It was dinnertime by the time Sabrina checked on her again and Candy wandered in too. It seemed the perfect time to tell Candy that a girl she had known in high school had dropped by to hit on Dad.
“Are you kidding?” Candy looked stunned, as Annie chuckled and sat down on her bed. She was exhausted, but she had gotten everything unpacked. She hadn't brought much from Florence, and it was all she had. “How old is she?”
“Thirty-two, thirty-three at most,” Sabrina answered.
“That's disgusting. Who is she?”
“The slut,” Annie answered, rolling the words off her tongue with glee as all three girls laughed.
“What did Dad say?” Candy asked with interest. It was fun talking about it among the three sisters as long as nothing came of it, which they knew it wouldn't. They knew their dad.
“He insisted it was innocent,” Annie answered. “He's such a baby. She reeked of cheap perfume.”
“How disgusting. I'd give anything to know what she looked like.”
“So would I,” Annie said sadly, and Sabrina shot Candy a warning look. “I'll bet she's blond and has fake tits,” she said, forgetting that that also described her youngest sister. “Oh… sorry…I didn't mean like you…I meant cheesy.”
Candy laughed and was good-natured. “I forgive you. I bet you're right.”
They told Tammy about it that night when she called, and Chris when he came by after the ballgame with a friend. He was another attorney from his law firm, a good-looking young guy, and he almost fainted when he saw Candy in short shorts and a skimpy halter top. She looked breathtaking as she pranced around. But Chris thought Leslie's visit was probably innocent.
“Oh, it was not!” Sabrina disagreed. “How can you say that? Why would a girl her age bring a pie over for Dad?”
“She's probably a nice person. Just because she tried to steal your boyfriend in third grade does not make her some kind of predator now.”
“I was a senior, she was fifteen, and she was a slut! And it sounds like she still is.”
“You guys are tough!” he said, laughing at them. They all seemed to be in high spirits, and happy in their new house. He liked it too.
“You're as innocent as my father,” Sabrina said, rolling her eyes.
They all decided to go out to dinner, and went downtown to a little neighborhood Italian place in the Twenties. Annie didn't want to go initially, but they insisted she come with them. It was the first time she'd been to a restaurant since the accident. She wore dark glasses and kept a tight grip on Candy's arm. It was confusing for her, but afterward she admitted she'd had a good time, and said Chris's friend seemed nice.
“What does he look like?”
“Tall, nice-looking,” Candy said. “African-American. He has kind of bluey-green eyes.”
“He went to Harvard,” Sabrina added. “But I think he has a girlfriend and she's out of town. I'll ask Chris, if you want.” He had decided to sleep at his place that night and let them get settled on their own. He would have liked to stay, but he didn't want to intrude on Candy and Annie. That was the one thing he didn't like about Sabrina's new living arrangement. He didn't want to bother her sisters, although they all insisted that he didn't and that they loved him. But he went home anyway. He told Sabrina he'd spend the night on Tuesday, when Candy and Annie went back to Connecticut to stay with their father. Sabrina was staying in town all week. “I'll find out if Phillip has a girlfriend,” Sabrina said matter-of-factly.
“Don't bother,” Annie said quickly. She wasn't interested in men at the moment, or maybe ever again. “I just thought he sounded nice. I wondered what he looked like. I hate not being able to put a face with a voice.” Saying it out loud brought the point home to her sisters again. This was so miserable for her, and all things considered, she was being a good sport about it. “I'm not going to be dating,” she said firmly.
“Don't be stupid,” Candy said bluntly. “Of course you are. You're gorgeous.”
“No, I'm not. And that's beside the point. No one's going to want to date me like this. That would be pathetic.”
“No,” Sabrina said quietly, “it would be more pathetic if you gave up on life at your age. You're twenty-six years old. You're smart, beautiful, talented, well educated, well traveled, and fun to be with. Any guy would be lucky to go out with you, whether you have your sight or not. You have enough other attributes to make up for that. Any man worth a damn won't care if you can see or not. And fuck the others.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” Annie said, unconvinced. She and Dr. Steinberg had been talking about it. Annie couldn't imagine ever dating again, or any man wanting her in this condition.
“Give yourself some time, Annie,” Sabrina said gently. “You just broke up with someone, we lost Mom, you got hurt in the accident. That's a lot to deal with.” And the career she had studied all her life for had gone out the window. They were all aware of that. All of it was a major adjustment. More than most people would ever deal with in their life. And it had all hit her overnight.
They settled into their new rooms that night, and as Annie lay in bed, with her cell phone on her night table, it rang, and for the flash of an instant she hoped it would be Charlie, having changed his mind and dumped the other girl, wanting her back again. But if that was the case, what would she tell him? She almost didn't answer, and finally she did. She had caller ID, but couldn't see it. “Hello?” she said tentatively, and then was startled to realize it was Sabrina, calling her from her bedroom upstairs.
“I just called to say goodnight and tell you I love you,” she said, yawning. She'd been thinking about her, and decided to call her before she went to sleep.
“You're crazy, and I love you too. For a minute, I thought it was Charlie. I'm glad it wasn't.” That probably wasn't true, but Sabrina was touched that she would say it, and sorry she had to face such major challenges. It just wasn't fair. “I like our new house,” Annie said happily, happy to have someone to talk to. She'd been feeling lonely.
“So do I,” Sabrina said. She missed having Chris sleep there that night, but it was fun being with her sisters.
“Who are you talking to?” Candy asked, as she poked her head into Annie's room and saw her talking on her cell phone.
“Sabrina,” Annie giggled.
“Goodnight!” Candy shouted up the stairs. “How come you didn't call me?” She was teasing, and leaned over to kiss Annie goodnight. “I love you, Annie,” she said softly, and tucked her in.
“I love you too. I love both of you,” Annie said into the cell phone and into the room so they could both hear her. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
“We love it,” Candy said, and hearing her say it, Sabrina agreed.
“Goodnight, sweet dreams,” Sabrina said, and hung up, as their voices echoed in the house, and Candy went back to her room. Annie lay in bed afterward thinking that, in spite of everything that had happened, she was very lucky. In the end, no matter what happened, or what tragedy struck, they were all so lucky to have each other. They were sisters and best friends. It was all that mattered, and for now it was enough.
Chapter 16
Time seemed to be moving with lightning speed. Tammy had finally found a new star for the show, and was able to fly out on Friday night for the Labor Day weekend. Sabrina picked her up at the airport. Candy and Annie had been in Connecticut all week, and said their father was doing better. It was hard to believe that their mother had been gone for two months. So much had happened since.
And as always, Tammy had Juanita with her, sound asleep in her Birkin. She asked how they all liked the new house, and Sabrina said that they loved it. It was perfect. Her only concern was that she might not see as much of Chris. He seemed a little shy about intruding on her sisters.