Part 27 (1/2)

The waitress reappeared with a tray of our beverages and began putting them in front of us.

When she got to Alice she said, ”I didn't know if you wanted lemon in your tea so I put it on the side.”

”There aren't too many calories in a squirt of lemon, are there?” Alice asked.

The waitress looked up at the ceiling.

”You may squirt with impunity,” Patti said, but she was smiling when she said it so Alice didn't think she'd been jabbed again.

”Actually, lemon juice is a natural diuretic,” I said. ”So, if your ankles get swollen this summer, make lemonade. Or eat asparagus. They help, too.”

”I did not know that,” Alice said. ”Thanks for telling me.”

”On the house,” I said and smiled at her. After all, she was pregnant with my grandchild.

The waitress waited to take our orders.

”So, girls? What are we having?” Russ said. ”I'm thinking seriously about the tuna.”

”Who you calling a girl?” Ella said, winking. She raised her gla.s.s. ”To Daisy, who would be right here having a martini if she could. Get well quick!”

”Amen,” I said. ”Here's to Aunt Daisy!”

And everyone touched the rim of their gla.s.s to another's.

”I'm having the shrimp platter with collards and grits,” I said.

”That sounds good but I'll have the crab cakes,” Ella said. ”With red rice and collards. I've been thinking about the crab cakes ever since Russ said we should come here.”

”So good. Coconut shrimp for me with fries and cole slaw,” said Patti.

All eyes were on Alice.

”And you, hon?” said the waitress.

”Well, I can't eat tuna because of the mercury thing and all this other stuff is too fattening so I'll have the cheeseburger and fries with a side of mac 'n' cheese? That mac 'n' cheese isn't a big portion, is it?”

”No, no. You could barely feed a mouse with it,” the waitress said.

”Eat what you want,” I said. ”You'll never be able to eat like this unless you get pregnant again.”

”Yeah, but then you have to starve yourself to lose it all,” Alice said.

”The weight will fall off of you like water,” I said, wondering if the whole dinner was going to be monopolized by Alice's new favorite subject-herself.

It was.

We crawled through dinner, listening to Alice regale us on the topics of prenatal care, breast-feeding, Lamaze techniques, and her mother's advice. Almost every sentence she spoke began with well, my mother says . . . I thought, yeah honey, when you go into labor and your momma ain't here, you'd better learn how to spell Cate.

Hugs and good-nights for Russ and Alice took place in the parking lot and then we drove out to Aunt Daisy's and Ella's house. Except for a few choice remarks about Alice, the ride was pretty quiet. We went up in the elevator with Ella just to be sure there were no robbers hiding behind the curtains or monsters under the beds. It was just really lousy manners to let a woman of her advanced years, or a woman of any age, for that matter, enter an empty house alone. Plus, Patti said in the car that she wanted a Diet c.o.ke in the worst possible way and of course I didn't have any at home and all the stores were closed. But Ella offered her a twelve-pack, because they had just made a Costco run and her pantry was fully stocked. So, we had our solution for Patti and our excuse to follow Ella in without making her feel like she needed special senior-citizen coddling.

”They're right in the pantry in the kitchen,” she said, going from room to room, turning on lights and televisions.

”Thanks. Wow! The house looks great, Ella,” Patti said. ”Did y'all redecorate the living room?”

”No, not everything. Just changed the drapes and repainted.”

Patti had her cans of Diet c.o.ke balanced on her hip and she was standing by the sliding gla.s.s doors, debating opening them to take in the beach at night.

”Here,” I said, ”let me do that.”

I took the drinks from her and put them on the coffee table and opened the doors. The salty air rushed in and the ocean was loud. It was high tide and the waves rolled in relentlessly, banging the sh.o.r.e and grabbing all it could on its way back out. We stepped outside.

”Holy mother!” Patti said. ”Why is it so easy to forget how powerful this place is?”

”I don't know,” I said. ”The first morning I was here I stood on this deck and just looked out over the water, wondering why I ever left.”

”Why did we leave?” she said.

”Because we were stupid knuckleheads, that's why. And we thought Nirvana was out there over the causeway, just waiting for us.”

”You can say that again,” she said. ”Meanwhile, Nirvana was right here.”

”It's the truth.”

The door opened again and Ella came out to join us.

”You girls want hot chocolate or are y'all too old for that?”

”Not too old,” I said. ”Too fat.”

”Oh pis.h.!.+” Ella said. ”Remember when I used to make it for you when you were little?”

”Yep,” I said, throwing my arm around her shoulder. ”I sure do. Your hot chocolate mended plenty of disappointments and broken hearts.”

”Remember you used to put candy canes in it at Christmas?” Patti said.

”Only if you were good,” Ella said, smiling.

”We were always good around Christmas,” I said.

”That's why you only got candy canes in December!” Ella said with a chuckle.

”I knew there was a reason,” Patti said.

”Come on, let's go back inside,” I said, yawning. ”It's late and I'm completely exhausted from last night.”

”Me too,” Ella said. ”Sleep sounds like a good idea.”

”Well, Ella, it's so good to see you,” Patti said, giving her a hug. ”I missed you.”