Authors: Cynthia Ellingsen
Forty-six
S
itting in front of the mirror at her vanity table, June touched the perfume dauber to her neck. The bright, citrusy scent did not match her dark mood one bit. Setting down the bottle, she frowned at her reflection.
“Maybe I should call in sick,” June told Charley. “I just know they’re not going to want to see me at mahjong.”
Charley was busy looking out the window with a pair of binoculars. “June. Don’t be foolish. You never miss your group.”
“Yes, but . . .” Her hands hovered over the earrings she’d planned to clip on. They were yellow daisies, trimmed with white enamel. They seemed much too bright for the way she was feeling. “I’m afraid. Isn’t that ridiculous?”
When June and Charley had started seeing each other, Rose and Bernice simply stopped returning her calls. The snub very much hurt June’s feelings. Besides, everyone was saying that Rose had started to date a young man she’d met while spending time with Charley at the golf course. How could she possibly be angry at June? Bernice, on the other hand . . . well, June could understand.
“They’ll get over it,” Charley said, scanning the backyard, “as soon as they see how happy you are.” Turning away from the window, he trained the binoculars on her. “I can see that pretty clearly. You’re glowing.”
“Oh.” June’s hands fluttered to her face. She was certain those binoculars picked up every wrinkle, each imperfection. “I most certainly am not.” When the binoculars remained trained on her face, she shook her finger at him. “Charley Montgomery, you stop that this instant.”
Chuckling, he walked over to her and rested his chin on her head. Gazing at their reflection in the mirror, he said, “I have never seen anything as beautiful as you. Not the plume of a bird or the petal of a flower. Your friends couldn’t possibly be mean to something so lovely.”
“I don’t know.” June frowned, although she very much liked the sight of Charley’s face hovering above hers. “These women certainly don’t like to lose.”
“You don’t like to lose, either.” Charley winked. “And for that, I will be forever grateful.”
June scrunched up her lips. “Do you really think you could have married Rose?”
He chuckled. “Rose is a lovely woman. And she makes a delicious strudel. But marry her? No. Most certainly not.”
“What about Bernice?”
“Bernice . . .” He thought for a moment. “There’s something very sweet about Bernice. Actually, I wouldn’t mind setting her up with one of my friends. I might know just the fellow.”
June’s eyes widened. “Really?” She clasped her hands in delight. “Oh, Charley. That would be wonderful. Then maybe she’d forgive me.”
“Well, don’t get too excited. He’s down in Florida now and won’t be back until the spring but . . .” Charley tapped his finger against his lips. “I think those two would hit it off real well.”
June let out a happy sigh. “Now, if only Bernice will speak to me, I can tell her that.”
He just shook his head, watching her.
“What?” June clipped on her earrings. “What is it?”
“You’re just a remarkable woman, June. I’ve never met anyone who wants so badly for everyone around her to be happy.”
June studied her hands, feeling guilty. It was nice of him to say but she certainly didn’t feel remarkable. Not in the slightest. “That’s not true,” she admitted. “I would have died if Rose or Bernice ended up with you.”
“That never would have happened,” Charley said. “I had my eye on you from the beginning. And I didn’t even need to use these.” He patted the binoculars.
June smiled, thinking of the way she used to spy on him.
“Now, you’ve all been friends for a long time,” he said. “They’ll come around. And if they don’t . . .” He lifted his chin, trying to look tough. “You just give old Charley a call. He’ll go ahead and give them a talking-to.”
“Ah-ha,” June said, her eyes dancing. “Turns out, I am not a nice person at all, because . . .” Getting to her feet, she rested her cheek against Charley’s chest. “That’s something I’d really like to see.”
* * *
June hovered at the edge of Nina Lowenstein’s wood-paneled library, twisting her hands. The low-lit room with its long brocade curtains, wall-to-wall first editions and ornate antique tables suddenly felt cold and intimidating. Groups of women were clustered together, whispering, their backs to the door. It did not escape June’s notice that not one of the women looked her way.
Oh, dear. This was worse than she suspected.
