Drive, She Said
As Richard loads Charlie's weekender bag into the trunk, he turns to her and says in all seriousness, "Now, Charlie are you sure that you don't need to go to the bathroom? We're going to be on the road for several hours and I might not be able to find a decent bathroom until we get to Cape Cod." She just nods her head "No."
"For goodness sakes Richard! Massachusetts is not the wilderness. There are decent bathrooms along the way."
"Emily, it's always best to be safe rather than sorry. By the way, I don't think that you should have that second cup of coffee before we leave. After all, coffee is a diuretic."
No wonder Lorelai hated going on road trips with us. Just as I am about to toss my coffee at Richard's head, I see Charlie winking at me and decide that clobbering Richard can wait for the moment.
"Charlie, are you comfortable in the backseat?" I reach back and adjust her seatbelt.
"I'm fine. I can hardly wait to get there!" She is so exuberant this morning. A far cry from several days ago when she was beset with both fatigue and stomach upsets. Chemo has taken a toll on her but it will be worth it if she is cured.
I'm done with my chemo. Now, all I have to look forward to are twice yearly check-ups and a lifetime's worth of medications. A small price to pay overall.
"Charlie, where are your hat and sunglasses?"
"Right here!" She exclaims as she pulls them out of her tote. "And, here's my scarf and in case it rains, I have an umbrella."
Excellent. She is a quick study when it comes to road trips. We prepared a list together and I quizzed her the night before to make sure she had everything she needed. There wasn't a thing she didn't have covered. Too bad she didn't forget to pack her pink flare chinos but oh, well. All in all, she's a little trooper and so much more focused than Lorelai was at her age.
It's a brisk April morning and traffic is light. I turn on the radio and scan for some easy listening stations when I come upon a classical music station instead. There's an opera overture playing and I increase the volume slightly.
"That's Madame Butterfly isn't it?" Charlie pipes up as she leans forward.
"Yes! How did you know!" Richard is genuinely shocked; as am I. A child who likes books, ballet and opera? She's too good to be true and yet she is.
"That was my Nonno's favourite opera and he promised to take me to see it. We used to listen to it all the time. It's a sad, sad love story. He promised me that he would take me to see a live performance at La Scala one day when I was bigger. "At that moment, she appears wistful and leans back to look out the window.
According to Mrs. Winchell, Charlie was raised by her grandfather, who was a gardener. He was her sole support and only relative. He emigrated from Italy to the United States when he was a young man. He took her in when her parents died tragically in a car crash. She was only four years old at the time. They had a somewhat nomadic existence since he travelled to wherever the work was. However, Hartford remained their home base.
I've had so many gardeners over the years. Could I have employed Charlie's grandfather and not known it? I grimace at the thought. I'm just as kind to my gardeners as I am to my maids. And, the thought of being unpleasant to an old man raising a small child like Charlie makes me queasy and ashamed. Not all my ancestors came here on the Mayflower. Some came in steerage from Scotland over a century ago. That does it, the next time Manuel comes to trim the hedges and rose bushes, I will refrain from all criticism…well, for as long as I can at any rate.
"You know Charlie, I once saw the great Renata Scotto perform the role of Cio-Cio-San at La Scala. Can you imagine?" Richard blurtsout.
"My Nonno saw her too. Nonno means "grandpa" in Italian, just so you know, Richard."
"Thank you, Charlie for explaining that to me." Richard smiles.
"My Nonno told me seeing her and Maria Cal…Cal…somebody, was the experience of a lifetime, next to my being born of course. So he said." Once again, she becomes quiet.
"Your grandfather saw Callas too! He was a very lucky man, Charlie--on all counts, especailly when it came to you." Richard tries to be comforting but Charlie puts her head down and just stares out the window.
Poor Nonno wasn't terribly lucky a year ago when he had a fatalheart attack while driving Charlie to school.Fortunately for Charlie, her leukaemia was discovered at the hospital while they treated her injuries, which fortunately weren't severe. That little girl has had quite a rough year or rather a rough life.
"You know what Charlie? If your Nonno were here right now, he would agree that you're big enough to see Madame Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I'll get us tickets in the fall. What do you say?" Richard pats my arm and whispers, "well done."
"Oh Emily! That would be a dream come true!" I can see her face beaming as I look up at the overhead mirror.
"Um, Emily…" Richard turns to me looking a bit pale.
"What's wrong, Richard?"
"Nothing really. I just have to pull over and find a bathroom…quickly." He says with obvious discomfort while he loosens his seatbelt.
Charlie and I just roll our eyes and try our best not to burst out laughing. But we don't succeed.
At last we arrive at the Inn. It's early, only noon when we check in.
