Destined (43 page)

“Emily! I’m so glad to see you! My
god, “ he said, delighted, “I missed you.” He lowered his head and buried his
face in my hair, inhaling deeply.

“I missed you too,” I said, smiling
into the dark.

“That’s it,” he said quietly into my
ear, “I’m just not going to travel any more.”

“What?” I whispered in amazement.

“Not unless you want to come with me.”

“You can’t be serious, you’re a
constant traveler!”

“No, I’m a homing pigeon. And you are
my home.”

“You said that once before.”

“I meant it.”

“I know you did,” I said, helping to
pull his T-shirt off, over his head. Then we both went to work on his pants. “But,
aren’t you afraid you might miss something, if you aren’t out there having
adventures?”

“No, I’m afraid I would miss something
if I don’t stay here with you,” he said, getting under the sheet with me. He
lay pressed up against me tightly. “I’ve had all the lonely adventures I need,
Emily. Now I want what Laurie put in that pie.”

“Oh, you recognized her recipe, did
you?”

“I know magic when I taste it,” he
said, kissing me.

“Tony?” I interrupted.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be very quiet, I know.
I promise I won’t scream, even if I want to.”

“OK,” I said, giggling. “And, don’t
pound the headboard into the wall.”

“What kind of an oaf do you think I
am?” he asked indignantly.

“My favorite kind,” I said, kissing
him, and that shut him up for the rest of the night.

Henry was off on a research mission,
and had accumulated piles of printouts off the Internet regarding alternative
energy. He and Tony had both decided to go with solar panels. They said it was
an investment in the planet. The big flat roof of the building on Market
Street, and the long south-facing roof of Tony’s house, were both suitable for
this particular system. They checked out all the options, and made a list of
local vendors of various products. The old desk in the study was covered with
information.

The two of them got together and
worked on it every day. They discussed, argued, insisted, and then they
compromised and drank green tea, having a marvelous time. They each took
assignments and vowed to report back the next day with results. They were very
well organized, and Gupta complimented them on their energetic manner of
attacking the project.

Gupta had been tutoring Amy at the
Rodgers family’s apartment several days a week, after school. The first day she
was supposed to appear there, he found her at the door accompanied by a pale
woman in her early forties. It was Amy’s elusive mother, recovered from her
illness and come to thank him personally for helping her daughter with her
studies. When Gupta told me this, his eyes were on fire with excitement.

He crowed, “Who would have ever
believed that she would just walk right into my front door! The object of many
months of investigation! I am better than Sherlock Holmes, ha-ha!”

Gupta was able to discreetly question
Amy’s mother, whose name was Wanda. She admitted that the minister at the
church had been secretly letting them sleep in the basement room, and told him
that she had been ill for several months with a bad cough, sleeping most of the
time.

“It was dark, but dry and safe in
there, with little barred windows up near the ceiling. Amy took good care of
me,” she had told him, hugging her daughter affectionately. “She brought me
medicine and food.”

Amy had looked embarrassed. “Um, Ma?
Don’t you have to be somewhere?” she’d asked, looking pointedly at the door.

Gupta said that Wanda told him she had
an appointment down the street, at a restaurant. She said a very nice man named
Mr. Sun had offered her a full-time job working there. There was an apartment
upstairs that might be available too. She said that one of the family’s
children was apparently moving out.

When I heard this, I immediately
called Mei’s cell phone number, which was programmed into mine. I told her what
Gupta had said. She confirmed that he had hired a new waitress, and that she
had told her parents she was moving out of their building. What she hadn’t told
them yet, was that she was planning to move in with Rocco across the street.

“When are you going to tell them?” I
asked.

“I don’t know, it better be soon. I
just can’t get up the nerve.”

“What does Rocco say about it?”

“He says, why not just elope and get
it over with!” she said, and we both laughed.

I wished her luck and said I would see
her at Mindy’s Pilates class on Friday. When the exercise class was over and we
women all gathered around the coffee bar, I told everyone what had happened
with Gupta and Amy’s mother.

Laurie looked at me knowingly and
said, “See! I told you so! The Tarot works.” Silver crescent moon earrings
glinted in her tousled hair, partially stuffed up on top of her head with a
scrunchy, the rest of it falling down in reddish-brown tendrils.

“Yes,” said Siri, frowning, “I had
forgotten the reading we did about Amy’s mother!”

“The woman sick in bed, with swords or
bars around her, remember? And the final outcome card…wasn’t it The Sun?”
Laurie reminded us.

“Mr. Sun, Mei’s father! Of course! You
said, they would find safety and happiness,” I recalled, impressed.

“Yeah, and all the sushi they can eat,
right?” said Bella, and we all laughed.

“Perfect!” I said, “I’m sure it’s a
very healthy diet, right Mei?”

Mei said, “They say that fish oil
makes you happy, but it doesn’t seem to be working on my father. He is very
pissed off at me right now.” She shook her head sadly. She was dressed all in
black today, and looked as tiny and trim as a teenaged girl.

“Why is that, honey?” asked Alyssia,
rubbing her back comfortingly. A fall of a dozen little silver bracelets
decorated her arm, shining in contrast with her glowing dark brown skin. She
wore a long purple sweater over her black leggings, and her hair was
beautifully done in a million tiny braids.

