The House (40 page)

“He’s like Theo, just wants to be close.” Anna then said, “He always liked my right breast.” She smiled. A warm feeling of closeness overcame her.

“He’s good like that.” Millicent beamed her eyes again and held that glow of recognition. “I love your son. I would never do anything to hurt him, ever,” Millicent said.

“Thank you.” Anna wished to say the same to Millicent regarding her father, Inman. And yet she feared she had done that very thing. “I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you.”

Millicent said, “I’m sorry for not giving you the chance to love me the way I’ve always wanted. And for envying you the ability to do what I feared I never could.” Millicent explained how from the first moment of meeting Theo, and then hearing about Anna she had prayed for Anna’s acceptance.

Again, Anna felt truly sorry for the way she had behaved to Millicent over the years. “I felt like such a failure to the children, that their father’s and my marriage had burdened them with a hurt that my love could not heal.”

Cradling Anna Hayes with one hand Millicent extended her other to Anna. On Anna grasping it, Millicent said, “I always felt you were the perfect mother, despite all that Father Manning did.” Hearing Millicent say Father Manning soothed the loss of what Anna had hoped to share with Edward, at least in this lifetime. “You have a wonderful family.
All your children
. I’m so thankful to be a part of this family. Having you as my mother-in-law and knowing what you endured gave me the strength to forgive my mother and to open my heart even more to Papa Inman.”

Anna’s heart grew full. She felt herself about to cry. Clutching Millicent’s hand she looked into the eyes of her infant grandson, Inman Regarde Manning. The world that had moments earlier threatened to careen out of control slowed to a rhythm moving in time with her heart and breathing. Anna ebbed closer to the shores of peace and calm.?

Chapter 58

In late April, five months after Edward’s death, Anna’s children gathered at the house in Oakland. At dinner on the first night after their arrival, she took her seat at the end of the table opposite where Edward had sat throughout her marriage and during the meal where Serine and David had made their outbursts. On this evening Edward’s chair stood empty.

The children occupied the seats they had filled when Edward had last been among them. Theo to her left held Anna Hayes Manning barely three weeks old while Millicent next to him held Anna Hayes’ twin brother, Inman Regarde Manning.

To Anna’s right was David with Heather beside him. Next to Heather sat Linda, holding Edward Manning Oliver with Brad at the end across from Serine and Bryce, whom Anna had asked to join them.

Anna was hesitant to interrupt the peaceful hum of conversations encompassing the table as everyone enjoyed first and second helpings of rice pilaf, and sautéed chard with either baked tilapia or braised chicken.

So much was different since she had last eaten with her children in this house. The presence of Heather beside David; the two of them smiling as they spoke to those around and across from them, gave Anna hope that their marriage would survive. That Millicent had insisted on coming despite having just given birth, emphasized her commitment not simply to Theo, but that as she had stated, “I need you in my life. However you decide to leave things with Papa Inman. I hold no hard feelings.”

And then there was Linda and Brad, also proud parents and beaming. Serine beside Bryce had lost interest in the drama surrounding her relationships with Grant and Matt. Perhaps it was Bryce’s close relationship with Edward as his mentor that so attracted her to Bryce whose presence had a calming effect. She was learning much about her father from Bryce.

Anna tapped the spoon to her water glass several times then stood. All eyes turned from those with whom they had been speaking.

“It’s good to have all of you here.” Her heart warmed as they smiled. “Thank you for coming. And at such short notice.” The smiles around the table widened. Unlike when she had announced that she was seeking to divorce their father, Anna had, after Ed ward’s death, not retreated into a shell. She had instead kept in touch, calling all four of her children each week. She would do the same in the future. “It’s been great running your father’s company, Manning Ventures,” Anna started once more.

“Don’t you mean
your
company?” David asked.

“Perhaps. But as I was about to say, in so doing I’ve learned a lot. First of which is how great a choice Edward made in having Bryce as his right hand man.” Anna looked to Bryce at the far left end of the table. “There’s no way I could have done any of this without you. I’m now certain that had Edward not had you, he would never have entertained the idea of me running the company. Which brings me to my second point. Much of what I’ve learned in these last six months at the helm of Manning Ventures has been exciting and eye opening.” Anna paused. Seeing that she was about to cry, Theo lifted her left hand, David her right. She thanked them.

“As I said, I’ve learned a lot.” She started once more. “Your father worked very hard.
Very hard
. I don’t know how he did it. Despite his shortcomings, I’m very grateful for what he provided this family. Manning Ventures was his world, and he knew it inside and out. Bryce has shown me that.” With tears threatening to spill into her throat once more, she again thanked Bryce.

“But as I said, I’ve learned a lot. And one of those things is that I’m not cut out for running a company, certainly not the size of Manning Ventures. Neither do I want to do it.”

Smiles around the table faded. Anna turned to David on her right. “I’d like you to go and sit in your father’s chair.” Startled, but obedient, and penitent, he did as Anna requested. “How does it feel?” she asked.

“Scary.” His face held a sense of wary caution as he grasped the side arms to the chair.

“Well, you’re going to have to get used to it,” Anna said. “I want you to sit there when you and Heather and the children eat here in the dining room.” David and Heather would be moving into the house in two months. Anna then said, “I’ve decided not to take the apartment I looked at over in Alameda.”

“So you’re going to take me up on my offer to buy the house—for a dollar?” David assured everyone. His face at the other end held an aura of hope. “We could all live here together,” Heather said.

“Thank you,” Anna said. “It’s good to know that your children and their spouses like to have you around, need you.” She smiled at Millicent now once more nursing Inman Regarde and a warm feeling of freedom spread over her.

