The Reunion (20 page)

"Aunt Bea?"

"Oh, of course I mentioned it to my sisters.  Why wouldn't I?"

"Robbie says we've got half of the hotel booked.  She just hadn't put it together."

"Well I can't help that…"

"And two other hotels also…"

"Really?"  She removed the last of the pins and shook out the dress.  "Here we go.  It should be perfect now."

"Looks great."

"Does Em know?"

"Know what?"

"BEA!  That dumb blond thing won't work here." Stacy and Kim were getting more and more infuriated.  "How many?"

"I haven't got any idea."  She walked over and put the dress with the shawl. "A hundred, probably not that many even."

"OH GOD!"  Stacy collapsed on the bed.  "Em's going to have a fit when she finds out."

"We won't tell her then."

"WON'T TELL HER?  WON'T TELL HER!"

"I'll get Pete and Tommy on it."  Kim was pacing back and forth.  "Mike has his computer right?"

"God what about the food and drinks?  What are we supposed to do?"

"Nothing.  We don’t do a fucking…"

"STACY!"

"Sorry Aunt Bea."  Stacy started to jump to her feet but Bea stuck out her arm and pushed her back down on the bed. 

"Have they told you you're having twins yet?"

"WHAT?" Kim and Carole started laughing.  "What is she talking about?"

"Twins.  You know two babies…"

"I know what twins are."  Stacy looked down at her tummy.  "I'm just showing."

"You're three months, just…  definitely twins."

"She's doing this just to freak me out isn't she?"

"YES!"  They laughed.  "But she always knows."  Bea's cell phone rang and she walked over to the window.

"Hello…Yes Lou. "  She laughed.  "RW
is
here…  Yes I was surprised too.  No, no one has said a thing.  Ginger room, it's on the back terrace… 10 minutes, fine.  See you there."  She turned to her two nieces and daughter-in-law.  "We're meeting on the terrace in 10 minutes."

"OH GOD!"  Carole laughed.  "I don't think Stacy's going to make it."

"She's fine."  Bea pulled Stacy to her feet and hugged her.  "You're all fine."

"Antonia!"

"I know that voice!"  Laughed Toni.  Ryan started pounding his head on the table.  Toni jumped to her feet and rushed over to Connor and pulled him to their table.  "Connor, you've got to promise to be nice to Em.  This is her wedding.  No picking on Mike and Em this time."

"I'll be on my best behavior."  He took a drink of her iced tea.  "AH."  He sighed and sat back in the chair.  "I'll try one of these myself."

"I'll get it."  Ryan tried to escape.

"No, you'll tell your dah who's here…"  She gave Ryan a meaningful look.  "NOW before she comes over here…"  She sat back down and grabbed Connor's arm  "Too late…"

"Connor!"

"Robyn!?!?"  Connor choked on his drink.

"Ty tells me you weren't invited." RW scowled.

"I always come to the weddings…"

"CONNOR!"

"Connor's here?"  someone across the room yelled.  "Someone hide the liquor."

"That must be one of those Italian runts."

"DAH!"

"I'm leaving."

"You're not leaving!  He's leaving!"

"Connor O'Bryan!"  Bea's voice wasn't raised but it carried across the room anyway.  Connor turned red.

"Beatrice my love."

"Don't My Love me you son of a …"

"Mom, don't go there…" Josh started.

"What's going on…OH MY GOD!"  Mike stepped backwards right into Charles.  Connor pulled his keys out and handed them to Mike which caused everyone to laugh.  He drank down the iced tea.

"Mike what's going on here?"  Brockton said out of the corner of his mouth.

"This is going to take a while…"

"SURPRISE!"

"OH GOD!"

"WHAT?"

"Someone head mom off before she walks into this…"

"I'm on it."  RW ran for the entrance and stopped dead.  Her eyes and Em's locked right before she grabbed the corner of the table and slid to the floor.  RW was sent spinning as Brockton and Mike passed her on either side and grabbed Em.  Brockton cradled her and carried her to a chair someone slid toward them, someone was fanning her and he started looking around the room.  He saw a sea of faces, familiar but he couldn't put names to them all.  There was so many of them then he saw the sisters.  Lou, Hannah and Martha.  What had they done?

