The Two-Family House(32)

Sol’s home wasn’t an estate exactly, but it came close. There were two other homes that were visible from the driveway, but once the housekeeper guided them through the marbled center hallway to the terrace out back, the view consisted only of trees and a few distant hills. Despite the fact that there were over a hundred people there, the backyard had a peaceful quality to it that Rose wouldn’t normally have associated with Sol or Arlene. She wondered what had drawn them to this place.

As Rose crossed the wide stone terrace to say hello to their hosts, the sun beamed down so strongly that she had to raise her hand over eyes to shield them from the glare. Arlene had on a huge pair of sunglasses, and Rose began to see the wisdom in wearing them. She didn’t own any, but she certainly wished she had a pair on now.

“Rose! Mort! You made it! Whaddya think of the place? Nice, huh?” Sol gave her a kiss on the cheek and shook Mort’s hand vigorously. Arlene hugged them both and thanked them for coming.

“Oh Arlene, you have so much space! It’s marvelous!” The words came out so enthusiastically that Mort raised his eyebrow at her. She wasn’t usually so friendly to Sol and Arlene, she knew, but she didn’t see any point in hiding her admiration.

“Thanks, sweetheart.” Sol was enjoying the compliments. “Where are the kids?”

“Oh, right over there,” Rose pointed toward the covered pool. “They’re excited to see your swimming pool!”

Arlene looked worried. “I hope they won’t be too disappointed—it isn’t open yet. We couldn’t get the pool people over here in time.”

“Oh, the kids are fine. It’s too breezy for swimming anyway—it’s at least ten degrees cooler out here than it is in the city! The air is so refreshing!”

Sol chuckled and elbowed Mort. “Looks like you’ll be moving soon too, Morty! Maybe we can get you that house across the street!”

Mort gave him a thin smile. “I guess you never know.”

“If that cereal guy of yours keeps up, you’ll be ready for a house by next year!”

“We’ll see,” Mort said.

“Where does that go?” Rose interjected, pointing to the path emerging from the treeline at the back of the property.

“That? Johnny calls it the nature trail! It takes you through a little patch of woods. We got some blueberry bushes back there.” Sol called over the waiter and insisted that Mort and Rose each take a drink from his tray. “It’s a sloe gin fizz,” he informed them. “Go on—you’ll love it!”

Mort sniffed at his glass and Rose took a small sip. “What else is back there?” she asked.

“There’s a little pond at the end of the path,” Sol continued, “Johnny loves it back there. He likes the frogs and the turtles—all that crap.”

Rose took another sip. “I’m sure it’s very pretty,” she said.

“Sol, come say hello to Howard and Connie,” Arlene called. She had noticed another couple she wanted to greet, a tall blond pair, both wearing sunglasses like her own.

“Sure, sweetheart.” Sol patted Mort on the back. “Gotta go make nice with the new neighbors,” he whispered loudly. “Get something to eat, okay?”

“Thanks,” Mort said. As soon as Sol’s back was turned, he put his glass down on another waiter’s tray. “Ugh,” he said. “I can’t drink any more of that thing.”

“Really? I think it’s good,” said Rose.

“Suit yourself. I’m going to get some food.” Mort headed over to the long buffet table set out on one side of the terrace, and Rose decided to look for a bathroom. The powder room she found was as big as her bedroom, and the wallpaper was speckled with cream and gold. The windows looked out over the side yard, where most of the children had gathered, including Judith and Teddy. Rose watched them for a few minutes after she dried her hands. The older boys had brought their mitts and Harry and Joe were teaching Teddy how to throw a ball. Sam and George were helping, and Rose’s younger girls were practicing cartwheels in the grass. They seem to be having a good time.

Helen was waiting for the bathroom as Rose exited. “How funny!” Helen said when she saw her, “I was just wondering where you were! I saw Mort making himself a plate but I couldn’t find you out there!”

“Well, here I am,” Rose said.

“Good! I’ll just be a minute in here. Wait for me, and I’ll walk back out with you.” Helen shut the powder room door. As soon as it was closed, Rose walked outside and headed straight for the path by the woods.

Alone on the path she felt like a kid playing hooky from school. She wondered if anyone had seen where she had gone and decided it didn’t matter because no one had followed her. The farther along the path she walked, the more distant the sounds and voices from the party became. She passed at least a dozen blueberry bushes, just as Sol had promised, and she was almost certain there were raspberry bushes there as well. It was cooler than on the terrace, and the trees muted the sunlight so that her eyes no longer bothered her.

After a few minutes Rose came to the pond. It wasn’t much bigger than Sol’s swimming pool, but she spotted two frogs and a lizard on the rocks by the edge. She wondered if there were really any turtles in it, but the water was too murky to tell. A patch of bluebells grew haphazardly near the water, and Rose picked some before sitting herself on a stone bench that someone had placed under one of the trees. The smell of the flowers reminded her of the perfume her mother used to wear when she was little. What a peaceful spot this is. The silence was so soothing that she almost fell asleep.