The Parsonses
Dinner that night was, as always on the Thursday of Christmas Stroll weekend, a green salad, freshly baked bread, and Jane’s seafood chowder, so delicious and rich and satisfying no one could think of a thing to argue about.
They’d just finished spooning up the last creamy drop of chowder when Florie’s phone went off and someone knocked on the front door.
But in a few months, she would have her own baby to care for. Glancing across the table, she met Brick Three’s eyes. They smiled at each other, pleased with their secret. They’d agreed not to tell the children tonight, their first day back.
Now Lucas sprang from the table before anyone else could. “I’ll get the door.”
Florie checked her phone.
“Excuse me,” Florie said. “I need to take this call.” She left the table, because the rule was no talking on the phone at the table.
Jane leaned toward Lydia. “Did you see who called?” she whispered.
Lydia snorted. “No, Mom. Come on. She’s grown up.”
Lucas appeared in the door of the dining room with a very pretty and maybe just a teeny bit older woman.
Lucas was glowing, a little.
Jane shot her husband a look.
“Hey, Mom, Dad, Lyds, this is Sheila Concannon. She’s a nurse at the hospital.”
Lucas is in love with this woman, Jane immediately realized.
Jane greeted Sheila with a warm smile. “Sheila, hello, so lovely to meet you, won’t you come in and have some dessert with us?”
“It’s nice to meet you all, too.” Sheila had curly brown hair and big brown eyes. She was slightly plump, especially in the bosom area.
“We’re not staying, Mom,” Lucas said. “We’re going to a party.”
“But we—all of us—our tradition—the movie!” Brick Three reminded Lucas.
Jane gave her husband a look, nodded at him, and then smiled at her son. “Have a good time.”
The family sat in silence until they heard the front door shut.
“I didn’t know Lucas had a new girlfriend,” Jane said.
“She’s probably just a girl who’s a friend,” Lydia suggested.
“Is she older than Lucas?” Jane asked.
Brick Three harrumphed. “Leave the boy alone. He’s grown up.”
“And be grateful she’s a nurse,” Lydia interjected. “She must know all about contraception and CPR.”
Jane’s eyes widened. “CPR? Why would Lucas need CPR? What has he told you? Is he sick?”
“Mom. Chill. I was being funny. Or trying to be. Anyway, Lucas is a licensed lifeguard. He knows how to do CPR.”
“But he can’t give CPR to himself, can he?” Jane asked, confused and worried.
Florie returned to the table. “That was Mabel. She’s coming over and we’re going to walk into town to see the Christmas lights.”
Lydia said, “Mom, why don’t you and Dad walk into town to see the lights, too? I’ll take care of the kitchen.”
Jane rose and began gathering up plates.
“Darling, we’ve seen the lights and Brick Three hasn’t read all of his New York Times yet.
Come help me do the dishes.” As she and her daughter went into the kitchen, Jane added, “Besides, this is only Stroll weekend. We have the rest of December to enjoy the lights.”
As Jane rinsed and Lydia stacked the dishes in the dishwasher, Jane said, “So you are still seeing Jari Hekkinen. Tell me about him.”
Lydia sank into a kitchen chair and held her dish towel to her heart. “Oh, Mom.”
Jane abandoned the dishes and pulled a chair next to her daughter. “You’re in love.”
“I don’t know,” Lydia said. “He’s very…we’re so…” Lydia stopped, blushing. How could she talk to her mother about sex?
Jane said, “Lydia, I do know about electricity. Also known as chemistry. Go on.”
“It’s just that he’s truly wonderful, but he’s so reserved.
I know he likes me. He spends every free moment he has with me, and he’s coming here for the Stroll, which is a really big deal.
It’s like, kind of, a commitment. And he’s posh, Mom.
I haven’t met his parents, but he went to a Swiss boarding school and his parents live in Helsinki and have a place in Maine and they sail and his sister is married and lives in Monaco! ”
“Does he make you laugh?” Jane asked.
“Oh, Mom.” Lydia shook her head and smiled. “I know that’s your baseline criteria for the perfect mate. But come on, does Dad ever make you laugh?”
“Oh, yes,” Jane replied. “Whenever we talk about our children.”
“Well, Jari does make me smile. He’s never gone into an all-out, stomach clutching, howling, out-of-control laugh.”
Jane stood up and patted Lydia on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry. When he spends time with this family, he’s bound to.”