Chapter 26 Natalie #2
“Una told me. Paul and Kristofer were friends. They were supposed to grab a beer after work on Friday, but Paul said he wasn’t
feeling well. If only he’d gone to the doctor then.”
Natalie thought Una had been unusually taciturn on Monday. Now she understood why.
Why did she tell Elaine about Paul but not me?
“Speaking of Una,” continued Elaine. “I have an awkward situation involving her and Charles’s party.”
Natalie groaned inwardly. Of course. Every conversation comes back to the party. What will Elaine do when it’s over? Start making plans for a high school
graduation extravaganza?
“What’s the situation?” she asked with a notable lack of enthusiasm.
Perceiving the slight, the corners of Elaine’s mouth dipped down. “Charles wants to invite Una. He actually insisted, though
I don’t understand why. I mean, she’s great, but she won’t really know anyone other than the three of us.”
“Maybe he’s just being polite. I doubt she’ll go even if you invite her.”
Elaine hurried to contradict Natalie. “I gave her an invitation earlier this week. She said yes on the spot. She’s coming
by herself, too.”
Natalie thought it was sweet of Una to give up her Saturday night to hang out with a bunch of strangers for Charles’s sake.
Like everyone else, she probably felt sorry for the boy. And Una was nothing if not kind. That’s why J.J., Jill, and Justin
loved her so much.
Natalie was about to ask Beth what she planned to wear to the party when Beth suddenly doubled over as if she was going to
be sick.
Elaine laid a hand on Beth’s back. “Honey. Are you okay?”
“Oh, Jesus,” Beth whimpered. “Oh, Lord.”
She’s going to puke all over my sofa, thought Natalie, casting around for an alternative.
Grabbing the ice bucket, she thrust it in between Beth’s knees. “Here.”
As Beth clutched the bucket, Natalie told her to take deep breaths. When it seemed like the immediate danger had passed, she
plucked a starlight mint from the stash in Jimmy’s desk, unwrapped it, and dangled it under Beth’s nose.
“Peppermint helps with nausea,” she said. “I wouldn’t have survived my pregnancy with Jill without these mints. It’s funny
because it’s the one candy she doesn’t like. Suck on this. By the time it’s gone, you’ll feel much better.”
Taking the candy, Beth said, “Excuse me,” and hurried down the hall to the powder room.
“What was that about?” Natalie whispered to Elaine.
“She turned white as snow when I mentioned Paul.”
“It’s not like she knew him well. Maybe she’s just putting on a brave face. This stuff with Don must have her twisted up in
knots. Any mention of you-know-who is bound to make her feel bad.”
Elaine smoothed the fabric of her cream-colored slacks. “What am I supposed to do about Charles’s party? All three of them
are coming, and I don’t want a scene. All of our friends from the temple will be there. And the rabbi. My parents and sisters.
Everyone!”
“You have to uninvite Mrs. Smith,” Beth said from the doorway.
Natalie’s and Elaine’s heads swiveled in unison. Neither of them had heard Beth return from the bathroom.
“Excuse me?” said Elaine.
“You have to uninvite Mrs. Smith,” repeated Beth, her gaze boring into Elaine. “How could you even consider letting her come after what she’s done?”
Elaine put a hand on her heart. “I’m sorry about what happened, Beth. You know I am. But she signed off on all of my requests
in exchange for an invitation. I can’t go back on my word. There’s no telling what she might do.”
Beth advanced into the room. “Let me get this straight. A fireworks display is more important than my feelings?”
Elaine shifted uncomfortably. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“I don’t think it is,” Beth snapped. “I’m asking you to choose between Don and me—people who’ve been your friends for years—and
the witch next door. And you’re going to pick the witch? You know what that tells me? That she got to you. To both of you.”
“What do you mean?” asked Natalie.
“You think because she planted some flowers or hired your children to work in her back garden that she’s being neighborly?
Wake up and smell the coffee. She’ll be after Jimmy next. Or Benjamin.” Beth jabbed her finger against her temple. “Think
about it! Why would she finally come outside after all this time and decide to attend a kid’s birthday party? Because she’s
on the hunt for her next married man, that’s why. She’s looking to come between another couple.”
Natalie thought back to the cocktail party. There was no denying Mrs. Smith’s powerful presence. She’d silenced the room when
she first walked in, but she hadn’t stayed long. She’d socialized only with her immediate neighbors and then left without
saying goodbye.
“It is a little odd that she’d want to spend an evening with three hundred people when she ditched the cocktail party after forty-five minutes because she’s not used to crowds,” Natalie mused aloud.
“I’m not buying her story about the skin condition, either.
She had perfect skin. Perfect hair. And a perfect body.
She’s younger than all of us, but she seemed much older.
