Reunion
Jen dropped the bags of groceries on the counter and dug into her purse for the ringing cell phone. Debbie’s number glowed on the screen, announcing her presence on the other end of the call.
“Hold on, Debbie, let me find a chair,” Jen said, not listening for a reply. This call was going to take time. As usual, the discussion would at first cover Debbie’s viewpoint of the latest political and social turmoil in the country, before she finally came to the purpose of her call.
“I don’t know how I’m going to find the time to go shopping for my wardrobe for the seven days in Orlando . I’ll need some coordinates rather than separate ensembles. My newsletter is going to take the entire month with what’s coming down the pike with the election-,” Debbie went on and on, giving Jen the run-down on the candidates. “Sometimes I want to hang it all up. I hate the energy that drives me, it’s a curse. I am sleep-deprived to the point where I lose chunks of my memory. Do you think I’m nuts?”
“You crack me up,” laughed Jen into the phone.
“No, I mean it, look at Grace and you and me, we are just like Dad. Don’t get me wrong, his energy was amazing, but give me a break!” Debbie complained. Jen couldn’t remember ever hearing anything else from her sister but that she was running against the clock. Grace was just like her, only opposites in their professions. Debbie managed a worldwide internet ministry, whereas Grace made a great living designing and marketing men’s thongs. Jen was a prolific clay artist.
“And what about Josh? He takes after Mom, he’s lucky that way,” Jen mused, more interested in family traits than politics.
“Mom was not laid back, she just had a different way of doing things,” Debbie asserted, accentuating the word “Mom”.
“She knew how to manipulate others, that’s one thing Dad would never do, he highly valued every person’s right to themselves.” Jen knew it would tick her sister off to say anything against Mother. Debbie, eight years her senior, had a different concept of their dad. Jen loved him. She thought her sister almost hated him by the way she spoke of Dad. According to Debbie, he was severe in his early years and she, the oldest, had suffered the brunt of it. The war softened Dad, Debbie had insisted, and that’s why Jen saw him in a softer light. Debbie loved Mother and always quoted her wise little sayings, especially about developing a thick Elephant’s skin when it came to dealing with insults. She had never been around in the end, when Mother became a screaming shrew.
After Dad died, Jen was left holding the bag. One of the frustrations was driving ten miles to Mom’s house, sometimes several times a day to run errands. Mom had refused the offer to move in with her. None of Jen’s siblings had time or cared to cater to Mother’s whims with her increasing frail health and mindset. It had been an awesome task for Jen.
“Mom kept Dad going, she was tough as nails,” Debbie insisted, and the fun of jostling had dissipated for Jen. She knew if they went further, they would end in an argument.
“The reunion is August 18th, the first anniversary of Mom’s death. It’ll be our families and cousin Meg’s family, kids and such,” said Jen, now all business as usual. “You owe me one Deb, I’m busy too,” Jen added alluding to the fact that, Debbie, now the matriarch of the clan since Mother died, wanted to be in charge.
“You’ve got to be kidding Jen, celebrate on Mom’s anniversary? That’s a bit trite don’t you think?”
“Sorry, but yes, it’s the best time for everyone. Mom wouldn’t mind a bit,”
Jen said her voice void of emotion.
She had planned the reunion at the Grand in Orlando this year. This would give everyone a colorful palette of entertainment to choose from and the three mandatory gatherings when all the family members came together would be duly observed.
The Grand welcomed a diverse group of twenty-two members of the Adam’s family. Jen had made reservations in her name. Michael, Debbie’s husband reluctantly directed the group to the bar with eighteen in tow. Cousin Meg’s oldest daughter Susie and husband stayed behind in the lobby with their twin toddlers.
“There must be a more appropriate place to meet beside a bar where some of us aren’t left out,” Meg whined, “I’ll go and wait with Susie.” Before anyone could comment she turned and walked out followed by her husband.
“I’ll take a Manhattan .” Grace said sitting down on a barstool. “My husband will have the same.” He sat down obediently next to her.
“Meg and John seem unhappy, maybe we should all go to the lobby,” said Debbie. Jen knew it wouldn’t sit well with Grace who enjoyed imbibing at the bar and Jen hoped to stay in the dim lights of the bar herself. Grace turned to look at Debbie; her mouth pulled down in indignation and threw up her hands.
“Go and take care of them if you must. Call me when you are ready for the next course.”
The group had scattered and now sat about, talking in muted voices. Their eyes were on the two sisters.
Debbie looked around at the family members, shrugged her shoulders, and walked toward the lobby.
Dinner was a disaster; the party was too large to seat them together and too small for a private dining room. It took almost two hours to get everyone seated near each other. Susie decided to get room service for her family to the ever-increasing discomfort of Meg and Debbie.
Grace had one too many earlier. She laughed raucously making off-colored jokes while Jen observed the diversity of characters.
Josh had grown a full beard, mostly gray and the bushy mustache seemed to interfere with his food. He kept a napkin in one hand dabbing at it throughout the meal. His wife, a ditzy blond, ogled every man that passed their table and young Harry, their only child never looked up from his plate. Josh had warned Jen that Harry was highly sensitive about an outbreak of eczema and by way of the grapevine; it had come to everyone’s attention. They all made an effort not to look at him.
It was into the third day before the family finally came together in a reserved spot on the patio for an early dinner in hopes of avoiding the crowd. Five families sat clustered in groups bantering and at times derisive and especially Grace who sat alone with her husband at a table for two.
