Drives Like a Dream by Porter Shreve Page A

any living thing. She would attend to it always. She would make it her life's work.

    She was staring off into the bronze-lit afternoon when she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes.
    "Guess who?"
    Lydia started. "I know those clammy fingers." She bit her bottom lip, regretting her choice of words.
    "Emergency rescue," Jessica announced. She took Lydia's laptop and helped her to her feet. "Will you be needing medical attention, ma'am?" She gave Lydia a hug.
    "I think I'll be all right." She was still a bit dazed from snapping out of her memory.
    "Sorry I was so obnoxious on the phone," Jessica said softly. "I've had better days."
    "I know." Lydia had not received such affection from her daughter in what seemed a long time. "To what do I owe this?" She smiled.
    "You're my mother. An old sage told me today that we ought to be good to our mothers, so look: I'm being good."
    Davy and Ivan walked up behind their sister.
    "I hope we're not too late," Davy said.
    "No, no. The museum closed only a few minutes ago."
    They were all still dressed in their wedding clothes. Jessica had on a green suit that Lydia hadn't seen before. Not the most flattering outfit, she thought, but she was not about to make a comment.
    "So, how are you doing?" Ivan asked. He looked worn out.
    "You know, I've actually had a wonderful time here. I got to do a lot of thinking." She followed them to the car.
    For the first time all weekend, her three children walking beside her, Lydia felt as if her family was truly together.
    "You're sure you don't want me or Davy to drive?" Jessica asked Ivan.
    "I'm fine," he said a little brusquely, and unlocked Cy's car.
    Jessica opened the door for her mother, then slid into the back seat next to her. "Ivan's not in the best mood today."
    As Lydia reached for her seat belt, a sharp pain shot across her rib cage and into her stomach, like an arrow finding its target. "Ouch," she said out loud.
    "What's wrong?" Jessica asked.
    "I've been having some pain," she said, though she'd only just now gotten a stomachache.
    "Have you seen a doctor?"
    "I'm sure it's nothing." Lydia massaged beneath her rib cage, but the little arrow stayed in its place.
    "You should get it checked out, Mom. You're nearing the age-"
    "I know, honey. Don't worry, I'll see a doctor." Lydia felt foolish for wolfing down a fast-food lunch, but she wasn't going to admit it. "So how was the wedding?" she asked, the question she'd been thinking about for much of the day.
    Ivan headed east on Washtenaw. Davy turned around and glanced at Jessica. "Just what you'd expect." He looked at his mother, then quickly away. "I told you about the guitar. Luckily, I managed to avoid a jam session. The karaoke guy took care of the entertainment."
    "And people had a good time?"
    "They were drunk," Jessica said. "It could have been a funeral and they'd have had a good time."
    "It
was
a funeral," Ivan added.
    "Yeah, we don't need to talk about it." Jessica rubbed her mother's arm, a gesture that seemed not quite patronizing, nor entirely honest, either.
    "Don't feel you have to protect me." Lydia looked in the rear-view mirror at Ivan's eyes, but they gave nothing away. "I've let your father go, don't worry. I wouldn't mind having this car, however." She forced a laugh.
    She wondered what had really happened at the wedding. Perhaps Cy and Ellen had fought or the reception had been filled with mishaps. The kids' behavior did seem funereal: respectfully calm, too sober and restrained. Jessica held her hand—so out of character these days. Davy seemed shifty—he was a peace broker, to be sure, but was usually up-front. And even Ivan, who couldn't stand his father and made no secret about this, seemed unusually quiet.
    Lydia started to ask what was wrong, but stopped herself. There was something about driving in silence in this luxury car, cocooned with her children in the waning hours of a late spring day, that she didn't want to ruin. Nobody spoke as they passed Ford