“I get it. Here, give me the file.” She took it and the pen, signing the placement acceptance form. “Okay, we’ll do this your way since I just spent an hour telling you how freaking smart you are. I want you to know I’m feeling tricked. And you better read that kid the riot act. She can report in Monday, bright and early,” she said with less and less enthusiasm. “Wait, does dipshit know our niece wants to bail on him?”
Marnie grinned; this was turning out to be a pretty good day after all. “Not yet. You want to be the one to tell him or can I?”
“Ooh…” She rubbed her hands together like a super villain. “Let’s do it together. I love it when you make him report to you. I swear his junk shrivels up every time he walks in here.”
Marnie just shook her head, retrieving her smartphone and sending a text. Tony, her new assistant, walked in with the coffee tray. “I’m so sorry for the delay. Accounting keeps borrowing the carafe from our coffeemaker. With your permission, I’d like to order another so this doesn’t happen again.”
“Order two,” Marnie instructed. “One for accounting and a spare for us, but before you do that, please ask your mother and Kira Marsh to join us as soon as Lou arrives. You will have to bring coffee for him but ask Susan and Kira to bring their own.”
“Anything else, can I get something sent up from the restaurant? You haven’t eaten today,” he reminded her. “Or anything for you, Aunt Lori?”
Lori shook her head and waited until he was out of the office before asking, “What the hell, Marns! You’re not eating and you’re cold all the time. You’re not sick are you?”
“I’m just tired.”
“So, take some time off. Come on, you’ve been at this twenty-four seven since Lou started this up. No, since Georgie came back from Afghanistan! Isn’t it time you took a break?”
She nodded, as Susan Chan, the Director of HR and Tony Junior’s mom, along with Kira Marsh carried in their tablets and coffee mugs. “Maybe all I need is a mini-break. Kira, do you mind if Lori and I visit the day care after this? I could use a little Ella time.”
“Knock yourself out. We’re joining you for dinner with Tyler and Georgie, so the more you chase her around now, the less energy she’ll have to wreck their place later.”
“Oh jeez, I forgot all about the wedding planning thing.”
“Well, you guys should definitely get your Ella time in now. Once she sees those two, that’s it.”
Lori waved them over to the meeting area. “This is going to be some planning dinner. Between all of us, Leslie, Megan, and now Aydan, our girls have a full house.”
“How is the thing with Aydan?” Susan asked, clarifying her question after noticing their strained looks. “Has she made a choice on which of the assistant jobs she wants to take?”
“Not yet, but you can bring it up tonight.”
If that fact surprised Susan, she hid it well. Lori marveled at how well the women, both those born to the family and those who married in, just fit. It would have been interesting if Marnie’s ghosts were real. It would be something to see how those men reacted to the girls now running the show and what a spectacular job they were doing. She couldn’t help but think Uncle Danny would be pleased. God knows, her own father, Henry, certainly was.
* * *
In the kitchen Aydan turned from where she was helping Lori throw together the salad to see Leslie push open the sliding steel door that separated the main floor living area from the eighth-floor foyer. She had wondered how the waiter had entered the condo to serve their lunch earlier without coming down the stairs. She scooted over to offer assistance. She wasn’t really sure what else to do with herself. She had dragged her few possessions up from her car to deposit in the guest room. This was the night she usually spent at the Laundromat. She had neglected that duty with an eye toward being a good guest and taking part in this, whatever it was. She would have to ask Dr. Marsh, Tyler, about local laundries, but not tonight. She didn’t want to be a problem and wouldn’t risk upsetting anyone.
Instead she helped Leslie wheel the catering cart into the kitchen. Leslie waving at everyone and calling, “Anybody order a rack of lamb?”
Lori teased her little sister, “Very funny, squirt. Maybe you should do one of those Doctor in the House jokes too.”
“Let me help. You probably have to get back to the restaurant,” Aydan offered.
“Not tonight, Miguel’s on it.”
