“Yeah, I know. Down year. But at least they’re not the Cubs.”
“Can you imagine? Over a hundred years since they’ve won it all. Makes the Curse of the Bambino seem ridiculous, especially considering the last few years.”
“Who do you think will win it all?”
“I don’t care, as long as it’s not the Yankees.”
“I’m thinking the Mets might pull it off.”
“As good a guess as any,” he agreed. “They’re playing good ball. Royals, too, and they’ve got some serious offense this year.”
As he answered, Marge sent a lazy wink in my direction.
Eventually, Marge and I joined Liz on the back porch. From the living room, sounds of the game drifted outside.
“I was never a baseball fan,” I said to my sister. “I ran track in high school.”
“And now you’re jogging with the mamas. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you let your raw athleticism go to seed.”
I turned toward Liz. “Does she talk to you like this?”
“No,” Liz answered. “If she does, she knows I won’t feed her. Besides, you’re an easy target.”
“I was just trying to say that I don’t think Dad would have wanted to talk to me, even if I did know as much about baseball as you do.”
“Don’t feel bad about it,” Marge shrugged. “You might not know baseball, but I’m sure Dad can’t name every Barbie accessory either, so you’ve got that going for you.”
“That makes me feel so much better.”
“Oh, don’t be so thin-skinned. Dad won’t talk to me when he’s in the garage. That’s your place, not mine.”
“Really?”
“Why do you think I bothered learning anything about the Braves? He probably wouldn’t talk to me at all unless he was asking me to pass the mashed potatoes while we were eating.”
“Do you think that he and Mom talk the way they used to?”
“After almost fifty years? I doubt it. There’s probably not much left to talk about. But hey—it clearly works for them.”
“Daddy!” I heard from the kitchen, and I saw London was skipping in my direction. She was wearing a dress that could have been worn on the red carpet and holding a soft lunch box emblazoned with an image of Barbie. Another item to add to my vast knowledge of Barbie accessories, Marge was no doubt thinking. “Look what I got!” London said, raising it for me to see. “It fits into my Barbie backpack, too!”
“That’s great, sweetheart. It’s really pretty.”
She hugged the three of us while we all took turns admiring her lunch box.
“Are you excited about school?” Marge asked.
London nodded. “I start Tuesday.”
“I know,” Marge said. “Your dad told me. He said that you met your teacher, too.”
“Her name is Mrs. Brinson,” London said. “She’s really nice. She said that I might be able to bring Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkles to show-and-tell.”
“That would be great,” Marge said. “I’m sure the other kids will love them. Where are they now? Did you bring them?”
“No. They’re at home. Mommy said it was too hot to leave them in the car while we were shopping.”
“She’s probably right. It’s pretty hot today.”
“Are you hungry?” I asked London.
“Mommy and I had lunch not too long ago.”
So that’s where you were. “Did you see Nana in the kitchen?”
“She says we’re going to make pudding-in-a-cloud in a couple of minutes. It’s a snack, though, so it won’t ruin my dinner. And then we’re going to plant some flowers.”
“That sounds fun. How about Papa?”
“I sat in his lap for a little while. His whiskers were itchy when he kissed me. He liked my lunch box, too.”
“I’ll bet he did. Did you watch the game with him?”
“Not really. We talked about Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkles and he told me that he missed them. And then we talked about school and my bike, and he said he wanted to watch me ride it sometime. Then he told me that when he was little, he used to ride his bike all the time. Once, he said he rode it all the way to Lake Norman and back.”
“That’s a long way,” I said, not doubting it for a minute. It sounded like something my dad would have done. Just then, Vivian emerged from the house.
I stood and gave my wife a kiss; Marge and Liz offered hugs before taking their seats again. Vivian sat down, too.
Vivian straightened London’s dress. “I think Nana’s waiting for your help in the kitchen, sweetie.”
“Okay,” London said, scampering off and vanishing inside. When the door closed behind her, I turned toward Vivian, aware that I was still bothered about her separate bank account, but it wasn’t the time or place to let her know how I felt. I forced myself to smile and pretend nothing was wrong at all.
“How did it go today?”
“You wouldn’t believe what a pain it was.” Vivian sighed. “It took forever to find the right backpack. They were sold out almost everywhere, but we finally got lucky at the last place we went. It goes without saying that the stores were packed. It was like everyone in Charlotte had the same idea and waited until the last minute to grab school supplies. Which meant, of course, that I had to get London a bite to eat because she was starving by the time we finally finished.”
“Shopping isn’t for the faint of heart,” Marge observed.
“At least it’s done,” Vivian said. She turned from Marge to Liz, focusing somewhere in between them. “How are things going with you two? Any trips planned?”
Marge and Liz both enjoyed traveling; in the years they’d been together, they’d visited over fifteen different countries.
“Next weekend, we’re going to Houston to see my parents,” Liz answered. “In October, we’re off to Costa Rica. Right after London’s birthday.”
“Wow… What’s in Costa Rica?”
“It’s more of an adventure trip. Zip-lines, rafting, hiking through the cloud forest, and we’ll see the Arenal volcano.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“I hope so. And then in early December, we’ll be going to New York City. There are some shows we want to see, and I hear the 9/11 Memorial Museum is really moving.”
“I love New York around the holidays. I never thought I’d miss it when I left, but every now and then, I find myself wondering why I ever left in the first place.”
We left because we were getting married. I didn’t say that, but Liz—being Liz—probably sensed my agitation and like me, wanted to keep things cordial. “There’s no other city quite like it, is there?” she said. “We always enjoy our trips there.”
“If you need help getting dinner reservations anywhere, let me know. I can call my old boss and I’m sure he can pull some strings.”
“Thank you. We’ll keep that in mind. How’s the office move to Atlanta going?”
“It’s going. For whatever reason, I’ve been put in charge of the logistics, and it’s been a lot more work than I imagined. I have to be in Atlanta for a couple of days at the end of the week.”
“But you’ll be at school on London’s first day?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
“I’m sure that will make London very happy. Is there an official move-in date yet? For Atlanta, I mean?”
“Sometime in mid-September, I’m guessing. It’s really going to be an incredible office. It’s right on Peachtree, with amazing views. And Walter has been setting up some of the executives with temporary corporate apartments, so that’s made things a little easier, too.”
“Will you be using one of the apartments?”
“I suppose it depends on how much time I’ll actually have to spend there.”
It depends?
Before I could figure out what that meant, Liz went on. “But you’ll be able to mainly work out of Charlotte, right?”
“That’s the hope, but who knows for sure? This week, I’m in Atlanta three days, but Walter is toying with the idea of eventually running for governor. Not next year, but in 2020. But between his real-estate developments and his PAC and now this, don’t be shocked if I have to be there four days a week.”
“That’s a lot of nights in a hotel.”
“If I’m there that much, I’d probably take Walter up on his offer for a corporate apartment.”
“Seriously?” I finally interjected, unable to help myself.