Atmosphere(63)

“No, not Frank. Frank is terrible. Do you know that man expected me to start splitting the check? Every time? When he invited me out?”

“Well, he never struck me as that much of a stand-up guy, Barb.”

Barbara glared at Joan and then moved past it. “I met someone. Someone very, very special. His name is Daniel.”

“Okay, but why does that mean you need to leave Franny here?”

“I hate when you call her Franny.”

“Just continue, please.”

“Well, something amazing happened. Daniel called and asked me to go with him to New York for the weekend. We’re staying at the Four Seasons, and he’s taking me to a Broadway show. Anything I want to see. He’ll get us floor seats. And he says he can get us a reservation at Le Cirque.”

“I . . . don’t know what that is.”

“It’s a restaurant, Joan. Read a magazine.”

Joan frowned at her. Then there was a thud from the bathroom, and Joan tensed up.

“Look, I just really need this favor,” Barbara said. “I know this is a lot to ask. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t really, really need it. I like him. We’ve been on a few dates and it’s going very well. And he’s very successful and he has made it clear that he’s looking to get married. This could really be it for me. This could be the chance to get my life together in a new way. For me and for Frances. This could be my do-over, Joan.”

“A do-over?”

“To fix things.”

“Are things so bad they need to be fixed?”

Barbara frowned at her. “Joan, really.”

“I’m serious.”

“You think I don’t know how my life looks to people? Frances has no father. I’m barely making ends meet as a secretary working mothers’ hours, borrowing money from Mom and Dad. This isn’t how it was supposed to go for me.”

Joan didn’t know Barbara had been borrowing money from their parents, and she felt stupid for not realizing it. Of course she was.

“Joan, please. I really think this guy could be the one. And I don’t say that often, do I?” Barbara didn’t wait for a response. “Daniel’s a contract lawyer, he comes from a prominent Houston family. Frances and I would have money. I just need some time. To show him that I can make him happy.”

Joan shrugged. “I don’t know why I’m even fighting you on this—I’d love to have her.”

Barbara exhaled. “Thank you. You were taking her all day Sunday, anyway, remember? So it’s really just tonight and tomorrow in addition, and I’ll pick her up from school Monday afternoon.”

“Okay, go, have fun.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, Joan. Thank you.”

“Yeah, not a problem.”

“I love you!”

“I love you, too.”

“You are the best sister in the whole wide world, and the best aunt in the world, too.”

“All right,” Joan said. “I’ll get her to school on Monday, and you will pick her up.”

“Thank you, I love you.”

And then she was gone.

Before Joan could think about much else, she went and opened the bathroom door. Vanessa was sitting on the closed toilet lid, reading the ingredients on the back of the shampoo bottle.

“How do you think you pronounce j-o-j-o-b-a?” she said.

Joan told her. “Frances is sleeping here tonight. She’s with me all weekend.”

Vanessa put the shampoo back in the shower. “Yeah, I heard. I’ll get my stuff and get out of here.”

“Thank you, I’m sorry.”

Vanessa kissed her on the temple. “Please do not worry about it. Frances comes first.”

Vanessa started packing her things up. Joan watched her.

“Frances and I will have fun this weekend. I just . . . I don’t understand my sister.”

“Well, not to overstep by agreeing too quickly, but from what I just heard, I don’t understand her, either,” Vanessa said. She put her arms around Joan, and Joan sank into her. “But it seems like Frances is very lucky to have you. To have someone as incredible as you to love her as much as you do.”

Joan nodded, although she was tempted to shake her head. Frances wasn’t the lucky one. Joan was. It felt so good to love Frances. Joan’s love for her had not been Joan’s gift to Frances, but Frances’s gift to Joan.

“So do I take Barb at face value?” Joan asked. “That she’s dropping Frances off with me because she’s trying to make their lives better in the long term?”

“I don’t know. Maybe you’ll only know in time. But I can sit here with you, until you want to go to sleep. And I can rub your feet.”

Joan chuckled. “I mean, it would help.”

“C’mon,” Vanessa said. Joan sat down on the couch and Vanessa rubbed her feet, and soon, Joan felt the world go fuzzy and she could feel Vanessa putting a blanket on her.


In the morning, Joan woke up to see that Vanessa was gone and Frances was standing in front of her, her hair sticking straight up in the back.

“Joanie, what am I doing here? Where is Mom?”

“I asked your mom if I could have you for the weekend,” Joan said, her vision still blurry.