All Summer Long: A Novel Part 34

"Yes, she has to be alive," said Mich.e.l.le, wiping away a tear. "Bob? That's the most beautiful thing I think I've ever heard you say." Buddy put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze.

Dorothy just sighed deeply and looked at Bob with moon eyes. Sam looked at her and shook his head. Dorothy was just a disaster of a wife.

"You should start hearing more about her whereabouts soon," Sam said. "CNN is all over the world and never mind all the others. It's out on the wires now."

"Well, any tips are supposed to go to local authorities, right?" Buddy said.

"Yes," Bob said, "that's right."

"Phones are no doubt ringing off the hook." Sam said.

When they got to the marina and saw the launch there waiting, Bob realized the time had come to tell Gladdie something about the truth.

"You have to tell her something," Olivia said on the ride back. "Tell her the truth, but just tell her gently and in general terms. You know say something like, 'I know you know that Mommy isn't here, but I want you to know that I am doing everything I can to bring her home as soon as possible.'"

"I don't know. You're probably right. Maybe I should ask Betty what to say. She's a kinder, gentler soul than either one of us. She'll give us a good answer," Bob said.

"That's an excellent idea," Nick said.

Betty was in the living room, reading a book. When Bob approached her she said, "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed this novel. I finished the one I brought with me. I love a good book."

"No, of course not. You can help yourself to anything you need," Bob said. "Betty? May I ask your advice about something?"

"My advice?" Betty was instantly fl.u.s.tered. "Well, of course!"

Bob sat on the edge of the coffee table and looked at her. "You're a mentally healthy woman," he said.

"Well, thank you!" She laughed and closed her book. "I sure hope so!"

"Yes, and you see the thing is, I haven't said anything to Gladdie about where her mom is, and I think it's time to say something. This is going to be the third night without her. And even though Gladdie's just a little girl, she's still ent.i.tled to some kind of explanation. Do you agree?"

"Of course!"

"The question is, How much truth does she need to hear?"

"That's an excellent question. I think you tell her very sweetly that there's a problem, that her mother has gone away and you're not sure why, but that you're doing everything you can to find her and bring her home."

"Yes. That's almost exactly what Olivia said. That's about as simply as I could put it. Thank you, Betty." He stood to leave.

"Bob?"

"Yes?"

"Ernest and I don't think you're all a bunch of screwb.a.l.l.s. Your lives are just the opposite of ours, that's all. I mean, my brother and I have an old rowboat we like to paddle around at our lake house up in Tekamah. And we travel like most folks do-by car or sometimes we fly someplace. We went on a cruise one time to the Bahamas and I liked that. But we live quietly and modestly."

"There's nothing wrong with a quiet life. Or a modest life. I think my life and all of this . . ." Bob stopped and waved his arms around. "All of this doesn't really make me happy. But being rich and unhappy is a lot better than being broke and unhappy. I'm not gonna lie."

Betty laughed then and Bob laughed with her.

"Ernest said to me earlier that rich people put on their pants one leg at a time just like poor people do."

"Ernest is right."

"Everyone has their problems in life. It just seems like yours happen in Technicolor."

"It sure does seem that way, today especially."

"Well, it's interesting for someone like me to see all of this, you know, grand living. I'm just a retired high school librarian. I have to wonder how my girl is going to fare as your daughter-in-law? And as Daniel's wife?"

"I don't know, but Kitty has a good head on her shoulders. And most important, she comes from a nice family."

Betty smiled, and for the first time all week, she felt comfortable with Bob.

"Thank you," she said. "And, Bob?"

Bob stood. It was time to go talk to Gladdie.

"Yes?"

"I hope you find Maritza very soon."

"Thank you. I do too."

Bob knocked on Ellen and Gladdie's door. There was no answer. He went down to the media room and found them there eating popcorn and watching Frozen again. He flipped on the overhead lights. Ellen refused to meet his eyes and Gladdie complained.

"Turn off the lights, Daddy! We're watching a movie!"

Bob flipped the switch and the room went dark, illuminated only by the large screen.

"Okay, well, when it's over, I need to talk to you about something."

"Tell me now," Gladdie said.

"It can wait." Bob closed the door and waited outside. He knew his daughter well.

"Pause it!" Gladdie barked to Ellen.

The movie went on pause and the lights were turned on. Gladdie ran to her father's arms and he swung her high in the air, landing her on his hip. If Maritza had heard Gladdie so rudely giving Ellen orders, she would've said something.

"If you get any bigger I'm not going to be able to do this!" he said.

"Do you need me for anything?" Ellen said.

"No, I just want to have a word with my girl about her mother. Why don't you give us a few minutes alone?"

