Ada Unraveled by Barbara Sullivan Read Free Book Online Page A

I’ve been caught.” I hung up.
     
    But all thoughts of meeting the billionaire
owners of a major league sports team flew out the window when Ruth
said, “This is a good choice as your last quilt, Victoria.”
    Abigail gasped and looked around helplessly.
Elixchel stared at the fireplace, her back arching. But Victoria’s
only response was a sad nod of acceptance.
    I saw this exchange as two old friends
helping each other prepare for the inevitable. I saw it as the two
older women preparing their young friends. I wasn’t really
surprised at the remark, or the fact that it was indicating
Victoria was going to die soon. Victoria was very old. And she was
clearly suffering from some muscle or nerve disorder. Nevertheless,
my mood sobered.
    “How‘s your mother, Gerry?” Victoria said,
turning us back to Gerry.
    “She’s fine, still getting over the cold my
four kids gave her on Labor Day, but otherwise fine. I wish she’d
stop working, though. She comes home exhausted.”
    “She loves nursing. Why should she stay
home?”
    “For one thing to help me with my kids,” the
wild haired Geraldine answered, and grinned.
    “You have tons of money. Hire some more
people if you need to,” Victoria said. “And Tom, has he made
Detective grade yet?”
    “He’s working on it, maybe a little too
hard,” Gerry said.
    I asked, “Whose Tom?”
    “My younger brother, Tom Beardsley. He’s an
investigator with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Department, on the
cold case homicide team. He wants to break out of that into
Homicide which means making grade to detective. But he needs
something special to move him up.”
    I made a mental note of the name, knowing
Matt and I might run into him. It was always good to have a
connection in the local Sheriff’s.
    My mind began to wander, my focus narrowing
to the fatigue in my fingers and thoughts of my mother when she was
elderly. Until Abigail’s voice woke me.
    “Now’s a good time to tell your story,
Gerry.” Abigail said.
    “I’m not sure I’m in full agreement with
this,” Gerry began, “it could be uncomfortable…”
    “What could be uncomfortable?” I asked.
    “Abigail thinks we should modify our secret
sharing this month, in honor of your joining us. Instead of telling
our usual more current secrets, she suggested we search our early
childhoods for a secret, something we think helps to explain who we
are. I’m frankly a little intimidated by the idea, however.”
Gerry.
    “Secret sharing?” I was sure my mouth was
hanging open.
    “That’s why we call ourselves The Quilted
Secrets…didn’t Hannah explain? It helps to pass the time if we get
really into each other’s secret lives…private tidbits about lovers
and husbands. The low-down on our jobs and how miserable we all are
in them.” Andrea.
    “We’re not all unhappy with our jobs. I
loved being a teacher.” Gerry.
    “…and health problems, recent alcohol and
drug abuse episodes, any strange rashes we may have…”
    My attention slid back to Andrea. She was
really a little devil, wasn’t she? I smiled at her.
    “That’s not true!” Abigail said. “Really all
we do is catch each other up on the events of our recent month. But
you’re just starting, so you can’t really play catch up can you,
Rachel?”
    “Oh, I don’t know…feels like I’m playing
catch up right now. Are you still teaching, Gerry?” She shook her
head no.
    A butterfly briefly launched in my stomach.
What kind of a story could I tell about my childhood? At least I
wasn’t going first.
    “It’s more because…” Abigail looked quickly
at Victoria, who was sewing with her head down, pretending she
didn’t know they were glancing at her.
    “It’s because our group is…changing. And the
way you guys talk about the group, of being really tight and sewing
together for so many years.
    “I’d like us to become friends, become a
band of sisters…like Victoria had.”
    Ruth and Victoria continued to pretend they
were