134.

The seven o'clock celebration was extra boisterous on this particular night. For one, the Tucker kids boasted new maracas. And, as an added point of celebration, it seemed the infamous "curve" was flattening. After weeks of spikes in new cases and deaths, there was, suddenly, a very welcome light at the end of the tunnel. President Harris cautioned against relaxing shelter-in-place orders too soon which sparked protests in certain pockets of the country. In conservative-leaning districts, protestors took to the streets, demanding states "reopen" immediately. National polls, though, showed most Americans were on board with President Harris' informed plan and willing to endure isolation a bit longer in order to conquer the virus. The end was near, but it wouldn't come without this final push.

The twins and Noah overheard their parents talking about the new developments.

"Vi'US AH DONE!"

"Bye bye vi'us!"

Noah ran in circles around the room, a maraca in each hand, "Go. In. Back. To. SCHOOL!" He chanted over and over.

"Hold on there bud," Ed said. He took the lead since he knew Olivia didn't have the heart to break the news. "We still have to stay home. No school. Probably for the next month."

"Til March?"

"March is just in a few days pal. Probably until April." Ed was sure he had never seen Noah so deflated. His smile disappeared; his shoulders slumped. Despair supplanted the joy on his face. Ed ran to pick him up and offer some consolation. "Hey, hey. This is the best way we get back to normal. If everyone stays in a little bit longer, we'll be gettin' back to school and work-"

"-you don't go to work!" Noah blurted out, near tears.

"-Bein' your Daddy is the most important job in the world," Ed replied, "So, I kinda do work. And I miss everything you miss-dropping you off at school, picking you up, going to the park, riding bikes, stopping at the market to pick up food for dinner-"

"-and da pub," Noah moaned.

"And the pub. This is tough, bud. I know. But, it will end. I promise."

Noah's shoulders rose and fell as he took deep breaths. Ed glanced at Olivia. Despite being upset about Noah being upset, him remembering their past advice to breathe deeply when sadness or anger set in was heartening. Olivia came over and cradled his head. "Daddy's right," she said softly, "It'll end. And, until it does, we all have each other to play with and make us happy, right?"

"Right," Noah murmured. "And Face Time and Zoom"

"That's right."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"We can't go to da pub, but," Noah's lips slowly curled into a grin, "Can da pub deliver like pizza and chinese?"

"I think they can."

"C'we play Uno then have mozz'rella sticks?"

"Sure, sweetie. That sounds like a good plan."

Noah ran off to his room. Ed wrapped Olivia in his arms and waited for her reaction. She waited until she heard him open his closet doors and begin sliding items from the shelves. Assured he was sufficiently distracted, she let her guard down. "I feel like everything's falling apart," she said, "I don't trust everyone to make the right decisions, to follow the guidance. And, if it were just me, it wouldn't matter all that much, but I don't think the meltdowns of the future are going to be that easy to deal with."

Ed started swaying her from side to side. "Probably not."

"What are we going to do?"

"One day at a time," he replied, "That's all we can do right now. But that's hard for a seven-year-old to grasp."

"Almost impossible."

"We have gas in the car. Maybe we should take a little ride this weekend. Get outta the city far enough to get to an open space so they can run around. If the weather cooperates."

The idea sounded great to Olivia. "Let's cross our fingers," she said, "I love that idea."

…..

The twins sang the clean up song they learned from their morning shows as they ferried lunch dishes from the table to the kitchen. They marched in line and bobbed their heads, and delivered the items with endearing grins. Noah shook his head. He was helping too, but he was old enough now to understand these types of chores were work, even when accompanied with music. Ed turned on the dishwasher and told Olivia he was going downstairs to check the mail.

"Can I go?" Noah asked.

Ed looked at Olivia.

"Yes," she said, "But let's cover your face." The masks she ordered for the family had not yet arrived, so she found an old bandana in one of her drawers and tied it around Noah's head. She put her smallest pair of rubber kitchen gloves on his hands and nodded approvingly.

"A dishwashing bank robber," Ed whispered in her ear as he passed by. "C'mon, bud, let's go."

