Want to Know a Secret? (25)

“Maria!” Carrie is sitting across from us and looks like she’s already had a glass of the wine Julie put out. I also notice the chips and jar of salsa from the supermarket on the table. “I heard you did something amazing. The babysitter is now out on bail!”

Grateful for the change in subject, I say, “I wish you could’ve been there, Carrie. Maria is my new hero.”

Maria glances at me, then smiles at Carrie, making her dimples pop. “I didn’t do anything. We were just upholding the law.”

Carrie giggles. “Well, then I have to thank the law. Apparently, this isn’t her first offense and she might actually go to jail. Or at least get probation. My lawyer says it will give me a great argument for getting full custody. So thank you.” She winks at Maria. “The law.”

For a moment, I feel uneasy. Of course, I loved the idea of getting revenge on this woman who stole Carrie’s husband. But it seems wrong that she should be going to jail for something she didn’t even do. I didn’t even think about it that way. I figured she would just get a slap on the wrist and maybe some embarrassment.

“All right,” Julie says. “It’s time to discuss the book. That is what we’re here for. You all read it, I assume?”

Everyone says yes, including me. Even though I didn’t.

“So.” Julie folds her arms across her chest. “What did you think?”

“Well, it was interminably boring as usual, Julie.” Carrie rolls her eyes. “There was literally nothing I liked about it or want to discuss.”

“But you have to admit there was an interesting symbolism with the bird,” Julie says.

“What symbolism?” Chelsea says. “I thought it was just a bird.”

Julie clucks her tongue. “The bird was clearly a symbol for the child Tom always wanted to have.”

“And what were the worms a symbol for then?” Jean asks. “His penis?”

The other women dissolve into giggles. Just as the laughter is dying down, Chelsea says, “Speaking of worms, you’re not going to believe what I found in the pocket of David’s coat yesterday when he got home from school. Beetles! Like, six of them!”

Oh, thank God. We’re done discussing the book. Julie’s lips are set in a straight line, but there isn’t much she can do about it. We don’t come here to discuss the book. We come here to drink wine and chat about our lives. The book in book club is arbitrary.

But just when I think I’m home free, Maria picks up her copy of the book and starts flipping through it. “Actually, I really liked the part of the book with Gisele. That was my favorite part.”

Julie’s eyes light up, excited that for once, somebody else wants to discuss the book. “I agree. I thought that was so moving.”

Maria pivots in her chair and rests her brown eyes on my face. “What did you think of Gisele, April?”

I freeze. I can’t believe Maria is doing this. She knows I didn’t read the book.

“Well,” I say. “I thought Tom’s relationship with Gisele was really nuanced.”

Julie is nodding. She loves it when people say things are nuanced. “Oh, I agree.”

Thank God, I somehow bullshitted my way out of that. I’m off the hook.

“Which particular nuance did you find most interesting?” Maria asks me.

I stare at her, my mouth hanging open. Why is she doing this to me? She can’t possibly think I read this horrible book. “I just thought it was very…” I’m grasping at straws here. “Romantic.”

Obviously, that was the wrong thing to say. Julie is gaping at me, and I hear a couple of giggles.

“April,” Julie says, “Gisele was Tom’s dog.”

Oh. Whoops.

“Did you even read the book?” she hisses at me.

“I read part of it. A large part of it.”

She rolls her eyes. “Gisele was introduced in the second chapter!”

Everybody in the room is looking at me. So I didn’t read the stupid book about the stupid bird guy. So what?

“The rule,” Julie says tightly, “is that you have to read the book to come to book club. This is not a social group.”

She’s looking at me pointedly. Is she throwing me out? Does she expect me to leave?

“Oh, for Christ’s sake, Julie,” Carrie says. “Leave her alone.” She winks at me. “If she leaves, she might take the turnovers with her, and I don’t think I could handle that.”

Julie gives me a sharp look, but doesn’t say another word about it. Still, the whole experience leaves me feeling awful. I mean, who actually reads the book for book club? Julie was acting like I was worse than Hitler. Although the amazing part was all the other women had apparently read it.

But what made me most uneasy is that Maria was the one who instigated the whole thing. I’m certain I told her I never read the book club books.

Didn’t I?





Chapter 14


Maria and I walk back together to our respective houses after book club is over. I’ve got the mostly empty tray of apple turnovers and she’s clutching her copy of the bird book to her chest. I watch her profile in the moonlight. There are moments when Maria looks pretty, but in the nighttime shadows, she looks old. The light casts dark shadows under her eyes and around her mouth.