"…so Grandma told Aunt Lou and then it kind of snowballed and I guess there's a lot more that showed up than they were expecting…"

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"I don't faint."

"You fainted and scared me to death." Brockton sounded just the worried side of angry.

"Did I see Connor?"  Em asked

"Oh, yeah he's here too.  He always finds out about these things and I have his keys already." Mike jingled the keys and then put them back in his pocket.

"Thanks baby." Em patted Mike’s arm and tried pulling the wet napkin from her eyes.  "Do I want to look?"

"Probably not."  Charles was laughing though.  "My mother is having the time of her life."

"I don't want to know do I?"  She sighed.  "Open bar?"

"Very funny."  Mike patted her arm and signaled to Toni that she was fine.

"So how's the drama queen doing?" RW asked.

"Wild Thing…"  Em sighed.  "Can it!  I'm pregnant again."

"Really?"  RW laughed.  "Some people have all the luck.  You didn't faint the last time."

"I don't faint."

"You went white as a ghost and hit the floor, I'd call that fainting." Charles was laughing again but holding her tight.  "Does Bea know?"

"Yes."

"Does Lou know?"

"Lou's here?"

"You have been out haven't you?"

"Carole just said your mom said Stace is having twins."

"Really?  She's never wrong you know."

"That's what they say."

"Does Stace know?"

"She all but fainted.  She's telling Parker."

"Am I interrupting anything?"

"NO."  They both answered and laughed. 

"Let me up." Charles was holding her on a lounge a few feet from the water.  The noise of the party was drowned out by the sound of the ocean.  She looked over his shoulder and saw three times as many relatives as she had brought with her mingling on the patio.  "OH God!"

"Here, drink this."  RW handed her a glass of ice water.  "It's not poisoned."

"Do me a favor Wild Thing."

"Anything cuz."

"Go make up with Ryan."

"Ryan?"  Charles asked.

"Forget it.  I'll tell you later."  Em got to her feet and swayed a little.  "Good I want to walk for a minute."  Charles put his arm around her shoulders and they started down to the water.  "We'll be back in a few minutes."  RW walked back to the party.  Charles stopped and turned her towards him and hugged her.

"What happened?"  He asked, concern marring his perfect features.

"I fainted."  Em smiled and kissed him.

“Don’t you think we should sell t-shirts or something and make some money off these idiots?”

“Maybe next time.”  He leaned over and ran his hand down the side of her face and turned her lips to his.  “This time we just sit back and enjoy the show.”

“We’re not headliners this time.”

“Oh I think we are but it’s a side show for what’s going on over there.”  He pointed to the commotion that was taking place on the sidelines involving Bea and Connor and Ryan and RW.  “Is it my imagination or does Connor seem to be behind most of the trouble at these things?”

“You were the one doing the practical jokes that time.”

“I retired at the top of my game.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”  He smiled and leaned back toward his sister.  Clare was now fascinated since she had spent some time with the aunts over the last couple of days.

“So the one running LB&R is seeing the sister of the mafia brothers who owns the restaurant that employs the Irish guy’s son and daughter who are the half brother and sister to the owners.  Then who’s the assistant manager of the hotel related to?”

“Everyone.  Back up.  You get that the restaurant guys all had the same mother right?”

“No I got that part, I was wondering where Em and RW fit in.”

“Em’s mother and RW’s mother were sisters so they’re first cousins.  Ty, the LB&R guy is another sister’s son making him a first cousin, the other’s are steps and aren’t really related to anyone except each other or by marriage.”  Then he was getting confused.  “You have to ask Mike, I’m getting confused now.”

“But the Irish guy was the second husband of the mother of the Italian guys who’s the father of the sister but not the mother of the brothers.”

“Perfect.  You got it.”

“So he’s not even related to the aunts except that his ex-wife married the sisters’ brother.”

“You are quick.”

“So who’s the guy with the camera related to?”

“Was he hitting on you?”

“No he was taking my picture and I don’t remember where he fits in.”

“He’s her brother.”

“The one that was the gigolo at the reunion and tried hitting on the second wife of one of his uncles.”

