The Families in Rossford
“Kenny, I just wanted to thank you for this. And Ruthven, I won’t even ask why you’re here,” Meredith said, laying out the table.
“You know Brendan and Sheridan are staying, so why don’t you all too?”
There was a knock at the door, and Sheridan said, “I’ll get that.”
He let Charlie into the house, and Charlie looked around at the walls and then around at the people, smiling pleasantly, and Meredith came forward and kissed him on the cheek.
“This was originally supposed to be me entertaining you,” Meredith said. “But I’ve let it snowball into a dinner party.”
“That’s the way it always turns out with the family,” Brendan said, cheerfully, and then put out his hand for Charlie. “Brendan Miller. Pleased to meet you.”
“I know you,” Charlie said. “You’re the attorney up in Miller who was in charge of that case for the people about to be put out of government housing.”
“That’s right,” Brendan nodded.
“You do good work,” Charlie told him. “You’re the lawyer that’s going to go to heaven.”
“Me and Thomas More.”
“Um,” Meredith shook her head, “I never liked Thomas More. Too sure of himself.”
“Well, I’m a weatherman, not an historian, and I don’t know enough about Thomas More to have an opinion,” Charlie said, “But I know I’ll be glad to have dinner with Mr. Miller, here.”
“We’ll all make sure to leave by eight-thirty so the two of you really can have something like a private night,” Kenny told them.
“Kenny, that’s not necessary,” Meredith said. But Kenny and Brendan looked at each other before both saying, “Yes it is.”
“Kenny,” Brendan turned to him, “I want to discuss something with you.”
“Alright,” Kenny nodded, and moved into the kitchen where Ruthven was.
“I’m leaving right now,” Ruthven said. “You guys look like you need some private time.”
Ruthven went out the swinging door, and Brendan said, “I’d ask you to explain that to me except…” Brendan shook his head. “Whatever floats you.”
“He doesn’t float me,” Kenny said. “He fucks me. And quite well.”
“Anyway,” Brendan said, turning from that subject. “The house.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“I haven’t run it by Meredith yet, but Sheridan wants to go back to Chicago—”
“And of course you do too.”
“Whaddo you mean?”
“You practically pray five times a day toward the Sears Tower.”
“Willys.”
“What?”
“It’s the Willys Tower now,” Brendan said.
“My point,” Kenny pressed on, “is that it’s no surprise you want to go back.”
“We were thinking about taking Meredith’s house, and then she could move in here with you.”
While Kenny thought about this, Brendan said, “How the two of you would negotiate privacy or sex lives, I don’t know. But this is a big house that came at a cheap price so I bet you all can think of something.”
“You might be right. We can bring it up to Meredith.”
Brendan nodded.
“So you guys are really going to Chicago?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“You hated law in Chicago. Here you’ve been doing what you like.”
“That’s true, Kenny, but somehow I think there will be plenty of injustice in Cook County as well.”
“Well, I can get the door this time,” Charlie said, while Meredith was on her way to the kitchen.
“I’d appreciate,” Meredith told him. “And tell whoever it is to just sit down and wine’ll be out in a minute.”
Charlie opened the door with a bright smile on his face and then his jaw dropped.
Bill Affren put out his hand and said, “You must be Charlie.”
Picking up his jaw, Charlie shook the older man’s hand and said, “Yes.”
“Maybe we could come in?” Bill suggested.
“Yes. Of course.”
“This is my wife,” Bill said. “Meredith’s mother, Nell.”
Charlie Palmer looked at Nell Affren and Nell said, “I think I left something in the car,” before running back across the lawn.
“Um,” Bill murmured, looking after his wife as she shut herself in the car. “How strange.”
Adele was sitting at the dining room table in Caroline Houghton’s house when her phone rang.
“I thought you said you were going to start turning that thing off,” Simon said.
Adele reached into her purse and then said, “It’s Nell. This might be important.”
She took the phone into the old dining room that looked half like an antique shop and said, “Nell.”
“Oh, it’s terrible!”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m at Meredith’s party to meet her new boyfriend.”
“Is he worse than Max? I mean he can’t be.”
“That’s not the point,” Nell said.
“Okay… then why are you whispering in a panic into the phone?”
“Well, I just met him.”
“And?”
“Will you tell me one of your stories?”
“I sure will,” Layla told Liam, and she patted the seat on the sofa. The little boy climbed up next to her. He put his head on her thigh and she began.
“Once upon a time—”
“The phone is ringing.”
“That is for Will to pick up,” Layla told him. “Back to the story. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little prince name Liam.”
“Like me?”
“Oh, exactly like you! And—”
Will came down the hall with his phone, and held it out to Layla.
“It’s Dena. She sounds like it’s really important.”
Layla sighed and shook her head.
“If it’s about that girl…”
“Hello,” she said into the phone.
“Layla!” Dena sounded completely animated. “I’m at Meredith’s party.”
“Okay?”
“You’ll never guess who her new man is.”
“No,” Layla decided. “I won’t.”
“Oh, you’re really no fun sometimes! It’s Charlie Palmer.”
“Charlie Palmer from the news? Charlie—oh, my God!”
“What?” Liam sat up.
“Liam you have to go play for a minute.”
“Is it grown up business?”
“I’m afraid it is,” Layla told him.
The landline rang and Will went to get it, and then motioned for Layla.
“Hold on,” Layla said, taking Dena in her hand. She took the kitchen phone and said, “Hello.”
“Layla!” Came Adele’s voice, “you’ll never guess who Meredith is dating!”
“Nell’s ex boyfriend,” Layla said, simply.
“You dirty ho. How did you know?”
