Maine - J. Courtney Sullivan [162]
Alice had enjoyed the past few weeks with her granddaughter. She may have gone a bit far calling Maggie a tramp, especially in front of the priest. That was one of the moments when she could actually feel Daniel looking down from Heaven, disapproving of her.
Ann Marie seemed convinced that Kathleen had come to persuade Maggie to have an abortion. If that was true, Alice might just be done with her daughter, once and for all. It sickened her that Kathleen would even think of it. Alice thought the only logical action for Maggie to take now was to marry Gabe. He wasn’t all that bad when you got down to it. He was handsome, he came from money. He seemed to make her laugh.
Alice took a sip of tea. She felt exhausted. She had spent a long, hard night with her daughter-in-law, regretting ever having invited Ann Marie to bunk with her in the first place, regretting asking her to come back once she drove away.
And afterward, she was up thinking of what she’d say here this morning.
After their fight the previous day, after Ann Marie sped off, Alice had walked Father Donnelly to his car (calmly, as if to offset Ann Marie’s insane behavior). She apologized. She couldn’t stop talking. She didn’t want him to leave with a bad taste in his mouth. When he had left, she thought she might talk some sense into Maggie. But once she got back to the house, she found Maggie and Kathleen gone. Shortly thereafter, she watched them drive off somewhere. Alice sat alone for a bit, thinking about it all and sulking.
Ann Marie had told Kathleen that Alice was her responsibility now, as if Alice were some drooling old invalid. It was an unforgivable thing to say, not to mention highly out of character for Ann Marie. She was in trouble with her daughter-in-law, that much was clear. But Ann Marie was such a big softie. How long could she possibly stay angry? Alice needed her, especially now, with Kathleen lurking around.
Eventually, she had called Ann Marie on her cell phone.
“Where are you?” Alice asked.
“In Portsmouth. I stopped off for a minute, but I’m heading home to Patrick now.”
“Don’t go,” Alice said. “Come on back here and let’s have a glass of wine and calm down. Can’t we laugh about this?”
“No,” Ann Marie said.
“Please, darling. I can’t have you angry with me. Especially after Kathleen just shows up, and considering this terrible news of Maggie’s. I’m hysterical; I’m afraid something awful will happen if you don’t come back.”
She began to cry the sort of crocodile tears she had used on her mother as a kid, whenever she wanted to get out of some unpleasant chore, or when one of her brothers caught her snooping in his desk and wanted an explanation.
There had been a long pause before Ann Marie said, “Fine. Do you need anything from Ruby’s? I’m going to stop for paper towels on the way back.”
When Ann Marie walked in a while later smelling faintly of booze and something Alice could swear was men’s cologne, she stiffly apologized for being so cruel, but said she was still very upset. Alice told her it was all right.
“I can’t believe you sold the house,” Ann Marie said.
“Donated it,” Alice said calmly.
“I can’t believe this.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.”
“Well?” Ann Marie had said.
“Well, what?” Alice said.
“Is there any explanation?”
Alice felt indignant, though she tried to suppress it. Who did Ann Marie think she was, demanding to know? How was it any of her business? Of course, there was a damn good explanation, but all the same, if she told her children they would only try to talk her out of it. She attempted to sound jovial, but she felt like telling Ann Marie to get the hell out.
“Calm down,” she said. “At this rate, you’ll be choking on your own tongue