Anna
“I suppose you heard that your brother is taking the week of spring break off,” Anna’s mother told her. She had called Anna at work to apologize. At first Anna wasn’t sure whether to be shocked or suspicious. Maybe both. Because, although her mother was calling to make sure that Anna was coming to her grandparents’ farewell dinner at the restaurant on Sunday night, she actually invited Edmond to come along with her. Anna had told her she’d get back to her on that.
“Gil’s taking spring break off?” Anna frowned as she flipped through her e-mail box. Because she was multitasking at work, she didn’t feel guilty for having a conversation with her mother.
“Yes. The whole week. This will be the first vacation he’s taken since he began doing books for us.”
“So he’s going to Maui?”
“Maui?”
“Or wherever.” Anna saw an e-mail from a copy editor. “I need to get to work now.”
“But what’s this about Maui, Anna? Are you saying that Gil is going to Maui with Lelani?”
“No, I’m not saying anything. He’s probably going skiing. I hear spring skiing is good this year and—”
“No, I think you’re right, mi’ja. I’ll bet he is going to Maui—with Lelani.” Now she began speaking in rapid Spanish and Anna had to cut her off.
“I need to go now. Bye, Mama. And don’t worry so much.” Then Anna hung up and sighed. So when had this developed? The last she’d heard, Lelani had explicitly said that Gil was not going. Of course, Anna didn’t know for sure he was going. Really, he might just be doing something else to occupy his time while Lelani was gone. That had to be it.
But when Anna got home from work and spotted Gil’s pickup in the driveway, she decided to get to the bottom of it.
“Hey, Anna,” said Gil as he hopped out of his truck.
“Hey,” she called back. “Did you know there’s a rumor going around that you’re going to Maui with Lelani?”
He frowned. “Who told you that?”
She made a face. “Let’s just say it slipped out.”
“How?”
“Okay, maybe it was my fault. Mom said you were taking the week of spring break off and I wasn’t really thinking and I asked about Maui.”
He shook his head. “Oh, great.”
“You mean you were going to keep your whereabouts a secret from your family?”
“Not exactly.”
“What then?”
“I wasn’t going to tell them until I was on my way there.”
“So you really are going with Lelani?”
“Not exactly with her, Anna. I just happen to be going to Maui while she’s there.”
“But I thought she—”
“Here, this is how it went down.” He lowered his voice as if he thought someone in the house might be listening. “Lelani called me last night and she was pretty upset.”
“Why?”
“She’s kind of freaking over how her parents are going to handle things.”
“I thought that’s why Megan was going?”
“But it’s not a hundred percent for sure that Megan can get time off of work. Apparently her boss is kind of mean.”
Anna nodded. “Yes. She’s a witch.”
“So Lelani went ahead and booked her flight in the hopes that things would work out for Megan, but then she got to thinking that she’d be stuck on her own if Megan didn’t go. And Lelani and her mom don’t exactly have what you’d call a good relationship, if you know what I mean.”
“No, I wouldn’t possibly know anything about difficult mothers, Gil.”
“It sounds like our mom is a piece of cake compared to Lelani’s.”
Anna considered this. “Poor Lelani. She should’ve thought things through a little better before she started dating you.”
Gil frowned. “Mom will come around about Lelani eventually, Anna.”
“Yeah, like when pigs fly.”
“So, after we got off the phone I decided to go to Maui. I’ll stay in a hotel, and if Lelani needs me for moral support, I’ll be there. And if she doesn’t …” He shrugged. “Hey, I’ll still have a good time. I mean it is Maui. And the snorkeling is great and I’ve always wanted to learn to surf and I hear the whales are—”
“Okay!” Anna held up her hands to stop him. “Now you’re making me seriously jealous, Gil. Enough.”
“Sorry, sis.”
“Well, I’m sorry that I kind of spilled the beans with Mom. I tried to cover it, but sometimes it’s like that woman has some kind of ESP when it comes to her kids.”
“I know.”
“So, should I assume Lelani knows about all this?” They were at the front door now.
