“Exactly,” Roger agreed. “And it’s our son’s job to keep that family of his safe. He thinks this bubble of theirs is the way to do that.”
“Such nonsense,” she spat, pursing her lips.
“Hey, I watch the news,” her husband pointed out. “The cases here are rising. Cases pretty much everywhere, for that matter. I don’t know how much nonsense that it is, and I don’t really care. What I do know is that you aren’t getting anywhere until you agree to Gary’s terms. And quite frankly, I’m tired of you antagonizing him over it.” He lifted his chin as he spoke, as if preparing for a punch.
“I do not antagonize,” Eveline snapped, her deep brown eyes sharp as daggers.
“I’m not going to argue with you on that either,” Roger replied with a chuckle. “I’m going up those stairs and I’m packing a bag. I’m not leaving this house again until Halloween. I’m going to wear my mask, I’m going to behave myself, and if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to hug my grandchildren again a few days after that.”
“You wouldn’t,” Eve fumed. “You wouldn’t dare take his side!”
“You can’t win this, Eve,” he called over his shoulder as he reached the first step. “There are no winners here, really. We’re either all on the same team or we don’t get to play.”
3
Untraditional
Sitting beside her husband in his sedan, Eve held a napkin in her left hand. As her thoughts turned, she twisted it, squeezing to compress it as much as she could, then releasing it to watch its slow expanse. “You know everything we are going to miss,” she sniveled.
“I know,” Roger replied.
“Um-hmph,” she grunted.
Turning the car into the narrow drive, Roger slowed the vehicle to a crawl as he examined the hefty structure. The house had been in their family for a century but it had not been altered in decades, at least until now. Easing off the brake, he edged around to the back of the house, taking an empty spot furthest from the commotion in the back yard. “Put your mask on,” he instructed.
A white cloth version, Eve placed the strap over her left ear, then the right. Adjusting it, she muttered, “I hate this.”
“Think of your granddaughter. You won’t hate it so much.” Opening the door, he left her to her fuming. A cold blast of air rustled his hair and he grinned behind his dark square of cloth. Reaching the porch and walking up the new ramp, he pointed at it. “At least it keeps your face warm.”
“That it does,” Gary affirmed cheerily. He wore a bright orange cover with a jack-o-lantern face. “It’s good to see you, Dad.”
“Yeah.” Roger shoved his hands in his pockets. “I guess we are confined to the porch?”
“Please.” Looking past his father, Gary could see Eve still seated inside the car. “Damn, that woman is stubborn.” He stopped there, knowing any more would be futile.
The back door swung open and Daks bolted outside. “Hey, Grampa,” he called as he dashed for the swings.
“We set this up for you,” Gary instructed, indicating a square folding table on the end of the row. “You can have a seat and one of the girls will serve you.”
Taking the chair next to the railing, Roger reserved the one next to the house for his wife, should she decide to join him. “This is hard for her, son.”
Blinking a few times, Gary nodded. He’d been married to Candy for four years. It surprised him how much that relationship had taught him about his mother. “She’ll come around.” Candy and Eve were more alike than either one of them would ever admit.
Behind him, the door swung open again as Candy and Carol began to bring out food. Ben followed behind, ready to help with the Zoom.
“Benjamin, how long have you been living here now?” Roger called loudly to overpower his mask.
“I live in the house across the street, actually. With the girls. They let me have a nice room all to myself back in July.” He played up the experience, well aware the girls had a room for Eve and Roger as well, should they ever decide to accept it. He had helped with the furnishing and had taken on several new hobbies and interests since moving in. “It’s nice to have a place away from everything and still have friends around.”
“You like being isolated like that?” Eve interrupted, having joined them.
“That’s a nice mask you have there, Mrs. Ford,” Ben offered rather than argue, swallowing as he recalled the few times he had worked for her. Tough as nails would be the phrase he thought best described her.
“I’m sure it is,” she grumbled, taking the seat Roger held out for her.
“Yes, well…” Ben stammered. Rubbing his hands together, he turned back to his task and soon had the cousins populating the screen.
Calling Daks over to their long picnic style table, Candy helped Joylana into her booster seat. Her laughter and playfulness took Eve’s breath away and she felt foolish at the way she had behaved by the end of the meal.
“I didn’t bring a suitcase,” she grumbled from behind her glass of wine.
“Sure you did,” Roger informed her with a sly grin.
“What’s in it?”
“Socks. Underwear. A few changes of clothes. I figure we’ll order anything we need and have it delivered.” He grinned at his bride, thankful she had started to make sense of their situation. “We’ll be safe here, too, Eve.”
“We were safe at home.”
“Ok, we’ll be just as safe here, but with benefits.” He could imagine the afternoons of play already.
“Are you two ready for desert?” Carol asked as she approached their space, taking care to maintain her distance.
“Sure,” Roger called with a nod, then added, “I hear that house of yours is filled with bedrooms.”
“Yes, sir.” She smiled. “One of them if made up for you, if you are ready to have it.”
Eve’s jaw dropped, and she quickly clamped it shut. Did none of them believe she would get her way?
“That’ll be fine,” Roger observed, a low gravelly laugh escaping him at his wife’s expression. “And we’ll take the room.”
“That’s good news,” Gary called from across the wooden slats holding his plate. “You’ll have to quarantine, though. Fourteen days.”
“We started on Joy’s birthday,” Eveline sniffed, clearly defeated.
“Oh. Then it will be less,” Gary observed with a boisterous laugh. Turning to his daughter, who currently snuggled on Lanelle’s lap, he raised his glass in a toast. “You hear that princess? Grandmother and Grampa are finally coming to stay.”
Joy only giggled, curling into the warm blanket that kept out the cool evening air.
A few hours later, Gary donned his mask as he and Roger carried the suitcases Roger had packed for their exile. “I’m really glad you decide to join us, Dad. I really am.”
“I’m glad, too, son. It was your mother who needed convincing.”
“Yeah, I know that’s right,” Gary muttered.