A New Kind of Bliss (22 page)

Everyone was making rounds, wishing each other a happy new year. Teddy and Valerie embraced like the old friends they were, and when Teddy moved on Elias quickly stepped in and kissed Valerie full on the mouth, very different from the innocent peck on the cheek he’d just given Rosalind and then gave me.

Aaron and I wished Rosalind and John a happy new year, and out of the corner of my eye I could see Tanis still trying to get to Aaron. But Teddy intercepted her before she could reach him. To my surprise, he held her cheeks and kissed her full on the mouth, then said something to her meant for her ears only, something that made her face turn to stone. It reminded me of the kiss of death Michael gave Fredo in
The Godfather, Part II.
The scene so captivated me that I was distracted only when Marsha put her arms around me and said, “Happy New Year, Emily!”

When Teddy embraced me there were too many people around for me to ask him what was going on, so I managed a terse, “Is everything all right?” to which he merely nodded.

Once the new year had arrived we simply made merry. I unveiled the spread the caterers had made, and everyone ate. Then we danced to old-school music like we were all twenty years younger.

Valerie left just before two, saying she wanted to check on her kids.

Elias’s date, Eliana, was clearly a party girl. She was on her toes most of the night, shaking her bony booty like she thought it looked good or something, and showing the guys salsa steps, obviously her specialty. Elias was pretty good at it, although he’d probably danced with her before. James Hardy picked up on the steps with remarkable ease. “He’s got some nice moves,” I said admiringly to Marsha as we cheered him on.

“Yes, and the dance floor isn’t the
only
place where he’s got good moves.”

“So that’s the reason for that ear-to-ear grin you’ve been wearing all night.” I squeezed her arm affectionately, but inside I felt that familiar twisting of my gut. Everything was perfect in every other respect between Aaron and me, but sexually speaking, there’d been nothing out of the ordinary since our kitchen sexcapade of a few days ago. Was everybody but me having great sex?

Tanis didn’t look too happy and actually hadn’t since the clock struck twelve. I wanted to corner Teddy and ask him what he’d said to her, but my intuition warned me against spending any time alone with him, even if it was in a corner. Tanis waited like the Wicked Witch of the West, ready to pounce anytime she could to discredit me, and in the process claim the prize that was Aaron for herself. By being so upset to see Teddy, I’d just handed her what she needed to know, and who knew what she might try to do with that information.

Tanis put away quite a few drinks, and by three
A.M
. she was wobbly and slurring her words.

Elias announced that he and Eliana should probably start heading home. Eliana was dancing with John, which was rather a funny sight. Eliana knew her way around the dance floor, but John was best left tapping his feet in a chair. Beside them were Rosalind and Teddy.

“I don’t envy you that long drive,” Aaron remarked to Elias.

“Traffic shouldn’t be too bad at this hour.” Elias glanced over at the still dancing Eliana as she and Rosalind switched partners. “You know, I think it’s really nice that so many of you have known each other such a long time.”

“We went all through school together,” I said.

“Thas right,” Tanis added. “Iz kinda funny the way we all hooked up. Rozzalin an’ John, Marsha an’ James…”

“You and me,” Wayne lovingly prompted.

“You and me,” Tanis repeated, “Val’rie and nobody…”

I rolled my eyes, glad Valerie had already left.

“Em’ly and Teddy.”

I drew in my breath, and Aaron’s already small eyes got even smaller.

“Emily and
Teddy?
” Wayne repeated incredulously. He reached out for the highball glass Tanis held, which was practically empty anyway. “That’s it; no more liquor for you.” He chuckled. “Do you even realize what you just said?”

“Oh!” Tanis exclaimed, slapping a palm to her mouth. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m just not used to seeing Em’ly with Aaron. The las’ time I saw her she wazout wit’ Teddy.”

“Out with Teddy?” Aaron repeated calmly, but with an unmistakable edge. “When was this?”

I laughed nervously, covering my thought of
I’m gonna kill that bitch
. “Oh, you mean this past summer, when Teddy picked me up after I had car trouble.” I looked at Aaron, whose dubious expression made me nervous. “Remember, Aaron? It was a weeknight. I’d gone down to City Island to have dinner with Valerie, and my car stopped on the way home right after I got off the parkway. I told you about it the next day.”

“Oh, yeah.” Aaron nodded, covering nicely, but I knew he didn’t recall. Because I’d never mentioned it to him. Because no such incident had ever happened. I wished Valerie were still here to back me up. I felt fairly certain I could count on Teddy to support my story as well, but he was still dancing with Eliana, unaware anything was wrong.