“Actually that’s why I zipped over here after work. I wanted to tell her in person. I thought she should be home from work by now.”
Anna pointed down Bloomberg Place to where a tall slender figure was coming down the street toward them. “Looks like you’re timing’s good, Gil. Here she comes.” Then Anna went inside and left them to their vacation plans. Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly a vacation to Lelani. But it sure would be to Anna. The more she thought about it, the more jealous she did feel. Oh, it wasn’t a jealousy that made any sense. Kind of like when Anna’s best friend Mandy Peters broke her arm in third grade and ended up getting all this attention, and Anna wished she could break her arm too. In fact, she even jumped out of a tree, hoping that she’d injure herself.
Feeling jealous of Lelani’s trip was equally ridiculous. It would be no fun to do the hard emotional work of seeing her parents and figuring things out with her baby girl.
Most of the time, Anna found it hard to believe that Lelani really had a child. It just seemed so out of character for someone as smart and sensible as Lelani. Now Kendall, that was a different story. But Anna knew it was true. Not only did Lelani have a baby, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to continue letting her parents raise her daughter. Anna tried to imagine what Lelani’s life would be like if she decided to be a mother to her child.
Would she be able to support herself and Emma? Would she continue to live at Bloomberg Place? What would Kendall think of it? And what about Kendall’s baby? Would Bloomberg Place start looking more like a home for unwed mothers than friends sharing a house? Anna wasn’t sure she wanted to live in a place like that.
And what about Gil? How would this change his life? And why hadn’t he thought about this before he’d gotten so involved? Whether Anna’s family could admit it or not, Anna felt pretty sure that Gil was in love with Lelani. She had felt that from the start. To be fair, other than the baby dilemma, Anna thought Lelani would make a lovely sister-in-law. It’s just that throwing a child into the picture complicated things. And as far as Anna and Gil’s mother was concerned, things were complicated enough already.
“You don’t look very happy,” observed Megan as Anna came into the house. “Bad day at work?”
Anna shook her head. “No. Just thinking.” She wondered if Megan was aware of this latest development—that Gil might be with them in Maui. Or at least be nearby. “Did your boss give you time off for Maui?”
Now Megan looked unhappy. “Not yet. But I left her another message, specifically asking for that week off. At least she’ll know that I want it.”
Anna considered telling her about Gil, but since she’d already let one cat out of the bag today, she decided to keep her mouth shut. “So”—she glanced around the still-cluttered living room—“how’s Kendall today?”
Megan kind of smiled. “She’s actually a little more positive. My mom called her and talked about Antiques Roadshow, and now Kendall is certain she’s going to become a millionaire from all her junk.”
Anna laughed. “Yeah, right. I’ve seen that junk. She’ll be lucky if she can get rid of it without paying people to haul it away.”
“You never know. Anyway, my mom will be here to help her to sort through things and price them tomorrow and the next day. I’ve already put ads in the papers, and my mom’s bringing signs and some tables and stuff.”
“So we’re really doing this thing?”
“Looks like it.”
Anna nodded. “Good. It’ll be nice to get this place back to normal.”
“And then, if all goes well, Lelani and I will leave for Maui the following Saturday. She’s already booked her flight, and I’m tempted to go ahead and book mine.”
Anna just pressed her lips together.
“Are you feeling bad that you’re not going?”
“No, I’m fine. Okay, I’m a little jealous, but I’ll get over it.”
“Not me,” said Kendall as she came into the room. “I mean I’ll get over it, but I’m more than a little jealous. I’m screaming mean green with envy.” She made a face at Megan. “And I really think Lelani should reconsider the whole thing. I mean I have more in common with her than you do, Megan. I’m going to be a mom too. Shouldn’t we moms stick together?”
“So you’ve made your decision?” Anna asked with hopeful relief. “You’re not still considering an abortion?”
