Family Happiness by Laurie Colwin

Author:Laurie Colwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781497673779
Publisher: Open Road Media

Polly sat on her side of the bed and watched Henry sleep. How tender and handsome he looked. How odd it seemed to her to feel so far away, so angry, so troubled, when Henry could make her feel so overwhelmed, so profoundly moved, so deeply satisfied. How odd that this did not make her feel any different. He stirred next to her and Polly covered his shoulder with the quilt. He shrugged it off and held out his arm. She crept beside him and he enfolded her. They fit perfectly, but, then, they always had.

He left the next morning, after breakfast, with the same haggard, preoccupied look on his face. Nothing made any difference, Polly thought—not love, not comfort, not the idea of a safe haven. Henry kissed her good-bye and patted her absently. He was already on the plane before he even set foot out the door. She waited with him until the elevator came, and when the doors closed she was too tired to bother pretending that she was not relieved. As soon as the children had left for school, she dialed Lincoln. This is what I have come to, Polly said to herself. My husband goes out the door and I am instantly on the telephone to my lover.

“Hi, Dot,” said Lincoln. “All alone at last, huh?”

“Hi, Linky,” Polly said. “I’ve only got a second before I fly out of here to the office. I’ve got to go in today.”

“Well,” said Lincoln, “have you managed to book yourself solid with Solo-Millers so that you can’t come down and pass the evenings with your devoted friend?”

“I have to have dinner at Henry and Andreya’s,” Polly said. “That’s always an early night. They get sleepy and I usually leave around nine-thirty. I could come to you after that, if I get the baby-sitter until midnight.”

“Keep going.”

“Paul and Beate want to have dinner. I’d like to cancel, but I don’t see how I can. But I want them to come here. I can work at home and you could come and spend the afternoon with me. I’ll just have to change the office around a little.”

“And then?”

“Martha wants me to come to dinner, but I’m going to tell her I can only have a drink. If you picked me up …”

“My, my,” Lincoln said. “Quite a schedule.”

“Oh, Lincoln,” said Polly. “Don’t be cruel to me. I feel as if everyone has the right to know where I am all the time. I have to see my brothers, and I have to have time for the children.”

“All right, Dottie, don’t get upset. Call me when you get to work and we’ll figure it out.”

Polly sat down at the kitchen table. She made a list for Concita, called Nancy Jewell’s mother to confirm that Nancy would baby-sit. From her office she called Paul to see if he and Beate would come to dinner, instead of her going to them.

“We’d much rather you came to us, Polly,” said Paul.

“It’s a little hard for me this week,” Polly said.

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