Chapter 2 recap: Another successful Christmas and birthday behind them, the Walker Family deals with the backlash of the matriarch’s announcement that she was to go on a month-long river cruise, completely abandoning the monthly dinner ritual. What will the family do without her?
Josie and Marianne sat next to each other on the bleachers at the Wulf Rec Center, watching their grandchildren in the pool having swim lessons.
“At least we tried to keep the tradition going,” Marianne complained, “which is more than anyone else did.”
“I guess no one besides us wanted to get together without Mom. I know it’s her thing, but still.” Josie lamented.
“Yeah, with Callie I get it. She’s not exactly one who would ever host or want to contribute too much, but Charlotte! She wouldn’t even come to the phone. I could just picture her putting up her perfectly manicured hand, not even looking up from her magazine.”
“Talk to the hand,” they squealed, mimicking her imagined response.
Josie added, “We’re being bad. Seriously, though, do you think Mom will be disappointed when she finds out we all just skipped her monthly dinner?”
“You know that wasn’t my fault, Izzy. How was I to know that Charlotte would surprise me at work like that?”
“I don’t know. We could just not tell her. I couldn’t lie if she asked, though. Then again, she may not ask, being distracted by all the excitement on her big trip.”
Somewhere on the Rhine, Miriam awoke to the sun making patterns on the foot of her bed through the slats on her window. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand and smiled. Sleeping in until 7 was becoming a vacation luxury. She was quite simply on her own schedule. Breakfast was served in the dining room at 7:30, but she often skipped it, choosing instead to eat fruit and nuts from the displays that seemed to be everywhere. She even had a small bowl in her stateroom that housekeeping kept replenishing. Between the fruit and the coffee press in her room, she had everything she needed to start the day in solitude. She picked up the itinerary pamphlet she kept handy and began leafing through it. It looked like they’d be docking today in Cologne, known for its quaint shops and cafes. Maybe that would be a good place to pick up souvenirs for her family. She’d have lunch in one of the cafes and take the walking tour with the other people on the cruise who signed up. She wasn’t the only single person on board. Far from it. In fact, she had two steady companions: widowers who seemed to be competing for her attention. She scoffed. “Imagine! At my age!” and she wondered what her children would think. Still, she had to admit that the attention did wonders for her ego and all the walking and sunshine didn’t hurt her complexion either. She rose from the bed and leaned into the cheval mirror. Was it the lighting in her cabin that made her look so lively? She popped a narrow-brimmed sunhat on her head, thinking about what she should wear today. She admitted that it was great fun planning outfits to match her sunny mood, day after day. Colorful scarves, sun hats, lovely blouses. And dressing for dinner each night was a blast. It reminded her of when she and Frank would dress to the nines and go out on the town. Although she had kept her figure trim, planning for this trip did require some shopping to find gowns appropriate to her age. She always looked good in structured clothing, so she picked tailored gowns of classic fabrics with matching collared jackets. They were so luxurious and lovely to wear that she truly enjoyed dressing up each night. She even applied a touch of makeup and lipstick—nothing garish, but enough to make every day feel special. Today, for the walking tour, she set out wheat-colored linen slacks, a white summer sweater set, and a colorful hand-painted silk scarf tied around her sun hat. She chose her coral ballet flats because they picked up the highlights in her scarf. An hour later, bathed and dressed and fortified with coffee and two pieces of fresh fruit, Miriam stepped out of her stateroom, ready to meet the day and whatever adventure awaited her.
Frank, Jr. entered the break room at Lutheran Hospital. It was no surprise to find Isabelle there, her back to him, reaching for something on the top shelf. As she stretched, her scrubs rose up, exposing her side and part of her back. With a mischievous smile, he stepped behind her and pressed his body snugly against her. “Can I help you with that?” he whispered huskily in her ear. “Why, Doctor Walker,” Isabelle purred, “how helpful of you.” He whirled her around swiftly, making her gasp with delight. Her long, blonde braid got trapped in their embrace as he kissed her lustily, his hands roaming up and down her back and onto her hips. “I can’t wait to see you tonight,” she said between kisses. Just then, the door swung open and they jumped apart guiltily. He busied himself peering into the nearest cupboard while she moved to the refrigerator, opening it and standing there pretending to look for something. The nurse who entered went directly to the vending machine and swiped her debit card. She paid no attention to the doctor and neonatal nurse in the room. She was on a snack mission, and once her selection was fetched from the machine, she turned and wordlessly left.
“That was close,” Frank said with relief, rubbing his hands over his face.
“Well tonight,” she said, moving toward him, “we won’t have to worry about being interrupted.” He pulled her close then, cupping her buttocks and pulling her hips into his. “Tonight we’ll have hours of uninterrupted time together.”
“You won’t cancel on me at the last minute again, will you?”
He groaned. “You know that wasn’t my fault, Izzy. How was I to know that Charlotte would surprise me at work like that?”
“Well, let’s just hope there are no surprises tonight. Same time, same place?”
He flashed her a smile then, his eyes twinkling. “Nothing could keep me away.” He rocked her in his arms. “Now, back to work we go. I have a full schedule. Until tonight.” And he kissed her once more.
Two hours later across town, Charlotte was settling in for a late lunch with Simone, her best friend of 25 years, at The Bridgewater Grill at the Golden Hotel. It was unseasonably warm for February, and they were both enjoying the sun pouring through the big windows, warming their shoulders. The waiter had just brought glasses of wine and taken their orders. Simone was chattering away when Charlotte placed her hand over hers. The suddenness of it made her stop and stare.
“What? What is it, Char?”
Charlotte dipped her chin and looked up into her friend’s face. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Alarmed, Simone swallowed hard and stared, wide-eyed. Charlotte’s chin trembled as she said, “I think Frank is having an affair.”
