Lani
Chapter seven
Gossip her hair matted, thin as a blade of grass, and her outfits stained and tattered.
I was glad when she came to the pantry for food.
Mr. Trotter from the church always made sure that she had shoes and clean clothes.
” There was a pause at the table, as we ladies reminisced on Fallon and all she’s overcome.
“Rosemary has always carried a cruel streak. It’s how she was raised.
The Lawsons used to be one of the most respected families in town—wealthy, influential, the kind of name stamped across charity events, political campaigns, and owned half the businesses in the county.
They lived up in that massive house on the mountain like royalty, overlooking Bluestone.
Then the opioid epidemic tore through them like wildfire.
One by one, the family disappeared. Some overdosed.
Others survived long enough to lose themselves to grief and insanity instead.
It’s unfortunate, really—to have so many relatives housed in the same care facility and none of them recognize each other anymore.
Rosemary is the last one still tethered to reality, and even that is fragile.
Loss like that changes people. Sometimes it hollows them out until there’s nothing gentle left. ”
“Not including Fallon and Billy. Not that Billy even knows her grandmother. Imagine residing in the same small town as your granddaughter, and not visiting!” Dotty’s words are hushed but angered.
“Wonder if she realizes you know that Billy’s your granddaughter as well?” Betty’s eyebrows raise.
“Which one? Rosemary or Fallon?” I respond. Betty shrugs, “Both, I guess.”
“It brings me no joy admitting Rosemary is incapable of caring for anyone else. I doubt she could pass Billy on the sidewalk without recognizing her. That child is the spitting image of both her parents. As for Fallon…I’ve always been afraid she’d spook and run.
” The weight of years settles heavily on my shoulders.
“It wasn’t my place to say anything. Fallon’s silence told me she didn’t want us to know.
I have to believe God gives us our paths for a reason.
” I glance down at my hands. “Billy spends time with me every week, and so does Fallon. I give them all the love and support I can.” A small smile tugs at my mouth.
“And Lord, that little girl melts me every time she calls me Grammy.”
“To be a fly on the wall when Fallon learns he’s back.” Dotty whispers over the rim of a cup.
I inched as close as I could to the table, not wanting to stain my clean shirt permanently.
“I tasked Cyrus with getting coffee and pastries from the bakery three times this week in hopes he would run into a certain someone. It worked.” My three friends lean in closer. “You know who fetches the breakfast treats for the salon most mornings?”
“Who?” Betty questions.
“Fallon’s friend, Jules. And if those two are anything like us, there will be chatter. Now we wait to hear what dear Fallon does with the information.” Amused fondness lights up Dotty’s face as she smiles.
“You dirty dog!”
I shrug.
“Lani, is this meddling appropriate?” The chipped coffee mug clinks as Dotty sets it down, her aging lines more pronounced with worry.
“I love all of them, and don’t want any of them upset with us.
We shouldn’t be mixing ourselves up in this.
” A tsk curls on my tongue, mounting frustration with my friend.
Of all the times we’ve meddled. This is the one time it actually matters.
“What about our involvement in other issues?” I question, one eyebrow raised.
“Point taken,” Dotty agrees.
“Alright, my Beach Body Beauties, it’s time for me to leave. Liam requested a visit to the park. Oh, and Betty, I need you to stay inside this afternoon and tomorrow, too.”
Her graying eyebrows reach her hairline. “You’re unwell,” I tell her in a hushed tone. A laugh curls through her smile. “You clever dog!”
“For our next get-together, I prefer the patio and a glass of Chardonnay to Gary hiding at the kitchen window, stalking us to get a look at Betty,” I joke, nudging Lou.
“Betty being here is why Gary is hanging around,” Lou mumbles.
“You hush. That old man and I are friends,” Betty declares.
Dotty snorts, “You know you’re the same age, right?
Is your memory going? We all went to school together.
” My eyes lift to the ceiling, wishing I hadn’t.
The tiles in this place haven’t been cleaned since it opened in the eighties.
Is that… grease, or was it a fire I forgot?
How do ceilings get so filthy? I absently wonder.
Dropping my gaze to my girlfriends, I say, “I have to go.”
“Don’t forget cards this Saturday,” Lou reminds me.
“It seems you enjoy losing.” I remind her.
Heads turn as Dotty calls me a ‘hussy.’ She’s the liveliest of our group and, admittedly, the wildest. People say age brings maturity, but with Dotty, the older she gets, the bolder she becomes.
As we leave, my friends hide their laughter behind their hands. Something about it eases the ache a little—proof that even after everything life has thrown at us, we can still laugh until our sides hurt.
My gold rings catch the light as I lift a hand to Gary, now making his way toward the table, nervously wringing a rag between his hands. Lord, I hope that man makes a move soon. We’re all too old to waste time pretending.
A little extra pep finds my step knowing I get to visit the park with Liam.
Though my chest still tightens at the thought that my perfect day would include Liam and Billy together, like families should be.