It was the way she talked. There is something strange about her. ”
Beth said, “She’s a witch. You’re inviting a witch to celebrate your son’s bar mitzvah. You know what she did to Don. How
she hurt me, and you still want her there? Are you serious?”
Elaine folded her hands in prayer. “Please. I won’t have anything to do with her after next Saturday. Not a thing! But I gave
her my word. Just come to the party and—”
“It’s us or her,” Beth said flatly. “You have to choose.”
Elaine opened and closed her mouth like a fish. Finally, she murmured, “I can’t.”
“Actually, you just did.”
Beth stormed to the front door, opened it, and then whipped around to face her friends. “She’s dazzling you. You don’t see
it, but I do. It’s exactly what she did to Don.” Her hand closed around the cross pendant hanging at the base of her throat.
“That woman is evil, and as long as she’s in your lives, we can’t be friends. I’ll be praying for you and your families, but
don’t call me until you’re done with her.”
The door had barely closed behind her when Natalie turned on Elaine. “Beth needs this party. She needs to dress up and feel
pretty. She needs to drink champagne and dance with Don. How can you do this to her?”
“My son’s happiness comes first. I’ll fix things with Beth when it’s over.” Elaine stood up and carried her wineglass to the
bar cart. “I feel a headache coming on. I think I’ll go home and lie down. Good night.”
Natalie let out a huff of exasperation and carried their dirty glasses into the kitchen. By the time she returned to the living
room, Elaine was gone.
Feeling out of sorts, Natalie went out to the back deck and sank into a lounge chair.
She was annoyed with her friends. She’d wanted to celebrate her triumph. After all, she’d done the impossible. She’d sold
the McCreedy house. Her friends knew how important this was to her, but they were too wrapped up in themselves to care.
In the rafters, she heard the electric bug zapper fry insect after insect. The sound pacified Natalie. She sank deeper into
her chair and tried to absorb the serenity of the quiet harbor and the star-filled sky.
The kids were downstairs watching TV and Jimmy was out with two of his sailing buddies, which meant she had at least another
hour to herself. There was nothing she had to do. No one needed anything from her. The kitchen was clean. The dogs had been
fed. She could take a long bath, paint her nails, or read a book.
Instead, she made popcorn for herself and the kids. Then she went downstairs and joined them for the end of Time Bandits.
When the credits started rolling, Justin climbed onto Natalie’s lap. She kissed the top of his head and told him it was bedtime.
To J.J. and Jill, she said, “No more TV. You can read until ten.”
After tucking Justin in, Natalie got ready for bed. She turned on the small TV in her room and settled in to watch Death on the Nile. During commercials, she flipped through a Spiegel catalog, folding down a page featuring a long denim skirt and another
showing a smart-looking red blazer. She made it halfway through the catalog before the dogs appeared next to her bed, whining
to be let out.
With a sigh, she threw off the covers and followed the dogs to the front door. On her way back, she poked her head into Jill’s
room. Her daughter had a book open on her lap and two more stacked near her feet.
“Still reading about monsters?” Natalie asked.
“They’re African folktales,” Jill said. “Some have monsters. Some don’t.”
“I was about your age when I got really into mysteries. I’ll have to give you one of my old Agatha Christie paperbacks to
try.”
Closing her book, Jill stared at its cover. Without looking at Natalie, she said, “Would your parents have believed you if
you told them something was evil? Like the kid in Time Bandits tried to do?”
Natalie glanced around her daughter’s room, idly searching for anything that might be out of place, but all was in order.
“Probably not. Because I was a big-time reader. Like you. They would’ve thought I was telling them a story—something from
a book or my imagination.”
“What if you knew something was evil, like the black rock in Time Bandits, but you couldn’t get any adults to believe you?”
“I’d do what the boy in the movie did. I’d try to be brave and figure out how to solve the problem myself.” Natalie began
to close the door. “You’d better hit the hay. If you want a trophy like J.J.’s, you’ll have to swim like a shark tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
Natalie smiled at her daughter. She almost said, “I love you,” but “sweet dreams” came out instead.
“You, too,” Jill whispered back.
Climbing into bed, Natalie picked up her Spiegel catalog again. As she studied the glossy pages, her thoughts turned to Beth.
Could she and Don continue living up the street from Mrs. Smith, or would they feel compelled to move?
Natalie pictured a Gold Coast sign with her name on it in front of their house. A vase full of yellow roses in Beth’s kitchen.
She saw herself in her gold blazer, opening the door to a crowd of eager buyers.
She drifted off long before Jimmy came home. By the time he slipped into bed, she was dreaming of Gold Coast signs up and down the street. Every sign bore her name. In the kitchens of every house, there were vases with yellow roses.
In her sleep, Natalie wore the ghost of a smile.