Chapter Nine
Willie hung up her coat on a peg near the back door and got to work. Bustling about the kitchen, she soon had dinner mostly ready. Setting the baked apples and garlic mashed potatoes back into the oven to keep warm, she went out onto the deck to start the barbeque. Willie sat down on one of the chairs, gazing placidly out over the sound while the barbeque was heating up. The water gleamed in the soft light as the sun lowered toward the horizon, a hazy yellowish white ball behind the thin clouds.
As she sat pleasantly thinking about nothing in particular, Willie heard the front door open and close and turned to see her daughter Jen coming into the kitchen.
“Out here,” Willie called, standing up.
“Okay,” Jen called, a split second before appearing on the deck and rushing over to give Willie a big hug. Willie squeezed her daughter tightly for several seconds, and then held her at arms-length to get a good look at her.
“Look at you,” Willie exclaimed. To her, Jen was the most beautiful young woman in the world. Tall and slender, with thick dark blonde hair and hazel eyes, Jen was her father’s daughter.
“But you’re looking a teeny bit thin. What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing, don’t worry. I’ve just been training for a 10k and school has been super hectic.”
“Well I don’t like it. You should come for dinner more often. I’ll fatten you up,” Willie smiled at her and Jen smiled wryly back and rolled her eyes.
“I’m trying to cook more, believe it or not. The local kitchen is beyond disgusting and my stipend doesn’t go far at the restaurants in my neighborhood.”
“Wow. Cooking! Wonders never cease. Just kidding, that’s wonderful Jen. Do you need anything for the kitchen? You didn’t have much last time I was there.”
“Well I’ve collected some stuff since then, but yeah, let me think about it.”
Jen followed her mom back into the kitchen and noticed the salmon marinating in a pan on the counter.
“Hey, can I do the salmon,” she asked.
“Sure,” answered Willie, “do you want instructions or are you going to wing it?”
“Please, I think I know how to use a barbeque. I did grow up here, remember?”
Jen grabbed the barbeque tools from one of the kitchen drawers and took them and the salmon out to the barbeque. Willie took a huge old wooden bowl out of the cabinet, set it on the counter and then gathered the ingredients for the salad. As she rinsed the lettuce in the sink she heard the front door open and close again and turned to see Marcus walk across the living room. Smiling broadly, eyes twinkling, he walked around the counter and gave her a quick bear hug, lifting her off her feet in the process.
“Mom!”
“Marcus, so good to see you son. How are you?”
“Good, good. It smells great in here. Can I help with anything?”
Willie thought for a moment.
“Sure, how about you make the dressing for the salad?”
“Yeah, will do. Just let me go say hi to Jen.”
Willie watched them through the kitchen window as she finished washing the salad fixings. Smiling, she saw them embrace and exchange a few words, laughing. Willie’s heart felt lighter than it had in what felt like forever, and she wished time could stand still, if only for a few minutes. Jen turned back to the barbeque and Marcus came back to the kitchen.
“Okay, let me see if I remember where everything is.”
Willie watched Marcus out of the corner of her eye as she finished the salad and he set about making the dressing. If Jen was her father’s daughter, Marcus was his mother’s son, no doubt about it. He was just a smidge taller than Jen and sturdy, though he still towered over Willie. He had Willie’s bright blue eyes, freckles and curly brown hair. Well, she thought, mine used to be brown anyway!
Willie finished the salad and set the table, listening with perfect contentment as the two of them bantered back and forth as they finished their tasks. Jen came in with the salmon cooked to near perfection and they sat down at the table.
“I’ll say grace,” Marcus offered.
“Yes, of course,” Willie said quickly. Marcus was his father’s son in one way at least, she thought. As he said grace, she marveled a little at how he could reconcile his belief in God with the world they lived in. He still went to the same old church they had all gone to when Andy was alive. Willie wondered if he was aware of her lack of faith and what he might think of it.
“Amen,” Marcus said, finishing his grace. They began filling their plates.
“How are things at old St. Agnes anyway?” Jen asked.
“I haven’t been in ages, as you may have noticed,” she finished sheepishly.
Though she was 21, she still adored and respected her big brother and valued his good opinion of her immensely.
“Well you better hurry,” he replied, sighing, “If you wait too long there won’t be a St. Agnes to go to.”
“What! No way. What’s going on?” Jen asked, incredulous.
