Return to Sullivans Island (38 page)

“Why not? Thanks,” Susan said.

Together, they raised their cups toward the fading sky overhead.

“To Sophie!” Henry said. “We love you, girl! Wherever you are!”

“To Sophie!” they all said.

“So Grant?” Maggie said quietly.

“Yeah, honey,” he said.

“She looks bad?”

“Maggie, that funeral director, dweeb that he might be, is right. She doesn’t even look like herself.”

“Okay,” Maggie said, and choked up.

“Hey, you okay?” Susan said.

“I don’t know why this is bothering me so much. I should let it go, right?” Maggie said.

“Yeah, baby,” Grant said in the tenderest voice anyone had ever heard him use. “Let it go.” He put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze.

They looked up to see Cecily pulling up next to their cars.

“I’ll go help her,” Maggie said.

“Me too,” Susan said.

“How’s it going?” Cecily asked when she got out of her car. “I’ve got a trunkful.”

“Do we need the men to help?” Maggie asked.

“No, I think we can handle it.”

“Did you lock up the house good? You know, that’s when the robbers come. Momma always said they read the obituaries and then watch the house,” Maggie said. “Y’all! It’s true!”

“Momma was a paranoid,” Susan said.

“I locked it from top to bottom. Don’t you worry about that. I don’t want anybody stealing my deviled eggs.”

They carried in the boxes of framed photographs of Sophie and placed them all around the room.

“She was so pretty,” Maggie said.

“Yes, she was. I hope all these pictures make you feel a little better,” Susan said.

“I can’t imagine what could make me feel better on a night like this,” Maggie said.

Susan and Maggie looked in each other’s eyes, brimming with tears, and hugged each other hard.

“Hey, we still have us, right?” Susan said.

“Thank the good Lord too.”

But there
was
something that made them all feel better that night—the hundreds of people who stopped by the funeral home to offer their condolences. Most of them had a Sophie story to tell, many of them were old classmates, a few of them were old boyfriends.

I took her to our senior prom. Boy, she sure could dance. I’m so sorry for your loss. She was the sweetest girl I knew. Our whole family is praying for you. Once when we were in the tenth grade, she did my biology project for me! She was just so nice to everyone, you know? She made us all feel so good. Sophie’s DVDs are the reason I can wear this dress! Golly, she had a great figure, didn’t she?

On and on it went, people signing the guest book, hugging the family, checking their own flowers they sent to be sure they got their money’s worth, promising to come by the house for a drink, and all of them asking if there was anything they could do. Only a very few asked about Allison, as the news was so painful and they thought the family probably had enough adjusting to do. The facts would eventually emerge.

Mostly they said, “We’ll pray for her every day.” What else
could
they do?

Beth’s boss, Drew Harris, showed up and hugged Beth.

“The other guys wanted to come but they had to work,” he said.

“That’s okay,” Beth said.

“Well, here’s a card they all signed for you,” Drew said.

“Oh, gosh, thanks so much!”

“And if you need to take the week off, I get it,” he said.

Beth stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Drew.”

And at last, Beth spotted Woody in the crowd. He came to her side immediately and took her hand.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“Gosh. I’m so glad you’re here. It’s okay. About as terrible as you would expect.”

“I’m staying with Mike and the other guys at the Way house. I’m not too far away if you need me.”

He smiled at her and she smiled at him and it occurred to both of them that they had something very special going on.

Later that night, seventy-five or so people came by just to mark the event with a little shot of O Be Joyful, which was the family euphemism for liquor, or for a glass of wine. They came to readjust their own equilibrium. There was something jarring about the death of a relatively young person that shocked everyone and left them off-balance. And by visiting the family in their time of need, especially one they had known since the sandbox, they could have a private moment to shake their heads together and ponder their own mortality.

When the last guest had gone, the family, including Woody, gathered on the dark porch to regroup.

“A lot of people practiced their Corporal Works of Mercy tonight,” Maggie said after everyone had found a place to sit or perch.

“What’s that?” Simon said. “What kind of work of mercy?”

“You know, feed the sick, starve the fever…” Henry said.

