Page 61 of Home Body
Suddenly bashful at the praise, Rose smiled sheepishly, the black hole where her missing front tooth had once been on full display. She straightened her glasses and said, “Thank you, Mrs. ’Brien.” She looked up at her grandmother. “I mean Mrs. Brien, O.”
As Mamie handed the cake over to Mack, he said, “Thanks so much, Mamie. This is Zach’s favorite. We want to celebrate his new adventure before he leaves next week.”
He handed her a twenty-dollar bill. Like the astute businesswoman she was, Mamie tucked it into her pocket and thanked him. “Llayne told me he’s going into the Air Force. I’m sure that’s a big change for the family. But such an honorable thing for him to do.”
Mack nodded. “It is a huge change. But he’s so happy, and there’s nothing better than seeing your child be happy.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
They stood in the foyer of the house, its large Tiffany floral chandelier hanging from the high ceiling having caught Rose’s attention. She stared up at it in wonder.
“Sweetie,” Llayne said, “would you like to come in and look around? In fact, have you two had lunch? We were just about to dig into a big chicken casserole I made for the four of us, butwe’re two down. Kenyan is off with Dalia and Zach is having a last-minute lunch date with a girl he’s had a crush on forever. She ignored him until today, and he’s leaving soon. Wouldn’t you know? So how about having lunch with us?”
“Oh yes please!” Rose’s enthusiasm got the better of her. She looked at her grammy to make sure what she’d said was okay.
“Why yes,” Mamie said. “We were going to go to find lunch somewhere, so this is much better.”
“Now don’t compare my cooking to yours,” Llayne insisted as she and Mack took them through the living room and into the kitchen. “Nothing can beat yours, I’m sure.”
“Well, that’s my profession. I couldn’t go on TV like you do. So we’re even.”
They ate casually at the kitchen counter with Rose sitting in-between her hosts. She’d take a bite, look up at Llayne and blink adoringly, then take another bite and glance at Mack, whose gentle questions about her gymnastics and her dog chinked at her armor as he slowly won her over. He and Llayne had briefly told Mamie about their upcoming career changes, but he realized that bored Rose. So, he told her a story about Kenyon when she was five and how much he’d loved taking her ice skating in the wintertime, which caused Rose’s reticence to disintegrate. Rose had seen kids skating and wanted to learn how. He offered to teach her and that was that. They were fast friends.
Eventually, Rose got up the nerve to ask Llayne if she’d read her another story. When Llayne explained that there were no children’s books in the house because their children had grown up, Rose seemed confused. She couldn’t imagine a house without children’s books. But Llayne promised to make sure they had some for the next time she came over. That mollified the girl.
When they finished eating, Llayne invited her guests to sit on the patio with her while Mack cleaned the kitchen. Because his wife had done the cooking, it was his job to clean up. He roundly rejected Mamie’s offer to help.
Outside, the dog Bitsy padded up and nudged Rose’s hand with a ball in his mouth. “He wants to play catch!” she squealed. “Is it okay?
“Sure, honey,” Llayne said. “Have fun.”
While Rose was preoccupied, the women fell into an unexpectedly revealing chat.
Llayne began. “I wonder what our girls are up to right now. Kenyon was very oblique about their plans for the afternoon.”
“I know what you mean. Dalia said Kenyon was looking for a newspaper article to write. That morning Kenyon was at our house, she mentioned writing about women who discovered they’d been cheated on just before the wedding. But it seems like that’s been done.”
“And done,” Llayne agreed. “No, I think they’re up to something else. I don’t know what. But I am glad they’ve become friends. Kenyon is in short supply of those. The one left, Jessa, is back at college.”
“Dalia hasn’t had any real girlfriends since she got pregnant. They all abandoned her like she was some kind of pariah. Goodness knows, we all need friends, especially during tough times, no matter how close we are to our families.”
“So true. When I was in college, I’m not sure I would’ve made it without my friend Priscilla. She lives in Traverse City now, four hours away. But we still make sure to see each other a few times a year. She’s Kenyon’s godmother, too.”
“I’m surprised you ever had a bad time in college. I’ve seen those pictures of you as homecoming queen.”
Llayne grimaced. “Yeah, that. The producer loves to pull out those old photos every fall. It looks glamorous but there’s a lotmore to that story.” She looked off at the lilac bushes heavy with lush blooms nearby. “I’d had my heart broken not long before that.”
“Ah. That’ll do it for a woman of any age but most of all when we’re young. Dalia was devastated when Rose’s father abandoned them. He makes great money but contributes nothing.”
“What a prick. Well, that’s his loss.” Llayne motioned at Rose, who joyfully threw the ball for the dog.
“My sentiments, too. Dalia has always worked so hard on the farm and at the grocery store in town and then at the restaurant in Detroit.” Mamie paused, contemplating her next words. “But I know she wasn’t working at a restaurant. I called long distance information for Detroit and discovered they had no number for a restaurant by the name Dalia gave me. I think I know what she was doing.”
“What do you think it was?” Llayne’s concern showed in her face.
“Well, my best friend is my cousin Dolly. She’s Dalia’s godmother. She’s retired now but she was a famous burlesque dancer in her day.”
“Dolly O’Dare? Oh my, everybody has heard of her. She was internationally famous. And I’ve met her, a couple of times for interviews and at some city events. She’s so much fun! Goodness gracious sakes alive, she’s gorgeous. And she’s your cousin. Ah, I see the resemblance. Although I confess, I’ve never seen a picture of her with that many clothes on.” She gestured at Mamie, which made Mamie laugh.