“The SJD is taking the church buildings for the Sacred Heart Justice Congregation.”
“Oh for Frank’s sake, that’s like 5 people or something. No one goes there.”
“Well, I guess that’s not what matters to them. They say that since we’re not a sanctioned denomination we can’t have use of an actual church building anymore. They say we’re welcome to meet elsewhere, just not in a church.”
“Wow, I’m sorry to hear that. I better go this Sunday for sure,” Jen said, shaking her head sadly.
“I’m so sorry Marcus. I’ll come this Sunday too,” said Willie.
Marcus, who had been looking gloomily at his plate, looked up keenly at Willie for a moment.
“Well, enough bad news for one day,” he said, forcing a cheerful note into his voice.
“Sis tell me you’ve finally decided what you’re going to be when you grow up.”
“Well, I'm actually thinking about education. Following in your footsteps – and mom’s.”
Jen had changed majors twice already and it was a running joke between them that at the rate she was going she’d graduate just before she retired. Marcus was just finishing his degree in education.
“It’s a shame you can’t study art. Your work is so gorgeous. It’s what you’re really cut out for,” Willie piped in ruefully, shaking her head. Jen shrugged.
“Well, I don’t know about that. I don’t think mom’s actually make the best art critics. I can still do my art on my own time and I love working with kids. It’s just too bad they don’t teach art in school anymore.”
“Are you still thinking of doing your master's, Marcus,” Willie asked, realizing it didn’t do Jen any good to dwell on her situation and so changing the subject.
“Um, I’m not sure. I’m still thinking about it,” Marcus replied after a slight pause.
Willie caught the evasive note in his voice, but her mother’s instinct told her it was not the time to press him. Willie stifled a concerned motherly sigh and began to fill them in on the neighborhood gossip and entertain them with little anecdotes about her days in the garden. They caught her up on their activities and friends of theirs she knew.
The mood quickly became cheerful again and it felt almost like old times, but as sometimes happened during these dinners, Willie felt a sharp twinge of sadness and loss. Though she knew that they needed to have their own lives, and she loved the people they had grown up to be, she longed for the days when instead of going back into the world and their own lives after dinner, they would go upstairs to work on their homework, or hobbies, or go outside to play and then later she could tuck them in bed, safe and sound, and kiss them goodnight.
Willie guessed it was just part of growing old, and thankfully the feeling passed quickly. She was grateful to have them there, and so proud of them. Perhaps someday in the not too distant future there would be grandchildren to tuck in. There was that to look forward to.
“Who’s having coffee?” Willie asked, as the two of them rose to clear the table.
They made quick work of the dishes and when the kitchen and dining room were tidy they went out onto the deck to have their coffee. They sat outside talking until the last light of the day had faded and the air became damp and chilly. Marcus washed up their coffee cups while Willie found Jen one of her old sweaters for her walk home.
“Bye Marcus,” Jen called from the entry.
“Yeah, see you for tennis on Thursday,” he called back over his shoulder.
“And church on Sunday,” she added.
“We’ll see,” he called dryly.
“Hey,” Jen protested. She turned to Willie.
“Bye mom. Thanks for the dinner. And finding my old sweater.”
Willie gave her a quick squeeze and a kiss on the cheek.
“Any time dear. Have a nice walk home and see you Sunday.”
“Okay,” she said, turning and walking out the door. Marcus walked up as Willie closed the door. Taking his coat from the coat hook he looked at Willie and smiled.
“Are you sure you want to come Sunday?”
“What do you mean? Of course I’ll come.”
“It’s just that I know you never felt the same way about the church as dad did. I wish you did, but you don’t.”
Willie hesitated. Of course he knew. He was as smart and perceptive as his father, maybe more so, she realized. Still, Andy had known about her lack of faith and not judged her for it, though it saddened him deeply.
“Look,” she said finally, “I went to church all those years to support your father, out of respect for his beliefs. It was the right thing to do. I want to go on Sunday to support you. It’s wrong that the –“
Marcus frowned and quickly put a finger over her lips. He tilted his head and indicated the screen.
“Effing thing,” Willie said under her breath. Marcus burst out laughing. He turned to leave.
“Love you mom,” he said, giving her a hug goodbye.
“Love you more. See you Sunday,” she said, as he stepped over the threshold into the night.
She realized she hadn’t told him about seeing his old friend Jeff, or about the man in the camel coat. Probably just as well, she thought.