David Gates - Preston Falls

"Right," says Jean. God, who do they know anymore?

"Well, I better let you get back to work. Suppose you make some calls, see how you do and then get back to me in a couple days. Or I can get back to you. This is what — Thursday? If I don't hear from you, I'll give you a call early next week. Now, is this the best number to reach you?"

"Yes— please. If I can help it, I'd like my children not to be exposed to any more than they have to be."

"I understand. Believe me. I have two daughters."

"Look, I know it's stupid," she says. "They're going to get it regardless, aren't they? They're just going to get — I don't know— hammered. And on top of everything else, I have to get on a plane in a few minutes."

"For?"

"Come again? Oh. For Atlanta."

"You reachable there?"

"Well, it's just overnight, really. I mean I can give you the hotel."

"If you have it handy."

"It's the Airport Marriott," says Jean. "In Atlanta. I think it's four oh four? But Marriott should have an eight hundred number. So stupid — I hadii right here."

"We can get it if need be. You're there under Willis?"

"Under Karnes, actually," says Jean. "My maiden name. K-a-r-n-e-s?"

"And it's Jean."

"Right."

"Tell me something," he says. "When do you plan to be back in Preston Falls?"

"I didn't. But if this goes on, you know, with him not — then I guess

PRESTON FALLS

ril have to go up and try to get hold of a plumber to drain everything and close up the house."

"Well, see, what I was thinking, if you do have to make the trip, why don't I stop out to the house? Might be more useful than just talking on the phone. Hell, I'd be glad to help you drain your pipes and whatnot. That's no big deal."

"I don't know. I'll have to see. Listen, I think I better get going." Jean looks at the clock in the corner of her screen: 10:14. "The car's picking us up in a couple of minutes."

"We'll talk next week, then," he says. "Let me give you a number."

"I have to go. Just call me here, okay? Call here."

"I got you," he says.

Jean commands herself to breathe. If she could just shut the door for a few minutes and meditate and try to get herself… she hates to say centered. But they really will be here any second. She wants not to be getting on a plane for anywhere. Wants to get her children home and pull the phone and pile furniture against the doors. She looks at that awful picture of Mel and Roger.

This cannot be happening.

Her office. Her computer. Her fire-engine-red adjustable lamp clamped to the desk. Her bad print of that Flemish still life in the National Gallery: the flowers don't explode at you the way they do in the real painting. Even her disappointment with the print is familiar, and, therefore, a comfort. She stands up and looks out the window again, down at all the little people on the street; could one be Willis, coming her way?

So he's in New York. Or was. (Or wasn't.) So she's got to call Jeff and Jennifer, Dave and Karen, maybe Henry and Pamela, who she thinks might've moved to New Jersey. Jim Bruton: that's an idea, if he still lives on Elizabeth Street, since they found the truck on East Houston. God, just the thought of these people. Back when they lived on 108th Street, Jean and Willis would actually have them over for dinner and vice versa. Inconceivable as it sounds. This was one of his big arguments for buying Preston Falls: friends up on the weekends! Like people who couldn't deal with the thirty-five minutes to Chesterton were suddenly going to travel four and a half hours. Even the humiliation of having to ask if they know where her husband is doesn't seem as bad as simply hearing their voices after all this time, and having to say, This is Jean.

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"Hey," Jerry Starger says from the doorway. "You about ready? Car's downstairs."

"Okay," says Jean.

"You don't sound raring."

"I'll let Anita do the raring for both of us."

Jerry goes "Rrrroww" and makes a scratching motion.

"I can't believe I said that," Jean says.

"Oh, I like glimpses of the real you." Jerry puts both palms up, as if warding her off. "Glimpses."

"Get me drunk on the plane," she says, "and I'll probably let slip what I really think about HMOs." She gets up and slings the duffel bag over her shoulder.

"Hmm. A frank exchange of views. Could be sick fun. But listen, let me ask you — and be honest, okay? Are you up to this? You look like shit, if that doesn't come under the heading of an unwelcome personal comment."

"Really, I'm fine. I just need to catch up on my sleep."

"If you're sure," says Jerry. "Because the very fabulous Ms. Bruno is fully capable of handling whatever eyelash-batting might be called for."

"I had to open my mouth," Jean says.

"Shit, you should hear what she says about you.''

Jean has to think for a second: Jerry can always take the banter a move further than she can. Finally she says, "I would never ask you to betray a sister's confidence."

"Oh, I wasn't going to," says Jerry. "This is just my Attila the Hun management secret for keeping you broads in line. So what do you say? Let's rock the party."

Down in the lobby, Anita Bruno's looking at her watch, a Bottega Veneta suitcase at her feet. Howard, his garment bag slung over his shoulder, is peering through the plate-glass door at a midnight-blue sedan parked at the curb, a placard with the number 24 in its window.

"Hey, the gang's all here," says Jerry. "Is that us?"

"That's what they sent," Howard says. "You think we can all fit?"

"Piece of cake," says Jerry. "I like to sit up front with the guy anyway. And I hate those big-ass limos — remind me of prom night in Great Neck."

That shuts Howard up.

"I see one of us was smart enough to travel light," says Anita, looking at Jean's duffel bag. "I feel like such a clotheshorse."

PRESTON FALLS

"Oh, this is just my makeup," Jean says. "I sent my bags on ahead." The moment this is out of her mouth, she wonders if it's remotely funny. Anita and Jerry both laugh, but that tells her nothing.

The driver takes the placard out of the window, pops the trunk and gets out to lift the bags in, slowly enough to let them know he doesn't feel like it. So why didn't he stay in Pakistan or wherever? God, she's getting more right wing by the minute — one more little fringe benefit of being married to Doug Willis. Mel's already being liberal and open-hearted as a way of rebelling, so maybe Roger will eventually go that route. Sure.

Jean climbs into the back seat and scoots over to the far side, hoping Howard will be gentleman enough to take the middle. Instead he's gentleman enough to motion Anita in ahead of him: ladies first. So now she gets to smell Anita's Ysatis all the way to La Guardia.

If they ever make it. They're trying to get east on Fiftieth Street, but traffic seems gridlocked; the light up ahead, at the corner of Park, has changed from green to red to green and they're still not moving. Well, it's out of her hands. Jerry's talking to the driver about the Cadillac Something-or-other versus the Lincoln Town Car (which this is), and Anita's talking to Howard about his son's learning disability. Jean just looks out the window at the people pouring around them on foot, one of whom might be her husband.

She gets stuck next to Anita on the plane too. Jerry has stuff to go over with Howard, so it's like Run along, girls. Jean's dreading three hours of girl talk, but Anita, after standing there fussing around in the overhead long enough for every man on board to get a look at her, sits down with a copy of Waiting to Exhale and says Jean's probably going to think this is really rude, but she's so into this book. So now Jean gets to feel contempt for Anita because she's reading such a pop thing as Waiting to Exhale. Does this make them even?