Page 112 of Golden Girl
“Itwasan accident,” Willa says. “I mean, she didn’t drive over to the house intending to kill Mom. And I’ve definitely checked my phone while driving.”
“I’ve done worse,” Carson says.
“I’m sure you have.”
“It’s by the grace of God I’ve never killed anyone,” Carson says.
“Would you have run, though?” Willa asks. “Either one of us could have gotten distracted while driving and hit someone and killed her. But the test of our character, our morals, is whether we stay and admit to it or run away. Marissa ran away. And she pushed the theory that Cruz did it. She wagered that people would suspect Cruz before they’d suspect her. Which is heinous forso many reasons.”
Carson says, “I would have been tempted to run. I’m not saying that’s what I would have done, but I do understand the instinct.”
Willa sighs. “So…we don’t press charges?”
“She’s being charged by the state,” Carson says.
“But we could offer a statement of mercy,” Willa says. “It might help.”
“I just feel like we aren’t honoring Mom unless we ask for the maximum sentence,” Carson says.
“As usual, you have things backward,” Willa says. “We honor Mom by offering forgiveness. You know how she treats the characters in her books? She gives them flaws, she portrays them doing horrible things—but the reader loves them anyway. Because Mom loves them. Because they’re human.”
“Like Alison inGolden Girl,” Carson says.
Willa is resting her hand on her belly. She takes another look at Carson. “Wait—have you been reading Mom’s books?”
“I’ve had a lot of time on my hands,” Carson says.
Vivi rocks back and forth, hands brought prayer-like in front of her heart, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so proud of my girls,” she says. “They came to that conclusion on their own. I didn’t have to use a nudge.”
“Which is a good thing,” Martha says. “Because you’re out of them.”
Nantucket
With the investigation closed, the body of Vivian Howe is returned to Nantucket. The family gathers on the Friday of Labor Day weekend to bury Vivi in the cemetery on Milk Street. At some point, we know, this will become a popular pilgrimage for Vivian Howe readers across the country. They’ll lay bouquets and seashells and pillar candles by the headstone. They’ll take selfies of themselves in their Lilly Pulitzer dresses and Mystique sandals standing at Vivian Howe’s grave. But for now, it’s just the family and close friends.
Rip and Willa Bonham have their arms wound around each other as they lead the way toward the gravesite. Willa has just had her seventeen-week prenatal appointment and ultrasound and everything looks great. She has finally been able to share the news: she’s pregnant with a little boy and due on February 11.
The elder Bonhams are over the moon, especially Tink. When Tink asks Rip if it would be appropriate for her and Chas to come to the burial, Rip asks Willa her thoughts.
“Tell them we’re keeping it small,” Willa says. “And pass that on to your sister as well. She and Zach and Peter don’t need to come.”
Carson attends the burial with Marshall Sebring, the bartender from the Field and Oar Club. Carson and Marshall have become something of an item. A few of us saw them out to dinner at Lola and still others of us noticed them anchored off the second point of Coatue in a Boston Whaler.
When Dr. Flutie, a regular at the Field and Oar bar, asked Marshall what he planned to do when the season was over, Marshall told Dr. Flutie that he and his girlfriend were going back to Portland, Oregon, for a while. His girlfriend had never seen that part of the country. It might be just a visit, or, if they can both find restaurant jobs, it might become something more permanent.
Dr. Flutie says he’s jealous. He may be old (and a bit of a drinker), but even he knows the restaurant scene in Portland is top-notch.
Leo attends the burial with Cruz DeSantis and Cruz’s father, Joe. We’re all happy to see that Leo and Cruz have made up and are back to planning Cruz’s trip out to Colorado after his first quarter at Dartmouth.
“We’re friends for life,” Cruz said when he and Leo reconciled. “Nothing’s going to change that, man.”
Leo has a hard time shaking the feeling that the accident was his fault. When he went to his father and Savannah and told them everything, they assured him he had done the right thing in breaking up with Marissa. Her reaction to the news was beyond his control.
“I should have broken up with Marissa a long time ago,” Leo said. “I should never have been dating her in the first place. If I had just been truthful about things.”
Savannah gave him a squeeze. “You had nothing to do with it, Bear. Your dad and I are both proud of you and love you more than you will ever know. Your mom does too, I promise. The love doesn’t go away. She’s looking down on you every second of every day.”
Savannah is leaving for Manaus, Brazil, on Tuesday and JP realizes how much he’s going to miss her. He’s had dinner at her house once a week since Vivi passed and those are nights he looks forward to. More than a few times, he’s found himself wanting to kiss Savannah, but he’s held back because he’s afraid of muddying the waters of their newly formed alliance and he doesn’t want it to be confusing to the kids. He would love to go with her to Manaus and volunteer, but it’s still too busy at the Cone for JP to travel. By the time Savannah gets back, summer will officially be over and JP will be getting ready to close the shop.
