Split-Level by Sande Boritz Berger

Author:Sande Boritz Berger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 2019-06-11T16:00:00+00:00

I call, but Donny’s already left work. Filled with an overabundance of nervous energy, I must call someone and punch in Paula’s number, which I’d glanced at once and memorized. The connection seems perfectly clear: if it weren’t for Sophie and Rob, the Pearls and the Bells might never have met. I almost hang up when I hear her low, struggling—“Hello.”

“Paula, it’s Alex.” I don’t presume she recognizes my voice, although hers is unmistakable.

“Oh hi, Alex, how was your holiday?” Paula had mentioned her mother was Italian, and her father a nonpracticing Jew. She and Charlie were married in a judge’s chambers—no church, no synagogue. Religion? No big deal.

“Yes, our holidays were fine.” Even though we were almost two hours late. “Donny told me Charlie had to rush back to DC. That’s too bad.”

“It was okay. My folks took the kids for the weekend, so I got the chance to do some spring cleaning.”

“Oh, so, they weren’t home to witness the unfortunate demise of your fish?” My heart’s a locomotive picking up speed and puffing out invisible smoke.

“No, and thanks to Donny, they’ll never have to know. Wasn’t his idea to drive to Pet Land for a replacement, clever?”

I rush through the stale silence before I puke. “Yes, well, Donny’s very inventive that way.” I smother the revelation that while I was sitting home and waiting to go to his parents, Donny was fish-hunting with Paula. I think of strangling him and then remember Rob.

“Paula, I have some very sad news. Rob Woodman died last night.”

She responds in that London foggy way of hers, as if this happened years ago, and she’d forgotten.

“Oh my, this is awful. How?”

“He suffered a massive heart attack.”

“Gosh, that’s so frightening. I think Peter and Cheryl were out with them just last weekend. I’m surprised they haven’t called us.”

“Maybe they tried Charlie. Is he back in town?” I’m already wondering how Charlie Bell reacts to terrible news.

“Actually, he’s flying home right now, hopefully in time for dinner.”

I envision Charlie walking through the door, throwing down his bulky lit bag, and dipping Paula in his arms. Ravenous, he searches for something to eat. Tiptoeing toward him, Paula presents an ornate sterling-silver well-and-tree platter full of bloody roast beef.

“Listen, why don’t the two of you come over tonight, say around eight? I haven’t mentioned this to Donny yet, but I know he’ll be happy to see you both.”

“Um, I guess that would be fine, if Charlie’s not too tired.”

Tired is nothing! Tired isn’t dead. “I thought it might be good if we got together. You know, for Sophie and Rob.”

“They were certainly a very unusual couple or maybe you didn’t know,” Paula says flatly.

“Know what?”

“For one thing, they have, I mean had, a crazy relationship—some call it an open marriage.”

Have I been entombed, residing here on Daisy Lane? So, even Paula knew what I failed to completely digest. I let her words settle in while trying to stay focused on the facts of Rob’s death, rather than rumors of his extramarital activities.

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