Straight from the Heart

by Layce Gardner

  “There is that,” Steph said. They finished polishing. Steph collected the rags and put the polish back into cabinet. “Unless Parker’s in on it.”

  “She’s your best friend, right?” Ruth said.

  “Yes.”

  “Best friends got each other’s backs, right?”

  “Well, yes,” Steph said. “For the most part.” She thought about Susan and Rosa. Even though they were best friends, Rosa didn’t have Susan’s back when Susan needed it the most. She should’ve told Susan about Carrie having an affair, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Let me tell you a story about the time Rosa didn’t have her best friend’s back.”

  “Oh?” Ruth said.

  They sat in the camp chairs by the heater. The boys had put the chairs out in the garage for “taking a break” purposes. The same with the heater.

  “Susan got left at the altar. Rosa had found out that Carrie was having an affair with the wedding planner, of all people. Carrie was supposed to break it off with Susan before the wedding to run away with the planner, but she didn’t. Rosa overheard them talking about it. She didn’t know what to do. She thought Susan wouldn’t believe her. So, she said nothing. She thought Carrie would tell Susan about her affair before the actual wedding day. Rosa had no idea that when Susan was standing at the altar that Carrie wouldn’t show. Rosa figured that Carrie must have broken off with Monica, the wedding planner, and now wanted to marry Susan.”

  “You mean, Rosa never told her?”

  “Not even after the non-wedding, not even now, when it wouldn’t matter anymore,” Steph said.

  “Oh, it would matter. Susan wouldn’t trust Rosa ever again. She’d probably never speak to her again,” Ruth said.

  Steph considered this. Would Parker be doing the same thing? Steph couldn’t see Parker dropping Rosa off at her lover’s place. But maybe she didn’t know what Rosa was doing? Maybe Rosa was lying to Parker as well.

  “Have you asked Parker what’s going on?” Ruth said. She went over to the half fridge, opened it, and groaned. “There’s no soda, not even diet. Only sparkling water.”

  “Ugh,” Steph said.

  “Want a water?”

  “Sure.”

  Ruth threw the bottle to her. Steph caught it and unscrewed the cap. “I thought about asking Parker.”

  Ruth took a sip of the sparkling water and grimaced. “What I wouldn’t give for a Dr. Pepper.”

  “But I don’t want to put her in the middle. I don’t think she’d go along with Rosa having a lover and keeping it from me, but what if she didn’t know? Maybe she’s telling Parker that this woman is a therapist or something. Parker would think she was helping out. Parker is like that. She doesn’t ask a lot of questions. She assumes people know what they’re doing and it’s none of her business unless people make it so.”

  “That’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Ruth said.

  “What’s your advice?”

  Ruth slowly shook her head. “Wait and see. There has to be a logical explanation.”

  ***

  “I don’t think this was a very good idea,” Rosa said as Steph raced around the kitchen doing about five things at once.

  “We always have Thanksgiving at our house,” Steph said.

  “Yeah, but usually I’m a much bigger help.”

  “You’re here for moral support.” Steph wiped her brow with a corner of her apron. “Besides, you did help. You set the table.”

  “Only the parts I could reach.”

  “Which was most of it,” Steph said, pulling the green bean casserole out of the oven.

  “All right, but there have to be other things I can do. I hate feeling useless.”

  “You’re not useless and stop saying that. Why don’t you go out to the backyard and see what Parker’s up to? I’m worried about leaving her alone with the turkey. What if it doesn’t work out? She’s never smoked a turkey before. She doesn’t even really know how to cook yet.”

  “I resent that,” Parker said, coming in the kitchen. “It’s working just fine. And for the record, my cooking is improving.”

  “That remains to be seen,” Steph said, sticking the scalloped potatoes into the oven.

  “Oh, ye of little faith,” Parker replied. She set the alarm on her watch.

  “I have to have faith or we won’t be having turkey,” Steph said.

  “I brought turkey TV dinners in case I screw it up,” Parker said.

  Steph stared at her, mortified. It’d be just like Parker to think that was a good backup plan.

  “Steph, relax, she’s kidding,” Rosa said. Her head swiveled to Parker. “You are kidding, right?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see,” Parker said.

