Charley raised an eyebrow. “And you know this how?”
“I looked into it,” Megan said.
Charley eased down into a chair. Megan reclined on the sofa. The den was a small, cozy room. It contained only a sofa, one chair, a side table and coffee table, a bookcase and a small flat-screen TV in a niche in the bookcase. Charley looked at Megan, huddled in a knit wrap. She was perpetually chilly, having so little meat on her bones. Eyeing her now, thin and nearly bald, her cheekbones so prominent and her constitution weak, it was hard to remember what a force of nature she could be.
“I forget how stubborn you can be,” Charley said. “Have you heard from anyone else?”
“Everyone, I think.”
“Care to expound on that?” Charley pushed.
“Well, it shouldn’t surprise you, Hope was the first. Beverly called. She said she was very doubtful—she’s pretty sure she’s not in a good place with that yet. But she’ll keep it in mind. Aunt Jo said it sounded to her like just the thing this family needed—time to get beyond all the trouble and angst and move on. Of course, she also said she wouldn’t feel right about going unless Louise asked her. And I don’t see that happening.”
“And Mother?” Charley asked.
“Oh, she’s furious. But there’s not much she can do. I guess she could arrest us and post a guard.” Megan laughed rather brightly. “I wouldn’t put it past her, to tell the truth. But she’s mostly angry that I invited Grandma Berkey and now she expects to be carted down to the lake and Mother’s pitching a holy fit about it.”
“You didn’t...”
“Of course I did,” Megan said. “I wouldn’t leave Grandma out. The house belongs to her.”
“Oh, brother,” Charley said. “Well, I think you take after her. Did any of the others ask how you were feeling?”
“Oh, yes, they’re actually very lovely people, our family.”
Charley just shook her head. Hope hadn’t asked. Typical of Hope. She didn’t think about other people much. “You know the best part about your recovery? You’re not going to get away with this shit anymore!”
“Lighten up, Charley. It’ll be fun. Even if it’s just the two of us.”
“I have a feeling it’ll only be fun if it’s just the two of us,” she said.
Chapter Four
When Hope Hempstead Griffin received the little note from Megan, something came alive in her that had been dormant for years. How long had the note been there? She hadn’t collected the mail in days! It was four in the afternoon when she opened the front door of her palatial home, stepped over the custom-hooked doormat that read Hope and FR Griffin and walked down her curved brick driveway in her terry-cloth robe and furry slippers. She pulled an armload of bills and catalogs out of the box and waddled back up the drive at a slow pace, leafing through the mail. Once every month or so she got a letter from her mother, sometimes a small package addressed to the girls, all of which she threw away unopened, but other than that there were only rare items personally addressed to her.
She dropped all the other stuff on the kitchen table and tore open the note. “The lake,” she whispered in a reverent breath. She read the few lines over and over. She held the note in her right hand and clutched her robe together over her pendulous breasts with her left hand. She absently ran a hand through her messy hair as though she were suddenly concerned with her appearance. Her lips began to move in nervous, meaningless, silent chatter. With a sweep of her hand she cleared a month’s worth of newspapers, magazines, catalogs and junk mail into the trash can. She put the note, alone and prominently displayed, in the middle of the table. She went to a cupboard in search of a coffee cup, but she found the cupboard empty. She rummaged through mounds of dirty dishes in the dishwasher and then the sink until she found one that wasn’t too nasty and slowly washed it out, her lips moving the whole time.
The coffeepot was permanently stained but she rinsed it out and loaded it with filter, grounds and water. While the coffee began to brew she went into the downstairs powder room and fussed a little with her hair. It was perfectly hopeless. Ha, ha, she thought. Hopeless Hope. Well, it would have to do for now. She hadn’t had a proper coiffure in months. She hadn’t washed her hair in days. Or showered, for that matter. “Coffee. Shower. Dress. Hair. Clean kitchen. Manicure. Take out trash. Run dishwasher. Unload. Reload. Vacuum. Sheets. Clothes...clothes...summer clothes...” Her lips moved over these words but the only sound was an occasional squeak.
When her coffee was brewed she sat down at the table with her address book. She flipped through the pages, and when her eyes lit on a name she mentally approved of, she reached for the phone and dialed. She hadn’t talked to her friend Maxine in so long. They had served on so many fund-raising committees together and had carpooled, belonged to the same country club. It would be so nice to tell someone like Maxine her news.
