“Mom, this place is absolutely amazing!” Kelly was bouncing on her toes, obviously thrilled to see her mother’s New York City home. “I’m so glad you finally invited us to see it.”
Chris looked at his sister and then to his mother, as they stood in the front sitting room after being given the grand tour of her apartment. “To be honest, I thought she was going to ask you who, or what, you were hiding. Kelly had this crazy idea you were leading a double life as a spy and didn’t want to get us involved.”
“I wish my life was that exciting, but it seems to be getting less and less interesting by the minute.”
Kelly looked at her mother, aware of the tone she was using. “Okay, ’fess up.”
“About what? I have nothing to confess. I’ve lived here for quite some time now and was pretty inconsiderate not to invite you sooner.”
Chris and Kelly took seats on the sofa and just stared at their mother, obviously prepared to wait until she decided to be totally honest with them.
“All right,” she conceded, “There may be something I don’t want to talk about, but it has more to do with the divorce and I’d rather not put the two of you in the middle.”
“You and Dad are getting a divorce,” Kelly responded matter-of-factly. “That’s between you two, unless there’s an added twist we should be made aware of. So you might as well tell us now, otherwise we’ll hear Dad’s side of the story and then have to come back and find out the facts from you.”
“Your father doesn’t lie to you.” Lisa felt the need to somehow defend Robert. He may have turned out to be a lousy husband and mean-spirited adversary, but he was always a great father.
“Maybe not deliberately, Mom,” Chris said thoughtfully. “But since all this divorce stuff started, when he tells us things he gives them his own spin. He’s angry at you—he’s not going to grow a pair and admit it was his own dumb fault you left. I don’t see how you can keep this divorce amicable.”
Lisa looked at her son. “When did you become such a wise and rational thinker in matters of the heart?”
Chris smiled. “I always thought about stuff. I just never thought I needed to tell you. I had other things weighing on my mind.”
“Can it, Chris. Mom has totally accepted you. Lighten up.” Kelly pinned Lisa with a look. “Mom, what’s going on?”
Lisa and Chris both laughed. Kelly never missed an opportunity to lay everything out on the table. She hated secrets and she hated bullshit even more.
“First the good news: your father is not contesting the divorce, so that’s good.”
Both of her children, these beautiful young adults she raised, just frowned. She knew she had no choice but to keep talking and to paint everything as neutrally as she possibly could.
“It seems Robert has discovered that I’m bisexual.” The kids nodded simultaneously. “He’s trying to insure he gets his fair share of the business.”
“His fair share, or more than his fair share?” Kelly interjected.
“Yes, more than his fair share.”
Chris crossed his arms across his chest. “Didn’t you guys sign a prenuptial agreement?”
“Yes, Chris, we did, but your father is going to claim that I may have married him under false pretenses because I was already aware I had an interest in women before, and during, our marriage.”
“That’s fucking bullshit!”
“Kelly!”
“Well, it is.”
Chris shook his head and looked down. “I wish I could say I was surprised. That’s why I haven’t come out to him yet.”
Lisa worried the hem of her shirt between her fingers. “Have you told him about Columbia?”
“Yes, he thinks it’s a great opportunity, no problem with me leaving Yale. I believe his response had something to do with him not giving a damn where I go to school, as long as it’s covered in ivy.”
“Your father does have a healthy respect for a prestigious name. That’s one reason he always liked the name of our company.”
“But it’s such a lame name.” Kelly snorted. “It sounds like corsets and long underwear.”
“When your grandfather started the company, it probably was. I guess it was something the men in the company could be comfortable with.”
“But Barnes Basics is so boring.”
“That’s the least of Mom’s worries now.”
“Thank you, Chris. I was just going to say the same thing. Kelly, when you’re CEO, you can change the name to something more exciting, if you want. And that’s all the news for now. Would you like a guided tour of the neighborhood?”
That suggestion met with unanimous approval. Lisa showed them some touristy highlights and some of the places only locals enjoyed visiting. When the tour was near its end she took them into Rick’s Deli. She had asked for the weekend off to spend time with her children, and Rick had been more than happy to oblige.
As Lisa finished introducing Kelly and Chris to the staff, Rick came out from the kitchen. “Well, if it isn’t the only member of my staff I can have an adult conversation with.”
Kelly looked at her, eyebrows raised. “This, my darling Kelly, is Rick. He is the owner of this wonderful restaurant and the nightclub across the street.”
“Is that the place called Rick’s Rendezvous?”
Rick took Kelly’s hand and kissed it. “Yes, my dear young lady, it’s mine and I’m very proud of it.”
“The name reminds me of the movie, Casablanca.”
“Very intuitive, my dear. You seem to have a lot in common with your lovely mother.”
“And you seem to have a lot in common with Mr. Blaine.”
