Leota's Garden (47 page)

Leota had forgotten it was Wednesday. She might not have been so set on firing up Eleanor’s dander had she remembered Corban was coming by to take her shopping. She didn’t remember until he rang the doorbell and she saw him through the sheer curtains. “Oh, dear,” she said, annoyed with herself. Eleanor would be in her car by now, winging her way over for battle.

Thankfully, he had learned to give her plenty of time to get out of her chair and make it to the door. Leota was all ready to apologize and send him home when she got a look at his face. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Nothing.”

“Did somebody die?” She unlatched the screen door and let him in.

“Everything’s just fine, Leota.”

“You know better than to lie to me. I thought we had that understood a long time ago.” He looked like he hadn’t slept since she had seen him last. He was pale, with dark shadows under his eyes—and more tense than she’d ever seen him.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. “Is that okay with you?”

“Pretty good indication it’s something that needs talking out.”

“Lay off, Leota. I’m not in the mood today. Are you ready to go shopping or not?”

“I forgot it was Wednesday.”

“You want me to come back another day?”

“No. I need some things for Thanksgiving.” She couldn’t leave and risk Eleanor showing up while she was gone, nor did she want to send Corban home when he clearly needed to get something off his chest whether he thought he did or not. “I’ll write up the list and give you the money. You can take care of shopping for me today. How will that be?”

“Fine.”

“You’ve still got the key to my house, haven’t you?”

“Yes. Are you sure you want me to keep it?”

“I think I can trust you not to come back in the dead of night and rob me blind. Besides, it’s a safety precaution. What if I collapse sometime and you can’t get in to get me up off the floor?”

He didn’t look amused.

Corban hadn’t been gone thirty minutes when Nora arrived on Leota’s doorstep.

Oh, Lord, oh, Lord, help me get through to my daughter. Help me . . .

Leota opened the door. “Hello, Eleanor. I’m glad you could come.”

“Did I have a choice?” she said before the door was even unlatched. “We could’ve settled this over the telephone.” She stepped into the house. She didn’t look into Leota’s eyes, but made a sweeping glance of the room, her face tightening as though everything about it brought back unwelcome memories. She noticed Barnaby and grimaced. “A parrot?”

“A rainbow lory, Annie tells me. Barnaby belongs to Susan Carter, but he’s had a nervous breakdown and needs quiet and rest. That bird cost five hundred dollars. Can you believe that? A policeman gave him to Susan. Why don’t you sit down and I’ll fix us some coffee?”

“I don’t want coffee.”

“Tea?”

“Not tea, not water, not
anything
. I don’t have time.”

Leota eased herself back into her recliner. She looked at her daughter where she sat on the edge of the sofa. She was dressed in elegant gray slacks, a white silk shirt, and a charcoal tweed blazer. She wore gold earrings and necklace, and dark-gray leather pumps with edges of brown
across the tops to match the bag she hadn’t unlooped from her shoulder. Her hands, nails perfectly manicured and painted red, gripped her knees.

One false word. Leota knew that was all it would take and her daughter would be on her feet and out the front door in a huff. “It’s nice to see you, dear. You had your hair cut since I saw you last.” It was shorter, just below her ears, layered and in soft frosted curls.

“I suppose you don’t like it.”

“I like it very much. It frames your face very nicely.” Her daughter always did have a wonderful sense of style.

“Thank you,” Eleanor said, a sour twist to her lips. “I came to discuss the arrangements for Thanksgiving dinner.”

“We’ve invited George and Jeanne and the children. Jeanne says she’s sure they can make it. She’s going to bring a couple of pies. You can bring something, too, if you like, though it’s not necessary. Annie plans to have the food on the sideboard back there. Everyone can serve him- or herself that way. We’ll set the nook table for Mitzi and Marshall, and the adults can sit at the dining room table.”

“There’s not enough room around your table.”

“There will be when we put the table leaves in. They’ve been stored in the bedroom closet.”

“You haven’t the money for a nice centerpiece.”

“I have a garden.”

“Yes. You have a garden.
How
could I forget?” She pressed her lips together when her mother said nothing. “It’d be easier and much better if we had Thanksgiving at my house.”

“I haven’t had Thanksgiving here in years, Eleanor.”

“You
never
fixed Thanksgiving dinner, Mother. Not once, that I can remember. Grandma Reinhardt is the one who had it because this was
her
home and not ours. And she did all the work.”

“Just the way you do.”

Eleanor lifted her chin slightly. “It’s one of the things I
enjoy
doing for my family.”

“About as much as Mama Reinhardt did, I would imagine.”

Eleanor said nothing for a couple of seconds. Leota could feel the undercurrent and was afraid of being sucked under.

“Annie can’t cook,” Eleanor said finally.

“You might be surprised what Annie can do.”

“Shocked, more likely. It’ll be a disaster and you know it. Is that what you want? To see her humiliated?”

“It’ll only be a disaster if you make it so.”

“If it all goes wrong, you’ll blame me. Is that it?”

“No one has ever cast blame on you, Eleanor.” She held her breath for two seconds and then said it straight out, once and for all: “I was always the scapegoat.”

“Oh, that’s rich, Mother. You
escaped
every bit of responsibility you ever had! Two children. Remember us? You moved into Grandpa Reinhardt’s house and dumped us on Grandma so that you could go off and live the high life. Even when you came home, you were more interested in that garden than in me or George!”

