A Way to Get By

by T. Torrest

  The band started in with Anthony and Virginia’s wedding song, so Eddie and I took our places at the edge of the dance floor to watch. As The Beatles’ “I Will” filled the large room, Eddie stood behind me, wrapped his arms around my waist, and swayed softly to the music. I slid my palms across his arms and leaned into him, tipping my head back to rest against his shoulder.

  It was so beautiful and right, watching our best friends finally making their relationship official. They were the two greatest people I’d ever known in my life, and I was getting a bit choked up to see them so happy.

  I guessed the romance of the day caught up to Eddie, too, because he lowered his face near my ear to whisper, “Someday, Bren. That’ll be you and me.”

  Despite my private wishes about it, and despite the fact that we were crazy about each other, we’d never come right out and discussed the possibility of getting married. I turned in his grasp and draped my arms over his shoulders, stunned and elated that he had practically proposed to me right there in the middle of our best friends’ wedding. The only thing I could think to say in response was, “I love you, Eddie. Stay with me forever.”

  His lips tightened into a crooked smile as he answered back. “Yes, Bren. You and me. Forever.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Don’t Ask Me Why

  EDDIE

  Monday, May 17

  1982

  It was high time for me to have my friends over to my new place. I’d moved into Maxine’s Norman Hills mansion over a month ago but Tony and Ginny had never been there. I figured I’d dive right in by inviting them over on a Monday night. Not only because it was the only day the restaurant was closed but because I was trying to hit the ground running. Monday Night Dinners were always a Fab Four thing back when Brenda and I were still married.

  Ginny was cheerily gushing over Maxine’s newly-redecorated den, and if I didn’t know my friend better, I would have assumed she was trying to subtly remind my girlfriend that her décor was the reason she was currently separated from her husband.

  Then again, Ginny didn’t have it in her to be so calculated. That was my job.

  I had just pulled the rack of lamb from the oven when Tony took a sip off his beer. “Nice digs, Ed. And this kitchen is even bigger than the one at Mama’s.”

  “Yeah. I’m in here so often, Maxine says she’s going to set me up with a Murphy bed in the corner.”

  “Well, sure. Nothing but the best for her own personal chef.”

  I didn’t like the tone I caught in my friend’s voice. I didn’t bother facing him as I clarified, “This isn’t a job. She’s not paying me.”

  “Isn’t she?” I finished tenting the lamb with foil and turned toward Tony, my facial expression conveying my annoyance. He either didn’t pick up on it or he didn’t care because he added, “You’re a regular houseboy around here, aren’t you?”

  I crossed my arms and leaned against the counter, readying for the tirade I was gearing up to unleash on my best friend. But the sound of the girls’ laughter coming nearer halted my rant. I shot Tony a look which I hoped conveyed we’re not through here, and put the smile back on my face to greet my girlfriend.

  “There’s my beautiful girl,” I said as Maxine tried to hide her grin. She loved it when I made her feel younger than her forty-one years.

  Maxine walked right into my awaiting arms, saying, “I’d like to state for the record that Virginia likes the new sofa in the den.”

  “Thanks a lot, Gin. Traitor.” I laughed and shook my head, realizing that the reviled mauve sofa was here to stay.

  “Oh!” Maxine enthused to Ginny. “We’re putting on an addition! The sketches are upstairs in my room. Let me just run up and get them. If you like the couch, you’ll love what I’m planning to do in my new library.”

  Ginny smiled eagerly. “Oh, I’d love to see them!”

  Maxine gave me a quick smooch and excused herself. She was barely two steps out of the room before Ginny snaked, “For the record, I hate the new couch in the den.”

  I was surprised by her attitude. She was obviously taking issue with something far beyond an ugly couch. “Is there a problem, Gin?”

  She let out a sharp, “There sure is!” before explaining, “What, are you trying to replace Brenda in our foursome? You’ve only known this woman a few months. And I don’t like her.”

  I was taken aback by Ginny’s words. The negative assessment was completely at odds with her usual “good little Catholic girl” personality. Looking over at Tony, I was met with his amused shoulder-shrug as he went back to his beer. “How can you say that? She’s good for me, Gin. Look at me. I’ve hardly touched a drop since we started dating. Don’t let your friendship with my ex-wife cloud your judgment. Besides,” I added, raising a brow at my friends. “Let’s remember who moved on first.”

  Ginny deflated, realizing I was right. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I know how hard the divorce has been on you, Eddie, but it’s been almost as hard on Anthony and me.”

  Tony and I shared a silent exchange as I threw an arm around Ginny’s shoulders. “I know.” I kissed the hair at her temple, adding, “And believe me, I couldn’t feel worse about it.”

  * * *

  After dinner was through, Ginny stayed inside to bond with Maxine while I invited Tony out to the terrace. The large slate patio hovered over the vast, open yard, and was completely secluded from the neighboring houses by the towering pines that edged the property.

