Summer in the City

by Irene Vartanoff

  Rona kissed his cheeky cheek and scolded, “You’ll have to wait until I call my own mother. She’ll be thrilled not to have an old maid daughter anymore.”

  Louis snorted at that.

  Susan hurried into the kitchen and produced a bottle of sparkling non-alcoholic cider, which she held up. “It’s not champagne, but we can pretend.” She poured and Michael handed around the glasses. They all toasted Rona and Edward, who could not possibly look any happier on their wedding day than they did right now.

  After twenty minutes of general milling around and happy talk, Bev suddenly said, “We might as well toast something else.” She looked at Todd, who nodded. “Todd and I have reconciled.”

  “We noticed,” Michael said.

  Bev bowed in acknowledgment. “Anyway, we’re going back to Florida. He got word that the baby’s father has contacted the mother and wants to work things out with her.”

  Todd said, “I’ve always wanted a son. I’m going to hope for a grandson, instead.”

  After another round of toasts, Jack tactfully took his leave. Louis and Perry did, too, although she could tell that Louis wanted to stay. Poor Louis. For all his cheery talk, he’d always loved Rona. Now he had definitely lost her for good. As a lover, anyway. Their friendship had stood the test of years and undoubtedly would continue.

  Michael reminded Susan that they had tickets. She hugged Rona again and they promised to talk the next day about preparations for the ceremony.

  She could hear the affection in Bev’s voice. These two loved each other, although they showed it strangely.

  “When are you leaving?” she asked, and then could have kicked herself for making her eagerness so obvious.

  Bev didn’t mind. “Tomorrow. He doesn’t want to take any more time from his practice. We’re going to miss Rona’s wedding, but it can’t be helped. I’d better go explain.”

  Michael was at her elbow. “Unless you want to be stuck doing party cleanup, I suggest we go now,” he said.

  She broke from her reverie. “Okay.”

  They slipped out, waving goodbye to all.

  Of course, she couldn’t keep her mind on the concert. After it ended, he surprised her by directing their cab back to her apartment. “I know you want to finish things off with Bev. We can be together another night.”

  “That’s so thoughtful of you.” She rewarded him with a kiss. Michael evidently decided he wanted a much bigger reward. He thoroughly kissed her until they arrived at her building. She then had trouble tearing herself away from him. “You play dirty, Mr. Sheppard.”

  “It’s the only way to win, my darling,” he whispered as he nuzzled her ear. She finally took a breath and made herself get off the seat and out of the cab.

  “Dream of me,” he said. She nodded a little mistily and went to the steps as he looked on.

  As she walked up the steps, she remembered the first time she had gone up these steps with him watching. How long ago that seemed now. Yet it was only a few weeks ago. She still felt the same magic.

  Chapter 27

  Susan helped Bev pack up, which chiefly consisted of deciding what Bev wasn’t taking. “I can’t use this in Boca,” was her refrain.

  By the end, Bev had apologized repeatedly for being an annoying roommate. Since Bev was leaving within hours, Susan was able to act gracious about the long weeks of irritation.

  Early the next morning, Todd arrived with a cab, and the three of them saw Bev out. Susan would express the few items Bev wanted.

  Rona had managed to be on hand for the final goodbyes. As they stood on the sidewalk waving after the cab, she remarked, “She wasn’t quite The Man who Came to Dinner, but she came close,” referring to the classic 1940s Broadway comedy.

  Susan tried to be fair and resist making a catty comment. When she realized she no longer had to, she abandoned the effort. “Okay, truth? She was awful as a roommate. I know she’s your friend, but still!”

  “Poor, poor Susan,” Rona’s eyes danced. When she was in a good mood, she loved to tease. She was in the best mood of her life, Susan could tell.

  “Enough,” Susan said with a quelling glance. “Let’s think about the dress you’re wearing for your wedding. Shall we head downtown right now to shop?”

  “Good idea.” They quickly got their purses and hailed another cab for the fleshpots of lower Manhattan. At their third store, Rona found a gorgeous, crotcheted, lace-lined concoction in off white, knee-length. Its sophistication of cut redeemed it entirely from the blandness of the crochet and lace. “You look like a queen in that. Now let me take you shoe shopping,” Susan said. “Choo? Louboutin? Manolo? What’s your poison?”

