A Turn in the Road

Five

The phone rang, waking Bethanne from a sound sleep. No one called in the middle of the night unless it was an emergency. Caller ID indicated her daughter’s name. With nervous, uncooperative fingers Bethanne answered. “Hello?”

“Mom!” Annie wailed.

Shifting into a sitting position, Bethanne rubbed her eyes. “Annie, what’s wrong?”

Annie tried to speak but Bethanne couldn’t understand a word she said. And what she did grasp made no sense. “Vance is going away?” Bethanne asked.

“To Europe with Jessie.”

This came out in a screech, which led Bethanne to believe Jessie was most likely a girl. So tonight’s dinner at the Space Needle wasn’t the marriage proposal Annie had so eagerly anticipated. While Bethanne was grateful, she hurt for her daughter.

“Oh, baby, I’m so sorry.”

“I … He actually wanted me to drive them to the airport. Can you believe that?” The anger was coming through loud and clear. “He said he couldn’t ask me to go to Europe with him because I had another year of school and … and responsibilities.”

“Everyone has responsibilities,” Bethanne said, stifling a yawn.

“I … Mom?”

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“This is what it was like when Daddy told you about … the lovely Tiffany, isn’t it? You didn’t know, you didn’t even suspect. You were completely oblivious to what was going on right in front of you. Well, so was I.” She sniffed loudly. “I feel so stupid.”

“Oh, Annie.”

“How could Vance be so insensitive?”

Bethanne remembered the shocked, numb sensation that had come over her when Grant left. Unlike her, Annie didn’t have a twenty-year marriage; still, she’d just been given a small taste of what Bethanne had experienced.

“Mom?”

“Yes, honey?”

“Can I go to Florida with you and Grandma Hamlin?”

“Uh …”

“I can’t bear to stay here alone.”

Bethanne resisted the urge to remind her that Grant and her brother would be in town. And she had lots of friends. Annie was far from being alone. On the other hand, having her accompany them wasn’t a bad idea. “I’m sure your grandmother will be fine with it, and I’d love to have you.”

“Thanks, Mom,” she said, still sniffling.

“Do you want to come home and sleep in your old room?” Bethanne asked, thinking that what Annie really needed was to feel loved and protected.

“No … I’ll be okay now.”

“If I could, I’d give you a big hug.”

“I know. You’re the best mom in the world.”

Bethanne smiled sleepily.

“Thanks, Mom … Would you call Grandma in the morning and ask her?”

“Of course.”

“And I’m telling Dad, too.”

“If that’s what you want, go ahead.” Bethanne had no objection to Grant’s knowing her plans but she felt no obligation to tell him herself.

They spoke for a few more minutes and then Bethanne replaced the phone. Resting her head on the pillow, she closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep.

This would be a fascinating trip across the country now that both her ex-mother-in-law and her daughter were coming…. Well, interesting at any rate. Bethanne drifted off as she began to make mental lists of the clothes she needed to pack and the people she needed to call.

Saturday morning she woke later than usual. Although it was a holiday weekend, she had a hundred things to take care of at work if they were going to head out early Wednesday morning.

After showering and dressing, she set off for the office. She’d wait until after ten to call Ruth regarding Annie.

While she was driving in Seattle traffic, her cell phone rang. The readout on her dashboard showed Ruth’s name and number.

Bethanne pushed a button on her steering wheel to answer the phone, and Ruth’s voice came through.

“Bethanne, where are you?”

“I’m in my car. What can I do for you, Ruth?”

“Would it be too much trouble to stop by the house this morning sometime … soon? I really hate to bother you.”

“It’s no bother. I’ll leave now.”

“How long will that take you?”

“Oh, about ten minutes, fifteen at the most. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, I … think so.” Her voice wavered slightly, indicating that everything wasn’t all right.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you,” Ruth whispered gratefully.

When Bethanne pulled up to the Hamlin family home, she saw two cars in the driveway. The first belonged to Grant, and the second she guessed was Robin’s. Brother and sister were double-teaming their mother. The poor woman needed backup.

Bethanne rang the doorbell, then let herself into the house. “Hello, anyone home?” she called out.

