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After she got them in bed, she went in to check on the girls. They were lying side by side in Megan’s bed, watching a movie on the iPad held by Diana lying in the middle. One last peek at the baby, and she was done for the night. Letting herself out of the house, she ran to the corner to catch her ride with her cousin Emma back to the Bronx.
The kitchen had a wine cooler, the one feature Lisa insisted on even though space was tight. The choice was easy for her. All bottles were white.
“I’m pouring,” she said to Ryan. “You want one?”
“I guess so. I’m losing hope with this latest antidepressant. Maybe vino will give it a boost.”
The glasses she chose that night were beautiful, long-stemmed glasses that her grandmother had given her from the Smith mansion stash in New York. She imagined her father probably had held one of them, and they were treasured objects. Woe to anyone who accidentally broke one of Lisa’s wineglasses.
From his place on the couch, no longer painting since the sun had long set, Ryan watched Lisa carrying a glass into him.
“Thank you. I feel like you wait on me constantly.”
“I don’t. You wait on me just as much. And you wait on my mother, and for that I am indebted because I don’t want to have to do it.”
“Aw, she’s okay, Lisa. I love being with Pam.” He took a sip of wine. “This is good. It reminds me of the old days.”
Glancing at him curiously, Lisa waited.
“What?” he asked.
“What are the old days?”
“Oh, the days of business suits and hired cars. Drinking wine with people I didn’t like because I had to.”
“Do you miss it? I mean, if this reminds you of something bad…”
“Oh no, nothing like that. I should have said it reminds me of the formality of it. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than sit right here with the love of my life and drink this delicious wine. I don’t miss anything about the old days.”
Laying her head back on the couch, Lisa closed her eyes for a minute. The sound of the water crashing on the beach always made her happy, but tonight, she was deaf to it. Her ears were roaring, and she could feel a headache starting behind her eyes.
“This wine is making my head ache,” she said. “I’m so disappointed. After the news about Jake, I really wanted to tie one on tonight.”
“That sucks. Open a bottle of red. Try that instead of the white.”
“That’s okay. I never buy red wine. If you think it’ll make a difference, I’ll buy it.”
She placed the glass on the table and curled up on her side next to him.
“Maybe you’re just tired. And you didn’t eat much for dinner.” He inched away from her and stood up. “I’ll get something for us to nosh on.”
“That would be nice,” she said.
He went into the kitchen and fixed a paper plate of cheeses and salami.
“I want to take a cooking class,” he said, returning to the couch. “I saw that your aunt is going to teach classes at Organic Bonanza.”
“You should do it, then, Ryan,” she said, sitting up.
He offered her the plate, and she took a piece of cheese. “You would probably benefit from getting out of the house. I know it hasn’t been easy lately. I’m not exactly Miss Sunshine.”
Sliding his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close. “You’ve been there for me when I’ve had a rough time, and I want to be there for you. Simple.”
Sighing, she felt her body finally relaxing, so she reached for the glass and took a sip. “If I could just stop getting so wound up. I feel like I need to make restitution but to whom?”
“You don’t need to do anything, Lisa. You have four children and a mentally ill husband. That’s enough. Plus, this thing with Jake, that’s got everyone shook up. You’ve paid your dues.”
“Ha! I’m paying them now in guilt.”
