The Lonely Lady (38 page)

Chapter 9

The Sawmill River Parkway was deserted. Disregarding the posted limit, Licia calmly moved the big car up to seventy miles an hour. JeriLee looked at the clock on the dashboard. It was almost nine thirty. “Are you sure it will be all right with your mother, bringing someone up to dinner at this hour of the night?”

“My mother’s used to it. We’re all night people in my family.” She began to slow down. “Besides we’re almost there. We get off at the next exit.”

“You like driving?” JeriLee asked.

Licia nodded. “Especially this car.” She laughed. “It used to be a pimp’s hog. Man, when he got it he was on top of the world an’ he shit down on everybody. Then he got heavy into horse an’ completely lost control. His girls georgied on him an’ he had to sell it to feed the habit. I got it for practically nothing because he still had some payments on it. But he was one guy I didn’t mind shaftin’. He had to be the world’s number one prick.”

They turned off the main road onto a narrow road that wound its way through the trees to the top of a small hill where a few houses were clustered. “We’re here,” she announced, pulling into the first driveway on the left.

The front door opened as they got out of the car and a boy came running down the steps and across the lawn. “Mommy! Mommy!”

Licia bent forward and he leaped into her arms. He put his arms around her neck. “You came just at the right time,” he said. “There’s nothing but commercials on.”

Licia laughed and kissed him. “I swear you’re goin’ to wind up with square eyeballs from watchin’ the tube like that. JeriLee, this is my son, Bonny,” she said, putting him down. “Bonny, JeriLee.”

The boy came to her, his hand outstretched. “Hello,” he said. “Do you like television?”

JeriLee laughed. “Yes.”

“Good,” Bonny said. “We can watch it together. There’s a good show just starting.”

“You’re going to bed, young man.” The woman’s voice came from the open doorway. “You’ve got school tomorrow.”

Bonny turned back to Licia. “Mommy?”

Licia took his hand and they started toward the house. “You heard Grandma.”

“But you just got here,” he said. “I won’t even be with you.”

She laughed. “You wouldn’t be with me anyway. You’d be with the TV.”

Licia’s mother was a tall woman and if it weren’t for the fact that her hair was flecked with gray she might have passed for an older sister. Her smile was warm and her hand firm as JeriLee took it. “Nice to meet you,” she said.

The house was warmly decorated. Bonny went right to the color television set. “Just ten more minutes,” he said.

“Okay,” Licia’s mother answered. “Then you go right upstairs.”

They went to the kitchen. A table had been set up on the screened-in back porch. A charcoal-fired barbecue was glowing in a corner. “I got steaks and salad,” Licia’s mother said. “I wasn’t expecting company.”

“That’s fine with me,” JeriLee said.

“I make great fried chicken, barbecued ribs and greens, but Licia won’t eat soul food. She says it’s too greasy an’ she’s always on a diet.”

“Mother.” Licia laughed.

“Okay,” her mother said. “You see if’n you kin get your son to bed. I’ll put the steaks on.”

“How do you like yours cooked?” she asked JeriLee.

“Rare.”

“Like Licia.” The older woman sniffed. “I like mine cooked through. I don’t hold with eating raw meat.”

JeriLee smiled. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No. I’m used to managin’. But maybe you like a cold drink? We got all kinds of fruit juices. We don’t hold with liquor and no soda pop in this house.”

“Anything you have will be fine, Mrs. Wallace.”

“Licia likes orange juice, but my favorite is Hawaiian Punch.”

“I’ll have some of that.”

Mrs. Wallace smiled. “I’ll put ice cubes in it. Don’t taste as sweet that way.”

The meat was sizzling when Licia returned. “Those steaks smell good,” she said.

“I had the butcher at the A and P cut them special for me,” her mother said. “He didn’t charge me extra either.”

“My mother’s got everybody in the A and P under her thumb,” Licia told JeriLee.

Licia walked over to the grill. “The meat looks about ready to me.”

Mrs. Wallace got out of her chair. “Now you come right back here an’ set down,” she commanded. “I’m the one who does the cookin’ in this house.”

“Yes, Mother,” Licia said meekly. She looked over at JeriLee and smiled.

JeriLee returned her smile without speaking.

