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.It was a hard question to answer.In a way, she felt she had no legal right to take it off until they were really divorced.But she recovered from her embarrassment long enough to say, “Why do you still wear yours?”“Because I still have hope,” Poppy answered.“You think Adam is coming back to you?”“I left him,” she said simply.“And I may go back.It doesn’t look good, but it could happen.I pray for it.”“What do you pray for?” Simone asked.“That he’ll find Jesus?”“No.That Jesus will find him.”“Wait, Jesus doesn’t lose people, does He?”“I don’t want to have this discussion.You’re just being glib.”“I’m always glib.You know that.”Their food came, and it was so unbearably delicious that they couldn’t talk while they ate.Nora feasted on some tender duck that fell away from the bone and a soothing pile of creamy polenta mixed with a tangy collection of greens.Poppy devoured her catfish, and even Simone made some progress with her lamb.“Oh, this is delightful,” Simone said.“The lamb is tender and petulant, while the mashed potatoes are sensually flavored with garlic and rosemary.They are nicely complemented by a mango relish, giving an ethnic quality to an otherwise thoroughly American meal.”Nora giggled.“Are you serious?”“It’s how I’m supposed to talk about food.I told you my job was ridiculous.”“But how can lamb be petulant?”“It can’t, of course.I’m just expected to find creative adjectives.You have no idea what it’s like to do this day after day.I feel like such a liar.I want to say, it’s food, it’s dead meat, it’s mushed-up vegetables, it turns to shit in a matter of hours.”This got a laugh out of Poppy, and she pushed her plate away.“That article would get some attention,” she said.“Believe me, one day I’m going to have a breakdown and write it.”“Well, my food was great.I never get to eat like this,” Nora said.The champagne had gone to her head and she felt happy, despite the previous tensions she had sensed circling them like a flock of buzzards.Poppy and Simone giggled some more, drinking their champagne.They were finally starting to relax.Nora was starting to feel better about being here, about her decision to come to New Orleans.She was suddenly visited by the memory of Leo’s kiss, and she could do nothing to stop her face from flushing.“But seriously, here’s a question,” Poppy said.“Did you know the guy or not?”Simone’s smile faded and she said, “Quentin Johnson?”Poppy nodded.“I didn’t know him.I told you, I talked to him briefly at the club.”“Actually, you didn’t tell us that.You told Margaret.”“Well, I figured you’d hear it at the trial.”“So, you weren’t with him or anything.”“No, Poppy.For God’s sake, he asked me for the time and he offered to buy me a drink, which I declined.That’s it.Does that mean I deserve to be raped?”“No one’s saying that,” Nora volunteered quickly.“I think Poppy might be saying it.”“No, no.Of course she isn’t.Look, Simone, even if you were dating him, even if you went back to his apartment, whatever, you still had the right to say no to him.It doesn’t matter at all if you knew him or not.Rape is rape.”“Yes,” Poppy said.“Of course, that’s true.I was just wondering.”“Well, try to stop wondering,” Nora said.She felt herself shaking with anger.She had never spoken to Poppy that way.For some reason, she had always been afraid to.“All right, forget I said anything.”Another pall fell over the evening.They skipped dessert.Simone tried to pay the check, but she was told the meal was on the house.Finally they left, after touring the restaurant to thank everyone involved.They walked back to the hotel in silence.Nora tried to think of other things, but there was no comfortable place to let her mind rest.The thought of her children staying with her mother made her nervous.Any thought of Cliff was out of the question.Thinking of her meal just made her remember the awkwardness, and the way Simone had barely touched her food.The only thing that cheered her slightly was thinking of the days on Vinegar Hill, when they were all careless and confident of their connection to each other.The days when they didn’t question that connection.The days when friendship was enough.Now there seemed to be standards and restrictions.She felt she had to earn her right to be among them, and she wasn’t sure how she was doing.They parted inside the courtyard, each claiming to be terribly sleepy.Simone said, “Well, the trial is at nine A.M.tomorrow.We can have a quick breakfast and take a cab together.”“Do we get to be in the courtroom?” Poppy asked.“Yes, but I don’t.As a witness, I can only be there for voir dire, the jury selection and closing arguments.And, of course, my testimony.I’m relying on you guys to take notes and tell me what happened.”“We can do that,” Nora said.Her calligraphy business had taught her how to write quickly and clearly.She could keep a neat and beautiful account of the whole thing, like a monk inscribing a Scripture.“Okay, so good night.”Poppy and Nora both hugged Simone.Then they went to their cold, air-conditioned rooms.The light on Nora’s phone was flashing.She called her message center and had two messages.One was from Boo, her raspy voice intruding on the evening like a jackhammer outside the window:“Your children are fine, and I have decided not to bother teaching them any discipline.That’s your job.Michael has settled down some, and Annette still has a very smart mouth, but that’s for you to deal with, not me.I assume you’re still coming back on Friday, like you said.Okay, well, tell Poppy I said hi.”Nora smirked, registering the omission of Simone.Then there was a male voice talking, and her heart jumped around inside her chest.It sounded like Cliff, the same brusque, confident tone, the tone that suggested she had disappointed him without meaning to.It took her a second to realize that she was imagining this, and that the voice sounded nothing like Cliff’s.In fact, it was softer and more solicitous, almost shy:“I just wanted to call and say I was thinking of you.I was hoping you’d be in and maybe we could get together because I really liked seeing you last night.If you have any free time tomorrow, get in touch with me.I’d like to see you again.Well, I guess that’s it.I hope I’ll talk to you soon.And don’t go walking around by yourself, okay? I might not be there to save you.”He never identified himself, but she knew it was Leo.She played the message back several times, and she lay on the bed listening to it, as if it were some pleasant dream she had the ability to revisit, over and over, until it became real.8“All rise for the Honorable Louis LaSalle.” Nora jumped to her feet and realized that everyone around her was a little slower to rise.She had the feeling she might be arrested if she did not behave herself in the courtroom, but the people around her, including Poppy and Simone, seemed to feel no such trepidation.They seemed skeptical, even grudging in their attempt to show respect [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]