135.
Even virtually, Lucy's beatific smile lit up the room. She gushed over Maggie and Wyatt, children she had never met and only knew through the photographs Olivia sent via email. Olivia briefly held the twins in her lap and instructed them to say hello. They bounced, waved, and sent giggly greetings through the microphone. They may not have recognized Lucy, but the twins loved to interact with anyone on the screen.
"They're so big!" Lucy said.
Chagrinned, Olivia told her she was sorry for not sending any updates in a several months, but Lucy graciously brushed off the apology. She had been living in London, doggedly pursuing her career, and, though she didn't say as much, probably didn't agonize over or even notice the absence of emails from the Tucker Five account. Even so, she sounded thrilled to be taken on a tour of the apartment by Noah who started in the foyer and ended in his room where he pointed out every single precious detail of the space. When he was finished, he blew Lucy kisses and handed the iPad back to Olivia.
"Enjoy the tour?" Olivia asked with a twinkle in her eye. She'd been about to rescue Lucy and cut it short when Noah emerged from his room.
"Loved it," Lucy said, her tone as pleasant as Olivia remembered, "I'm so happy he remembers me."
It had been almost four years since Lucy had seen Noah and at least a year since their last Face Time call, but Olivia kept photographs of the two of them around the house, and her name came up every once in a while. If Noah had forgotten specifics, he certainly remembered who Lucy was and how special she'd been.
"We're not going to let him forget Lucy," Olivia replied solicitously. "We love you!"
Her face alight, Lucy cooed back, "Aw, I love you guys, too!"
"We'll all meet again one of these days."
"I hope so," Lucy finger-combed her hair which she still wore long, "My mom is having a hard time with all of us away."
"She's all by herself at the house?"
"Her and the dogs."
"Does she need anything?"
"No," Lucy answered confidently, "She's great at using Instacart and all the other delivery services. And, I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but she's a bit of a hoarder. She has a cellar full of canned food, non perishables. She'll be fine."
"Good."
"How are you doing?"
There were no shortages of stories of suffering on the news. All across the country, people were out of work, scared, anxiously awaiting the next announcement about stimulus bills which President Harris was struggling to push through the Senate, or, worse, they were at a standstill, on pins and needles, praying for their loved ones to recover from Covid. At the Tucker home, though, all was as well as it could be. Everyone was healthy. She took the kids' temperatures twice daily and they were consistently normal. Brooke was fully recovered and awaiting an antibody test to see if she had actually had the virus or not. Caroline finally resigned herself to staying at home. John continued to have mild symptoms, but he was convalescing in his basement and claimed to feel better each day. Olivia was beginning to feel the onset of what she recognized as survivor's guilt.
"We're good," she said, "Ed's always reminding me to take things a day at a time and that's really what we're doing. Noah misses his routine, but he's getting used to getting up and going to school from his room. The twins don't know anything is different other than that they aren't going to the playground or, well, anywhere. They're used to at least going to the park on a regular basis, even when it's cold."
"Are you and Ed getting sick of each other?" Lucy shot her a Sarah-esque grin, tinged with mischief.
"Not yet, but, we did have to give each other some space. Every afternoon when the twins take a nap, that's alone time."
"Cam and I had to do the same thing," Lucy said, "We have such a small flat, and we were doing everything together. So now, I go for runs on my own, a couple hours, that's all it takes for us."
"We spend a lot of time together as it is," Olivia said, enjoying the sisterly camaraderie, "But, before this, we rarely spent entire days together. One of us always had something to do, errands to run, going to help out Ed's daughter or his mother, getting Noah to and from school. We figured we'd arrange a little me time before any tension started brewing."
"Very smart," Lucy held up her index finger as emphasis, "I can tell you're happy, Liv. And I'm still so thrilled for you."
"Thank you, sweetie. I am happy. We are so happy." Olivia must have been getting used to Zoom, because locking eyes with Lucy via the screen didn't feel any different than doing it in person. "You and Cam hang in there and stay well, okay?"
"You too," Lucy yawned. It was nearing midnight in London. "Let's do this again soon?"
Olivia nodded. "You bet."
She had retreated to their bedroom for the call while Ed gave the twins a bath. After they were scrubbed down and toweled off, Maggie and Wyatt brushed their teeth, he dried their hair, angling the blow dryer so Maggie's locks didn't fly in her face. Tackling the two tasks at once gave Ed a great deal of satisfaction. Teeth brushed and hair dry, he sent the pajama-clad toddlers to their bedroom with instructions to choose the night's books, and he went to check on Olivia.
"Hey," he said softly in case she was daydreaming. He never wanted to startle her on purpose.
