Part 31 (2/2)
”It's Winnie-the-Pooh,actually,”I clarifyasshepasses
I'shi+rtintohis shortswhenMrs Xco
She pauses briefly to raise the receiver a fewinches and then slaain ”No, that won't do”ShewavesdownattotheclubGetoneof thoseLacosteshi+rtsI boughthiale
”Grayer, that shi+rt isn't appropriate,” she says definitively She picks up her handbag to wait for us while I wrestle himintothenewshi+rtandrebrushhishair
”Nanny,his shortsare wrinkledOh,well, I supposethey'd justget wrinkledontherideover anyway”I wonder if she's consideringthe front seat all the way to the NantucketYachtClub
”Grayer, stay by the car while Mos,” Mrs X calls after hi the club's parking lot She sighs, opening the trunk, and begins to loadmeup Mr X andElizabethhavealreadytrottedofftothecourtsforhis firstgaeveryone's clothingchangesswinging off full of lotions, sand toys, and sporting goods hanging from the other elbow, and an enormous pile of beach blankets and beach towels in my arms, to which she adds two fully inflated floaties I lifteplasticsecurelybeneathit
”Grayer Addison X, I SAID WAIT” she screa her little yellow Kate Spade tote up to her elbow and sauntering forward, hand in hand with Grayer, yellow silk sarong billowing in the cool breeze I tightennot to trip as I precariously navigate behind her She greets the entire club as she passes, re each mother and child byname I followher, thankfulthatthe floaties have positionedmy eyes Which I am A lot We kick off our sandals and walk down the woodenplankstothesand
Sheweaves inandoutof uher headat aplot of emptybeachto indicatewhere I'm tosetup campGrayer skipsincircles aroundtheblanketasI layitout
”Coht now” I look over at Mrs X, as I anchor the blanket with abag,but she's alreadyiet your suit on, Grover” I take his hand to walk up to the cabana that someone named Ben's brother has lent us for the hile he's in Paris I close the wooden door, leaving us in dahtheslats and onto the white boards He pulls open the door the h the top of the shorts
”Wait, G! Got to lather up” I hold up the Chanel Bebe SPF 62, which I am constantly forced to slather onhirab hisarm
”Howaboutyouputit onmyfaceand I'll putit onyours,”I offer
”Me first” He gives in I squirt the white creaently cover his, tryingtogethis cheeksatthesaetoutofthecabanabeforesunset
”Nanny,we aretakingturns!Don't cheat,” headet this stuff on you so we can get out there and go swi” I cover his earsandchest
”I'll do it s, covering about a fifth of his exposed skinI benddowninthedoorway,atte toeven itout,butherunsawayfrommebackdowntothe sandTenpedicuredtoesstopinfrontofet to put sunscreen on hi today so you better bringeverything uptothepool Seeyoulater”
I schlep our stuffback up to the pool, only to discover that the water is slowly being drained out after a small child had an ”accident” We head over to the Little Schooners Playground, a bit of an overstate set in a shadeless, fenced patch of sand The sun beats down mercilessly as Grayer attempts to play with the seven other children, none of whoturnscoloring, throwing aball, andpickingour noses
After he threatens to hurl a two-year-old off the swing set for her juice box, I leave our stuff and lead Grayer over totheclaycourts togetdrink the bleachers in the heat searching for his match, but find it difficult to pick hivisors
”That's hiatvariouslyunfamiliar faces
When we finally spot hiripping the ith his fingersandscrea,likeDustinHoffmaninTheGraduate
'VaaAAAAaadddDDdyyyyYYYYyyyyyy!!!!”
Elizabeth hisses at us disapprovingly as Mr X uess Grayer ”the politicalprisoner” doesn't fitinwith thei
”Come on now, sport, don't cry,” he booently on Grayer's shoulders to pull him back ”Get him out of here!” he whispers fiercely as soon as he's close enough that he won't be overheard ”And here” He pulls his cell phone frohthefenceatwithyou”
He stalks back to his game before I can ask hiht in front of her, blowing smoke coolly to the side I shove the phone deep into hilot,becauseI havenoidea whereelsetogo
When I a Grove how to drink froolfcourse
”There you are!” she exclai for us for hours ”Grayer, are you hungry?” He droopstothegrass,still holdingmyhand
”I thinkhe's thirsty,actually?
”Well, theBenningtonshaveinvited afewfamilies totheir house for a barbecue Won't that be fun?” He plops down on the lawn, red faced and sweating, forcing frotons' drive the first thing I notice is the Filipinoa poodle around the fountain The second is that there are at least fifteen cars parked on the gravel How do you throw together an itons left the club only ate at the side of the house to the poolareatheanswerbecomes apparentYou callthehouseonyourcell phoneand the realization that there is no wayto be as nice as this informal little barbecue It's not just that the iht down to the water, or thateverything isinfullblooicecubes that all havegrapesfrozenintheers;it's not even thattableswith starched floral tablecloths have been set up all over the lahat finally gets me are the watermelons sculptedintothebustsof formerpresidents
I am startled by Grayer, fully revived from the contraband can of coke his dad absent onhis Lacoste shi+rt I couldn't beet you another dog” He and I eat our lunch, and then I sit nursing a vodka-tonic while he runs around thelaith theother kids Bynow I knowbetter than totalk to anyof the guests
I see the Horners arrive with an attractive tan wos her over to rill I ith curiosity asMrs Xswitches herselfon,her hands going to her pearls, her face a mask of compassion This must be Caroline's divorcee from California After a few nal her need for a refill, and departs
Jack joins the toe in animated conversation for some time until Lulu skips over and pulls her parents away Mr X and the tan wo I quicklyslump downinthechairandclosemyeyes NotthatMr
X couldpickmeout of alineup
”Well,”I hearhio”
”Doesn't yourwife gowith you?” sheasks
”She usedto,butshe's sowrappedupwith oursonlately”Your who?
I sit back up to check if Mrs X has noticed her husband's stroll down to the water, but she's eacre Mypocketstartstovibrate
”Whatthe ?” I pull Mr X's pulsingphoneoutandtrytoswitch it offwithoutspilling buttonsatrandom
”hello?” I hear avoice calloutfrommypalm
”hello?” I instinctivelyraisethephonetomyear
”Whoisthis?” awoman's voicedemands
”Nanny,”I say There's noneedtoaskwho sheis
”Nanny?” Shesoundslikeshe's crying ”Is hethere?”