“Mom, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
She stared at me, her mouth dropping open. “W… What?”
“You heard me. I told you that if you couldn’t come and be pleasant that you’d have to leave. You’ve been here,” I looked at my watch, “less than fifteen minutes and already insulted Mrs. Crenshaw. You’re not needed at the shower any longer.”
“Thatcher! I can’t believe you thought I was being unkind.” She turned to Mrs. Crenshaw, planning on her good manners to save her from me. “You don’t think my comments were…”
“Bitchy?” Mrs. Crenshaw asked with a biting voice. “Why, yes. I absolutely do. And do I think you meant to be unkind? Again, I certainly do. The front door is that way,” she gestured towards the front of the house. “Since you think my home is so tiny, I’m sure you don’t need anyone to show you the way out.”
Mom stood there looking both dazed and horrified. Her face turned blazing red from embarrassment as she looked around the room. Too late, she realized almost the entire town of Indigo Falls was represented in some way at the shower. And they were all staring at her with contempt. She’d alienated the hometown of her grandchild. She glanced at Carrie, as if she might possibly save her.
Carrie cocked an eyebrow and gestured towards the front just like her mother had. “Don’t bother picking up the parting gift on the way out. It’s just full of locally made treats that someone like you would think was beneath you. It’s too bad, though, that you’ll miss out on the hand-decorated sugar cookies from The Falls bakery. They were featured on a Food Channel show recently. Sugar cookies are your favorite, too.” She shook her head, a fake sad look on her face. “It’s sad that you’re just too good for our town.”
She heaved herself up from her chair and walked towards my mother, fire in her eyes. I hurried to move them towards the edge of the huge room where the shower was taking place. I didn’t want this to ruin Carrie’s baby shower. Even if she was going to have about twenty of them, I knew this one was probably the one she’d been most looking forward to. This one and the one Blair was throwing for her the next week.
I reached them just in time.
“I have never been so insulted in my life!” Mom snapped at Carrie.
Carrie laughed. “Really? Because you insulted me worse than that every single time I stepped foot on your ‘estate,’ Karen.” She leaned closer. “And multiple times at every visit.”
“You’re just overly sensitive…”
“Mom!” I stepped up, startling her. She hadn’t realized I was there.
“No, I’ve got this,” Carrie said. She looked at me. “Seriously, thank you for standing up for me, but it’s a lot easier to do this now that she’s not my mother-in-law. Thank God.”
Well, that stung even though I knew it was most likely directed at my mother instead of me. This time. I knew I deserved it, though.
“Karen,” she said, not even bothering to smile, “I hope you enjoy holding all that money you love so much. Because that’s all you’ll have to hold after you insult me or my family one more time. You won’t be holding your grandbaby, I can tell you that much.” She took a step towards her, and my mother backed up. “Let me say this where you can’t possibly be unclear about my meaning. If you can’t act like a decent human being, you will not come within five miles of my child. Do you understand?”
Mom looked upset for the first time. “You can’t mean that…”
“I mean every word. Are you saying that it’s so hard for you to act anything other than hateful that you’re afraid you can’t do it? That you’re sure to screw up and lose access to your grandchild? Because I can go ahead and make an appointment with my lawyer to change certain terms of the custody agreement. He’s already told me that it won’t be hard to add a clause that you’re not allowed access to the baby at any time, even during Thatcher’s time with our child.”
“But I’m the child’s grandma and aCaldwell, for goodness’ sake! There’s not a judge around who would agree to that clause.”
“Yes, there is,” Carrie said confidently. “I have plenty of proof that you did everything you could to sabotage my marriage to Thatcher.”
“That doesn’t mean I’d be dangerous for my own grandchild to be around,” Mom said, scoffing.
“It does,” Carrie continued. “You showed a shocking lack of regard for the sanctity of the marriage of that grandchild’s parents.”
The color drained from Mom’s face. It was like she realized for the first time that she’d already hurt her grandchild by ensuring he or she would never know what it was like to have both of their parents under one roof.
“I…” Mom swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”
“You should be sure that you do,” Carrie said, ushering her the rest of the way out of the room.
“I will,” Mom said, seeming to choke on the words. She gave me one last look before turning to leave the house she’d insulted. She was looking for a friendly face, someone who would back her up.
She wouldn’t find that in me.
“Olive,” she finally said, her voice shaky but loud enough to carry, “we need to leave.”
My sister, who was sitting next to Celia and had barely said a word since she’d been there, shook her head “No, Mom. I’m going to stay.”
Olive, who’d been remarkably human since taking the position at work, had made it clear to anyone who would listen. She wanted to be part of my child’s life. It had surprised all of us, most of all my mother.