She was sitting in the easy chair and looked up from the iPad and smiled. "Hi. Oh, I'm sorry, did you want to talk to Lucy? We just hung up."
Ed smirked, "I'm good. Twins are ready for books. You want to stay here?"
"No, I'm coming." She stood up and they gave each other a few kisses before leaving the room. "We're right on time tonight. Good for us."
"Should probably leave a little early tomorrow," Ed said of their plans to drive out of the city, "Weather looks like it's going to cooperate."
"And Noah and I found a few possible spots, so we're good."
Ed eyed the box of masks on the dining room table. "Never thought a day trip would involve those," he said.
"Me neither," Olivia said.
She took Ed's arm and they made their way to the twins' bedroom. On the way, they passed Noah who was already getting a head start on his thirty minutes of free time. He was sitting in the middle of the sofa with the remote control in his hand. The twins had chosen their books and were already flipping through the pages among a pile of stuffed animals on the floor between their beds.
"Hi sweethearts," Olivia said, "You got started without us!"
"We ree, Mama!" Maggie said.
"Want me to read?"
Wyatt scrambled to his feet, book in hand. "Mama read," he said, starting to slur his words like he always did when he was tired. Olivia took the book and Wyatt to the rocking chair. Maggie quickly joined them. Ed kissed the twins goodnight and went to keep Noah company.
"What are we watchin' tonight?" He asked.
"I thinnnk...I want da Sandlot."
Ed smirked. He'd introduced Noah to the movie a few weeks ago, forgetting there were a few inappropriate scenes and instances of profanity. The inappropriateness ended up flying over his seven-year-old head, and he merely giggled at the "bad words."
"Sounds good. Want chips? Popcorn?"
"Popcorn please," Noah flashed a winsome grin. "C'I have Cherry Pepsi, too?"
Ed glanced into the twins' room. "Sure bud. Just a little."
"Thanks Daddy. I'll start da movie."
….
Dinner had been served, eaten, and dishes cleared before Ed's cousin Patrick, father of the groom, finally made his way to their table. Patrick was a head shorter than Ed and stocky. His wispy, thinning hair had been combed neatly earlier but now was plastered and darkened against his damp skin. Olivia was beginning to realize all of Ed's relatives who were close to his age had the same narrow face, but Patrick's eyes were green and his cheekbones were less pronounced due to his constant battles with his weight. Ed had left out a lot of details in his descriptions of Patrick and his family, but, on the drive out, he had wondered aloud if his cousin had managed to keep off the weight he lost a few years back.
He hadn't, but Patrick, on this night at least, was buoyant, jaunty, and ardently apologetic about taking so long to get to them. Ed started to stand as he approached, but Patrick closed in quickly and his fierce embrace knocked Ed back into his chair.
"Eddie!" He bellowed, "So glad to see you. Thank you for coming!"
Patrick's cheeks flared out as he grinned and, though he didn't have a drink at the moment, he had clearly been hitting the booze consistently all evening. He wore two chunky class rings on either hand, but no wedding ring. Ed mentioned he and his wife were frequently separated but had never officially divorced. Olivia wondered if Patrick's battles with his weight were related to his marital strife.
"Thanks for havin' us," Ed replied. He wasted no time introducing his girlfriend, "This is Olivia."
Patrick shook Olivia's outstretched hand. His large, clammy fingers nearly swallowed hers. "Very nice to meet you, Olivia," he said.
She waited for the inevitable friendly barb about their prior work relationship or for Patrick to cock his head and murmur that he knew her from somewhere, but the Tucker cousin only beamed and thanked them again for taking the time out of their schedules to join the celebration. Olivia felt comfortable and not the least bit awkward since they arrived at the country club, but she suddenly appreciated the sense of refuge and anonymity the wedding and the reception offered.
"The ceremony was beautiful and," Olivia gestured with her wine glass, "This is a great party."
"Enjoy your dinner?" Patrick asked with an eagerness that suggested that he had a hand in choosing the entrees.
"Delicious," Olivia replied. "We both had the prime rib and some of the dover sole. So good."
Patrick slapped his knees with delight.
"Best wedding food I can remember having," Ed added.
Patrick enviously glanced at Ed's drink. "Listen, I'm going to finish making the rounds before everyone gets away from the tables. You gonna stick around a while?"
"Yeah," Ed replied, "We're staying here in town tonight, so we're not rushing out."
Patrick frowned. "Why didn't you say something? You could've stayed at the house."
Ed waved away the belated offer, "You have too much goin on," he said.
"And I'll probably have a bunch of drunken groomsmen in my pool until dawn," Patrick quipped and added with a wink, "You're welcome to come."