“The way I hear it, Miguel’s on a lot of things these days, including you?” Lori challenged her with a wide mouth grin. Before Leslie could answer, or flee, the other women offered up their oohs and aahs.
“What, he’s nice! Besides, do you have any idea how hard it is to meet a decent guy these days?”
“You’re speaking to the choir, sister,” Kira offered. She had tossed off her suit jacket and her heels and was comfortably ensconced in the old nail-head chesterfield sofa.
“Huh! You think it’s hard to meet guys, you should try—”
“Lori!” Marnie interrupted her, subtly tipping her head toward Aydan Ferdowsi who stood stiffly between Lori and Leslie.
“Wait!” Kira interrupted. “If Leslie has a new man in her life, I want to hear about it.”
Aydan watched with interest as these powerful women gossiped and carried on. At first she was disappointed, somehow expecting the evening to resemble an intellectual salon, but these women were smart. They were running a successful enterprise. She didn’t really know just how successful they were until she had had unfettered access to the Internet through her work-issued laptop. She’d spent her previous evenings at the Buffalo Library or coffee shops with free Wi-Fi, researching companies in the region, looking for successful businesses that demonstrated a willingness to employ women and minorities. She had actually been hoping to isolate two or three prospective employers she could approach for a starting level position that might consider assuming her internship. It had been a fruitless search with one exception; DiNamico Marine Engineering continually popped up as the best employer in the region and had awards and commendations to prove the claim. They also showed up as the best company for new engineers, the best company for women, and the best company for minorities. According to everything she found she was already in the best place she could be in.
Now, standing here, judging these women, she scolded herself. From the start they had done nothing but be supportive and provide her with opportunities she was just starting to understand didn’t happen every day. This was her mother and her brother’s influence. Having seen and heard so much from their perspective hadn’t just skewed her opinion, it had crippled her ability to see people for who they were, not how they fit within the right-wing Ferdowsi viewpoint. Maybe it was the real reason her sisters had cut and run, each marrying the first man that would take them out of the family home.
Lori touched her shoulder. “You okay there, friend?” At Aydan’s startled look, she quietly added, “Don’t worry. Once Megan gets here and we eat, if you want you can slip upstairs and escape this craziness…”
Blurting out, “It’s my laundry night.” Aydan hurriedly added, “What I mean is, do you know if there’s a Laundromat around here? I don’t really know this part of town,” she added as an excuse for a question she wished were still in her mouth. For all her concern, this Lori seemed more amused than anything else.
“Follow me, princess, and I will show you the way.” She added a wink and headed for the circular stairs.
Feeling somehow caught out, she fell in behind her, her head down, embarrassed. She didn’t venture a look at the other women until she was halfway up the stairs. Georgie, with her dog, was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, busy teaching baby Ella colored shapes on an app she had created just for the toddler. Mrs. Pulaski and Kira Marsh sat in front of them on the couch, drinking wine and chatting. Dr. Marsh, Tyler, had changed into jeans and a sweater. She looked different, so casual, and was joking with Leslie the chef as they finished setting th
e large round dining table. As it hadn’t been there at lunch, she could only assume it was borrowed from the catering tables and chairs stored on carts next door. These women were certainly resourceful.
“Okay, I’ll take you for the nickel tour, but we’ll have to work out the details with Tyler. Don’t worry,” Lori offered as reassurance as she led her into another bedroom. “Now there are only two ways into the laundry room. You’ll probably want to use the other one but you might as well know where everything is if you’re going to be Georgie’s right-hand man, er, woman. Shit, you know what I mean,” she said before realizing she had sworn again. “Oh God, sorry Aydan, my mouth gets away from me most of the time and—”
“I don’t mind.”
“You don’t?” she asked but Aydan didn’t say anything else. “So, this is Georgie and Tyler’s bedroom…”
“What? I can’t be here!”
“Will you relax? This is the way to the laundry room.”
