The Wizard of Odd, page 12
He stared at her a few beats, searching her eyes. She tried to hold her composure, though the effort made her physically ill.
“Still don’t believe you. What’s really going on with you?”
“Nothing! Why are you putting the two of us through this all over again? Can’t you let it go and move on? In fact I got the impression the other day that you have moved on.”
“Why would you think that?”
“You and your receptionist.”
“Never. Why do people keep asking me—”
“Faye and Peg saw you at dinner together.”
He raised his eyebrows. “That was not a romantic dinner. Amanda’s parents were in town and wanted to meet me. They were running late and got there after Faye and Peg left. Now that I remember it, I thought those two were acting squirrelly.”
Relief coursed through her. “Oh, I see. It seemed to me the other day something was going on between you.”
He shrugged. “There isn’t.”
They sat in uncomfortable silence for a minute, Dulce panting in delight as Patrick scratched her ears.
A strong, warm breeze lifted the curls around his face. “In the absence of a concrete explanation from you, can I offer my opinion?”
“Your opinion on why I broke up with you.”
“Yep.”
“This ought to be good. Let’s hear it.”
“I think you’re insecure.”
“What would I have to be insecure about? Spell it out.”
He let out a deep sigh. “You know.”
“I don’t know, but I’m very curious what your opinion of me is.”
He let off the dog and leaned forward with a determined look on his face. “Do I make you feel inferior?”
“Oh, my God! I cannot believe that question came out of your mouth. I wonder what you must think of me?”
“Okay, that maybe didn’t come out right.”
“I think your word choice speaks to a truth you don’t want to admit. Let me turn that sentence around. In other words you think you’re superior to me.”
“That’s not exactly what I mean.”
“Not exactly—hmmm.”
He spread his hands out in his lap and fixed his sights on them, clearly wrestling with something. “I mean, you yourself said all the time you came with baggage. Your messy upbringing and having a kid and all.”
“Maybe I said that because I wanted reassurance.”
“I tried to reassure you.”
“You shouldn’t have had to try. It’s obvious to me now you thought you were doing me some kind of favor. Give the poor single mom some crumbs. Give her a taste of how great my life is because what a catch am I.”
“Wow. You got this all wrong.”
“I don’t think I’m inferior to you, but now I wonder if it empowers you to think I am.”
“This conversation is going in the wrong direction. Maybe we should take a break, and when everyone is feeling more themselves, we can talk some more.”
“Do you hear yourself? Meaning when I’m calmer like I’m some kind of child.” She stood up. “I don’t want to talk to you about this anymore. It gives me no pleasure to hurt you again, but I can’t give you the answer you want. You should leave now.”
“You won’t have to tell me a third time. For whatever reason, you think we don’t belong together. I gave it a try. We’re done. I accept that now.”
She watched him stand up and walk away. When Dulce tried to follow him, Nora grabbed her collar and held on. She managed to wait until she heard his car drive away, then melted into tears.
“Hey, Mom, was that Patrick? Are you two together again?” Paolo rounded the corner. He sounded excited.
“No, we’re not. He forgot to tell me something.”
“Wait, why are you crying?”
“Adult stuff.”
“Does the adult need a hug?”
He opened his arms to her, and she fell in. Hugging her son felt good. It had been a long time since they’d done this. She needed to spend more quality time with Paolo.
CHAPTER 26
Lara and Paolo
Text exchange:
Lara: I can’t believe this shit
Paolo: what now?
Lara: on top of basically putting me in prison my mom scheduled a dds appt for me! To get cavities filled.
Paolo: sorry that sucks
Lara: AND she’s going to leave me there alone to run some errand. She knows how scared i get there.
Paolo: i wish i could see you
Lara: I hate this so much! She’s on my case 24/7. I have no privacy
Paolo: funny nora is being weird too. She wants to hang out all the time and is super into my business
Lara: what’s up with that?
Paolo: i don’t know but P was here the other day and when he left she crying
Lara: Oh no. why?
Paolo: don’t know. Adult problems she said
Lara: meaning sex problems? Maybe he doesn’t work
Paolo: doubt it. They were always all over each other. I think he worked just fine, I wish they’d get back together again. Get her off my case
Lara: Did you like him?
Paolo: yeah he was cool. Plus she was happy
Lara: speaking of together i’m going insane w/out u. Faye coming over this afternoon to talk fall fest with mom. She’s such a loud talker i bet u could sneak in and come up to room
Paolo: damn i wish. Nora wants to have a movie nite together tonight
Lara: nooooo! Can’t you put her off?
Paolo: probably but she is sad lately. I kind of feel i should do that for her. She making pizza
Lara: sweety pie
Paolo: this is so frustrating.
Lara: i know. just a few more days
Paolo: No i mean I hate texting! U have a mac so easier for you with keyboard. I have to use phone and thumbs takes 4ever! Let’s talk on phone
Lara: Can’t. Mom’s in next room. In the new reality I can’t talk to friends on phone
Paolo: That sucks. I’m sorry you got in trouble
Lara: Yeah. Shouldn’t have listened to that weirdo.
