Distant Shores

"Why, Birdie, thats beautiful. "

Elizabeth practically jumped out of her skin. Shed been so intent on her subject that she hadnt even heard Anita walk up. "I cant seem to get the trees right. "

"Youre missin the angle. See how they lean backwards? As if the winds been pushin em for a thousand years and theyve given up. "

Given up.

In the face of great pressure, theyd quit trying to grow straight. Not unlike what Elizabeth had done in her marriage. She dabbed her brush in the paint and went back to work.

It felt as if only a few minutes had passed when Anita said, "Oh, lordy, its past two oclock. We need to get to the house. Hurry up!" She stuffed her knitting back in her bag and started toward the stairs.

Elizabeth watched her stepmother go. Anita was really huffing and puffing up those stairs. Youd think there was a prize to the winner.

She picked up her supplies, carefully held her painting with two fingers and climbed the steps behind Anita. Elizabeth was almost to the top when she smelled smoke. "Anita? Do you smell that?"

And there were voices, as if a radio were turned on high.

Elizabeth came to the top of the stairs and paused, looking around.

Balloons poked through the open windows of her house and drifted upward. Suddenly the front door banged open. Marge, Anita, and Meghann--Meghann!--crowded onto the porch, singing, "Happy Birthday. "

Elizabeth almost dropped her stuff. No one had ever thrown her a surprise party before.

Meghann rushed toward her, arms outstretched. She wrapped Elizabeth in a fierce hug, whispering, "You didnt think Id miss it, did you? Happy birthday. "

Then all three of them were there, laughing and talking at once.

Elizabeth couldnt remember the last time shed felt so special. Shed always been the one who organized everyone elses birthday parties and cooked the food and bought the presents. Even on her own birthday, shed written detailed gift lists and made her own cake.

She saw Anita, standing over by a brand-new red barbecue.

Marge took the still-damp watercolor from her. "Oh, Birdie, this is exquisite. Is it for me?"

The compliment warmed her. "Of course. "

After Marge walked away, Meghann moved closer. "Anita planned all this, you know. Even sent me a plane ticket. " She smiled. "Like I couldnt afford it. " She sobered. "Its not what I would have expected of her. You know, after all the Anita-the-Hun stories. "

Elizabeth flinched. Shed come up with that nickname in eighth grade history class; it had sunk into Anita like a fishhook. In the past few days, it had haunted Elizabeth, shamed her. "Shes not who I thought she was," Elizabeth said. "Ill be right back. "

She walked across the yard.

Anita had pulled an intricately knitted lavender cardigan over her linen dress. Her hair was drawn back into a thick white coil. She was bent over, busily moving oysters from a tin bucket onto the grill. At Elizabeths approach, she straightened. "Surprise. "

"This is all your doing," Elizabeth said.

"It was nothing. " Anita smiled. "Meghann and Marge are the kind of friends wholl drop anything to party. Besides, I always wanted to throw you a surprise party. "

Elizabeth knew how much shed hurt her stepmother over the years, and yet, Anita had still organized this party. It was the kind of thing Elizabeth would do for her daughters. "Thank you," she said, knowing it wasnt enough.

Anita gently smoothed the flyaway hair from Elizabeths eyes. "Youre welcome, Birdie. "

Elizabeth grasped her stepmothers hand, held it. "I want us to start over. "

Anitas eyes rounded. "Oh, my . . . "

Meghann came up beside them. She looped one arm around Elizabeth and hip-bumped her. In one hand, she held a white plastic pitcher. "Can I interest you ladies in a margarita? Dont worry, Anita, I can make you a virgin. "

Anita laughed shakily, wiped her eyes. "Honey, there aint nothin you can do thatll make me a virgin again, but Ill sure-as-tootin take a margarita. "