“Oh, my boyfriend and I told him we
want to get married!” Mei told us. “My parents went crazy, you should have seen
it. My mother was crying, and sobbing, and my father—he nearly went
through the roof!”

“But, why don’t they want you to get
married?” asked Mindy quietly, her expressive face showing sympathy and
concern.

“Wait a minute,” said Bella, “I didn’t
know you were even seeing anybody, you sneak!” She poked Mei in the ribs
playfully. Mei smiled and gave us a sly look.

“Who is it?” asked Laurel, guessing.
She looked at me. “Emily knows! Don’t you?”

I just shrugged my shoulders, smiling
enigmatically, or so I hoped.

“Yes, she caught us once, at the
movies. OK, it’s Rocco Sorrentino,” Mei confessed.

“Oooh!” or “Ahhh!” they all said,
nodding their heads in unanimous approval.

“That is one sexy man, you are a lucky
girl!” Bella complimented her.

“But, why do they object to him?”
Alyssia asked. “He has a very good business, doesn’t he? And he’s not married,
right?”

“My parents are very old-fashioned,”
said Mei sadly, “They don’t approve of mixed marriages.”

Alyssia threw back her head and
laughed, a hearty musical sound. “Honey,” she said, “This is the 21
^st
century! They’d better get with the program!”

“Yes,” said Siri, “My father had some
concern when I wanted to marry Tom, but he got over it quickly. He knew that
Tom is a good man, and would be a good husband.”

“Well I wish he could convince my
parents to lighten up,” sighed Mei. “I’m afraid they’ll kick me out of the
partnership we formed to start the restaurant.”

“What do your brothers and your sister
think about it?” I asked.

“They are more modern, they grew up
here. And they like Rocco. But still, my oldest brother is very mad at me for
making this trouble in the family. They prefer a nice smooth road! And I can’t
blame them,” Mei said with a guilty expression on her delicate face.

“So, what are you going to do?” asked
Mindy.

“I guess we are going ahead with it.
He wants to tell his parents tonight! I hope they don’t react the same way!”

“Somehow, I doubt it,” I said. “Especially
if you tell Josie you want to make babies as soon as possible!”

“Yes,” said Siri earnestly, “There is
nothing like having a child on the way to pull people together.” She smoothed
her oversized T-shirt down over her belly unconsciously, with a little smile.
Laurie and I saw her do it, and exchanged glances.

“Something you want to tell us,
sweetie?” Laurie asked her, putting her arm around Siri’s shoulders and giving
her a squeeze.

Siri patted her belly and smiled again,
nodding. We all cheered and danced. Siri laughed and joined hands with Bella,
who swept her around in circles.

“When are you due?” asked Alyssia,
kissing her warmly on the cheek and giving her a hug.

“In the spring, early April we think.”

“Holy cow,” said Bella, “You people
are gonna be crammed into that apartment like sardines!”

“Yes, it is a concern,” Siri said, not
looking concerned at all. “We are going to need to look for another place. I
hope we don’t have to move too far away!”

I had a brilliant brainstorm.

“How about, right here?” I asked. They
all turned to stare at me. “You can move in upstairs, and then we won’t have to
worry about leaving Henry by himself any more!”

It was obviously the perfect solution
for everyone. The apartment on the third floor was nearly twice the size of the
rooms the Rodgers family now occupied, and with the addition of a stove and
refrigerator, it would be instantly habitable. And then, Tony and I could sleep
where we wanted to! I loved this idea.

“Oh, I don’t know Emily, do you think
Henry would want us underfoot?” Siri asked hopefully. “The children can be very
noisy! And the baby will cry.”

“Yes, but think of the advantages. You
can feed him, Tom could help with the upkeep on the building, and Gupta would
be handy for a game of chess whenever Henry gets bored,” I said confidently.

“Yeah,” said Bella with a wink, “And,
you’d never have to worry about being late for work again, right? We can just
get Henry some nice comfy ear plugs.”

“Leave it to me, Siri. I’ll speak to
him about it,” I said.

And so I did, as soon as everyone
packed up their things and went off to work or home. Henry was at the computer,
but he came over and sat down with me when I asked for his attention. Tree was
curled up in the reading chair, and let out a sleepy “Mmrrr?” when I picked him
up. After Henry sat down, I put the cat on his lap. Tree immediately tucked his
nose under his tail and went right back to sleep. I told Henry that Siri was
expecting another baby in the spring.

“Splendid!” he exclaimed
enthusiastically. “I hope that doesn’t mean we’re going to lose her?”

“Well, I was thinking the opposite,
actually,” I stalled, trying to put this the right way. “She wants to keep
working, but some things would have to change.”

“Very good! Hours and such…?”

“I suppose, but Bella and I can work
around that. I was thinking about their apartment.”

“Hm, yes? What about it? Never been
there.”

“It’s just a two bedroom, Henry.”

“Oh. Ah ha. A bit on the small side,
right? I see your line of thought,” he frowned, thinking swiftly. “Yes, well,
don’t suppose they’d like to…hm…” He looked at me expectantly, and said, “You’re
thinking of upstairs?”

I nodded. He looked startled.

“There are two small children and a
baby on the way,” I said firmly. “It would not be quiet here anymore, you need
to know that.”

The old man stared into space for a
few minutes, apparently thinking it over. Then his eyes softened.

“Emily, do you know what this means to
me?”