Paolo: or maybe he’s right but action not bold enough. I thinking you shouldn’t do this alone. Not fair. I want to help. We need a new plan. Something bolder
Lara: epically bad
Paolo: will your grounding be over by fall fest?
Lara: yes, why?
Paolo: Everyone is going to be there, right? Seems like opportunity for bad behavior
CHAPTER 27
Sylvie
Sylvie compared a selfie she took last week with her image in the rearview mirror now. The skincare products had helped. A slight improvement. The offending fine line creeping out from her upper lip appeared less distinct. Or could it be a trick of the light?
As stressful as this week had been, she wouldn’t be surprised to find a network of lines and wrinkles taking over her face. The shock of finding out Lara had been floundering in school, the fights with Arthur, and grounding Lara had, in effect, put her in domestic prison. She only got out now by scheduling a dental appointment for Lara, giving her an excuse to get to the mainland while simultaneously putting Lara under adult supervision, because obviously, she couldn’t leave her unattended in the house. They had been putting off getting those cavities filled, and Lara could also use teeth cleaning. She told Lara she had an errand to run and would pick her up after the dentist.
Very clever of her.
Also, by giving herself an excuse to leave, she had limited her time with Ed. A meeting for coffee wouldn’t lead to anything more. What could you do in an hour in a coffee shop? An innocent encounter. Except it was a planned event, and she didn’t tell Arthur about it, so maybe it was more of a rendezvous.
Whatever. She felt entitled to a bit of fun outside of her family. That man at the Todd House gave good advice.
One last look in the rearview mirror to make sure her hair looked good, and wait, what did she spy with her little eye?
In the rearview mirror she saw Peg coming out of the co-op with…Ed’s wife? A rare Joan-out-of-the-house sighting. They were laughing and looking very chummy, shoulder to shoulder. She didn’t know Faye and Peg were friends with Joan. She must ask Faye about this when they met to finalize Fall Fest plans. The countdown to the most important event on the island was on! She’d get the lowdown on Ed’s wife from Faye. She guessed it would confirm her suspicions about the sham state of that marriage.
CHAPTER 28
Miles
Once upon a time, Miles was known to be a fearless risk-taker. Reckless even. Where others balked when faced with a potentially perilous situation, he scoffed in amusement. He’d even gone skydiving once. But of all the things he’d dared do, nothing filled him with more dread and anxiety than what he was about to do.
He planned an outing to the diner. By himself. And he would attempt to make small talk with the locals.
Back in the day Miles could enter any diner at any time of day anywhere in the country and feel right at home. More than feeling at home, he’d take over and hold court, entertaining the folks inside with his jokes and stories. Back when he had control over himself.
He’d done breathing exercises and meditated beforehand, envisioning himself making introductions and striking up conversations. And not breaking down in a fit of laughter or tears. Just your average guy, weaving his way into the fabric of the community.
His first instinct had been to ignore Faye’s invitation, but then he remembered Nora also worked there. So earlier in the week, he brought up the subject with her while she cleaned the dining room. They had worked out a schedule where she came on weekdays after working at the diner as opposed to spending a whole day at the house once a week. That way, she could take care of jobs here and get home before her son came home from school. He liked having her around. Even when they didn’t talk much, having another body moving about the house made him feel less lonely.
She had been polishing the buffet table in the dining room, spraying lemon wax and wiping in slow circles, a bit lackluster on that occasion. In fact, as he watched, Miles noticed she sprayed and polished the same spot over and over again. He sat at the long table in front of his open laptop, reading amusing news stories to her, trying to cheer her up.
“Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you. I ran into the owner of the diner, Faye, and she invited me to swing by sometime.”
She stopped, held up the can of furniture polish, and jumped excitedly. “Come in when I’m working my shift! It’s a great way to meet new friends. When I first moved here with Paolo, I didn’t know anyone, which is not ideal for a single mom. That all changed when I started working at the diner. It is the gateway to Todd Island. Everyone passes through there. On account of it being the only diner on the island.” She winked at him.
She had dark circles under her eyes today. Having a teenager did that to you. Lots of sleepless nights.
“You make it sound compulsory,” he said.
“Honestly, I’d be in the dark about half the things going on here if it weren’t for the diner.”
“A gossip mill.”
She frowned. “Admittedly, there’s that element, but I meant it’s a good place to network and stumble upon happenings in town.”
“Happenings. I love that word,” mused Miles, images of beatniks and hippies popping into his mind.
“Exactly, it covers those spontaneous events that flash up.”
“Art shows. Jam sessions…”
She let out a tinkly laugh. “Oh, Miles, you are funny. A happening here on Todd Island happens to go more like this: two old codgers sitting in a booth. ‘Sigh, I have too much junk.’ ‘Me too.’ ‘I know! Let’s have a yard sale!’ And so an event is born.”
“Oh, ho, ho! I see now.”
“Also, it’s a living community message board. That’s how I got my car, and Susan, the librarian, sold hers. Promise me you’ll stop in.” She slammed the can on the table.
“You can count on it.”
“Good. I think the diner needs an injection of new blood. There’s been kind of…” She cast her eyes heavenward while twisting the rag in her hands. “Well, lately, there’s been a shadow cast over things. I don’t know what’s up, but I think you’ll give us someone new to talk to. Shake things up, you know?”