Just as June was about to make a run for it, Rue swept up to her side, gripping her elbow. “Hello, darling family,” she crooned.
Conservative as always, Rue was dressed in an elegant pantsuit with her hair done in a neat bob. Considering she was from one of the oldest families in Chicago, June had always been slightly intimidated by her, until the day June paid her a visit to discuss Geoff’s intentions with her granddaughter. Rue had been so delighted to learn that the two were seeing each other that she and June had their first good talk ever, lasting late into the afternoon.
Now, June smiled at her in delight. “Isn’t it something? You should have seen your grandson. He got down on one knee as though he were an old pro.”
Rue raised a well-groomed eyebrow. “Darling, he is something of an expert. He’s been married once before, you know.”
June laughed. “Yes,” she said. “That experience must have come into play.”
Rue’s tongue touched the edge of her mouth, as though waiting for June to say something else. Finally, she said, “You little devil. You’re going to make me ask about it, aren’t you? Fine. Is it true that you will be in the wedding, too? Not as a bridesmaid but as a bride?”
A smile leapt to June’s lips. “It’s true,” she sang, pulling the faux fur wrap she was wearing tightly around her. “I’m marrying Charley Montgomery, my darling neighbor. I’m very happy but . . . I think Bernice and Rose are angry at me.”
The two had their heads together and were in a very animated conversation. On one hand, June was happy to see them finally getting along. On the other, it was disappointing that they seemed to be bonding over a mutual dislike for her.
Rue’s eyes flashed
.
“I will most certainly take care of that right now. As a matter of fact, why don’t you come with me?”
Rue strode across the thick carpeting. Clapping her hands, she announced, “Ladies! Before we get started today, I have something to say. This bride-to-be is about to join my family and I am simply delighted for her. If there is anything any of you have to say about the issue, I’d appreciate it if you’d say it in front of me.”
Rose stepped forward, her blue taffeta dress crunching with the effort. Putting her hands on her hips, she studied June with those cold, cat-like eyes. “I certainly have something to say.”
Bernice nodded, taking a step toward June. “Something to say, indeed.”
The room suddenly felt quite tense. June swallowed hard, wondering if she’d have to call in Charley’s assistance after all.
“Alright,” she said, lifting her chin. “What is it?”
Rose and Bernice looked at each other, then shouted, “Congratulations!” The women in the mahjong group cheered and applauded, stepping away from the table they’d been crowded around. There sat a cake in the shape of a silver fox. In bright pink script, the cake read:
Congratulations, June! You always win the prize.
June’s mouth dropped open. She stared at the cake. “Oh, my,” she breathed, clasping her hands against her chest. Suddenly, the room felt quite hot. “Oh, my.”
Rue patted her on the back. “It appears, darling, that everyone is, in fact, quite pleased.”
“I’m sorry I was a shit,” Bernice said, rushing over and giving June a tight hug. In spite of their proximity, her voice was as loud as ever. “You deserve all the happiness in the world. Congratulations.”
“Out of the way, Bernice,” Rose said, pushing her aside. “It’s my turn.” Shaking her head, she said, “I have to admit, June. I am quite relieved about all this.”
“Relieved?” June said, surprised. “Why?”
“Charley was simply exhausting to court. The only thing he ever wanted to talk about was
you
.” Giving her a kiss on each cheek, Rose smiled. “I’m happy for you.”
June’s heart was brimming with joy. Not only had she been blessed with the gift of love for the second time in her life, she was blessed with wonderful friends to celebrate with. Giving a big smile, she said, “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s eat cake.”
Forty-seven
T
he next afternoon, Chloe met her mother and grandmother at the Drake for an afternoon tea. The hotel was only a few blocks from June’s house and Chloe loved it. They’d been going there ever since she was a little girl and as they entered the lobby, she felt nostalgic.
“What’s wrong?” her mother asked, nudging her.
Chloe took in the flower arrangement on the table and the enormous chandelier that dangled overhead. “I don’t know,” she said. “It’s like, in the past few days, I suddenly started seeing things differently. Like a grown-up, instead of a kid.”
