"I'm just going to run to the stores." Judy announced at ten-thirty am. "I'll be back in no time."
Finally the entire household was awake and fed and lingering around the kitchen table – except for Katie. When she first saw Oscar's freshly shaved face her eyes bugged out and she quietly slinked from the room.
"Want some company?" Jaime smiled winningly. "I'll help."
Judy opened her mouth as if to demur and then stopped. "Sure. That would be nice."
From the passenger seat of the ancient and enormous family station wagon, Jaime watched Judy turn to back out of the driveway. Her mouth was set and her eyes intent on the job. Likely she too was still feeling the residual effects of the previous evening. She was pale and all the lines in her face seemed to have deepened overnight.
"So where are we headed?"
"To the butcher's. I ordered a roast for tonight."
"Oh shoot - Oscar and I wanted to take everyone out – our treat." In fact she hadn't discussed this idea with Oscar at all but was confident that would be his preferred course of action.
"Well that's very nice, but it's all set." Judy shifted into drive and set off.
Her tone was flat, matter-of-fact – too flat and matter-of-fact, nor did she seem to be intending to converse further. That was all Jaime needed – the right sort of irritant – and she found her voice.
"Judy," she said haltingly, "I wanted to talk with you because….well, I just keep getting the feeling you don't like me – you can correct me if I'm wrong…but…."
"No!" Judy interrupted, looking shocked. "No, Jaime, I like you just fine." She drew to a halt at the intersection and looked both ways twice before proceeding. She was a cautious driver. "I'm sorry you feel that way - I've been so preoccupied this weekend."
Her reply was not unexpected but it made Jaime feel foolish, as though she had made the whole thing up – and she was quite sure she hadn't made it up. Uncertain what to do next, she looked out the window. More rain was imminent, full dark clouds suspended over the city, moisture heavy in the air. If Judy was anything like her brother, the thing to do was give her time to digest, and let her bring it up.
They drove in silence for some minutes before pulling up at a storefront advertising "Gordon's Fine Meats".
"It looks closed." she said anxiously, peering through the car window. "It can't be..." She hurried out of the car, joined at the door by Jaime. It was locked tight. Befuddled, she checked her watch.
"What...?"
"It says here they're closed on Sunday." Jaime pointed to the sign in the window.
"It's Sunday?" Judy asked, aghast. "I thought it was Saturday!"
"Nope."
"My God - my brain!" Judy said, clasping the sides of her head in frustration. "Menopause!"
"Well then," Jaime said, "Oscar and I will take everyone out to dinner. You have to accept now."
Throwing up her hands in resignation, Judy smiled ruefully. "I guess it's either that or beans on toast - thank you." She seemed now to be making an effort. Grumbling companionably about the ravages of age she headed back to the car.
"You're probably just overworked." Jaime offered.
Judy didn't start the engine immediately. She leaned over the steering wheel, her ear tuned to some internal monologue, her hand poised over the ignition as though she had been flash frozen.
"I guess you came along this morning to talk to me..." she said slowly, "and I guess that also means I owe you the courtesy of a real answer."
Jaime's heart fluttered anxiously.
Turning to face her, Judy said, "I'm sorry - I don't know you and it's not fair...but to me... you look very much like a middle aged man's error in judgment."
Clasping her hands together, absorbing the words, holding her anger, Jaime gazed at her sister-in-law. "I can't help the way I look. I can't help my age, and I can't help being blonde." she said carefully. "Maybe you could adjust your thinking to see me as your brother's loving wife."
"I have to say…it doesn't help that he looks happy… " She spoke slowly, choosing her words one by one, "and you just look…tense."
"That has nothing to do with Oscar!" Jaime protested. "You're the one who's making me tense!"
Surprise flickered through Judy's eyes. She hadn't considered that possibility. "Look - " she said, shifting in her seat, the vinyl creaking in the cold, "You have to understand, with Oscar I've always been the priest in the confessional – if that's an appropriate analogy for a couple of demi-Jews. He tells me his secrets, and as you know, he has a lot of secrets. Until you came along, I've been the one person he talked to and I don't tell a soul - not even Bruce."
"Do you miss that?" Jaime asked, searching for the relevance of Judy's comment. "Do you...feel like you're losing him?"
Affront crossed over Judy's face. "No." she said dismissively, folding her arms and looked out the window. Then she added with some reluctance, "Maybe. Maybe I do. Silly."
Jaime couldn't help but smile - this too reminded her of Oscar - he never resisted the truth about himself for long, even if it was uncomfortable.
"No...that's not silly. I think it's kind of normal."
