Page 43 of Persephone's Curse
“We distract her,” Bernadette said.
“We distract her?” I said.
“That’s how you get over a broken heart,” Bernie insisted. “Distractions and time.”
“So what do we do?” Clara asked.
“I have tomorrow off. Let’s do something fun. A bike ride or those boats in the park.”
“You want to go for a boat ride in Central Park?” Clara asked.
“Yes,” Bernie replied decisively. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”
“That’sfar,” Clara said.
“It’s a twenty-minute walk,” Bernadette replied.
“I don’t like water,” Clara persisted.
“We’ll get you a life jacket,” Bernie said.
We had lived in Manhattan for our entire lives and we had never once rented a boat from Loeb Boathouse.
“Yeah,” I said. “Let’s do it.”
Clara rolled her eyes. Bernadette looked pleased.
“First thing in the morning,” I continued. “Bernie, get Evelyn up. Clara, pack snacks. I’ll get the cooler from the basement and steal a bottle of wine. It will be fun.”
“I’m very irritated with both of you right now,” Clara said.
“You’ll get over it,” Bernie said.
“But willEvelynget over it?” Clara retorted.
A long silence. And then, my voice barely a whisper. “Did I fuck everything up? Did I do the worst thing in the world? Am I a horrible person?”
“Yes,” Bernadette said. “Yes.No. We are going to fix this, Winnie. Everything is going to be fine.”
But I don’t think any of us—not even Bernadette herself—believed that.
The next morning was mild and sunny, with a light breeze and a scattering of white puffy clouds across the sky. Clara and I packed cheese and crackers and apples and pears into a backpack cooler, and I slipped a bottle of white wine into it and put it by the front door.
“Why are the three of you so insistent on going for a boat ride?” Evie said. She looked like shit. Dark circles under her eyes, unwashed hair, puffy face.
“It’s a beautiful day,” I said.
“We get plenty of beautiful days,” Evie countered. “And never before have we spent oneboating.”
“She’s crabby,” Bernadette announced loudly, as if Clara and I had maybe not picked up on that.
“I brought sunscreen,” Clara replied, as if maybe the sunscreen would do something for our sister’s mood.
“Are we walking?” Evelyn asked.
“I thought we would!” I said. “I mean, itis—”
“A beautiful day,” Evelyn interrupted. “Yes. We’ve covered that.”
