Page 101 of You're So Vine
Lee looks reluctant, but it’s obvious Debra’s running low on energy. With a nod and a deep breath, Lee begins.
“Iris gave me a description, so I started looking around when I went out. I wasn’t concerned, just puzzled. I spotted a woman who seemed to fit when I was in the garden center in Martinburg. I approached her.”
“And I panicked,” admits Debra. “But there was nowhere to run. I was trapped between the custom terrariums and the fiddle leaf figs.”
“We talked,” says Lee, editing down to two short words what must have been a seriously tricky conversation. “Then we went for coffee.”
“I had coffee,” says Debra. “Your mom had compost in a pot.”
Everyone smiles. Lee’s taste for pungent herbal teas is a long-running family joke. Now Debra’s in on it.
“Though I’m hardly one to carp,” Debra sighs. “If I’d drunk more compost, I might not be lying here today.”
“Cancer doesn’t play favorites,” says Lee firmly. “Billy was healthy through and through and it still got him.”
There’s a group intake of breath, as the thought that hit me a few minutes ago now hits everyone. Lee’s losing another loved one to cancer.
“Shit,” says Jackson. “I’m so sorry this is happening. This is beyond unfair.”
“Yes, it’s a bitch,” says Debra, “but I stopped being angry some time back. No point.”
“Did… Did you know you were sick when you met Mom?” says Shelby.
“Nope.” Debra shakes her head. “The symptoms seemed minor, and I put them down to the fact that I’d just completely upended my life.”
She looks around at us. “It’s pancreatic cancer in case you were wondering. And your mom was the one who picked it up.”
“I didn’t know it was cancer,” says Lee. “You were looking a little jaundiced, and I was concerned.”
“Mom knew that Nate was anemic before anyone else did,” says Shelby. “She’s a sorceress.”
“Okay, sorceress-Mom, I have a question for you.” Frankie has her hand up. “Sorry if it seems a bit confronting—I don’t mean it to be—but why didn’t you tell us all earlier?”
The question with a capital Q.
“That’s my fault,” says Debra. “I wanted Lee and I to get to know each other first. If it turned out we fought like cats, we could go our separate ways, and no one would be the wiser. No one would be hurt. And then I was diagnosed. Stage four. Nothing to be done.” She nods at Shelby. “This was a week before your wedding. Lee begged me to come and meet you all, but I didn’t want to cast a shadow over your happy day. In hindsight, I regret that.”
“Oh, so do I!”Shelby picks up Debra’s hand and kisses it, her tears falling unabated.
“Don’t cry,” says Debra.
Her voice has more than a hint of high school teacher in it. Shelby sits up instantly and wipes her eyes. Across the bed, Nate hands her the pack of tissues.
“The organized one,” Debra says to Nate, amused.
“Every day, I wake up and intend to be,” he says. “And then life happens, and…” He mimes an explosion.
“The best-laid plans gang aft agley,” says Jackson, and in response to our looks adds, “Yes, I’ve read Robbie Burns. I’m not a complete philistine.”
Tyler, the quiet one, brings us back to the next important question. “Debra, is there anything you need us to do?”
“There is,” she says. Her voice is suddenly strong, like she’s had a new burst of energy. “I’ve made a will and I’m going to tell you what’s in it. And if it’s going to cause any discord, I need you to speak up. Otherwise, I will haunt you.”
Startled glances are ping-ponging around the Armstrong family group, Nate included. Ava and I can relax because we’re outside that loop. Which is good. I have enough ghosts to contend with.
“I’ve been on a teacher’s salary all my working life,” says Debra. “But I’ve also been single and frugal, and I’ve managed to amass a reasonable nest egg. I’m leaving the four of you fifty-thousand dollars each—”
A chorus of gasps drown her out. Jackson hangs his head in his hands. This is a lifesaver for him, and I know he’ll use it wisely.
