Once and Future Wife

by David Burnett

  “What did he give you?”

  “A Surface tablet. Exactly what I wanted.” She laughed. “I don’t know why he’s so insecure.”

  “I don’t know how long it has been since I went shopping,” Jennie said. “I don’t really dress up very often, you know. I wear shirts and khakis to school, trousers to church. This is my only really nice outfit.”

  She inspected her black dress. She’d had it for several years, wearing it to Emma’s funeral in January, to Christa’s and Amy’s graduation, to dinner with Thomas a couple of times. In fact, it had been brand new almost three years before when Alexis and Tasha had finished high school, and Jennie had discovered that women wore dresses or skirts to commencement.

  It was one of those dresses that could be dressed up or dressed down, depending on what else she wore. Tonight, she was wearing the pearl necklace Thomas had given her two weeks earlier.

  “Are you still dating Dad?”

  “What? Uh, well, I, uh, I guess.” Jennie took a deep breath. “It sounds strange to say we’re dating…but yes, I am. We are.”

  “You’re going to need more than one dress if you’re going to date Dad.”

  “Do you think so?”

  “Know so. He enjoys nice restaurants, the theater, the symphony. He will notice what you are wearing and he won’t be happy if it’s the same every time. He hasn’t said anything?”

  “Uh, no…not that I recall…I have never known your father to care about anything like that, not when we were dating, not when we were married…”

  “Well, he does. Mom hated shopping, but she bought a couple of new dresses every season, new bathing suits every summer, new tops to wear with pants.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that.” Jennie frowned. “What would I need?”

  Tasha paused before responding and seemed to be thinking. “The dress you have on is terrific. It looks good on you. It can be dressy, or not…maybe a couple that are similar, but in different colors. Do you have a winter coat? Other than your parka? And you really need a long skirt…”

  “An evening dress?”

  “Maybe, but that’s not what I was thinking. Something to wear out to dinner or to a concert. It does get cold in Charleston, you know.”

  Jennie frowned. “All of this sounds expensive.”

  Tasha didn’t seem to hear her.

  “And maybe something like I’m wearing.” She stood to model her short skirt, leggings, and boots. “Everyone is wearing these.”

  “I couldn’t wear that.”

  “Why not?” Tasha took her seat. “It’s current fashion, and Dad would love it. It’s true they won’t be ‘in’ next fall, but Mom always let us buy one fad item each school year.”

  “I don’t know…” She glanced around the restaurant, checking what other women were wearing, and feeling rather frumpy.

  “Maybe you and Alexis should go shopping one day.”

  By the time they had finished dinner, the bottle of wine was empty, although Jennie’s glass was still half-full.

  “Did you drink the entire bottle?” she asked Tasha.

  Tasha shrugged. “It was a joint effort.”

  Jennie’s eyes cut to her glass. “Of course, I had some of it…”

  Had Tasha finished the bottle herself? Had Jennie drunk that little of her second glass or had Tasha topped it off? Jennie smiled. It didn’t really matter. She felt fine.

  Jennie had also managed to talk Tasha into a shopping trip. Tasha would invite Alexis to accompany them, and they would hit the stores early the next Saturday morning. Jennie had decided Tasha was right…she did need some new clothes.

  Tasha had also convinced Jennie they would find her a skirt and leggings, saying she could try them on and decide if she liked them.

  ***

  “It’s six o’clock in the morning, Jennie. What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” Jennie chuckled at Alexis’s sleepy voice. “I’m on the road and I’ll be there by eight. This is your wake-up call.”

  “Jennie,” Alexis cried. “No.”

  “Early to bed, early to rise, go to the store and find the best buys.” Jennie laughed. “See you soon.” She clicked off and called Tasha. Alexis had spent the night at Tasha’s apartment, but Jennie didn’t want either to feel left out. Not when she and Tasha were finally getting along.

  “Up, up, and away. The stores are awaiting.”

  “From what planet did you…? It’s Saturday morning,” Tasha exclaimed.

  “And it’s practically daylight,” Jennie almost shouted. “Sleep when you’re dead. See you soon.”