Charlie loves her room which is adjacent to ours. There's a door that connects our rooms, so we can go in whenever we please. She has a lovely view of the beach below. Suddenly, she races into our room and jumps on our bed delightedly. "It's so pretty here! Can we go to the beach?"
"First things first Charlie" Richard says sternly, "Now, stop jumping on the bed and sit down."
"Yes, sir." Charlie begins to pout as she looks at me for comfort. I'll let Richard practice his Daddy role awhile before I step in. I wink at Charlie as if to say, 'If he becomes too overbearing, I'll rein him, don't worry.'
Richard continues, "Now, I say we have some brunch. They have the most delicious blueberry pancakes and brioche French toast you've ever tasted. And they are not to be missed young lady! Charlie's face begins to perk up immediately.
"Then we'll head over to the beach and rent some bicycles and explore. And if you're a good girl, we'll take you with us to view a house later today." Richard looks at the both of us to see if there are any objections. Of course, there aren't. He's the boss or at least he thinks he is.
"Sounds like a plan, Richard." Iimmediately take Charlie's hand in mine and escort her out of the room. Richard closes the door and follows behind us.
I hope Richard doesn't expect me to go bicycle riding. The last time I did that, I rode right into a rose bush trying to avoid a bunch of roller skaters. Lorelai was thirteen at the time and simply mortified. I can still hear her shrieking.
"Oh Mom! Why couldn't you just sun yourself on the beach instead of going riding with me? Everyone's laughing!" As if I intentionally set out to land in a rose bush--a thorny one at that.
Anything we did together the summer she was thirteen was punctuated by a shriek. This weekend will be different, I just know it.
OH, MY GOD! I have never been so exhausted in my life and it's only 9:30 PM. Charlie's tucked into bed and fast asleep. We had a wonderful day biking and pointing out the sights to her and exploring around town. But nowRichard and I can barely move. We make our way to the bed slowly and painfullystretch out. Pyjamas be damned! We're too tired to change out of our windbreakers and khakis. We just lay there.
"Emily, I can't feel my leg." Richard whines as he turns to me. I barely look at him as I reach for the pillow. It hurts to even turn my face. "It's from all that bike riding we did. Just rub it."
Richard continues whining, "Can't you rub it for me?"
"My butt is killing me from sitting for so long on such an uncomfortable bike saddle. Rub it yourself."
Richard turns to me with an impish grin, "I'll make with a deal with you; I'll rub your butt if you rub my leg…" He then unzips his windbreaker and flings his arm around me, giving me a kiss…a very sweet and tender kiss.
Breaking apart momentarily, he adds, "Today was fun, wasn't it Emily? See, we can still keep up with a child even if we are a little achy."
"Yes, today was fun. I'm so glad that you and Charlie are hitting it off so well."
"Yes, she's a delightful girl." Suddenly, he tosses off his windbreaker and begins to nuzzle my neck.
"And did you notice how much she loved the house!" I say, suddenly beginning to feel tingly and warm all over, except for my butt that is.
"Well, the child obviously has good taste. I'm glad she approves of our new summer home." He begins unzipping my jacket and starts on my blouse.
"Yes, she just loved it--especially her room." I close my eyes. One, two three…
"Emily, what do you mean exactly by 'her room'?" Richard is now staring intently into my eyes and I can feel his passion slowly ebb away. "EMILY!"
"You know, on second thought, maybe I should rub your leg, Richard? You could get a clot, if you're not careful." I suddenly slide out from under him as he takes in what I'm saying.
"Emily, what aren't you telling me?" Richard's voice goes up an octave.
I'd better tell him now before he blows a gasket. I turn around on the bed and try to face him but look down guiltily instead. Here goes…"Richard, Charlie is coming to live with us. The only way, I could get Mrs. Winchell to allow her to come with us this weekend was by applying to become her foster parents. Which we did, by the way. We just have a few small hurdles to tackle, an inspection of our house in Hartford, for example. The Mayor and his wife gave us glowing recommendations. I spoke to Maria about it and she was thrilled about us taking in an orphan. I told her that Charlie is just the sweetest, smartest--well, you know. And then there's the run down of our finances…" I keep babbling on hoping he hasn't keeled over from shock.
Richard just leans his head back on the pillow and sighs loudly. Very loudly.
"Richard?" Now he's playing the mute. "Richard, I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to tell you and Charlie needs a home and we've got a great big O-n-e…"
Before I know it, he's pulled me down with one hand behind my head. I hope he's not going to strangle me. Instead he kisses me once again and deeply this time. He bites my earlobe and playfully whispers, "I think she should have the room next to Lorelai's, wouldn't you agree?"
I don't say a word, I just settle into his arms and the kiss.