Ruth appeared immediately, and the relief that spread over her features the instant she saw Bethanne was almost comical. The older woman rushed across the room to grab Bethanne’s elbow. “Thank goodness you’re here,” she whispered.

“Bethanne,” Robin said in the tone she probably used to intimidate witnesses in the courtroom. “Tell me you aren’t serious about driving cross-country on some ludicrous scheme of my mother’s.”

At one time Robin might have intimidated her, too, but no longer. With a cool smile, Bethanne faced her. “Personally, I don’t think attending a fifty-year class reunion is all that ludicrous.”

Grant stood by the fireplace and seemed content to let his sister do the talking.

Robin didn’t give up. “You two don’t have a clue what you could be getting yourselves into. It isn’t safe out there. You’re both much too trusting. I simply can’t allow my mother—”

“I didn’t ask your permission,” Ruth told her daughter stiffly. She raised her chin to signal that she wouldn’t be browbeaten, nor would she change her mind. Robin could disapprove all she liked.

“Mother, for once be sensible.”

“Sensible?” Ruth repeated. “I’ve been nothing but sensible. It’s my life, and at sixty-eight I should be able to do what I want, when I want. If I choose to drive to Florida, then I will.”

“And I’m accompanying her.” Now might not be the best time to mention that Annie was tagging along, so she held back that information. “You don’t have a thing to worry about. We’ll be fine.”

Robin looked up at the ceiling as though her patience had reached its limit. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.” Then, turning to Grant, she added, “A little help from you certainly wouldn’t hurt.”

“I figured you were doing well enough without me,” he said, grinning at Bethanne and his mother.

Ruth and Bethanne stood side by side, with their arms linked.

Ruth looked at her children. “Really, there’s no reason to worry. I have the route planned out, I joined AAA and I’ve made hotel reservations. I’ve rented a car, which I’m dropping off in Florida, and we’re flying back. I’m sure I’ve thought of everything.”

“Do you have a list of your medications?”

Ruth frowned. “I take one blood-pressure pill and that’s it—oh, and I have eyedrops. It isn’t like I need a permission slip from my physician to travel. You’re grasping at straws. Furthermore, you’re treating me like a child. I can take care of myself.”

“The roads aren’t safe,” Robin insisted, “especially for two women traveling alone.”

Again Ruth frowned. “If someone does kidnap and murder me, as you seem to expect, you can rest assured that I died happy.”

“Oh, honestly, Mother.”

“What about Bethanne?” Grant asked. “If she’s kidnapped and murdered, how would you feel then?”

“I’ve had three karate lessons,” Ruth said facetiously. “I’ll defend her.”

Grant burst out laughing. Robin, however, didn’t seem to find anything her mother said the least bit amusing.

“Fine.” Robin pointed an accusing finger at Bethanne. “Just know that if anything happens to my mother because you were foolish enough to fall in with this crazy scheme of hers, I’m holding you directly responsible.”

Bethanne tightened her hold on Ruth’s arm. “I accept full responsibility for your mother.”

“No, you don’t,” Ruth protested. “I’m responsible for myself. Besides, if anything did happen, it would be just like my daughter to file a lawsuit against you.”

“No, she won’t,” Grant said, glaring across the room at his sister.

“Don’t count on it,” Robin said, glaring right back. She crossed her arms as if waiting for them to capitulate. In that case, Bethanne hoped Robin was a patient woman because she had no intention of backing down. And she was sure Ruth wouldn’t, either.

After a tense moment, Robin dropped her arms. “Okay, fine. Risk your life. Grant, if you weren’t going to support me in this, you should never have come.”

“Actually, I think I should be the one to drive them,” he said.

“No way.” If Ruth agreed to that, Bethanne was counting herself out right then and there. She wanted to get away, reflect, consider the possibility of a future with Grant. She could only do that if he wasn’t trying to influence her. Having him along was out of the question.

Ruth looked from one to the other. “You’d do that, son?”

“I’d need to make arrangements with the office and I might have to change the dates, but if this is important to you, Mom, I’d make it work.”

“Then you won’t need me,” Bethanne said, starting to withdraw her arm from Ruth’s.