  “Slug-a-beds.” Jennie laughed again as she pressed the accelerator.

  A week had passed, and Jennie was on her way to Atlanta for their shopping trip. She had been awake for three hours and had contemplated arriving at Tasha’s by six, bringing breakfast, of course. Instead, she’d made tea and munched on a granola bar while she wrote her Christmas list. Then, realizing spring was only four months away, she had gone online to order bulbs to plant in her back yard. While she was at it, she’d pulled up bathing suits so she could decide what to buy for next summer. “Monitor shopping,” she had called her swimsuit search, since she was only looking and not yet ready to place an order.

  “Need to be prepared,” she reminded herself now as she replayed her morning, “like a good boy scout.” She burst out in a fit of laughter. When she and Kara had been teenagers, they had claimed to be boy scouts. That is, they were always scouting for cute boys and always prepared for pursuit when they spotted one.

  Jennie was feeling almost like a teenager now too. The excitement and anticipation of going clothes shopping with the two girls was building with each passing mile marker. All she needed was some good music to go along with her great mood. She turned on the radio, and when she heard what song was playing she cranked up the volume. Jennie bopped along, singing the words she knew, as Cindy Lauper proclaimed that “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

  ***

  Jennie arrived with coffee and doughnuts, but Alexis still glared at her as she opened the door.

  “What? You’re the young ones here. You should be hassling me to get out of bed. Besides, the doughnuts are warm and melt in your mouth.” She bit into one. “Ooh. I love these. I’ll eat the entire dozen if you two just stand here with sour expressions on your faces.” She stared at the two girls, disgusted. “Honestly, you look like you’ve been eating lemons.” She laughed.

  As Alexis and Tasha stumbled toward the table, Jennie reached into her bag and pulled out the morning newspaper. “There are some terrific sales today. See?”

  “Uh-uh. No way. We will not take you to Walmart,” Tasha said emphatically when she saw the ad. “Not Target. Not Kohl’s, either. We can go to Lenox Square,” she said. “Loft, Bloomingdale’s, and Neiman Marcus. Your other choice is Phipps Plaza. They have Talbot’s, Nordstrom, and Saks.” Tasha waited, hands on her hips. “Your choice.”

  “We can go to Belk and Macy’s,” Alexis added. “They won’t be quite as expensive as those others. There is an outlet mall a little north of the city. We can go there instead if you’d rather.” She gave Tasha a disapproving look.

  Jennie smiled. Alexis was just trying to give her an out, but, somehow, when Tasha suggested a store, it seemed as though Jennie was being given permission to shop there, regardless of its prices. And she did want to look nice for Thomas…so, why not shop at the “good” stores?

  She raised her coffee to toast the plan. “All right. Let’s start at Bloomingdale’s.”

  ***

  They arrived at ten o’clock, fortified by giant cups of coffee, and by one thirty, when Jennie lowered herself into a chair at the Cheesecake Factory, her feet were sore, her back hurt, and she was exhausted, but she felt happy, excited and ready for more…after she recovered, of course. And what better way to recover than a shrimp and bacon sandwich followed by a slice of red velvet cheesecake?

  The restaurant was crowded and the
y were shown to a table for six. Good thing, Jennie thought. We’ll need the other two chairs to hold all of the packages.

  After they placed their orders Jennie surveyed all her shopping bags, bubbling with excitement. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years. I’ve never tried on so many shirts, pants, and dresses in one morning in my entire life—and I feel like I can keep going all day. Let’s see…where have we been? Bloomie’s, Neiman Marcus, Loft, Macy’s…” She held up another finger with each store she counted off. “And this afternoon…I don’t know. Four more? Five?” She took a drink of iced tea. “Great morning.”

  “How much coffee have you had?” Alexis laughed.

  “Not much. Not much at all. I just feel good. I haven’t spent money on myself in ages…So many stores and so little time,” she exclaimed with such eagerness that patrons at the surrounding tables stopped eating to look up.

