The Scarlet Letter Society

by Mary McCarthy

  “Yes,” she said. “A million years ago when the dinosaurs roamed.”

  She turned to face him and started unbuttoning his plaid flannel shirt. The pink velour 60s sofa in the dressing room would be a great place for a quickie if no one entered the shop.

  “Customers?” he asked.

  “Right now I only have one,” said Maggie, running her hands across his hairy chest and smooth ribcage. “Fuck me.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” said Dave, grinning. He unbuckled his jeans. She unclasped her bra, tossing it on the vintage hooked area rug on the floor. She sat on the plush sofa and pulled down his boxer briefs, then used her mouth to arouse him until he was rock hard and moaning with pleasure.

  “You are really good to your customers,” said Dave.

  “Well you’re a pretty loyal one,” said Maggie, licking him as she said “loyal.” She turned around, placing her hands on the pink sofa and lifting the vintage black silk slip as he lowered his jeans. She looked at him in the mirror and said, “Now fuck me.”

  He placed his big hands on her curvy hips and took her from behind, reaching around to her stimulate her with his strong fingers.

  The exploded together quickly and quietly, both worried someone would enter the shop, though no one did. The frenzied dressing room sex left them both flushed.

  “Lunchtime!” said Maggie.

  “I know, I know, you’re always starving after sex,” said Dave as they got dressed.

  She locked the door of the shop behind them, hanging the “Back at 1:00” sign in the window.

  They sat down at an Italian restaurant; the one you had to go down the steps to get to from the street. He knew she’d order the stuffed shells, she knew he’d order the white spinach pizza.

  “So how’s work?” she asked. “Oh, you know, just trying to keep an old building or two up,” he said.

  They talked about the wedding; Maggie jokingly asking if he’d be her date, Dave pretending to have to consider it then acting like he reluctantly agreed.

  “Hey, listen. I wanted to ask you about something,” said Dave.

  “Sure,” said Maggie. “What’s up, hon?”

  “It’s Christmas this week and I know you haven’t stayed overnight in the house in a long, long time. I don’t know how many years. But the girls will both be home and of course you can stay in the guest room if you want, but I just thought, maybe…”

  Her eyes filled with tears. She had hated returning to that house because it as where her son had died, along with her marriage to the man she loved.

  “Maggie,” he said, “I don’t want you to cry. If you don’t want to, it’s ok. I just know that the girls probably won’t be coming home for many more holidays, so I thought we could spend Christmas Eve together as a family. For old times’ sake.”

  “I would love to do that,” said Maggie. “For old times’ sake.”

  Maggie, Eva, Lisa and Wes sat around a table at Vive, the fancy chef-owned place on Commerce Street Wes and Alfred loved to go for dinner. Maggie thought it seemed like an appropriate setting for the small “shower.” Eva, Maggie and Lisa had brought gifts, and Wes was chattering on about the details of the wedding.

  “I’m glad we did it sooner rather than later,” he said, “because I would have driven myself crazy with the hundreds of details you can put into a wedding. I just want to get married to Alfred. I don’t want to spend hours obsessing over flowers and photographers.”

  He cleared his throat and then he turned serious.

  “I would like to ask my sort of straight girl best friend something,” said Wes,. “Margaret Elizabeth, will you be my maid of honor?”

  Maggie beamed.

  “Of course I will, you big drama queen,” she responded. “But only if I get to wear the ugliest bridesmaid dress in my shop.”

  “You know that’s a deal, hunty!” said Wes, grinning at her.

  “It seems like everything is falling into place rather nicely,” said Eva,. “I can’t wait to see how beautiful the lodge looks at night on New Year’s Eve. What a fantastic night for a wedding.”

  “Yes, it’s the best night of the year for fresh starts,” said Maggie.

  “It’s so romantic,” said Lisa. “I just can’t wait.”

  They ordered squash soups, goat cheese terrines, venison stew and other delightful items from the menu, sharing and trying everything like it was a big family meal.