  We lit our cigars and leaned against the ornate, stone balustrade, breathing in the spring air, silently contemplating the strangeness of the evening. Everyone had gotten along just fine over dinner but it was a forced, uncomfortable amiability. Maxine was clearly on edge, determined as all hell to make a good impression on my friends. Problem was that she was trying too hard and it was obvious to everyone in the room. Tony and Ginny were being overly friendly to put her at ease but it wasn’t until the Crème Brule was served that Maxine started acting like herself. I hoped my friends were able to discern the difference, even if they’d only been afforded a glimpse of her true personality.

  I was curious to know for sure. “So, she’s pretty great, right? Maxine?”

  Tony took a long pull from his cigar and answered on the exhale. “I see what you see in her, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  “You know it’s not.”

  Tony broke his gaze from the yard and faced me, a capitulating grin preceding his words. “Okay, Ed. Yeah. Once she loosened up, she seemed pretty great.”

  I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Well, I’m happy you get it. And look. It’s not like you have to be in love with her or anything. I’d just appreciate it if you could be decent to her whenever we’re all together. I’d really like to see this through.”

  “Through to what?” he asked, incredulously.

  “Nothing,” I hedged. “It’s not like I’m going to run off tomorrow and marry her or anything. Just… I plan on sticking around for a while. That’s all I meant.”

  We were silent as we smoked our stogies, my words hanging in the air between us. Tony seemed content to maintain his inspection of Maxine’s property while my mind was overrun with a million racing thoughts. I wasn’t much looking forward to embarking onto the next part of our conversation but I knew it had to be done.

  Abandoning any attempt at an appropriate segue, I took a deep breath and just dove in. “Meeting Maxine wasn’t the only reason I invited you over tonight, though.”

  “Why? What’s going on?”

  “I’m quitting the restaurant.”

  Tony’s glass halted midway to his lips. “What? Are you serious?”

  “I’m afraid I am.”

  It had become too hard to face Tony’s sympathetic stares every day, and the truth was, I couldn’t concentrate on the job anyway. I’d ceased being an asset to my best friend’s business. I figured getting out of there would serve both of our best interests.

  But Tony was anything but relieved. “I k
now our working relationship only happened because we were friends, but the truth is, you’re a really talented chef. I need you, Ed.”

  I had to stop myself from snorting aloud. “Just not talented enough to take the reins, though, huh.”

  His shoulders slumped as he turned fully toward me. “Don’t do that. C’mon. You know damn well that Marciano was responsible for the place taking off the way it has. I can’t just dump him after all he’s done.”

  “So, it’s true, then. What Brenda’s been saying all these years. You never had any intentions of moving me into the head chef position.”

  Tony ran a hand through his hair. “No.”

  I always knew that was the truth. I didn’t ever want to believe it, but I knew it just the same. “I’ll stay until you find a replacement. I wouldn’t leave you in the lurch like that.”

  My words were flat enough that Tony could tell I was pissed. “Look, I’m sorry. I had no idea it meant that much to you or maybe I just tried not to see it, knowing there was nothing I could do. Maybe I can…”

  “No. Forget it.” The truth was, I couldn’t bring myself to fault him. It was a hard position he’d been put in all these years. I didn’t envy it. “I really do understand, Tony. And I’m sorry you’ve been so torn up about it. Maybe this break will be just the thing for both of us.”

  He chucked the stub of his cigar across the lawn and leaned over the railing to ensure that it landed in the rock garden. “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not sure, actually. Maxine thinks I should open my own place.”

  That got his attention. “Maxine? Ed, you’ve only been dating this woman a few months.”

  I snickered, “Five months, Tony. You and Ginny can’t seem to realize that this isn’t some one-night fling.”

  “Still. That’s a lot of eggs to be putting into one basket. What happens if things don’t work out between you two? Where will you be then?”

  “It’ll work out.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  I threw my own stogie into the garden as well, watching the tiny explosion of embers as it hit the rocks. “Because I have no other choice. It has to.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Only the Good Die Young

  BRENDA

  Monday, October 29

  1973

  Eddie settled me down on Anthony’s favorite chair as Virginia made the coffee. We were all pretty drained from the day but they rightfully acknowledged that I was the one suffering the brunt of the emotional trauma.

  After all, it wasn’t their aunt who had just died.

  Strangest thing was, I wasn’t overly devastated. I was sad, of course, but it wasn’t on any level that I couldn’t handle. I suppose my rational approach to the situation was due to the fact that Aunt Judy and I were never very close, even considering we’d lived under the same roof for over a year.

  She had her moments, though.

  I was definitely going to miss her stories about growing up in the city with my mother. I never knew if the tales were true or just entirely made up in her inebriated brain. Regardless, I didn’t care. It was fascinating to hear about a childhood so completely opposite from my own, and I especially loved to hear her talk about the grandparents I had never met. Discerning the factual details about them from her wild tales wasn’t easy to do. But any time I managed to pluck a new tidbit of information from the rambling narrative, it was an unexpected treasure, like finding a gumball at the bottom of an ice cream cone.

  Maybe my aunt wasn’t the greatest human who ever lived but she was the only family I had.