“Good grief! When’s the last time you went to church?” Maggie said. “You’d better look out for lightning tomorrow!”

“Try feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty…” Susan said.

“We sure did that tonight,” Timmy said.

“I’ve got ten bucks for whoever knows them all,” Henry said.

Maggie and Susan recited in stereo, “Shelter the homeless, visit the sick, clothe the naked, comfort the imprisoned, and bury the dead.”

“You two scare me. No, really!” Henry said. “Is this really what you do for fun? Sit around and memorize the Baltimore Catechism or something?”

“You’re a philistine, Henry,” Susan said. “That will be ten dollars, please.”

“Five of that is mine,” Maggie said.

They were doing what they always did when they got together, just as their parents and grandparents had done before them. They were ending their day in conversation together on the porch of the Island Gamble, having a nightcap, sipping a cup of decaf or a glass of water, the purpose of which was to make sure everyone could go to bed with their hearts unburdened. Beth was the one who still carried a heavy load, but this still wasn’t the time to talk about it.

“What a night,” Henry said. “Awful.”

“It’s more like we lost two siblings instead of one,” Timmy said.

“It’s the truth, isn’t it?” Maggie said. “Somebody’s going to have to look after Allison and I guess that should be me.”

“I think we’ll all help, honey. I’ve about had it with California anyway,” Grant said.

“Me too,” Simon said. “I can do what I’m doing anywhere. I could wrap it up in a few weeks. I can help with Allison too.”

“Well, that’s good,” Susan said, “because as Simon and Maggie know, I resigned my job in Paris. I’m already back.”

“What? Mom! That’s so great!” Beth went over to her mother, pulled her up from her chair, and hugged her. “This is the best news ever!”

“I think so, but hey! Now you can go on to grad school!”

“Whoa! Not so sure about that. I’m thinking I want to be here with you.”

“Wow! Susan!” Timmy said. “This is news! Your lifelong dream out the window? Why’d you do this?”

“Long story. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. I guess I’m just feeling like there’s been enough change around here and with us, and I don’t know. Life’s flying by. I think you ought to be in a place that means something to you, you know? Not just running around the world for what? I want to try and hang on to as much sameness as I can. Does that make sense?”

“It makes perfect sense,” Maggie said. “What are you going to do with yourself?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m buying the
Island Eye News.
The publisher is moving to Oak Island.”

“Good grief! Am I getting fired?” Beth said.

“No, miss. It means I get to keep a closer eye on you!” Susan said.

“Y’all want to know what I hate about California? It doesn’t matter if you drive north or south, the water’s still on the wrong side of the road,” Maggie said.

“Excellent insight,” Timmy said.

“And the Pacific is a lot different from the Atlantic,” Simon said. “It’s scary.”

“Powerful bodies of water can be enormously unnerving,” Timmy said.

“I hate change,” Beth said.

“You do?” Susan said.

“Yeah, if I didn’t learn anything else this summer, I learned this. When the world’s like this, I mean the economy and all, it doesn’t take money to make you feel rich. It takes purpose. You have to know who you are and go do what you’re supposed to be doing. You only learn that—I mean fully learn that—from people who love you. I think you can be like, I don’t know, even sixty and you can still learn. Your family shapes you when you’re really young and then holds you together when trouble comes along. Like look at all of us? We lose Aunt Sophie, which is totally breaking my heart I loved her so much…”

“And she loved you too, Beth, just like she would’ve loved her own daughter,” Susan said.

“Yeah, I know, anyway, at the end of the day, there’s nothing more important in the whole world than your family.”

Everyone was quiet for a few minutes and then Maggie spoke.

“
Somebody
grew up when we weren’t looking! Honey, if you learned that, there’s not much else you need to know.”

“Gimme a high-five, girl!” Simon said, and leaned over to slap her hand.

Then there began a succession of high-fives from everyone there, the cousins, the aunts, down to the last person, except Henry, who said, “Beth? Are you saying that your family is more important than money?”

“Yes sir. A lot more important.”

“Good to know.”

