The Visit (Beth is amused)

Beth drove while Barry, on his cell, rustling through papers.  You’d think with everything online, he wouldn’t need papers, but they seemed to calm him, as he could be quite hyper.  Perfect for what they did, mostly.  Her method was the calm, “Let’s see where this takes us,” response to frazzled clients.  Never oversell as it could come back to bite you in the ass.

She checked her rearview mirror.  Sophia was happily combing Dolly’s hair.  Her daughter didn’t need to pee—yet—and they were almost there, the big gathering to meet Steve’s wife, the one who had caused such an uproar by running off to get married without Sandy’s seal of approval.  Chuckling, Beth thought she would like this girl.  Perhaps Beth had been too dutiful in her attitude toward Sandy, except the Applebaums had money and were willing to help pay for a lavish wedding. Her father was in construction, and it was a real downtime when Beth and Barry got married.  At least now with her real estate career, Beth could throw her father work.  He was on his feet again.

Barry got off the phone.  ‘Are you looking forward to the weekend?” she asked, amused because she knew his response.

“With David and Yael and their kids running around with what’s obviously ADHD?  David spouting some crap at the dining table I don’t understand?  Yael eating off paper plates and plastic silverware?  Oh, yeah.  I’ve been looking forward to this all week.”

“Well, you hardly ever see Steve.  Neither you nor David thought he would ever get married.  But now here he is, bringing home the bride.  I looked her up on all the social media sites.  Opposites must attract because she’s cute and, judging from posts, normal.  Just what your brother needs.”

“Who knows what Steve needs?  Who even knows what he does?  That company he works for, it sounds shady to me.  And when you ask him what exactly is it that he does, all he says is, “Well, you know.’  Hell, I don’t know.”

“Pas de enfant,” Beth chided.

Barry turned to check on his daughter.  “You didn’t hear that did you, Sophia.”

“No, hell,” Sophie replied.

“That’s ‘hell no,’” Barry corrected his daughter.

Beth laughed and shook her head.  Then she made the left turn onto Sheridan Lane, where the Applebaum house stood.  As she approached, she saw the driveway already had David’s minivan in it.  Had he pulled over to the side, she would have been able to park in the driveway too.  But—

Pulling to the curb, both she and Barry got out. Their car’s voice alert told them there was someone in the back seat, their lovely Sophia, who was definitely ready to crawl out of the carseat and be on solid ground again.

As they got her out, another car pulled up behind them.  It was Steve in his Prius.  Shaking his head, Barry turned to his wife, “You’d think with the kind of money Mom says he’s making, he’d buy something a bit more—“

“Ostentatious?”

“Yeah.”

“Real Estate agents need flashy cars.  Steve does not, so don’t start.  Anyway, he probably has a private jet stashed someplace.”

The little family waited while Steve and then Eden exited their car.  Steve had a big smile on his face, Eden’s looked more tentative.  So Beth rushed forward to greet her first.  “You must be Eden.”  She gave her a hug and an air kiss.  “I’m Beth.  We’ve heard so much about you.  But I’m sure it’s not true,” she joshed.  Then she turned to her brother-in-law but didn’t bother trying to hug him as he wasn’t the hugging type.  Just a “Hi, Steve,” with a pleasant smile would do.

Eden was surprised by Beth’s greeting.  And pleased!  She though, wow, she was going to like this Beth, the way she obviously took Sandy’s remarks about her with a grain of salt.  This was an ally to hold dear.

They all entered the house together, with Sophia taking off to almost leap into her grandfather’s arms.  He scooped her up and held her high.  In the ensuing greetings, Eden could relax.  She was barely noticed.

Later Eden thought they should have arrived after lunch, maybe a fast food stop on the way up because, okay, this was insane.  Sandy had bought all sorts of salads from the grocery store and then some certified kosher products from another grocery store.  But—Yael wasn’t assured of their authenticity, despite the stamp of approval.  Never-mind, she had brought everything her kids needed—except manners.  Meanwhile, while they were all gathered around finding seats with their full plates, Yael’s husband David was reading a book at the table.  Yael put a plate before him which he didn’t even acknowledge.  And she didn’t seem to care.  Was he going to put down the book now and engage.  It seemed he wasn’t.

Meanwhile, Grandpa and Grandma were doting on Sophia, while Asher and Levi were sticking plastic forks into one another.  Who could eat in this environment?  Well, it seemed David, who looked up from his book only when he was asked a question.  And Sandy had the nerve to complain about her?  At least Eden had manners.

Eden spent most of the lunch talking to Beth, while Steve caught up with Barry.

Beth was a delight.  Eden told her all about their quickie marriage and how just after attending her sister had actually gotten engaged.  “But she’s turned the wedding over to our mother, so I’m sure everything will be very traditional.”

“And yet your marriage has lasted.”

“Going on three months,” Eden said giggling.  “But it’s forever.  I know a good thing when I have it.”

Beth wondered at that.  She never saw Steve as a good thing.  But maybe she was missing something.

Later, while Eden was helping Beth put everything in containers and back in the fridge, being careful not to interact with Yael’s space, Eden quietly confessed, “I’m so glad you’re here.  I was so dreading this weekend.”

Shrugging, Beth said, “Sandy likes to believe she’s queen of the roost.  Just agree with everything she says, then do your own thing.”

Sandy must have sensed something because her head lifted from fussing over Levi, who had spilled juice on himself.   Sort of sniffed like a dog who had caught a scent.  “What are you two ladies discussing?”

“Eden was just telling me more about her delightful honeymoon near the South Pole.”

“She hated it,” Steve admitted.

“Hate is perhaps too weak a word,” Eden joked.

“And yet when someone shells out all that money to take you on the trip of a lifetime, it should be appreciated.  I know I would love to go to the Antarctic,” Sandy said—sweetly.

“You hate the cold,” Marty broke in.  “I suggested a cruise to Alaska, but you said you weren’t freezing your—rear off, when you could be sunning in the Caribbean.”

“I just meant a wife should appreciate what her husband does for her.  It’s the thought that counts.”

“I’ll remember that, Sandy.  Thank you for the tip,” Eden responded and no one could tell whether she was being sarcastic or not.