Page 14 of The Light Year

Finally, Marion returned to her daughter’s side, handkerchief in hand, as she met her eyes in the mirror once again.

“I know you are, honey. And I know your father has made things difficult. He wanted you to marry someone who was more… politically active. Whose family contributed more, perhaps, to our community on a financial level. He had hopes that you’d match with someone who had a pedigree that would benefit both you and your future children.”

“And him,” Barbie said, feeling anger wash over her as she gathered her skirt in both hands and stepped off the pedestal. Now she was eye to eye with her mother. “You’re sugar-coating it, Mama. He wanted me to marry someone whose family was rich, with business and political ties that would benefithim.Hewanted to be able to tell people the name of the family that his daughter married into and feel proud, not like he had to explain who that family was and why his daughter had chosen to marry a total nobody.”

“Oh, Barbara,” Marion said. She touched her handkerchief to her face. “I want to tell you that’s not true, but I can’t lie to you.”

“There’s no need to. I’m aware that you’re both disappointed in me for not marrying Jameson Young, or Raymond Canter. You made sure Ted brought all of his prep school friends around when I was in high school, and none of them took. I didn’t want to be with Quinn Myers III, or Patton White. I wanted Todd, and I wanted him from the moment we met,” Barbie said with urgency, reaching out and taking her mother’s hand. “I saw him, and I just knew that he would be good, and kind, and fun, and he is, Mama. He’s all those things.”

Marion pressed her lips together and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “I know, Barbara. I can see all those things in Todd. He’s a lovely boy, and he adores you. I won’t deny any of that.”

“Then why don’t you stand up to Dad when he says things about me marrying Todd? Why do you let him berate me every time he has to write a check for the catering, or the reception hall?”

Marion swallows hard and waits a moment before answering. “Because I understand how things work, Barbara. I’m a woman who wanted to finish college, and I found a man who could pay for that to happen.”

“But you didn’t go back,” Barbie said, knowing that her words might hurt her mother. “You let him decide your future for you.”

Marion shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I didn’t need to go back once I married your father. And I had Ted so soon after, and then you came along… life got busy.”

“So you’re saying you truly only married Daddy for the money.”

Marion doesn’t hotly deny this; instead, she blinks slowly, looking at Barbie with a steady gaze. “I married him strategically. I knew that if I were to become Mrs. George Mackey, no child of mine would ever have to figure out where the money was coming from for an education. I knew I’d never struggle. But in my heart… sure, I would have loved to have the kind of thing you and Todd so clearly have. Any woman would want that.”

Barbie bit back tears. Hearing that her mother had wanted something different for herself, and that she understood why Barbie loved Todd, was enlightening. She dropped her mother’s hand then and pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

“I want that for you, Barbara,” Marion whispered in her ear as they hugged right there in the sunny back room of Love & Lace. “I want you to find all the happiness and joy and companionship that your heart desires, but I want you to remember that everything comes at a cost. My marriage came at a cost, and yours will, too.”

Barbie is holding the phone to her ear in her kitchen now, gazing out the sliding doors to her pool area as her mother-in-law rambles on about the fall weather in Connecticut, and whether or not it will rain enough to keep the lawns green. But in her mind, she’s still in the back of Love & Lace, holding and being held by her mom. She can almost feel the warmth of her mother’s body in her arms, and so it’s a jolt of reality when Henry comes rushing in, wrapping his arms around her and looking up at her with his big blue-gray eyes.

“I’m hungry,” Henry whispers theatrically, knowing that he isn’t supposed to interrupt his mother while she’s on the telephone.

Barbie reaches down and runs her fingers through his silky white-blonde hair. “Theresa?” she says, interrupting her mother-in-law’s stream of consciousness chatter. “I’ve got Henry here. Would you like to say hello to your grandson?” And before Theresa can answer, she passes the phone to Henry and wanders back to the living room.

“My mom?” Todd asks, holding out a hand to urge his wife to sit on the arm of his reclining chair again, which she does. He lets his hand rest on her hip as she snuggles closer to him.

“Yes. Henry is telling her every single detail of his day right now.”

Todd chuckles. “My dad will love that phone bill when it comes. Maybe I should go in there and talk to her before things get out of hand.”

Barbie puts a kiss on top of his head and gazes out the picture window for a long moment. Florida isn’t at all like Connecticut, but she’d loved it instantly. It’s nearly fall, but there are no crunchy leaves on the ground; there is no crisp bite to the air. Instead, the palm trees wave lightly in the breeze, and the hoods of the cars in the driveways look hot in the sun. Barbie kisses Todd one more time before she slides off the arm of the chair and puts out both hands to help him up.

“Okay, let’s get you in there to save your mother from endless playground stories. It’s time for me to start dinner here soon anyway.”

Barbie lets Todd rest an arm around her shoulders like he’s really in need of her support, and together, they walk through their home with their arms around each other, much the way they once walked through the halls of their high school.

barbie

. . .

Todd endedup staying home for a week before declaring himself well enough to get through a workday, and while Barbie isn’t entirely certain that he’s being honest (she’s seen him reach out for things to steady himself on numerous occasions when he thinks no one is watching), she’s willing to let him get back to it simply because having him at home has added an extra layer of work to her days that is, quite frankly, exhausting.

“Welcome back,” Jo says, patting Barbie on the knee as they sit next to each other on a beach blanket, facing the ocean. It’s Thursday midday, and they’ve been at the beach since ten o’clock with Huck and Carrie and Jude. Frankie would have joined them, but she teaches a Thursday morning ballet class, and she had a doctor’s appointment scheduled right after to make sure that everything is progressing on target with her pregnancy.

“Oh, I’m so glad to be back,” Barbie says. It’s only been a week since she’s hung out with the girls, but that was enough of being everyone’s housemaid. “Todd is feeling better, and now I have my mornings and afternoons free until the boys step off the school bus.” Just then, Huck walks over with a bucket fullof sand and pours it over his mother’s bare feet. “Okay, I’m free except for Huck, but he’s an easy guy, aren’t you, buddy?”

In response, Huck pats the sand like he’s trying to turn his mom into a human sandcastle, then runs off to refill his bucket.

“Just think—soon Frankie will have a little one to tote around with us,” Jo says, looking out at the water. “That will be so much fun, won’t it?”

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