"We'll pass," Ed smirked and slung his arm around Olivia's shoulders.
Patrick squeezed Ed's shoulder and stood up. "We'll catch up later," he said, "Don't leave until we have a drink together. I have a bottle that'll knock you on your ass."
"Sounds good."
Patrick was less crude with Olivia, "Very nice to meet you," he said, bending down to give her an awkward kiss on the cheek. "Don't be shy-eat, drink, dance."
"We will," Olivia said, smiling, "Thanks again."
Ed waited until Patrick was fully absorbed in conversation at the table behind them before he said anything. When he did, he prefaced it with a kiss, as if to erase the kiss his cousin had just planted on her cheek. "Sorry," he said, "Patrick can be...a lot."
"He seems nice," Olivia countered. "A little tipsy, but nice. And, there's something real about him."
"He's a good guy," Ed admitted, "Been misjudged because of his ambition. And then for a while he was doing stupid shit like buying his parents new cars, offering to pay for additions to the house...flaunting his money really, and it turned a lot of family off. His heart was in the right place though. Strange really, how he could be so sharp in his job but not realize how he was alienating people he'd known since he was born."
Olivia chewed on this for a few minutes and watched the other wedding guests recongregate around the bars or on the dance floor. Ed's arm on her shoulders felt...right, and though voices were getting louder and more boisterous and the band was playing, she was engulfed in serenity. "It's too bad he's still paying for those blunders," she finally said.
"I'm sure his millions fill the void."
"I don't know. Money isn't everything."
"No, it's not," Ed's fingers curled around her shoulder. He noticed a pocket of guests who were familiar and twitched his chin in their direction. "Want to meet more extended family?"
"Sure," Olivia reached into her purse for a small compact and quickly checked her appearance in its mirror.
"You're gorgeous," Ed whispered in her ear.
In one motion, Olivia snapped the compact shut and turned to give him a kiss on the lips. She grinned. "You are too, but," she brushed her thumb across his mouth, "A little lipstick, there."
He pursed his lips and gazed into her eyes. "Have I told you yet how happy I am to be here with you?"
"You have."
"I didn't know if it was a good idea, but…" He groped for words.
Olivia saved him. "It might turn out to be one of our best nights yet." She cocked an eyebrow and kissed him again, just barely touching his lips.
"Sure you don't wanna get outta here now?"
"I'm sure," she pulled him to his feet, "I want to meet more of your people and then...try whatever it is Patrick said will knock us on our asses?"
"Oh, yeah, well...let's take it easy with that."
"You're right," she nudged him with her hip, "Don't want to waste the hotel room." She intertwined her fingers with his and grinned. She loved making him blush.
….
Once in the car, Olivia removed the kids' masks and stashed them in a shopping bag, tying the handles securely. They wouldn't be reused until they were laundered, and she had a fresh supply in another tote. Maggie and Wyatt loved their superhero-themed versions and begged for them back.
"Babies," Noah explained, "Dose masks are to keep germs out and we don't need 'em in da car."
"Spy-MAN mass!" Wyatt grumbled, "Mama, Spy'man!"
Maggie punched at the air and demanded the Batman mask she'd been wearing.
"We'll put them on later," Olivia said.
She turned up the volume on the radio, hoping to distract the twins, and it worked. They calmed down, bobbed their heads to the beat, and gazed out of the window at the passing city. Ed drove north into the Hudson Valley. As expected, traffic was light, and, in less than an hour, they arrived at a park near Peekskill. The temperature hovered around fifty degrees on the early March day, and, at first, Olivia was wary of all the cars. Upon further investigation, it appeared most people were headed for the trails. There were open spaces and it was still early. Any families who had the same idea would probably not show up for another hour or two.
Noah ran ahead, kicking the soccer ball, and the twins followed, zigzagging along, happy to be free from the confines of the apartment or the stroller. Even on their walks, Olivia kept them strapped in their seats, nervous they would make a break for a fence or post or something infected with the virus and they would touch their faces before she could lather sanitizer on their hands. Here, there was nothing but damp grass and a few benches and picnic tables scattered in the distance. As long as no other families invaded their immediate space, the Tuckers were safe.
"Kay," Noah said, "Warm-ups." He plopped down the rubber bases Ed bought him long ago at intervals, creating a fairly symmetrical diamond. "Mommy, you go first. I'll show ya da pitches."
Olivia and Ed watched with serious expressions as Noah demonstrated the bouncy super bouncy, and flat versions of kickball pitching. The twins chased each other, threw handfuls of dead grass in the air, and occasionally stopped for an abrupt somersault. When it was time for the actual kickball game, they cooperated. Even at their young age, Maggie and Wyatt had an uncanny knack for sensing when certain things were important, and this game was of utmost importance to their big brother.