“Jen you’re awfully quiet, where is hubby?” Grace’s loud voice caught everyone off guard. She sat with another Manhattan in front of her, looking grotesque with heavy make-up and the reddest lipstick that had ever graced a woman’s lips.
“Gregory had to go home, he’ll be back,” was Jen’s curt reply. The whole show had become absurd. She and Gregory had another bang-up fight last night and he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten an urgent business meeting. She had pleaded with him not to leave, worrying about the speculations it would incite but there was no stopping him.
“Right, that’s what they all say,” Grace hollered back, her face contorted with glee. Jen shot her an angry look, got up, and walked past her sister hissing loudly, “Shut up!”
Debbie caught her as she started out the door.
“Jen, don’t go, you can’t.”
“Watch me!”
“What’s wrong with you? I need you to be here on my side. Do you think it’s easy for me?” Debbie asked.
Jen looked at her incredulous. “I don’t know what you are talking about, who made you queen? Mom is gone and we are all equals. Why do you feel you have to run everybody and everything?” she asked, her eyes shooting sparks. “I arranged this reunion as a favor to you so go ahead and take over; you’ll do just fine without me, and by all means, have a ball. I’m not in the mood to be Grace’s doormat, let her pick on someone else!” Jen said feeling her throat tightening, holding back the tears. She wanted out of there; she had zero tolerance for anything but her own life at this very moment. Family had never been a place for her. “You heard your stupefied sister in there assailing everyone with her morbid sense of humor. Greg is none of her business,” she said now tears welled up in her eyes.
“But it is my business; I’m your oldest sister. I love you. Tell me about Greg.” Debbie drew her closer, an arm around her shoulder and walked her over to a sofa in the lounge.
“Greg is running around and I don’t know how to handle it,” Jen blurted out against her better judgment. Knowing Debbie, she would waste no time repeating everything they were discussing to big-mouthed Grace. Jen was at the end of her rope with Greg leaving, and she had no one else to talk to.
“Why didn’t you say something before, Jen? How long has this been going on?”
“On and off a few months-he didn’t want to come but I begged him. We had a fight last night and he left,” Jen said, tears streaming down her cheeks. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw the family looking on through the opening to the patio, their heads wagging, she could imagine their gossip. She got up to leave.
“Wait, I’ll go with you!” Debbie offered. Outside, at the far side of the pool they found some lounge chairs. “Now, tell me all about it,” she said no sooner than they had sat down.
“I can’t...” Jen whispered trying to wipe away the tears that continued to plague her.
“Of course you can, who better to talk to than your sister,” Debbie said, scooting the chair closer to Jen.
“Debbie, please, you know us. You know how I feel about family. We have a string of failures when it comes to family affairs. Aside from this mock reunion, no one gives a hoot what happens to the other. Sometimes it feels like everybody is glad when another of us has a problem.”
“How can you say a thing like that, Jen, you are so wrong,” Debbie sounded indignant.
“Its how I feel, remember Mom and Dad complained all their lives of both their families treating each other like crap. You know, I think we’ve created an identical stage to play on, I don’t want any of it.” Jen stood up and walked away at first with unsteady steps, then moving on quickly to the elevator.
Once in the safety of her room, Jen dropped down on a comfortable chair, exhausted staring at the wall but in less than ten minutes she heard a knock on the door. When she opened it, Debbie marched in followed by Grace and Josh.
“We came to prove you wrong, here is your family,” Debbie said reaching out, holding Grace and Josh‘s hands.
“And what does this prove?” Jen felt a strong pull to embrace them, yet flash after flash of all the times they had forsaken her, struck her desire down.
“Words, just words, where were you when Mother needed you all? Do you know, at my Joey’s funeral, the only thing that stuck out in my memory is wondering how you could take a day off?” Jen said, looking at Grace. “For years I cried to my therapist asking her why I have no family. Once again, I am at the end of my world and my sister Grace has to kick me on the way down. It’s just another of a long list of grievances.”
“Hold on just a minute, Sis,” mumbled Josh, his words dropped on Jen’s ear as slow as molasses. “As long as you hold onto the past you’ll be miserable.”
“And that makes this all my fault?”
“Yeah, in a way it does. Every family has its problems. We all try to do our best and we often fail. The past is what it is, you need to move on.”
“It’s because of Mom draining my energy that Gregory found another life, and you tell me to move on? It looks like I am moving on alright, all by myself.” Jen felt bitter gall rise up in her. Josh’s shallow comment did nothing to soothe the damage of the last few years. Instead of helping, it incensed her.
“Jen, Josh is right, the past is gone. Come on, let’s go join the pack,” coaxed Grace lightheartedly.
“Go away, just go-,” Jen said turning from them disgusted. The nerve they had, an insensitive, selfish brood they were. Behind her, she heard the door close. She stopped in her tracks. She wanted to call them back. She had never felt so alone in her life. Careless Grace, motherly Debbie, lazy Josh were her family and with Gregory leaving, they were all the family she had. As she stood there torn, a hesitant knock on the door made her open it. Her sisters and Josh stood looking contrite, each reaching their hands out to her.
“One thing I forgot to say,” said Josh, his voice vibrating with emotion, “I am sorry for all the times I’ve let you down, Sis. I was embarrassed to tell you that before because I didn’t want to admit that I was wrong in not looking after Mom. It was so difficult for me, I felt like I hated her for getting old. You were so strong and I…well, I want to thank you, Jen, for all you did for Mom.”
Jen looked at him and then at each of her sisters, who nodded their heads in agreement, tears in their eyes. She fell into Josh's arms crying.
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Kat
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07:01:44
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