  “Then where’d you put them?” Steph asked, opening the freezer.

  “Amy’s bringing them,” Parker replied.

  “Speaking of which, where is your better half?” Steph asked.

  “First, she’s putting the paper to bed, as they say in the industry, and then she’s driving Millie, Clara, Mabel, and Edna to Heaven’s Valley where Clara’s family lives.”

  “Why is she doing that?” Steph asked.

  “Because none of them see real well in the dark. It’s only sixty miles,” Parker said. “I would’ve gone with her but I’m smoking a turkey. We’ll both go pick them up.”

  “I thought Mabel hated Edna,” Rosa said.

  Parker put out the place settings that Rosa couldn’t reach. “Evidently, they have put their differences aside. Mabel found out that Edna doesn’t have family anywhere close. She usually has a deli turkey sandwich and watches the Macy’s Day Parade by herself. Mabel thought that was awful and invited her along.”

  “That was nice,” Steph said in a tone that said she didn’t trust Mabel’s intentions.

  “She doesn’t want anyone to know,” Parker said.

  “Of course, Mabel wouldn’t want anyone to think she was kind and generous. It’d ruin her reputation,” Steph said.

  “Clara is counting on Edna keeping Mabel entertained because Mabel is a horror at these family dinners—even under the influence of Alice’s brownies. With the brownies, she laughs and acts goofy; without them, things have gotten really ugly. One year Mabel and Aunt Irma got into a cat fight in the front yard. The police had to break them up. Mabel doesn’t get along with Clara’s family. I guess they’re super-Christian,” Parker said. “And aggressive.”

  “Then why do they go?” Rosa asked.

  “Because Clara adores her nieces. This is the only time she gets to see them. Mabel refuses to do Christmas,” Parker said. “From the stories I’ve heard, that Chevy Chase Christmas movie is baby games compared to what Mabel can do to a family Christmas.”

  “I can only imagine,” Steph said. She wiped her hands on her apron.

  Parker turned to Rosa and asked, “What time is Anne getting here?”

  “She said she’ll be here about four,” Rosa said stiffly.

  Steph looked at Rosa. Rosa refused to meet Steph’s eyes.

  Parker continued, “It was nice of you to invite her since she can’t get back east for the holidays.”

  “Who is Anne?” Steph asked, trying for nonchalance, but not quite succeeding.

  “The extra guest I told you about,” Rosa said, “When you weren’t listening.”

  “I was listening. It just didn’t register at the time. I was at work,” Steph said. She’d never heard of this Anne person. Why had no one mentioned her before? “How do you know her?”

  “You’ll like her,” Rosa said, avoiding answering. “Let’s go out back, Parker, and check on this turkey of yours.”

  “I think you’ll be impressed by its progress,” Parker said.

  “It’d better be progressing, you’ve been at it for six hours,” Steph said.

  “Perfection takes time,” Parker said.

  Rosa chuckled as she wheeled herself to the door. Parker followed.

  Steph brushed butter on the tops o
f the rolls. Her mind raced. Why had Rosa wanted to go out and check on the turkey with Parker? What was there to check? Had Rosa wanted to talk about this Anne person?

  Steph went to the kitchen window that faced out onto the deck and quietly lifted it open a few inches so she could listen. If they inquired about the window, she’d say it was hot in the kitchen and she needed some air. It wasn’t that cold so her story would sound credible. She leaned into the window but made sure to keep out of sight.

  She heard Rosa say, “I shouldn’t have invited Anne.”

  “Why? An extra guest is fine. We usually find someone every year that doesn’t have plans. What’s the big deal?” Parker said.

  “The big deal is I don’t want Steph to find out what’s going on.”

  “I told Anne that she had to act innocent. Don’t worry, she won’t drop the bomb,” Parker said.

  Steph leaned back against the counter. All the blood rushed out of her brain, making her light-headed. So. Now she knew. Rosa was having an affair. And Parker was in on it. Her wife and her best friend were deceiving her. She wasn’t going crazy after all—here was solid proof.