Dividing the family into teams wasn't a priority. Noah invented person-by-person scoring in which each individual was credited with the number of times he or she crossed home plate. When she wasn't kicking or pitching or shagging the ball, Olivia snapped photographs of the kids, their faces clenched and furrowed in determination as they lined up and timed their kicks and their arms extended in celebration when they scored. She also caught a few snaps of Ed rushing to intercept the kids on their way to home plate-he would scoop them into his arms, make a huge arc, and they would squeal in delight until they were back on their feet. When the game wound down, Olivia declared selfie time. Ed held the camera at arm's length and they all crowded in, smiling broadly. Anyone viewing the picture in the future would have thought it was just another family outing.
Only they were fifty or so miles from home.
And Noah had to go to the bathroom.
"Gotta go," he said, bouncing from foot to foot.
"C'mon, bud." Ed held out his hand.
"Where are you going?" Olivia asked, shuddering at the thought of the state of public restrooms.
"Over there," Ed jerked his head toward the edge of the more heavily forested area.
"Oh," Olivia laughed softly, "Okay. We'll wait here."
Noah took Ed's hand and they set off toward the trees. Ed turned around. Olivia grinned as he gave her a slight shrug.
What else to do?
…
Occasionally, Olivia wondered if her children ever wished they had the apartment to themselves after school. She prided herself on almost always being there, ready with a smile and a snack and the obligatory "how was your day?" The thirteen-year-old twins and Noah, seventeen, had the freedom to make stops after school as long as they checked in, but more often than not, unless there was a practice, rehearsal, or club meeting, the trio went directly home. The middle school and high school schedules didn't line up, but Noah usually waited for his siblings in the school library or at one of the nearby cafes. Their walks home were full of sibling banter, discussions about upcoming holidays or school breaks, and a good dose of gossip. Maggie and Wyatt took advantage of Noah's experience and grilled him about certain teachers' grading habits and expectations related to the assignments and projects they gave. On this afternoon, the twins talked incessantly about their history class in which they were studying the Progressive Era. The topic of the Spanish Flu had come up followed by its modern-day equivalent, Covid-19.
Noah's recollections didn't sound too different from their daily, virus-free lives. He described the virtual classroom lessons and getting excited when groceries or dinner deliveries arrived. The only thing that seemed strange to the twins was the isolation part.
"You didn't see Sare Bear or anyone for TWO MONTHS?" An incredulous Maggie asked.
"Nope," Noah replied proudly. Surviving the pandemic was a badge of honor. "And even when we saw her we wore masks and didn't get to hug or anything."
Wyatt giggled softly, thinking the ban on hugs must have been agony for her.
At home, they peppered Olivia and Ed with questions.
"Did you ever, just, want to be alone?"
"You couldn't even go to the park?"
"Lemme see pictures of us in masks!"
"Did you make us take a lot of naps?" This question was posed by Wyatt who had been around enough small children to understand how exhausted his parents must have been.
"One nap a day," Olivia said.
"We actually weren't real good keeping you two on a schedule," Ed added. Eyes gleaming, he looked at Olivia, "Remember? About three weeks in we were kinda...anything goes."
"Right," Olivia answered slowly. "But they still took naps. It was just that, sometimes they were really early or late. Noah, you were probably the best of all of us about finding a routine. You were so good."
"I remember wearing my uniform," Noah said with an eye roll directed at his first grade self. "Socks and shoes and all."
"Yup," Ed ruffled Noah's hair. "Serious guy."
"But we were lucky," Olivia said, "So many people lost family members, but we didn't."
"Nobody you know was sick?" Maggie asked. "My teacher said everyone knew someone who was sick or maybe died."
"Well, Brooke, Uncle John, and Carmen had the virus, but they recovered. A lot of police officers got sick and died, but I didn't know any of them personally. You didn't either, did you, Ed?"
"No," he replied, "By that time most of the guys I knew were retired and still at IAB. And," he winked at his family, "IAB folks weren't out on the front lines."
"And they follow rules," Wyatt said. "So if they went out they stayed apart and wore masks." Yet again, Wyatt's quiet humor made everyone else burst into laughter. He calmly placed a piece of cheese on a Triscuit and bit into the cracker while his family chuckled.
