Kin (17 page)

That left the rest of them looking at each other with their mouths open.

“Can you believe her?” Annie said. “Why on earth would she fall for David when she could be the queen of a small country somewhere?”

They were an excited bunch waiting for the couple to come back down. Except for Lila, who got up and took Cricket into the kitchen for a drink.

When everyone came back downstairs, Mom asked Annie for her help in the kitchen, and Dad asked Kay if she'd like a Shirley Temple. She said she would be delighted.

Mom grabbed Annie's hands near the sink. “She's so beautiful.”

“I know!”

Lila poured Cricket a small drink of juice. “Anyone can be beautiful if they have money.”

“I suppose that's true, but she seems like a lovely girl.”

“You've only known her for five minutes.”

Annie and Mom looked at each other. It wasn't like Lila to be so negative.

“Did you want an aspirin for your headache?” Annie said carefully.

“Yes, please.”

At dinner, Mom served a baked ham crisscrossed with pineapple rings, maraschino cherries, and cloves, and a large casserole dish of creamy scalloped potatoes, with butter rolls, red tomato chow, and sweet peas.

“This is delicious, Mrs. Macdonald. Did you do this all yourself?”

Mom laughed. “Of course, dear. Who else would do it?”

Annie was ravenous and piled as much as she could on her plate. Henry looked at her. “You'd think we had no food at home.”

“Shut your gob, Pratfall.”

Annie noticed that David hardly touched his meal. He was no doubt too excited to eat. It's a big deal to bring home the girl you want to marry. Lila didn't eat much either, but that's because she was busy keeping Cricket in her chair and cutting up her food.

“So when's the big day?” Mom asked.

“This April,” Kay said. “I hope you don't mind that we're having it in Halifax.”

“We understand. Your entire family is there and I'm sure your mother is run off her feet organizing everything, but if there's anything I can do, I'd be happy too. I missed the chance with Annie's wedding.”

“Mom, are you going to bring that up again?”

“I'm just saying.”

“We thought we'd come back in the summer and have a big party out in Round Island, for friends and relatives who can't make it to the wedding,” David said.

“What fun!” Mom said. “Won't that be fun, Kenzie?”

Dad didn't even look up. “Indeed.”

“I have a great idea,” Kay said. “Cricket could be our flower girl. That would be so sweet.”

Lila shook her head. “Thank you, but we won't be going to the wedding.”

Annie was surprised. “You're not?”

“Cricket gets car sick, and that's a very long drive.”

“And Lila has to be careful not to overdo it,” Aunt Eunie said. “But we'll be there with bells on for the summer party.”

“I was hoping you'd be one of my bridesmaids, Annie.”

“You're kidding.”

“I'd love to have David's family in the wedding party. I hope you'll say yes.”

“Are you sure you want her? She'll be up there crossing her eyes and making faces at me the entire time,” David laughed.

“Hey! No I won't…not the
entire
time.”

Cricket knocked over her glass of juice on the table and started to cry. Everyone assured her it was fine, but she couldn't be consoled. Lila took her in her arms.

“This little girl is tired. I think we'll say goodnight.”

“But she hasn't had dessert,” Mom rushed to say. “I made her some rice pudding.”

“We'll take it with us.”

Aunt Eunie and Uncle Joe looked sorry that they had to go, but they nevertheless got to their feet. Mom got up as well. “I've made a butterscotch pie for us. I'll cut some of that up too, so you can take it with you.”

Everyone said it was nice meeting everyone else, and as the Johnsons left with their goodies, all of them shouted Merry Christmas and everyone shouted Merry Christmas back.

Then back to the table to cut up the rest of the butterscotch pie.

Annie looked at her parents, her husband, her brother, and his mate. “So here we are. Our little family unit is growing.”

“You're very lucky to have such a wonderful family,” Kay said. “You say that Lila grew up with you?”

Annie told her the story, as Mom dished out the pie. David didn't want any, but Mom coaxed him into having a tiny sliver.

“I hope I'm not being nosy, but why did Eunie say that Lila couldn't overdo it?”

“She has heart problems. She nearly died having Caroline. Henry can vouch for that.”

Henry nodded. “She was one lucky girl. It was close for both of them.”

