He laughed. “Yeah, but I might not have learned much.”
“Anyway, I really am happy for you,” she said with a lump in her throat. “It’s amazing that this is all happening, almost just like you wanted.”
“Yeah, we think it feels miraculous. Sorry to have to go, but I think Greg’s at my door. Church tonight?”
“Uh, sure.” And then they said good-bye, and that was the end of their conversation. As Megan hung up, she wondered if he was saying, “Church tonight?” as in, “I’ll pick you up as usual?” Or was he saying, “Church tonight?” as in, “See you there?”
“Hey,” said Lelani as she quietly pushed open the partially closed door. “Sorry to intrude, but it sounded like you were off the phone.”
Megan nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”
“Are you okay?” Lelani asked her.
Megan’s mouth twisted into a pathetic half smile, and she shrugged.
“What’s wrong?” Lelani sat down on the bed next to her.
“Marcus is going to Zambia.”
Lelani nodded. “Yeah, you mentioned that was a possibility. But I thought you meant this summer.”
“That’s what I thought too. But it turns out that he and a guy from church will be going sooner than that.”
“What about his sister’s wedding?”
Megan shrugged. “I have no idea. But since it’s nearly two months out, maybe he plans to be back by then. I forgot to ask.”
“Speaking of weddings …” Lelani had a sparkle in her eye. “I have some news.”
“Did you and Gil elope last night?”
Lelani chuckled. “No, but that’s not a bad idea.”
“What?”
Lelani quickly told her that the Maui wedding was a thing of the past, and Gil and Lelani wanted to return to Plan A. They hoped to get married the second weekend of June somewhere in the Portland vicinity. “Do you still want to help me, or are you sick of this whole thing by now?”
“Of course I want to help. Do you know how disappointed I was when you changed your mind?”
“No, were you?”
“Well, I didn’t want to make you feel bad, but I had been having fun dreaming up all kinds of cool stuff for your wedding. I mean it’s kind of like interior design, only lots more fun.”
“Great.” Lelani looked relieved. “I’m sorry about losing a week. I guess we just needed to go that route to figure things out.”
“So was it your mom? I mean, the one who put the kibosh on the Maui wedding?”
Lelani nodded. “But I really don’t want to talk about that.”
“I understand completely. I don’t particularly want to talk about Marcus going to Zambia either.”
“So you’re not all that thrilled about it?”
Megan shrugged. “I am, and I’m not.”
“Meaning, let’s not talk about it?”
“I do have some other news.” Megan told Lelani about the teaching job.
“That’s fantastic!” Lelani gave her a high five. “Congratulations!”
“So …” Megan considered these new developments. “Between your wedding and my new job, I won’t even have time to worry about Marcus off in Zambia getting sick or shot or whatever.”
Lelani looked slightly shocked. “Do you really think he’ll be in danger?”
Megan shook her head. “No, not really. Like he just reminded me, there’s no safer place to be than in God’s will.”
“And he believes going to Zambia is God’s will?”
“He does.”
“Well, go, Marcus!”
“Yep. Go, Marcus.” Megan grabbed the notebook that she’d been using for Lelani’s wedding plans. “I think we need to get going too. Should we call an emergency wedding meeting?”
Lelani nodded. “Yes. I haven’t even told Anna yet. And she’s in charge of invitations.”
“Great, you go tell her, and I’ll make some quick phone calls about locations.”
“Do you want to meet up in the dining room”—Lelani glanced at Megan’s clock—“like at three?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
And so, for the next hour, Megan called every possible location, and although it seemed mostly hopeless, she found a couple of hotels that were available. Not the greatest hotels, but better than nothing. She listed them along with the other possibilities including Gil’s parents’ home, which had been offered numerous times, and Kendall’s house, which might not work now that Kendall was getting married the same day. Finally, Megan wrote down Abernathy House. But first she called her mom.
“I know this is a lot to ask,” Megan said straight off. “But I think your house would be a beautiful place for a wedding.”
“You and Marcus are getting married?” The utter joy in her mother’s voice was undeniable.
“No, not at all!” Megan said. “I was asking for Lelani and Gil.”
“They’re not going to Maui for their wedding?”
Megan explained the change in plans. “And at this point its hard to find anything nice for the second of June. I’ve always thought our house would be a pretty location.”
There was a quiet pause.
“It’s a lot to ask, Mom. I mean I’ll totally understand if you don’t—”
“No, that’s not a problem at all, Megan. In fact, the garden is looking better than ever this year, and if the weather cooperates, I think it would be a beautiful spot for an outdoor wedding. Of course, the reception could be inside or out. We’re not talking about a large wedding, are we?”
“Lelani wants to keep it small and simple. And the reception will be at Gil’s parents’ restaurant, so having some kind of sit-down dinner is not a part of the deal.”
“That’s probably wise.”
“So you’d really consider it, Mom?”