  Rona led her to a tiny shop whose name she’d never heard before. Trust Rona to know where to go. Inside the luxuriously appointed store, which looked more like a home than a place of commerce, were shoes of such extreme daintiness and elegance that Susan gasped. When she saw the prices, she gasped again. Rona found the perfect pair of sandals in softest kid, in off-white.

  Susan mock scolded, “Your shoes should not match your dress. That’s not how the young ones wear them anymore.”

  “Screw the young ones. I’m sixty effing years old, and I can look as matchy-matchy as I like.” Rona grinned.

  Next they found a hat, a small, head-hugging item with a charming short veil that made the most of Rona’s magnificent eyes. Gloves completed the ensemble.

  They came back to their apartment building in triumph.

  “Are we good, or what?” Rona asked.

  “We’re good,” Susan replied. This had been so much fun. Shopping before had been fraught with do’s and don’ts. Today, everything was yes.

  “Excellent. Tomorrow, Edward is taking me ring shopping.”

  “You’ve already got him well trained to include you in all the important decisions, I see.”

  “You won’t have trouble getting the time off on Tuesday? We want it to be in the daytime, so we can fly to his family’s cottage in Maine. Of course what he calls a cottage is actually a mansion.”

  “No, no problem. My internship may be ending this week anyway,” she said, careful not to hint at office troubles.

  Rona came off her cloud long enough to ask, “What are you going to do about Michael?”

  “Love him,” she replied steadily. “Don’t worry about us. We’ll be fine. We’re not babies.”

  The rest of Sunday included more wedding arrangements happily undertaken together. Rona vetoed a formal reception since she’d already had an impromptu engagement party.

  “At least a wedding luncheon,” Susan insisted. “There are important rituals to observe.” Later, she made a phone call to Nancy to tell her the news, but she wasn’t home. She wrote her a detailed email.

  As she was getting ready for bed that night, she felt lonely in her empty apartment. Bev had been a pain, but she’d been company. She didn’t like the feeling of being all by herself in a big, bustling city, and she had seldom experienced it since the moment she recognized it and went to the play that night she’d met Michael. So much had changed since then. She had changed, too.

  The next morning, she was surprised to receive a phone call from Coquette, asking her to report to work as usual. Kathryn Cyrus’ assistant, who made the call, explained nothing. Susan showed up and found that Linda was gone. Her office was locked and padlocked. Various employees came to chat with Susan who had never had any time for her previously. She fended off their obvious curiosity and played dumb. No, she knew nothing. No, she was sorry she could not help.

  At lunchtime, she received the official memo that Elizabeth had been promoted to publisher. Susan finished trafficking her work, and then sent Elizabeth an email containing her resignation. She followed it up with a paper version. Elizabeth’s false friendship left a sour taste in her mouth. Now that her last bit of curiosity was appeased, she saw no reason to continue the charade. She said goodbye to the handful of people with whom she’d managed to exchange some conversation
over the summer. Then she left.

  To perk herself up, she ran downtown in a hurry to find something she could wear to Rona’s wedding. That had been entirely forgotten the day before. Rona wanted her to be their witness. Susan made a whirlwind tour of the shops and put together a powder blue ensemble suitable for a daytime wedding at City Hall. For once, a pastel was appropriate. She also bought a new digital camera.

  As she exited the cab in front of the apartment building, she was concentrating on counting her shopping bags to make sure she had them all.

  “Mom! You finally got home.”

  She stumbled. “Nancy!” She scrambled to embrace her daughter. “Oh, it’s so good to see you. Give me a hug.”

  “Rona wasn’t home and I’ve been waiting for a while,” Nancy said. “Where have you been?”

  She pointed to all her shopping bags and smiled at her beautiful young daughter. “Shopping. What else? Did you get my email?”

  “Yes. I’ve come for the wedding. Rona called and invited me.”

  “That’s wonderful. Very appropriate.”

  “You don’t know how much so,” Nancy muttered. Susan gave her a puzzled look.