  She felt like she might faint. She quickly turned everything on the stove on low and picked up her phone off the counter. She hurried to the bathroom—the one place on the planet where people would leave you alone. She sat on the toilet lid and speed-dialed.

  “Happy turkey day,” Ruth answered in a chipper voice.

  Steph did away with pleasantries. She went straight to the point, “I was right. She is having an affair. And it gets worse. Her mistress—or whatever you call them now— is coming here for dinner. That I cooked. She going to sit across the table from me when she’s…”

  “No one in their right mind invites their mistress to have Thanksgiving dinner with her wife.”

  “But they don’t know that I know.” Steph wanted to scream but couldn’t. Her chest was too constricted. She could hardly draw a breath.

  Ruth must’ve sensed it. “Steph, just a take a breath. Calm down, and think this through.”

  “What’s to think about? My wife is having an affair with another woman!”

  Ruth sighed. “Let’s start again. This woman is not very smart if she thinks checking out her lover’s wife is a good idea. But Rosa is smart. She’d know better than to wave the ‘I’m having an affair’ flag in front of you.”

  “See, even you think she’s having an affair.”

  “That’s not what I said. What I mean is it doesn’t make sense. Think about it. Why would Rosa do that?” Ruth said.

  “I don’t know. She hasn’t been the same since the accident.”

  There was a light tapping on the bathroom door. “Steph, you okay in there?” It was Rosa.

  “Shit. I have to go,” Steph whispered.

  “Do you want me to come over?” Ruth asked.

  “No, you’re with family.”

  “I’ll come.”

  “No. I’ll handle it,” Steph said.

  “Steph, are you okay?” Rosa asked.

  “I’m fine, babe. I’ll be out in a minute.” Steph turned on the tap in the sink to drown out the phone conversation.

  “Promise me, you won’t do anything rash. Just get through dinner, all right?” Ruth said.

  “I know, I know, I know,” Steph grumbled.

  “Keep it cool.”

  “I will.” Steph clicked off. She turned off the faucet, painted a smile on her face that she hoped looked real, and opened the door.

  Rosa was right outside. “Who were you talking to?”

  “Ruth. She called to wish us a happy Thanksgiving,” Steph said.

  “Well, that was nice. Are you sure you’re all right with having an extra guest? I got the feeling you weren’t okay with it.”

  “Yes, of course. We usually have extra people. It’s what we do,” Steph said, trying to make it sound bright.

  “That’s one of my favorite things about you, your kindness to others,” Rosa said. She put her arms out for a hug.

  Steph leaned down into the embrace, but popped back up after a couple of seconds. She led the way down the hallway.

  “How is it that you know this Anne person?” Steph asked, acting like she wasn’t fishing for answers.

  “She’s a friend of Parker’s,” Rosa said.

  Just then Rascal came rushing in through the back door, his slobbery ball is his mouth. “Hey, buddy. I almost forgot you were here,” Steph said, rubbing his chest.

  “Rascal! You’re not supposed to be in here!” Rosa scolded. She said to Steph, “Parker wants to keep him outside while you’re cooking. He is too big for our small kitchen,” Rosa said.

  The oven timer went off. “I better get that,” Steph said, rushing toward the kitchen.

  “I’ll keep my eye on Rascal,” Rosa said, petting his head. “Who’s a good dog, huh? You’re a good dog.”

  There was a quick rap at the front door and Amy entered. Rascal ran at her and leapt up. She pushed him back gently. “Down,” she said, putting her hand out in a stop gesture. He obeyed immediately, sitting back on his haunches. “I’ll give you a pass on that one because it’s a holiday.”

  Rascal cocked his head. “I know you understand,” Amy said. “Don’t play all innocent with me.” He wagged his tail. She scratched behind his ears.

  “That dog is so spoiled,” Rosa said.

  Amy laughed. “I know, right? How’s everything going?”

  “I’m trying to stay out of the kitchen. Parker is out back,” Rosa said, as she hugged Amy. “I can’t wait until I don’t need this damn chair anymore. I’d like to give you a proper hug.”

  “Soon,” Amy said.

  “I know, I know. Soon can’t get here quick enough,” Rosa said. “Go see Parker.”

