Chapter 17: Saturday, August 7, 2010

Saturday, August 7, 2010

“You seem upset,” Jake said to Lizzie as he sat at the kitchen table and grabbed a sandwich for himself.

“I’m not sure how I feel. I’m grateful, but I wish she hadn’t done it.”

“Who is she and what did she do?”

“Leanne bought us a bunch of furniture,” Emily said.

Jake looked over at Leanne who was ignoring them and calmly eating her sandwich.

“Oh? Tell me the story.” Jake said turning back to Lizzie.

“Leanne took us to some furniture stores this morning,” she said. “We were supposed to just be window shopping, getting an idea of what would look good in the new house. We got to this one store that I really liked. Lots of hardwoods and leather and elegant designs. It was fun to imagine what it would be like to have that kind of stuff one day. So we walked through the showroom, fantasizing about what would make for a dream house. We picked out living room furniture, bedroom suites for both Emily and me, and even a goddamned dining room set. Do you know what a really-nice formal dining room table costs nowadays?”

“It was a lot of fun,” Emily said. “I thought we were about to leave when Leanne excused herself and went to talk to a salesman.”

“By the time we got there to see what Leanne was doing,” Lizzie said, “the salesman had already written up the order for everything that Emily and I liked, and Leanne was handing over a check for over $39,000.”

“That’s a lot of money,” Jake said.

“She didn’t just get the basic sets,” Lizzie said. “She got all the accessories, too. She got a china cabinet to go with the dining room set. She got a four-poster bed for Emily. She got this wonderful desk to go with the bedroom set in the master bedroom. She bought an urn for the entryway. She even bought a still life for the living room. It was all too much, and I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

“But you like the pieces she ordered?” he asked.

“Of course I do,” Lizzie said. “She tricked me. She had me describe my ideal decor for each room. I would never have spent that much money. It is too much unnecessary luxury. I don’t want to appear ungrateful. I mean it really is very generous, but I don’t see how I can accept it, and I don’t know what to do.”

“My mother taught me that the proper thing to do when one is presented with a gift is to say thank you,” Jake said.

“It’s not that simple,” Lizzie said. “I can’t let her buy all that stuff for me.”

“I didn’t buy it for you,” Leanne said quietly.

For a moment, Lizzie stared at Leanne.

“Then you’re going to have to explain why you gave them my address for the delivery destination.”

“You’re just receiving the furniture,” Leanne said, looking at her plate. “And I hope that you enjoy it. Your taste is wonderful, and it’s going to look good in your new home. But I didn’t buy it for you. I bought it for Jake.”

Lizzie’s mouth worked for several seconds but nothing came out.

“So I have to give it back to him when we move out?” she finally said.

“No, don’t be silly, Lizzie,” Leanne said. “It’s your property to have and to hold until you sell it or give it away or chop it into firewood.”

“I’m just really confused now.”

“In a few days, this will all blow over,” Leanne said. “You can’t admit it openly, but you’re pleased by my gift. Still, you have to object. That’s what is expected of anybody who’s been well raised. By this time next week, you’ll have forgiven me for my impertinence and maybe even thanked me for it, not that I’m expecting that. After all, I, a mere acquaintance, giving you a pricey gift is not very sensible behavior.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“Because you will forgive me, and then we’ll all go on with our lives. The alternative might not have been so happy.”

“What do you mean, the alternative?”

“If I hadn’t done it, Jake would have. But he might have done it in a way that you wouldn’t forgive. That would have hurt Jake, and I won’t risk that.”

“Leanne, I understand all the words you’re using,” Lizzie said, “but they still don’t make any sense. You gave me a whole house full of furniture so that Jake wouldn’t?”

“You don’t understand because you haven’t thought it out,” Leanne said. “I know that you like Jake, a lot. Jake knows it too. Eventually, you will stop pretending you don’t. But you don’t seem to realize how fond Jake is—”

Jake interrupted. “Leanne, I love you for what you did for Lizzie and for me, but maybe it’s time we move on to something else.”

“Oh, shit, I see what’s going on now,” Kara said.

“Then maybe you’d tell me,” Lizzie said.

“I thought that nobody could love Jake more than I do,” Kara said. “I might have been wrong.”

“Maybe Jake is right,” Leanne said. “Maybe we should let it go. There’s too big a chance of misunderstanding here.”

“Maybe we should, but we won’t,” Kara said. “That’s not what we do here. In this family, we tell the truth, honestly and compassionately, and we let the consequences fall where they will.”

