Fat Fridays (17 page)

Sukie frowned. “Are you sure about this? I know how hard it is to live alone after so many years.”

Betsy laughed—a sad, bitter sound she knew so well. “I’ve been alone all my life, it seems. And, yes, I’m very sure about wanting to be with Karen. She makes me feel alive, fulfilled. We share so many common traits and interests. Sukie, I’m terrified by my intense feelings for her.”

“Does she know?”

Betsy sniffed and nodded. “Yes, she knows how I feel about her.” Betsy could feel her lips spread into a quivering smile.  “Karen says she feels the same way about me. I’ve decided to follow my heart. I’ve asked her to move in with me.”

Sukie sat back in her chair, silent.

Betsy watched her with dismay. She could almost see Sukie’s mind working, trying to absorb the news she’d sprung on her.

“I’ve talked to a therapist about this,” Betsy said, trying to make Sukie understand. “She says I need to be straightforward, unashamed. But, Sukie, I’m worried about the neighbors. Do you think they’ll put up a stink about it?”

Sukie shook her head. “I don’t know. I suppose those that would are the same people who might be upset by me seeing a much younger man.”

Betsy drew herself up. “You know what I say, Sukie? I say, to hell with ‘em. We have a right to live our lives the way we want. Right?”

“Right.” Sukie raised her glass and saluted her, but Betsy could tell Sukie was troubled. Her heart sank.

Betsy waited for Sukie to say something, do something. Their friendship meant so much to her. She knew there would be others who would turn away from her—a lot of them from her church—but she couldn’t bear for Sukie to be one of them.

“You remember Karen, don’t you?”

Sukie nodded. “I met her last March when I ran into you and Karen at the mall. She seemed nice.”

Betsy gripped her hands together so tightly the blood left her fingers. “What do you think the girls in the Fat Fridays group will say when they hear about this?”

Sukie drew a breath. “They’ll be surprised.”

“Will they let me stay in the group?” Betsy’s voice shook. She’d grown to love them all, even with their differences.

Sukie rose and gave her a hug. “If they don’t, I’ll leave too.”

Fresh tears rolled down Betsy’s cheeks. “We’ve all become good friends and since you’ve joined Fat Fridays, we’ve become even closer. And now we have to stick together for Lynn.”

Sukie gave her a pat on the back. “I’m pretty sure they’re not going to abandon you, Betsy. You’re the one who’s brought everyone together. We all love you.”

Betsy choked back tears. “Oh, Sukie, I’m so scared. It’s such a big step for me to take. Yet, I know how unhappy I’d be if I didn’t acknowledge my true self, the one who’s tried so hard to fit in, to be proper, to do the right thing.” She blotted her wet eyes. “I deserve to be happy, don’t I?”

Sukie nodded. “Why don’t you make it easy on yourself? Why don’t you simply continue the relationship without having Karen move in with you?”

“She has a chance to sell her condo—the owner of the one next door to her wants to buy it to expand his space. In this slow market, if she doesn’t sell now while she’s got a good offer, she might not get another chance for a long time.”

“I see...”

Betsy gripped Sukie’s hands. “I’ve told no one else about how I feel. My therapist suggested one person, one step at a time. I came to you first because I knew you’d be honest. Honest and fair. I don’t know when I’ll tell the others. I haven’t even told Richie. I’m not ready for that.”

Sukie gave her a worried look. “I understand how hard the whole procedure will be for you.”

Betsy swallowed hard, glad the awkward situation was out in the open. “I’m going to take baby steps, like the therapist said. One thing at a time. Eventually everyone will know, but for now I’m just getting used to the idea myself.”

“That sounds reasonable. Good luck, Betsy. I’m happy for you. I really am,” Sukie gave her another encouraging smile.

Betsy took a calming breath, relieved she’d started the process of telling people with Sukie.

“Karen is going to be with me this weekend. Any chance you’d come for brunch on Sunday? You and Cam?”

“I’ll ask him,” Sukie said, “but that means he’ll know too.  Is that what you want?”

Betsy nodded, rose and gave Sukie a hug. “You’re a dear, dear friend, Sukie. Thanks for hearing me out and supporting me. I’d better go now. I’m meeting Karen for dinner.”

Sukie walked her to the door. “Everything will be fine, Betsy. You’ll see.” 

Betsy nodded, but she knew things were never that simple. Like it or not, in a small town like theirs, there would be ugly consequences for her. But she’d already decided she couldn’t be her real self if she was too afraid to tell people the truth.