Ed beamed at the scene. Olivia patted the small of Ed's back and winked at him. Ten years later, talk of the virus only came up when it was time to get the annual vaccine, and the kids had never asked about it before. They'd been lucky to escape the pandemic with no fatalities in their immediate family, and, for them, life did get back to normal fairly quickly. Not only did they survive in good physical shape, their marriage hadn't suffered. When the medical-related topics on the news waned and the media tired of airing segments on economic strife, focus shifted to the toll the virus took on the social fabric of the nation. No, Ed and Olivia didn't know anyone in their inner circle who died, but they did know couples who separated and eventually divorced. Olivia didn't mention this, and she also didn't mention how she still shuddered to think of how many vulnerable women and children were stuck at home in dangerous situations. She got lost in her thoughts, her mind churning just as it had a decade ago, and the joy in her face noticeably faded.
"Mom, you okay?" Noah asked.
In a blink of an eye, the life returned to her face. "Oh, yes, sorry," she said, "I was just thinking about how we got so lucky, to get through it unscathed."
"Is there a memorial?" Maggie asked.
"No...I don't think so. I think maybe there were some trees planted."
She crinkled her nose. "There should be a memorial."
"Yeah," Wyatt said, "Like a big sculpture or something."
Maggie grinned at her twin. "Yes!"
"You should work on that for your Community Service Project," Noah said of the undertaking required of all middle school students to complete during their eighth grade year.
Maggie and Wyatt looked at each other and smiled. They'd been struggling to come up with an idea and, though it was only fall, the project's requirements were extensive and time was getting tight. Wyatt sincerely thanked Noah. He could stop stressing. Maggie excitedly tapped on the island's granite, and Olivia could tell a million ideas were populating in her head.
"Let's go to the roof and brainstorm," she suggested.
Ed nudged Olivia and smirked. Maggie always had to be prodded to do her homework and warned against procrastination. Not this time. She was instantly passionate about the project. Her energy, Wyatt's diligence, and Noah's advisement were sure to result in an impressive finished product, and, better yet, Ed and Olivia didn't have to worry about it being completed by the deadline.
After changing into jeans and t-shirts, the kids grabbed sodas and made a dash to the elevator, slamming the door on their way out. Olivia groaned and kissed her cheek. "They're a good team," he said.
"Besides us," Olivia replied, "The best I've seen."
…..
Ed gathered Olivia against his chest and took a few minutes to appreciate the ambience of their bedroom. He'd put the Christmas lights back up and they outlined the windows and the door to the bathroom. The project was impromptu and he thought maybe he'd gone overboard, but Olivia loved it and declared the lights would remain for the duration of quarantine. Although they hadn't been able to stop at a small town cafe for lunch or do any shopping, he considered the day trip, or rather, the few hours away, a success. After playing at the park, they drove a few miles farther north, crossed to the west side of the Hudson and reentered Manhattan from New Jersey. The kids fell asleep somewhere around Palisades, and Olivia and Ed talked in hushed voices about how nice it was to experience a little bit of normalcy. The kids hardly stirred when they were carried upstairs-Ed shouldered the twins; Olivia took Noah-and placed in their beds. Ed went back down to properly park the car and he hurried back, thinking he and Olivia might have time to sneak in a little lovemaking, but when he returned, Noah was awake. The intimacy would have to wait until later, and, when it happened, he made sure it counted.
Olivia sighed and her breath on his bare skin caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. Would she ever stop turning him on? He hoped not. She scratched the area just above his hip the way she always did afterward. One day he would ask what was so soothing, so appealing about that particular part of his body but, right now, he was content letting her do her thing. In a way, he was glad she didn't seem to want to talk. That morning, he'd received a text from Rollins about the Wald case and ignored it, vowing to enjoy the day unburdened and deal with whatever Rollins wanted later. Miraculously, he had managed to forget. Until now. The text was still sitting there. And he would have to deal with it in the morning. Ed wasn't guilty or legally responsible, but he sure felt like he was. Whenever the image of Rachel Wilson entered his head, remorse and regret battered his soul. Ed found himself at the mercy of a strange dichotomy. On one hand he didn't mind the delay- the out-of-sight-out-of-mind mentality brought on by isolation. On the other, he wanted the courts to open so he could do all he could to put Gary in prison and move on with his life.
Olivia's body grew heavier. He was sure she was asleep, but he craned his neck forward anyway to make sure. Before surrendering to sleep himself, he turned on the iPad and smiled when he saw the twins peacefully curled up with their favorite blankets and stuffed animals. Leaving the device and the Christmas lights on, he settled in among the pillows and began to doze off. He was seconds away from falling into a deep slumber when he felt Olivia's hand on his bicep. At first he thought it was inadvertent, but she squeezed a second time and sighed.
"God," she said, "These arms."
"Guess I gotta keep at it, even when this is over," he said.
"Please?"
"Consider it done."
….
#Tuckson