Leanne stared down at her plate unhappily, tears starting to form in her eyes.

“Jacob, I’m sorry if I messed this up.”

Jake pushed his chair away from the table and reached for Leanne. He pulled her into his lap.

“Kara’s right,” he said to her softly. “What will be will be. And I’ll never forget how unselfish you were today. You are very special to me, and I am the luckiest guy alive to have you. I’ve never loved you more than I do right now.”

Leanne began to sob. She buried her face in Jake’s neck and clutched him tightly. Jake stroked her hair.

Lizzie was looking around, confused.

“That might be the most touching thing I’ve ever seen,” she said. “At least it might be if I had even the faintest idea of what’s going on.”

“Mom already told you,” Kara said. “She knows that Jake is fond of you. She also sees that you don’t understand your feelings for him. She didn’t want Jake to drive you away by giving you a reason to reject him.”

“Why would I reject him?”

“You’ve made it clear to him that you won’t accept his financial help, but he still wanted to help you get furniture for your house. If I know Jake, he’s been trying to figure out a way to furnish your house without you realizing that it came from him.”

“So Leanne bought me $40,000 worth of furniture, so I wouldn’t get mad at Jake?”

“Exactly. That wasn’t so hard to understand now, was it?” Kara said with a sad smile.

“Jake thinks I would spurn him for wanting to help me?”

“Yes, he does,” Kara said, “and he might not be mistaken either. When it comes to Jake, you are very unpredictable. The truth is you could easily go off the deep end.”

“I don’t think that’s fair,” Lizzie said.

“Oh, come on, Mom,” Emily said. “Even I can see how irrational you’ve been. You treat Jake like crap, but you keep coming over here. You act like you’re scared to death of him, but you can’t keep away from him either.”

“This is not something that you would know anything about, Emily Broadman,” Lizzie said.

“No, she’s got the right of it,” Kara said. “Someday, you’ll be able to admit it, at least to yourself and to Jake. I’ll take it as a personal favor if you don’t rip his heart out before that day comes.”

“Why do you guys keep saying that? He’s a boy, barely 14 years old. It wouldn’t be legal and it wouldn’t be moral.”

“We say it because it’s the truth,” Kara said “and because it’s obvious to the rest of us. He may be 14, but he’s no boy. It wouldn’t be legal, but sometimes that’s not the most important consideration. And it might be unconventional, but don’t insult all of us here by saying that it’s immoral.”

Leanne grabbed a paper napkin off the table and blew her nose. She stood, resisting Jake’s attempt to keep her on his lap.

“I’ll take you back home, Lizzie,” she said. “Emotions are running too high. Someone’s going to say something they will regret. We have Sunday dinner at two in the afternoon. I hope that you and Emily will join us.”

“But what about the furniture? I can’t let you buy it.”

Leanne began to tear up again. When Jake grabbed her by the wrist, she let him pull her into his lap where she again buried her head and sobbed.

“Lizzie, please, give it a rest for now,” Kara said. She rifled through Leanne’s purse and pulled out the car keys. “Come on. I’ll run you home. Mom’s not fit to drive at the moment.”

“But...”

“Mom, button it,” Emily said. “Do you just like to hurt people?” Emily picked up Lizzie’s purse, grabbed her arm, and pulled her toward the garage. “We’ll see everybody tomorrow at dinner.”

When Lizzie tried to resist, Emily yanked her toward the garage, and Lizzie finally followed.

I’m so sorry, Jake, Leanne sent after Lizzie was gone. I was sure I understood her. I was sure she would realize that we accepted her relationship with you and would stop trying to pretend that she had no feelings for you. Now I’ve ruined it. If she leaves it will be my fault.

“It will be no such thing, my love. If she and I fail to connect then it wasn’t meant to be. I shouldn’t have to tell you that relationships are frail at their beginnings.”

But you’ll be so hurt if she leaves.

“That’s where I think your emotions are misleading you. I will be disappointed. I’ll mourn a good thing that never came to be. But I’m not that fragile. Besides, I’ve been careful to keep my affection for her in check. I haven’t let my hopes get too high, and I won’t until it starts to look like she will accept me, warts and all.”

Leanne lifted her head and looked at him. Her eyes were red and her nose was running. She looked frightful.

Jake grabbed a napkin and held it to her nose.

“Blow,” he said.

Leanne snatched the napkin from his hand and blew her nose by herself.

“I just couldn’t stand to see you get hurt,” she said.

