Make Quilts Not War - By Arlene Sachitano Page 0,11

door opening.

“Honey, are you home?” called out Mavis.

“We’re in the kitchen,” Carla replied immediately.

Harriet smiled to herself. Carla knew her too well; she probably thought Harriet would try to pretend she wasn’t there, but Mavis would have seen Carla’s car and know they were inside.

Mavis came through the connecting door, followed by Connie and Aunt Beth. Connie busied herself dumping the hot water from the kettle and refilling it before setting it on the stove to heat. Aunt Beth set her purse on the counter and started digging in the cupboards for mugs and tea. Mavis went to Harriet, sat down in the chair beside her and enclosed the younger woman in her arms. Carla got up quietly and drifted over to the sink.

“Grandpa Rod has Wendy tucked in,” Connie told her in a quiet tone

“Why don’t you let her spend the night with us so you can go back to Aiden’s to see what you can find out about Michelle? We’ll take her out for pancakes and drop her back by around eleven, if that works for you.”

“She’ll be thrilled,” Carla replied in a hushed voice. “Thank you.”

“You know we’ll be as thrilled as she is to have her stay over.”

“Should I go by the hospital?” Carla wondered.

“No,” Beth interjected. “Maybe you could call Aiden on his cell phone. Ask if there’s anything you can do. There’s no need to draw attention to the fact you went racing out into the night to clean up his…whatever this is.” She gestured toward Harriet.

“Let us know if you find anything out,” Connie added.

Carla quietly slipped into the studio then left the house.

Tears slid down Harriet’s hot cheeks. Aunt Beth went to the half-bath and got a washcloth from the cabinet, wetting it with cold water before returning to the kitchen and handing it to her.

“Here,” she said. “Wipe your face and pull yourself together, and let’s see if we can make any sense out of this mess.”

Harriet took the cloth, but she couldn’t see how a person made any sense out of being set up and humiliated.

“Carla only told us she had to go rescue you because Aiden had been called away on a Michelle emergency,” Connie said, giving her a starting point to grab on to.

Harriet was pretty sure Carla had told them exactly what she’d told her, but she appreciated her friend’s efforts to help her regain control of the situation.

“Apparently, Michelle drove to Aiden’s, parked at the end of the driveway, took a bottle of pills and then, before she passed out, called Aiden and told him what she’d done.”

“I guess that explains why he didn’t make it to dinner,” Mavis said, and before Harriet could protest, added, “But it doesn’t explain why he couldn’t call you after he called nine-one-one.”

“Or after the ambulance came,” Connie said.

“Or even from the hospital,” Aunt Beth finished.

Harriet sagged back into her chair.

“So, you all can see it. Why can’t he?”

“That girl is a master manipulator,” Mavis said. “This is a little extreme even for her, though.”

“If it was just one incident, I could get past it. Yes, he left me in a restaurant full of people who all saw me arrive in a chauffeur-driven limo and then be dumped or stood up or whatever it was that happened, but it isn’t the first time we’ve had to cancel our plans so he could run to his sister’s side. And usually, it’s yet another scheme for her to get money from him. He says he can see it, and that I’d understand if I had a sister, but it doesn’t change his behavior.”

“He needs to see a counselor,” Connie said. “That’s not a natural brother-sister relationship. She’s using him, and he’s letting her.”

“He and I have had that discussion, too. He doesn’t think their relationship is unusual, so he rejects the idea of talking to anyone. I suggested we talk to Pastor Hafer, but he won’t even do that.”

“Him leaving you without a call or anything is not acceptable,” Aunt Beth said. “I don’t care who or what that snake Michelle is to him. Or what new game she’s up to.”

Mavis got up from the table.

“This calls for something stronger than tea,” she announced. “Anyone want a cup of coffee?” She took the carafe from the coffee machine and started filling it with water.

“Sure,” Connie said. “We’re not going to sleep anytime soon, so why not?”

Aunt Beth and Harriet agreed. Connie collected the empty tea cups and took them to the sink