“A diamond will do that,” June said. “This is just the beginning. Next, you’ll probably start wearing dresses and putting on makeup.” She said this while eyeing Chloe’s jeans with disdain.
“These jeans were very expensive,” Chloe lied as they walked into the tearoom. “They’ll fit right in.”
Of course, they didn’t. Everyone was dressed up but, honestly, Chloe didn’t have time. She’d slept over at Geoff’s, went straight to class and then worked a shift at Tiny Tumblers.
Still, she
had
started to think about her appearance in the past few days, particularly her nails. Every time she caught a glimpse of the diamond on her finger, she resolved to go get a manicure.
“So, you feel different?” Kristine said as a waiter whisked away her coat. “More mature?”
“Let’s not get crazy,” Chloe said. Even though she wanted to appear as stately as the harp player or as the coiffed women sipping tea at the tables, she still had a childlike urge to run around the room screaming,
I’m engaged, I’m engaged, I’m engaged!
“I think my maturity level is right on par to where it’s always been.”
“Maturity is highly overrated.” June settled into her chair and reached for a menu. “Maturity requires hormone creams.”
“Gross.” Chloe laughed. “TMI.”
Kristine looked puzzled. “TMI? What is that?”
Chloe and June exchanged a look. Together, they chorused, “Too much information.”
June looked incredibly pleased with herself as she flipped through the menu.
While Kristine and June tried to decide on a flavor of tea, Chloe studied her ring. She’d noticed that it always looked different, depending on the light. At home, it had a crystal glint. On the walk to school, it sparkled with purples and blues. And here, in the tearoom, it flashed with deep golden tones.
Chloe sighed. The artistic nuances of the diamond ring were something she’d love to share with Ben. That, of course, would require her to tell him that she was engaged, which she still hadn’t quite worked up the nerve to do.
“Earth to Chloe,” June said, waving a hand in front of her face.
She snapped back to the present. “Yes. What?”
“We’re about to plan a wedding,” June said. “Will you take notes? As the student of the group, I feel you’re the one who is most capable.”
“Sure.” Fumbling through her backpack, Chloe unearthed a notebook. She felt guilty, somehow, as if thinking about Ben at a time like this had been inappropriate. Pen poised, she cleared her throat. “Go for it.”
“Alright.” June adjusted her red felt hat and pursed her lips, as though deep in thought. “To start, I have engagement photos booked for us this Saturday afternoon. I’ll need Kevin and Geoff, of course, so—”
“Stop right there.” Chloe held up her hand. “That’s two days from now. You have to give me more notice. I’m booked for, like, three months—”
June gave her hand a small squeeze. “Don’t worry, my darling. It will take two hours. I’m thinking sunset, by the lake. Then you’re back to whatever it is you have planned.”
Mentally, Chloe ran through her schedule. She was working until four so, even though it would be tight, it would work. Still . . . “You have to give me more notice,” she grumbled. “From now on. Deal?”
June sighed. “I’ll do my best, but the next few months will be very busy. I want this wedding to be the most impressive thing Chicago has ever seen. Imagine . . . the snow glistens from the ground. Lights shine from every tree. The city still sparkles with the magic of Christmas and—”
“Wait, what?” Kristine cried. “You want to get married in two months?”
Chloe’s eyes widened. Two months? There was a lot on the roster in the next two months: exams, internships, not to mention homework, Tiny Tumblers
and actually having a relationship. How on earth was she going to fit in a wedding?
June flicked off a piece of lint nestled on her dramatic velvet cuff. “For heaven’s sake,” she said, looking back and forth between Kristine and Chloe. “Why are you two acting so surprised? I told you I wanted to get married quickly.”
“Yes,” Kristine said, shooting a worried look at Chloe. “But come on, Mom. We can’t plan a wedding in two months.”
June waved her hand. “Nonsense. Your father and I were married in a matter of weeks, when he was called to Vietnam. It most certainly can be done.”
Chloe considered this. “I guess a lot can
happen in two months. I got engaged in two months.”