“I could fall for a dozen pretty women and lose them all. As long as I have you, I would still come out ahead.”

Jake pushed her back to her feet.

“Let’s go to your room where we can be alone,” he said. “I want to lie down with you for a while. I’ll be more than happy with how this day turns out if I get to spend some of it comforting you.”

Leanne checked her watch.

“I’d like that, too, Jacob. I have to leave at five to meet Alice at your whorehouse. Please, don’t let me lose track of the time.”

Jake led her back to her bedroom. It was his practice to respect her privacy and he hadn’t been there since they had moved in, but with Donna still in his room, this was their only option to be alone. Jake sat Leanne on her bed and pulled off her shoes. He laid her on her side and climbed into bed himself, spooning with her from behind. After a few minutes, she dozed off. He followed shortly afterward.

When he awoke, he found that he had women front and back. Leanne was still asleep. He had his arm around her, cupping her right breast. He couldn’t turn his head far enough to see who was behind him, but he sensed that it was Kara. She was lying there patiently waiting for them to wake.

Thank you for protecting Leanne, he sent along with gratitude.

Lizzie’s a sweet woman, but when you are around, her brain stops working. She’s got a bad case of denial going.

Maybe it’s for the best. Maybe Lizzie’s not the woman we think she is.

She’s only been here for four days. I think she just needs more time.

A minute passed in silence.

The women think that Ellen should have a date with Brian tonight, Kara sent.

What do you have in mind? Kara sent as she rolled off the bed.

I want to go to Six Flags when the sun goes down. We haven’t done anything like that in too long.

Jake tracked down Julie and Carol in the pool. Shannon was there, too, sunning herself. Agreement on Jake’s plan was quickly reached.

“Julie, would you call Emily and invite her?”

“Sure, if you don’t want to.”

“I’d enjoy talking to her, but it wouldn’t be a good idea for me to call the Broadmans at the moment.”

“Don’t forget Christine,” Shannon said. “She’d be hurt if you left her out.”

Jake called Christine on his cell phone. She also agreed. Jake invited her over for dinner before they left for the amusement park.

“Okay. I’ll see you then,” Christine said. “Jan wants to talk to you.”

There was a shuffling noise and Jan came on.

“Hello, handsome.”

“Hello, little mother.”

“I like the sound of that. I’m glad you called. I haven’t been getting to see enough of you lately. You were gone for two weeks and all I’ve gotten since you returned was one night.”

“You know that I’m completely devoted to you,” Jake said. “But I am a bit worried about Mark. Now that you’re pregnant, how will he take it if we continue to get together?”

“He was okay with it even before the pregnancy thing came up. I haven’t sensed any change in his attitude.”

“And what about you being pregnant? Is that causing any problems?”

“No. He talks like he is too old to be a father, but he’s almost as excited as I am. I made my first appointment with the OB. He’s going to go with me.”

Jake was quiet for a few moments.

“Jake?”

“I’m here. I’d have been glad to go with you.”

“I know that, my love, but we both know that would be a bad idea.”

“I guess you’re right. I just didn’t realize when we made our plans that I’d feel left out with Mark playing the part of father and me behaving like I was just some kid across the lake.”

“In my heart, you are my child’s father in every way, Jake, and the moment the statute of limitations runs out, I’m going to make sure everybody knows it, too.”

“You’re right, of course. We need to protect you. The next time I see Jerry, I’ll ask him when we can stop worrying about the law.”

Then Jan was quiet for a moment.

“Uh, Jake, there’s a delicate matter I want to talk to you about.”

“Well, spill it. There’s nothing we can’t talk about.”

“It’s not quite that simple. I’m not like your other women. We don’t spend nearly as much time within range of each other. I can already tell how much closer you’ve gotten to Leanne and Kara, and especially Ellen. It makes me feel jealous sometimes.”

“I’ve felt that, but you know that you are always welcome here, enthusiastically. And not just by me.”

“I’m torn. I want to be with you and your family all the time, but I love Mark, too. Even more now that I can read him. He’s really a sweet guy, and he loves me utterly. I could never choose you over him or him over you.”

“You picked a good one when you married him.”

“So that brings us back to my delicate matter.”

“You’ll have to tell me. I can’t read you from across the lake.”

“Do you remember when you asked about letting Ellen have sex with Mark?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I think that maybe I’m ready to give it a try.”

“What changed your mind?”

“I’ve gotten to the point that I can’t imagine Mark leaving me for another woman.”

