on the table.
I wasn’t sure if Lily intended to go on about the note, because the telephone interrupted us. Lily looked at it but didn’t even bother to go over to the table. She looked at me and smiled. “We share a telephone line, but it’s always for Brian.”
Brian looked at the caller ID. “I’ll call him back from my cell.” Then he disappeared, leaving Lily and me alone with the captain’s letter. How would I ever begin to have a relationship with Brian if he kept getting phone calls?
“So, Emily, what do you think of this Captain Miguel? He’s not one of those older men who still thinks he’s twenty, is he? You know with the shirt unbuttoned to his navel and the gold necklaces?” 125
“Um, no,” I said, wondering in what universe twenty-year-old guys dressed like that.
“Is he a nice man?”
“I think so.”
She leaned back on the couch. “You know, I had a wonderful relationship with my husband. We were the best of friends. We loved to go to the theater, the opera.
But we also had our own interests. I had my dance classes and my charity work. But when my husband died, I wasn’t prepared for the void in my life. That’s when I decided to move to Florida—to be with my son and his family.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Lily patted my knee. “Don’t be sorry, dear, they’re not that horrible to live with.”
“I didn’t mean about your family,” I said quickly. “I meant your husband.”
“That’s okay—I have lovely memories.”
“But that void,” I said. “Couldn’t the captain fill just a tiny bit of it?” They did seem like a perfect match now that I thought about it. Both gave off a not-really-living-in-the-real-world vibe. “I could give him your phone number. Then the phone would be for you once in a while.”
Lily smiled. “That would be a change, wouldn’t it?” She paused, then added. “You’re sure he’s a nice man?”
“I’m pretty sure,” I said. “But just in case, you 126
should meet him in a public place.” Lily’s eyes met mine and began to twinkle. “You’re a pretty smart girl, aren’t you?”
“It’s just what my mother always taught me. You know, don’t go off with strangers. Make sure your cell phone is charged when you go out . . .” Lily chuckled. “Now that’s a new one. We always made sure we had a dime for a pay phone.” I smiled and then looked at my watch, wondering how long I should wait for Brian.
As if she were reading my mind, Lily announced,
“I’ll make more tea. We can chat until Brian comes back.” She filled a pot with water and set it on the burner. “So dear, what do you do with your free time when you’re not in school?”
I didn’t want to tell her exactly how many hours of my life were devoted to daydreaming, particularly since my daydreaming happened to involve her grandson. “I work on the school newspaper,” I said. “Right now I’m working on an article about the junior prom.” Lily took a pot holder out of a drawer. “Hmm,” Lily said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a prom. We had dances in my day, but no prom.”
“Really?” I said. “I thought proms had been around forever.” As soon as I spoke, I wanted to take the words back. I hoped she didn’t think I meant she’d been around forever.
127
The teakettle let out a piercing whistle. “You know, I always thought it would be exciting to be a journalist,” Lily said. “What will you write about the prom?” So far all Daniel had was a list and I hadn’t come up with anything else. “Right now we’re thinking about doing it on how expensive everything is.”
“Oooh,” Lily said, her eyes getting wide. “An exposé.
Just like 60 Minutes !”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it definitely made me feel better about the whole thing. “I guess so,” I said.
Lily poured more tea. “So then how will you stop this prom nonsense?”
Stop it? Nonsense? What was she talking about?
“Um, we don’t
I wasn’t sure if Lily intended to go on about the note, because the telephone interrupted us. Lily looked at it but didn’t even bother to go over to the table. She looked at me and smiled. “We share a telephone line, but it’s always for Brian.”
Brian looked at the caller ID. “I’ll call him back from my cell.” Then he disappeared, leaving Lily and me alone with the captain’s letter. How would I ever begin to have a relationship with Brian if he kept getting phone calls?
“So, Emily, what do you think of this Captain Miguel? He’s not one of those older men who still thinks he’s twenty, is he? You know with the shirt unbuttoned to his navel and the gold necklaces?” 125
“Um, no,” I said, wondering in what universe twenty-year-old guys dressed like that.
“Is he a nice man?”
“I think so.”
She leaned back on the couch. “You know, I had a wonderful relationship with my husband. We were the best of friends. We loved to go to the theater, the opera.
But we also had our own interests. I had my dance classes and my charity work. But when my husband died, I wasn’t prepared for the void in my life. That’s when I decided to move to Florida—to be with my son and his family.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
Lily patted my knee. “Don’t be sorry, dear, they’re not that horrible to live with.”
“I didn’t mean about your family,” I said quickly. “I meant your husband.”
“That’s okay—I have lovely memories.”
“But that void,” I said. “Couldn’t the captain fill just a tiny bit of it?” They did seem like a perfect match now that I thought about it. Both gave off a not-really-living-in-the-real-world vibe. “I could give him your phone number. Then the phone would be for you once in a while.”
Lily smiled. “That would be a change, wouldn’t it?” She paused, then added. “You’re sure he’s a nice man?”
“I’m pretty sure,” I said. “But just in case, you 126
should meet him in a public place.” Lily’s eyes met mine and began to twinkle. “You’re a pretty smart girl, aren’t you?”
“It’s just what my mother always taught me. You know, don’t go off with strangers. Make sure your cell phone is charged when you go out . . .” Lily chuckled. “Now that’s a new one. We always made sure we had a dime for a pay phone.” I smiled and then looked at my watch, wondering how long I should wait for Brian.
As if she were reading my mind, Lily announced,
“I’ll make more tea. We can chat until Brian comes back.” She filled a pot with water and set it on the burner. “So dear, what do you do with your free time when you’re not in school?”
I didn’t want to tell her exactly how many hours of my life were devoted to daydreaming, particularly since my daydreaming happened to involve her grandson. “I work on the school newspaper,” I said. “Right now I’m working on an article about the junior prom.” Lily took a pot holder out of a drawer. “Hmm,” Lily said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been to a prom. We had dances in my day, but no prom.”
“Really?” I said. “I thought proms had been around forever.” As soon as I spoke, I wanted to take the words back. I hoped she didn’t think I meant she’d been around forever.
127
The teakettle let out a piercing whistle. “You know, I always thought it would be exciting to be a journalist,” Lily said. “What will you write about the prom?” So far all Daniel had was a list and I hadn’t come up with anything else. “Right now we’re thinking about doing it on how expensive everything is.”
“Oooh,” Lily said, her eyes getting wide. “An exposé.
Just like 60 Minutes !”
I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it definitely made me feel better about the whole thing. “I guess so,” I said.
Lily poured more tea. “So then how will you stop this prom nonsense?”
Stop it? Nonsense? What was she talking about?
“Um, we don’t
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