“Yes.” Her mother’s voice was tight. “I’m well aware of that.”
June shot her a look. “Unnecessary.”
Chloe looked at her mother in surprise. “Wait . . . What?”
Since when did her mother have a problem with her engagement?
“Mom,” she pressed. “Come on. What is it?”
“I just . . .” Tapping her fingers against her mouth, Kristine turned to watch the harp player by the fountain. The woman’s fingers were moving across the strings at lightning speed. “The engagement was fast. That’s all.”
Chloe was surprised. For years, her mother had been saying she needed to hurry up and find someone. Now it was
too
fast? That wasn’t fair. Besides, it felt good to do something romantic and spontaneous, instead of being “closed off to love,” like Ben had said that night in the bar.
“Why does that even have to matter?” Chloe asked.
“It’s just . . .” Kristine turned back to the table and arranged the silverware in a neat pattern. “Marriage is something to commit to for a lifetime. I’m afraid you’re trying to—
Ouch!
” Glaring at June, she said, “Mother, don’t kick me. I have every right to my opinion.”
“This is a celebration tea.” June took off her hat and set it on a chair, smoothing her ash blonde waves. “You can save your opinion for another time.”
A silence fell over the table. The waiter walked up, perfectly cheerful. He set a tiered tray filled with finger sandwiches, scones and desserts in the middle of the table and explained each item in detail.
When no one reached for anything, he gave a confused smile. “Alright, ladies. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Chloe could think of a couple of things that she needed. Like a more understanding mother.
“You know what, Mom?” The steam from her tea was hot on her face, so Chloe pushed it away. “I said yes to Geoff’s proposal because I’m tired of working so hard to make everything happen. For once in my life, something came easy for me. I met someone, he loves me, he proposed. The end.”
With that, Chloe reached for a sandwich and took a bite.
“But it’s not the end,” Kristine insisted, looking down at her wedding ring. “Chloe, it’s just the beginning.”
June snatched a scone from the tray. She scooped up whipped cream from the bowl and dumped it on her plate, banging her spoon loudly against her dish. “Sometimes, I just don’t understand you, Kristine. Didn’t you get angry with me? When I said these types of things to you?”
“That was a completely different situation, Mom.” Kristine wrapped her hair into a bun and held it there. “You didn’t like Kevin.”
Geez.
This tea was revealing all sorts of tidbits that Chloe would rather not hear.
After all, it wasn’t a secret that her father and June had butted heads over the years, but Chloe had always assumed it was in good fun. She’d never realized that June hadn’t
liked
him. Chloe turned to her grandmother, waiting for some sort of an explanation.
“Chloe, I adored your father,” June said. “I was simply worried that your mother wasn’t ready to get married. For heaven’s sake, she met him in college. She was very young.”
“Yes,” Kristine said, dropping her hair. It fanned out above her shoulders. “I was young. But we’d known each other for quite a long time before he proposed.”
At school, Chloe had learned that sometimes it was best to ask questions directly.
“Mom, do you want me to marry Geoff?” she asked. “Yes or no?”
Kristine hesitated. “Honey, I want you to be—”
“Happy, I know,” Chloe said, her voice dry. “Yes or no?”
Kristine fidgeted with her wedding ring. After a long moment, she looked up at Chloe with her clear blue eyes. “Yes. I want you to marry Geoff, if that’s what you want. You’ll have my full support.”
“Great!” June said, clapping her hands. “Then can we please plan this wedding?”
June picked up where she’d left off. She explained the strings she’d pulled to book them a church two days after Christmas, her ideas for food, music, decorations . . . There were so many little details to think about that Chloe had to write quickly to keep up.
“Okay, hold on,” Kristine finally said. June had just revealed a plan to release doves with rose garlands dangling from their beaks. Taking the notebook out of Chloe’s hands, she scanned through three pages of notes, her forehead wrinkling more and more after each page.
June watched her in surprise. “What are you doing? Is there something I missed?”
“Mother . . .” Kristine said slowly. Setting down the notebook, she looked off into the distance as though trying to choose the right words. “I’m very excited about all of this and so happy for you. But . . .”