“Can we talk about something a little less morbid?” David said. “This is supposed to be a celebration.”

After dinner, Kay went out to the living room with the men. Annie and her mother cleaned up.

“She's probably never had to do a dish in her life.”

“Leave her alone. She's a guest.”

“I'm not being mean, it's just an observation.”

At that moment, Kay appeared in the doorway. “I wondered where you went. Do you need some help?”

“Oh no, dear,” Mom said, “we're fine.”

Annie saw that Kay was disappointed. “Don't listen to her. Here's a dishtowel.” Annie threw one to her.

“This is so much fun,” Kay smiled. “Girl talk in the kitchen. I've always wanted to do this.”

“You sure are easy to please,” Annie laughed. “You can knock yourself out at my place if you like. I've got a whole sink full of dirty dishes.”

Mom rinsed a plate. “What do you mean you have a sink full of dirty dishes? That's not how you were brought up.”

“Not every woman in the world is a domestic goddess like you, Mom.”

“Amen to that,” Kay added.

On New Year's Day, Lila woke up before sunrise. Something didn't feel right, but she wasn't sure what. It was like something was missing. She sat up in bed and looked around the room. Cricket was fast asleep in her crib and everything looked the same, so what was it?

And then she knew.

She reached down and touched Freddy at the end of her bed. Every morning he would stretch his fourteen-year-old legs and yawn like an old man. Even though she knew she wouldn't hear it, she put her head against his chest and waited for his heart to beat.

“Don't leave me, Freddy. Not now.”

She was still holding him when Cricket woke up. She sang to herself for a while and then turned over and saw that her mother was awake. She immediately jumped up and bounced, holding onto the sides of the crib and smiling, her sleepyhead hair every which way.

“Mama. Fweddy.”

Lila began to cry, hearing Cricket say his name. Her daughter loved Freddy and he loved her back. He'd put up with a lot—being grabbed by the neck for a hug, or being a horsey, or a handy mat on the floor she could snuggle against.

Seeing her mother cry made Cricket cry, which brought Aunt Eunie running upstairs.

“What's wrong?”

“Freddy's dead.”

Aunt Eunie began to cry, which brought Uncle Joe upstairs. When he started to cry, Lila knew they were in big trouble.

Lila wrapped Freddy in his favourite blanket and kept him on the bed. Then she went downstairs to call Ewan.

“Freddy's dead.”

“Oh no. What happened?”

“He died in his sleep. I thought you'd want to know because Freddy loved you so much.” Her eyes welled up with tears. “I'm sorry, I have to go.”

Lila and Uncle Joe got dressed and went outside to pick a spot to bury their special dog. “He needs to be under the maple tree. The leaves brush up against my window and Freddy loved lying under the shade to cool off.”

“He also liked it because he was guarding the house,” Uncle Joe sniffed.

Lila wasn't surprised when Ewan drove up the driveway in his truck and came towards them carrying a pickaxe and shovel. He looked like he'd been crying too. “Show me where you want him.” Lila pointed to the spot and Ewan put the pickaxe up to his shoulder and slammed it into the hard ground. He did it over and over and soon had a hole that Freddy could be snug in.

Aunt Eunie came out with an old throw to line the space, some dog treats, and his favourite ball. Uncle Joe held Caroline, who was delighted to be outside so early in the morning with her snowsuit on. They looked at Ewan.

“I'll go get him.”

Ewan went into the house and came back shortly with Freddy's body wrapped in his favourite blanket. While he held him, the family kissed Freddy's white muzzle and told him how much they loved him and thanked him for being the best dog in the whole world.

They were still crying when Ewan lowered Freddy and gently put him in the hole. Lila put in the treats and his ball and then they took the four corners of the blanket and wrapped him up like a special gift.

“You go on in,” Ewan said. “I'll cover him up.”

“I'll stay with you,” Lila said. “Take Cricket into the house.”

Aunt Eunie and Uncle Joe took the baby back inside. Lila stood by the grave and watched Ewan shovel the dirt back in and over her beloved pet. He smoothed it and put back the frozen sods before he shovelled some snow over it again so it would look nice.

They stared at the space together. Then Lila's shoulders began to shake and she hid her face against Ewan's heavy flannel jacket. He put his arm around her.