  “How did you like that royal-blue dress with the cutouts around the waist on both sides? It was basically a halter top and a skirt connected by a ribbon of material.” Alexis laughed so hard she began to choke.

  “And the slit up the front of the skirt,” Tasha added as she struggled to control her own laughter. “There might have been a yard of material. For two hundred dollars.”

  “Your dad would’ve had a heart attack.” Jennie shook her head. She patted Alexis’s back. “Are you all right?”

  Alexis nodded and gasped for breath. “I don’t know about Dad, but some of his friends?”

  “Can you imagine the expression on Cecelia Cross’s face?” Jennie laughed at that thought.

  “Oh, Ms. Cross would literally die if you walked into a restaurant or…or a concert wearing that.”

  “I’m glad the clothes were not all so…so strange.” Jennie giggled. “As I think about it, though, I’d actually like to see your dad’s reaction. You know, my experience is that he’s not as conservative as you believe him to be and he might really like the one with the cutouts.”

  “Most men would. The more they can see…” Tasha said, and they laughed again.

  The waiter brought their meals, and no one spoke for several minutes while they ate voraciously. It seemed Jennie wasn’t the only one that had worked up an appetite.

  As she finished her sandwich, Jennie looked again at the shopping bags piled in the two vacant chairs. “We found so many nice things today.”

  Alexis’s eyes followed Jennie’s. “Now, we’re just making suggestions, Jennie. You don’t have to buy everything we point out, you know.”

  Tasha shrugged and looked away.

  Alexis turned back to Jennie. “We haven’t made you spend too much have we?”

  “Can you scrimp and still look good?” Tasha paused before answering her own question. “I’m thinking not.”

  “A lot of what you bought was on sale, wasn’t it?” Alexis asked.

  Jennie shook her head, dismissing Alexis’s concerns. “No need to worry. It’s been years since I’ve had a shopping trip like this. Never, really. I needed some new clothes. I work hard. I deserve some nice things.”

  Alexis excused herself to find the restroom, and while she was gone, the waiter brought the desert menu.

  “Have you ever had their Bailey’s Irish Cream cheesecake?” Tasha asked.

  “No. Is it good?”

  “Is it ever. You’ll just die. You’ve had Bailey’s, haven’t you?”

  Jennie remembered it well. For a brief period before leaving Thomas, the cream liqueur had been her drink of choice, stronger than beer, less potent than wine. She smiled as she recalled the taste. The wine at Tasha’s birthday dinner hadn’t hurt her, so a little flavor drizzled on a piece of cheesecake certainly would be no problem, even if it did contain whiskey.

  They each requested a piece, ordering a praline cheesecake for Alexis. “Her favorite,” Tasha said.

  When the waiter brought dessert, Jennie gasped. “Three of us could eat one piece,” she exclaimed. She took a bite.

  “Ooh, this is so good. I suppose it should be, though, since we’re at the factory.” She laughed.

  As they finished and Jennie paid for lunch, Tasha stood, apparently ready to go. “Are we ready to head across the street to Saks?”

  “That’s a plan. I still need that long skirt you suggested.”

  ****

  Jennie led the way across the street to Phipps Plaza. At five o’clock, Alexis called a halt.

  “I have a date tonight. I’ve got to get home.”

  “But we haven’t been to Saks yet, and Kate Spade is down this way…” Jennie pointed.

  “I really need to get home, Jennie. Robbie is coming at six thirty. “Alexis looked to Tasha for support.

  “I’ve got to get back too. I’m sorry,” Tasha paused, then her eyes brightened. “Maybe we can pick up here next week.”

  Reluctantly, Jennie drove Alexis to her dorm and Tasha to her apartment. Then she headed home. The back seat of her car was full, she could barely see out the window. Jennie popped a new CD into the player, it was a compilation of nineties hits by some of her favorite girl bands. She sang along, smiling and bouncing up and down in time to the music. She didn’t have a care in the world.

  Finally, she glanced down at her speedometer and saw the needle pointing to ninety. “Oops,” she cried. “Speedy Jennie. Speedy Jennie.”

