'Jeff, you wanted a divorce. I said you could have one. But just bear this in mind- I will not let you have my house. Do you understand me? You will never have this house! If you want to start again, then do it all the way. Take a mortgage like all young couples do,' Nora sneered at him, the tears still pouring down her cheeks.
'You will get nothing from me, bitch! Nothing!' And then he spun about and dragged Heidi with him as he headed for the limo.
Nora was shaking with anger now, but she couldn't stop crying. Taylor Bradford pushed a paper cup into her hand. Nora drank, and then began to cough. 'It's whiskey!' she gasped.
'Yep,' he agreed. 'Nothing like a little drink to calm the nerves, honey.'
Nora began to laugh, and looking at her mother, she said, 'If you don't marry him eventually, Ma, I will.' Then she drank down the rest of the potent liquid in the paper cup. And she did feel better. 'Nobody leaves here till those damned sandwiches are all eaten,' she said. And the tension broken, her friends began to eat and talk again.
Margo put an arm around her daughter. 'That was hard,' she said, 'but you did just fine. I never thought I'd see the day when you stood up to Jeff Buckley.'
'A lot of things are changing, Ma,' Nora admitted.
'We're going to have to go soon,' Margo said.
'I know. You've got a dance at the club,' Nora answered. 'I like Taylor. I wouldn't mind if you married him.'
'We'll see,' Margo replied.
'He's very rich, isn't he? I mean, you flew up in his private plane,' Nora said.
'He flies the plane himself,' Margo told her, 'although at his age he has another pilot with us, and yes, dear, he's very rich.'
'Wow! Mom, you really surprise me,' Nora told her parent with a smile.
Margo laughed. 'Thank you,' she said. And then she grew serious. 'I would have never thought you would be so good about what's happening, Nora. I'm proud of you, darling, and until you get on your feet I will help.'
'I'll pay you back one day, Ma,' Nora promised.
'Honey, you're going to inherit it anyway,' Margo said. 'You need it now, and frankly it gives me pleasure to see you make Jeff Buckley's life a little difficult.'
'I want the house, Ma! I don't care about anything else, but I want the house,' Nora told her mother.
'I'm sure Rick will do his best for you, darling,' Margo assured her.
'Time to go, honeybunch.' Taylor Bradford had come to where they were seated. 'Car is here, and Hal has the plane ready. We got a nice tailwind, and should be home in no time at all so you can get yourself all gussied up for the dance tonight.'
The two women stood up, and Nora put her arms about Taylor Bradford, giving him a big hug. 'Thank you for bringing Mom, Taylor. You're welcome in my house anytime.' Then she stood on her toes and kissed his ruddy cheek.
'I got two sons, girly,' he said. 'Wouldn't mind having a daughter like you at all. Even at this late date.' And he kissed her cheek heartily.
'Good-bye, darling.' Margo kissed Nora, and gave her a quick hug. 'Tell J. J. to look in the graduation card I gave him.' She turned and kissed Jill. 'You did very well under the circumstances, darling. Grandma was proud.'
'I wanted to smack him,' Jill admitted.
'So did I,' Margo replied.
'Then we both did very well,' Jill chuckled.
The guests were gone at last. Carla stayed to help Nora clean up. Jill had gone upstairs to pack. She was taking an early-evening flight back to her college.
'The Channel tonight, you lucky girl.' Carla grinned at Nora.
'I don't know,' Nora said. 'What if J. J. comes home? What does it look like to people on this side of reality when we're on the other?'
Carla shrugged. 'I have no idea. But J. J. won't be home until dawn. Our party starts at nine, and when it finally ends they're all going up to the mountain house for a long weekend. No chaperones.' She waggled her eyebrows at Nora.
'I had forgotten that they were going up,' she said. 'Yeah, maybe I could get The Channel tonight. I haven't been able to get there with Jill home.'
'Call now,' Carla encouraged her. 'I'll finish the cleanup. Just a little cake to put away anyhow. I've packed two sandwiches for Jill to have on the plane.'
'You are an angel,' Nora said, picking up the telephone handset.
J. J. came home to change for Maureen Johnson's party. He had been at his girlfriend Lily's party. Jill was just going out the door to her waiting Cassandra cab. He hugged her. 'So long, big sis. When will I see you again? Before I'm off to State?'
'Not till Christmas, kiddo,' Jill told him. 'I've got just enough time between finishing my course and orientation at Duke to pack up and get there.'
'Where will you live?' he asked, walking with her to the cab.
'Duke hooked me up with two other girls, and we've rented a house,' Jill said. 'I've got the money from working and saving almost everything Daddy sent me. No more where that came from. Miss Icy Eyes is going to get it all.' She gave him a quick kiss. 'Don't screw up, J. J. It will be tempting to party, party, party, but that first semester is important. I've been there. Besides, the whole neighborhood helped get you there. You don't want to disappoint them.' She got into the cab. 'So long!' She blew him a kiss as the cab revved up and sped off.
'No pressure,' J. J. mumbled to himself as he went into the house. 'I'm home,' he called to his mother.
'I'm upstairs,' Nora said, and heard him taking the steps two at a time. He came into his room. 'I packed a few things for you for the mountain house,' she said. 'Why don't you take them over and put them in Mo's car? Or are you riding in Lily's?'
'Lily,' he answered, 'but Mo'll take my stuff up, and if I toss it in her trunk now, I won't forget. Toothbrush, razor, etc.?'
'Yes,' she said.
He sat down on the edge of the bed. 'You don't mind being alone this weekend? We probably won't be back till sometime on Monday.'
'Actually I'm looking forward to a little peace and quiet,' Nora told him. 'I've never minded being alone, and I'm going to be in a few weeks when you head off to State. And you're going earlier than most kids because you're on a team, honey.'
'Ma, maybe I ought to put off college for a year. Until this thing with Dad gets straightened out,' J. J. said.
'You can't do anything to help, honey, and you'll lose your scholarship if you don't go now. It's alright, J. J. Now shower and change before you go, and don't forget your duffel. I'll put it downstairs by the door.'
She left him, thinking he was a sweet kid, and so protective of her. She ought to feel guilty for wanting him gone, out of the house, but she didn't. She was through being superwife and supermom. She wanted to be that woman who lived in The Channel. She wanted to be fucked in every way imaginable by Kyle, and Rolf, and whomever else she could think up. She wanted to be licked, and she wanted to suck cock until she was mindless. And she was no longer shocked by these thoughts.
Smelling of soap, shampoo, and aftershave, J. J. kissed his mom before he left for his party. With a grin at her, he picked up his duffel. 'Have a good weekend, Ma,' he said as he headed out the door.
'You too, honey,' Nora told him, watching as he made his way across the lawn, where even now a crowd of kids was gathering. She shut the door, and threw the bolt. She checked the central AC, and set the thermostat at seventy-two degrees. She went into the kitchen and shoved a small ham-and-cheese into the microwave. When it was done she sat down at her kitchen table, and looked out into her beautiful backyard, and ate her sandwich and drank her lemonade/iced tea mix. As she always did, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and cleaned up the counters. Returning upstairs, she showered and got into a clean nightshirt. Then she went downstairs to the den. It was still not quite eight o'clock. Nora sat down in her recliner, and considered. It was still light. Maybe she should wait until after nine. No. The den faced the back of the house. No one was going to see her. The doors and windows were locked. The clock struck eight, and Nora eagerly punched in The Channel. The television clicked on.