Her heart skipped a beat. Telling her beloved son would be the hardest thing of all.

B
etsy was gay?

Sukie’s body felt numb with shock as she watched Betsy walk down the sidewalk, get into her car and drive away. She knew Betsy well enough to know this wasn’t something she’d decided abruptly. Betsy had told her before that she hadn’t been happy with Rich, that her life with him wasn’t satisfying. Sukie had no idea then what it all really meant. Maybe Betsy didn’t either.

Sukie wandered into the kitchen to fix herself a light supper. Betsy’s situation forced her to look at her own in a new light. She wondered how Rob and Elizabeth would handle it if her relationship with Cam grew into something permanent.

A new feeling of self-worth filled Sukie. She’d fight their disapproval, if forced. Like Betsy, she deserved to be happy. It had been years since she’d known real happiness. With Cam, she was fulfilled in a way she hadn’t believed possible. He made her feel beautiful—heart and soul. She and Betsy had each done their duty, raising their families with love and commitment. Now it was time to discover who they were and who they might become.

Sukie’s feelings were reinforced when Cam called that night and she told him about her conversation with Betsy. “What do you think will happen when the news gets out?”

“Some people will be upset,” he admitted, “but she can’t deny what has happened and how she feels. I won’t say a word to anyone else, of course, but eventually she’ll have to deal with everyone in this small town.” 

Sukie’s heart swelled with affection. Cam was a good man, a kind man. Under the same circumstances, Ted would have been disgusted and warned her not to have anything to do with Betsy. She liked, no loved, Cam for so many reasons.

###

A
t noon on Friday, Sukie hurried into Anthony’s restaurant, gingerly elbowing her way through the line of customers waiting to be seated. Betsy called to her. Sukie went over to a round table in the back room and took a seat between Betsy and Tiffany. “Sorry I’m late. I was talking to a local author of children’s stories. She’s agreed to come and read one of her picture books at the Nighty Night program next week.”

“Sounds good,” said Betsy.

“Sukie, you look wonderful.” Tiffany’s eyes twinkled. “But then, Cameron Taylor could make anyone look wonderful. Right, girls?”

“Yeah.” Carol Ann leaned forward with a grin. “C’mon, Sukie, we’ve been waiting for you. Spill!”

Sukie held up her hands. “All I can tell you is that we’ve had only one real date. I got to know him through being neighbors and by being in the library computer course. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”

“Is it better with a young man?” Carol Ann asked, fluttering her hands.

They all gaped at her.

Carol Ann’s cheeks flushed bright red. “I meant overall, not the way all y’all are thinking. Good Heavens!”

Sukie grinned. “Actually we’re not that different in age and, yes, I like being with him.”

At their smug smiles, Sukie’s cheeks flamed.

“What are we going to order?” Lynn’s impatient tone interrupted the moment.

Betsy waved her hand for attention. “You know what Fellini said? ‘Life is a combination of magic and pasta.’ I think this is the perfect day for their pasta specials.” She beamed at everyone around the table, and they all chuckled.

Sukie chose lobster-filled ravioli with a light, lemony white sauce. Everyone else but Tiffany ordered pasta of some kind. Tiffany stayed with a salad.

“I don’t want to gain too much weight,” Tiffany explained after the waitress left with their order. “Now that the word is out that I’m pregnant, Beau’s family is unbearable. I’m getting endless lists of instructions from my mother-in-law. Beau’s mother even sent a special maternity diet for me to follow, as if I didn’t already watch what I ate. She doesn’t trust me to do the right thing on my own.”

“Poor Tiffany,” Betsy said. “Your mother-in-law would be difficult for anybody.”

Tiffany grimaced. “My father-in-law can be worse. He doesn’t want me to work. You heard him, Sukie, at dinner on Sunday. After you left that night, he sat me down and told me that I would hurt the baby if I worked. Is that weird or what?”

“Wait a minute!” said Carol Ann, turning to Sukie. “You had dinner with Tiffany’s father-in-law?”

“I had dinner with Tiffany and Beau and her father-in-law. A family dinner. That’s all it was,” Sukie said firmly, mortified by the idea of another wild rumor about her racing through town.

“Wow! Two dates in one weekend. You’ve got to give me lessons.”  Carol Ann studied her.