  “Later,” Nancy said, and bent down to help her pick up her shopping bags.

  In the apartment, Susan remarked, “This is good timing, dear, since up until this morning, the second bedroom was occupied. Isn’t Matt coming? Or couldn’t he get off from work?”

  “We kind of thought I could represent our little twig of the family, Mom. Flying on no notice is extremely expensive.”

  “Did you bring something to wear?”

  “I’m good. After all, I have half-a-dozen bridesmaid’s dresses that the brides swore I’d be able to re-use. I brought them with me. Where’s Rona?”

  “She’s getting the marriage license with Edward. It has to be done in person.”

  “Mom, it doesn’t take all day.” She could hear the “duh” in Nancy’s voice.

  “They’re probably celebrating. You know, celebrating?” She told her daughter in a tone fraught with meaning.

  “Oh.” Nancy got it. “You mean they’re probably having sex.”

  Now it was Susan’s turn to add a mental “duh” as she said mildly, “Probably.”

  Susan and Nancy spent a happy afternoon sparring with each other lightly while they caught up. Susan of course told her daughter nothing about Michael. She managed to text him that she was busy that night and could not see him. She and Nancy went out to dinner by themselves. Later, while Nancy called her husband, Susan closed herself into her bedroom and called Michael.

  Of course he wanted to come over. “No, you can’t. My daughter is here. Rick is the only father she has ever known and she would not take kindly to meeting you or seeing how involved we are.”

  “Are we involved? Or is it just sex you want to hide from your daughter?” he challenged. From his tone of voice, she couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

  “It’s both, and I admit to the hiding part. Bear with me?” she pleaded.

  “You know I will. Why did she even come to the city?”

  “Rona invited her to the wedding.”

  “Why?”

  “Oh.” Susan realized she had never told Michael about Rona and Nancy. Or had she? There were so many secrets. She wasn’t sure anymore. She gave him the short answer, “Rona is Nancy’s godmother. They’re close.”

  That was enough of an explanation for him, it seemed. “I’ll look forward to meeting her at the wedding.”

  “You’re coming?” she asked.

  “Yes, I can spare an hour or two. No longer. Things are hopping here. How did today go for you?”

  “I quit Coquette. Elizabeth got a sudden promotion, and Linda has vanished. I feel used.”

  “Poor baby. Are you going to be okay?” he asked, concern in his voice.

  “Yes, although it’s pretty disillusioning.”

  “It’s business, sweetheart,” he soothed.

  “That’s what bothers me. I mistook it for personal chemistry, the start of a friendship.”

  “You did a great job of sleuthing. Pat yourself on the back and forget about the rest,” he said bracingly.

  She sighed. Men never did understand that the personal was always more important to women than the impersonal. Michael was a typical man in that respect. At least he’d tried to be sympathetic first. She couldn’t expect him to be what he wasn’t.

  “I’d rather you patted me on the back,” she said in a low voice. “I miss you.”

  “I could meet you on the corner in half an hour. We’d get a hotel room nearby, go at it like rabbits, and you could be back at the apartment by midnight.” His tone was perfectly serious.

  “Stop, you’re killing me, whether you’re joking or not.”

  “I wasn’t joking. I haven’t even seen you today. I’m dying of loneliness here in my big, comfortable bed.”

  The word picture he painted was tempting, but she had to resist. “I have to say goodnight now,” she said wistfully. “I’ll see you tomorrow, darling.”

  After more sweet words, they ended the call.

  She remembered how Rona had stayed up with her the night before her own wedding. She gave Rona’s landline a call, and hearing her answer, said, “You’re home. Do you want some company? Nancy is here. Are you too busy to see her tonight?”

  “I’m going crazy. Yes, come on down.”

  She told Nancy, who was taking a shower, then ran downstairs right away. “It’s so nice in here now that you made the place all neat.”

  “I backslid for a while, when I was worrying about how Edward pictured our future. If he pictured a future at all. Now, I’ll probably sell this place and the one upstairs and move into his. He’s got a lovely new co-op on Park Avenue in the seventies.”