She said, “I’m moving to France. And I want—no, I’m asking David if you will run Manning Ventures.” For a moment Anna thought David would cry. In his hesitancy, she feared he would decline.

“Well come on, man. It’s Mom,” Theo said. “You can’t refuse
her
.”

David lifted his head to Linda who was beaming and turned to Serine, also smiling. To Anna he said, “Of course. I’d be glad to.” Against everyone clapping, the little boy inside the man, David, then mouthed, “Thank you.”

Joy filled Anna.?

Chapter 59

At the outset of May, the week after Anna had hosted the children, Anna met Elise for breakfast. They had begun eating at the Amory Village Egg Shoppe when she said, “I’m putting David in charge of the company. He and Bryce work well together.”

“Have you told Inman?” Elise said.

“Bryce notified him like all the other board members and trustees.”

“But I thought you said Inman had stepped down from representing his aunt.” Elise screwed her face. “Does Inman know that you’re moving to France?”

“He’ll learn soon enough.” Anna bit into her toast.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving him.” Elise challenged Anna. “The man loves you.” They had discussed the topic several times in the last months.

“I don’t know what more you could want, and that he could give,” Elise said. “Are you mad? The man loves you.”

“A marriage takes more than love,” said Anna.

“And who said anything about marriage?” Elise’s eyes widened. “That’s what Inman wants.” Anna gave a shrug.

“Did he say that, ask you to marry him?”

Inman’s words returned to her.
I’ll take you any way that feels safe for you. Time’s over for people making demands on you and your life.”
Inman’s desire to be with Anna, his declaration of love
,
“I need you, want you in my life. I promise to make you happy, more than Ed ward ever did,” left Anna feeling trapped
. “
I’m free now,
”
Anna said.

“To do what, be alone?” Again Elise frowned this time in frustration. She reached across the table and grasped her hand. “I’ve watched you give everything to your marriage and your children. When are you going to give something to yourself?” Elise then said, “I’ve stopped blaming Edward for all your hurts. If I can do that so can you. I’m asking you, pleading. Think of your own happiness.”

“And why is my happiness so important to you? I’m moving to Paris. That’s what’ll make me happy.”

“Ha!” Elise angled her head. “And what will that be without In man?”

“He had an affair with Millicent’s mother. He’s Millicent’s father and Theo’s father-in-law.”

“And you’re grandmother to his grandchildren,” Elise rebutted. “It’s not like the two of you are going to have any children.”

“Still, it’s not right.” Anna shook her head.

“What’s not right?” Elise asked.

“The nature of these relationships. It’s too
incestuous
.”

“And to think,” Elise quipped, “you had accused Millicent, figuratively speaking, of having an affair with Thelonius.”

Anna resumed eating her eggs.

On finishing her eggs, Elise said, “I get it. If you continue with Inman, you’ll have to make amends with Millicent.”

“We’ve done that,” Anna said. “She’s innocent in all of this.”

“So you admit you were wrong about her?”

“Yes. And I told her as much. But he was unfaithful, her father.”

“Which father?” Elise asked. “Thelonius or Inman?”

“Both.”

“So you’ve let Millicent off the hook but not Thelonius or Inman.”

“They were like Edward.”

Elise stared at her. “And you?”

“I was like them too. I slept with Inman while I was still married to Edward.” Anna lifted her last strip of bacon.

Some minutes later, Elise confessed, “I’m the one who told Serine about your plans to move to France. She called me complaining about how you were divorcing Edward. Ten minutes into listening to her, I lost it. I told her that she was a spoiled brat thinking only of herself.” Elise grew sad, as if regretful. “I wish I hadn’t done it. I heard about how she and David attacked you during dinner that first night they were all home before Edward died. I’m sorry but—”

“It doesn’t matter.” Anna flashed her palm. She was long past her anger at Elise. “I suspected she learned it from you.”

“You said nothing.”

“You’re my friend. And Edward was dying. The children were going to learn about my time with Inman sooner or later.”

“You still can’t get over it, forgive yourself for sleeping with In man while Edward was dying,” Elise said.

“I made love with Edward, too,” Anna said. “Two nights after I’d been with Inman.”

“So what?” Elise shrugged while lifting her hands.

“What kind of woman am I?” Anna’s heart sank. “I was no better than Edward. And to think I had such a hard time forgiving him.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe everything happened the way it did to let you see how both Edward
and
Inman felt? You’ve experienced betrayal and you’ve been the one to
betray
, since you insist on looking at what you did with Inman in that way.”

Anna reviewed her actions with Inman and then Edward. Yet Elise’s conclusion, hard to grasp, remained at bay.

“I need to be sure that I’m not angry at him, Inman,” Anna said. “That in some flash of the moment when Millicent calls about Henrietta or Thelonius I won’t remind him of him what he did.”

“And just what did he do?” Elise fired another interrogative.

Again Inman’s words resurfaced.
I loved Henrietta. I wanted the best for her and Millicent. And that meant I needed to be out of their lives. Millicent needed to see Thelonius as her father.

“What do you hope to accomplish by living alone in Paris?” Elise asked.

“I’ll be on my own, not dependent on anyone else to make decisions for me.”

“That’s what white people do, live alone, pretending that they don’t need anyone.”

“You’re one to talk.” African American and fifty-three years old, Elise Simpson had yet to marry. She had never even been pregnant.

“I know all too well how lonely this life gets,” Elise said. “Like Edward, I’ve made a lot of money in real estate. I have a nice house. All my accounts are in order. I can take a vacation when I like and visit almost any place I desire. Like you—” she smiled, “I could even move to another country.” Elise’s humor dissipated. “One thing separates us, me from you. I have no one who wants to go with me.