Sukie stiffened, determined to put an end to that kind of talk. “Whoa! Dinner with Tiffany’s father-in-law was no date, Carol Ann. Remember that.”

“Still...After all the dates I’ve had in the past few weeks, I haven’t found someone I’m wild about.” Carol Ann’s lips jutted out in a childish pout. “That insurance guy still sends me emails. I’ve ignored them, but maybe I’ll give him another chance. He was kinda interesting, even if he did get out of line just that once.”

Sukie and Betsy exchanged silent glances of disbelief.

“Has anyone received crazy phone calls?” Betsy said. “I had one the other night.”

“I had a strange one, just before midnight last Saturday.” Sukie glanced around the table. “I heard sounds of partying and then just heavy breathing. No one spoke. I asked who it was, but they wouldn’t answer me.”

“Sukie called me right after that, but that was the only phone call I got, except for one from Tiffany earlier that evening,” said Lynn.

Sukie turned to Carol Ann. “At first, I thought it might be you, at a party or something.”

Carol Ann’s eyes widened. “Me? No. Michael, my new date, and I were getting along just fine at the movies. But I don’t think he’ll call again.”

“Why not?” Betsy asked.

Carol Ann grimaced. “It was stupid, really. Nothing important. Just a little argument.”

Sukie exchanged another meaningful glance with Betsy. Carol Ann was doing okay getting first dates, but hadn’t been asked out for a second date yet, unless you counted the insurance guy who kept calling.

They finished their meal and paid the bill.

The others, late for a meeting, left in a flurry of hugs and good wishes.

Sukie climbed into her car, pleased to be part of the group. As quickly as the Friday lunches went, they brought the women together, building the friendship between them and providing a support system for Lynn.

###

T
he next morning was warm, humid, and gray, the kind of Saturday morning meant for staying inside and completing household chores. Sukie pulled on a pair of jeans and an old tee shirt and padded around the house in bare feet, trying to decide which task to tackle first. She opened the refrigerator to get milk for her cereal and knew she had no choice. Plastic containers holding old leftovers and half-eaten sandwiches had taken over every available space. It was sad to live like this, she thought, stacking most of the containers in the sink. Living alone had taken all the fun out of cooking. Eating had become a necessity, not a shared moment of enjoyment. She missed that.

On an impulse she called Cam. “Instead of you taking me out to dinner and the movies like we talked about, why don’t you come here? I’ve got a sudden urge to do some cooking.”

“Sounds great! I’ve got a sudden appetite.”

Sukie laughed. They chatted for a couple of minutes before she hung up to prepare a grocery list. Cooking had always been a way for her to show affection. Though his waistline suggested otherwise, her cooking efforts had obviously been wasted on Ted.

She was almost out the door, later, when the phone rang. She raced to answer it. 

“Hi, Mom! What’s up?” Elizabeth’s cheerful voice chirped in Sukie’s ear, sending waves of panic through her. She didn’t want to mention Cam until she was more certain about the relationship. 

“Nothing much. I’m having a friend over for dinner tonight.”

“Hmmm. Betsy?”

“Uh, no...” Sukie evaded, “someone I met recently. What’s going on with you?”

Elizabeth launched into describing her activities, leaving Sukie responsible for one or two-word comments, nothing more.

“Gotta go. Amy’s here,” Elizabeth abruptly announced. At the click of Elizabeth’s phone, Sukie heaved a sigh of relief. She knew she was a coward for not telling Elizabeth about Cam, but she didn’t want anything to destroy the evening she’d planned with him. In time, if she and Cam continued to date, her savvy daughter would surely understand. Wouldn’t she?

###

S
aturdays at World Foods were mob scenes. Sukie darted inside the store, intent upon quickly getting in and out. She hurried to the back of the store. Katy Hartmann was standing at the meat counter. Sukie ducked into the aisle of seasonings, praying Katy hadn’t seen her.

The next time Sukie peeked around the corner, Katy was gone. Letting out a breath of relief, she hurried over to the meat counter and took a ticket.  

“Hello, Sukie!”

She tensed.

Betsy grinned at her. “It’s only me. Don’t worry, I’ve already encountered the ‘Mouth of the South’, and I’m not talking about Ted Turner.”

Sukie laughed. It had been foolish to try and hide. Cam was an attractive man—okay, a stud muffin—and he’d chosen to spend time with her. There was nothing wrong with that. Everyone said she didn’t look or act her age. Besides, it was nobody else’s damn business.