Page 40 of The Night the Lights Went Out
“Before I forget,” Heather said to Merilee, “I need you to go ahead and block off next Saturday on your calendar so we can both go shopping for our gala evening gowns.”
“Oh, I don’t think—,” Merilee began.
“It’s all settled and I won’t take no for an answer. It will besomuch fun. And it will give us the chance to get to know each other better.” She looked down at her watch and then behind Merilee. “Are the kids ready? I don’t want to be late—I want to make sure we get the best seats.”
“Yes, but—”
“Great! I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to our shopping trip. I’ll text you when the movie’s over. Y’all have fun!” she said, wiggling her fingers.
A flurry of activity curtailed any argument, and after just a few short minutes, the door closed and the house descended into silence.
Sugar stood, leaning heavily on the arm of the sofa to push herself upright. “May we go now? There won’t be any of the chicken salad sandwiches left if we don’t hurry. I can’t taste them anymore, but I can still feel the crunch of the pecans on my good teeth.”
Merilee picked up her purse from the back of a chair and spoke to Wade, carefully avoiding his eyes. “Please lock up when you leave.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “But I’ll probably still be here when you get back.”
Merilee looked startled, which had clearly been his intention. “I’ll... okay,” she said, turning so fast that she nearly bumped into the chair on her way to open the door for Sugar.
Merilee held open the door of the minivan for Sugar, and then drove down the driveway without speaking, although her jaw was twitching, as if she was thinking about all the things she could have said to Wade but hadn’t. It was her generation, Sugar suspected, raised with computers with backspaces and “delete” buttons that made them believe they always had a second chance to say the right thing.
“So, what’s this Atlanta Woman’s Club?” Merilee asked suddenly, as if realizing Sugar could ask her about Wade any minute.
“Well, let’s see,” she said, thoughtful. “It’s an old and venerable Atlanta institution. We’ve been around since 1895 serving our communities in all sorts of philanthropic ways. Wasn’t too popular with the men when it started, but they soon accepted it, knowing these strong and independent women wouldn’t be told no anyway, so they might as well at least pretend to go along with it.”
“Doesn’t sound like your kind of group at all,” Merilee said, the corner of her mouth twitching.
“Humph,” Sugar muttered. “It was the AWC who convinced the mayor back in the twenties to buy the land for an airfield—which just happens to now be the busiest airport in the world.”
“Impressive,” Merilee said, signaling a turn onto Georgia 400, then heading south toward midtown Atlanta.
“Oh, that’s just one small thing. We also established the Atlanta public kindergarten system and mobile libraries in the area, just to name a few. Not a lot of people know about us because we prefer not to toot our own horns like some other organizations that I will not name.” She pressed her lips together to show Merilee that she meant it, even though she couldn’t quite remember the names of the other organizations anyway.
“Your husband, Tom—was he supportive of your membership?”
Sugar looked down at her hands, neatly folded in her lap, and the single gold band on the third finger of her left hand. “He would have been. He died before I became a member.”
Merilee was silent for a moment, chewing her bottom lip. “You were so young when you were widowed. Did you ever consider remarrying?”
“Have you?” Sugar shot back.
Merilee sent her a sharp glance. “It’s been less than a year. To be honest, I still feel as if I’m married.”
“Humph. Your husband apparently doesn’t.” She pressed her lips together again. “Wade is single, you know, and about your age. And not too hard on the eyes, either, just in case you haven’t noticed, although I suspect you probably have. He’s a wonderful craftsman, but you should know that he’s also a very successful developer. Very.”
Merilee had reddened to the tips of her ears. “I don’t care about that. Being kind and considerate and having a sense of humor is important. And being good with kids. And faithful.”
Sugar studied Merilee, a soft smile teasing her lips. “Is that what you’d look for in your next husband?”
“Yes,” Merilee said without pause. “Hypothetically, anyway, since I’m not looking for another husband. But especially the faithful part.” She was silent for a moment. “What about you? What would you look for in a husband if you were to marry again?”
Sugar pretended to think. “You know what I’d want?” She regarded Merilee over the tops of her glasses. “I’d want a man who could drive at night.”
The minivan veered out of the lane for a brief moment as Merilee barked with laughter. “I suppose our needs change as we get older.”
“That they do,” agreed Sugar, feeling the aching place inside her chest again, the place where her heart had once been.
Merilee plucked a pair of sunglasses from the dashboard and adjusted them on her nose. “So, what was Tom like? And how did you meet?”