I could practically feel the tension in the air, and something in Aaron’s eyes told me we’d be talking about this some more after the guests left. My eyes met Tanis’s, and the way she unabashedly stared at me told me this was no accidental outburst. The heifer was acting, using intoxication as an excuse to rat me out and create static between Aaron and me.

Just as everyone started to relax, Tanis opened up her damn mouth again. “My fahder got sick that night, and I drove down to meet my mudder at the ER. On my way home I stopped at da store furra bottled water.” She shrugged. “There was Teddy at da counter, and Em’ly in his car.” Then she threw back her head and laughed. “Ya know, I never did see what Teddy bought that night. Whatever it was, it was too small to put in a bag.”

At that Aaron’s eyebrows shot up, and everyone else looked startled. There are two common purchases that come to most people’s minds when thinking about items too small to be bagged, and the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces left no secrets what they were thinking. Especially since it was pretty obvious that Teddy didn’t smoke.

I frantically tried to paint another picture to replace the one everyone was clearly thinking of. “I think he said he needed some gum.”

“Oh, I rememba now,” Tanis said, ignoring Wayne’s restrained nudge and for-her-ears only statement. “When I asked you why you were tryin’ ta keep me from seeing your face when I went to my car, you said it wuz ’cause you didden wanna be gossiped about. And here I am, gossipin’.” She giggled.

And starting rumors,
I thought wryly. “What I
said
was that sometimes people make something out of nothing, and then unfounded rumors get started,” I clarified, my tone more than a little sharp.

“Oh, sure, things like that happen all the time,” Marsha said quickly.

“Yes, all the time,” James added. “Parris Island is so full of gossip about who’s doing what with whom, it’s just unbelievable sometimes.”

Tanis laughed loudly. “I know if
I’d
been in a man’s car at ten o’clock at night and I wuzn’t seeing him socially, I wouldn’t want anyone ta see me, either.”

This time we all heard Wayne’s response to her. “Tanis, shh!”

Elias cleared his throat. “I’m going to get my coat and Eliana’s. We’ve got a long drive home.”

Wayne quickly picked up on the vibe. “Tanis, I think we should call it a night as well.”

She responded with a loud burp and an embarrassed “
Excuse
me!” that made us all laugh and helped relax some of the anxiety in the air.

Marsha and James said they would go as well, and when Rosalind, John and Teddy stopped dancing, they made it unanimous. Tanis had successfully brought on the end of the party.

Aaron and I saw everyone out, but it was too cold to stand in the doorway until they all drove off, so we closed the door, even then shivering from our few minutes in the cold.

“It was a wonderful party, don’t you think?” I said chattily, dreading the inevitable.

“Yeah, it was.”

“I’m just going to put the leftover food away. I’ll clean the kitchen and wash the dishes in the morning.”

“I’ll help.”

I thought I’d have a few minutes to plot a strategy, but with him offering to help I had to think quickly. I was torn between raising Tanis’s allegedly drunken revelations or letting the matter lie. I decided to address it; if I didn’t it would suggest I had something to hide. Righteous indignation was the way to go.

“How about that Tanis?” I began as I covered dishes with plastic wrap. “Trying to make it sound like Teddy and I had something going on when we’ve never been nothing but friends who work in the same building.”

Aaron bent to place plates in the dishwasher. “She certainly got
my
curiosity revving.”

“Oh, come on,” I said in my very best “don’t be silly” voice.

“Emily, you never told me about having car trouble. Why didn’t you call me?”

“Aaron, Valerie and I were at dinner for over two hours. It was about nine-thirty when my car died on me. I didn’t want to call you that late to come to Euliss, especially if you were performing a procedure in the morning. I had Teddy’s cell number in my phone; we’d exchanged numbers before we had lunch. Friday is usually just a half day for him. So it made sense for me to call him.”

He walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Look at me, Emily.”

I tried not to look nervous.

Aaron spoke softly. “From the way Tanis was talking, it sounded like he was buying condoms. I know that’s what everybody thought.”

“That’s why everyone made such a hasty exit. She really cast a pall over the mood, didn’t she?”

“I don’t really care how it sounded; I just care about the truth. Did you sleep with Teddy, Emily?”

There was only one answer I could possibly give. “No, Aaron.” I lied, waiting for God to strike me down dead.

What I felt was Aaron’s fingertips on my chin. He raised it, leaned in, and kissed me tenderly. “That’s all I wanted to know. Now, let’s get this food put away and go to bed.”