  “That sounds delightful.”

  Rona’s face was filled with open joy. She had never looked like this before.

  “It all sounds delightful, to use your word. I can’t believe it. I’m getting married tomorrow! To Edward. At long last.” She shook her head, and started crying.

  Susan ran to hug her. Between sobs, Rona said, “I’ve waited so long. Twenty-five years.”

  “Your dream came true, dear,” Susan said, stroking her soothingly.

  “You want to know a secret? I’m terrified that something will happen tomorrow to stop the wedding,” Rona confided.

  “You mean like a terrorist attack? Or a car crash?”

  Rona nodded. “Or a citywide power outage that closes down City Hall. Or one of us getting a knock on the head and developing amnesia and wandering away.”

  “Oh, my dear friend,” Susan soothed. “The melodrama of your prior relationship won’t rule the rest of your life. I prophesy a lovely ceremony, some photos taken in City Hall Park by the fountain, and a pleasant lunch afterward.”

  “It’s hard to believe it’s finally happening.”

  “I know. I know. Tomorrow, you and your beloved Edward will marry.”

  “I don’t even know how to be a married woman. What to do.”

  “There’s no special knack involved. Love him, and resolve to be happy together.”

  Rona sighed deeply. “I’m scared out of my mind. Did you find a dress?”

  “Yes. Nancy brought her bridesmaid gowns. Let me call her and have her bring them down here. We’ll have a fashion show.”

  Nancy arrived within a few minutes. First she greeted her birth mother with a big hug. They had a wonderful relationship, although not mother and daughter precisely.

  Eventually, they got to the dresses. Rona had Nancy parade around. She rejected one after another. Of the third, she said, “It’s the best, but it makes your stomach poke out. Like you’re pregnant.”

  Nancy replied calmly, “That’s okay. I am pregnant. The baby is due in January.”

  Susan started shrieking. Rona gave a loud rebel yell. Then they practically danced around Nancy in glee. “Grandmas, grandmas. We’re gonna be gra
ndmas.” When they finally calmed down, Susan’s next words were, “Does your father know?”

  “Yes. Tomorrow we can tell my birth father, too, if there’s an opportunity.”

  “How did Rick take it?”

  Nancy shook her head, her expression briefly sad. “He was happy for me, Mom. I could tell that much. I don’t know what’s up with him. He’s off in another world now.”

  Rona said, softly for her, “How is Rick?”

  “Lonely?” Nancy replied. “He doesn’t talk about himself.” She turned to Susan. “You need to come home, Mom. He needs you.”

  Susan stifled a pang. “Let’s not spoil Rona’s big night with this.”

  Rona put her hand on Susan’s arm. “Why don’t you go home tomorrow night, with Nancy?”

  “I can’t. I have to wrap up some things here. Make arrangements.”

  “Are you sure?” Rona gave her a meaningful look.

  “Yes.” She changed the subject. “Back to the dresses. Are we going with the proud pregnancy bump one?”

  They voted, and the dress won. Then they decided they needed to toast the new baby. And then examine Susan’s matron-of-honor dress. They ran upstairs to drink sparkling non-alcoholic cider and look. They hauled out Susan’s witness gown and accessories, and had another fashion parade. Although Rona wasn’t drinking wine much anymore, she was as funny as if she was. Then they ran downstairs again to look at all Rona’s jewelry to decide what pieces she should wear on her wedding day and if the others would borrow any. Finally, they capped off the evening with a lengthy debate over the merits of pantyhose versus bare legs.

  “It’s August, for crap’s sake,” Rona said. “Bare legs.”

  “It’s a wedding,” Susan said. “Pantyhose would be more proper.”

  “Oh, Mom, you’re always so conventional,” Nancy laughed.

  Well, not really, unless it was conventional to have a passionate affair with a younger man while you were still married. Susan forbore saying her thoughts out loud.

  The long night passed. Nobody went to sleep. Instead, they all got their jammies on and had a slumber party. In Rona’s case, a man’s T-shirt. Susan wore a silky nightgown. Nancy sported boy shorts and a loose cami top. They told stories. They exchanged secrets. They kept secrets.