“You have no idea of the circumstances—”

“No circumstances would make
me
dump
my
children. I’ve always been there for them. From the time they were babies I managed to be at home with them. I’m still at home for them.”

“And you think that makes you a better mother than I was?”

“Yes!” Nora’s eyes glittered with angry tears. “I do. I don’t think you ever had any idea of what being a mother was all about.”

Leota’s heart broke as she looked into her daughter’s eyes. How had they come to this impasse? Surely all that fury hid a sea of hurt, but how could Leota get through to her daughter and convince her she had always been loved? Leota had done what she thought was best . . . what she’d had to do. Eleanor looked away from Leota’s scrutiny and closed her eyes as though she couldn’t bear it.

“You have no idea how awful it was, do you, Mother?”

“No, I don’t.” She only knew how awful it had been for her. “Tell me.”

Eleanor looked back at her in despair. “Why should I? So you can make more excuses?”

Leota had no more time to waste playing who-was-right-and-who-was-wrong. “How many years will it be before you decide to move on with your life instead of blaming everything on the past?” She saw the flush pour into her daughter’s cheeks. Not from conviction, but from temper. So much for getting to the heart of things.

The sound of a key in the door drew their attention. Corban unlocked the front door.

Eleanor rose. “Who is
this
, and what’s he doing with a key to the house?” she said heatedly as Corban stepped into the room. He looked at Eleanor in surprise and then glanced at Leota.

“This is Corban Solsek. Corban, meet Eleanor Gaines, my daughter.”

“Nice to meet you.” His tone of voice said the opposite.

Leota nodded at him. “You can put those groceries in the kitchen and join us if you would like.”

“I’ve got another bag in the car.”

“Did I give you enough money?”

“More than enough. I’ll give you the change as soon as I put these things away.”

Eleanor sat rigidly on the sofa, watching and listening. Corban glanced at her again. “If you’ll excuse me, Ms. Gaines,” he said and headed for the kitchen.

“Are you completely out of your mind giving a stranger a key?” Eleanor said in an angry whisper. “Who is this person, and what do you know about him?”

“Corban’s been coming over to help me for several months now. Every Wednesday like clockwork.”

“How did you meet him?”

“I called an agency after seeing an ad on television.”

“Oh,
Mother
.”

Leota had had just about enough. “I need groceries. It’s a long walk to the market, uphill all the way home. I don’t drive. What would you have me do, Eleanor? Starve?”

“You can call in an order to a grocery store and they’ll deliver it.”

That would be nice and impersonal. And expensive. “I prefer this arrangement. Besides, Corban is good company.” Nothing like a discussion with him to get her blood up. “Sometimes he even drops by on the weekend and helps in the garden.” Not that he liked it much. She suspected he was becoming more interested in her granddaughter than in horticulture.

“What does George have to say about this?”

“Why should George have anything to say about it? He hasn’t called in months. I doubt he knows. He’s too busy with his business and family to have time to run over here and help me.”

“That’s just an excuse,” Eleanor said, clearly annoyed.

“Oh, you know how it is, Eleanor. I’m sure Michael is just as busy with his life, too.”

Eleanor’s eyes sparked. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing other than what I said. Why are you always so defensive about everything I say? All I mean is it’s nice to have company once in a while. Corban is welcome here anytime he wants to drop by. I’m not sending him away.”

“Just like you won’t send Anne-Lynn home, even when you know it’s where she belongs.”

“If you wanted Annie at home, why were you going to send her off to Wellesley?”

Eleanor blushed dark red. “It would’ve been better for her future than
art
school.”

“She’s very gifted, Eleanor. Just as you were.”

“Oh. You’re an art expert now?”

“I know what I like.”

“Leota!” Corban called from the kitchen. “Where do you want your Metamucil?”

“Above the sink! Cabinet to the left with the water glasses. You can put it on the bottom shelf with the vitamins and aspirin.”

“He calls you
Leota
?” Eleanor was clearly scandalized.

“What would you have him call me? Grandma Moses?”

“Mrs. Reinhardt would be more appropriate.”

“He’s a friend. I told him to call me Leota.”

“How do you know he isn’t just worming his way in here in hopes you’ll leave him something in your will?”

That gave Leota pause. Was that what worried Eleanor? Not concern for her mother’s safety or fear that someone might be taking advantage of an old lady? It was her inheritance, such as it was. “What would I leave him that matters to you, Eleanor? You hate everything about this house. There isn’t a thing I have that you want.” At least, that was what Eleanor had always said. Had she changed her mind?

“Are you saying you’re going to put him in your will?”

“We aren’t discussing my will. I’m asking you what
you
want!”

Eleanor’s eyes flickered. She looked embarrassed and ashamed, then angry.

Would Eleanor ever understand that she was the daughter of
her mother’s heart? What more could Leota do to make it clear? “If there’s anything in this house that means anything to you, Eleanor, anything at all, all you’ve got to do is tell me and I’ll make sure you have it.”

Face pinched, Eleanor got up and went to the front window, drawing the curtain aside. Was she checking to make sure the hubcaps were still on her car?

Corban came back into the living room. Leota saw by the look on his face that he was ready to go. “Why don’t you heat some water, and we can have some of that cappuccino Annie brought last week?”