Hotel Vendome

“My father asked me to be his witness, instead of a best man.” It was more of a European tradition, but she had never confirmed it to him, and he hadn’t pressed the point. He was just going to be grateful if she came to the wedding, without expecting more. And even that hadn’t been sure. She had threatened not to many times. She thought about it then as she looked at Sally, and they were old friends, since she’d been a child. “You’d better make a sprig of lily of the valley for me, and I’ll pin it to my dress.” It identified her with the groom, not the bride, and was what a best man would have worn in her place, or a small white rose, but she preferred lily of the valley, which had been her favorite flower all her life. She loved it when brides used it in their bouquets. Natalie was carrying white Phalaenopsis orchids, which she said would work well with her dress and were more sophisticated.

Heloise finished up the details with Sally then, and both of them were satisfied. They had tied up a lot of loose ends that Natalie had been unsure of, and Sally didn’t want to make the decisions for her. Now Heloise had it all in good control and had made excellent choices. She loved weddings and was great at details.

And then she went upstairs to their apartment. She was on her lunch break from the desk. Natalie had just walked in and was lying on the couch, looking sick.

“Are you okay?” Heloise asked solicitously, happy with the subtle improvements she and Sally had made to the wedding.

“No. I’m a wreck. Did you see Sally?” She looked panicked, as Heloise smiled.

“Everything is under control. Don’t even think about it now. Just coast from here to tomorrow. What are you wearing tonight?” Heloise hadn’t even thought about it yet herself. She had never gone shopping for the wedding since she wasn’t sure she would go.

“A blue satin dress,” Natalie answered. “The flowers on the tables are blue too.”

“I know. I just reviewed everything.” She smiled. “Do you want a cup of tea?”

Natalie nodded, looking anxious, and smiled gratefully when Heloise handed her a cup of Earl Grey a few minutes later. Heloise was like a different person now and Natalie was impressed. Hugues had been right. Heloise had calmed down.

“I think this is what mothers are for,” Natalie said, after sipping the tea, which seemed to help. “Although mine never was. I had one of those uptight Main Line mothers who acted like we were strangers and had never taken her clothes off long enough to have sex or give birth. She was ice cold.” Heloise smiled at the description and thought of her own with her rock star life. “My father died when I was twelve. She put me in boarding school then, and I hardly ever saw her again. She moved to Europe, and had me over for a couple of weeks a year with my brother, whom I never got to see either. And she died when I was in college. It was like going to a stranger’s funeral. I never really knew her, and she had no interest in knowing me. I barely knew my brother till I was out of college, and now we’re good friends. He’s ten years older than I am, so he was older when my father died, but our mother was a total mystery to both of us. She should never have had children, but did because it was the right thing to do. And as soon as my father died, she got rid of me, and my brother had already been in boarding school for years, and I hardly saw him when he was in college. I have no idea what her life was like after my father died. I always wondered if she had a boyfriend. I hope so for her sake. All we ever talked about were the weather and good manners, and she played a lot of bridge. I was never on her radar screen except for a few weeks a year. So she wouldn’t be helping me do this wedding either, if she were still alive. Thanks for talking to Sally,” she said to Heloise, who looked pensive and was smiling at her. She was touched by what Natalie had shared.

“My mom is pretty weird too. She’s married to a rock star, I guess Dad told you. He does a lot of drugs and has a lot of crazy people hanging around. She loves it. She left my dad for him when I was four, had two new kids pretty quickly, and I was history after that. It’s kind of the same deal as your mother. She acts like I’m someone else’s kid and talks to me like a stranger when I see her. I hate going there. I see her about once a year, if it’s convenient for her, which it never is. I feel like she divorced me when she divorced my dad.” What she said was honest, and Natalie could see that it was painful for her, by the look in her eyes.

“That must hurt,” Natalie said sympathetically. It was the first time they had spoken to each other like human beings, and they shared an unexpected bond. The Crazy Mothers Club, as Natalie called it to her friends. Or maybe it should have been called the Lousy Mothers Club. There seemed to be a lot of those in the world. And they inflicted scars on every child they touched. Natalie had invested years in therapy to get over hers.