"I mean...in a way I'm relieved. I've got enough on my plate right under my own roof - and I'm glad - I really am...that he has you to talk to." Judy waved her hands rapidly as though trying to clear smoke from the air. "But that's not what I've been trying to say. What I'm trying to say is...I know a lot about you - probably more than I should. Oscar has never told me state secrets, per se, but he does talk about how his work in terms of how it affects him."
Jaime bit her lip, feeling unpleasantly exposed. She didn't mind people talking about her - she just didn't necessarily want to know about it. Suddenly she wished Judy would start the car, so they could have the benefit of heat.
"Through Oscar I've followed your life...as it happened," Judy continued, "an accident, surgeries, memory loss, a forgotten fiancé…"
Jaime nodded, wondering uneasily where this conversation might be going.
"When he told me he was in love with you - must have been four years ago or so - I knew right away he was in trouble."
"Why trouble?"
"Well...it seemed like every couple of weeks he'd call and tell me the latest sad tale of how new guy who had turned your head – and honestly, and I'm sorry about this ... I got mad at you. I know it's not your fault but...he's my brother."
"Well… I guess I can't blame you for that." Jaime replied. In a way it was a relief to know that Judy's reticence about her had a basis in something other than her appearance. "There is a story there."
"I'm sure. And don't get me wrong – he gushed about you, went on and on about how wonderful you were, but I was thinking 'What's so wonderful? She's breaking your heart!'"
Jaime regarded her companion thoughtfully. They were getting somewhere - even if it wasn't entirely pleasant to hear. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?"
"Sure." Judy smiled in her sober way and started the car.
xxxxx
Oscar walked out to Bruce's backyard workshop with great reluctance. How was he going to finesse this situation? He knocked and pushed through the door, the smell of freshly cut wood and varnish meeting him as he entered.
Bruce was carefully buffing the top of an elegant low teak coffee table with a wad of steel wool. He greeted Oscar warmly without stopping. "I just have to get this thing done today." he added.
"No problem, Bruce. Price of success I guess."
Oscar diverted himself with small talk while he screwed up the courage to address his brother-in-law about the matter of his alleged extra-marital affairs. It quickly proved to be entirely unnecessary.
"Oh – hey!" Bruce said, examining the table edge nearest to him, "Do you think you and Jaime could get back this way for Judy's birthday? I've been cooking up a little surprise party with Carol - you know, the one you met last night - Dennis's birthday is the same day as Jude's, and we figure both of them deserve a little getaway so we've booked a lodge down the coast. It would be great if you could come."
"A surprise party!" Oscar repeated, nodding, a smile creeping onto his face.
"Yeah," Bruce said. "It's not a significant birthday or anything – you know, fifty-two - but she could really use a break. Her department is a mess and they want her to be head again and we're trying to get my Dad into a home and the kids are... challenging and she's… you know….going through that…change of life thing."
Oscar's eyes widened. That explained a thing or two - like why last night she had suddenly got up and crossed the room fanning her face looking flushed. "Ohhhh." he said, nodding slowly, embarrassed. "I should have figured that out. I thought she seemed...not quite herself. Anyway, yes,… I'll see what we can do. We'd love to come of course, we'll just have to check our schedules." he shoved his hands in his pockets, feeling satisfied and very relieved. "So you've been planning this with Carol?"
"Yup. On the sly!" he added, without a hint of guilt. "Judy thinks I can't plan anything, so this ought to blow her right out of the water!" He gave a gratified chuckle, as pleased as though he had pulled off a fiendishly clever successful bank heist.
"Carol will get all the credit."
"You're right!" Bruce replied, his face dropping. "Maybe I can get her to talk me up a bit."
"Judy will love it - and we'll try hard to come." Noting that Bruce's work had come to a standstill, Oscar added, "Anyway, I'll leave you to it."
"Was there something you wanted to talk about?"
"Oh - yes!" Oscar replied. There was no need to tell him about Katie now was there? Thinking quickly, he said, "I wanted to commission you to make one of these for us - a coffee table. We need a coffee table. But we can talk about it later because Jaime will want to be in on it."
"Oh, sure. I'd be delighted."
Oscar was halfway out the door before he had fully reconsidered. He hesitated and stepped back in again. "Oh, Bruce...uh... you need to have a word with Katie."
"Bout what?"
"Well I think...I don' t know how to tell you this...but Katie has seen you going over to the Markhams by yourself and she's drawn some...unsavory conclusions."
Bruce frowned, uncomprehending. "Like what?"
"Like...um..." Oscar felt like a prudish old lady all of a sudden, unable to find the appropriately discreet words. "That you're getting a little extra on the side...uh..."
Still Bruce seemed not to understand.
"That you're having an...uh..."
Suddenly Bruce's expression changed. "Sex?" he blurted, "with Carol? Katie thinks I'm getting it on with Carol?" He burst out laughing and slapped the coffee table twice with his open hand. "Now that is a good one!"