Family Reunion, Nancy Thayer [the kiss of deception read online .txt] 📗

was dotted with the roofs and chimneys of other houses, as if they lived in a village. It was a most comforting view. Some really unbearable rock music was blasting from a house to the east. Three boys on bikes raced down one of the lanes. A crow made a scream of exasperation—Eleanor thought it was because of the horrible music—and flew from its perch on a tree and out of eyesight. This is the world, Eleanor thought. It’s been going on all the time and I never knew it. She hoped that was the way it was with heaven.

“Judith says dinner is ready,” Phillip said.

They all tromped downstairs and into the dining area—the house was open-plan, so there was no formal dining room, although the table had been beautifully set with an Irish linen tablecloth and napkins, and a centerpiece of daffodils and tulips and iris, all from the local florist. Bowls of steaming casseroles, vegetables, rice, and couscous filled the table—no lamb or ham now that Beck and Ari were fully vegetarian.

“I’ve never tasted such divine bread,” Eleanor said. “Where did you find it?”

Judith laughed. “I made it. I’ll give you the recipe.”

Eleanor asked, “You made it? When did you have time?”

“Oh, I get up early. And Cliff took care of the baby all morning.”

Eleanor stared openmouthed at Cliff.

Her son gave her a naughty and totally happy grin.

While they ate, the conversation flowed. Ari asked Judith how her parents were and how Judith’s grandmother, who was eighty-nine and in an assisted-living community, was faring. They discussed Beck’s family, his parents and Hen and Michelle and her wedding, including the groom’s family and Michelle’s bridesmaids, and after a while, Eleanor sat back in her chair with her second glass of wine and just listened.

For a real family reunion, she thought, someone would have to hire the event room at a hotel. And she wouldn’t be the one in the middle, making the arrangements. And truth be told, that was fine with her.

Silas sat next to her. When the others, the younger ones, rose to take their plates to the sink and bring out several fruit pies, he leaned over and whispered to Eleanor, “Are you okay?”

She squeezed his hand. “I’m a bit overwhelmed,” she confessed. “All these people. I was thinking we’d have to hire a hall to hold a family reunion.”

“Did you include my children and grandchildren in your plans?” Silas asked.

Dear Lord, Eleanor thought, that would double the guest list. “I did!” Eleanor told him, lying. She’d found that at her age lying came easily, and her conscience didn’t bother her one bit.

Cliff went around pouring flutes of Veuve Clicquot, and everyone moved from the table out onto the deck. It was cool, but comfortable in the sun. They talked about baseball, and books, and jokes, and then they found hilarious posts on their phones and passed their phones around as people used to share photos of her grandbabies. The babies began to cry, and Ari and Judith went into the house, returning with their children wrapped in light blankets. Then the babies were passed around to adore, and they were both very sweet babies.

At last Eleanor yawned. “This has been the most delightful Easter ever, but I need to go home and take a nap.”

Everyone rose—Ari and Beck with their baby, Maisie, and Cliff and Judith with their little Hastings, and Alicia and Phillip—such a large family. They hugged and said a million goodbyes, and finally Eleanor and Silas were seated in the car.

“Wait!”

Eleanor looked out her window. Ari was running toward her. Eleanor rolled down the glass.

“Gram, this is a secret, please don’t tell anyone,” Ari said, leaning in through the window, huffing and puffing and whispering, “but could Beck and I and the baby stay with you for a month this summer? I know your house is small, but we’d only need the one bedroom, and we’d be out of your way much of the day, but I miss you SO much, Gram, I really want to be around you, not having deep, meaningful discussions about life, but just…watching a Masterpiece mystery with you and eating ice cream. Beck could go visit his family with the baby, and of course I’ll go sometimes, but sometimes I want to stay with you.”

“Ari!” Eleanor felt herself tearing up. “Nothing would make me happier. Oh, what a gorgeous idea!”

“Good then. We can text about dates.” Ari dipped her head in and kissed Eleanor’s cheek, and turned and ran back to the house.

Silas put the car in gear and carefully maneuvered over the white gravel, between the tupelo trees, and out to the main road. “Are you okay, Eleanor?” he asked.

Reaching over, Eleanor took his hand. “I’ve never been better in my life.”

For my sister

Martha Wright Foshee

The heart of our family

Acknowledgments

What a year 2020 was! I hope you all made it through safely, with the help of good books!

This year, I want to thank Nantucket Cottage Hospital’s chief medical officer, Dr. Diane Pearl; her physician’s assistant, Annette Adams; nurse Janet Chaffee; and winner of the 2020 Seinfeld/Hartmann Prize for Compassionate Medical Care, patient service coordinator Diane Cabral.

Our island is small and thirty miles away from the mainland. Around twenty thousand people live here all year. Around thirty thousand summer residents and guests arrive during the summer. Our health workers had much to cope with and did it with excellence. Not only this year, but especially this year, I was grateful to know that this first-class medical team was on the island.

This past year has taught me how fortunate I am to live on this island, in this community.

Jill Audycki, Ken Knutti, Alan Bell, Joanne Skokan, and Ive Nakova at Nantucket Pharmacy: What would we have done without you? You were all so efficient and such a pleasure to see, if only for a moment. Thank you!

I’m grateful to all the FedEx, UPS, and USPS drivers