I swallowed the breath I’d been holding so he wouldn’t feel me letting it out. I felt lower than a damn limbo stick.

Wayne called me the next morning. “Is everything all right with you and Aaron?”

“Of course,” I said breezily. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because of that ridiculous story Tanis told. She feels really bad about it.”

I’ll just bet she does.
“Like you said, Wayne, it was a ridiculous story. Aaron recognized that. Besides, he remembered that night. We had a good laugh over it. So be sure to tell Tanis there’s no harm done.”

“Oh, that’s great. I’ll let her know. I’m about to go home. She wants to pick up her kids.” He sounded a little sad, like he wished he could stay, but apparently Tanis didn’t want her kids to know he existed. I had a feeling she planned to keep it that way.

B
everline managed to come outside as Sonny and the boys were unloading the U-Haul, under the guise of picking up the mail, which was pretty transparent, considering the mailman didn’t deliver until about noon and it was barely ten
A.M
.

No one but me was around when she came out. When she returned, holding a sale circular I was pretty sure she’d deliberately left in the box from yesterday, the fellows had come out to bring in more boxes and furniture, with Mom looking on. I watched as my brother and nephews greeted her respectfully. Sonny even tipped the rim of his baseball cap, a gesture that reminded me of just how old he was.

Beverline nodded acknowledgment and remarked to me, “My, my, you certainly have a lot of help. All these people aren’t moving in with you, are they?”

“Mrs. Wilson,” Mom said in a weary tone before I could stop her, “my family has been very fortunate. We never had to live in overcrowded conditions, like many people were forced to do because most landlords charged blacks higher rents. We’re not about to start living like locusts at this late date.”

“I
see
.”

“The great majority of black people weren’t born with silver spoons in their mouths. Where did you live before you moved into Aaron’s beautiful home, Mrs. Wilson?”

Beverline’s mouth went flatline. “In Philadelphia,” she replied haughtily.

“Funny. I could have sworn my daughter mentioned something about Camden, New Jersey.”

Sonny overheard and exclaimed, “Whoa! Camden? That’s a rough town. It’s sure a long way from a mansion in New Rochelle. You’re from Camden, ma’am?”

Beverline turned on her heel and disappeared inside the house, leaving the three of us to watch her retreating back. “What’d I say?” a bewildered Sonny asked.

Mom and I didn’t bother to restrain our laughter.

Aaron invited Mom and me to join his family for dinner on Monday. Mom told me she didn’t want to accept, but she didn’t think it would be right not to, so we went. Shirley had made place cards for us. Aaron sat at one head of the table, and Beverline at the other. I sat on Aaron’s right at the table, next to Billy. Mom sat across from me, next to Kirsten and Arden. I blessed Shirley for keeping Mom and me close to Aaron and as far from Beverline as we could get.

Beverline didn’t disappoint us. “Are you getting settled?” she asked as she spooned some mashed potatoes onto her plate.

“Yes, we are,” I said, trying to be amiable.

“We do hope you’ll be comfortable,” Aaron said. “If there’s anything you need, just holler.”

“I hope the apartment isn’t too small for you,” Beverline added. “It is, after all, the servants’ quarters.”

Arden giggled, while Aaron, his gaze hardened, said, “It’s also referred to as a guesthouse, Beverline, and that’s the description I want used.”

After that, Mom refused to go back, even though Aaron invited us for dinner at least once a week. I had no problem telling him that Mom simply couldn’t deal with Beverline’s attempts at putting us down.

“I’m sorry, Emily. I’ve talked to her about it. I can’t say I blame your mother for not wanting to join us. Beverline is deliberately being difficult.”

“Personally, I think it’s a lost cause.”

“I’m still hoping there’s a chance for the girls.”

I grunted. I didn’t see how.

We settled into our new home in the next weeks. Mom found a church, and I attended services with her the first time she went and then occasionally afterward.

My living so close to Aaron made both of us reluctant to go to the motel on the weekends, so we worked out a system. After we’d come back from wherever we’d been for the night, we’d go to the guesthouse and have a nightcap, chat, and ultimately, after Mom had fallen asleep, we’d neck. He’d go home, then call me when the coast was clear, and I’d dash in through the side door off the laundry room and up the back stairs to his bedroom. We’d fall out laughing—quietly, of course—at having pulled a fast one, and then we’d spend the night together. I’d get up at seven and leave the same way I’d come before anyone else woke up. Making like a tiptoe burglar wasn’t the most satisfying way to have a love life, and of course the sex itself wasn’t overly satisfying either, but I told myself to concentrate on how good life was. If it wasn’t for Aaron, Mom and I wouldn’t have a place to live. And he seemed satisfied. He had a healthy sexual appetite. If only he realized how much he was missing.