Her mother-in-law held her tight. “Check that computer phone thing you always have with you,” Ruth said. “Tell me when you’d be free for two entire weeks to drive me all the way across the country.”

Grant took out his iPhone and scrolled down the screen. “Like I said, I’d need to make a few phone calls, rearrange some appointments …” he said slowly. “The second and third weeks of August would be manageable.”

“That’s too late,” Ruth told him. “The class reunion is June 17 and I’m going to be there.” She looked pointedly at Robin. “It doesn’t matter what scare tactics you use. I won’t let tales of renegade truckers and biker gangs intimidate me. Bethanne and I are leaving on schedule and nothing you say is going to change that.”

“Now, Mom, you can fly out for the reunion and we can drive back again in August,” Grant suggested. “That way—”

Ruth shook her head. “I heard all those promises from your father. Year after year he said we’d drive across the country, but something always interfered. It did with Richard and it will with you. No, Grant, my mind is made up.”

“And so is mine,” Bethanne added for emphasis.

“Then I say—” Grant turned to his sister with a shrug “—that we let them go.”

“Like either of them could stop us,” Ruth muttered.

Bethanne grinned and, leaning close, whispered, “Annie wants to join us.”

“Annie,” Ruth said aloud. “Why, that’s a wonderful idea!”

His daughter’s name instantly caught Grant’s attention. “What’s this about Annie?”

“She phoned last night and asked to come with us.”

Instead of objecting, as she’d half expected, Grant broke into a wide smile. “I agree with Mom. Bringing Annie with you is a good idea.”

This was an interesting development. Bethanne had assumed that once he learned Annie intended to accompany them, it would be all the excuse he needed to demand they fly.

Robin stared at her brother as though he’d taken leave of his senses. “I give up,” she said, grabbing her briefcase and her purse. “I can see I’m fighting a losing battle. I have a meeting, so I won’t waste any more time here.” She stalked toward the door.

“Robin,” Bethanne said, halting her progress.

“Yes?” she snapped, whirling around.

“You might want to wish your mother and me a good trip.”

But Robin just rolled her eyes and left the house, slamming the screen door on her way out.

As soon as his sister was gone, Grant started laughing. “Well, she was in rare form, wasn’t she?”

Bethanne hugged Ruth, who had begun to tremble. “Everything’s okay, Ruth. We’re going on the trip of a lifetime.”

Grant waited until they’d finished hugging before he spoke. “You didn’t mention this last night when we had dinner.” The comment was filled with accusation.

“Was there any reason I should?”

“You’re planning to drive across the country with my mother,” he said. “Didn’t you think Robin and I were entitled to know?”

This was a repeat of the conversation she’d had with Annie. “It was up to Ruth to mention it, not me,” she told him, unwilling to be chastised by her ex-husband.

Grant’s response was a raised eyebrow, but he didn’t say anything else.

“I was afraid Robin would make a fuss,” Ruth said. “I wish now I’d kept my mouth shut.”

Bethanne agreed it would’ve been preferable had Ruth waited until they were on the road, but that seemed a bit underhanded.

“If I can, I’d like to ask one thing of you,” Grant said, obviously deciding on a more conciliatory approach. “I’d feel better about the three of you being on the road if you’d call me at least once a day.”

“We could do that,” Ruth said, eager to make peace with her family.

“Will you?” Grant posed the question to Bethanne.

“I’m sure Ruth and Annie would be happy to keep in touch,” she said curtly, reluctant to add her name to the list. The idea of calling her ex-husband didn’t sit well with her, despite his unexpected support.

Grant held her look. “I won’t be able to relax if I don’t know that the three most important women in my life are safe.”

“We’ll check in,” Bethanne eventually promised.

“Thank you.”

Bethanne drove to the office a few minutes later, but for the rest of that day, she couldn’t get Grant out of her mind. She had to appreciate the fact that he hadn’t joined forces with his sister against them. His concern for Ruth, Annie and her seemed genuine. She’d given him a glimmer of hope that a reconciliation was possible; the idea didn’t seem as repugnant to her as it once had and that, she guessed, was a good sign.