"Don't touch your faces!" She called after them. The door closed and she focused her attention on the twins. Maggie was pounding a toy that was supposed to teach kids both colors and animals. An electronic voice would say a phrase such as "brown bear" and the user was supposed to smack the appropriate button. The problem was, no sound was coming from the speakers. "What's wrong?" Olivia asked.

"Need batt'ries," Maggie said.

The accurate, matter-of-fact reply was both unsettling and amusing. "Let's see," Olivia said, crouching to Maggie's level. The battery compartment was secured with a tiny screw, so she went to the closet and found Ed's tools. Maggie followed her closely, watching the process unfold with an eagle eye.

"Dada tools," she said.

"They are Daddy's tools. But Mommy's going to use them to change the batteries. See?" After a couple of turns, the top came off. Maggie cheered and clapped her hands. Olivia replaced the batteries and the screw. "Here you go, sweet girl. Try it out."

Hi friend! Find the green frog!

"Geen FROG!" Maggie slammed the correct button.

Good job!

"Good job!" Olivia echoed the tinny computer voice. "You are so smart, Maggie girl."

Maggie carried the toy over to her beanbag and sat down. Wyatt was sitting in the middle of a pile of Duplo blocks. He looked up at Olivia, his eyes hopeful, and asked, "Where No?"

"Noah went to get the mail with Daddy," Olivia said, "He'll be back in a minute. Are you going to build something with him?"

"BuildaSIDE!"

"A slide? Wow!"

Wyatt smiled and grabbed a nearby car. "Car go down da SIDE!"

"Ooo, that'll be fun!"

"Go fass!"

"You can race. It'll-"

A sudden onset of three quick coughs interrupted Wyatt. He wiped his nose with his sleeve, and, other than watery eyes, seemed unaffected. Olivia, on the other hand, was consumed with horror. Was Wyatt sick? She would give everything she had for a test for him, for everyone, for someone to come into their home with a virus detector and give them the all clear. Remaining calm so she didn't scare him or Maggie, Olivia casually felt his forehead. He wasn't hot. She took his temperature anyway, just in case, and it was normal. She placed the thermometer on the island and checked the time. The twins would take their naps soon and she'd check again afterward.

She sat down across from Wyatt and asked if she could help him start his slide.

"Here, Mama," Wyatt slid several Legos across the floor to her, "You help."

Find the red cardinal!

WHACK!

"CAR'NULL!"

Olivia smiled at Maggie, snapped a few blocks together, and whispered Ed's advice.

"One day at a time."

…

The wedding vows had been exchanged and cocktails were flowing under the huge tent on the property of one of Long Island's posh country clubs. Every few months or so, Olivia would learn something new about Ed Tucker, and tonight she was introduced to the wealthiest wing of the Tucker family. A month ago, when Ed tremulously asked her to join him, he described his relationship to the hosts as cousins, explained the venue was a "place in the suburbs", and suggested they stay in a hotel overnight if that was all right with her and doable with childcare. In typical Ed-fashion, he failed to mention his cousin (father of the groom) was a wildly successful venture capitalist, owned homes in three states, and had a collection of vintage luxury cars stored in a garage behind his sprawling mansion located blocks from the club. When she and Ed arrived earlier that afternoon, Olivia took one look at their surroundings and felt relief that she'd worn the more formal of the dresses she bought for the occasion. The teal v-neck wrapped at her middle and ruffled at the sides and at the hem. Too busy to visit dress shops, she'd bought the dress and several others online, hoping at least one would fit and flatter her body. This one was the winner. Judging by the awestruck smirk on Ed's face that didn't seem to fade, he thought it was gorgeous as well.

After a brief ceremony under the adjacent pergola, the guests were ushered across the lawn to a huge tented area. On one end was a stage large enough for a five-piece band and a dance floor. The main bar stretched almost the entire length of the opposite end and tables and food service stations were situated between. The space was lit by strung LED globe lights and waiters in tails snaked through the crowd both taking drink orders and serving hors d' ouvers and also swiping empty glasses and plates if they sat unattended for more than thirty seconds. It was elegant but not pretentious, and it was impossible for anyone to not be swept up in the romantic mood. Olivia was slowly moving in a tight circle, ingesting every detail right down to the embroidery on the cloth napkins when Ed delivered a glass of wine.