  “We had fun picking out a gift for you,” said Maggie, after they’d finished sampling homemade eggnog sorbet and peppermint mocha cheesecake. “Though it isn’t easy to shop for the men who already have everything.”

  “We hope you like it,” said Lisa.

  Eva reached down and handed Wes the box. Inside was a gift certificate for three-day stay at a gorgeous mountaintop lodge and spa not far from the wedding location.

  “Oh my God,” said Wes. “This can be a mini honeymoon! We weren’t going to go away til spring to celebrate, but we can both take a few days off and hang out after the ceremony.”

  He looked around the table.

  “You girls know how to pick out the best gifts,” he said, “but seriously, I love you all. Thank you so much. Now who’s ready for a wedding?” The three women smiled, raising their glasses in unison. Despite their own challenges in their own marriages, he could see in their eyes that each of them still believed in love and couldn’t hae been happier for him.

  On December 31, everything seemed to be lining up perfectly. Once the clock struck midnight, Wes and Alfred would be allowed to legally marry. The reverend had the paperwork with her from the court. Catoctin Cottage lodge was stunning, with hundreds of white candles in every shape and size forming a ring around the room. Striped monotone white and cream linens on the four round tables matched the creams and whites of the flowers in the crystal bowls of water beside the perfect mini-wedding cakes on each table. The centerpieces actually sparkled, clearly aided by crystals or some magical bling that had been added by the theatre designers.. White votive candles lined every windowsill, and even more candles stood on the tables.

  The enormous stone mantel of the massive two-story stone fireplace was lined with white pillar candles of every height, and draped in the front with a floral swag of ivory roses, magnolia leaves and ivy. An enormous iron chandelier hung from the ceiling, lit by a dozen cream pillar candles. There was no electrical lighting in the room. There was no need. The glow was amazing and the photographer, a friend of Alfred’s, was ready to capture the beautiful glow.

  Wes walked in and saw Alfred standing by the fireplace in his gorgeous vintage Armani black tux, tousled hair and open shirt. He looked every bit the part of the Hollywood hunk. Any doubt either might have had about the ceremony melted away like candle wax. Anyone in the room could see that the love in their eyes matched the love they felt in their hearts. Wes walked over and kissed his groom. The crowd roared, clinking glasses.

  “Let’s do this,” Wes said.

  Their theatre friends had agreed to provide simple acoustic music during the ceremony. They actually played the bridal march as the two men walked in together, and the room was filled with laughter at their dance moves, taking turns “twirling” each other across the room.

  The small group of friends and family gathered around the fire. Large electric heaters had been added on the other side of the room. Though the lodge wasn’t heated, the warmth of the fire was perfect to keep everyone warm on the cold, dark winter night at the beautiful lodge on the mountain.

  It took less than fifteen minutes for Wes and Alfred to exchange rings, pledge their love and make eternal vows. They’d written the touching words themselves, but had agreed to keep it brief: only three sentences apiece. (“Like a Twitter wedding,” Wes had joked).

  “I promise to never let us run out of microwave popcorn when we watch scary movies,” said Wes. “I will never forget, no matter how many years go by, to tell you that you are amazing and gorgeous and how much I love you. And I vow to cherish you
and hold you in my heart forever because you are my world.”

  And Alfred told Wes, “I promise to make you coffee every morning, even though I still can’t believe you use all that icky cream and sugar. I will love you the very best way I possibly can until the very last day I have. And I will never stop appreciating how at peace I am when I am in your arms.”

  Their embrace went on for a few more moments, and amongst cheers of “Kiss the Groom,” they kissed.

  The reverend’s words were also touching:

  “May your hearts be as one. Blessings abound when you cherish unconditional love. When troubles come, God’s power will be your strength and courage. Know the joy of each other’s love. May your hearts be as one: Divine.”

  These were words they would always remember on a night they could never forget.

  And when the ceremony was over, the two men snuck away from the small group for a private moment outside on the large stone deck overlooking the lights of the city below from the mountain where they were perched on this New Year’s Eve.