At her desk, she made all the necessary arrangements to leave the office for a few weeks. She went home at five that afternoon, slightly depressed at the prospect of an empty house, and wondered what it would’ve been like if Grant had been there waiting for her with a glass of wine and a welcoming smile.

Six

“Finally! We’re actually on the road,” Ruth marveled as they reached the summit of Snoqualmie Pass, crossing the Cascade Mountains. They were a little more than an hour outside Seattle, heading due east.

Ruth had the map supplied by AAA spread out on her lap and acted as navigator while Bethanne drove. Annie had claimed the backseat; she’d been suspiciously quiet since they’d left Seattle. Bethanne knew Vance had deeply hurt and disappointed her daughter. The fact that he’d decided to travel in Europe for a year—and hadn’t bothered to tell her—could only feel like a betrayal. Bethanne hoped that spending these weeks with her grandmother and with her would help. Annie was still young. In time she’d recognize that Vance’s leaving was the best thing that could have happened.

She remembered when she’d told her parents she wanted to marry Grant. Her family, especially her father, had urged Bethanne to complete her education first. With just one semester to go before she obtained her degree, he’d argued that it made sense to put off the wedding. Bethanne, however, had been unwilling to listen, unwilling to wait a day longer than necessary to be Grant’s wife. And she’d refused to be separated from him; the university was in the town of Pullman in eastern Washington, while he was working in Seattle. She’d finish school later—only she never had.

In retrospect, it had all worked out, but if she’d had her teaching degree who knows how different her life might have been. One thing was sure; with a career of her own, or at least the qualifications for one, she wouldn’t have felt so completely vulnerable when Grant asked for a divorce.

Annie’s situation was different to that extent, anyway. She’d graduate the following year with a business degree. She’d gotten practical experience working at Parties and that would serve her well.

Annie stirred in the backseat, sitting up and yawning. She removed the iPod earbuds and stretched her arms to the side, arching her back. “Where are we?”

“Just over the pass,” Bethanne told her.

“Already?”

“Have you been asleep?”

“I think I was,” Annie murmured sadly. “I haven’t had much sleep the past few nights.”

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry.”

“Vance, Matt and Jessie got off okay,” she muttered with no degree of pleasure. “They ended up getting a cab. He sent me a text from the airport and said he’d keep in touch.”

Bethanne suspected Vance’s effort to communicate wouldn’t last long. If the tone of Annie’s voice was any indication, she’d figured that out, too. Vance would stay in touch for the first few weeks, and then all his good intentions and promises would fall by the wayside. Frankly, Bethanne was just as glad, although she’d never tell Annie that.

“Where are we spending the night?” Annie asked, leaning forward and thrusting her head between Bethanne and Ruth in the front seat.

“I have a reservation in Spokane,” Ruth answered.

“Spokane?” Annie repeated. “That’s only five hours from Seattle. Can’t we drive farther than that?”

Ruth looked over at Bethanne. “When I made these arrangements I intended to travel alone. I estimated that between four and six hours on the road would be my limit. I wanted to make it a leisurely trip.”

“We’ve been to Spokane at least a dozen times,” Annie complained. “I’ve seen everything there is to see.”

Bethanne had, as well. “This is your grandmother’s trip, Annie,” she reminded her daughter. “If Grandma Hamlin wants to spend the night in Spokane, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Okay.” Annie slumped back and folded her arms. “Does the hotel have a swimming pool?”

“I don’t know.” Ruth flipped open her itinerary.

“Tell me the name of the hotel and I’ll look it up on my phone.”

“You can do that?” Ruth sounded impressed.

“As long as they have a website I can.”

Ruth gave Annie the hotel name, and Annie immediately started clicking away. Judging by her sigh, the hotel was pool-less.

“We’ll have lunch, and then check out the local attractions. There’s a mall close by, isn’t there, and a movie theater? No reason we have to stay in the room.” Bethanne offered what she hoped were helpful suggestions.

She assumed they’d reach Spokane a little after one. The truth was, Bethanne agreed with Annie. She was certainly willing to drive beyond Spokane. However, this was Ruth’s trip, as she’d pointed out, and she was reluctant to do anything that would diminish her mother-in-law’s enjoyment. Ruth had waited years for this opportunity, so Bethanne refused to cheat her out of even one second of her carefully planned adventure.