"N'ero d'Avola," he said, "I should be shocked, but I'm not." He saw Olivia blink and raised his eyebrows, "Y'alright?"

"Oh, yes," she took the wine and kissed his cheek, "It's so beautiful. I can't get over it. Sorry, I sort of, spaced out there for a minute."

"Space out all ya want," Ed raised his glass, "Cheers."

"Cheers." She grinned and took a sip. Her senses were heightened and she tasted every bit of its deep, peppery flavors. "Are you sure we're in the right place? You don't seem to know many people."

"You're right. I don't. Seem to be more friends than family. I'm not surprised. Ray's always been ambitious to the point that it made other members of the family, even my mom, suspicious. The whole 'honest living' thing didn't appeal to him."

"So he's a crook?"

"Some of us thought so. But those thoughts, probably jealousy in disguise. Look around you. Who wouldn't want this?"

Olivia chewed on the rhetorical question. She'd spent so much time and energy yearning for any semblance of family that she'd never had time to long for a lavish lifestyle. The sheer size of everything-homes, cars, price tags-was impressive, but what she appreciated most about their current surroundings were the tiniest details. The smell of lilacs wafting in the warm evening breeze. The piles of intricately cut garnishes stacked at the bar. The perfectly crisped, bite sized, bacon-wrapped dates Ed plucked for them from a tray as the server glided past. Olivia popped the sweet and savory morsel into her mouth and she and Ed kissed after they swallowed.

"Thank you for bringing me," she said softly. The only thing separating their bodies was her wine glass and his tumbler, filled halfway with bourbon. Olivia wondered if he'd chosen his typical run-of-the-mill brand or had gone for something more extravagant.

Her tone and body language caused Ed to briefly consider whisking her away to the hotel earlier than planned, but he maintained composure. She sparkled and glowed in the light, the dress, the way its summery hue pleasantly contrasted with her olive skin and its neckline plunged low enough to be classy but also make him almost weak with anticipation thinking of the hours ahead. "I wouldn't have come without you," he said.

Before she could respond, a few couples breezed by in succession and paid Ed and Olivia no attention. They were twenty-somethings, probably friends of the bride or groom, but a few singles trailed and one teenaged boy stopped in his tracks. "Hi Uncle Ed!" He breathlessly exclaimed.

Ed grinned politely and pulled the kid into a one-armed hug. "Jack," he said, "Good to see ya, buddy. I didn't know you and everyone were comin'."

"They were at the actual wedding," Jack explained, "But Mom and Dad went home. I think Jules is here somewhere too." He shrugged, regarding the location and well-being of his sister with typical teenage insouciance. Jack smiled at Olivia, revealing clear braces that she would later learn were necessary after a five-year battle untangling an unfortunate misalignment of adult teeth. "Are you Olivia?"

"Yes," she outstretched her hand and shook Jack's semi-sweaty fingers, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too. Sorry about our fucked up family."

Olivia could practically feel Ed cringe. She raised her eyebrows in a friendly manner, silently inquiring as to why she should be perceiving their family as fucked up.

"Oh, you know, Eugene." Jack answered. "That was some bullshit."

Olivia groped for Ed's hand, finally found it, and forced a gracious smile. "That's behind us," she said, "Right now, I'm looking forward to a fantastic evening."

Jack winked and patted his breast pocket, signifying a joint or hit of acid or some other illegal, mind-altering substance was inside. "Me too. See ya later, Uncle Ed.

Ed mumbled a good-bye, but Jack was long gone, out of the perimeter of the tent, following the others into the darkness. Unmistakably annoyed, his face was creased and his shoulders tense, but Olivia was adamant that a bit of teenage bravado would not ruin their night. To her delight, the band started playing a ballad and she squeezed Ed's fingers. "Wanna dance, Captain?"

"Yes, ma'am," he whispered in her ear as he moved in to kiss her cheek and gallantly gestured toward the dance floor, "After you."

….

The first snail mail letter Noah received was from Caroline. He tore open the envelope and squinted at her intricate cursive writing. Undeterred, he squinted, furrowed his brow, and painstakingly made his way through the first sentence before asking Olivia to interpret. She took the paper, a thick sheet of embossed stationery, and read from the beginning.