Ellen shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes at him.

"Take all the time in the world," she said, walking past him and heading toward the stairs.

Bob watched her walk away. It was over between them. He'd give her a big fat check and a letter of recommendation. He couldn't wait to have her gone. Then he had a brief thought that Maritza knew about the two of them. Of course Maritza knew. She was a lot of things, but stupid wasn't one of them.

"You want to walk?" he asked Gladdie.

"Yes."

Bob put her feet on the ground and took her hand. Her hand was so tiny in his, and it was such a pretty little hand, her fingers shaped exactly like Maritza's. He tried to remember if his father had ever held his hand. As he searched his mind he realized he had no memory of any tender moments with his father at all. His mother, though, had held his hand countless times. She ruffled his hair, kissed his head, and tucked him in with a beautiful Italian lullaby that her mother used to sing to her when she was a child. He remembered then that he had heard Maritza singing to Gladdie too. What was the song she sang? Wasn't it "Moonlight in Vermont"? Or was it a Beatles song? The memory was a fragmented one. He hated that he couldn't recall the t.i.tle.

"Let's go to my room," he said.

"Okay," she said.

When they got there, two of the crew members were pressing his sheets on the bed, wrinkled from the previous night's tossing and turning.

"Oh! Sorry! We thought you were ash.o.r.e!" one of them said.

"We'll get out of your way!" the other one said.

They were pretty young girls from England. Pretty young girls from England made up about half of his crew. The other half were male. England seemed to have an endless supply of young people who wanted to sail the world. Captain Jack made sure the male/female ratio was well balanced to keep life happy belowdecks. They hurried past him with their irons and quietly closed the door.

Bob turned to Gladdie. "Let's sit on the sofa, okay?"

"Okay," she parroted.

She climbed on the sofa without his help, and for the first time in a while, he noticed what a tiny thing she was. She was too small for her legs to hang over the cushions when she sat back.

"So, what's up, Daddy?" She said it like a much older child, and it surprised him.

"Well, Gladdie, we have a problem. It's about your mom."

"Is Mommy gone forever?"

"No! Heavens no! But she is gone. We just don't know where quite yet."

"Do you want me to help you look for her?"

"Oh, sweetie, Daddy is turning the whole world upside down looking for her. And I'm going to find her and bring her back to us."

"You hurt her feelings, you know."

"What do you mean?"

"When Mommy fell in the cake, you said you were disappointed in her. I remember because you told the same thing to me when I was riding the big turtle."

He wondered then who was it that said little pitchers have big ears?

"Well, sometimes grown-ups get excited and say things they don't really mean. I love your mother. And I'm going to find her. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"

"Yes. I love you, Daddy. Can I go now?"

"Yes. You can go, and Gladdie?"

"Yes?"

"I love you too! Come give your daddy a hug!"

She threw her skinny arms around his neck and hugged him for all she was worth. He could feel his heartbeat against hers and he knew that wherever Maritza was, she had to be plenty miserable without the hugs of her only child. Bob vowed to himself again that he would find Maritza if it was the last thing he ever did. And then he realized he had been so focused on himself that he had not notified Maritza's mother. If she saw it on CNN before he called her, Maritza would never come back to him.

CHAPTER 15.

Lost and Found

Bob appeared on the deck where everyone was gathered for c.o.c.ktails, including Betty and Ernest, who sprang themselves from solitary confinement on deciding that Bob was not the prince of darkness. The table was opened to its fullest diameter and set for dinner with yet another pattern of china, crystal, and flatware. Beautiful flowers graced the center of the table and were surrounded by tiny tea candles nestled in scallop sh.e.l.ls.

"You all are not going to believe what I did!" he said.

"You got rid of Colette, which was real progress in my book," Sam said.

"I can't believe you were ever married to that dreadful woman," Mich.e.l.le said.

"She makes me look like a cupcake," Dorothy said and smirked.

Bob said, "I never should have let her attend Daniel's wedding. I should've Skyped her in. Or at least had her stay in a hotel on sh.o.r.e."

"True, but what? You were going to tell us something?" Olivia said.

"Well, I'm cooked, that's for sure. I forgot to call Maritza's mother to tell her what was going on. Can you believe that? Like, where is my brain? If she turns on her television, I'm a dead man," Bob said. "I just came out here to tell all of you to go on and have dinner and I'll join you as soon as I can."

"Wait!" Olivia said. "I know her mother. Remember? I spent all that time with her at the wedding. Can I help you make the call?"

"Absolutely! Come to my office with me. What time is it? Okay, it's noon there."

"Go!" Nick said.

A crew member was behind the bar pouring wine and champagne for everyone.