  She cackled as she recalled the time, back when she was in college, when she had outrun a police car in a small town near Athens. His little blue car had strained to keep up with hers, but she had lost him after crossing a bridge, rounding a curve, and making a quick turn. Apparently, the officer had not thought to record the number on her tag, and she’d gotten off scot-free.

  She decided that all those years of medication had made her dull and boring. She never used to be that way, and that was the Jennie that Thomas had fallen in love with. Stopping her meds had been the right thing to do. It felt good to have some of the old Jennie back. She had deprived herself of new clothes for so long, and it felt so good to go shopping.

  Still, Jennie allowed the car to slow nearly to seventy—getting a speeding ticket would put a damper on her mood.

  November

  Jennie dragged herself through the door to the coffee shop and piled her raincoat and books on a table near a window before joining the line of people waiting to place orders. It was Friday afternoon. The entire week had been dismal, cold, and overcast. Rain had begun to fall on Wednesday afternoon and had poured all day on Thursday. A cold drizzle had tapered off just a couple of hours ago.

  During indoor recess that afternoon, four of the boys had decided they were super heroes. Jennie had been talking with Sally Richards about her baby brother and had turned just as Superman jumped from a desktop to tackle Spider-Man and toss him to the ground. Jennie had intervened just as Batman and Green Lantern had entered the ring, falling on the other two and pinning them down.

  Jennie rolled her eyes. They’d been cooped up for three days.

  Those four had not been the only wild ones, and she congratulated herself for having been able to control her temper. She had cited their behavior and her reaction as an example of how well she was doing during her appointment with Dr. Wilson earlier in the afternoon.

  “There was a time when I would have been screaming and throwing books if I had found myself in that situation,” she had said.

  Dr. Wilson had nodded. “How frequently do you find yourself using your coping strategies?”

  Jennie had hesitated. “Not nearly as often as I once did.”

  She had not exactly lied to Dr. Wilson. She had simply not told her everything, not about the incident with James and Deborah, not about her difficulty in sleeping, certainly not that she no longer took her medicine. After all, she was doing fine without it. Let sleeping dogs lie. Wasn’t that the expression?

  It was her turn to order.

  “A tall caramel latte, please.” It was her usual on Friday afternoon, a reward for reaching another weekend. The barista
smiled. Having recognized her, he had already written her order on a cup. Jennie glanced around the restaurant while he ran her check card.

  “I’m afraid your card has been declined.”

  “What? No, that’s a mistake. Run it again.”

  After trying the card twice more, the barista looked at her helplessly. “You’ll need to call your bank about it,” he said.

  Jennie opened her purse. “I’ll give you the cash. How much is it?”

  “Three thirty-five.”

  She found two one-dollar bills in her purse and placed them on the counter. She poured the loose change into her hand and began to count it. She had two dollars, seventy cents.

  “I…I…” She began to rummage through her pocketbook, checking under her camera, and various papers, but finding nothing. “This is so embarrassing.”

  Suddenly, she heard the voice of a man standing behind her. “Let me pay for Ms. Bateman’s coffee.”

  Jennie turned to see a tall man wearing a gray suit and a red striped tie. She had not even realized he was there.

  “Thank you, but you don’t need to…”

  “It’s no problem at all.” He handed the barista a five-dollar bill.

  “No, really…”

  “It’s paid for.” He smiled as he accepted the change.

  “Thank you so much…” Jennie didn’t know what else to say, so she collected her money from the counter and stepped away as the man placed his own order. She stood at the end of the bar, waiting for her latte. The man stood beside her.

  “Ms. Bateman, I’m Will Agee. My little boy James is in your class. He thinks the sun rises and sets with you.”

  “Of course. I thought you seemed familiar. I’m enjoying having James in class this year.” She stopped, not sure what else to say. “I…I’m sorry about the misunderstanding we had a couple of weeks ago.”

  Will Agee stared at her blankly for a moment. “Oh, you mean about the money.” He nodded. “James was rather upset, but, you know, I would have thought the same thing under the circumstances.”