  “Is Parker’s turkey experiment going okay?” Amy asked tentatively.

  Rosa shrugged. “We hope.”

  Amy walked around the corner and ran smack into Steph who’d been eavesdropping. “Hey, there, I thought I heard you come in,” Steph said, flustered at being caught. She retreated to the kitchen and Amy followed.

  “How’s the cook doing?” Amy asked. She reached for a tray, selected an olive and popped it in her mouth.

  “I’m good. Do you know this Anne person who’s coming to dinner?” Steph blurted. That was subtle, she chastised herself.

  “Nope. Haven’t you met her? She’s Rosa’s friend,” Amy said.

  Steph blanched. Rosa’s friend? But Rosa just said Anne was Parker’s friend. Something hinky was going on.

  At that moment, Parker walked into the kitchen. “I thought I heard you.” She came in and wrapped her arms around Amy. “You put the paper to bed?”

  “All done. Sam came in for a little while. He is so excited about his first Thanksgiving at a real home,” Amy said. “He and his mother usually ate at a shelter or one of the churches. He’s never had a real Thanksgiving dinner with family.”

  “I wish we could always know how important stuff is while we have it,” Steph said, pulling a pan of rolls out of the oven and sliding in another pan.

  ***

  Tess arrived with two bottles of wine. She held them aloft and asked, “Turkey is white, right? Fish and fowl is white wine? I never can remember.”

  “As long as there’s alcohol in it, we don’t care,” Steph said.

  Tess set the bottles down on the kitchen counter before giving Steph a warm hug. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “You too,” Steph said. “Where’s Susan?” She handed Tess a corkscrew, saying, “Make yourself useful.”

  “Susan might not be coming. Or she might be coming later,” Tess said.

  “Why? What happened?”

  “Three-car pileup with serious injuries. That’s the holidays for you,” Tess said cynically. She wasn’t doing a very good job of covering up her disappointment. “The life of dating a doctor,” she grumbled. “But it’s not like I can rightfully complain. Those poor injured people need her right now
.”

  “I’ll save her a plate and if she doesn’t make it, you can take it home. Speaking of which, how’s the move going?” Steph smiled to herself. She was proud of her matchmaking skills at getting the two of them together.

  “We’re almost done. Susan doesn’t exactly have a lot of stuff,” Tess said.

  “She probably knew you were coming and didn’t want to collect a bunch of stuff before she moved in with the love of her life.”

  “You are such a hopeless romantic,” Tess said bumping Steph’s shoulder good-naturedly. She pulled the cork out smoothly.

  “Hurry up and pour. I think we could both do with a drink,” Steph said. It would calm her nerves because she knew the next person to arrive would be Anne.

  Tess obliged. She handed Steph a glass of wine and held up her own for a toast. “To new beginnings,” she said.

  Steph put on a good face and clinked her glass against Tess’s. New beginnings? She couldn’t help wondering if her new beginnings would begin with an ending. When would Rosa drop the so-called bombshell?

  “You okay?” Tess asked.

  “Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” Steph said too nonenthusiastically. “Parker and Amy are out back.”

  Tess got the hint. “I’ll go say hi.”

  Steph didn’t even get a minute to herself before Rosa rolled into the kitchen, saying, “Did I hear something about having a drink?”

  “Sure thing,” Steph said. She poured Rosa a glass.

  “In case I haven’t told you lately, you’re wonderful,” Rosa said. She smiled sweetly at Steph.

  Just a build up, Steph told herself. Cheaters always flattered their victims to keep them off the scent. “Thanks, you’re not so bad yourself,” Steph volleyed back.

  The doorbell rang. Steph almost dropped the heavenly hash. That would be her. Anne. The woman who was stealing Rosa right out from under her nose.

  “I’ll get it,” Rosa said, brightly. “It’s most likely Anne.”

  “Yeah, you do that,” Steph muttered under her breath.

  At that moment, Amy came in to the kitchen. “I really think we’re going to have turkey soon. I was worried we’d be waiting for hours and all the other stuff would be ruined or we’d eat it and have turkey for dessert. Is that homemade cranberries?” she asked, peering into one of several sauce pans on the stove.