“Now you’re making me blush, and I rarely do that.” Rick grinned. He invited them to join him at a table for four near the back of the deli. “So how do you like your mother’s new home?” Chris kept looking around and taking in the atmosphere while Kelly became thoroughly engaged in conversation with Rick. The two chatted away as Lisa moved her chair closer to her son.
“You seem either in awe, deep in thought, or very lost. I can’t pinpoint what I’m seeing in you.”
“Probably a little bit of all three, and you can add one more item.”
“And what would that be?”
“I think I’m a little jealous.”
“Of what?”
“Of you.”
“Me! Why?”
“Because I can seriously see myself living in a neighborhood like this and finally being somewhere I belong.”
Lisa reached over and squeezed her son’s hand. “When you move to the city this summer, there’s nothing stopping you from living around here. After all, it would just be a subway ride to school every day—a long subway ride, but it might be worth it.”
“I’ll think about it.”
Rick covered Lisa’s hand with his. “My dear, I’d love to talk with you and your lovely children the entire day, but I fear if I don’t supervise my employees continually they’ll serve peanut butter and jelly to a patron who ordered corned beef on rye.”
Lisa snickered at Rick’s dramatic antics, clearly taken up a notch to entertain Kelly and Chris. She ordered some carryout food to take back to the apartment for later.
They left Rick’s with their bags of food and walked back to the brownstone, leaving the food in her fridge and returning to the brighter, more comfortable sitting room downstairs. Relaxing with her children in her home was a joy, and Lisa promised herself to invite them back more often. They were chatting about school and Lisa’s job when Jeff walked in.
“Oh my God, they’re here. The mythical children really do exist.” Jeff walked over to Lisa and kissed her on the cheek, then looked at Chris and Kelly. “Okay, hon, these two cannot be your children. Your hubby must have robbed the proverbial cradle.”
“Not really, but I’ll take the compliment gratefully. Chris, Kelly, this is my third-floor neighbor, Jeff. He works at Rick’s Rendezvous as a bartender at night and by day is a dear and wonderful friend.”
“Oh my, you can do my intro any day.”
From just outside came a female voice. “Well it’s about fucking time!”
Lisa laughed. “Gigi, these are my wonderful children, Kelly and Chris.”
Gigi took them in with a wide smile. “They do look wonderful, just like their mother.”
Kelly sat up straighter in her seat and took notice. “Mom, is this the Gigi?”
“One and the same.”
“You’re prettier than your pictures on the web,” Kelly said. “I hear you’re an artist, as well as a great landlord. Mom told us you go under the name Giselle, so I Googled you.”
“And?” Gigi smiled at Kelly. She seemed to appreciate Kelly’s animated gestures and vocal intonations.
“And, your stuff is amazing. I checked out the website. Your artwork shows in all these terrific galleries.”
“You have been doing your homework.”
“Let’s just say I was troubleshooting on behalf of my mom.”
“Kelly!”
“It’s okay, Lisa.” Gigi winked. “I think it’s great that your daughter’s looking out for you.”
Lisa didn’t think she’d stand a chance arguing with both Gigi and Kelly. “I’m not so sure how I feel about it, but I’ll go with your take on it for now.”
Kelly and Gigi got into a discussion about art and dancing and a variety of hot spots in New York City a person over eighteen but under twenty-one could enjoy. In the meantime, Chris had joined Jeff on the window seat. Lisa smiled. She had planned to introduce them, and possibly even fix them up on a date, but she was obviously too late. Her dear young friend and her son had clearly hit it off on their own. They were deep in conversation, apparently unaware that there was anyone else in the room.
Lisa looked around at her family. They were all her family at this point. She just hoped their camaraderie wouldn’t be shattered by her foolish choices and the divorce that still loomed large.
When the sun started to set it was still early evening. Jeff and Chris approached together. “Mom, would you mind terribly if I had dinner with Jeff?”
“Don’t you have to work tonight, Jeff?”
“Not until nine. I thought I’d show Chris the little Cuban café two blocks down. They make the best congri, fried yucca, and plantains in the city.”
“I think that would be lovely. Enjoy yourselves.”
Jeff leaned down and whispered. “I’ll behave, for now.” He winked at Lisa.
Chris gave his mother a kiss good-bye and whispered in her other ear. “Thank you.” Lisa smiled and nodded as the two left.
“Well, Kelly, it’s just you and me and three of Rick’s finest sandwiches.” Lisa got the nod from Kelly she was hoping for and turned to Gigi. “Would you care to join us?”
“For a Rick’s Deli meal, any time.”
They went upstairs to Lisa’s apartment to enjoy their supper at her small table. The place was feeling more and more like home every minute and Lisa was happy she had finally shared it with her children.
Now all she had to do was arrange a meeting with Jessie. They had played phone tag all day, but Jessie had left voice mail with a time when she’d be available; at least she was willing to talk.
With supper finished, Lisa knew it was time to call Jessie and arrange a meeting as soon as possible. So much was riding on this phone call, which only added to Lisa’s anxiety at the prospect of speaking to her former best friend for the first time in months.