Chapter 114 Veterans and Newbies
ALICE
I managed to calm down a little by the time we arrived at the restaurant. Thelma spoke to the host and informed him that we’d need an extra chair before we were shown inside.
She appeared so calm about this whole thing that it made me wonder if I was foolish for overreacting. The lady told me that there had been a lot of blood and she looked so shaken.
I wished I could call Theo and find out what happened, but I figured he’d be preoccupied with Francesca, so I preferred to wait for updates the same way Thelma was.
The girls settled calmly in their seats and Thelma turned her full attention to me. I realized that I hadn’t really stopped to observe her until now. Her hair was light brown and cut in a short, chic bob. Her lips were painted a neutral color that matched her eyeshadow, and the dark eyeliner really made her hazel eyes pop.
Overall, she didn’t seem to me like someone stuck up the way Theo’s mother came across. I didn’t mean to bash the lady, but I had to be honest, right? She made a point to look the other way when I walked in with Theo, and it was a clear indication that she didn’t want anything to do with me.
Thelma, on the other hand, had invited me to lunch even though she really didn’t have to.
What I meant was that I didn’t feel the need to keep my guard up around her. Francesca was the same way.
Oh, God. I hoped she’d be okay. I was so worried.
“I wish we’d met under better circumstances,” she claimed with a smile. “But I’ve seen worse in this family, so don’t you worry about anything. It’ll be alright. We can pull through anything.”
“Worse than this?” I asked tentatively.
Thelma giggled before glancing at the girls to make sure they weren’t listening. They were talking to each other and were clearly distracted. “Trust me, things were way worse back then! Theo is so much calmer now. They were always fighting. Oliver and Theo. Theo and his father. Theo and his mother.”
“It seems there’s a common denominator in all those fights.”
Thelma laughed. “Oh, he’s sweet. Don’t you worry too much. That's how this family has always been. Their sister is a spitfire, too. Though we rarely see her these days.”
“Did you get along with her when she was around?”
Thelma laughed again. “Who really gets along with Clarice?”
She didn’t elaborate on her statement and a kind waitress with a warm smile took our orders. Thelma smiled at me once more with a glass of wine in her hand and told me, “Eat. Relax. It'll be fine. You’ll see. In no time, everyone will be home and it’ll be like this never happened.”
I had no idea how that could be true, especially since Francesca fell ill because of the fight, but she’d been around longer than me, so I’d have to take her word for it. “Okay.”
“Tell me more about yourself, Alice. I’m really curious about you. You know, everyone always said that Theo would be the bachelor of the family. I was quite surprised when he proposed to Carmella. I thought it would never happen, and I was worried it wouldn’t work out and that he’d be unhappy, and oh well, look what happened. I hope you don’t mind me bringing her up?”
“No, of course not.”
“It seems you’ve really got him eating out of the palm of her hand, huh?” She shoved her fingers under her chin and peered at me with a smile. “I think it’s beautiful.”
I didn’t know what else to say to this. Then again, I wasn’t exactly a star conversationalist. “Thank you. I really care about him, too.”
“Is it love?”
“Yes.”
“I see the ring on your finger, but it’s not an engagement ring?”
I twirled it around my finger as soon as she brought it up. “It’s a promise ring.”
“Then it’s a commitment. Wow. This truly surprises me, Alice. I wish you two all the happiness in the world! Now, tell me, are you from New York originally?”
I explained everything to her, detailing how I was all alone when I first moved here and how terrified I was. Thelma listened closely, never once interrupting as she drank her wine.
“You’ve a really long way, huh? I’m honestly astonished! You managed to make it in the city that never sleeps. There are so many people around. So much competition. You should be proud of yourself.”
“I am.”
She glanced at her daughters before adding, “I’m from around here and believe it or not, I'm lonely sometimes, too. I didn’t have as many friends in school. I have a hard time connecting with people. But I have my family and they mean the world to me. And now, I have Oliver and the girls. Ours was an arranged marriage, but he’s such a dream and I don’t think I would’ve wanted to marry anyone else, Alice. He’s present. Kind. Consistent. I really love him.”
“You have a beautiful little family,” I told her genuinely. “The girls are so well-behaved.”
“Are they?” Her eyes filled with tears. “Being a parent is so scary sometimes. You never really know when you’re doing the right thing. There’s no handbook with all the answers or anything.”
“I can promise you that you are,” I told her, meaning every word. “They’re happy. They’re polite. They get along beautifully. Honestly, what more is there to ask?”
In fact, watching the two sisters interact made me think a lot about myself and how I was as a kid. Completely different, and not just because they had money and I didn’t.
Money had nothing to do with it.
My parents weren’t all that nice to me growing up, and every time they pulled another one of their acts, I couldn’t help but feel bitter, even if all my resentment toward them felt wrong.
All my life, I’d been eager to get away, and that was why I moved to New York when I could’ve stayed home and found a job there.
But over time, it felt wrong to just abandon them, and that was what happened. So I helped them out. I listened to them. I grew up and realized that they weren’t as bad as the other parents I heard about who murdered and abused their kids in awful ways. Sure, they weren’t perfect, but at least they hadn’t been awful to me.
But sometimes, I wondered if I let too much slide. Maybe I had to impose myself more.
How could I do that, though, when I knew how they’d react?
Thelma’s phone rang and she told me it was Oliver. She answered the call and they spoke briefly. She then told me, “Granny’s fine. She just woke up.”
I touched my chest and breathed a lot easier.
“They’re going to join us soon. They’re on their way here.” She sat back in her chair and smiled triumphantly before patting my hand. “See? I told you everything would be okay. Welcome to the Linden-Hawthorne family, Alice.”