“Yes,” Mildred said, “we just wonder if you’re aware of how addictive it can become to get just the right fabric and cover just one more sofa and buy just one more perfect Oriental rug.” She smiled and shrugged. “I know, because it’s happened to me. But it was my money, not someone else’s, and that makes a difference.”
Helen stiffened, then, through a tight mouth, said, “So you’re assuming that I’m running through Thurlow’s money with no thought of what will happen to him. Frankly, I’m surprised that you care about him at all.”
“Well, Helen,” I said, as soothingly as I could, “he’s the one who’s worried. It’s really none of our business, I know—”
“It certainly isn’t,” Helen said, sliding to the edge of her chair. “And, LuAnne, what do you have to say? Aren’t you going to add something to how I’m taking advantage of Thurlow?”
“Uh-uh,” LuAnne said, shaking her head as she shrank back into the sofa. “I don’t know anything about any of it. I’m just here to help with the intervention.”
“Intervention!” Helen leaped to her feet. “You called me over here to have an intervention? I’m not an alchoholic or a gambler or a sex fiend or a drug addict! All I’m doing is what none of you would do yourselves. So you can sit here and pass judgment on me if you want to, but I don’t have to listen to it.” And with that, she was out the door, leaving her coat, and not thanking me for a lovely evening.
The three of us sat in silence for a few minutes, then LuAnne said, “I guess that didn’t go so well, did it?”
“And where were you?” Mildred demanded. “You were the one who was going to lay into her, yet you didn’t say a word. You left it all to us, so we don’t need a comment from you now.”
“Well!” LuAnne said, taking immediate umbrage. “I didn’t want to hurt her feelings, which was something you weren’t concerned about.”
“Wait, wait,” I said, standing to look at them both. “Let’s just agree that we were out of line, but let’s not fight among ourselves. It’s enough that we’ve offended Helen, but who knows? She may take it to heart, even so.”
“I guess so,” Mildred agreed with a sigh. “But, LuAnne, don’t think just because you had nothing to say that she won’t remember that you were here and part of what we did. You’re not scot-free by any means, and you shouldn’t be.”
“Well,” LuAnne responded in a mumble, “I just remembered that Helen hasn’t signed my lease yet. If I made her mad, she could take her condo back and where would that leave me?”
“Out in the cold,” Mildred shot back, still furious with her. “Which is where you are with me already.”
Chapter 28
“Oh, Lillian,” I moaned as I pushed through the door to the kitchen after my guests had left. “It didn’t go well at all. I am just sick about it.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, nodding her head. “Meddlin’ don’t never work out so good, but Miss Helen prob’ly know your hearts is in the right place.”
Surely that was true, although a lot of good it was doing me now. While Lillian gave the countertops a last swipe, I sat at the kitchen table with my head in my hand, reliving the earlier scenes.
After LuAnne had stormed out in high dungeon and full of righteous indignation, Mildred had lingered for a while as we tried to assure ourselves that it hadn’t been as bad as it had actually been.
“We should’ve stayed out of it,” I said to Lillian, just as I’d said to Mildred a few minutes earlier.
It didn’t help that both Mildred and Lillian agreed with my conclusion. After Lillian offered a few soothing words, she left for home, and I went upstairs to bed. But not to sleep, for my mind was filled with shame and regret and embarrassment for our arrogance in sitting in judgment of someone else. It hadn’t been an intervention. It had been an interference, and, knowing Helen’s cool self-sufficiency, I doubted she’d ever be able to completely overlook our heavy-handed intrusion into her affairs.
I did not, however, expect her to retaliate, but she did. And she did it in a way that hurt me, of the three of us, the most. I didn’t learn of what she’d done for several days, during which Thanksgiving approached and my sweet Sam returned home. I was so taken up with having him back that I was able to put our shameful efforts somewhat out of mind. But not until I had taken Helen’s coat to her, hoping for a chance to tell her how sorry I was for what had happened. I didn’t get that chance, for the maid answered the door, took the coat, and told me that Mrs. Stroud wasn’t receiving visitors.
So I’d written a note on my best stationery in an attempt to explain to Helen our intentions and to ask forgiveness for any offense we’d given.
She did not respond, and I’d cried on Mildred’s shoulder—not literally, of course—in my need for some reassurance that we’d acted with the best of intentions.
“Julia,” Mildred had said in her straightforward way, “get over it. If nothing else, we’ve made her think about what she’s doing. And, frankly, her reaction just proves our point—she’s spending too much and she knows it. She just didn’t like anybody calling her on it. But I’ll bet you anything that she takes a hard look at the bottom line—Thurlow’s bottom line—and begins to mend her ways. And if she does, then we did what we set out to do.”
“And lost a friend in the process,” I said. “I’m not sure it was worth that.”
“Yes, it was, because in the long run, she’ll realize we were concerned for her, as well as for him.”
“Well,” I said, feeling a little better, “the