Trying desperately not to look around, she shuffled her feet, asking, “You said there was another entrance.”
Turning to face her square on, Lori challenged, “Okay princess, spit it out. Have you got a problem with my Georgie and the Tiger? I want to know right now!”
Suddenly scared of losing the job offer, her internship, and maybe even her living space, albeit temporary, she stood frozen, head down and lost for words.
Gently, using just the tip of her index finger, Lori tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet her eyes. “I won’t tell. I promise. If you have a problem I want to help and that includes helping you to get comfortable with my cousin and her lifestyle. Those women downstairs, they’re my friends, my family, and my business associates.”
“It’s…I don’t…”
Lori dropped her hand and moved over to the polished sleigh bed to take a seat. “Okay princess, I see the fear and the shame and I know life hasn’t been easy for you, but that’s all I know. It’s all any of us know. We want to help you, Aydan, but I’ll warn you, a lot of that comes from Georgie and what she sees in you. The truth is we all see something good, some potential, real potential, but I also see you need to leave a lot of crap behind. I can’t tell you what that is, but I can help you with what you’re facing now. Here, sit down,” she said, patting the bed beside her. “Let’s have a good old-fashioned girl talk.”
It took a moment for Aydan to propel herself from her holding spot. She sat on the edge of the bed and as far from Lori as the frame would allow.
“Jeez girl, I’m not going to bite, wait…oh God, why did I not see this? You’re scared of us, us lesbians! Let me guess, your family raised you to believe some hypocritical religious garbage about all gays being deviants and baby eaters and we’re all going to hell, or something like that?”
“I—”
“Keep your peace, sister! I’ve heard it a million times and I don’t care what your religion is, any institution that uses hate and lies to hurt others sounds like more patriarchal bullshit to me.” She was on her feet pacing, then turned sharply on Aydan. “Just tell me, do you think we’re hurting anyone? Have we done anything to earn your judgment? Honestly, we—”
“No! I…I can explain, please,” she pleaded, realizing she needed to state her case, but where exactly did she stand? “I…you’re right. My family is very conservative…”
“Really?” she challenged. “I want to hear what you think.”
She sighed, but kept her head up. The last thing she wanted to do in front of this strong woman was show just how pathetic she had become. “It was different before my father died. He taught us to accept our differences, even celebrate them. He encouraged me to pursue an education and career, but after he died I guess I let my grief get the best of me. By the time I was ready to take responsibility for my own life, my mother had deferred all family decisions to her father.”
“And let me guess, the old coot decided you would do better barefoot and pregnant. Do you have sisters?”
“Yes, two—both younger, and yes they are married and none bothered with university although they each seem to believe their idiot male offspring are entitled to inherit the universe.”
That comment seemed to break the building tension and made Lori smile. She sat down again, asking, “So, how sheltered was this life of yours? Sorry about your dad—when did he die?”
On friendlier ground, Aydan was able to talk about her dad for the first time in years. Discussing her father had been a taboo subject at home because her mother would wail of her permanent grief at the mention of his name, while her younger brothers were unwilling to consider much less kowtow to the contrary beliefs of a man long removed from their lives. It was a relief to tell Lori the whole story, even the part about the beatings she had received at the hands of her brothers, all intended to put her in line. Then she told her about their hateful words about Georgie and Tyler, and how, when she was still undeterred, they had held her in a headlock while her mother had brutally sheared off her hair.
Lori looked appalled, but her words seemed an attempt to lighten the mood: “Is that why you ditched the pretty blue scarf for that ugly penguin wrap?”
“Penguin? I don’t understand.”
“Yeah, I’m starting to get the idea you don’t know a whole lot about a whole lot.” Lori pointed to the gray hijab. “When we were really little we would go to church every week as a big family. My dad’s Episcopalian and Georgie’s was Catholic. So, each Sunday we would switch churches and all go to one or the other. The Catholic service was very showy. I was always fascinated to watch the priest walking around swinging that smoke bomb thing and followed by his boy-band entourage all in their frilly flowing whites. It always bugged me that they got all the floor time while the penguins sat in the back with us.”
