THE SANCTUARY (21 page)

Twenty-One

THE PARTY

“O
ne of the best nights of my life was our college graduation night. My parents hosted an extravagant party in our honor at Scriven’s Alley. It used to be a brothel, and so it had lots of rooms and several were used for private parties,” Liz told Grace.

“You know, that was the first and only time I met your parents,” Sonya said.

“Yeah, we didn’t have much of a family dynamic, but they did come through with that party,” Liz said.

“The party was incredible. Liz had arranged for the buffet to be all our favorite foods. Her parents thought she was crazy when she told them the menu she wanted, but this was her night, so they didn’t argue,” Lydia said.

“They were so pleased that I was graduating and already had a job lined up—something they doubted would ever occur—that they let me do whatever I wanted that night. So I requested Lowcountry marinated shrimp, fried green tomatoes (Julia’s mother’s recipe), spicy Lowcountry shrimp and okra pilau (Lydia’s mother’s recipe), oysters on the half shell (caught fresh near Ladys Island), McClellanville crab cakes, fresh veggies from Wadmalaw Island with Carolina crab dip, and hushpuppies (Sonya’s favorite). The dessert table was overflowing with delectable desserts, including sweet potato pone, benne wafers, miniature goat cheesecakes, a hummingbird cake (Julia’s favorite dessert), and a Coca-Cola cake (our family recipe). It turned out that the Hummingbird cake was even more decadent than the Coca-Cola cake. When I found out that Julia’s mother used to make it when she was a little girl, I had our cook call Julia’s father to get the recipe. It called for crushed pineapple, walnuts, bananas, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, oil, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and baking soda,” Liz said.

“We ate until we thought we would throw up. We drank until we thought we would puke. We danced until our legs were too tired to even wiggle. Then we slipped outside and sat in Liz’s jeep,” Julia recalled.

“I want to give you all a little something so that you’ll always remember what this sisterhood is about,” Liz said as she fished around in her big shoulder bag.

“I never thought that I would say this but please don’t make it edible. If I eat or drink anything else, I swear I will barf on your expensive leather seats,” Lydia promised.

“Me too,” Sonya said.

“Relax girls. There’s no food or booze involved, but I bet that’s the only time I hear any of you rejecting those things,” Liz said as she handed each of them a small gift bag.

“You shouldn’t have,” Jules said as she peeked into the bag. When she saw what was on top, she repeated, “You
really
shouldn’t have.”

They dug around in the tissue paper and found little wax figurines.

Jules spoke first. “A monkey. Oh, I get it. They’re the animals we had to spot that night we broke into the zoo!”

“Oh my God. How cool.” Sonya said as she held up a parrot.

“I know you said that the only bird you could find was an owl, but the closest thing I could find was a parrot,” Liz said.

“I will treasure it always,” Jules said. “How sweet and clever of you to have thought of these gifts, Liz.”

Lydia held up a zebra and laughed outrageously. She remembered that night as if it just happened. She remembered how great it felt to be scared and exhilarated at the same time and how much fun they had had. She couldn’t stop laughing, and her laughter was contagious. They laughed like crazy until they finally got a hold of themselves. They sat in comfortable silence for a while.

“To Liz,” Sonya said, with an exaggerated salute.

“To the Carolina Girls,” Liz said.

“Forever,” Sonya said.

“Forever,” Lydia agreed.

Twenty-Two

LIZ AND GRACE

“A
re the Gullah still here?” Grace asked Liz as they sat on the front porch peeling shrimp. Lydia was making shrimp and okra pilau for dinner. She had insisted once she learned that Grace had never had this Lowcountry delicacy.

“Yes, they are. They’re on the other side of the island. According to Liddie, the population has dwindled to only twenty or so families. There’s a school boat that takes them over to the mainland. Since the island is halfway between Georgetown and Charleston, the kids are eligible to enroll in either school system. Most choose to go to school in Charleston where there are more Gullah students whereas we attended Georgetown County schools,” Liz explained. “At least that’s the way it was while I still lived here. But my parents sent me to private school in Horry County until my dad got a big promotion and was transferred to a bank in Atlanta. He sent me to boarding school after that stunt at Camp Yemassee.”

“Did you miss being here?” Grace asked.

“Big time. I missed my friends, especially Lydia and Julia. We didn’t know each other that well before summer camp, but we got to be thick as thieves that summer, and then Sonya joined our enclave. It was great having people in your life whom you knew you could count on no matter what. And the Lowcountry gets under your skin. Once you’ve lived here, nowhere else feels like home. At least that’s how I felt. I love New York, but it’s not home. I wish I’d been able to introduce you to it before now. The Lowcountry is such a special place. You know all those basket stands you mentioned seeing on Highway 17?

When Grace nodded, Liz continued, “The baskets are made from sweetgrass, and the Lowcountry is the only place in the world where it grows. The other side of this island is one of those places. Sanctuary Island is a nine-thousand-acre island—the largest freshwater island on the East Coast. It has freshwater lagoons, salt marshes, and maritime forests. That’s why Lydia’s parents wanted to be sure to preserve it, because of its ecological diversity and the Gullah. The Gullah are the only people who know how to weave sweetgrass baskets. The tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. But more importantly, the Gullah are an important part of our heritage. And there are other plants and species that can’t be found anywhere else. But it’s more than that. The Lowcountry is more than a place. It’s special—magical. I swear it has healing powers,” Liz explained.

“Let’s hope so,” Grace muttered.