At first, Beth wondered what he meant, and then she realized it had to do with her trust account. He knew. Well, she thought, I have said my piece, and if he disowns me, he disowns me, and I will figure that out with my mom. And Woody. There’s a solution to almost everything and other things you just have to accept.

Grant, who rarely said much when Maggie’s entire family was there, said, “Well, if there’s a speck of good news in all of this, at least Allison doesn’t have a homicide charge hanging over her.”

“It would be really good news if she knew
anything
was hanging over her,” Timmy said.

“She’s that bad, huh?” Grant said.

“Yeah, she’s that bad,” Timmy said.

“I’ll look in on her,” Grant said. “I think I’ve got an old friend at MUSC who’s pretty experienced with psychosis. I’ll call him after the funeral tomorrow.”

“Um, Maggie? Not that I would have any objection whatsoever,” Susan asked, “but are we talking about all of us living here in the house together?”

“No, darlin’, I found a little house on the Internet that’s downtown on Rutledge Avenue. It’s close enough to walk to the hospital. I want to be downtown to be near Allison.”

“
Little
house?” Grant said. “Maggie, that is
not
a little house!”

“But it’s got so much personality! And possibility. Anyway, in this recession there are bargains all over the place. And we still have to go see it, darlin’.”

“I think someone in this family ought to buy a house in someplace like I’on, where it’s all new, everything works, and the house doesn’t give you any sass,” Beth said.

“Oh, sweetheart! Did the house give you a hard time?” Susan said.

“Let’s just say it will be refreshing to have some company with flesh and blood, okay? Let’s just start there.”

“I’m afraid I need to turn in,” Woody said. “So, I’m going to say good night.”

“Hey, Woody,” Henry said, and stood to shake his hand, “thanks for the trip to Florida. If it wasn’t for you and Beth, our sister might still be in the Sub-Zero and the other one might be thrashing about. Y’all saved the day.”

“It was just a hunch,” Woody said. “Glad I could help.”

“Those guts and hunches are worth a lot to us, Woody,” Henry said, prolonging his handshake. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”

Beth walked Woody to his car when he was leaving.

“Henry was giving me some very funny looks,” he said. “He knows.”

“Hell yeah, he knows. I think he’s having a hard time hating our guts,” she said.

“Florida may have saved us.”

“Your mouth, God’s ears, right?”

“Yeah.”

He unlocked his car and it beeped loudly. Then he stood there for a moment just looking at her.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he said.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, smiling.

“Whatever,” he said.

In that exchange, a romance was born that would possibly, maybe, might lead to something more serious or not. But they were willing to give it a try after certain details were ironed out which had yet to be discussed, namely, Max Mitchell. And their deceit.

“Get some sleep,” he said.

Despite the sorrow of the family, the sun rose the next morning with the promise of a beautiful South Carolina day. The weather did not match their mood.

They were unusually quiet as they went about the business of breakfast, and dressing and gathering into their cars to return to the funeral home. There they would transfer to limousines and form a procession behind the hearse that held the remains of Sophie Hamilton.

They were solemn as the funeral director ushered them into each car, and in a moment of kindness, Susan asked Woody to ride with them. Simon, Henry, and Teensy were in the car as well. As they pulled away from the curb, Susan spoke.

“Beth? There is no good time to talk about this, but since Uncle Henry is going back to Atlanta tomorrow, we might as well do this now.”

Beth was caught off guard, but actually she knew the hammer was coming so she took a deep breath. She looked at Woody, who nodded, letting her know he was ready to defend her.

“My trust account, right?”

“Yes.”

“Momma, I am so sorry, you have no idea.”

“I am assuming you thought you had legitimate reasons, am I right?”

“Of course. But can we talk about the details when we get home?”

“It doesn’t matter now, Beth. Things are as they are. How could you deceive us like that?”

“I was in love with him.”

“Love? Beth, this was a very serious breach of trust between us, you know.”

“Oh, Momma? But what can I do now?”

“Nothing, except work hard to regain our trust, Beth.”

“Mrs. Rifkin?” Woody said.

Susan was so unaccustomed to being referred to as anything except Susan that she was startled.