Chapter 31 The Scheme
Chapter31 The Scheme
The Mother of the Bride
“I thought we were going to do the galleries on the first floor and then drinks in the garden?” Penny asked, confused by the
sudden change of plans. All day long, she’d been her usual pleasant self. Alexa was relieved that she’d received a genuine
hug, while Penny whispered in her ear, “I’m so happy to see you.” Then, their golden girl greeted the Widows with hugs and
smiles, dishing on her work project and sharing in group jokes. She added facts and stories to their walking tour of the shops,
galleries, and historic sights of Queens, leaving Chase’s name out of the details. The Widows made sure to heap praise on
the neighborhoods they drove and walked through, exclaiming over the little two-family houses in Astoria as “charming” and
“a great investment opportunity.” They oohed and aahed over the redeveloped streets with high-rise condos, the movie studios
and trendy bars. Here and there, Penny pointed out the shops catering to the large Greek population with signs indicating
“Greek spoken inside.” And they declared the entire borough to be “unexpected” and “the best part of the city.”
Alexa gave the group a look, worried they were laying on their enthusiasm for Queens a little too thick, but even she had to admit that Queens looked like a very nice place to live. After Penny led them to a taverna for a traditional Greek lunch of meatballs in egg and lemon sauce, lamb fricassee, country salad, stuffed peppers, and roasted tomatoes, Alexa could no longer deny her approval. “It’s like being in Athens. How wonderful. I think you would do fine here, if you and Chase come to an agreement.”
“That’s a big if,” Penny said softy, then her voiced turned playful. “But I told you that you would feel right at home in
Astoria if you gave it a chance. Plus, the Greek cheeses here are better than the ones on Patmos. Did you taste the kefalotyri
on the salata horiatiki?”
“Those are fighting words,” Alexa retorted in her native language.
Penny translated for the crowd and they all laughed.
It was like the old Penny, the pre-engagement Penny, was back. Maybe because she started the day in the hotel lobby with a
declaration that it be free of conversation about the “breakup or the pause or whatever Chase wants to call it.” (Her snarky
tone sent a chill through the California women.) But now, there was an edge in her voice, like she was suspicious of the rerouting.
“Why are we stopping the tour now? We’ve only seen half the museum.”
“Well, you know Roxanne. Metabolism like a hummingbird. When’s she hangry, she’s hangry. We should have anticipated this,”
Toots vamped. “She needs food now, right, Roxi?”
Roxanne, who was the definition of a good soldier, was happy to be thrown under the bus for the success of the mission. Everyone
secretly knew she always had a packet of peanut butter crackers in her bag to combat her “low blood sugar,” a medical condition
she’d never actually verified. “Thank you, Toots. You all take such good care of me.”
Alexa snapped into tour guide mode with an ulterior motive. “Yes, we moved up the timeline. Everything is waiting for us in the sculpture garden. Why don’t we all stop in the ladies’ room to freshen up first? Penny, you look pale. Do you have lipstick? Put some on.”
All eyes turned to Penny, in a black maxi dress and jean jacket with a blue silk scarf looped around her neck, hair up in
a bun. A classic New York look, but a swipe of color on her lips was a good idea. She rolled her eyes at her mother, who was
expecting that response. While Penny had been warm and cheerful when they first saw each other after weeks of chilly communications,
the suggestion that she could use some lipstick was all Penny needed to mock her. “Do you think I’m going to meet Mr.Right
at the reception? Like a cater waiter or something?”
Toots to the rescue. “Your mother’s right. I want a group picture. Everybody needs lipstick!”
“Fine,” Penny agreed. “We should all get matching T-shirts for the next trip that say, ‘Everybody Needs Lipstick.’”
Mitsy made a mental note to do just that.
***
The garden at the Noguchi Museum was beautiful at night without any amendments. The sensuous lines of the sculptures, the
contrasting textures of large and small rocks and lush greenery, and the winding paths that invited wandering à deux. But
the scene that Abigail, Sarah, and the Connecticut cohort had created was magical. In a short time, they’d added flickering
lanterns, classical music, ethereal dancers waltzing in white, and an anxious but handsome Chase, standing cocktail in hand
with his vulnerability in full view. It took their collective breath away.
Maybe for the Widows, it stirred a memory of such a moment from long ago. Of being young and beautiful and in love. Of anticipation
or regret. They took it all in without speaking.
For Penny, it took only a second to understand the implications of what she saw before her. Tears sprung to her eyes. She turned to her mother. “Did you do this?”
“We all did. And Abigail and Sarah, too. We love you both,” Alexa replied, and as soon as she said it, she knew it was true.
She loved them both. Penny, of course. But also Chase. Instead of seeing him as this stranger poised to come between her and her daughter, she
saw him as a good brother, steady friend, and loyal son. Maybe, if she was honest with herself, she was a little jealous that
Penny had found a good life partner when she never had.
But it was the time she had spent with Abigail and Sarah, with Timmo, even with Lloyd that had convinced her that Chase was
worthy of Penny. Her Penelope. He was funny, smart, a hard worker. He genuinely cared about other people. He was caught up
in his career, but it was a worthwhile endeavor. He was a good man. She thought back to Homer, to the ancient poem. There
was no need to unwind the scarf tonight. Yes, Chase was the one Penny was waiting for. She hoped her daughter would see the
same thing. “Go to him.”
“I should, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you, Mama,” Penny whispered. “And you were right: The lipstick was a good idea.”
She watched as Penny called out to Chase and he turned to see her, not in an ethereal Kalliope Moon white dress, but in a
well-worn jean jacket and sneakers. This was it. The first-look moment. But not the pre-produced one for the wedding photographer’s
camera. No, this was genuine. Alexa’s skin tingled. Chase was seeing Penny, truly seeing her, as his bride, the woman he would
marry and share his life with. There were tears and wonder. So much wonder.
Alexa couldn’t see Penny’s face from her vantage point, but she recognized the confidence in her walk. She strode to the man
she loved and wrapped her arms around him.
They looked like a sculpture, Alexa thought as she wiped her eyes. Two bodies fitted together as one. She turned away, leaving the reunited couple alone. Well, alone with the cellist, the dancers, Sarah and Lloyd, and the museum staff.
Operation Butterfly appeared to be a success.