Eighty and Out (11 page)

The rest of summer, Jim and his Dad kept me busy with a bunch of projects. I planted perennials that attracted new renters. They included me in their business brainstorming sessions, saying they needed a female perspective to get a better understanding of their customer base’s wants and needs. I’d also offered myself up as a babysitter on Thursday nights after discovering some of the moms in the building were looking for a night out, and before I knew it, my Thursday evenings were booked until the end of the year.

“I want to get a second building,” Jim’s dad said as he took a bite of his lunch. “And I want people to think of renting with us before anyone else.” He set his fork down. “What do you think we can do to stand out from the competition?”

My mind drew a blank as I stared at my salad.

“How about we offer a free gift when they sign a lease? Like a toaster or a radio,” Jim suggested.

“Wouldn’t that be too expensive?” I asked. I wasn’t sure how we would be able to do that and still make money.

“Nope. We’ll just roll it into the cost of the rent,” Jim said.

“Oh.” I smiled at him. He was not only handsome but smart.

Later that night, Bernice called. “I’m nervous about starting school tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll do great,” I told her. I took a sip of Coke. “So what have you been up to? Did you have fun with your parents?”

“Yeah, we had a lot of fun. My aunt took us to El Santuario de Chimayo. It’s this old adobe church that’s known for miraculous healing. People with serious illnesses claim to have been cured by rubbing the holy dirt on themselves.”

“Wow! That’s pretty neat.”

“Yeah, it was. After that we went horseback riding, did some shopping. Oh, and we went to Juan’s house for dinner. His parents threw a big party for Alejandro’s birthday.”

“I thought Alejandro moved to Arizona?”

“He did, but he came back. He said it was too hot all the time, and he missed the four seasons in Santa Fe.”

Her voice sounded bubblier than usual. “
And
?” I asked.

“And he’s as handsome as ever,” she exclaimed. “I sat across from him at dinner and couldn’t stop staring at him the whole time.”

I grinned, remembering how adamant she had been about not getting involved with anyone before school, saying the focus was on studying. “So did he pay any attention to you this time?”

“Yeah. He was really nice to me. He spent a lot of time talking to me, asking me about school, about Chicago.”

“So did you get the feeling he likes you or do you think he was just being polite?”

There was silence, then she said, “We kissed.”

“What?” I shrieked. I glanced back at Jim, who was sitting on the sofa, shaking his head and smiling.

“I know. I’ve been dying to tell you the story,” Bernice said in a hushed tone. “After dinner we went for a walk and talked, like I told you. He seemed genuinely interested in everything I had to say and told me he admired my spirit for following my dream of getting a business degree. Then he told me he had planned to go to college too but had been in a bad relationship and suffered a broken heart, so he took a job in Arizona to get away from it all.”

“So why did he come back?”

“He tells people he returned for the weather, but he told me he came back because New Mexico is his home, and it’s not worth losing time with his family because of a girl. He also smiled at me and said, ‘Besides, there are much better girls to choose from anyway.’”

I was so excited I almost shrieked again. “Is that when he kissed you?”

“No. It was later. When we came back from our walk, my parents were still there. They had been reluctant to let us go on our own until he said it was just around the property. They looked a little anxious, but I think they’re just nervous about leaving me to fend for myself in another state.”

“But you’re not fending for yourself. You have your aunt, your friend Juan, and
Alejandro
.” I said.

Bernice laughed. “I think he’s what they’re most afraid of.”

I didn’t care what her parents feared; I wanted to hear the juicy parts. “So when did he kiss you?”

“I’m getting to that,” she assured me. “So when we got back, Juan called me away to help with dishes. He told me they were going to hang out later and asked if I wanted to come, so I said yes. After we went back to my aunt’s and my parents went to bed, I snuck out to meet Juan and Alejandro as planned.”

“You snuck out?” I found it hard to believe.

“And drank tequila,” she added.

“No way!”

“I know. It doesn’t sound like me, right?”

“No.” It was unreal. Only a short time out west and Bernice had turned lawless.

“The three of us met in the barn and shared some of Alejandro’s dad’s tequila, the good kind, he said, and after we got to talking, Juan said he was tired and went to bed. Then it was just Alejandro and me.”

Finally, the good part, I thought.

“I was feeling a little tipsy and ended up telling him I had a crush on him when I visited last time. He smiled and said I was just a girl before, but that I had grown up and become a beautiful woman. Then he kissed me.”

“That’s so romantic! Then what happened?”

