“You’re closer to the truth than you know, Mom.”
“Now I’m intrigued. Who is this mystery woman?”
“Wait and see, Mom. You’ve always said patience is a virtue.”
“Goodnews,” Caleb growled.
Orchid stared at her phone’s screen, surprised to see Caleb’s name. “Yeah, what is it?”
“You wanna see Phoenix?”
“You know I do.”
“For a whole weekend?”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah. There’s an annual Easter weekend with my aunt and uncle. You want to go as my guest?”
She paused. This wasn’t exactly the intimate one-on-one she’d imagined. “So who’s going to be there? Besides your aunt and uncle.”
“My cousins.”
“Yeah.”
“My mom.”
“Oh, no! I’ve never met her. From what I hear she’s tough.”
“You want this chance or not?”
“Um, yes.”
“Pack light. We’re going on the bike.”
“On your motorcycle?” she shrieked.
“What do you think? That I’m picking you up on my high school ten-speed? Yes, of course, on my Harley.”
Orchid hung up the phone and started planning. What was she going to wear? Never mind that, what was she going tosay? The thought of apologizing for hurting Phoenix with her callous remarks made her feel a little sick. Could he forgive her for being so thoughtless? She’d have to be brave because this might be her only chance.
An hour and fifteenminutesunder a helmet was plenty of time for her carefully smoothed hair to grow damp and lifeless.
Orchid spent the time on the back of the bike hanging onto Caleb, and thinking about Phoenix. She imagined him with her.What adaptations would he use to operate a motorcycle? Is he driving himself today?When she’d asked Caleb about his brother, the taciturn twin’s answers were less than illuminating.
“He’s fine.”
She pictured how she’d greet Phoenix. Hurtling sixty miles an hour towards him, an epiphany gripped her; he needs reassurance that being with him is no compromise. That, despite my unthinking remarks at the hospital, I see nothing ugly in him.
Familiar streets passed by. They drove past the kitchenette where she and Phoenix had eaten and romped in the water last summer.
As Caleb slowed the Harley in front of the Victorian house facing the water, the plump woman Orchid had seen in pictures emerged from the house. The cousins whom she’d met on the Fourth of July, Harry and Stew, followed.
The woman tiptoed up to kiss Caleb on the cheek. “You beat your brother here,” she said.
“Well, there’s a first.”
Then she turned to Orchid. “Betsy,” she trilled. “Caleb’s aunt.” They shook hands.