  “I love you,” said Wes. “And now it’s official and legal and the other 41 states can go straight to hell.”

  “They sure can,” Alfred said, smiling. “And I know for sure that I love you right back.”

  And as they embraced, kissing as husband and husband, they looked out over the dark forest and saw that it had begun to snow.

  January 2013

  “I have a face I cannot show

  I make the rules up as I go

  Just try and love me if you can.

  Are you strong enough to be my man?”

  -Strong Enough, Sheryl Crow

  Monthly meeting of the Scarlet Letter Society.

  *Blackbirds Pie shop

  Friday, January 4, 2013

  5:30 a.m.

  *Since Zarina and Stanley have disappeared for a sudden vacation week together, apparently inspired by the divine wedding of Wes and Alfred, we will meet at Lisa’s shop. Fuck all the slut-shaming guilt and death in the books we’ve been reading. No book this month; it’s on hiatus until we find something more upbeat to read. Happy New Year, all!

  “The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread.”

  -The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

  Eva saw the email from Maggie and smiled despite her somber locale. She sat in the chair opposite Joe as they waited to sign their divorce paperwork. She had been not unpleasantly surprised at the speed with which the paperwork had been drawn up. Joe had admitted adultery so that they could obtain an instant divorce. She thought that was ironic considering the degree to with she’d been unfaithful as well.

  “Are you smiling because our marriage is over?” Joe asked, not in an unkind way.

  “No, Joe,” Eva responded. “I was smiling at an email from Maggie. I am absolutely not happy our marriage is over. 15 years is a long time to be with someone and have it come to an end. I think it’s sad.”

  “I am not sure where exactly we went wrong,” said Joe. “But I want you to know that I wish I could have been a better husband, and I hope this all goes peacefully and we can remain friends.”

  “Thanks, Joe,” said Eva. “I haven’t by any stretch been the best wife, either. We’re always going to be the parents of our boys, and that will never change, so I think it would be a lot easier and certainly a lot nicer if we remained friends. I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t.”

  “Me either,” said Joe.

  They’d already discussed the arrangement with the house and boys. They would share custody. Joe would stay at an apartment in Baltimore near the hospital, and Eva was moving to the cottage, where the boys would visit her most weekends. She planned to fix up the guest house for them. Joe and Eva would each have a bedroom at the house in Keytown, and they’d alternate caretaking of the boys from there for the next few years until they were off to college. This way the boys didn’t have to move from their home during high school.

  The boys had taken it well, surprising both Joe and Eva with their maturity. Calvin had said the most important thing was that they were each happy, which had brought tears to Eva’s eyes, and Graham had nodded his head in agreement. There was no doubt it was a sad ending, but the four of them agreed that they’d always be family, and that this was what was important. Despite their efforts to put a big-boy face on it, Eva could see the hurt and anger the boys felt. She worried about how it would affect them, whether they would act out.

  And so, in less than 30 minutes in a well-appointed but chilly law office and the signing of a twelve-page document in triplicate, a marriage was over.

  Maggie and Ted took their coffees from the barista and found a table in “The Other Coffee Shop”, which is what she called the Starbucks downtown. She rarely set foot in the place, obviously preferring Z’s. For many years, the debate about whether the big chain should even be allowed to open their rubber-stamp coffee shop in the historic town raged. Some people thought it would destroy the small-town charm, others thought it was a sign the state’s second biggest city had arrived and besides, Starbucks was renovating a gorgeous old place, not tearing something down to build something new. Ultimately, the chain won. It had clearly permeated the nation’s coffee psyche, and not enough people were that passionately against the idea. Besides, Z’s business never suffered. A town couldn’t have too may coffee shops and her shop’s funky vibe was preferred by most locals to the mermaid with the wavy hair.

  “So I have news,” said Ted.

  “Oh yeah?” asked Maggie.

  “I quit my job,” he said. “And I’m leaving on a jet plane.”