“Why not? I should tell you that I’ve already spoken to a realtor, and once I finish some improvements, which will make a wedding all that much nicer, I plan to go through with listing the house. In all likelihood, this will be the only wedding this house will see. At least while I’m still here. That is, unless you and Marcus suddenly decide that it’s time to—”
“Actually, Marcus is practically on his way to Zambia now.” The words were barely out of her mouth and she was crying.
“Oh, Meggie, it’ll be okay. You know how Marcus feels about you.”
“That’s just it.” She sniffed. “I don’t really know. I mean I thought I did. But he’s been so distracted with this mission stuff, I almost feel like I don’t know him at all.”
“But it’s wonderful that Marcus wants to help others. Isn’t that what you want too?”
“Yes, but I don’t like being left behind while he goes off to do it.”
“But you’ve got your teaching job, Megan. You were so excited about that.”
“I am.”
“And now you’re helping Lelani with her wedding. You’ll be a busy girl.”
“I know.” Megan reached for a tissue to blot her tears. “I’m just being silly. It’s probably PMS, Mom. Anyway, don’t worry about it. And thanks for being willing to let us use the house. I’m not even sure that Lelani will go for it, but if we get desperate—not meaning you’re a last resort. But you know.”
“Yes, I know. Feel free to bring Lelani over here, and traipse around as much as you like. I plan to do some updates in the bathrooms and repaint. Helen, my realtor, is telling me that I should upgrade the appliances and get granite countertops and a few other things. But I’m not so sure.”
“I think the realtor’s got it right, Mom. That house is so beautiful, but it is a little bit stuck in the eighties. If you want top dollar, especially in that neighborhood, you’ll need to raise the bar a little.”
“You sound just like a realtor.” She chuckled. “Or a designer.”
“Or a daughter who cares about you.”
“Yes, that’s it. If there’s anything I can do to help for the wedding, Megan, like with flowers or decorations, well, you know me. I love that sort of thing.”
Megan thought her mom’s participation might make up for the fact that the wedding wasn’t Megan’s, but she knew that her mom wasn’t trying to rush her to the altar.
“Thanks,” Megan told her. “I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”
“Don’t forget we have that family reunion the week before. I hope that doesn’t put a kink in your plans.”
“Hopefully, we’ll have everything nailed by then. Remember, Lelani said simple.”
“Simple is lovely, Megan, but it’s not always easy.”
“Right.” Megan knew that was true. “Well, hopefully we’ll have both—simple and easy.” She told her mom good-bye, then went out to the dining room, where her three roommates were poring over bridal magazines and Web sites.
“Look at these bridesmaid dresses,” Kendall said eagerly. And just like that, the four of them were arguing over color, style, and shoes.
“Hold it,” Megan said with her hands in the air. “Let’s put the dress issue aside until we get a couple of other things nailed down, okay?”
They quieted and gave her their attention.
“For starters, we need to pick a location. And then we need to agree on the number of guests.” Megan glanced at Anna. “Right?”
Anna just nodded.
Megan took them through her short list of locations, and when she ended on her house, Lelani’s eyes lit up. “Seriously?” she said with hope. “I love that house. Would your mother really let us use it for our wedding?”
“Absolutely. I just talked to her, and she said the garden is starting to look gorgeous.”
“I’ve never even seen the garden,” Lelani admitted, “but that house is beautiful.”
“You’ve only been there once,” Megan pointed out. “Are you sure?”
“I’ve never been there at all,” said Kendall.
“Me neither,” added Anna.
“Field trip,” said Megan with enthusiasm.
“Let me call Gil’s mom,” Lelani said. “She offered to watch Emma for me.”
“I thought she had company for dinner,” Anna said.
“No, we talked earlier,” Lelani said as she dialed her phone. “It was cancelled.”
Anna looked disappointed but didn’t say anything.
“If we nail the location,” Megan told Anna, “you should be able to get to work on the invitations next week, right?”
Anna just nodded.
“Are you okay?” Megan asked her.
Anna shrugged.
“Man trouble,” Kendall said in a hushed tone.
Anna frowned at Kendall.
“Sorry.” Kendall held up her hands innocently. “But it’s true.”
“If it makes you feel any better,” Megan told Anna, “me, too.”
Anna looked confused. “What?”
“Man trouble.”
“Did you and Marcus break up?” Anna asked.
“Not exactly. But he’s going to Zambia, and I’m feeling a little left out.”
Kendall put a hand on Megan’s shoulder. “I guess we all get our tastes of heartache along the way, don’t we?”
Megan forced a smile. Even though it was true, she didn’t really appreciate the comment. She knew Kendall had been through “man trouble” before, but hadn’t it been her own doing?
“Okay, let’s go,” said Lelani as she hung up the phone. “I’ll go get Emma up from her nap and we can be on our way.”
Lelani went with Kendall, since Emma’s car seat was already in her car, and Anna drove Megan.
“So what’s going on with you and Edmond?” Megan asked Anna, mostly because she didn’t want Anna to ask her anything else about Marcus.
“I think he’s found another girl,” Anna said sadly.
“You think?” Megan frowned. “You don’t actually know?”
“I haven’t spoken to him since yesterday. But I saw him with this Lucy chick, and she was totally into him, and I just have a very bad feeling.”