"Dear Noah. Dear boy, I miss you too. I need your assistance in the kitchen, for I've been making Irish bread and cookies and have no one to sample them. Perhaps I'll put them in the mail and send them to you that way. Ask your Daddy if I can go to the post office." Olivia paused, certain Noah would giggle. He did, and she continued. "While you're at home, remember to play cards every once in a while so you don't forget how and save your money because we're going to have a rummy tournament as soon as we can visit each other. How are Maggie and Wyatt? Give them kisses and hugs for me. When you write back, tell me all about what you're learning in school and maybe draw me another picture. I love you always! Grandma."

Noah smiled serenely and took the paper back, refolded it carefully, and placed it back in the envelope. "Dat's a good letter," he said and carried it back to his room where he stored it in one of the desk drawers. He made a slow lap around his room, but nothing caught his interest. The computer, once a source of endless, unstructured discovery, now represented online school. Noah loved school, but the computer had temporarily lost its luster as something novel. He'd read while the twins napped and wasn't as absorbed in this particular segment of the Boxcar Children series as he had the others. The stack of puzzle books weren't appealing either.

Noah had taken far too long in his room for Olivia's liking. She'd assumed he was putting the letter away and returning to the living room, so she went to check on him. "Hey, honey, what are you doing?"

Noah shrugged.

"Trying to find something to do?"

Another shrug. "Yeah."

"Daddy and I were thinking about all of us going for a little drive on Saturday morning. We'll go somewhere where there's a big open space and not a lot of people and you and Maggie and Wyatt can run around. Would you like that?"

Noah looked like he'd been offered a lifetime of free desserts at his favorite, Max Brenner. "Yes!"

"Want to look at the map with me? We can figure out where to go?"

He nodded vigorously. "We can play kickball," Noah said, "Don't have the kickballs like at school, but we can play with da soccer ball."

"Absolutely. That'll be fun. You'll have to teach us the rules."

"Mommy," Noah said, "Jus' like baseball, but, you gotta roll da ball and tell da pitcher if you want it super bouncy, a little bouncy, or flat."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll show ya Saturday."

Olivia kissed the top of his head before sitting down at the table beside him. "Thank you honey. I'm looking forward to it."

"Me too."

…..

Ed and Noah proudly welcomed the rest of the family out to the bonfire which they were able to build thanks to Ed covering their pile of logs with a second tarp before the storm hit. He and Noah had managed to pluck a few dry logs from the pile and, by nightfall, the fire blazed bright against the skies that should've been black but still appeared cloudy and gray. Maggie ran onto the lawn, barefoot and wearing denim shorts and her favorite peach-colored tank top printed with BB for Bethany Beach. Woven, multicolored bracelets encircled her wrists and her brown hair was tied on top of her head in a haphazard ponytail. Ed smirked at his spunky daughter who had shirked ferrying duties. Wyatt and Olivia followed with drinks, snacks, and the S'mores ingredients.

Ed remembered a conversation he'd had with a neighbor about their backyards. The Tuckers had an enviable setup with the outdoor kitchen, expansive porch, ample glass, and the fire pit with room for at least six adirondack chairs. The neighbor mentioned outdoor speakers and a setup for his flat screen, boasted about it even, and Ed shrugged off his offer to help with wiring for a similar system. He couldn't imagine replacing his kids' incessant chatter with music or TV when they were sitting around the fire or on the porch.

"What's everyone's favorite part of the day?" He asked after they had all taken their seats. This was an expected question, and the kids fired off their answers.

"Volleyball" Maggie had to fight to not drool her soda, "And goin to da beach pub and it was just us."

"Yeah!" Wyatt chimed in, "We got our table and...it's just better that way." Wyatt possessed an extensive vocabulary, and he liked to use his words. He appeared disappointed at not being able to scrounge up with perfect adjective but then he suddenly cheered up and corrected himself. "It was exclusive."

Noah stared into the flames and contemplatively looked back at the house. Half shuttered and dark, it looked like a wounded prizefighter staring back at him. "My favorite part was that we didn't get destroyed," he said.

