Gray chuckled. “You’re just glad I’m alive so I can pay for your truck.”
“Yeah, about that. What are you going to do?” Billy asked this with trepidation.
Gray had been leaning with one arm against the screen door and the other stretched across the opening, clasping the door jam with her hand. She straightened suddenly and dropped her hand to her side. This caused Billy to jump back a few steps in anticipation of another pummeling. Gray laughed at him.
“It’s okay, Billy. I’m not mad anymore. Have it hauled over to Manteo and I’ll put a new engine in it and fix anything else the water damaged. If you can find one for whatever that costs, then I’ll give you that amount in cash, but don’t try to milk this deal, Billy. You just remember I’m a lot smarter than you.”
Billy whined, “What am I supposed to do in the meantime?”
Not missing a beat, Gray said, “Walk. Consider it my gift to the rest of the island. It’ll keep your drunk ass off the road for awhile.”
“You shouldn’t a done that to my truck,” Billy said, trying to show a little backbone.
“And you should learn to keep your hands off other people’s stuff, asshole.”
Lizbeth giggled. The confrontation was quickly being reduced to eighth grade name-calling.
“Dammit, Gray. I was going to put it back.” Now, if Billy had stopped there everything would have been fine, but he didn’t. Instead, he added, “How was I to know you were going muff diving in the middle of the night?”
It was Billy’s good fortune that Gray’s feet were in such bad shape, but it didn’t stop her from trying to tackle him in Lizbeth’s front yard. Due to her injuries, Billy was able to scamper just out of her reach and tear ass down Howard Street.
Gray looked around for something to throw at him. Not finding anything, she yelled after him, “Oh yeah! Well, at least I can get some, you little piss ant.”
Fanny and Lizbeth were whipping themselves with convulsive laughter. After a few more rapid breaths and a long stare down Howard Street, Gray became aware of the other two women and the enjoyment they were having at her expense.
“I’m glad you two are having fun.” She was feigning anger, but it didn’t last long. She joined in the laughter and hobbled back to the porch.
Fanny hollered across the shady lane, “Did she tell you he was her first boyfriend?”
Lizbeth lost it. She doubled over and gasped for air. That was just a jewel of information.
Gray shot back at Fanny, “Yeah, and look at me now. He’s probably the reason I like girls.”
#
Gray’s feet did not look as bad as the day before, but they were still tender. The antibiotic ointment had taken the redness away, but the cuts were still painful. She grumbled about having to wear socks and shoes. After Lizbeth convinced her that two pairs of socks would cushion the bottoms of her feet inside the shoes, she finally gave in and was surprised that she could actually walk without much pain. She kissed Lizbeth and headed off down the lane to Cora Mae’s.
Lizbeth spent the rest of her morning cleaning the cottage and making a list of things she needed from the store. Since she was staying, the list grew longer as the morning progressed. She began to think about all the things in her house in Durham. What would she do with all that furniture? She wasn’t going to leave it to James. He would probably get rid of it anyway. His new trophy wife wouldn’t want Lizbeth’s old things. That was assuming she had a brain. Lizbeth wasn’t sure. After all, she did marry a man that was cheating on his wife with her when they met. Lizbeth thought they deserved each other. It was like that line from a country song. “If she wants a man, who’ll take the ring off of his hand and then turn around and say that he’ll be true, then she deserves you.”
Now, Lizbeth was faced with cleaning out that huge house and making a home here in this little cottage. Although it was a daunting task, Lizbeth was happy to make it happen. She already felt more for Gray than she ever had for James, now that she thought about it. The prospects of a life with Gray held endless possibilities and Lizbeth was more than happy to divest herself of her old life and begin anew.
The first thing she had to do was get her car. Although she loved Gray’s old Jeep, the prospects of driving all the way to Durham in it did not appeal to Lizbeth. She didn’t know if Gray even had a top for the thing. Lizbeth needed to call Mazie. Maybe she could help.
She dialed Mazie at home, because she still had her cell phone. Mazie answered after two rings.