“Oh.”
“Edmond and I usually go out on Friday and he never even called. Well, I guess he called, but he left a pretty lame message. Kind of this backhanded invitation, like, ‘Come on by Blue Moon to hear some good music.’ Not exactly like he was asking me out, you know what I mean?”
Megan nodded. “Actually, I know exactly what you mean.” Then she told Anna how aloof Marcus sounded about church tonight. “Usually, he asks me if I want to go. At least I think he does. Or maybe we just agree. And maybe it’s not exactly like a date.”
“More like he’s taking you for granted?” offered Anna.
“Yes, that’s one way to describe it.”
“Same with Edmond. It’s like I’ve become nothing more than a habit. And then some pretty airhead comes along, and she gives him the big-eyed, you’re-so-wonderful-Edmond crud, and he just eats it up.”
“In my case it’s not another woman, but another country.”
Anna glanced curiously at her. “That is a little different.”
“Even so, it’s like he’s more interested in Zambia than me. Zambia might as well be another woman.”
Anna chuckled. “Actually, Zambia is an interesting name for a woman. You’re sure he’s talking about a country, right?”
Megan giggled. “Yes. I’m pretty sure he’s talking about a country. Just the same, I think I’ll be too busy helping with Lelani’s wedding to go to church with him tonight,” she said. “That is, if he even invited me to go with him, and that remains to be seen.”
Anna nodded in agreement. “There’s no sense in chasing a guy. If he’s interested, he’s interested, right?”
“Absolutely.”
Anna thumped her steering wheel. “Hey, this is the first time you and I have had this much in common.”
“It figures it would be man trouble,” joked Megan.
“Yes, man trouble.”
Megan laughed as Anna turned onto the winding street that would take them up the hill to the Abernathy house. She was trying to act like this was no big deal, like it was simply a little blip in her dating life, but the truth was, she felt a deep and lonely pang inside herself. She wondered how she could manage to get along with Marcus while he was clear over on the other side of the globe, and who knew for how long? Man trouble, indeed!
Ten
Kendall
“I thought I had Emma today.” Kendall watched as Lelani zipped Emma into the pink Ralph Lauren warm-up jacket.
“No, this is an abuela day.” Lelani picked up Emma. “Tell Auntie Kendall bye-bye.”
Emma folded her hand into a tiny wave and said, “Bah-bah.”
Kendall put her face close to Emma’s. “Bye-bye, Princess Emma. I’ll miss you.”
Lelani laughed as they headed for the door. “You should enjoy any down time you get from now on, Kendall. In less than four months you’ll be doing this 24-7.”
“I know.” Kendall watched sadly out the front window as the two of them left. Because it was sunny, she had planned to take Emma to the park. And now she wondered what she would do with her morning. Going back to bed was tempting, but since she’d already gone to the trouble of showering and dressing, it seemed a waste of time. Kendall thought hard. What did she used to do when she had time on her hands? Oh, yeah, shopping. But that was forbidden now. She had sworn to her Shopoholics Anonymous friends and, more importantly, to Killiki, that she would no longer shop for recreation. The SA group limited her to grocery or discount s
tores, neither of which were much fun. Consequently, they were not very tempting. And that, Kendall knew, was a good thing.
Of course, she could always check out her eBay bids. She was developing quite a little e-business these days, selling and buying and actually making a sweet little profit. Not enough to clean up all her bad shopping debt, but she was certainly making a dent. And thanks to Megan’s budget plan, which Kendall tried to adhere to, the creditors were no longer hounding her for payments.
Or, she could do her homework for the marriage-counseling sessions that she and Killiki were doing online. Killiki’s pastor had recommended it, and it was actually pretty fun, plus she got to see Killiki via webcam technology. The only problem was that Kendall did not enjoy homework. She never had liked homework, which was perhaps one of the reasons she dropped out of college. So she might as well put it off until Thursday, since their counseling session was that evening. That way it would be fresh in her mind.
Kendall wandered through her vacated house and wondered what to do with this unexpected free time. There was always cleaning, but then there would always be cleaning. She could put in a Pilates DVD, but that involved sweat, and she’d already showered.
It was such a sunny day, she had the urge to get outside. But walking by herself, well, that just didn’t sound fun. At times like this she missed her little dog Tinkerbell. And she missed Emma. Finally, she decided to just get in her car and see where it took her. To her surprise, it took her to see Nana.
As usual, it took Nana a few minutes to realize who Kendall was. Whether it was early Alzheimer’s or just plain dementia, Nana was definitely losing some brain cells.
“Kendall,” Nana said for the third time. “Where have you been?”
“Living at your house.” Kendall smiled.
“I have a house?”
Kendall thought for a moment. The last time they went down this avenue, Nana had begged to come home. “You used to have a house, Nana. But now you live here, remember?”
“Yes, here.” Nana frowned at her small room. “Someone moved my TV last night.”
Kendall looked at the TV in the small entertainment cabinet, which was built into the wall. “Oh?”
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