Gerri Hill - One Summer Night

"I think we're lucky to have her," Jo said, repeating Susan's words.

"Yeah," he agreed, and they both looked at Kelly Sambino as she listened to Susan, who was rambling on as usual. Arnie had once said that Susan could talk to a tree and Jo knew this to be true.

She stood directly under the ceiling fan, feeling the breeze hit her face. It wasn’t cool by any stretch of the imagination but still, it was a breeze. Arnie had converted the covered patio into a garden and nearly every available space had been filled with potted plants and flowers. Jo had always envied Arnie his green thumb.

“How do you keep these things alive in this heat?” she demanded.

He laughed. “Watering helps, Jo. I doubt the five plants on your deck have seen much of it.”

54

“I’m down to three, and I watered them at least two weeks ago.”

“Well, if I didn’t think you’d kill them. . . I’ve got some cuttings just getting started.” Then he gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. “Maybe I’ll put something together for you.”

How he found the time, Jo didn’t know. He worked at one of the busiest accounting firms in Austin. During tax season, Susan rarely saw him.

Jo watched him walk away, shaking her head at his version of casual dress; starched shirt and slacks. But then, he was the stereotypical accountant. Short, pleasantly round, and balding. And he never left the house without a tie!

She glanced to where Susan and Kelly still stood. Their contrast was striking. Kelly was tall, young, fit. Susan was short, entrenched in middle age, her dislike of exercise evident. Kelly was even darker than Jo remembered. Susan rarely went out into the sun unprotected and her pallor appeared almost unhealthy compared to Kelly’s tan. Susan’s blonde curls seemed to glow next to Kelly’s dark hair.

Jo noted that Kelly's hair was longer than she remembered but then again, so was her own. Her eyes took in other details: the small, gold chain around Kelly’s neck, the diamond earrings, the lone ring on her right hand, the slender, gold watch on her left wrist. Jo stared at Kelly’s hands for a long moment, remembering all that those hands had done to her, then made herself look away, flushed. She tipped her beer and took a long swallow, again thankful for the ceiling fan. The light breeze cooled her hot cheeks. Oh, God, how can this be happening? Why me? She brought her eyes back to the woman standing across from her and met an impudent smile. Damn her!

55

Susan brought Kelly over to Johanna and smiled, too.

"You two get acquainted. I've got to start the salad.” She left them, and Jo stood quietly, refusing to meet Kelly’s eyes.

"So, how have you been?" Kelly began.

Johanna turned on her quickly. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked quietly.

"I'm going to teach the creative writing class.” She lowered her

voice. “You’re lucky to have me,” she said, grinning.

Jo nearly let a smile slip out, then remembered her anger in time. "Why here? At my school?" she demanded, looking over her shoulder at Arnie.

"Hey, don't flatter yourself. I don't make it a habit to change careers based on one-night stands.” She gave Jo a mocking smile. "Especially ones that are such big mistakes."

"How would I know? You probably pick women up at the bar all the time," Jo hissed.

"As do you," she shot back.

"How dare you? I told you, I have never done anything like that before."

"And you want me to believe you?"

"It's the truth," she whispered. It was very important to Johanna that Kelly know how out of character that night was for her. She wanted Kelly to take all the blame, she realized.

"How do you know it's not the truth when I say the same thing?" Kelly asked.

"You're the one with the reputation, not me. You're the one who's involved . . ."

"Sherry and I are not involved!" Kelly insisted.

Jo met her eyes head on and did not flinch. "Listen, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fine."

"Good."

"Okay then.”

56

"What? Do you have to get the last word in?" Jo asked.

"Yes!"

Damn her!

But Kelly smiled. “You know, when you get all riled up like this, you’re kinda cute and your accent is really pro-nounced.”

Jo bristled. “I don’t have an accent.”

“Sure you do.”

“I do not.”

“A Texas drawl,” Kelly continued. Then she raised her eyebrows teasingly. “I think it’s very sexy.”

Kelly turned away before Jo could protest, and Jo silently fumed at her retreating back.

During dinner, Arnie asked Kelly where she grew up, and Jo found herself listening with interest, though she refused to look up.

"California. San Francisco.”

"Really? How long have you in been in Texas?"

"Just two years this summer," she said, not seeming to mind the questions.

"What kind of name is Sambino?" he asked.

"Arnie, you are full of questions tonight," Susan said, apologizing to Kelly.

"It's okay. Sambino is Italian."

"That's where you get your dark looks, then," he said.

"That's about all. My family is not very traditional. No one speaks the language and certainly, no one can cook Italian," she said with a smile.

"Why not?" Susan asked.

"Oh, my father remembers a little, I guess, but it mostly died with my grandfather," she said, and Jo looked up then, curious. "My grandfather's family lived in New York, most of them barely spoke any English. He moved to California right out of high school and married the very non-Italian, 57

very blonde daughter of his boss. His family refused to accept his marriage and basically disowned him."

They were all quiet, waiting for her to continue, and Jo thought she was not going to, but then Kelly looked up and smiled. "That was in the early thirties. By the time their letters had crossed, with explanations from him and pleadings from them, she was pregnant with Aunt Isabel and the matter was settled. So, they stayed in California and he just lost his roots, I guess.”

"So do you still have family in New York?" Jo asked, surprising herself with the question. She was not at all interested in Kelly Sambino, she reassured herself.

"Oh, I imagine so. You know the reputation that Italian families have," Kelly laughed. "I've never had any contact with them, and I’ve certainly not met any of them. No one in my family ever has."

"That's sad," Jo said. She, on the other hand, had no one else in the world except her grandfather. Well, she supposed her father was somewhere, but she didn't even know his name.

"I guess. But that's the way they wanted it. My immediate family is close. My father has three older sisters and they all have four or five kids. I have a younger brother and an older sister and my parents are great. We have a very happy family."

"Both of your grandparents are gone?" Jo asked.

"Yes. My grandfather died two years ago at the age of 88. He was a wonderful man," she said, and Jo felt a lump rise in her throat. She saw Kelly in a different light and was touched by the gentleness with which she spoke of her large family. Jo envied her.

"You'll be going back to California someday, I guess,"

Arnie said.

58

"I suppose. All of my family is still there and I don’t really have any attachments here. I like Texas, don’t get me wrong. But I'm not used to your summers and I don't think I'll ever be."

Jo couldn't help but laugh. She had been here her whole life and she wasn't used to them yet either!

“I know you graduated from Stanford,” Susan stated.

“And you were in the University of California system for a time. You obviously love teaching. But now you want to be a novelist?”

Kelly laughed. “Yes. And I know only a handful of writers actually make a living at it. But I really love to teach, too. I doubt I’ll ever get away from it completely.”