“You know that there was never any chance of that. Nobody would leave you willingly.”

“You’re sweet, but we’re talking about Ellen Fielding. There’s no man whose head she couldn’t turn. I just wasn’t secure enough to risk it.”

“And now you have more trust in Mark?”

“Yes. We’ve been able to become more and more open with each other. And as we do, I like what I see. I think that Mark can enjoy the companionship of other women without me having to worry.”

“I see. That means the burden shifts to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“It becomes my turn to master my possessiveness of Ellen.”

“You’ve been ready to let her take the next step for months.”

“I want this for her, but that’s not the same as me being ready for it.”

“Do you need time to think about it?”

“No, of course not. Hold on a second.”

Jake cast out for Ellen and found her sitting at her computer in her room. She had been listening in on him and Jan. She was thrilled at the prospect of sex with Mark.

“Ellen’s dating Brian tonight,” Jake said to Jan. “She’s free tomorrow.”

“I think you’re misunderstanding me, young man.”

“What? Didn’t you just say you want to allow Ellen to have sex with Mark?”

“I do want that. What I propose is that all four of us get together.”

“An orgy?”

“No, silly, you can’t have an orgy with just two couples. More like a swap party.”

“It sounds so much more restrained when you put it like that.”

Jan laughed. “Smartass. We have to do it tomorrow because Kyle is coming home for a couple of weeks on Monday.”

“Kyle? I’d forgotten about him.”

“Well, I haven’t. He and I have some unfinished business to tend to.”

“I obviously don’t have to worry about how you are going to deal with it. I gather that you haven’t told Mark.”

“No, and I don’t plan on it. But I do plan on making Kyle regret behaving badly.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m still planning it. I’ll let you know when it’s been handled.”

“So, when should I bring my sub over?”

“Come at seven. I’ll tell Christine that she has to spend the evening at your house.”

“Which will fool exactly nobody. She’s just going to point out to everyone here that we must be doing something naughty to get her deported across the lake.”

“The goal isn’t to protect our good name. It’s to make sure that Mark doesn’t feel inhibited by the presence of his teenage daughter.”

“My, my. You are sneaky.”

“Then it’s a date?”

“A date it is. We’ll be there at seven.”

Jake tracked down Nina, who was reading a magazine in the kitchen.

“Do you remember that you once told me that riding on a roller coaster would be your idea of hell?”

“I did? I’ll take your word for it.”

“Do you still feel that way?”

“Why?”

“I’m taking a bunch of people to Six Flags tonight. I thought you might want to come.”

“Are you saying that I have to ride the roller coasters if I come?”

“Isn’t that a law or something?”

“Thank God, no. But I’d have to take my wheelchair. I still can’t stand for long. Someone would have to babysit me. It would probably ruin things for other people if I went.”

Jake nuzzled her neck and stroked the side of her breast.

“You know, I can’t think of anything that would be more fun than babysitting you.”

She giggled. “The word for what you’re talking about is not babysitting. At least if it is, then I won’t be letting you babysit my children.”

“We leave around eight. It’ll still be hot but the sun will be setting when we get there.”

“Shannon, look at that!” Jake said, grabbing her arm.

“At what?”

“You missed it. Wait for the next car to go by.”

“Missed what?”

They were coming to the huge wood-framed roller coaster for which the amusement park was, in part, famous. Their path took them near to a sharp curve at one end of the roller coaster. A rumbling sound began to grow as another car approached. It reached a crescendo as it passed Jake’s party.

“Look at the superstructure,” he said, speaking loudly to be heard above the noise, pointing to the complex weave of wooden beams that supported the tracks.

Shannon looked in the direction he was pointing. As the roller-coaster car banked through the curve, the entire frame leaned outward before returning to vertical once the car had passed.

“No way!” Shannon said. “That can’t be safe.”

“Of course it is,” Jake said. “It happens with every car. So it’s got to be perfectly safe, every time, except, of course, for the last time.”

“The last time?”

“You know, when it finally fails. They’ll have to close the ride.”

“Why would it fail?”

“Metal fatigue. Nails or screws or bolts coming loose. A crack forms in an important piece of wood. When the frame finally fails the next car is going to be flung off into space.” Jake looked over the railing. The ground fell away steeply from the ride on that side. “Can you imagine how terrifying it would be to see a car smashing into the ground down there?”

“Come on, Jake,” she said, grabbing his hand. “Let’s get in line for it.” She began to drag him away.