Page 39 of Waves of Time

“Is this about Thaddeus again?” Violet asked.

“No.”

Violet left the stack of plates next to the dishwasher, smacked her palms, and said, “It’s almost impossible to force people to do anything. And it can be so heartbreaking to watch them make one decision after another that only hurts themselves.”

Aria grimaced. “This is particularly bad. Health-related.”

Violet closed her eyes at the severity of the situation. “All you can do is tell them how much you love them and how much you want them around. From experience, I know that yelling and screaming at someone to treat themselves better doesn’t work.”

For a moment, Aria looked at Violet as though she’d never seen her before. They saw one another three or four times a week, frequently gossiped about just about everything there was to gossip about in Nantucket, and slogged through shift after shift. But Violet had never mentioned the tremendous pain from her past.

“I don’t like to talk about it,” Violet breathed, dropping her gaze as she turned back toward the dining area to continue to clean.

For the rest of their shift, Aria sensed Violet was far away and thoughtful, and Aria left her alone. When the tables were cleared and wiped down, and the floor was swept, two colleagues bounced through the front door to take over their shifts, allowing Aria and Violet into the impossible beauty of an August afternoon.

In her pocket, Hilary’s keys jangled. After Aria and Violet hugged, Aria called an Uber to take her out to where her mother had said her car was— many miles from downtown. Aria was both relieved and sad to see that her Uber driver wasn’t Thaddeus and rather a middle-aged woman who spoke endlessly about the new donut place downtown, which had incredible croissants. Aria couldn’t think about food right now, and she hardly said a word.

Aria had never driven Hilary’s convertible without her mother in the passenger seat, and the thought terrified her. In the driver’s seat, she placed her forehead against the steering wheel and took deep breaths, reminding herself that she’d been driving since she was fifteen years old, that she’d never been in an accident, and that nothing bad was bound to happen, just because she happened to be driving her mother’s prized possession by herself. Still, she knew if she made a mistake behind the wheel, it would only add chaos to her mother’s already-horrific week.

Aria drove five miles beneath the speed limit and parked the convertible, without a ding or a scratch, in the garage. When she entered the house, she called for her mother, looking for her, but found she wasn’t in. When she texted, Hilary wrote back almost immediately.

HILARY: I’m out, but I’ll be back soon.

Aria thrummed with nerves. Out on the back porch, she drank a glass of iced tea and watched the water curve into wave after wave. When Hilary did return home, nearly two hours after Aria first sat, Hilary gave her a look that meant:we are not going to talk about my eyes.Aria understood it well.

So instead, Aria asked, “Do you want to watch reality TV?”

And Hilary nodded, on the verge of tears. “That’s all I want. Popcorn for dinner?”

“Sounds like a dream.”

* * *

Three days later, Aria and Hilary were seated on the left-hand side of business class, headed back to San Francisco. Aria wore a pair of high-waisted black jeans and a turtleneck, and Hilary wore a long forest green skirt and a trendy jean jacket. To outsiders, they looked the part of interior designers, headed back to San Francisco to assist their very rich client with the redesign of his apartment. But privately, they’d hardly said a word to one another since Hilary had confessed her eye issues.

Hilary was very good at pretending nothing was wrong. Aria thought she deserved an Oscar.

A flight attendant approached with two glasses of champagne, which Hilary thanked her for with a bright voice.

“Here’s to another prosperous trip on the west coast,” Hilary said, unable to meet Aria’s gaze as she clinked her glass with hers.

“Yes.” Aria sipped her champagne, studying her mother’s face.

“And your father made reservations for a swanky restaurant tonight,” Hilary said. “He’s over the moon to see you again.”

Aria’s heart thudded with expectation.Was it possible to corner her father and tell him about Hilary’s eyes?Then again, Hilary would never forgive Aria for spreading the news without her consent, especially to her ex.

She couldn’t take it anymore. She just had to know.

“Mom?” Aria’s voice was high-pitched and strained. “Mom, just tell me. Did you go?”

Hilary drank the rest of her glass of champagne and stared straight ahead. “I went, Aria. Okay? And I don’t want to talk about it.”

Aria’s thoughts sped up after that. For five minutes, then another ten, she swam with worry, frightened she might burst into tears. These weren’t her tears to cry. This was her mother’s pain.

And, it seemed clear that since Hilary didn’t want to talk about it, the news hadn’t been good.

“I just want to finish the job,” Hilary said, raising her empty glass toward a stewardess to indicate she wanted a refill. “I just want to pretend like everything’s normal a little bit longer. Okay?”

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