  And now she was gone.

  “Here we are, Brenda!” Virginia sing-songed cheerily. She placed a cup of coffee on the side table and took a seat on the couch next to me. “Cream and sugar, just how you like it.”

  “Thanks, Gin.”

  “It was a beautiful service, wasn’t it?”

  I took a sip from my mug—too hot—and answered her through my burning lips. “It truly was. Thank you so much for asking Father Francis to take care of it.”

  I’d been so absent from the church that I didn’t even know the “new” pastor yet. As it turned out, he’d been there for three years. Virginia knew him very well, of course, so she was the one who had helped me to set everything up.

  My aunt didn’t have a ton of friends, so we didn’t even plan a repast. The four of us here in the Leones’ living room was going to have to suffice. But even though Aunt Judy wasn’t the most popular person on the planet, we still needed to give her a proper sendoff. I wasn’t that removed from the Catholicism of my youth where I could have dumped her in a pine box and called it a day. Not that my savings allowed for much more fanfare than that, but I was proud that I’d been able to hold a proper wake at Malachi Bros. and have an ordained priest say some nice words over her flower-covered casket.

  There went my college registration money yet again.

  A few people from the library popped in for the wake but other than them and the four of us, Virginia’s mother was the only other living body in the room. That woman was a professional mourner, I swear. Ginny explained that her frequent treks to the funeral parlor were born out of a stereotypical Irish-Catholic guilt, and it wasn’t unheard of for her to drop in to weep over the remains of a random stranger. A full lot at Malachi’s was like a tractor beam for that woman.

  I couldn’t say I wasn’t grateful for her presence, though. Mrs. Cavanaugh acted as my unofficial tutor all day, helping me to navigate the myriad dos and don’ts of paying respects to the dead.

  Eddie planted himself on the arm of the recliner I was sitting in. “You okay, babe?” he asked, swiping a hand over my hair.

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head into Eddie’s palm, a move which caused a small smile to break across my face. It wasn’t often that I felt such overwhelming gratitude, and my heart swelled with pride when I looked around that room.

  Virginia was the best friend a girl could ever hope to have. She was kind, and thoughtful, and always put everyone else’s needs before her own.

  Anthony was loyal to a fault, and undoubtedly the most grounded out of the four of us. He was our voice of reason, our rock. On top of which, I didn’t doubt that he’d give his life for any one of us in that room.

  And Eddie… God. What could I say about my boyfriend that hadn’t been said a million times before? My sweet, gorgeous, brilliant Eddie. My life wouldn’t have been the same without him. I didn’t think it was possible to breathe without him. Thank God I knew I’d never have to find out. Eddie and I were the loves of each other’s lives. Neither one of us was going anywhere.

  He slid his arms around me and kissed the top of my head, and I melted into him, feeling safe and comforted and loved.

  I turned my face to plant a soft kiss on his lips before answering. “Just keep holding me like this and I’ll be just fine.”

  CHAPTER 24

  Uptown Girl

  EDDIE

  Thursday, September 23

  1982

  Maxine was on the board of numerous charities, so I wasn’t even sure which of her potential donors we were meeting with tonight. In our earlier dating days, these little get-togethers were something I let Maxine handle on her own, but after I’d tagged along one night and managed to charm Vonda Wainwright into forking over a cool ten thou, my girlfriend insisted I accompany her from then on out.

  As we walked through the doors of the grand ballroom, I tried to stifle the memories that attempted to surface. Maxine and I had eaten at the club a bunch of times, but our meals were normally consumed out on the patio or in one of the smaller reception rooms. I’d been able to avoid the main dining room for two years, and I wasn’t much looking forward to breaking that streak.

  The Shermer Heights Country Club served as a reception hall on the weekends but was simply a restaurant during the rest of the week. I should know. My ex-wife had been a waitress here since we were teenagers. Despite her attempts to convince me otherwise
, I knew she hated the job. Her promotion to Assistant Banquet Manager a few years back was a slight improvement yet she still left the position at the first available opportunity; I was all too aware that her rich new boyfriend had asked her to quit within minutes of their first date.

  Apparently, she didn’t waste any time coming back to this place as a member, though.

  Because she was presently holding court at a table in the center of the room.

  In that first second I saw her, I couldn’t control the fact that my heart lurched out of my chest or that my stomach seemed to drop from out of my body. She was standing at the head of a long table, smiling and laughing about something with her fiancé. The dozen or so people in her company were all smiling and laughing along with her. It looked as though Bren hadn’t lost her gift of enchantment, because try as I might, I couldn’t look away. She was wearing a knockout strapless blue dress and her hair was pulled into a tidy knot on the top of her head. I became mesmerized by the two strands that had been intentionally freed from her bun, dangling over her ears and kissing the skin of her exposed neck.

  I pulled out Maxine’s chair, lit her cigarette, and managed to keep up our conversation, all the while hiding behind my large leather-bound menu so I could keep my eyes on my ex-wife.

  That was, until my girlfriend called me out. “Eddie? Are you even listening to me?”