Vivian and Christine sat at a small, indoor bistro table made of white Carrara marble. Beautiful gray veining contrasted a classic cast steel-and-aluminum base, hand-finished to a soft antiqued patina.
They sat by the sliding glass doors in the sunroom near the back of the house. The doors were opened, but the screen doors were shut to keep out the bugs. The early-afternoon sunlight streamed through tree leaves outside and the trees’ branches gently swayed in the breeze. They heard birds chirp as they sipped on a glass of raspberry-flavored iced tea and nibbled on butter crackers and vanilla wafers.
“So, where did you go?” Christine asked. “What did you do? Where were you between the time we were booted outta here until you came back seven years ago?”
“Rob, my husband at the time, and I went to his parents’ place.”
“Winston and Cynthia Peterson, right?”
“Yes.”
“Blaine mentioned them from time to time,” Christine said.
“Rob and I stayed with them for a while,” Vivian said, “until we got an apartment of our own. We wanted to start a family and I eventually got pregnant. Unfortunately, Rob was killed in a car accident while on his way home from work one evening and the shock of that caused me to miscarry. That’s why I don’t have any children. Anyway, not too long after that, I eventually got a job working at an antique store in Burbank. Then I got a place of my own.”
“Still working at the antique store?” Christine asked.
“Not any more,” Vivian said. “After Winston and Cynthia passed on, they left me enough to live on. I will never have to worry about anything.”
“Didn’t Winston and Cynthia have any other offspring?”
“Rob had been their only one.”
“Did you keep your married name or go back to your maiden name?”
“I alternate, depending on whom I’m talking to or doing business with. With some people, I’m Vivian Hutchins, and with others, I’m Vivian Peterson, and with others I’m Vivian Hutchins-Peterson. Makes no difference to me, really.”
“I see,” Christine said. “Well, that’s rather generous of Winston and Cynthia to give you enough to be set for life, so to speak. Hmph, must be nice. Though working is good; it’s healthy and it helps to keep you busy and take your mind off some things.”
“Yeah, well, these days it seems people are malcontents,” Vivian said. “I’ve dealt with more than enough of them. My biggest peeve is that a lot of people are gossips, troublemakers, and don’t even care about their jobs. I don’t have the patience to put up with personality clashes, either, and I don’t like bosses who abuse their authority.”
Vivian paused momentarily. She waited to hear what Christine thought.
“Yeah, well,” Christine said, “this kind of attitude is rampant, I guess. I notice a lot of people have quite an attitude, especially here. It seems like it’s so much more prevalent here than anywhere else.”
“That’s stodgy ol’ LA for you.”
“And, I thought it was far worse in New York City where I’ve done some modeling every now and then. So, what do you do to keep busy?”
“I always find things to do around the house. There’s cleaning, cooking, and organizing. I read books and magazines. I sew, cross-stitch, and recently got back to doing some needlepoint work after not having done it for a while. I’ve got a nice stereo system with a CD player, a large flat-screen TV, and a bunch of DVDs which I have yet to watch. I go out from time to time, whether it be window shopping, buying something for the house or for myself, eating out, taking a walk around the block, riding a bike at the park and feeding the ducks at the local pond, or taking a drive to the beach. There are lots of things to do.”
“Uh-huh,” Christine said. “I can see why they say LA’s the place to be. So, has there been anyone else since Rob?”
“Uh, actually, no,” Vivian said. “I haven’t been with anyone since him. I’ve dated some guys over the years but none of them were interesting enough for me to see them on a regular basis. They didn’t appeal to me like Rob.”
“Awww.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Really. It’s not as bad as you think. After all, I’ve learned to appreciate my own company. Frankly, I’m content with the way things are and I couldn’t ask for more now that you’re here.”
“Well, that’s good to hear.”
“Other than that, there has been a swarm of small earthquakes lately. Another shaker occurred just the other day. I guess a bigger one is on the way.” Vivian let out a nervous chuckle and sipped some tea.
“Viv, I gotta admit, I’ve been stalling, so I’m going to come right out and be honest. Another reason for coming out here was to talk about what had happened back then—”
“I figured as much,” Vivian quickly interjected.
“—since I really don’t know all that much. You see, over the years while growing up with an older brother, which hadn’t been easy at times, he had told me a little. After a while, I pieced it all together and it snowballed from there.
“I had often wondered why Blaine remained mum about this for so long,” Christine said. “Now, I know. I can see it had been very painful to talk about.” She paused a beat. “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug of indifference. “You see, you need to understand that I felt cheated, that I had been cheated out of a lot.”
“You weren’t the only one, Christine. We were all cheated. All of us.”
“I know I shouldn’t complain. But naturally, I looked around and saw basically happy kids with basically happy parents and basically happy homes. Friends, family, and relatives. Birthdays, Christmases, and so forth. I admit that I am selfish and I will say that I had been robbed of the finer things in life, thanks to you-know-who. I refer to you-know-who the way I do because I absolutely refuse to utter that ol’ dame’s name.
“At any rate,” Christine continued, “the only family I really ever had was our brother, Blaine. He had been the only one with whom I had shared birthdays and Christmases.