He did not know, but if his showing up would make her happy, he could do that.
That day, Nora had made going to the diner sound fun. But, now that he stood with only a plate glass window between himself and the promised bonhomie inside, scaling Mount Kilimanjaro seemed less daunting.
But then he saw his friend, Nora, inside. Yes, Nora, his friend. He smiled to himself, surprised how effortlessly he came to think of her as a friend. She pivoted between tables, taking orders with customers on either side of her. The vibe seemed more subdued than he’d expected based on her description.
He opened the door and focused on her as he stepped inside.
“Miles,” she cried. “Faye, Faye, Miles is here!” shouted Nora.
A statuesque blonde working the cash register stopped mid transaction. She threw him a brilliant smile before turning to look behind her as a double set of swinging doors flew open, and Faye stepped out.
Nora turned to Faye, “I told you he’d show up,” she said excitedly.
All heads turned toward him, faces beaming with expectation. He anticipated the obligatory polite greeting. Not folks behaving as if he were the second coming. Finding himself the focus of supercharged attention in a room, his anxiety ratcheted up tenfold.
“Miles, welcome! Everyone, this is Miles, Miles, this is everyone. Miles is the caretaker at Todd House. Don’t be shy about introducing yourself,” said Faye.
All at once, well-wishers surrounded him, shoving their hands at him. Or it seemed like he was surrounded because he felt overwhelmed. In fact it was only as he passed by tables and booths that people turned to him and greeted him in a warm but orderly fashion. However, he experienced it as a colossal event because he hadn’t had these many pairs of peepers on him in a long time. His heart began racing, and it felt like walking through sand.
By the time he reached Faye and accepted a brief embrace, he felt lightheaded. “Miles, this is my partner, Peg. Peg, meet Miles. Peg, I promised Miles a cup of coffee on the house, so don’t charge him. He’s my guest.” Faye’s voice had taken on a flat quality when she addressed the so-called partner.
Odd, almost hostile tension was emitting from Faye. Before he could analyze the interaction, another body shot up beside him, hand thrust out, words spilling out at him in a rapid clip.
“Nice to meet you, Miles. I’m Susan, the librarian. Do you have a library card? If not, we can get you one. Do you want one? Stop by with an ID, and we’ll get you one. We have a small branch library here, but if we don’t have what you’re looking for, the library on the mainland can send it over in about twenty-four hours. Unless there’s a hold on the item. Then you might have to wait. Do you like to read? We have movies, too!”
“I read. Watch movies too,” Miles managed to dig out a suitable reply from some deep recess in his brain, though his heart pounded in his ears, and he wanted to run away.
Her grin widened when she learned he read and watched movies. He managed to sound normal, though he didn’t feel right.
“Take a seat, Miles. I’ll get you that cup of coffee and a menu if you’d like,” said Faye.
“Coffee,” he mumbled.
He looked around, but his vision had gone swimmy, and he couldn’t identify a vacant seat. However, he could make his way back to the door and contemplated heading for it right now.
A weighty hand fell on his shoulder. “I see an empty seat at the counter,” said Faye, propelling him in that direction.
Three men sat at the end of the counter, all wearing flannel shirts and knit caps. They had their sights fixed on him, big smiles on their faces. One patted the seat next to him.
“Miles, this is Hank, Jim, and Owen,” said Faye and whispered into his ear, “we call them the Flannel Chorus.” She started to giggle, but then a look of pain flashed over her features as she looked back at the blonde.
Miles remembered he was also wearing a checkered flannel shirt today. Oh, lord, had he accidentally joined the island cult? Hank moved a folded-up newspaper out of his way, clearing counter space for him. A half-finished crossword puzzle with a ballpoint pen stuck on top whizzed by him. In front of each man sat plates of half-eaten eggs with deep yellow smears of yolk and greasy bacon. Miles felt like he might throw up. He looked away. What was wrong with him?
The blonde, Peg, plopped a cup of steaming coffee in front of him and offered him a menu, which he waved off, his stomach lurching. A couple of token sips of coffee, and then he’d get out of here. The tension building in his body, almost unbearable.
Hank nudged him. “See the menu on the wall? If you make up an egg creation, you get your name on the wall. Special orders not on the regular menu.”
“That’s me,” said Jim. “Two Mounds of Scrambled Eggs on a Bed of Spinach Topped with Swiss Cheese and Mushrooms. Jim’s Alpine Special.”
Miles looked up, blinking rapidly, and saw such items as “Susan’s Hot Pick: Egg White Omelet with Jalapeno, Cheddar Jack Cheese, and Salsa. Officer Higgins’s Arrest Warrant: Three Eggs, Bacon, Sausage, and Three Pancakes.” The list went on and on, but he couldn’t focus anymore.
Owen craned around Hank and Jim to address him. “Say, is this your first time on the island? Because you seem so familiar to me.”
Peg rested her elbows on the counter opposite him, gaze fixed on him along with the rest of the Flannel Chorus. Behind him, the diner had grown quiet. Everyone waited for his response.
