The Last of the Stanfields(53)
22
MAY
October 1980, Baltimore
May had tried three times to get hold of Edward, to no avail.
Their second date had been just as magical as the first. Even though she still had feelings for Sally-Anne, May was falling for Edward. And judging by his tender care and thoughtfulness, he seemed to feel the same way. May was showing Edward a whole new world, one that was beginning to grow on him. It was like Pygmalion in reverse—the girl who came from nothing was the teacher; the privileged man, the student.
And so what if Sally-Anne was upset? She had been in a blind fury at everyone for days now, so May’s actions didn’t seem to make a whole lot of difference. At the editorial meeting, Sally-Anne had rebuffed the entire team, shutting down any ideas they pitched and picking fights at every turn. It had come as a relief when she’d ended the meeting early.
The source of all that rage was a mystery. If Sally-Anne enjoyed Keith so much, she should have been happy to have him all to herself. May could see the whole situation pretty clearly. Sally-Anne couldn’t bear May being involved with Edward, and seeing him shower her with attention while he ignored his own sister disgusted her. But May saw no reason to feel guilty about any of it. She hadn’t tried to seduce Edward; he was the one tripping over himself to win her over. Sally-Anne had it all wrong that Edward would chew May up and spit her out once he’d gotten what he wanted. After that passionate kiss on their first date, Edward had walked May to her door and said good night. Two days later, he had treated her to an unforgettable meal at an expensive restaurant. As they sat down, May had peered in wonder at the rows of cutlery, and Edward had softly clued her in: “Work your way from the outside in, one at a time.”
The day after that, they went shopping and bought each other gifts. Edward draped a ravishing scarf around her shoulders, while May bought him a striking leather wallet. He slipped the wallet into the inner pocket of his suit jacket and patted his heart.
“I’ll keep it right here.”
Edward had even driven May out to Kent Island for the weekend. He had treated her to a lush suite in a sprawling manor atop a dune facing the sea. They spent most of that weekend making love. She had never been spoiled so thoroughly. May’s only regret was not being able to share her newfound joy with her closest friend. Despite Sally-Anne’s juvenile and selfish behavior, May still had sympathy for her and felt she understood. Nonetheless, there was no way Sally-Anne’s pigheaded, jealous attitude could last. There was nothing shallow or selfish about this budding love story. May resolved to find a way to get the siblings to patch things up. A brother and a sister were meant to get along. She was convinced the two of them could make it work.
May wanted to build trust with Edward, so she decided to take the first step herself during that weekend on Kent Island. She told him about the newspaper as they walked arm in arm along the beach.
“It may still be only a pipe dream for now,” she lied. “But the two of us are going nowhere at the Sun. Our managers are chauvinists who think the only thing women are good for is serving coffee, and that we should all just stick to research.”
Edward seemed appalled by that notion, and asked May more about the dream project. What type of editorial point of view did they envision? She walked Edward through the broad strokes and he was nothing but encouraging, praising her fearlessness and hard work in the quest for truth. But nonetheless, Edward advised her to be cautious. Exposing corruption, abuse of power, and partisan politics came at great risk. If she didn’t tread lightly, sooner or later she would end up drawing the wrath of the powerful.
“I grew up with those people, and I know just what they’re capable of,” he warned her.
Edward’s words reminded May that with all the important people he knew, he might be a good connection for the paper, at least eventually. Despite all his admirable qualities, she could tell he worried too much about appearances, a weakness she’d found in so many men. May knew she had to be patient and wait for the right moment, and she was sure Edward would certainly rise to the task and help them.
“I just hope you’re not getting used by my sister. With the chip she has on her shoulder, it’s no surprise she would launch something like this.”
“Just what happened between you two?” asked May.
“Sally-Anne blames me for not taking her side. She’s been waging an endless war against our parents since we were teenagers. I find her hostility toward them as unfair as it is unbearable. I know Mother isn’t always easy. She may seem harsh, but after going through what she did when she was young . . . I know it makes me sound stuffy, but I actually admire my parents. And not only because they’ve been so successful. They both suffered terrible hardship. My mother certainly didn’t grow up with a silver spoon in her mouth. When she came to America, she was penniless, her parents dead and buried. I never met my maternal grandparents; they were Jews in hiding, murdered by the Nazis before I was born. Mother made it out alive thanks to her sheer courage and my father’s heroism. That’s why I just can’t accept the way Sally judges them so harshly. I’ve always tried to smooth things out between them. I tried to protect my sister, from herself most of all . . . all her rage and excess . . . nothing ever stopped her from doing just as she pleased. In the end, I gave up.”
“Well, she certainly still loves you very deeply,” May lied.
“Oh, I highly doubt that.”