Kendall put a finger on her chin and looked uncertain. “I’m mostly sure that I’ll have the baby. Not completely.” Just then Tinkerbell started to bark to be let out. “But I’m determined to make up my mind by the end of this week. Lelani thinks I’ve already let it go too long. She said that not making a decision is like making a decision. I suppose that could be true.” She turned to her dog. “I’m coming, Tinker. Sheesh, with you to keep me hopping, who needs a baby?”
Anna sighed and Megan just rolled her eyes.
“Sometimes I think that stepping into 86 Bloomberg Place is like stepping into a soap opera or Lifetime movie,” said Anna.
Megan laughed. “Isn’t that kind of like life?”
“I guess.” Anna just shook her head as she went up the stairs. Having grown up with a mom who was fairly melodramatic, Anna had decided that she didn’t particularly enjoy drama. Oh, it was okay on TV or the big screen or theater. But when it came to her own life, she liked things to be nice and even. Maybe that’s why she liked Edmond so much. And so she decided to give him a call.
“Hey, Anna,” he said happily. “You slipped away from the office before I could say good-bye.”
“I was done with work and just wanted to leave. Sorry.”
“So, how’s life at Bloomberg Place? Is Kendall behaving?”
Anna often filled him in on the activities there. “She’s okay. But I’m having attacks of jealousy over not going to Maui.” So she told him about Gil.
“Why don’t you go?”
She laughed. “Well, for one thing I haven’t been invited.”
“No one needs an invitation to go to Maui, Anna. You just buy a ticket, reserve a hotel, and go.”
“Hmm.” Anna considered this. “By myself? Isn’t that a little pathetic?”
“I’d be happy to go with you.”
“Right.” Anna laughed. “That would send my poor mother right over the edge. She’s already freaking over Gil and Lelani. Not that they’ll be staying together.”
“So if it weren’t for your mother, would you consider going there with me?” asked Edmond hopefully.
“No,” Anna answered firmly. “I wouldn’t.”
Now there was a long pause.
“Sorry,” said Anna. “It’s nothing personal. But if I go to Maui with a guy it’ll have to be on my honeymoon.”
“Are you proposing to me, Anna Mendez?”
She laughed. “No, I’m not. And, just so you know, I’m a little old-fashioned that way. I expect the guy to propose to me.”
Now there was another silence and Anna got worried that Edmond might think she was hinting. “Not that I’m ready for anything like that,” she said quickly. “Because I so am not. I was just saying.”
“Hey,” said Edmond. “I wonder if Gil wants a buddy to go with him to Maui. I mean if he’s getting a hotel room, we could split the cost. And I can—”
“That’s actually a great idea.” Anna remembered Gil’s talk of snorkeling and surfing. But what if Lelani was busy doing other things? The idea of Gil out there alone was a little scary. “Do you know how to snorkel?”
“Oh, yeah. And I’m a certified diver too.”
“How about surfing?”
“I’ve done it a few times, but I’m not great.”
“Sounds like you and Gil are a perfect match.”
“Great. I think I’ll give him a call.” Edmond ended the conversation and Anna realized that now she was not only jealous of her brother going to Maui, she was jealous of Edmond as well. And to think she’d encouraged it. What had she been thinking?
“Hey, Anna?” Kendall poked her head in her room. “Can I borrow your shampoo?”
“Uh … yeah, sure.” Anna nodded. Okay, she wanted to say no and to point out that her shampoo was expensive, and that Kendall always left the lid off and used too much, and why couldn’t Kendall just buy her own anyway? But Anna didn’t say any of that. Instead, she just sat there on her bed considering the fact that she’d be spending the whole week of spring break here with Princess Kendall. Just Kendall and Anna. Together for one whole week. No Megan or Lelani to balance things out or soothe Kendall’s feelings or reassure her that her life wasn’t over just because her size-four jeans didn’t fit anymore.
And then it hit Anna: not only that, but now there was a very good chance that she wouldn’t even have Edmond to run away and escape with. For all she knew he was talking to Gil right now, booking a flight to Maui online, and asking his uncle for time off. To make matters worse, Anna wouldn’t even have her brother. Just Anna and Kendall. Anna groaned loudly and flopped back on her bed. This was so unfair!