are you coming out here?’
‘I don’t think I will be coming,’ she replied.
I thought she sounded woeful, a little glum for her; she was normally so cheerful.
‘What’s wrong?’ I asked, gripping the phone a bit tighter, instinctively aware that all was not right.
We had been best friends all of our lives, ever since we were babies in prams being walked on Park Avenue by our mothers, who were also friends. We had attended the same kindergarten and then Miss Hewitt’s. Later on we had gone off to Radcliffe together, and we have always been extremely close, inseparable. I know Sarah Elizabeth Thomas as well as I know myself, and so I understood that she was very upset about something.
Since she had remained totally silent, I asked again, more insistently, ‘What’s the matter?’
‘It’s Tommy. We had a foul row last night, the worst we’ve ever had, and he’s just informed me, by phone no less, that it’s over between us. Finished, terminated, kaput. He doesn’t want to see me … ever again, he says. And he says he’s going to LA this afternoon. To be succinct, Mal, I’ve been dumped. Dumped! Me! Can you imagine that! It’s never happened to me before.’
‘I know. You’ve always done the dumping. And I’m sorry you’re upset. I realize you cared about Tommy. On the other hand, I’ve always felt —’
‘You don’t have to say it,’ she cut in softly. ‘I know you never liked him. You were always a bit wary, not sure of him. I guess you were right. As usual. How come you know men better than I do? Don’t bother to answer that. Listen, recognizing that Tommy’s a bit of a louse doesn’t make it any easier for me. I sort of – liked him.’
Her voice had grown tiny and I knew she was on the verge of tears.
‘Don’t cry, it’ll be all right, Sash,’ I soothed, using the nickname I had given her when we were children. ‘Admittedly it’s cold comfort, but it is better this way. Honestly. Tommy Preston III isn’t worth weeping over. The break was bound to happen. Sooner or later. And preferably now than later. Think how awful it would be if you married him and then this kind of thing happened —’
‘He did ask me,’ Sarah interrupted. ‘Half a dozen times.’
There was a sniffling sound and then I heard her blowing her nose.
‘I know he proposed. You’ve told me about it – numerous times, actually,’ I muttered. ‘And I’m glad you were cautious, didn’t take the plunge. But why aren’t you coming for the weekend? I don’t understand.’
‘I can’t come by myself, Mal. I’ll feel like a spare wheel.’
‘That’s ridiculous! You’ll be with me, your very, very best friend, and Andrew, who loves you like a brother. And your godchildren, who adore you. And Diana, who thinks you’re the greatest thing since Typhoo tea.’
‘Flattery will get you everywhere, but then you know that,’ she said, and I heard the laughter surfacing in her voice. ‘However, I think I’ll stay in Manhattan and lick my wounds.’
‘You can’t do that!’ I protested, my voice rising. ‘You’ll only pig out on ice cream and all those fattening things you love to eat when you’re upset. And just think of the hard work you’ve put in, losing ten pounds. Besides, it’s going to be hotter than hell in Manhattan. Nora told me they predict a hundred and twenty degrees in the shade.’
‘I’m afraid I take Miss Nora’s weather forecasts with a grain of salt, Mal.’
‘Honestly, it is going to be hot in the city. I heard it on television myself. Last night. Just think how much cooler it will be out here in Sharon. And then there’s the swimming pool, some shady corners in the garden. You know how much you love it here. This is your second home, for heaven’s sake.’
‘Nevertheless, at the moment I think I prefer the blistering sidewalks of Manhattan, the lonely confines of my stifling apartment. At least I can wallow unashamedly in my memories of Tommy,’ she intoned dramatically. ‘My lost love, my greatest love.’
Her theatricality, such an integral part of her personality, was coming through all of a sudden and I was relieved. It told me she wasn’t quite so heartsick as she had made herself out to be earlier, at the outset of this conversation. I began to chuckle.
‘Don’t you dare laugh at me, Mallory Christina Jordan Keswick. Stop laughing, I tell you!’ she cried indignantly. ‘I’m heartbroken. Heartbroken.’
Still laughing, I whooped, ‘That’s a load of codswallop!’ This was one of Andrew’s favourite expressions and I had made it my own over the years. ‘You’re no more heartbroken about him than I am. Your pride’s injured, that’s all it is,’ I said. ‘I’ll tell you something else, I bet if the truth be known, that … that … that little creep was always intending to go off to the West Coast for the July fourth weekend. To see his family. You’ve always said he dotes on his mother and adores his sisters, and constantly complains about their recent move to California.’
‘Oh.’ She said nothing more for a moment, then she murmured thoughtfully, ‘I must admit, I hadn’t thought of that.’ There was another brief pause.
I could visualize her digesting my point.
Slowly, she said, ‘But we did have a terrible row, Mal.’
‘No doubt one he manufactured,’ I replied sharply. I had never liked Thomas Preston III, eastern seaboard uptight WASP, tight with a buck as well as with his emotional give, high on snobbery, low on brains, employed by a famous private merchant bank as a vice president only because the bank bore his family name and was run by his uncle. My beautiful, generous, talented, loving Sarah deserved much better; she deserved the best. Personally, I thought Tommy Preston was the worst, and a poor excuse for a man. He wasn’t even all that good-looking; at least I could’ve understood it if she’d fallen for a pretty face.
I took a deep breath. ‘So, when are you coming out to Connecticut? Tonight or tomorrow?’
‘I’ve just arranged to take one of my buyers to dinner tonight. I’ll come sometime tomorrow. Is that okay?’
‘It sure is, Sashy darling. July fourth wouldn’t be quite the same without you.’
After Nora had left for the day, I toured the house as I generally do on Fridays, checking that everything was in order in all of the rooms.
I was happy with the way things looked; even though I say so myself, the house is beautiful. I stood in the doorway of each room, admiring what I saw, taking the most intense pleasure and gratification from our home.
In the sitting room, the antiques I had so lovingly waxed and polished that morning gleamed in the soft, early-evening light, the smooth wood surfaces darkly ripe and mellow with age. The pieces of old silver on display in the small dining room glittered brightly on the sideboard, and everywhere there was the sparkle of mirrors, the shine of newly-cleaned windows.
The many flowering plants and vases of cut flowers, which I had placed in various strategic spots in the