June took a sip of tea, patiently waiting for the caveat.
“I’m concerned about some of your suggestions,” Kristine said. “This all feels a little over the top, especially considering that Kevin and I will be paying for two of the three weddings in question.”
June’s laugh tinkled as brightly as the harp. “Darling girl, please don’t tell me we’re going to start
that
whole thing again. We’ve been through this before, a quarter of a century ago. I’m not going through it again.”
“Mother, seriously.” Kristine glared at her. “
I’m
not going through it again. So, don’t even try it.”
“Try what?” Chloe asked, taking a bite of an egg sandwich. The filling practically melted in her mouth. “This is good,” she said, holding it up. “What’s she not supposed to try?”
“When your parents got married,” June said, “your father did not want me to pay for the wedding.”
“Mother.” Red splotches crept up Kristine’s neck like flames.
“Your father is incredibly proud, you see. It took some pressure on my end to help him to understand that, if he wanted to marry my daughter, he was going to do it in style.” June gave a little smile. Reaching for her scone, she took a bite, then waved it as she talked. “
This
time, I will not even tolerate that conversation. This is
my
wedding, my daughter’s vow renewal and my granddaughter’s wedding. I will pay. End of story.”
Kristine’s eyes surveyed the groups at the other tables, as though wishing to sit somewhere, anywhere else. “I’m not going to debate this with you right now,” she said. “Not here.”
“There’s no debate.” June’s voice was firm. “I have been investing the money to use for Chloe’s wedding before she was even born. Now that the opportunity is here, I have more than enough to give her the wedding of her dreams. What’s wrong with that?”
Kristine pressed her fingers into her temples. “You know what’s wrong with that.” Her pretty eyes looked troubled. “Kevin’s not going to like this. Please, just let us take care of it.”
Picking up her teacup, June extended a pinky and turned to Chloe. “Darling, why don’t you decide?” June’s expression clearly read,
Your mother is being unreasonable.
“Do you want your father to work himself to the bone to pay for this wedding? Or do you want to use the money that I won’t need when I’m cold, dead and lying in the ground, but would bring me such incredible joy to use today?”
Chloe thought for a moment. Ever since her father lost his job and started this new one, he’d seemed pretty stressed out about money. He worked all the time, and he was always asking about her scholarships. Last year, he’d even mentioned something about wanting to move back into the city but owing too much on the house to do it. The last thing Chloe wanted to do was put more of a burden on him, especially if June was so eager to pay for the wedding.
“I vote yes.” Chloe finished her sandwich in one bite. At her mother’s groan, she shrugged. “Sorry, but Dad works too hard. Let’s give him a break.”
“Your father loves to work,” Kristine said, shaking her head. “You have to understand that. He’s not going to go along with this. I can tell you right now, it’s just going to cause a big problem.”
“It will be fine.” June patted Chloe’s hand. “Everything, including this wedding, will be just fine. Not just fine. Spectacular,” she said, fanning her hands out like a stage performer.
Chloe bit her lip. “I hate to tell you this, especially after all your big plans, but I don’t want my part to be spectacular. I want to keep it pretty basic. So does Geoff.”
After getting engaged, she and Geoff had a long talk about the wedding. Since he’d been married before, he wanted her to plan whatever she wanted, as long as it wasn’t over the top. Considering Chloe had never wanted a big wedding, she was perfectly happy to keep it simple.
“Simple?” June seemed baffled. “Who wants a
simple
wedding?”
Kristine raised her hand. “I wanted to get married in your garden. I was so scared at the idea of walking down the aisle, all those people looking at me . . .” Her freckled face flushed at the memory. “But you insisted on having some big old wedding in a big old church. I almost passed out.”
June picked up a fork and pointed it at her. “Kristine, your wedding was wonderful. Frankly, I’m shocked you didn’t appreciate it.”
“My wedding was wonderful and I
did
appreciate it.” Kristine recited this as though she’d said it many times before. “But it was a little out of hand. And so were you.”