Girls in White Dresses - JENNIFER CLOSE [78]
“What am I supposed to do?” Mary asked Isabella. “His family is obviously crazy.”
“So is Harrison’s family,” Isabella said. “They never hug. Did I tell you that? They literally just wave at each other from across the room when they haven’t seen each other in months. It’s bizarre.”
“Well, Ken’s mother hugs her children when they leave the room for more than five minutes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s kind of weird.”
“I know.”
“Harrison’s family doesn’t ever talk on the phone. Never. Except if they’re going to meet somewhere and they want to confirm the time.”
“Ken’s family only goes out to eat at T.G.I. Friday’s or Chili’s,” Mary said, and Isabella laughed.
“Harrison’s brother eats with his hands and never says ‘Excuse me’ when he leaves the table. He just gets up to go.”
“I don’t think Button wants us to get married.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I think she wants Ken to pay attention only to her.”
“Ew,” Isabella said.
“I know.”
Every summer, Ken’s family went to Lake Minnetonka in Cable, Wisconsin. “Don’t you guys ever want to go somewhere else?” Mary asked.
“That’s where we go,” Ken explained. “My dad started taking us there when I was just a baby.”
Mary and Ken had been dating for two years, but Mary was never invited to “the lake.” Ken came on vacation with her family, but never mentioned it when he went away. Now that they were engaged, Button called Ken to tell him to extend the invitation to Mary. He told her as though she should be thrilled. “You’ll get to see the lake!” he said. She smiled. No lake could be worth a week with Button.
It took them all day to get there. They had to fly into Minneapolis–St. Paul International, and then drive three hours to the lake. When they arrived, Button was standing on the porch, waiting for them. “I’m so glad you could join us,” she said to Mary with just a trace of a fake British accent. It sounded like she had been practicing the sentence.
Mary saw that Button was trying to smile but couldn’t quite get her mouth to go the right way. Ken went in to change into his bathing suit and ran down the path to the lake before Mary had even gotten inside. She gave him a look that said, Don’t leave me alone here, but he just called out, “Come meet me when you’re ready!” Mary and Button stared at each other on the porch.
“Let me show you your room,” Button said, and led Mary to a slim rectangular closet off the kitchen. There was a cot set up in there that took up most of the room. Mary put her bag down and tried to seem pleased to be sleeping in an old food pantry.
“Thanks so much for having me,” Mary said. “I’m so excited to be here. Ken always talks about this place.”
Button was flustered. “Well,” she said. “Well, how nice.”
“Do you need help with anything? Dinner or anything like that?”
“No, we’re all set,” Button said. “Dinner is at six.” When Mary was finally alone in the pantry, she decided to lie down and take a nap.
“This is my family now,” she thought to herself. “I am going to be legally bound to Button.” She tried to tell herself not to be so overdramatic, but then she imagined spending holidays with these people and let a single tear slide out of her eye. She was allowed a single tear. She was going to have a mother-in-law named Button.
The lake was pretty but freezing. Ken took her out in one of the kayaks, assuring her that she wouldn’t die. “Here,” he said, tossing her a life jacket. “Put this on.”
They paddled out to the middle of the murky lake. Mary was in the front because Ken said the heavier person should be in the back. She kept trying to turn around to ask him questions, but when she did the boat wobbled and so she remained looking straight ahead. The paddles were dripping into the boat and a pretty big puddle was gathering around their feet. The only nice thing about being in the boat was that Button was getting smaller and smaller on the shore. Mary was just starting to enjoy herself when she heard Ken say, “Uh-oh.”
“What?” Mary whipped her head