“We kissed for a while longer, then he said I’d better go home before my parents woke up and found me gone. He said he didn’t want to get on their bad side.” Bernice laughed. “Luckily, I managed to sneak in undetected, and since my parents went home, I’ve been spending all my free time with him.”

“So he’s your boyfriend.”

“We haven’t had the talk yet, but yes.”

“Oh my gosh! This is great news. I’m so happy for you.” I paused. “So…has anything else happened?”

“We haven’t done
that
.” She paused and added, “But I’m finding it really hard to say no.”

For a girl who had always been in control, that came as a surprise. Then again, maybe she’d grown tired of being so rigid.

“You’ll know when the time is right,” I said.

“It feels like the time is right every time he’s nearby.”

I giggled, completely understanding where she was coming from.

“Well, I should probably get going,” she said. “First day and all tomorrow.”

“Good luck. And don’t worry. You’ll do great.”

“I hope so. I heard college is a lot harder than high school.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’ll get a B in something. The horror,” I joked.

Bernice laughed. “That would be awful.” She sighed and asked, “How’s Jeannie been?”

“She’s good. She just got a promotion at work, and Tad is planning to go to school to become a journalist. She finally seems happy.”

“Glad to hear it. Make sure to tell her I said hello.”

“I will.”

We wrapped up our conversation, and after I hung up the phone, it rang again. I answered on the first ring, thinking Bernice had forgotten to say something. Instead a man’s voice said, “Hi, Lou. It’s Chuck.”

When we finished talking, Jim rose from the sofa. “Is everything okay?” he asked. “You look upset.”

“I’m not upset. I’m in shock.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“That was Chuck,” I said, my voice shaky.

“You mean missing-in-Vietnam Chuck?”

“Yeah. Looking for Jeannie.”

It took a moment for what I said to sink in.

“Oh man,” he said, rubbing his face.

“I know.” I took a seat at the kitchen table. “I don’t know what to do. Jeannie seems so happy with Tad, and now this happens, but I’ve got to tell her, right?”

“You’ve got to,” Jim reiterated as he sat down opposite me.

The thought of calling Jeannie made my stomach lurch. I didn’t know if I should be happy for her or if I should be concerned. All I knew was I didn’t want to see her hurt.

I pictured telling Jeannie over the phone, and her freaking out, causing our parents to ask a bunch of questions. We didn’t need that kind of drama. We managed to keep them in the dark so far, and we couldn’t blow it now.

“Will you give me a ride to my parents’ house?” I asked Jim. “I want to talk to her in person.”

“Of course,” he said, getting up.

As Jim drove, my stomach tightened into a knot. This was the good news we had been hoping to hear all along, and I should have been elated, not feeling like I was going to be ill.

Jeannie answered, wearing a big smile. “Hey, what are you doing here?” she asked.

“I came to talk to you. You want to go for a drive?”

“I can’t right now. Tad’s over and we just finished dinner.”

“Shit,” I said.

“Why? What’s going on?” Jeannie asked, looking concerned.

“I can’t talk now. But come by afterward, and if possible, bring stuff to stay overnight.”

“Okay,” she said, eyeing me like I was crazy woman. “Do you want to come in and at least say hello?”

“Not tonight,” I said, walking away. “See you later.”

As we drove off, I realized my rude behavior must have seemed odd, but the truth was I didn’t want to face Tad. I was already feeling uncomfortable and seeing him would only make what I had to do harder.

When I got home, I paced the apartment until the doorbell rang an hour later.

“What’s going on?” Jeannie asked as she came in.

I offered her a chair, and I sat down too.

“I got a phone call from Chuck,” I said in a soft voice.

All the color drained from Jeannie’s face. “You mean…he’s alive?”

“Yes. And he asked for you.” I pulled a piece of paper from my pocket and handed it to her. “I took down his number and told him you’d call him back.”

She took it from me, wordlessly staring at the number while I held my breath, hoping the news would make her happy. Instead, she burst into tears.

“This can’t be happening,” she sobbed. “Not now.”

I knew it. Total disaster. “I didn’t want to tell you because I know you’ve moved on, but I thought you’d want to know.”

Jeannie kept crying. I pulled my chair next to hers and rubbed her back. “It’s too late,” was all she said.

“It’s not too late,” I assured her. “Chuck’s alive, and you still have a chance if you want him.”

Jeannie lifted her tear-soaked face and said, “I’m pregnant, Lou. I just found out. And I know Tad wants to marry me.”