“I … I suppose we could go a bit farther,” Ruth murmured after a while. “I’m anxious to get to Florida.”

“Have you heard from anyone there?” Bethanne asked.

“Just Jane and Diane.”

“Wow, fifty years,” Annie said. “That’s a long time.”

“It is.” Ruth nodded slowly. “The funny thing is, it doesn’t seem that long ago—it really doesn’t.”

“How many years has it been for you, Mom?”

“Let me see. I graduated in …” Bethanne quickly calculated the years, astonished that it’d been twenty-nine years since she’d left high school. “Twenty-nine years,” she whispered, hardly able to believe it.

“Did you ever go to your reunions?”

Annie certainly seemed to be in an inquisitive mood. “No. Your father—” Bethanne paused, about to lay the blame at Grant’s feet. While it was true that Grant hadn’t been enthusiastic about attending her high school functions—or, for that matter, his own—she’d consented. She could’ve gone by herself, and hadn’t. It wasn’t like Eugene, Oregon, was all that far from Seattle. “No, I never did,” she said.

Her father, an English professor now retired, had taught at the University of Oregon. Her mother had died a couple of years ago. Bethanne was proud of the way her father coped with being a widower. Despite his grief he hadn’t given up on life; in fact, he was currently in England with a group of students on a Shakespearean tour.

They spoke and emailed regularly, and she’d recently learned that he was dating. Her father had a more active social life than she did, which actually made her smile.

“Wasn’t Dad born in Oregon?” Annie asked.

“Yes, in Pendleton,” Ruth confirmed. “Richard and I were newlyweds, and he was working on a big engineering project there. I don’t remember exactly what it was now. We moved around quite a bit the first few years we were married.”

“How far is Pendleton from here?”

“Oh, dear, I wouldn’t know.”

“I’d like to see the town where Dad was born,” Annie said. “Couldn’t we spend the night there instead?” She reached for her phone again. “It would mean we’d need to change our route, but it wouldn’t be that much out of our way.”

“We were only in Pendleton for the first year of his life,” Ruth said.

“Do you have any friends living there?” Annie pressed, but before Ruth could answer, she asked another question. “I’ll bet it’s been ages since you connected with them, isn’t it?”

“Well, that was forty-nine years ago. I’m sure they’ve moved on.”

“What are their names?” Annie’s fingers were primed and ready as she held her cell phone. “I’ll look them up and find out for you.”

“Annie,” Bethanne warned. Her daughter seemed to be taking control of the trip.

“Okay, okay, I’ll shut up and we can spend the night in Spokane and sit around the hotel room all afternoon.”

Bethanne cast Ruth an apologetic look.

“I had a friend by the name of Marie Philips.” Ruth’s voice was tentative, uncertain. “She was married and a young mother herself. Her parents owned a small café on the outskirts of town. I’m sure it’s long gone by now.”

“We need to eat, don’t we?” Annie said triumphantly.

“The café might not even be in business anymore,” Bethanne felt obliged to remind her.

“Is her name listed on that computer phone of yours?” Ruth asked, sounding more interested by the minute.

Bethanne could hear Annie typing away.

“P-h-i-l-i-p-s?” Annie spelled it out. “With one L?”

“Yes. The café was where the bus stopped, too. They served the most wonderful home cooking. Marie was a real friend to me, but we lost contact after Richard and I moved.”

“What was the name of the café?”

“Oh, dear.” Ruth shook her head. “I don’t remember, but I do know where it is … or was.”

“So, can I see the town where Dad was born?” Annie asked eagerly. “Even if we spend the night in Spokane, I’d still like to visit Pendleton.”

“I don’t see why we couldn’t,” Ruth said, apparently catching Annie’s enthusiasm. “My goodness, I haven’t thought of Marie in years. She had a son around the same age as Grant. I wonder what became of him. Marie had an older boy, as well. Like I said, she was so helpful to me. She’s one of those salt-of-the-earth people.” Ruth seemed immersed in her memories.