“I’m on the other line!” Dena shouted from Layla’s phone.
“Dad, why is Nell still in the car?”
Bill opened his mouth to answer, and then admitted, “I really don’t know.”
“Maybe you should go and get her.”
“Maybe I should,” Dena said.
“You know what?” Charlie told her. “I think I will.”
“Are you sure about that?” Dena said, doubtfully.
“Yes,” he said.
Dena sighed while Charlie put on his coat and went out the door.
The house and this street had a distinct lack of light, Charlie noticed as he walked carefully down the uneven brick steps, coming toward Bill’s car. He tapped on the window, and out of it, eventually Nell’s face came into focus. She opened the driver’s door and the light came on. Charlie smiled and came inside.
“Hi, Nell.”
“Charlie.”
“My God, you still look so beautiful.”
“And you still look like a boy.”
“Well,” Charlie touched his temples and the corners of his eyes. “Not quite. The boy has three kids, and one’s almost grown up.”
He shut the door and they were in darkness.
Nell swatted him suddenly.
“What?”
“And that means you’re too old! You were too young for me and now you’re too old for Meredith! What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Wrong with me! I’m not the one that put up a profile saying I was thirty when I was…. Well, I don’t know how old you were. But when Dena showed up, that was a surprise. And now, Meredith! I never knew about her.”
“Meredith is my stepdaughter,” Nell explained.
“I met you after Bill and I were falling in love. He kissed me, but he was married, so he went back to his wife.”
“Nell, you are scandalous.”
“I hope you’re joking, cause I can’t see your face.
“Anyway, that’s when we got together, and then it burnt itself out.”
“No, it didn’t burn itself out,” Charlie said. “You wanted a ride on the Charlie Train and when you’d gone as many stops as you cared to, you got off.”
“Did you just seriously call yourself the Charlie Train?”
“Not the point. You quit me because you were tired of me. And you didn’t care how I felt.”
“I thought you were okay.”
“You wanted to think I was okay. And then I guess you met this Bill and irony of ironies, I’m in love with his daughter. And you know what? It is love. And she loves me too.”
“I’m sure she does,” Nell said in a different tone.
“Please, Nell,” Charlie said. “Don’t patronize me.”
“I’m not, Charlie.
“Charlie, you were a good man. I’m sure you still are. But you weren’t my man. And what’s more, I’m sure I wasn’t your woman. I was too old. I couldn’t have given you children.”
“Should we go back inside?”
“Yes. More guests have arrived, and Meredith is going to wonder what we’re doing.”
“Meredith? What about her father?”
“Him too,” Nell said with a smile.
“Charlie, what do you plan to tell Meredith?”
“As in, do I plan to tell her that I slept with her stepmother? No. And Bill?”
“I don’t see a way around not telling him. He is my husband.”
“Um,” was all Charlie said.
Nell thought, and then said, “Or I might want to keep this to myself.”
“Well, that’s a great idea,” Dena decided. “Cause you don’t really want to go back to Chicago anyway.”
“It’s a great idea if Max and I can work out something about the house,” Meredith said.
“Is he still paying the mortgage?”
“Max is still just not around. We have a joint account and I guess he puts money in it. We always had a direct pay out of our account for the house.”
Bill cleared his throat and Meredith got ready for what he was about to say.
“This had been a terrible time for you,” he said. “But the time has come to handle things with Max.”
Meredith opened her mouth and Bill said, “Not the marriage thing. That’s over. But with the money. You need to get that worked out. Which means I will.”
“Dad.”
“He doesn’t want to see you, but he has to see your accountant,” Bill told her. “Now, that’s not a matter of love; that’s just business.”
“He’s right,” Charlie said.
“Of course he is,” Meredith acknowledged.
“And then we can work on getting Sheridan and Bren into that house,” Bill continued. “If you guys are really serious about it?”
“I think we’re serious,” Sheridan looked at Brendan.
“We’re possibly sort of definitely serious,” Brendan said, touching Sheridan’s shoulder. “We just thought of it today. We really need to go up and visit.”
Bill nodded.
“But whatever they do,” he told Meredith, “we need to take care of this.”
There was a tap at the door, and Kenny said, “Well, who now?”
“Only one way to find out,” Bren answered, and got up to open the door.
He let the woman and a young boy in with courtesy but obvious confusion, and as they entered Charlie stood up.
Dena and Milo looked at each other, but Charlie said, “Meg?”
“Yes,” Meg told her. “Meredith, I’m glad to meet you,” she said quickly and sincerely. “And I hate to intrude, but I don’t have keys to the house, and I knew Charlie would.”
Charlie reached into his pocket saying, “I told you I’d get you a spare set.”
“And I told you it’s your house now.”
“But remember I—” Charlie stopped, looking around. “Nevermind. Here’s the key. Why aren’t you at you place?”
“Youngest left her homework on your desk. Ed’s nowhere to be found.”
“You’d love Ed,” Meredith said. “He looks a hell of a lot like Dylan. Nothing like him, though.”
Charlie handed her the keys and Meg said, “Thanks, Charlie. Scuse me all,” jingling the keys as she prepared to leave.
“Meg,” Meredith called. “Why don’t you get your daughter out of the car, then stay and eat?”
“I couldn’t.”
“Of course you could,” Charlie said with a frown. “You’ve been hinting at meeting Meredith for weeks.”
Meg shrugged. “Well, I guess.”
“There’s a girl, stop pretending you feel bad for intruding,” Charlie pulled up a chair between him and Bill.
“Well,” Dena commented, “that’s an amicable divorce.”
“Don’t be fooled,” Meg told her. “We’re sweet because we’re so happy not to be married to each other.”