Mazie started speaking as if they had been in mid-conversation. “I tell you, it’s weird looking down and seeing your own name on caller I.D.”
“Thank you for letting me use your phone. I need to get a new one.”
“Already done. You should get the new one any day now. I had it shipped to you down there and I retrieved your SIM card from the pile of phone parts on the table.”
“God, I love you. Is this the part of life where you start taking care of me, instead of the other way around?”
“I guess so. I thought you had a few more years before that started, but you do appear to need a bit of help right now. I assume you are calling to tell me you sold the house back to Dad.”
“Did he call you?” Lizbeth asked.
Mazie giggled. “Yes, he couldn’t wait to tell me. He was curious as to why you were doing it and thought I might talk. Silly man, he hasn’t learned anything about either of us, has he?”
“No, I don’t guess he has. I’m sorry I didn’t get to you first. It’s all happening so fast and I’ve been taking care of Gray. Time got away from me.”
“How is Gray? Did she survive the ordeal intact?”
Lizbeth couldn’t help the dreamy sound in her voice when she said, “She’s going to be fine. A little sore on her feet from the oyster beds, but other than that she’s feeling herself today.”
“You’re really going to do this, aren’t you?”
The question caught Lizbeth off guard. Was Mazie having second thoughts about having a lesbian mother? “Mazie, are you okay with this? I don’t want to embarrass you or anything.”
“Mom, I’m not embarrassed. I think it’s great that you’ve found someone, male or female. I’m just worried that you rushed into this and now you’re selling off your life to be with her. I just want you to be sure, that’s all.”
Lizbeth answered without hesitation, “Mazie, I’ve never been more positive about anything in my life.”
“Okay then. How can I help?”
“You need to go through the house and take what you want. If you don’t have room for it now, I’ll pay storage on it till you do.”
“Oh goodie. It’ll be like antique shopping without having to pay for anything. Anything I should leave for you?”
“I want my grandmother’s dressing table, that’s it. I’ll pick from what you leave to bring down here and Mazie, I’m adding some of the money from the sale of the house to the trust your grandparents left you.”
“Does that leave you enough to live off of? You’re only forty,” Mazie said, concerned for her mother, which Lizbeth thought was so sweet.
“I had enough before I sold the house, so I’m good. You know I never liked running in the old money crowd. This island and this little cottage are more my speed. Besides, Molly hooked me up with a great accountant when I left your father. I’m set.”
“I can’t wait to tell Dad. He’ll have to do something fantastic to try and out do you on this one.”
“Your father wouldn’t have a dime to his name if it wasn’t for his family. You better get it while the gettin’s good. I’m sure he’ll blow through it all before the end. He just paid full price for the same house again. How stupid is that?” Lizbeth giggled.
“I wanted to tell him he got played,” Mazie said, stifling a laugh, “but it’s just too good to let him walk around with his chest poked out, reveling in his victory. He has his house back, whoopee!”
“He loves that house as much as his dick,” Lizbeth said. “I knew he’d buy it back.”
“Oh my God, mom, that’s too funny.” Mazie paused, and then asked, “Are you ever going to tell me what all he did that gave you so much power in the divorce?”
“No, but you can ask him. I doubt he’ll tell you. He paid a high price for those secrets.”
Mazie, undaunted, continued, “Just tell me he didn’t rape anybody or fool around with little girls.”
Lizbeth chuckled. “No, nothing like that. I’ll just say he slept with the wrong men’s wives and a few of their daughters, of age, but still very young. If those men knew, your father would be ruined.”
Mazie understood. She added, “It’s like Grandma said, ‘You don’t crap where you eat.’”
“Yeah, something like that.” Lizbeth had taken to saying Gray’s line.
Mazie was satisfied with the answer and moved on. “Okay, well, I’ll go over this weekend and start marking things for the movers. Is there anything else I can do?”
“I hate to ask you this, but I seem to have come off without a vehicle.”
Mazie laughed. “Yes, you did sort of just leave the other day.”