“Maxine? Max? Hi, it’s Hope! How are you?”
“Hope? I’m fine. But how are you?”
“Oh, great. How about Bob and the boys? Good?”
“Excellent. Tennis, track and baseball are just about in full swing so you know what I’m going through. And the girls?”
Hope’s laughter was melodious. “Oh, they’re ridiculously busy. Lessons, meets, games, drama club, cheerleading. Everything you can squeeze into a day! Having teenagers is so busy!”
“Busy doesn’t even touch it. What are you up to these days?”
“Frantic. Simply frantic as always. No rest for the weary. And making summer plans already, too.”
“Really? What are you doing this summer?”
“Well, we had planned another summer at the Cape, but I think there’s going to be a change of venue this year. It seems my family... You’ve heard me speak of my family? Back in Minnesota? Charley Berkey? From Chatting with Charley, Channel 10? Well, it seems the family has decided to summer at the lake house on precious little Lake Waseka. It’s the most charming place in the world. I grew up having all my summers there—riding, tennis, boating, everything you can imagine!”
“Won’t that be nice for you! I’m so glad you’re making plans for yourself!”
“Oh, the girls are thrilled. They haven’t seen Grandma Berkey in ages! And she raised me, after all. She’s eighty-eight now, and still kicking up a fuss. Ever since my grandfather the judge passed, she’s become more cantankerous every year. I do love the old darling. Filthy rich, you know. In fact, I’m quite sure this reunion has to do with her estate. She probably wants to discuss her bequests. It was actually her family who had the money to begin with...”
“So the girls are going with you, then?”
“Of course! I don’t know if Franklin will be able to go or not. He’s been in London all month and I haven’t even run this by him yet. He does love the Cape but I’m sure once he knows...”
“Frank? What about...what about Pam?”
Hope laughed indulgently. “Pam? Maxie, darling, sometimes you have such a passion for indiscretion! Franklin might take liberties with my feelings...successful men are used to giving orders and having their way, often taking their wives completely for granted. But I doubt even Franklin would be so crude as to bring Pam along on our family vacation!”
There was silence on Maxine’s end. Hope began to fidget.
“Pam is temporary, Maxine. If it hasn’t worn itself out yet, it will soon. In any case, I’m going ahead with our plans for the lake. It was the highlight of my youth and I’m sure the entire family will be there.”
It wasn’t that Hope had read an awful lot into a little card. It was how she lived—building castles in the air. She had a whole imaginary life. On some level she knew what was real and what was fantasy, but as it happened, she preferred her fantasy life. Her hands began to tremble slightly.
“Hope, forgive me, but I don’t think Frank regards Pam as temporary,” Maxine said.
Hope laughed again, but her laugh was hollow this time. “But of course she is! Just the other night Franklin said something that sounded awfully like he was just this close to coming home. Of course, I don’t intend to make it that easy for him. He’ll have to make a few changes, that’s for sure! I’m not going to allow him to just stomp all over my feelings for the rest of my—”
“Hope! He divorced you! Years ago! He’s remarried! They have a child!”
Hope’s voice was weak and pathetic. “We have children, too.”
“Yes, two adorable teenage girls who really deserve to have a mother who is living in this world! Hope, darling, I know this has been hard on you, but you really must consider talking to someone about this. A professional. A therapist. You need help!”
“Maxine.” Hope sighed, remembering now why it had been so long since they’d spoken. “Sometimes you’re so...so...bold. I’m fine. I’m perfectly fine. It’s not that I need a therapist to tell me that my husband has divorced me. Believe me, I’m more than aware of the fact. It greets me daily. The problem is very simple. I married for life. The vows I took are permanent.”
“Oh, really? And how’s that working out for you?”
“I won’t keep you! You have carpooling and meetings and probably some fabulous function at the club. Say hello to Bob and your handsome sons. I’ll call you again when we’re all home from the lake and settled in. Until then—”
“Really, Hope...”
“Goodbye, Maxine. Have a lovely summer!”
She hung up the phone and shook her head sadly. Why were all her friends so willing to give up? So quickly? So easily? Well, not her! She had things to do!
She gathered up discarded shoes, slippers and clothing on her way up the stairs to her bedroom. She shook dust balls off those items that had been on the floor for a long time and made a mental note to mop the foyer and kitchen floors. Soon she stood under a steaming shower and mentally ticked off all the things she had to do right away. What a scandal she’d become, letting things go as she had.