From Aydan’s look of confusion, it was clear she still had no idea what she meant. “Oops. Oh, you really are a newbie. Okay, here’s the deal. I will be your personal and secret translator of all things starting with penguin which is slang for a Catholic nun. You do know they wear the same headscarf type thing and they probably think it’s for the same reason but it’s a lie. Covering your head does not make you modest. Being modest makes you modest.”
“That could be considered a circular argument,” Aydan said, her confidence returning at the pledge of support. “It would be helpful to have an interpreter for this new world.”
“Ah, a sense of humor! Who knew?” Lori teased. Hearing Megan calling them down to dinner, she said, “Okay, princess. The kid’s here. Are you ready to face your savior? And don’t worry, Megan won’t say anything about the boatyard to embarrass you.”
“I…”
“Here’s where you say thanks Lori, and follow me down to dinner. And, we can finish the tour after supper while the girls argue over the seating plan, or bridesmaid dresses, or some such wedding blissfulness.” Lori stood, offering her hand.
Accepting the unrequired assistance, Aydan smiled to see this woman and her confidence. “Thank you, Lori.” Setting aside the millions of questions floating around in her head, it was all she could say. The smile it garnered was warming. Was it possible to really have a place here? If this Lori was to be believed, it sounded like she already did.
* * *
Maggie padded out of the master bath with Georgie on her heels; Georgie was toweling her short bushy hair after a bedtime shower. Tyler had long adjusted to Georgie’s military ingrained need to be prepared by showering at night and organizing for the day ahead. Tyler had already set out her clothing for the next day. It was only a suggestion but on most days, Georgie was more than pleased with the assistance and donned what had been chosen for her. Still, no one could say she wasn’t her own woman. Now and then she would carefully put everything back and select what she really wanted to wear. She still needed to rely on the codes created in her closet to help her know what was suitable and for which occasion. She could still be counted on to pull strange combinations together, but now she would turn to Tyler
for advice before wearing just anything. Tyler was slowly adding color to her conservative outfits, and adding more casual clothing. As their relationship had progressed, so had Georgie’s social calendar and Tyler had been able to add items like jeans and sweaters and even a cocktail dress in which Georgie looked smoking hot. It was a nice change from the uniform-inspired business suits. She seemed younger too, especially when she threw on jeans and got down on the floor to play with her dog or now little Ella.
“Hey, welcome back,” Tyler called. She was sitting up in bed, legs bent, and reading from her tablet. “What did you think of Leslie’s idea for a buffet dinner?”
“Newfie supper.”
Tyler watched as she carefully folded the towel before hanging it back in the bathroom. Asking, “Why do they call it that?”
“Grandma would say…” Georgie tossed her robe across the foot of the bed, crawling in buck naked.
Tyler waited patiently, knowing Georgie needed to stop moving before she could engage her mouth and continue her explanation. She didn’t mind the delay and certainly couldn’t complain about the view. She did ask herself, as she did pretty much every night, if she would ever feel differently than she did at moments like this. Georgie was a sensuous woman. She slept in the nude, not as a statement or provocation—she liked a cold room at night—but she had, without a second thought, turned up the temperature in the bedroom to suit Tyler’s desire for a little blessed heat. With Georgie fully veiled between the cool cotton sheets and under their duvet, Tyler told her, “I will never tire of watching you come to bed.”
Georgie smiled, moving in close to offer a kiss. “My Tyler…you, I love.”
Setting her tablet aside, she pulled her wife-to-be closer. It was easy to get lost in her lips, her mouth, and those kisses. Pulling away to see her eyes, Tyler teased, “Oh no, no changing the subject. I want to hear a Grandma Collins story from the Rock…first.” She winked, noting Georgie’s trademark grin. The one reserved just for her.
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