Goodman, another member of the group of four that met for breakfast each week at Jake’s Donut Shack.
“Did Santa bring you anything special?” asked Rachel.
Something in her tone made Lucy suspicious. “How did you know?”
“Bill asked me to help pick them out. Do you like them?”
“I love them, but he shouldn’t have spent so much.”
“I told him you’d be happy with pearls,” said Rachel, “but he insisted on the diamonds. He was really cute about it. He said he wanted you to wear them in New York.”
This was a whole new side of Bill that Lucy wasn’t familiar with. She wasn’t sure she could get used to this sensitive, considerate Bill. She wondered fleetingly if he was having some sort of midlife crisis.
“Aw, gee, you know I’m really having second thoughts about this trip.”
“Of course you are.”
Lucy wondered if Rachel knew more than she was letting on. “What do you mean?”
“Haven’t you heard? There’s this awful flu going around.”
“What flu?”
“It’s an epidemic. I read about it in the New York Times. They’re advising everyone to avoid crowds and wash their hands frequently.”
“How do you avoid crowds in a city?”
“I don’t know, but I think you should try. Flu can be serious. It kills thousands of people every year.”
“That was 1918,” scoffed Lucy.
“Laugh if you want. I’m only trying to help.”
Lucy immediately felt terrible for hurting Rachel’s feelings. “I know, and I appreciate it. I really do.”
“Promise you’ll take precautions?”
“Sure. And thanks for the warning.”
She was wondering whether she should buy some disinfectant wipes as she dialed Pam’s number. Pam, also a member of the breakfast group, was married to Lucy’s boss at the newspaper, Ted Stillings, and was a great believer in natural remedies.
“Disinfectant wipes? Are you crazy? That sort of thing just weakens your immune system.”
“Rachel says there’s a flu epidemic and I have to watch out for germs.”
“How are you supposed to do that? The world is full of millions, billions, zillions of germs that are invisible to the human eye. If Mother Nature intended us to watch out for them, don’t you think she would have made them bigger, like mosquitoes or spiders?”
It was a frightening picture. “I never thought of that.”
“Well, trust me, Mother Nature did. She gave you a fabulous immune system to protect the Good Body.” That’s how Pam pronounced it, with capital letter emphasis. “Your immune system worries about the germs so you don’t have to.”
“If that’s true, how come so many people get sick?”
“People get sick because they abuse their bodies. They pollute their Good Bodies with empty calories and preservatives instead of natural whole foods, they don’t get enough sleep, they don’t take care of themselves.” Pam huffed. “You have to help Mother Nature. She can’t do it all, you know.”
“Okay. How do I help her?”
“One thing you can do is take vitamin C. It gives the immune system a boost. That’s what I’d do if I were you, especially since you’re going into a new environment that might stress your organic equilibrium.”
Lucy was picturing a dusty brown bottle in the back of the medicine cabinet. “You know, I think I’ve got some. Now I just have to remember to take it. It looks like we’re going to be pretty busy with this makeover.”
“Don’t let them go crazy with eye shadow and stuff,” advised Pam.
“Is it bad for you?”
“It’s probably a germ farm, especially if they use it on more than one person, but that isn’t what I was thinking about.” She paused, choosing her words. “You’re beautiful already. You don’t need that stuff.”
“Why, thanks, Pam,” said Lucy, surprised at the compliment.
“I mean it. Beauty comes from inside. It doesn’t come from lipstick and stuff.”
“That’s the way it ought to be,” said Lucy, “but lately I’ve been noticing some wrinkles and gray hairs, and I don’t like them. Maybe they’ll have some ideas that can help.”
“Those things are signs of character. You’ve earned those wrinkles and gray hairs!”
“And the mommy tummy, too, but I’m not crazy about it.”
“Don’t even think about liposuction,” warned Pam, horrified. “Promise?”
“Believe me, it’s not an option,” said Lucy, hearing Bill’s footsteps in the kitchen. “I’ve got to go.”
When she looked up he was standing in the doorway, dressed in his Christmas red plaid flannel shirt and new corduroy pants. He was holding a small box wrapped with a red bow, and her heart sank. “Not another present!”
“It’s something special I picked up for you.”
Lucy couldn’t hide her dismay. “But we’ve spent so much already. We’ll be lucky to get this year’s bills paid off before next Christmas!” She paused, considering. There was no sense in putting it off any longer. “And Elizabeth’s tuition bill came yesterday. Chamberlain College wants sixteen thousand dollars by January 6. That’s ten thousand more than we were expecting to pay. Ten thousand more than we have.”
He sat down next to her on the couch. “It’s not the end of the world, Lucy. She can take a year off and work.”
“At what? There are no good jobs around here.”
“She could work in Boston.”
“She’d be lucky to earn enough to cover her rent! She’d never be able to save.”
Bill sighed. “I know giving the kids college educations is important to you, Lucy, but I don’t see what it did for us. I’m not convinced it really is a good investment—not at these prices.”
Lucy had heard him say the same thing many times, and it always made her angry.
“That’s a cop-out, and you know it. It’s our responsibility as parents to give our kids every opportunity we can.” She sighed. “I admit it doesn’t always work out. Toby hated college; it wasn’t for him. And that’s okay. But Elizabeth’s been doing so well. It makes me sick to think she’ll have to drop out.”
Bill