“It’s better than Trivial Pursuit isn’t it?”

“I’d say Clue, Col Mustard in the Conservatory with a Rope…  You know what I mean?”

“I’m getting better at it.  I still don’t know what half of them do or have done or are doing.  I’m still trying to get the dynamics of which ones are blood relatives, married relatives or dead second cousin’s ex-wife’s brother’s…  Never mind.  I thought I had a joke but just realized I was describing someone.”  He picked up the bottle and poured more champagne into his sister’s flute. “Try it again after you’ve had three more of these.”  Clare started laughing.  “So what’s with the Irish guy and the mother?”

“It’s got to be love.”

“Don’t even joke.”  Em joined the conversation at that.  She’d been more or less daydreaming and trying to figure out how so many people had gotten together on four week’s notice.  “I’m just surprised this went so well when it took us two months to get the reunion together.”

“There’s less than a third here.”

“Thank God.”  She laughed.  “I’m going to kill Ty for re-circulating those pictures again.”

“I’ve ordered reprints.”

“I want a divorce.”

“Too late.  You’re caught.  It’s till death do us part sweetheart, no if ands or buts.”  He pulled her over onto his lap.  “By the way someone wanted you to autograph one. I’d appreciate it if you did it in your maiden name, if you don’t mind.”

Em leaned over towards his sister. “Was he always this funny or is this my influence?”

“No he always had a rather odd sense of humor.” Clare smiled.  “I want an autographed copy too.”

“SEE!” Em pointed at the sister.  “She’s definitely contaminated.  You’re heading for detox sweetie.”  Em leaned back and then raised her arm. “Mike get me a sharpie someone’s asking for autographs.”

“Toni’s still signing her pictures.”

“
SHUT UP!”

“Which one was that the shut up as in don’t talk or the shut up as in no kidding?”

“The second one I bet but since Toni’s dancing with her stepbrother she can’t be signing the pictures I was going to pass out at the office.”  Charles teased.

“YOU.”  Em poked him in the shoulder.  “Bed now.”

“She’s so insatiable.” Charles smiled at his sister, stood up and carried Em to the dance floor. “One more dance then I’ll take you to bed.”

“I’ve ruined you.  I’ve let you too near these idiots and it’s rubbing off on you.”

“Shut up and kiss me.”  Em stood on her tiptoes and kissed Charles’s chin.

“I can’t get any higher unless you bend down or I put my shoes back on.”

“Leave the shoes off.”  He pulled her up so her toes dangled but she was at just the right height. She got a better hold of his neck and shoulders and pulled herself up just a little bit higher. “That’s better.”  He kissed her until there were catcalls and applause. “Now we can exit gracefully.”  He bent down picked her up and carried her out of the reception area and back to their suite.

“shit shit shit”  RW whispered it but she could have screamed it the sound kept echoing around in her head. 

“laydownandgobacktosleep.” Ryan said into the mattress but had a hold of her wrist and was pulling her back.

“God Ryan.” RW sighed and lay back.  He shifted so she was closer and easier to nibble on.

“What’s wrong?”  He was sober.  She had been totally wasted and he took full advantage. He kissed her shoulder then her neck right behind her ear and ran his lips over her ear and hair.  He rolled her so she was more under him than stretched perpendicularly now she was more parallel and he had more options. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve wanted this.”

“Me too.”  RW sighed. “I just didn’t want it so fast.  Damn it Ryan.  We’ve been living without each other all this time.  Why now?  Why?”

“I’ve been looking.  I couldn’t find you.”  Ryan admitted.

“I knew exactly where you were.  I couldn’t come back.”

“Why?”

“Forget it.”

“No, RW, why?  I really need to hear you say it.”

“It can’t work.  We can’t be together.”

“Sure we can.”

“It’s just not right, it’s not fair to you and you’d end up hating me.”

“Never.”

“Don’t get me started on that always and never bull shit.”

“OK, I love you Robbie, I don’t want to be with anyone else.  I want you.”

“Don’t say that.  Damn it Ryan.  Don’t go get all romantic and truthful all of a sudden.”