At Aaron’s urging I took to going to The Big House, as Mom and I dubbed it, nightly during the week to have a drink and some conversation with Aaron. “I want Kirsten and Arden to get used to you being around, maybe get to know you better,” he’d said. “If they get to know you on their own, they won’t be so influenced by what their grandmother says.”

I still felt more at home chatting with Shirley in the kitchen than I did trying to make conversation with Aaron’s daughters. I was sliding rings on the cloth napkins as she cooked a roast for dinner one Thursday night when the phone rang. Shirley answered it in her usual professional manner. “Yes, Doctor,” she said. “Everything’s almost ready. And Emily is here.” A pause. “Yes, she’s in her room.”

Obviously that part wasn’t about me. I watched as Shirley pressed a button on the intercom. “Kirsten, your daddy wants to talk to you.”

I felt a twinge of jealousy, which I immediately told myself was wrong. Aaron had every right to want to speak with his daughter.

A few minutes later a sullen-looking Kirsten entered the kitchen and handed me the receiver to her cordless phone. “Daddy wants to talk to you.”

I took it, wondering why she looked so upset. “Hi, Aaron! What’s up?”

“Hi,” Aaron said. “I just wanted to let you know I’m going to be late tonight. I’m at the Rye Town Hilton. There’s a demonstration of a new scan, and I decided at the last minute to check it out. Between the demonstration, the questions, and all the networking going on here, I probably won’t get out of here for another hour. They’ve got food and drinks here, so y’all go ahead and eat. Don’t worry about holding dinner for me.”

“Oh! All right.” I was wondering how I could get out of dinner with the family, since Aaron wouldn’t be there. “Uh, Kirsten looks very unhappy about you being late.”

“That’s because I promised her I’d take her out for a driving lesson. Like I said, this came up at the last minute. She might sulk for a while, but she’ll live.”

“All right.” Then I heard him talking to someone in the background. “Tell Elias I said hello.”

“That wasn’t Elias. That was your old friend Shelly.”

I frowned. I had no friends named Shelly. The only one I knew was…“Shelly Muldoon?”

“Yeah. She’s giving the demonstration.”

“Oh.” Suddenly I remembered Teddy telling me that Shelly sold medical equipment. “I wouldn’t exactly call her a friend, Aaron. She’s just someone I went to school with.”

“Okay. Listen, they’re about to start. I’ll see you when I get home, huh?”

“Yes. Bye.”

I clicked the
OFF
button on the phone. “Shirley, Aaron says not to hold dinner for him. He’s at a demonstration in Rye.”

“All right. Will you be staying for dinner?”

I sighed. Shirley was aware of the tension that existed between Beverline and myself. “I’ll let you know.” I had an idea that might make for warmer relations between myself and Aaron’s daughters.

I found Kirsten in the family room, her arms crossed stiffly over her chest and her lower lip slightly protruding.

I handed her the receiver. “Your dad won’t be able to take you out for your driving lesson, since it’ll probably be dark by the time he gets home. I can understand why you look so blue.”

I was being kind in my choice of words. Between her arms and her lip she looked like a spoiled brat. Still, I remembered how it felt to be sixteen and have your learner’s permit. At that age I’d wanted to practice driving at every opportunity, too.

“Yeah,” she said. “I don’t know why he had to go to that dumb seminar.”

“Well, I have to go to Walgreen’s to pick up some things for my mother. Would you like to be my chauffeur?”

She brightened cautiously. “Really, Emily?”

“Sure. You do promise not to total my car, right?” I added with a chuckle. “And not kill me.”

Her back straightened as she sat up expectantly. “Neither of you will get a scratch. When will we go?”

“I think we should go now. I want to be back before the sun even starts to set.”

Kirsten was on her feet in a second. “Let’s go!”

“Well, I have to get my purse, and so should you. Having your learner’s permit with you is the only way you can prove you’re authorized to drive, remember?” I watched as she made a run for the stairs, taking them two at a time in her youthful exuberance.

I started to head for the back door when I heard voices and recognized Arden’s voice. “What are you in such a tearing hurry for?”

“Emily says I can drive her to the store so I can get some practice in, since Daddy’s going to be late tonight.”

“Ooh, can I come?”

“Sure, but you’d better hurry up. We’re leaving
right now
.”