Lila insisted he come in and have breakfast to thank him for his efforts. Whenever Ewan came over, Cricket would crawl up on his knees and make him bounce her up and down like a horse, going slow and then fast and then slow again. Aunt Eunie decided to make buttermilk pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, because those were Freddy's special treats. Lila thought she wouldn't be able to eat, but she had a few bites of pancake.

Aunt Eunie stacked six thick pancakes on a plate and passed them to Ewan. “Does your mother enjoy living in town?”

“It sounds like it. She and my aunt call themselves the merry widows.”

“What about your brothers?”

“They finally found an apartment in Sydney. They're moving out soon. One of them has been hired to drive a bus and the other one works at a grocer's.”

“So you're going to run the farm by yourself?” Lila said.

“I'll be fine. I've got a man who buys my milk and eggs and all the potatoes I can give him. I don't want for much.”

“You'll be lonely down there by yourself.”

“I'm used to being alone.”

“Then you'll have to come up here more often,” Aunt Eunie said. “Come for Sunday dinner. Joe brought home an enormous pork roast yesterday. We can't possibly eat it all.”

“Thank you. That would be nice.”

Aunt Eunie went out to the kitchen and came back into the dining room with another pile of pancakes for Ewan. “Have some pancakes. They're delicious.”

Ewan was too polite to point out he already had a full plate. He took it from her and said, “These look good.”

“There's lots of ketchup, so help yourself.”

Lila knew her aunt meant maple syrup, that she was just upset about the dog. Uncle Joe was very quiet too.

Cricket picked up a piece of her pancake and yelled, “Fweddy! Fweddy!”

“I hate 1949 already,” Lila said.

* * *

Annie had been keeping her pregnancy a secret from Henry until she passed the three-month mark. She'd seen too many sad faces of young mothers at the hospital. No sense in getting everyone riled up until she knew it was going to happen. She made one last doctor's appointment to be absolutely sure.

As she lay on the examining table, the doctor had his brow furrowed. “Are you sure of your dates?”

“Pretty sure. Why? What's the matter? You're making me nervous.”

He took off his rubber gloves and poked around her belly again. “I can't say with total certainty at this stage of the game, but I have a hunch you're having twins.”

Annie sat up. “Twins? Twins don't even run in my family.”

“Look at it this way, Annie. You get two babies with only one labour.”

“You're a genius.”

Annie made Henry's favourite, spaghetti and meatballs, for dinner. She lit a few candles, put on some music, and dolled herself up a little. Then she lounged in the chair closest to the table, so Henry would see the entire vignette all at once. She even crossed her legs to the side, like she'd seen Kay do.

She heard the car pull up into the driveway rather quickly and only moments later he burst in the door.

“You're having
twins
?!”

Annie jumped out of the chair. “Why did he tell you? I wanted it to be a surprise!”

Henry came over and tried to take her in his arms, but she kept slapping him away. “Don't blame him. Blame me. I accidentally saw you go into his office today and I choked him until he spilled the beans.”

“There was no accident about it. You've been spying on me! Did you already know I was pregnant?”

“Yes! Don't hate me!”

She kept trying to push him away. “How did you know?”

“You've been eating four bunches of bananas a week. You polished off a whole carrot cake by yourself and made me fry cheese in a frying pan.”

They both burst out laughing and started to jump up and down with glee. He took her in his arms and held her close.

“You are precious to me, Annie Pratfall. You are my world. I wouldn't be able to live without you.”

“Sure you would. It just wouldn't be as much fun.”

They filled up on the spaghetti and meatballs before venturing forth to tell the grandparents.

They went to Annie's house first in case Henry's mom had a seizure and had to go to the hospital.

They knocked on the back door and found her parents having tuna noodle casserole at the kitchen table.

“Hi, guys,” Annie said.

Her mother jumped up. “You're pregnant!!”

“Oh my god! Did you choke my doctor too?”

“No! I'm looking at Henry's face!”

Mom hugged her. Dad hugged her. Then Mom hugged Henry and Henry hugged Dad. Then Mom hugged her again.

“Wait for it…” Annie said.

“…we're having twins!” Henry shouted.

“I wanted to tell them!”

Mom squealed and Dad chuckled before they got on the phone and called David, who shouted congratulations and passed the phone to Kay, who squealed just like Mom.

