the spirit.”

Jonathan told Marie over dinner that evening that he and Claire thought it would be nice to spend Marie’s last two days in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The Feinsteins owned a lake house there and had said it would be free for them to use.

They got an early start for Wisconsin. Jonathan drove in his 1947 Chrysler Town and Country woody. Marie rode shotgun, and Claire sat in the backseat. Marie spent more time turned around talking with Claire than she did talking with Jonathan. The roads were clear of snow and light on traffic, so they were able to make good time. They arrived at Gregory’s lake house mid-morning.

Marie was surprised to find that the lake house they had talked about so nonchalantly was quite the place. They pulled up in front of a three-car attached garage and walked the circular driveway through the front door under the twenty-foot-high pillars surrounding the portico. Inside, the foyer spanned both stories, and the large crystal chandelier in its center hung from a long heavy-gauge anchor link chain.

“Would you like a tour?” Claire asked.

“Of course,” Marie responded.

“I’ll meet you on the sun porch,” said Jonathan.

The home had an oversized eat-in kitchen perfect for entertaining. On the first floor, in addition to the large sun porch, were a formal dining room, large living room with a stone fireplace that took up one entire wall, two bathrooms, and a mud room. Upstairs were five bedrooms and three more bathrooms. Marie chose a bedroom facing the back of the house overlooking Lake Geneva.

They met Jonathan on the sun porch that faced the lake, where he was sitting next to a table holding a pitcher of lemonade and several glasses. “Aren’t you the perfect host, dear?” Claire commented with a sarcastic smile. “I didn’t know you could even make lemonade.”

“I can’t.”

The two women looked at each other and then at Jonathan.

“Ben and Rachael are here.”

“Oh?” Claire said. “Was there some kind of mix-up?”

“You could say that. Apparently Ben thought he and Rachael needed to get away for a few days and without telling his parents decided to come up here.” He glanced at his wife, then his daughter, waiting for a response, when Ben and Rachael walked through the French doors into the sun porch.

“Looks like I did a pretty big goof, eh?”

Claire spoke first. “Not to worry. We can find a hotel.”

“I won’t think of it. You stay here. We’ll find a hotel.”

Rachael stomped a foot and crossed her arms. “But Dad!”

Jonathan jumped in. “Look, this house has enough bedrooms. Why don’t we all stay here? That is, as long as no one has a problem with it.” His eyes circled the room.

“I’m okay with it,” Marie said.

“Me too,” said Claire.

“Okay,” Ben added. He turned toward Rachael.

She extended both arms, palms up. “The more the merrier, I always say!”

“When did you ever say that?” her father asked.

“Just now. Didn’t you hear me?”

Ben tousled her hair while everyone laughed.

“Can I have the room closest to Marie?”

Ben hesitated before responding. “Why don’t you and Marie go upstairs and figure out the sleeping arrangements.”

When Marie and Rachael returned, the five of them sat in the expansive sun porch drinking lemonade and watching the weightless snow fall. Toward noon, Ben told them he and Rachael had gone to the grocery store earlier, and there was enough lunch for everyone.

Rachael jumped up. “Can Marie and me make lunch?” she asked.

“Marie and I,” Ben said.

“No, I want to…”

“C’mon, Rachael. Let’s do it,” Marie said before Ben could respond. “He was just correcting your grammar,” she whispered.

They spent the afternoon relaxing mostly in the sun porch. Each time Rachael left the room, Ben filled in the others with his thoughts about what was going on with her.

“I’m very concerned about her,” Ben said. He focused on Claire and Jonathan. “After we left your house the other night, she started to cry in the car. When I asked her what was the matter, she wouldn’t tell me.” He paused while he let out a sigh. “Then later that night, she crept into my room and sat on the edge of my bed until I woke up.” He shook his head. “I don’t know how long she’d been sitting there. Well, she let it all out, saying she missed her mom so much and wanted her to come home. This is so hard.”

Ben turned around to make sure they were still alone. “Judy was an unfit mother as far as I’m concerned,” he whispered. “But she was all Rachael had, and she’s just too young to understand that.” The sound of footsteps behind him caused him to stop.

Ben treated everyone to dinner at the nearby yacht club. When they returned to the lake house, he lit a fire. Rachael toasted marshmallows while the others talked in whispers at the other end of the room.

“It breaks my heart,” Ben said. “There’s only so much I can do as a father, and that my parents can do as grandparents. She needs her mom.”

“Do you know where she is, Ben?” Claire asked.

“No, but I don’t think it would take much to find her. I haven’t done that because I thought we were both better off without her. Now I’m not so sure.”

“That’s a tough one, my friend,” Jonathan acknowledged.

Ben shrugged his shoulders. “I thought by coming up here we could talk it through, but all I got was the silent treatment on the way here.”

“And then we showed up,” Marie interjected.

“Well, there may be a silver lining here. I haven’t seen Rachael this enthusiastic in a long time.” He turned toward Marie. “Thanks to you.”

“Me? I really haven’t done anything.”

“She can’t stop talking about you.”

“So what’s going to happen tomorrow afternoon when the three of us leave? Will you and Rachael stay here?” Claire asked.

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll have to figure that out.”

“When will she turn thirteen, Ben?” Claire asked.

“Christmas Eve. Why?”

“Just curious, that’s all.”

The next morning, Marie was awakened by a knock on her bedroom door a few minutes before seven. Half asleep, she shuffled over to the door and opened it. There stood Rachael, fully dressed and sporting a big smile. “Wanna build a snowman?”

Marie rubbed her eyes in an effort to conceal her smile. “Give me ten minutes.”

For the next hour, Marie and Rachael rolled a big, bigger, and bigger yet ball of snow for their work of art. After they put the smallest one on top of the other two, Ben came out with an old hat, two Oreo cookies for the eyes, and a cigar for the mouth.

While Ben placed the hat on the comical snowman’s head, Rachael wadded up a hard-packed snowball and hit her father square on the back of the head, which started an all-out war. Not wanting any part of it, Marie went back inside where she joined amused onlookers Jonathan and Claire.

Claire watched the two of them fiddle with the snowman’s hat. “She seems like a changed girl, Marie, and Ben thinks you had a lot to do with it. What did you two talk about when you were alone with her this morning, if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Oh, just girl talk. Turns out Rachael and I have a little something in common.” She tilted her head. “Maybe more than a little.”

“Well, Ben is very pleased to see the change, but we’re all a little concerned that it may be short-lived.” Claire’s gaze strayed back to the window. “Look at those two.”

“I know. Me too. I can’t believe two weeks have passed,” Marie said to Claire as they prepared lunch for everyone. “It seems like I just got here.”

“You can stay longer if you want.”

“Oh no. I couldn’t. Claire, will you be coming with us tomorrow when Jon takes me home?”

“I thought about it, dear, but I think it’s better you have that time alone with him. Time to wrap up any loose ends you two may have. Maybe next time.”

After lunch, Marie and Claire tidied up the kitchen. Rachael asked her father if she could ride back with Marie and the Brookses instead of him. Ben gave her a disappointed glare. “Damn, Dad. She’s leaving tomorrow. I may never see her again.”