I quickly headed for the guesthouse, not wanting Kirsten to have to wait for me and possibly get jumpy. A nervous driver could be hazardous to the health of my car.

Both girls stood by my car in the driveway when I emerged from the guesthouse with my purse and keys, and to my surprise, so was Beverline.

What does
she
want?

She walked forward to meet me as I approached. “I know Kirsten’s excited,” she began, speaking in a low voice, “but are you sure this is a good idea, Emily? She’s not even licensed yet.”

“It’s not like she asked me for the keys, Mrs. Wilson,” I pointed out. “I’m going to be sitting right beside her in the passenger seat, supervising every move she makes. That’s how she’ll learn.”

“It’s just that Aaron was very stern with her and told her she’s not to operate a vehicle in which anyone outside the family is a passenger.”

I got it now. Beverline wanted to drive home the point that I was an outsider.

“I think that’s a very good rule,” I said. I wasn’t about to dispute Aaron’s word. Wouldn’t Beverline just love to tell him how I’d gone against the rules he’d set for his children. “But Kirsten has promised not to damage my car or cause any injuries to me, so I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

She didn’t even crack a smile. “That’s precisely Aaron’s concern. Lawsuits.”

“Mrs. Wilson,” I said, my patience gone, “I’m not going to sue, so you can stop worrying.”

Kirsten called out just in time. “C’mon, Grandma. Can’t you talk with Emily later?”

I brushed past Beverline, saying over my shoulder, “Excuse me, I’ve got an impatient driver waiting.”

During our outing I gave Kirsten a few tips, like, “Try to hug the curb closer,” when she made a wide right turn, and “Don’t put on your blinker quite so soon before your turn. A half block is sufficient.” Arden sat transfixed in the backseat, as if preparing for her own lessons, which wouldn’t be for another three years.

When Kirsten pulled up into the driveway she said, “Thanks a lot, Emily. You’re…you’re almost as good a teacher as Daddy.”

“What about your grandma?”

Kirsten made a face. “Grandma hollers at me. That’s why I stopped going out with her.”

“Emily, are you going to have dinner with us?” Arden asked shyly when we got out of the car.

I couldn’t tell if she really wanted me to join them or if she was just being polite. At any rate, I felt I’d been around enough for the day, and I didn’t feel like hearing any of Beverline’s negative comments about my allowing Kirsten to drive. “I think I’ll eat with my mother tonight,” I said. “I’ll be over later, after your father gets home.”

It didn’t come as a surprise to me when Kirsten knocked on the guesthouse door the next afternoon, just as Mom and I were sitting down to dinner. “Hi, Emily!”

“Well, hello there.” I waited expectantly.

Kirsten looked almost embarrassed, as she should have, if she was about to say what I thought she would. “Um…Daddy’s home, but he’s kinda tired tonight. I was wondering if you’d take me driving again.”

“That’s fine with me as long as it’s okay with your father. But Mom and I are about to have dinner.”

“We’re going to eat in a few minutes, too. Can I come back when I’m done?”

“That’ll work.”

Kirsten turned to go, then turned around. “Thanks a lot, Emily.”

I smiled as I closed the door. Could it be I was winning her over? Or would she forget about my help once she got her driver’s license?

I went to The Big House with Kirsten after our spin. Aaron was sitting in his office, reviewing some notes. He smiled at me and removed his reading glasses when I tapped on the door, then came around from the back of the desk. “You look as good as a chocolate sundae,” he said as his arms went around me.

I hadn’t expected this action. The door to his office was open, and Aaron rarely indulged in public displays of affection. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment.

“I’m glad you came over early. I’m going to go upstairs to bed in a few minutes,” he said as we walked across the hall to the living room, arms around each other.

“I guess you’re tired from last night.”

“Yeah, it was a long day. But it was worth it. That scanner is fantastic.” He bent to open the top of the round globe, which revealed wine and liquor bottles and glassware. He poured Sauvignon Blanc for me and a Johnnie Walker for himself, then excused himself to get some water and ice cubes for his drink.

When he returned he rejoined me on the couch. “I want to thank you for taking Kirsten out for driving practice these last two nights.”

“She mentioned you were tired. Are you sure you didn’t steer her in my direction tonight?”

“Trust me, I’m really bushed. But I did think it would be a good opportunity for you two to bond. And Arden, too, since she wants to do everything her sister does.” He sipped his drink, then looked at Diana’s portrait, which faced us. “You know, I think I’m going to move that picture to the girls’ room this weekend.”