Chapter 14 #2
through the patio doors. Gemma had a cup of orange juice in one hand and an éclair in the other.
“Did you see these beauties in the glass container on the kitchen counter? Antonio must have put them out for us last night—chocolate
and strawberry,” Gemma said as she popped a bite into her mouth and then wiped the crumbs from her navy Atlanta Braves sweatshirt.
“Has anyone seen Mo this morning?” Nell asked, steam rising from the white mug in her hand. She settled into one of the empty chairs at the iron table while the sunlight filtered through a heavy cloud and cast patterns across the ornate tabletop.
Gemma replied between bites, “I haven’t seen her this morning. Either one of her cats stole her breath while she was asleep,
or she must still be passed out in the theater. Do you want me to go get her?”
“Leave her be.” CK waved Gemma’s suggestion away with her hand.
“Well, she’s the one who insisted we all be out here for a brisk walk at 9:00 a.m. sharp. I could still be curled up in bed,
enjoying my sleep on this Saturday morning,” Gemma pointed out before yawning.
“I’ll go and wake her if that’s okay with you, CK?” Erin volunteered from beneath the hood of her sweatshirt. “I’ve done it
before.”
“Fine by me,” CK answered.
Erin walked through the living room and down the long hallway until she reached the partly closed door of the movie room.
She quietly pushed it open, and light from the hallway spilled into the dark theater, giving her just enough visibility to
enter. She reached over to the wall and flipped on the light switch before she approached her sleeping friend.
“Moira? Moira?” Erin said in a soft voice while she gently tapped her shoulder.
Moira was curled up on her side in the oversized recliner, her head resting on the arm of the chair. Dove and Pearl were pressed
against her back and gently purred.
As Mo gradually opened her heavy eyelids, still caked with dark shadow and smudged liner, the bright glow of the recessed
lights momentarily blinded her.
When she finally focused on Erin kneeling over her, panic washed over her face. She shot upright in the recliner, causing both cats to jolt from the chair. Almost immediately, a sharp throb shot through her head, prompting her to groan and grip her forehead with her sweaty fingers.
“What time is it?” she asked, her voice scratchy and her mouth dry.
“It’s about nine fifteen. Everyone is already on the patio, dressed and ready for our morning walk along the water. Do you
want us to go ahead without you?” Erin quietly offered.
“Oh, good grief,” Moira replied, then she nodded hesitantly, strands of hair tumbling around her face. “Yes, go ahead. I don’t
want you all to wait any longer for me to get ready. I’ll see you back here in a little while, yeah?”
“Okay.” Erin turned to walk out of the theater when Moira stopped her.
“Erin, I need you to do me a favor. Please?” Moira reached out her hand, desperation in her tone. “Don’t tell them that I
was still asleep. Tell them that, uh . . .” She paused and licked her dry lips. “Tell them that you found me on the phone
with one of the boys. I think—Bradford, yeah, Bradford is having girl trouble again this morning. And I told you all to go
ahead while I help him sort it out on the phone.”
“Moira, I really don’t want to lie,” Erin said, her brows furrowing and her head shaking as she considered her boss’s request.
“Erin, you know Nell already thinks I drink too much. She will undoubtedly hold this over my head for the rest of the weekend,” Moira insisted, her voice rising slightly.
“Even though I’m not hungover—not at all.
I mean, I slept so long because it’s just so dark down here in the theater.
I know that and you know that, but Nell will still insist that I slept so long because I drank last night.
I can’t give her that satisfaction.” She paused and then repeated slowly and insistently, “I am on the phone with my son, and I’m going to shower and see you back here in about an hour, okay?
Then we’ll have brunch, pool time, massages, and a whole lot of other fun things lined up. ”
After a moment of silence, Erin reluctantly agreed and left Moira alone. Just as the door was about to click shut behind her,
Erin heard Moira groan and sink back into the leather chair. She walked out to the patio and delivered Moira’s lie. CK, Gemma,
and Nell didn’t dispute what Erin told them, but the looks on their faces led Erin to believe they knew it was a farce.
While waiting for hot water to reach her shower, Moira, feeling nauseated and trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her head,
watched from her balcony as her guests walked across the dewy grass in her backyard. They passed beneath the massive tree
with its furrowed trunk and went by the group of Adirondack chairs before disappearing down the sandy path that meandered
between the waters of the Ogeechee River on one side and clusters of spartina grass and live oaks on the other. Across the
river, the tea-colored water mixed with flourishing salt marshes filled with grass, sedges, and rushes.
