Chapter Nine
Bella
I do the drive of shame to my parent’s house and consider sleeping in the car. How can the guilt not be written all over my body? Plus I’m really late so there are going to be comments about me missing dinner and I’m really not in the mood.
I have never done that kind of thing. I mean, I’ve done some naughty things, but never in public and not with a man I don’t know. Jeez, I only got his name a few minutes before we went flying through the bathroom door, glued from mouth to hip, pressing into each other like body thieves.
“Look who’s here,” Great aunt Dottie throws open the door and shouts back over her shoulder.
She flings her arms around my waist and it’s so weird, how tiny she is all of a sudden. She barely comes up to my chest when the reverse was true only a short time ago, or so it seems. The other sisters all emerge from the living room like a swarm of waddling ducklings. Each one throws her arms around me in turn, exclaiming how I’ve grown.
Huh? Maybe only a few pounds on the hips.
“How’s school sweetheart? You’re keeping up your grades?”
“I, um, yes, it’s going great.”
No point explaining that I graduated ten years ago. The information will be forgotten within minutes plus I don't feel like getting into it about my job again tonight. How do I explain about sex toy marketing to my six great aunts ranging in age between seventy seven and ninety two?
“That’s fantastic. You have to get a good job and not rely on any man for your livelihood.”
“Dottie, don’t be silly, Bella’s getting married tomorrow.”
“No that’s Scheherazade, you’re the silly one.”
“Dang. Isn’t it about time Bella found herself a steady fella?”
“Perhaps she’s one of those lesbians, they’re all the rage now you know.”
“They’ve always been the rage, we just never needed to shout about it before.”
“Oh you think you’re the only hip one because you lived in Paris.”
“Bella, when are you going to get a man, or a woman, we don’t mind which but you need some love, little girl.”
“We want to see you hitched.”
“Where’s Scherri?” I ask, hoping for reinforcements from them all chattering over one another.
“She went out to the wedding site with Stick and Lyndsey. To check it looks good. They’ll be back any minute.”
“Yes, you’re such a beautiful girl. Why aren't you getting married tomorrow?”
“Because it’s Scheherazade's wedding,” Giselle tells her with an eye roll.
“I can ask, can’t I?” Dottie snaps.
I gnaw at the soft flesh inside my cheek. I wish I could tell them I had someone too. They’re right, I’ve never been able to show them a special someone they could root for. Then pebble comes barreling out of the other room, set loose or just woken, he hurls himself at my legs wanting love.
I drop down to the wooden floor he’s skittered over and hug him close.
“Hey, Peb, you got so big so fast.”
The memory of the night I met him, the same night I met Jacket, when I came up for gran’s funeral, all crowds in on me. And then I remember the photo.
And before I consider what I’m about to do, I dig into my bag. Pebble nuzzles his nose into my purse, sniffing for snacks and I remember I left the grocery bag at the bar. Damn. This night has me all confounded for so many reasons.
“Actually I am seeing someone,” I say.
“Ooh, what’s he like?” Giselle coos.
“Is it serious?”
“Is he handsome?”
“Is he good to you?”
All six great aunts jump in at once, wanting answers.
Battling with Pebble’s wet snout, I find what I’m looking for in my purse and yank out my phone. He sniffs at that and pouts when he realizes that it isn’t edible. After a shake of his nose I swipe through and find the photo I’m looking for.
“You be the judge,” I hold up the screen, and all six faces crane forward as one to take a look.
“Ooh, he’s gorgeous.”
“If only I was ten years younger.”
“Ten? You mean forty.”
“He looks like a man that could handle an older girl.”
“But he’s in love with Bella, so he’s taken.”
“How romantic, do you think you’ll be getting married soonish?”
“Well, we haven't set a date,” I trail off.
“Oh, how exciting, is he coming to the wedding? Do we get to meet him?”
God, I’m starting to sympathize with Jacket’s reticence for social events. He’s right about the questions weighing you down. And they’re all so excited, now I feel really rotten about lying.
“No, he can’t come. He’s away. He’s working. In Europe. Or Maybe Africa. It’s secret.”
Oh crap. Seems like I can’t stop making up inventive tall tales. It was a stupid idea. Like I said tonight has thrown me right out of my comfort zone and the only consolation is that the aunties are sure to forget my silly lie before it gets out of control.
“I was in Africa once,” Matilda says. “Hemingway and I were there on a mission.”
“On a story, you mean. You weren't a pair of spies.”
And they’re off. Back in a glamorous world of parties with artists and wild nights of love while bombs fell around them.
“We were brave back then. We lived life and didn’t cower away from it in fear.”
“We knew it could be taken from us any second.”
The aunties wander back into the house, talking about heading to bed, and the past. Dottie pulls me along with them.
The den has been made over into a bedroom with a huge bed for them all to sleep in.
“Are you all sharing one bed?” I ask Dottie, her teeny hands clinging to my arm.
“Oh we’re quite used to it darling. We grew up like peas in a pod.”
“Maybe I should find a motel.”
“You will not,”
I whip around and see Scherri moments before she throws her arms around me in what I can tell is relief. Stick and my mother are right behind and Pebble is going ballistic with joy seeing them again, like they’ve been gone a decade. Which it could be in dog time.
“You missed dinner,” my mom says accusingly, giving me a peck on the cheek.
Then she sniffs at my face. Christ, I hope she can’t smell masculine residue from Jacket. He was definitely highly aromatic but sporting a delicious manly odor that makes me wet again thinking of it. Better I don't think of him at all. I got my hopes all in a tangle, thinking that just because he went down on me in a public bathroom he might be willing to play the part of my new beau.
“Yeah, was traffic bad?” Scherri asks “Have you eaten?”
“Yeah and yeah, kind of. Half a package of chips.”
“You’ll get pudgy and your skin will break out,” my mom says and Scherri gives me a look.
We both grew up with mom constantly on our case about our body image.
“She’s perfect,” Scherri interrupts. “Look at her, she never gains an ounce.”
“That can change in a heartbeat and once it goes on it won’t come off.”
“Come on, let’s make you a plate of something,” Scherri tugs me to the kitchen.
I allow myself to be lead, figuring she wants to chat. First I say hi to stick and give him a hug although it’s difficult to get around the dog.
“I’m so glad you’re here and don’t even think of leaving. You room’s all ready up in the attic.”
Scherri chatters about the final plans and the rehearsal dinner tomorrow that our father will be in town for as she rustles me something to eat.
“What’s the matter? You look glum?”
“I, um, oh nothing, just hungry.”
In the end I decide not to tell her I missed eating with a gorgeous man that made me come all over his face before taking me to dinner. I could easily share about the public sex and almost getting caught by Grocery Girl but I don’t want to admit, even to her, that I had a stupid tantrum and walked out on the only man that’s interested me in months. Maybe years.
What the hell is wrong with me? The aunties are right to question me. I’m probably never going to get married.
“Well, eat up, we’ve got a lot to talk about. I’m so excited.”
“You must be, I am too. It’s going to be gorge.”
“I invited three of Stick’s buddies from his unit but I never heard back from them. It’s too bad. None of his friends are coming.”
“He’s got you babe. That’s all he needs.”
“That’s what he says too.”
Once I climb the ladder to my bed under the eaves, I again feel the pang of aloneness. Even here with my family, it makes me sad that I don’t have a best friend like Stick is to Scherri. Someone that’s always there for only me. I guess I never will if I stomp off in a huff like I did tonight every time I don't get what I want.