“I was always very upfront on where I was with you.”

“True.  I’m the lying shit that can’t compromise or commit.” But he was laughing and she laughed too.

“You can compromise and commit; you just can’t work for me anymore.”

“That too.” She brushed his hair off his forehead.  His eyes were so beautiful. Not quite green and not quite brown, that kind of hazel that changed between the two.  At night and in the dark like this they seemed to glow green like a cat’s.  “I’m here now.  I love it here.”

“Maybe we can open a branch here.”

“Yeah, exactly what they need here another neighborhood bar.”

“I could work for one of the resorts.”

“Now that sounds like we’re competing again.  I won’t go up against you again for a job.  I’ll kick your Irish ass.”

“AH HA, she’s thinking about it.  Big progress.”

“Shut up.”  RW pulled his mouth to hers.  He’d be leaving in the morning.  Back to California, away from her.  He was getting more depressed and desperate by the minute.  He couldn’t tell her that had never worked in the past.  He needed to show her how strong his love was, how much he needed her. 

It boiled down to doubt.  She doubted that he’d stay.  Doubted his commitment.  She had nothing to bind him to her.  She’d never have children.  She’d tormented herself for years over the surgeries and the loss of most of her reproductive organs in her early 20s.  First had been the injuries, the falls and the kicks had caused some damage over the years, it was the car accident and the scar tissue, then the cysts and the tubule pregnancy.  It had almost killed him.  The blame, the guilt, the remorse.  He’d turned it all on himself.  It was his responsibility, everything was his doing like she wasn’t even there sometimes.  He was the big shoulders and would take it all on.  She couldn’t let it go.  It dug and dug at her that he wouldn’t relinquish any of it.  It was his fault, it was his decision, it was him pressuring her into sex, then getting her pregnant.  It was so much bullshit. 

She had been there too.  She was instrumental in getting him in the sack too.  She felt she had manipulated the whole thing, orchestrated it, created the relationship, but he tried taking it all away from her so she didn’t have to feel so much.  She used to pretend it was Em.  Em had come between them.  He’d wanted Em all along.  That’s what Connor tried to tell her when Em had left for Texas without a word.  What she thought when Em had the baby and he wanted to be there and she didn’t.  They’d gone and the crack started.  It took them another couple of years to finally call it quits.  Em was back and raising Mike on her own.  She wanted to be Em.  She wanted Ryan and to be Em too.  That was her dream then. 

She had different dreams now.  They didn’t include kids or Ryan anymore.  Well some include Ryan, especially in bed, or late at night, asleep and she wanted comfort and warmth, and that security that was so evasive. Even with the knowledge that he’d be there for her, be there forever for her.  But, there weren’t forevers.  There were only moments, a collection of moments that made memories and hopes and dreams.  She’d given hers up and given them away.  She fought her own battles and demons.  She didn’t need anyone.  Em didn’t need to prove anything.  She knew what was important and what mattered and she was there and followed through and through thick or thin, how the saying goes.

You could count on Em.  She couldn’t count on herself.  She was such a worrier and her fears and doubts were not that she couldn’t help or be there for someone or even do things on her own but that she’d fail.  She held herself back sometimes because of the fear that to try would mean to fail.  She seems to have gotten past that one.  She seems to have gotten all the good stuff. She couldn’t hate Em, be angry with Em, Em was Em and she was sometimes naïve and sometimes ridiculously trusting and stupid about things but she was just who she was and everyone loved her.  Except Connor.  She’d even won him over finally.  RW wondered what that took.  She heard there was something that happened at the reunion but never heard the whole story and didn’t want to get Connor on it because he’d start in on her again. 

RW was ok with failure, if you didn’t try you couldn’t win or lose, and sometimes you had to fail to succeed, but it was all part of her life now.  Not something to be afraid of.  She’d fail and succeed, she probably did a little of both every day.  She’d failed Ryan.  She’d won him then she lost him.  He deserved better.  He deserved more.  She still didn’t know anyone good enough for him but she knew she wasn’t the one anymore.  He needed more and better things.

"OH Ryan."  She hadn’t realized she had said it until he responded by kissing her again.  What was he doing there with her?