The Two-Family House(28)

Lucy was busy putting the carved turkey slices on a platter. Judith wiped her eyes and opened the oven to check on the sweet potatoes. The marshmallows were golden on top. It was time to take it out. If it burned, Dinah would have a fit. She borrowed the oven mitts she saw on the counter and slowly removed the casserole from the oven. “Would you like me to bring this into the dining room, Lucy?” she asked.

“If you’d like, miss,” Lucy said. “Just put it on the sideboard.” Judith did as she was told and then made several more trips from the kitchen, carrying out stuffing, vegetables and other side dishes with Lucy. Some of them didn’t look too bad. She was happy for the distraction and glad not to have to speak to anyone for a few minutes. Teddy was still fussing on Mort’s lap, and her mother was talking to Faye.

On the last trip from the kitchen, Judith carried a white china bowl filled with cranberry sauce. She gripped the bowl carefully but stumbled on one of the tassels of the Persian rug peeking out from under the dining room table. As she landed on her backside, half on the rug and half on the shiny wooden parquet, Aunt Faye gasped. The bowl of crimson sauce was overturned in her lap. Luckily, the bowl was intact.

Lucy rushed over and helped her to her feet. “Come, miss, let’s get you cleaned up,” she whispered. Judith turned to her mother for support, but Rose wouldn’t look at her. Teddy’s fussing turned into a full-on wail and Dinah started whining about the sweet potatoes. Mimi was trying to hide her laughter by covering her mouth with her napkin and Mort was glaring at all of them. Uncle Stuart rose to his feet and poured himself a large glass of scotch from the decanter on the bar cart. Aunt Faye called out to Lucy, “Make a note to call the carpet cleaner tomorrow,” she said. No one asked if Judith was hurt. No one told her not to worry about the spill. The maid was the only one who took note of her at all.

After she and Lucy did whatever they could to clean off her dress, Judith came back into the dining room. The others had started eating, but Teddy was still fussing.

“Aunt Faye, Uncle Stuart, I’m very sorry for the mess,” she said, in as clear a voice as she could manage. “Not to worry dear,” Aunt Faye told her. “The carpet cleaners will be in tomorrow.” Judith looked at Stuart, but he was busy eating his dinner. She walked purposefully over to the sideboard, made a plate of soft foods and put it down at her place. Then she took Teddy from her father’s lap. “I’ll hold him,” she said. Judith held Teddy tightly on her lap, feeding him spoonfuls of mashed potato and stuffing. He cooed appreciatively, and the room was finally quiet.

“What a helpful young lady you are,” Aunt Faye observed. And then, to Rose, “She’s very good with the baby.”

Judith looked up and saw tears in her mother’s eyes. Everyone else was busy eating and didn’t notice. I’m sorry, her mother mouthed. Judith gave a little nod to show that she understood.

By the time they got home, it was almost ten o’clock and everyone was exhausted. Judith carried a sleeping Teddy into the house and saw that Aunt Helen had left several covered plates of food for them on the table. Judith’s stomach started growling—she had barely eaten anything the whole day, and she was only just then aware of how hungry she was. There was turkey, stuffing and the same sweet potato casserole Rose had made for Aunt Faye. There was another plate too, just of desserts, and Judith figured there was probably some apple pie in there somewhere. More than anything, she wanted to take off her coat, sit down at the table and start eating the leftovers.

If her mother hadn’t spoken to her that way in Aunt Faye’s kitchen, she probably would have. Even though it was late and the cold food would have given her a stomachache, she would have done it. But now she knew better. When she examined her mother’s expression, she saw what she was expecting: the tightening of the jaw, the hint of a frown, the squinting of the eyes that was imperceptible to anyone who wasn’t looking for it. But Judith was looking for it this time, and she could tell Rose was furious that Helen had let herself in and dropped off the food.

If Judith sat down to eat, she knew how her mother would interpret it: even one forkful of pie would mean Judith had taken Helen’s side. Judith was too tired for further arguments, so she walked past the table and pretended not to see the heaping plates. She carried Teddy into his room, changed him into pajamas and put him in his crib. Then she went to her own room, put on a nightgown and got under the covers. As she lay awake, she was unable to shake the feeling that something more complicated than a simple fight over Thanksgiving was going on between her mother and her aunt. Judith wanted to know what it was, but she knew she couldn’t ask. I’m going to have to start paying more attention from now on, she decided. Her stomach was still growling and she was a long way off from sleep.





Chapter 22





MORT


“Do you have a few minutes?” Abe waited for Mort’s nod before entering. He came in and shut the office door behind him. After some fidgeting, he finally said what was on his mind. “Something’s wrong with Helen and Rose.”

Mort didn’t understand. “Rose is fine. Is Helen sick?”

“I don’t mean that. Something’s wrong with the two of them together. They’re at each other’s throats. You haven’t noticed?”

“No.”