They sat in silence studying the horizon. Directly in front of them was the beach and inlet, which led to the Atlantic Ocean. The beach was one of the best kept secrets in South Carolina. It was wide and full of white sand dotted with colorful seashells and driftwood. To their right was the dense maritime forest and to the far right was the marshlands filled with low-lying wetlands and grassy vegetation.

“I’ve been thinking about going to College of Charleston,” Grace announced as she put down her bowl of peeled shrimp.

“Since when? I mean, I didn’t know you were considering it as one of your options?” Liz asked. She was surprised to learn that her daughter had even heard of the school.

“Well, my counselor said that I should apply to lots of schools to keep my options open. So I have applied to several schools including College of Charleston because it has one of the best language programs in the country. Their School of Languages, Cultures, and World Affairs has received all kinds of recognition for its excellence.”

“Is that what you want to study? Language?”

“I have a real aptitude for it. I took Spanish and Russian in school and learned Italian on my own. It was pretty easy to pick up. I want to study Arabic and get a job with the State Department, maybe as a translator, or at an embassy or maybe even something with the CIA. The school offers great overseas study programs. Maybe I’ll even minor in the Gullah language. There’s an adjunct professor who teaches a course each semester.”

Liz couldn’t help herself. She was trying so hard to be cool and casual, but she was too excited. She pulled up her daughter out of her chair and hugged her. “USC is a great school, but I always wanted to go to C of C. Alas, my grades weren’t good enough.”

“I’ll be able to visit a lot too as long as you’re here. After you go back to New York, I can fly home during school breaks,” Grace said.

“Grace, sit down. I need to tell you something.”

Sonya and Lydia heard Grace screaming hysterically. They ran out of the kitchen and onto the porch in time to see her running towards the beach. Liz sat with head in her hands.

“What happened?”

“I told her,” Liz said, wiping away tears. “She didn’t take it well.”

“Did you expect her to?”

“No, but still…”

“I’ll go after her,” Lydia said.

“We need to talk,” Sonya said, sitting down across from Liz. “When are you going to tell Julia and Grace?”

Liz stared at the beach as if she hadn’t heard Sonya. Finally, she spoke, “How can I?”

“You have to. You need to get everything sorted in case…” She left the thought unfinished.

“How do I tell Julia that her husband is the father of my child?”

“I don’t know, but you owe it to Grace and John. They need to know they’re family. Grace is going to need him if something happens to you, and John deserves to know that he has a daughter.”

“Julia’s never going to forgive me. I imagine that John and Grace will be pretty outraged, too. I’ve told Grace the same thing I’ve told everyone else: that her father and I had broken up by the time I found out I was pregnant, that he didn’t want anything to do with the baby. I’ve lied to her all her life. And John never knew he had a daughter because I knew what that would do to Julia and their relationship. They were just weeks away from getting married when I found out. It would have ruined everything. It
will
ruin everything.”

“You’ve got to do what’s right for Grace. Julia will come to terms with it. You’ve spared her as long as you can,” Sonya said.

“How did you figure it out?” Liz asked.

“It’s taken me a while. I remembered your confession to me about sleeping with John a few weeks before the wedding, so the math worked out. But the real giveaway is that she has so many of John’s mannerisms, like the way she chews on her bottom lip when she’s thinking, or the way her whole body shakes when she laughs reminds me so much of him that it was uncanny. It’s a wonder that Julia hasn’t figured it out,” Sonya said.

Liz closed her eyes and sat remembering that night. She had been at Thunderbird’s having a beer and a basket of Vidalia onion rings. John had come in with some MROTC friends.

They got a table, but he stayed at the bar with Liz. He was in a bad way. He and Julia had just broken up. All the stress of graduation and wedding jitters had gotten to be too much. Liz assured him that they would get back together within a day or two.

“You two belong together. It’ll be fine, you’ll see,” she assured him.

They both had too much to drink. After his fifth beer, John confessed that he and Julia had already had sex once, and it wasn’t good. He was concerned she might be the only girl he’d ever sleep with and what if the sex never got better?

Liz assured him it would and excused herself to go to the ladies room. When she came out, John was standing by the door waiting for her. He had this strange expression on his face. Before she could ask what was going on, he kissed her.

“I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss you,” he confessed. Before she could respond, he kissed her again, this time cupping her breasts in his hands. She gave a small shiver of satisfaction as he traced her nipples through her clothing. Next thing Liz knew his hand was under her dress. When he realized she wasn’t wearing any underwear, he groaned. He pulled her into him. She wrapped her legs around him. They kissed and groped until they nearly couldn’t stop. They almost had sex right there in the bathroom corridor.

They went to her loft. She should have walked out of Thunderbird’s and that would have been the end of it. But she couldn’t stop herself. She didn’t know what the problem was between Julia and John, but she and John had no problem there. She didn’t think about Julia again until the next morning.

She was sick with guilt and shame for the first time in her life. Even though John and Julia were broken up, Julia was her best friend, and that was a line a best friend never crossed. That morning as John and Liz got dressed, they talked without making eye contact. Their brief conversation ended with them agreeing that it could never happen again.

John and Julia made up two days later as Liz had predicted. John came to her three weeks later complaining that he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He wondered if he should go through with the wedding. She had closed the door in his face. They never spoke about that night again.

When she found out that she was pregnant, she knew it was John’s baby. She also knew that she could not tell him. She decided that it would be in the best interest of everyone if she terminated the pregnancy. But she had not been able to do that. And she had managed to safeguard her secret for seventeen years.

When Liz finally spoke, she asked Sonya, “How do I tell John? How do I explain it to Grace?
To Julia?
”