It was after eleven o’clock by the time they finished. During the meal, Licia’s mother didn’t stop talking. It was apparent that a week’s worth of problems and conversation had been stored up inside for this one night. Licia listened patiently—Bonny’s school, shopping, the plumber. All the normal trivia came pouring out. And in the telling there was a feeling of pride. She had coped. Licia’s approval was obviously very important to her mother. And the woman glowed when Licia gave it to her.

Finally Licia said, “We’ll have to be gettin’ back to the city.”

Her mother was surprised. “You’re not stayin’? I got your room all fixed up for you.”

“Maybe JeriLee’s got some things to do in the morning, Mother,” Licia said.

“Do you?” she asked bluntly.

“I don’t want to put you out,” JeriLee said.

“It’s no trouble,” Mrs. Wallace said quickly. “There are twin beds in Licia’s room.”

Licia smiled. “My mother’s used to gettin’ her own way.”

JeriLee nodded, got to her feet and picked up her plate. “Let me help you with the dishes,” she said.

“You don’t have to do nothin’, girl,” Mrs. Wallace said. “We got an automatic KitchenAid dishwasher in this house.”

***

There were three bedrooms on the upper floor. Licia had the master bedroom. It was in one corner of the house, separated from the other rooms by a large bathroom. Licia paused in the upper hallway and kissed her mother. “Good night, Mother.”

“Good night, Mrs. Wallace. Thank you,” JeriLee said.

The older woman nodded and went down the hall to her room. JeriLee followed Licia. A small lamp was glowing between the beds. Licia crossed to the bathroom. “I’ll put out a new toothbrush for you. I have extra nightgowns in the closet. I’ll get one for you.”

“Thanks.” JeriLee walked to the open window and breathed deeply of the night air. It smelled fresh and green.

Licia’s voice came from behind her. “Not much like the city.”

“I’d almost forgotten what fresh air really smells like.”

Licia took out a neatly pressed nightgown. She held it up. “This okay?”

“Fine.”

“You can use the bathroom first,” Licia said, holding the nightgown toward her.

She took the gown and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Quickly she undressed and folded her things neatly over the hanger. She took the toothbrush from its package and brushed her teeth, then washed her face. She had been feeling all right up to now but suddenly she was nervous. She rummaged through her purse. If she remembered correctly, there was a ten-mg Valium in her pill box. When she found it she swallowed it quickly. She felt reassured. Valium always put her to sleep.

Licia smiled as she came through the doorway. “That gown’s a little big on you.”

JeriLee looked down. The hem was dragging on the floor. “I guess it is,” she said.

Licia gestured to the bed nearer the door. “This one’s yours.”

JeriLee nodded. She went to the bed and sat down. Automatically she reached for a cigarette and lit it.

Licia seemed to sense her nervousness. “Are you okay?”

“I’ll be all right. It’s just been a bad day, that’s all.”

“You don’t have to worry,” Licia said in a low voice. “I didn’t bring you up here to hit on you. I never figured we’d be staying.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad you did. It’s the only good thing that’s happened to me all day.”

“Good,” Licia said, going to the closet. Quickly she pulled her blouse off over her head and stepped out of her skirt. She reached behind her to unfasten the brassiere.

JeriLee ground out her cigarette. When she looked up, Licia had slipped into a beige-colored peignoir that was almost the same color as her skin. JeriLee slid down into the sheets.

Licia sat down on the other bed. “What do you think of my little family?” she asked.

“There’s a lot of love here.”

Licia smiled. “That’s why I keep them here. Ain’t no way you can get that feeling in the city.”

“You’re doing the right thing.”

“Bonny’s growin’ fast though,” Licia said. “A boy like that needs a father.”

JeriLee didn’t speak.

“You think he’d put Fred off?” Licia asked.

“Fred loves kids,” JeriLee answered.

“What about me?” Licia asked. “He ever say anything about me?”

“Only that he liked you. He respects you.”

“But he knows about me. He’s seen me with Sam.” Licia was silent for a moment. “It ain’t that I don’t like men, I just went off them. With them everything’s a battle. They don’t make love, they make war.”

“Fred’s not like that. He’s a very gentle man.”

Licia rose to her feet. “I don’t know,” she said hesitantly. “I got to think some more about it. I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“You won’t,” JeriLee said. “You’ll do the right thing.”