Olivia watched him try to keep a straight face. Noah was serious. He truly did not want his family destroyed, but he always had trouble keeping a straight face when he wanted to make a joke or toss a barb.

"But I think we coulda got all those shutters down."

Olivia rolled her eyes and groaned.

"We coulda, bud," Ed winked at Olivia, "But let's take the easier way out. Gives us more time for the boat tomorrow."

"THE BOAT!" Maggie shouted. She heaved herself back against the chair with a satisfied smile on her face. Seafood for dinner, S'mores, and a day on the Pontoon ahead? She was in heaven. Her Daddy would probably even let her drive a little bit.

"Mommy?" Wyatt asked, his eyes wide and as blue as the t-shirt he was wearing. He was the kids most likely to still use 'Mommy' and 'Daddy' despite the monikers being, as Maggie called them 'baby'. "What's your favorite?"

"Teamwork," Olivia said, "I loved seeing you work as a team to put the shutters away."

"Daddy?"

Leaning forward, his elbows on his knees and holding his glass with both hands, Ed's eyes made a semicircle. "My favorite part was that we all went out and cleaned the beach. Did our part to help this town stay beautiful."

"I love this town," Maggie said.

"Me too," said Wyatt.

"Let's all thank Daddy for having the idea to buy us a house here," Olivia said.

Maggie's face twisted in all kinds of different directions. "This was Daddy's idea?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes," Olivia replied. "Very much Daddy's idea."

"Wow…"

…..

While Ed talked to his brother on the phone, Olivia watched the news with the volume on low and a glass of wine, her third of the evening, in her hand. Earlier, Ed reported via Twitter that Americans were consuming, on average, more alcohol per capita, and, regardless of the source, she was sure the anecdotal claims were true. It was tempting to start drinking during lunch prep, but, so far, she and Ed had abided by an unspoken agreement that they would refrain from booze until dinner. They usually limited themselves to two drinks per night, sometimes three, and Olivia was on the threshold of breaking the implicit rule.

As an invitation, she'd left the bottle of Pinot Noir on the island, but Ed chose bourbon instead. He gave himself a generous pour and sat down next to Olivia. Reflexively, she settled in under his arm and muted the news. "How is he?"

"Sounds okay," Ed replied. "He's in the basement poor guy."

Olivia had only been to John's Long Island home a few times and never visited his basement. "Is it finished?"

"When he bought the house, what, twenty years ago now, he bought it thinking he was going to fix up the basement, make it a rec room with a pool table, a bar, couches. He got the paneling up, but the floor's still concrete. No insulation. He's got a couch and a rug. And a hell of a lot of boxes. He's gotta be miserable living down there but he tried to make it sound tolerable."

Guarding one's feelings runs in the family, Olivia thought. Over the years, they hadn't spent much time with Ed's siblings and their families. When they were all together, everyone seemed to get along well. There were always plenty of laughs and very little, if any, tension. Nevertheless, when the holiday or birthday celebration concluded, everyone drifted back to their homes and made very little contact until the next gathering. Olivia had never given this routine much thought until now.

"We haven't seen John or Margie or their kids in a while," Olivia said.

"Christmas?"

"You're right. Wow. That seems so long ago."

"No kidding."

"When this is over we should make it a point to get together more often."

Ed gave her a kiss and uttered his familiar, "Whatever you want." However, his words were completely devoid of emotion.

"You don't think it's a good idea?"

"I think we're all kinda forced to reevaluate a lot of things right now," Ed replied, "And promising to see family and friends more often is an easy one to say we're gonna change."

"You don't want to spend more time with your brother and sister?"

"It's not that," Ed kept his arm around Olivia even though he could sense her thinking about sitting up and looking him in the eye, "We've never been real close, Liv. So I don't see the point of creating a whole new status quo because we haven't been able to live life normally for a couple months."

"Okay," Olivia lifted his hand and kissed it, "Think about it though?"

"Sure."

She leaned forward and grabbed the remote control. "Do you want to watch this?"

"No."

"Something else?"

"No," Ed placed his glass on the table and held her face in his hands, "I want you."

"That all?"

"It's way more than I deserve."

….

#Tuckson