The Arrangement 1

Chapter 7

That evening Walter arrived home while the new furniture was being unloaded. In fact, it wasn’t just furniture that she had bought on the shopping spree but kitchen equipment, towels and bedding, curtains, appliances and anything else that one could possibly need for a new house. She’d been taken from store to store by Mark and whatever she’d wanted, and many things she didn’t dare want, were all charged to Herb’s account and boxed up. She was beyond being overwhelmed and she’d been so busy she barely stopped to think all day.

Now that she was home, watching Walter step out of a brand new baby blue Cadillac de Ville, everything started to catch up to her. She couldn’t catch her breath and Walter had to rush up the steps and help her onto a couch that was still covered in plastic, waiting to be put into its final position.

–You’re all right, honey, Walter was saying.

When she finally calmed down and caught her breath she looked up at him and hugged him as tightly as she could and refused to let go.

–What is it, April?

–I’m just scared that this is all a dream, Walter. My mother always said if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.

–And where did that get her?

–I know, Walter. It’s just, how can all this be ours? It’s too much. I’m afraid I’m going to wake up and find it’s all been a dream.

–It’s not a dream, honey. What did Herb say to you at the restaurant the other night?

–He said that we’re family now.

–And he meant it, honey. I’m his partner. I’ve been signing documents all day. You wouldn’t believe how comprehensive the partnership is. We’ve never been so secure in our lives.

–It’s just so much, she said, indicating the house and the furniture with a wave of her arm.

–I know it seems like a lot, but think of how hard we’ve worked for this. Do you know what I’ve gone through at the firm?

–Of course I don’t, she said, smiling.

Walter pinched her on the cheek affectionately.

–Of course you don’t, and I don’t even want you worrying about things like that. Just enjoy it, darling. We’ve earned this. Believe me.

She smiled at him. He looked so dashing in his blazer. His confidence had gone up a hundred percent since they’d told him he’d made partner and it suited him. It was true, he had worked hard for this, they both had. He’d spent years working his butt off for the firm, doing things no one else would do. Maybe it really was their time. This was their reward for all that hard work and they deserved it.

–Come out and look at the car, Walter said.

She followed him out to the driveway. It was a beautiful car. It even had fins.

–It’s beautiful, honey.

–I traded in both of our cars today. I figured you don’t need one now that we have use of the service.

–Oh, she said. The car service? But what if I want to go for a drive?

–Call the service. They’ll always be ready to take you out. Plus, I don’t want you coming up and down that windy forest road with the girls every day. It’s too dangerous. You shouldn’t be on a road like that by yourself.

–Oh, she said. 

It was happening again and she was determined to keep control of her emotions. She always got like this, sabotaging her own happiness because of some hangup or other from her past. Having a car made her feel independent, in control of her life. All her life she’d been afraid of being abandoned and having a car made her feel independent. It was like, no matter what happened, she’d at least have somewhere she could take the girls and be safe. That security had just been pulled from beneath her feet and it was making her panic, but if she thought about it rationally she knew she had nothing to fear. She was in no danger of being abandoned, she told herself. And who wouldn’t want a chauffeur to drive them around?

It was just another of her hangups that she would have to learn to control. She told herself to stop living in fear and to embrace all the great things that were happening in her life.