Then they called Lila.

She told them about Freddy before Annie had a chance to tell her about the babies, so when she did find out Lila was upset that she'd ruined such happy news with her sad news.

When they walked into Henry's mother's house, Joy jumped up to greet them and immediately fell to the floor in a dead faint.

“Okay, this is ridiculous! How on earth does
she
know?”

Henry rushed over to his mother's side and gently tapped the side of her face. “Mom. Mom. Are you okay?”

She started to come around. “Oh my, what happened?”

“Is your blood sugar low again?”

“Maybe.”

“I'm sorry.” Annie knelt by her as well. “I thought you'd heard we're having twins.”

Joy's face radiated joy before she lost consciousness.

* * *

It was only a month later that Annie and David's cousin Dorothy was killed in a car accident. She was a passenger in a vehicle that left the road. The man who was driving lived, but she was thrown from the car.

Dorothy had wanted to be a stewardess. She was fun and pretty and Aunt Muriel's only daughter.

When David heard the news, he immediately left Halifax to come home. Kay wanted to come with him, but he said he'd rather go alone. She understood.

The wake at the funeral home was terrible. He and Annie had never been to a wake before. They'd lost three of their grandparents when they were young and hadn't been allowed to go. How Dorothy's parents and older brother stood there by her open coffin and shook hands with a seemingly endless line of people, David didn't know. Annie became very emotional, and Henry asked Lila to take her into the ladies' room, as her parents were standing beside the family.

When the girls finally re-emerged, Henry and David were waiting close by.

“Maybe we should go home,” Henry said.

“No.” Annie wiped her red and swollen eyes with a wet paper towel. “She was my cousin and I'll do this, but I swear to God, if anything ever happens to me, don't put me in an open casket. I'll come back and haunt you.”

Somehow the family made it through the wake and the funeral. Then everyone was asked to come back to the church hall for tea, sandwiches, and sweets. David marvelled at how these small elderly church women had the entire place completely organized for over a hundred people. They even catered to the immediate family, so they wouldn't have to stand in the lineup.

Annie was still visibly upset. “Why don't these people go home? You'd think they were at a wedding reception. Do you see that guy over there? He's gone back for thirds.”

Henry patted her knee. “But look at all the people going up to her parents and brother. They're telling them how special their daughter was. They'll appreciate that in the lonely days ahead, when people stop talking about her for fear of hurting them.”

When it was time to leave they went back to their parents' house; Annie and David felt they should be there for their mother, who was so upset. But Mom said she needed to lie down and Henry said he should take Annie home too. Dad asked David to take Lila back to Round Island. The Johnsons were taking care of Caroline.

Without saying a word to each other, they got in his car. The tension was palpable, and David knew he was going to lose it if he didn't stop and have it out with her.

He pulled over to the side of the road on the outskirts of Glace Bay.

“Why are we stopping?”

David left the engine running and turned to face her. “I want to know why you felt it was necessary to show up with Caroline the night I brought Kay home to meet my family.”

“You want to do this now? After the horrible day we've gone through?”

“I'm not going to get many chances to speak to you alone in the future.”

“No, you won't, will you? You'll be a married man.”

“And why is that?”

“Because she's rich?”

David resisted the urge to shake her. “I'm marrying someone else because you told me I wasn't the father of my own child. I told you I loved you and wanted to marry you, but you threw me out.”

“It didn't take you long to find a replacement.”

“Don't bring Kay into it. This is your fault, Lila.”

Lila stared straight ahead. “It's my fault that you had your way with me outside, on the ground, the minute you came home from overseas.”

“Jesus! You make it sound like I raped you. You enjoyed it, as I remember, or have I got that wrong too?”

“Do you think I wanted to be there the night you brought Kay home? Annie asked me to come and since I'm still pretending to be your little sister, it would've looked odd if I didn't go.”

They stopped talking, as if letting the words settle in. David looked out his car window.

“You can't truly love me, David, if you're marrying someone else.”

He turned back to her. “That's where you're wrong. What if I call the wedding off? Would you marry me then? Would you let me raise that beautiful little girl? You're the one who holds all the cards here.”

Lila gave him a shocked look. “You'd do that to someone who obviously adores you?”

“You did.”