“I wasn’t thinking past getting here, at the time,” Lizbeth agreed.
“Let me figure it out and I’ll get the car to you. I might just drive it down tomorrow, if that’s okay?”
“Mazie, that would be fantastic and you can spend some time getting to know Gray.” Lizbeth was excited for Mazie and Gray to get acquainted. They were the two most important people in her life and she wanted them to like each other.
“I would like that, too. Oh, and by the way, for your first time out you picked an incredibly handsome woman.”
Lizbeth blushed. “She is, isn’t she?”
Mazie said, with all sincerity, “You make a stunning couple.”
Love for her daughter overcame Lizbeth. She really was a wonderful young woman. “Thank you, sweetheart. You don’t know how much it means to me that you’ve taken all this so well.”
“I just want you to be happy, Mom. I know what you gave up to stay in that marriage for me. You deserve to be loved and Gray really does love you. When I saw the way she looked at you, I knew.”
“You should have tied me to a tree and made me wait for her.”
Mazie chuckled. “I think you would have probably hit me if I tried that, so I thought it was best to just let things play out.”
“You’re right. I probably would have hit you. I can be so stupid sometimes, but it all worked out in the end, so now we turn the page and start working on the rest of the story.”
Mazie giggled. “I can’t wait to see what you two do next. It’ll have to be a hell of a story to top your beginning.”
“I can do without the excitement. I’m shooting for a nice relaxed life here on this little island. No more drama.”
“Mom, if what you say is true about women throwing themselves at Gray all the time, there is going to be drama.”
Lizbeth surprised herself by saying, “Only if they touch her.”
Mazie’s laughter filled Lizbeth’s ear. She said between guffaws, “Jealous much?”
Lizbeth joined her daughter in laughter. “I have discovered that I have quite the jealous streak when it comes to Gray, and I have no control over what I’ll do or say. I kissed her in front of the whole bar the other night when some wench tried to hang all over her.”
“You’re not worried that she’ll cheat on you?” Mazie’s protective nature had returned.
“Nope,” Lizbeth said, assuredly, “when Gray loves somebody, she doesn’t cheat. That’s why she and Dana split up after ten years. Dana cheated on Gray.”
“You two have a lot in common, don’t you?” Mazie asked.
“Yes, as far as relationships go, yes we do. We’re both very monogamous.”
“That’s good. You certainly have had your share of being cheated on. I never could understand it. Dad loved you. He still does. You’re beautiful and smart. I just didn’t get why he had to fool around.”
Lizbeth had thought about that long and hard for many years. She had finally come to the following conclusion. “It took me a while to figure it out myself, but I do believe your father loved me. He’s addicted to the excitement of an affair. His new wife won’t fare much better than I did, I’m sure.”
“Oh, Candy is too stupid to know what’s going on. She’ll go along blissfully spending his money, totally unaware. He’s already up to his old tricks. I saw him myself, the other day, with Robert Harris’ wife.”
Lizbeth gossiped, even though she knew she shouldn’t. After all, this was Mazie’s father. “That’s old news, Mazie. They’ve been on and off for years.”
“Jesus, does he shoot Viagra in his veins? How does he keep up with all of them?”
A chuckling Lizbeth responded, “I’m just glad I made it out of that marriage without an STD. At least he picks healthy women.”
Mazie finally let Lizbeth hang up, promising to call after she talked to her husband about coming down on Saturday. Lizbeth would have to drive her back, but they would visit a few days first. Mazie was making Lizbeth’s transition from hetero to homo life so much easier than she had expected it to be. So many people have a hard time being who they really are. The recent rash of suicides among gay teens bore that out. Lizbeth was blessed and she knew it.
Lizbeth had yet to confront her other family members. She really didn’t care what they had to say and she would love to be a fly on the wall when James found out. He’d probably think it meant he was the only man she could love, but that wasn’t it at all. If Gray had been exactly the same, only male, she would have fallen for her no matter what. James would never understand that. He was too wrapped up in his maleness ever to consider a woman didn’t need a man to be happy.