She wished she could join them. Walking that path in the mornings was her tradition, a part of her exercise routine that kept her metabolism working strong.
However, she wasn’t going to feel guilty about it.
She hadn’t drunk too much the night before; she had only overslept because the theater was dark.
Just like when she fell asleep watching herself and Jeffrey dance to Etta James at their wedding reception.
It was dark, quiet, and comfortable. No, she wouldn’t feel guilty for having a little fun and being a bit silly on her birthday weekend.
She wouldn’t give Nell Rehman that satisfaction.
Nell spent much of her childhood not far from here in the low country. As she walked the path with Erin, Gemma, and CK, she
felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her. She reminisced with the other ladies about how she often stalked tailing juvenile
redfish with her father in the marshes and winding waterways, where he spent much of his time drinking. For a while after
she got sober, it was difficult for her to separate the beauty of the low country from her memories of alcohol. Wine had long
been a part of weddings and her bedtime routine, while a nice bourbon had kept her warm on the boat or during autumn nights
on the beach. Now she was finally free of that association and could enjoy God’s beautiful landscape without aid.
“Are there alligators out here?” CK asked, a hint of worry plain on her face as she took in her surroundings with anxious
eyes.
“If there are, I’d say Al E. Gator has his sights set on me. I’d be his ideal meal—breakfast, lunch, and dinner all rolled
into one!” Gemma chuckled, her laughter ringing out across the salt marsh, harmonizing with the whispers of the wind and the
rhythmic lapping of the dark water against the grassy shoreline.
“Al E. Gator would rather have fish and herons, Gemma,” Nell reassured her and lightly nudged her arm. “May I ask you a question?”
Gemma was curious. “I suppose so.”
“Why are you so hard on yourself?” Nell inquired gently, her eyes meeting Gemma’s with sincerity before Gemma shoved her manicured hands into the pockets of her windbreaker.
“Preach, Nell,” CK enthusiastically agreed and held up a hand in praise.
“I don’t mean to overstep,” Nell clarified while her red ponytail slapped the shoulder of her silver jacket. “I just can’t
help but notice how you often belittle yourself.”
“She’s been demeaning herself for as long as I can remember,” CK offered.
“Okay, zip it,” Gemma shot back while rolling her eyes at CK. Then she turned her gaze back to the expansive salt marsh. “I
just say what everyone is thinking. I’m the elephant in the room, pun intended. And frankly, I don’t like to leave the elephant
in the room unaddressed. It feels so much better to confront things directly. Get it out in the open, you know?”
“Maybe,” Nell said, “but you’re such a beautiful lady, Gemma. I hope you recognize that.”
Erin and Celia Kate audibly agreed.
As they continued along the winding trail, canopied with bright greenery, CK’s long dark hair swung behind her with each stride.
“Nell, she’s just repeating what she hears every day.”
“There it is.” Gemma stopped and planted her white tennis shoes firmly on the silty ground as she turned to face her friend
of nearly forty years. “I know how much you dislike my husband, but I don’t want to keep hearing about it, okay?” Her tone
was serious and defensive, and a scowl covered her face.
The atmosphere shifted suddenly, becoming somber and tense. Nell and Erin, who had been walking a little behind Gemma and
CK, exchanged bewildered looks. They redirected their attention to the stunning antebellum home belonging to Moira’s neighbor.
“Well, my goodness! Would you look at those grand columns,” Nell said to Erin, trying to change the subject. “Do you know
who lives there, Erin?”
“I think it’s a senator, but I’m—”
CK interrupted Erin, saying, “It’s hard for me to hold my tongue, Gemma, because I know how verbally abusive Tyler is to you.
All the self-deprecating jokes you make, the ones that come so easily to you, he inspires them. He encourages the negative
way you see yourself. He talks better to his hunting dogs than he does to you.”
Gemma narrowed her eyes at CK and began to defend him. “My husband is not verbally abusive, CK. He doesn’t mean anything by
it—”
CK cut her off, her voice rising slightly with frustration. “What infuriates me even more than his comments about you is how
quickly you jump to his defense. I swear, it’s like you are brainwashed! You deserve better, Gemma.”
Celia Kate quickened her pace, continuing down the path and leaving the rest of them behind. Gemma dug the heel of her shoe
into the soft, warm sand. Nell and Erin remained next to her.