“You really think so?”

“I think so.”

Licia smiled suddenly. “Enough of my problems. You go to sleep.” She turned off the light. “Good night.”

“Good night.” JeriLee watched her go into the bathroom and close the door behind her. Then she looked up into the dark. After a few moments she heard the sound of the water running and closed her eyes. She didn’t hear Licia come out of the bathroom. She didn’t feel Licia’s kiss, light on her cheek, or hear her soft murmur. “Poor little baby.” She was fast asleep.

Chapter 10

The fucking California sunshine, she thought as she opened her eyes. Christ. What I wouldn’t give for just one rainy day.

Then she was wide awake and thinking about Licia. For a moment she could almost smell the warm sweetness of her and the smooth sensation of the honey-colored skin against her fingers. Then she heard the voices through the closed bedroom door and the thought was gone.

She sat up in the bed and listened. The voices, a man’s and a woman’s, were muted. Then the man’s voice grew more insistent. A moment later the door opened softly.

Angela peeked into the room. “Are you awake?”

“Yes.”

“You were asleep when I looked in just a moment ago. I didn’t want to wake you.”

“That’s okay. Who’s out there?”

“George.”

“Shit!” JeriLee said. “What does he want?”

“I don’t know. He just said it was important that he see you. I’ll tell him to go away, that you’re not feeling well enough.”

“No.” JeriLee swung her feet off the bed. George was too self-centered just to pay a courtesy call. It had to be something else. “I’ll see him. Just ask him to wait a minute while I go to the bathroom.”

“Okay. You let me know when you’re ready. I’ll send him in.”

“No. I’ll come out there.”

“Don’t you think you should stay in bed?” Angela asked disapprovingly.

“What for? I’m not sick. All I had was a lousy little abortion.”

The door closed behind Angela, and JeriLee went into the bathroom. She sat down on the john and changed the tampon. She was bleeding more than she had in the morning and she was still sore. She took two aspirin and a Percodan for the pain. Then she washed her face with cold water. She began to feel better. She touched up her lips, used some rouge on her cheeks and brushed her hair quickly.

George got to his feet as she came into the room. “Hey,” he said, “you don’t look sick at all.”

“Makeup.” She smiled. She sat in the easy chair opposite him. “What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said. “I wanted to tell you how sorry I was about what happened.”

She looked at him without speaking.

“We shouldn’t have rushed it,” he continued. “We should have kept the baby.”

She couldn’t keep the surprise from her voice. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“I’m not,” he said earnestly. “I mean it.”

“But what about your wife?”

“It would have been okay with her,” he said, his blue eyes clear and untroubled. “We talked about it last night. We could have adopted the baby and there would be no problems.”

“Oh, Jesus!”

“Margaret would love to have a baby. She loves kids,” he said.

“Then why don’t you have one?” she asked.

“It’s that damn series she’s in,” he said. “She’s got a three-year contract firm. And that’s big money, especially with the residuals. She’d blow it all if she got pregnant.”

“And how was I supposed to support myself all the time I was walking around with a big belly?” she asked sarcastically.

The sarcasm went over his head. “We talked about that too. You could have lived with us. That way we all would have had a part in it.”

“I don’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head.

“It would have worked,” he said. “We were at a party last night at my shrink’s. Everybody agreed it was a good idea.”

“Everybody?”

He nodded. “Everybody. You know my shrink. He’s got the most important patients in town. And once a month we meet at his house for a sort of consciousness-raising session. That’s how the whole thing came up.”

JeriLee knew his psychiatrist. If you didn’t need him when you went to him, you would by the time you finished your first visit. That is, if you were a big enough name and could afford the hundred dollars an hour.

“That really does it,” she said in a disgusted voice. “It took me two years to get this town to take me seriously and in one evening you hung the cunt label back on me.”

“It wasn’t anything like that, JeriLee,” he said sincerely. “We’re all very honest and open with each other. They all respect you.”

“Sure,” she said.

“Really. Take Tom Castel, for example. He’s producing your picture over at the studio.”

“What about him?” she asked, wanting him to confirm what her agent had told her.

“He said that he’s talking to your agent about you writing the script based on your book. He says that he’s convinced that you’re the only one to do it. Especially after Warren’s scripts turned out such a disaster.”