Hungry for Love (13 page)

“
Nobody wants to hear that
,”
said Candy. 

“
So I was wondering if you
’
d take this lasagna off my hands
,”
asked Sophie.  Maybe we could sit together and have a meal.  Is Bill home yet
?”

“
Bill is off with Wally at a father-son ballgame
,”
said Chrissy.

“
Will
,”
said Sophie with some emphasis
,
looking right at Chrissy
,
“
Is a very nice boy.  With a good appetite.  So—get some plates and let
’
s sit.  I think you girls could use a talk.
”

Chrissy threw up her hands in submission. What was she to do
?
  Maybe she could hide the food in a napkin and toss it later.  She handed the plates to Sophie
,
who took them to the kitchen table
,
saying
,
“
Cozier right here. We don
’
t need to mess up the dining room.
”

“
No
,”
said Candy sardonically
,
“
You don
’
t want to see what
’
s in there.
”

Sophie made three plates of food with the giant lasagna she
’
d brought as well as a salad and some garlic bread and watched happily as Candy began eating with enthusiasm.  She looked at Chrissy
,
who clearly was miserable
,
and so she said in her usual motherly way
,
“
Something bothering you
,
dear
?”

Uncharacteristically
,
Chrissy burst into tears. 
“
I had a big shock today
,”
she said. 
“
Something I never believed I
’
d witness
,
I saw.  My whole world is upside down.  Migraine all afternoon.
”

Sophie patted Chrissy
’
s hand. 
“
It can
’
t be as bad as all that.
”

Chrissy sobbed. 
“
All I ever wanted was to make Bill happy.  For Cindy and Wally to be happy too.  For us to be a family.  I never had a real family of my own you know.  I just want to be the beautiful wife Bill wants me to be.
”

Her mouth full of food
,
Candy spoke up. 
“
You see what I
’
m dealing with
?”
she asked Mrs. G.

As she dried her eyes
,
Chrissy began gazing at the lasagna
,
and almost involuntarily
,
her hand reached out
,
her fork dug into the pasta and into her mouth it went.  Her eyes closed and simultaneous expressions crossed her face
,
orgasmic pleasure and utter revulsion.

Sophie turned her attention to Candy. 
“
Sweetheart
,
what a good eater you are.  You did a great job with your dinner.  And you stayed so neat too.  Do you think it
’
s safe to eat dessert with your princess gown on
?
  That strudel can be drippy.
”

Candy smiled at Mrs. G.  Then she rose from her seat and hurled herself into the old lady
’
s arms. 
“
If I had a gram
,
I
’
d want her to be just like you
,”
she said sincerely.

“
Ahh
,”
sighed Sophie
,
thinking of her grandkids
,
up in the Bay Area and seldom around to see her when she visited. 
“
I can be your honorary gram any time you want.
”

Candy hugged her more tightly
,
then said
,
“
If you think I should change
,
I will
,”
and she ran off to her room.

Sophie reached out to Chrissy and touched her hand. 
“
Listen to me
,
deary.  I knew Bill
’
s wife very well.  She was a happy person.  She ate real food.  She cooked.  Sometimes she baked cookies.  She planted flowers.  She knew the kids
’
names.  She lived.  If you want to be the wife Bill wants
,
be like that. Live.  Stop all this nonsense with the working out all day and dieting until your brain is addled.  Be reasonable.
”

Chrissy looked at her as though she were being attacked.

“
And you know what else about Bill
’
s wife
?”
she asked while Chrissy miserably shook her head
,
wishing this old lady would leave already. 
“
She looked like you.  So you know what that means
?”
 

Chrissy gazed mournfully down at her sneakers and said almost inaudibly
,
“
Yes.  That I
’
m a stand in.  What do they call it in the movies
?
  A stunt double.
”

Sophie smiled knowingly
,
shook her head and said
,
“
It means you
’
re his type.
”

Finally Chrissy smiled.  But she knew something Sophie didn
’
t
,
something that was not a hopeful sign.  And as she began to whisper what she
’
d seen
,
Candy returned
,
wearing play clothes
,
so she couldn
’
t say a word.

“
Now
,”
said Sophie
,
“
Let
’
s have dessert.  Where
’
s that ice cream I tucked into the freezer
?”

Laura sat at the small desk in her kitchen
,
papers piled everywhere.  She worked with total absorption
,
the anti-smoking campaign always at the forefront in her mind.  Her hand raced across a small pad as she listed a number of ideas to explore in more detail later.  There were so many folders on the small space that you could barely see the beloved picture of George
,
and obliterated was all but the top of the silver frame where his name was engraved.   But George wasn
’
t on her mind at the moment.  She wanted to come up with a really big idea
,
something that would finally reach the people who were most resistent to prior campaigns. 

As she flipped the page and began to fill the next with additional jottings
,
the ink ran out in her pen.  She gave it a shake and tried again
,
but no
,
nothing.  She pawed at the folders on the desk
,
moving everything
,
looking for another pen and in the process
,
revealing the beautiful picture of George
,
with his toothy grin
,
his strong
,
sharp teeth prominent in his mouth.  He had been so wonderful.  She gently touched the frame and smiled softly. 

Then Laura rose and walked toward Kevin
’
s den.  It was his home office and he had a similar setup to what was at work
,
with duplicates of all the desk toys.  In the room were other
,
larger items
,
a mini putting green
,
a mini basketball hoop.  Basically it was a college dorm room but with fewer books and no pictures of pro cheerleaders or minor actresses.

Before she could enter the room she heard his voice
,
at a whisper
,
but nevertheless audible.  He was talking to someone he shouldn
’
t be.  Laura knew what to expect but she stopped anyway
,
waiting to hear what he was saying.

“
All I have to do is think of you and it happens
,”
he whispered.  Then after a pause
,
he continued
,
“
No it
’
s you.  I
’
ve never wanted a woman this much.
”