I sat staring at my sister, speechless.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. She nodded and broke into another wave of tears. Comprehension sunk in as my mind worked to find a solution. “Do you love him?”

Jeannie’s forehead crinkled. “He’s a nice person, Lou. I love him, but not the way I love Chuck.”

I steeled myself before saying what I had been quietly pondering ever since Jeannie met Tad. “Have you ever considered that your love for Chuck was just a schoolgirl crush? I mean, I understand it – of course I do. But you hardly knew him…”

“Why would you say such a thing?”

“I just…no, you’re right. I’m sorry. It was a stupid thing to say. But it would be so much easier if you could just let him go.”

“I can’t, Lou.”

“Does Tad know you’re pregnant?”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “No. I haven’t told him yet.”

I tapped my fingers on the kitchen table. “Okay. I’m not sure if this is good advice, but it’s what I would do, right or wrong.”

Jeannie listened closely.

“Call Chuck back. Then go see him right away. I mean, you never know. You may be in love with a memory. You may see him again and not feel the same.”

Jeannie looked anxious. “But what if I do feel the same? Then it will hurt even more because I can’t have him.”

“Well, you’re going to have to face him sooner or later. And the sooner you do it and find out how you feel, the better. For your health,” I said, pointing at her abdomen.

Jeannie rubbed her face. She rose and said, “I need to use the restroom.” She hurried off, and when she returned ten minutes later, she looked like she had washed her face and fixed her hair.

She took a few deep breaths, unfolded the paper and reached for the phone. I went into the next room, not wanting to crowd her. Jim had gone to his dad’s in an attempt to give us some privacy. His dad had seemed a little lonely lately, and he offered to take him out for a drink. I wasn’t sure if that was true or if he was just giving us space. But the way things were going, I almost wished I was at the bar with them.

“I never thought I’d see you again,” I heard Jeannie say. “But I never stopped hoping.” There was silence on her end, then, “I missed you, too. So much. Okay. See you soon,” she said, sounding excited, and she hung up.

I came back in the kitchen and Jeannie turned to me. “He’s coming to pick me up.”

I let out a breath I’d been holding. “I hope this is the right thing to do. Well, at least you’ll know, and then you’ll be able to make a decision.”

“What do you mean?” Jeannie asked.

I locked eyes with her. “If you decide you want Chuck, you’ll have to tell him about your current condition. Then he has to decide what he wants to do. If he wants to move forward together, you can choose him. If he doesn’t…”

Jeannie was quiet for a moment. “So you’re saying if he wants to move forward, I don’t tell Tad about the baby?”

“I probably will regret saying this, but…yeah. You don’t tell anyone except Chuck and me. And I won’t tell anyone.”

“Even Jim?” she asked.

“No. This secret would stay with us.”

Jeannie thought it over, then flung her arms around me. “Thank you, Lou,” she said, squeezing me tight.

I held her in my arms, hating that I’d thought up such a morally reprehensible plan. But my kid sister’s future hung in the balance, and if doing something shameful meant Jeannie might have a shot at a happy life instead of living one devoid of passion, I’d live with the guilt.

“I’m not sure what time I’ll be back. Is that okay?”

“It’s fine,” I said. “Mom and Dad know you’re staying over, so nothing to worry about there, and I’ll sleep on the sofa so I can hear you knock. I don’t want to wake Jim.”

“Okay,” she said, smiling. “Thanks again.”

“Don’t thank me. I didn’t do anything.”

She fidgeted with her hair while staring out the window. Suddenly she gasped. “He’s here,” she said. “I’m going to meet him outside.”

“Good luck,” I said.

I peeked through the curtains as Chuck got out of his car and slowly approached Jeannie. They talked for a few minutes, and he took her in his arms, spinning her around. I heard her laughing, and a minute later, they hopped in the car and drove off into the night.

While Jeannie was gone I tried to read a romance novel I’d just bought, but after a half hour, set it aside. I couldn’t focus. All I could do was wonder how their meeting was going while second-guessing my advice. I washed and dried the dishes, hoping things were going good, and soon afterward Jim came home from drinks with his dad.

I explained that Jeannie had gone to meet Chuck.

“The plot thickens,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. His breath smelled of alcohol, but he wasn’t drunk. “How about we fool around before she comes back? It will help you relax.”

I followed him to the bedroom, and we made love. Once he’d fallen asleep, I went to the sofa where I lay wide awake. A sliver of moonlight shone through the half-open drapes, acting as a nightlight while I worried and waited for Jeannie to return.