You had better get up here right now. As in, immediately. Everyone is losing it. Matty got his heart broken. Claire hitchhiked to Renys. I heard Pauline on the phone saying that Grandpa’s marbles are officially gone and won’t be coming back. Leslie died when the rope swing broke so as you can imagine I am distraught. I know that Mom thinks we can all do this without you but trust me. We can’t.She. Is. Losing it. We need you. This is the last time I am going to ask you before I stop being nice about it. WHEN. ARE. YOU. COMING?????
Love, Abigail
Louisa is laugh-crying by the time Steven gets to the end of the email. She wipes her eyes with her fancy Primo napkin. “I can’t even,” she says. “I just can’t. Abigail!”
“I know,” says Steven. “So, long story short, it was right after this that I bought a plane ticket, packed my bag, and found a home for Gavin.” After a pause he asks, “Did you notice anything about this letter, compared to all the others?”
Louisa takes a healthy gulp of her Sancerre. “I noticed she didn’t pull any punches,” she says. “She hung us all out there, warts and everything.”
Her children used to tell her every little thought in their heads. My elbow itches. I saw a spider. I had a dream about ice cream. My poop was so big. I want. I need. I am. I am. I am. Now their interior lives are developing—or developed! They have secrets; they have thoughts and desires and regrets she’ll never know about. They haveopinions,and plans, and in some cases they have the power to put those plans in motion.
“Yes, that’s true, she didn’t pull any punches,” says Steven. “But there’s something else.”
“What? Let me see, I want to read it for myself!” Louisa drains her glass, and holds out her hand. “Oh!” she says softly. “I see it. I see it now. You’re Dad, here. You were Daddy in all the other letters.”
“And you were Mommy.”
“Now I’m Mom.”
“Now you’re Mom.”
The food arrives, looking every bit as perfect as Louisa remembers her meal being all those years ago. Thomas kindly doesn’t acknowledge Louisa’s wet face. He pours what’s left in the bottle intoeach of their glasses, then backs away like an actor taking a bow then making room for the rest of the cast to come onstage.
“Listen,” Louisa says. “I want to apologize about being mad about Aggie and the money. She’s really nice and super smart, and, man, shereallyloves that Ernie.”
“She does,” says Steven. “Loves him. God bless Ernie. And the partIwant to apologize for is not seeing how important the house is to you. I mean, I’ve always known it’simportant,of course. But I was getting back at you for not supporting me, and I was being petty about the Emergency Fund, and honestly it took me getting up here and seeing everything you’ve been seeing all summer, the kids and your dad and all of that, to realize. And now, I think we should do whatever we can to keep the house in the family, Louisa. In fact, I can’t think of a bigger emergency.”
“You can’t?”
“I can’t.”
Louisa takes a bite of her trout. It’s so tender that she can’t believe it’s not made entirely of butter. Now that the sun is beginning to set, the farmland is shimmering in magical evening light. She takes another bite, and another. She has just taken her final blissful bite, and she’s thinking about what Steven said—she’s thinking that maybe in fact shecanthink of a bigger emergency, but she’s not ready to talk about that yet—when she hears someone say, “Louisa!”
She turns. Detective Mark Harding is standing in the doorway to their small dining room. With—Nicole Pelletier!
“Hi!” says Louisa. “Mark! Nicole! Come over, come say hello. Steven, this is Mark Harding. Andthisis Nicole Pelletier. Hazel’s mom! Hazel, of Matty and Hazel fame. Nicole, what are you doing here?”
“My mother’s cousin died,” says Nicole. “I came back for the funeral. I was going to call you, Louisa, or text—but things got busy. You know how it is.”
“Marilyn,” says Louisa. “I know! I was so sorry to hear about that.”
“Yeah,” says Nicole. “Yeah, thank you. Your mom sent flowers and everything, and a really nice note.”
“And you two...?” asks Louisa. She motions with her eyebrows toward Mark.
“Oh,ustwo!” Nicole flushes, and Mark Harding smiles. “We just ran into each other in town, and we got to chatting... And here we are!”
“Here you are,” says Louisa.
“Actually I’m thinking of moving back up here,” Nicole says. She ducks her head. “You know how we were talking, Louisa. I might be ready for a change.”
Mark clears his throat and says, “Changes are good.” He squeezes Nicole’s hand. “I’m a big believer in change.”
“Me too,” says Louisa. “Where’s your table?”
“We don’t have a reservation,” says Mark, shrugging. “We’re taking our chances as walk-ins in the Counter Room.” He points to the staircase. “Upstairs.”
“Good luck,” says Louisa. “I wish you guys the best. For the table, and for—whatever else.”