“When I heard about her being a model, then an actress, I decided I just had to do one better. Call it a game of one-upmanship. I eventually became a successful model. Of course, it has its advantages as well as disadvantages. I figured if she could have her face and body seen on film, so could I. I also figured that, with the man she had married and the money and the home she had, I could have the same, if not more. I knew, with her affluence, she’d met a lot of people and seen the world. As selfish as I am, I wanted the same and even more, oh so much more! I wanted to outdo her in every which way possible and I didn’t even know the old crow!
“Sure, I’ve seen some of her movies. Naturally, I hated them all. In fact, I’ve seen tapestry with more personality than that leg-strutting, hip-swishing, lip-flapping thing on film. Anyway, if she were still alive and had all this—” Christine gestured the room with a sweep of her arm, “—I would’ve gladly avenged the past by taking over her domain—property, money, and all—and literally throwing her out on her flaccid, wrinkled ol’ ass! I wanted to take everything from her, since I figured what had once been hers is now rightfully mine.
“I find it so difficult to fathom that she’d been dead all this time. How could she throw us out, then all of a sudden drop dead? I don’t understand. I tell you, I can’t even bear the thought of knowing that she is at . . . Forest Lawn, did you say? And, you say it’s a mere hop, skip, and a jump east of here? Ugh! Way too close for comfort, if you ask me.”
“Yeah,” Vivian said. “Well, all that’s past now.”
“Is it? Sometimes I wonder.” Christine nibbled on a vanilla wafer, pensive.
“Christine,” Vivian said as she reached across the table and took her sister’s hands in her own. “When things had gone so badly back then, I didn’t care if I lived to see another sunrise or sunset. But, guess what? I eventually got over it after having been distraught for so long. I’m okay now and I’m all the stronger, too. It hurts sometimes, but I’m able to talk about it when the subject arises.”
“Well, I need some fresh air.” Christine immediately stood up. “I think I’ll drive around for a little bit, familiarize myself with the area, and do some shopping. Be back in a while.”
“But you just got here,” Vivian said, surprised.
“I know.” Christine made her way into the living room while Vivian followed behind. “This is all a bit overwhelming for me. I would just like to go out and get some fresh air for a little bit.”
“Hey, I’d be happy to go with you, if you’d like.”
“No, but thanks anyway. I want to go alone. I want some time to myself.”
Christine groped for her handbag from the coffee table and it fell on the carpeted floor by her feet.
“Whoops,” Christine said.
Vivian noticed the barrel of a gun which protruded from the mouth of the handbag.
“What’s that?” Vivian asked, her brows furrowed.
“Oh, it’s nothing.” Christine quickly scrambled to put it back in the handbag.
“Let me see it.” Vivian put forth her hand, palm up.
“It’s nothing, all right?” Christine regained her balance and stood. She exhaled a sigh and pulled the shoulder strap, which closed the mouth of the handbag.
“No, it isn’t all right, Christine. Now, let me have it.”
“It’s protection, okay? Self-defense.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Well, I’m going shopping.” Christine briskly walked to the foyer.
“Not just yet,” Vivian said. She stopped Christine by blocking her before she reached the front door. “I won’t tolerate a gun in this house.”
“Oh, don’t worry. The old putz is dead, anyway, or so you say. Can’t kill an already dead person, can I?”
“I see,” Vivian said. “You actually came here just to settle the score with her, not knowing that she’d been dead in the first place.”
“I plead the Fifth,” Christine said.
“Possessing a concealed weapon in California is illegal. It’s also a blatant show of cowardice.”
“Well, thank you for today’s lesson, Sis. I’ll be sure to remember that when the next quiz comes up. Hope I get an ‘A.’ Class dismissed. Ciao.”
“Christine, this isn’t funny. Now where did you get it?”
“I got the damn thing, all right! What are you, the Gestapo?”
“Christine—”
“The hell with you! I’m outta here!”
Christine forcefully bypassed Vivian and yanked open the front door. She turned around to face Vivian. “I’m sorry I ever came here in the first place,” Christine said. She then stormed out the door and stomped down the flower-lined path. She turned around to face Vivian once more.
“All right, all right, all right,” Christine said. “You win.”
She walked up to Vivian, withdrew the gun from her handbag, and slammed it into Vivian’s outstretched palm.
“I can’t believe you would come out all this way, just to do something like this,” Vivian said, angry. “From now on, I’m keeping this.”
“Hey, no prob,” Christine said. “By all means, keep it. I can always get another one. What a bitch you turned out to be.”
Vivian felt as if she’d been slapped across her face. She couldn’t believe what was happening and how things were unfolding at such a rapid pace. “You know, I don’t appreciate that,” Vivian said as she drew closer to Christine. “In the first place, I was kind and considerate enough to let you in. The next time you walk in here with something like this, I’ll make sure you won’t be able to use it . . . with either hand.”
“Oooooohh, a threat? I love a coward whose only means of machismo is threatening those she considers inferior.”
“Indeed, you are.”
“Welp,” Christine said, “toodle-oo!”