  “Nashville,” Maggie said, and she smiled, because she knew it meant he was following his dream.

  “Yep,” he said. “I can’t believe a bunch of middle aged guys like us are pulling up roots and running away with our garage band like teenagers, but we are.”

  “I had a feeling you’d go for it,” said Maggie. “And good for you. I will miss you, but it’s sure been fun to have you around.”

  “Ah, Mags,” said Ted. “I’m gonna write a song about you. You’re the kinda girl a guy only meets once, and should write a song about.”

  “Awshucks, Ted,” Maggie said playfully. “That’s a very sweet thing to say.”

  And then she heard a familiar voice.

  “Well look who it is,” said Wes, walking over with his mocha latte. “This one never shows her face in here.” He looked at Ted and tilted his head toward Maggie.

  “You know Zarina is closed today,” said Maggie. “Sit down.”

  “Sure I’m not interrupting anything?” said Wes.

  “Nah, have a seat,,” said Ted.

  “Now all we need is whatshername and we’ll have a real party,” said Wes, looking at Maggie.

  “Kate?” said Maggie. “Her name is Kate. And fortunately for you, Ted knows about her now.”

  “Yeah, Mags, what is going on with Dr. Strangelove?” said Ted. “You girls still gettin it on?”

  “Do tell,” said Wes.

  “Hoo-ha is complicated,” said Maggie. “It was a fun place to visit, and I wouldn’t rule out future encounters with women, but I’m not sure I want to live there.”

  “That’s what I always said, and I didn’t even like the visit,” said Wes, making a gagging motion.

  Ted looked at Maggie.

  “Well, I guess we’re all ‘friends of Maggie’ here,” he said, “so I have another question. What’s going on with you and that first husband of yours?”

  “I guess the same thing that’s always been going on,” said Maggie. “What do you mean?”

  “I think you still love him,” said Ted.

  “Well, duh, she’s cheated on every damn guy she’s been with for Dave and only Dave,” said Wes. “Why not just do Dave?”

  Maggie felt awkward talking about this in front of Ted—they’d never really discussed her feelings for Dave. But now her life would be less complicated since he was lea
ving, without the need for some childish breakup. They could store away their time together, be thankful for it, and move on.

  “I am doing Dave,” she said. “I even spent the night in the old house.”

  “Oh, Lordy,” said Wes. “That’s a big one.”

  “Yeah,” said Maggie, “I know.”

  “You know what I think?” said Ted. “I think you’re so used to being the strong one, not letting go, being in control, that it’s hard for you to admit you need him.”

  “Well thank you, Dr. Freud, for your analysis,” said Maggie

  “What a sensitive and brilliant thing for a straight man to say,” said Wes. “He is absolutely fucking right, Margaret. You don’t have to spend the rest of your life bed-hopping. No offense, Ted.”

  “None taken,” said Ted.. “I just think if Maggie’s never fallen out of love with Dave, it’s ok to admit it.”

  “Well, I know I never stopped loving him,” said Maggie. “But I guess it’s been hard to say I needed anyone except my girls, but now they’re women.”

  “You know, there’s nothing wrong with being married,” said Wes. “I love it so far. Can’t wait to leave for our honeymoon in Cancun next month. You straight motherfuckers take marriage for granted all the time. We just fought to finally get marriage legal and you’re all divorcing everybody. Anyway, if you married Dave again, you wouldn’t have to cheat on people with him.”

  “Marriage? I obviously fail at marriage,” said Maggie. “But you boys are both right: I do always end up back in Dave’s arms. Maybe it’s because it is where I’m supposed to be.”

  “Hear, hear!” said Wes.

  They all raised their coffees in the air.

  Lisa and Jim sat in the waiting room of the gray-walled doctor’s office nervously. A couple ten years younger sat beside them, and across the room a single woman who was ten years older. They glanced at the clocks, they glanced at their phones, they glanced at the brochure they’d been handed at the desk when they checked in. The other couple was taken to the back. They waited. The single woman patient was taken back. They waited more.