Cuppa returned to the dining room and asked Carrie what she'd like to drink, and then Erica spoke up.
"Cuppa, why don't you relax? Everyone can pour their own wine. You've outdone yourself. Please, take a break."
"Yeah," Carrie added. "Let me pour you some wine." She fingered the bottles. "This cheese spread looks amazing." She picked up a sliver of white cheddar and popped it into her mouth. "What are you having, Cuppa?"
Cuppa looked pained. "I'll have a Chardonnay," she said.
Carrie opened the bottle and poured two glasses. They all crowded around the table, helping themselves to drinks and hor d’oeuvres. Carrie raised her glass. "Here's to our family." Everyone clinked glasses just as Jesse and Sara came back, their arms loaded down with flowers. At first, Grandpa Ron balked at the idea of a wreath of flowers put around his head, but Aunt Carrie gave him a hard time and he finally took the flowers, positioning them awkwardly over his baseball cap. Barbara wanted to laugh and had to bite her lip to push the humor down, too ridiculous was the image of her macho grandfather standing there with a wreath of carnations around his head.
As if to prove that he hadn't entirely gone down the fairy path, he scowled and said,
"The Dodgers played the Rockies today. The Rockies didn't put up much of a fight, though. The Dodgers scored five runs off them in the first inning."
Barbara had no idea what any of that meant and by the looks on everyone else's faces, they were as clueless as her. Only her dad was nodding along, one eyebrow cocked, but he wasn't really looking at their grandpa. His eyes were on their mother. She stood like a long legged doe, sipping her wine, even more beautiful with the carnation wreath on her head, if that was possible. Even Grandpa's Ron's eyes kept snaking over in her direction.
"Right, baseball," Cuppa said as if she were going to add to his commentary, and then picked up a bagel chip, dipping it in the spinach dip, and popped it in her mouth. "Mmm. Delish, Maggie. Did you make this yourself?"
"Yes. It's one of my specialties," Maggie said, flashing her tight little smile. Grandpa Ron wandered over toward the living room and examined the photos on the wall. He guzzled down the rest of his beer, and their grandmother, right on cue, told him she'd get him another.
"Natalie Wood was a gorgeous woman," he said of the pictures of the actress. He squinted at the last photo. "But that's not her, is it? Looks like her."
"It's Ramani," Serene said, coming to stand by their grandpa.
He shot her a look of surprise. "Really?"
"Yes." A look played on her mother's features that Barbara couldn't decipher.
"Ramani was a looker," Barbara said, joining them, trying to insert a bit of lightness into what felt like a stranglehold of social tension.
"That she was," her grandfather agreed.
"Thank you for coming to dinner, Ron," Serene said quietly. "It's nice to have you and Maggie over."
Grandpa Ron's features softened. "I'm sorry to hear about your memory loss. That must be tough."
Serene nodded and the doorbell rang again.
"Are we expecting someone else?" Cuppa asked, glancing about with surprise. Erica shook their head no and went to answer the door.
"Ramani," Erica exhaled.
Barbara felt like a thousand butterflies had just been unleashed inside her chest as she saw her grandmother and John standing in the entryway.
"Surprise!" Ramani said, throwing up her arms and then chuckled.
"I couldn't talk her out of coming by without calling first," John said apologetically as they both stepped in. Ramani was holding a brown Whole Foods bag under her arm, and she was looking down at it as she talked. "I brought some dinner. Thought we could have a nice evening." She looked up and her words died away. "Oh," she said.
"Yes. Oh." John echoed. Barbara wanted to melt away. Literally, just become a puddle like the witch in The Wizard of Oz, because that's how she was feeling at that moment, like a witch. Here they all were, everyone but Ramani and John.
"Mom, there's food here already," Serene said, looking irritated and confused all at the same time. "Cuppa said she was doing all the cooking."
Now Ramani and John were the ones to look confused, and Barbara realized that her mother had no idea that she hadn't invited them. But it was an excellent save and Barbara forced a smile.
"Didn't you get my text?" She said to Ramani.
Ramani plopped her bag of takeout down on the table next to the neat arrangement of hor d’oeuvres and wine. "Barbara, you know I never look at those. Why didn't you call me?" She grinned. "I must have psychically known though. This can't have been a coincidence." She eyed the Bates, Grandma Maggie clutching at her necklace and Grandpa Ron scowling back at her. "Well, it's been a while. Ron, Maggie. What's the occasion?"
"Mom's memory," Jesse piped up. "We're bringing everyone together to help her with her memories."
"Ah," Ramani said, looking around some more. "Well, this is quite a reunion. Where's Tera?"
"She couldn't make it," their dad said, and then to Barbara's surprise, he blushed and took a swig of beer to cover up his discomfort. What was going on with him and his girlfriend? She wondered.
Ramani's eyes lingered on their mother. "Braids," she said and then smiled at Barbara. "Your mother used to wear her hair like that when she and your dad dated as kids. The style is becoming on you," she said to Serene. Barbara's mother touched her hair and her dad took another swig of beer.
"Well, that's neither here nor there," Grandma Maggie snapped, although her expression was one of worry. Erica stood by the open door, looking oddly out of place. Cuppa announced that dinner was ready and she and Carrie began to clear the table, Sara helping, her little face screwed up
