Willow (DeBeers 1)

"Oh, my God!" Bunny cried, looking up at the ceiling, her eyelids fluttering as if she were on the verge of losing consciousness. "All this happening on the night of our party!"

"Mother, take it easy. Sit. and I'll get you some water." Thatcher eased her into a chair. Asher went to the door and called to a maid to get a pitcher of cold water and some glasses quickly. Bunny's head slumped a bit, and then she raised it and shook her head at me.

"How could she possibly be your mother?"

"My father and she were lovers." I said calmly. "How else?" She continued to shake her head but turned to Asher.

"I don't understand. What is she saying?"

"My father was the chief psychiatrist at the clinic she went to. It was there they fell in love," I told her.

The doctor had a love affair with her?" She shifted her eyes to Thatcher quickly. -Did you know all this time?"

&n

bsp; He shook his head. "No. Actually," he said, looking at me. "not until today."

"Today? Oh dear, dear, dear... today..."

"Thatcher, we have to call the Coast Guard," I said. "Are you going to do it, or should I?"

"Go down to your so-called mother's home and do it," Bunny snapped at me. "Deceiving us like this, pretending to be someone you're not, enjoying our hospitality... making me have this party to introduce you to... to... my God," she said, pressing her hands to the base of her throat again. "The former governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands is out there!"

"Take it easy, Mother." Thatcher urged.

The maid arrived with the tray of water and glasses. Thatcher poured a glass for Bunny. She drank it and sat back, her eyes closed.

"I'm going down to the beach house to call. Thatcher," I told him, and started away.

"I'll be right there." he said.

"I think I'm having heart failure." Bunny cried, and squeezed his arm. "Can you imagine the scandal? Her father was that woman's doctor. Get Whitney in here. Asher. Quickly. She'll know better how I should handle this. Hurry!" she ordered as he followed me out.

"I'm sorry," Asher said as we split to take two different paths.

"It's just too much of a shock and at the wrong time."

"I don't think there would have been a right time for her, do you?"

He didn't reply. I hurried down to the beach house to make the call.

Nearly half an hour later, the Coast Guard cutter arrived at the dock. and Grace and I went out to speak with them. I could see that their arrival had indeed caused some commotion and interest at the party. The orchestra even paused. All the while I was waiting with my mother. I had expected Thatcher to come join us, but he still hadn't, even with the arrival of the Coast Guard.

Grace explained as much as she could to the captain, and I did my best to describe where I thought Linden's beach was. He promised they would do a vigorous search and call for a helicopter immediately. Ten minutes later, the sight of the helicopter combing the beach with its powerful beam brought the party to a standstill.

As if any sort of trouble, tension, possible serious injury, and even death were like a giant hand snapping its fingers to break the spell they were all caught in, the mega-millionaires, chiefs of industry, politicians, and television and movie stars began to flee the scene.

"It's like the sinking of the Titanic,"I muttered. 'All of them fleeing to save their reputations from drowning."

My mother smiled and then looked out toward the boat lights again. She and I were now glued to our seats on the front loggia, waiting to hear the phone ring, waiting to see some sign. of a returning sailboat or Coast Guard cutter.

Finally, I saw Thatcher coming our way.

'"Sorry," he said as he approached us. "We had to get Dr. Anderson to prescribe a sedative for my mother. She just isn't capable of dealing with any sort of crisis, no matter how large or small."

"I never saw anyone as spoiled as that." I said "She can't think of anyone but herself. You've all made her that way. Thatcher."

"Probably," he admitted, then slanted a look at my mother. "But you know, we all have to live with what we've created."