Web of Dreams (Casteel 5)

I tried to defend him, but she wouldn't listen. I got out of my outfit quickly and changed into something else while she went off to give the greasestreaked shorts and blouse to a maid. By the time I emerged from my suite, Daddy was already gone. I spent the remainder of the day feeling terrible because I thought it had all been my fault. Oh, why hadn't I been more careful? Why wasn't I as concerned about my clothing and my looks as Momma was? There were cracks appearing all over my fragile world, but I was trying desperately to hold it together.

I couldn't remember seeing Momma shout at Daddy that way or Daddy so embarrassed and angry. This cruise, which was supposed to make Momma happy and cheer Daddy up by helping his business, was turning out to be a disaster for all of us.

That evening things became even worse when Momma developed a bad case of seasickness. Not only didn't she come out to dinner, but she didn't come out to enjoy any of the entertainment, which included ballroom dancing, one of the few things she enjoyed doing on the ship. Every time I went down to her suite to see how she was, I found her moaning and groaning.

"Why did I agree to this? Why did I come on this ship? I wish I could just fade away," she wailed. I couldn't do anything to help her. The ship's doctor was called twice. He gave her double doses of everything, but she wasn't much better the next day, and once again, she wouldn't get out of her bed. I went down to read to her and keep her company. She was very depressed because she looked so pale and sickly that no amount of makeup could help.

"I don't even want the servants to see me," she cried. "It will take me weeks to get over this," she claimed. "Weeks!" She pulled on strands of her hair. "Just look at what's happening to me. Look!"

"But Momma, this never happened before. Why is it happening on this trip?" I asked. Her eyes cut toward me sharply and for a moment grew small. Then she fell back against her large, fluffy pillow and crossed her arms under her bosom, pouting.

"How would I know? I was just lucky before." She turned on me quickly. "You don't remember your first trip across the Atlantic, I suppose," she added in a biting tone. It was as if I had accused her of faking it and she wanted to punish me. "You were so sick the first two days, I thought we would have to turn the liner around and go back to Boston. Then, as your father would say, you got your sea legs. He was so happy about it, as if walking around looking like a bowlegged sailor is an accomplishment."

She turned to the wall to catch her breath. Her face was brightened with emotion as she encouraged her own anger. When she looked at me again, she had a very ugly but determined look on her face.

"Well, I never wanted sea legs," she said smirking. "Oh, I don't know why I didn't insist Cleave get out of this stupid business years ago. We could have had a respectable business in the city . . maybe a chain of department stores, something like Tony Tatterton has. Then you're not at the mercy of the weather and the finicky ocean," she concluded.

"But Daddy's always been a shipman. It's all he really knows," I protested in a low, scared voice.

"Nonsense. A man learns what he has to learn if he's a man. It's just been easier for your father to remain what he is. He's lazy, that's what."

"Lazy? Daddy?"

"Yes," she insisted. "Just because he works hard at what he likes doesn't mean he's not lazy. And he's not brilliant when it comes to investments. We should be twice, no, three times as wealthy as we are."

I was shocked at the way she spoke about Daddy. She often complained about this or that, but her complaints were never so vehement, so vicious. She was so angry and looked so hateful, it made my heart pound for Daddy. I was happy he wasn't nearby to hear all this, but I wondered if she hadn't said things like it to him before. Maybe that was another reason why he was walking around with a sad face so much of the time.

"But don't you just love having all this, Momma? The big ships, the glamorous cruises, all these wealthy passengers and . . ."

"LOVE IT! NO! I DON'T LOVE IT!" she screamed. "Thank God, I'm not on the ships that often. When you're on one of these extended cruises, you miss all the social activity back in Boston. I think the people who have discovered airplane travel are right. You get to your vacation resort quickly, enjoy it, and return, so you don't miss the important things at home.

"Anyway," she said, calming down a little, "I can't tell you enough times--never marry anyone who is a slave to his business, no matter how rich he might be or handsome. You have to come first, even if it means he might sacrifice a little money here and there."

"But . . ." She had just complained about not being rich enough, I thought, and now she was willing to sacrifice money. But she didn't care about her contradictions.

"The smart executive has people he can trust doing all the real work," she rambled on. "But not your father.

"Your father," she said pulling the blanket up to her chin, "is a peasant in rich man's clothing, I'm afraid." She turned her back to me and pulled the blanket nearly over her head. "I have to close my eyes and imagine I'm not here now, Leigh. Go on upstairs, but don't go fiddling around with mechanical things or go down into the engine room again."

"Yes, Momma. If you feel better, will you try to come to dinner tonight? It's a special dinner because we'll be in Jamaica tomorrow," I said.

"Thank God for that. I'll see. If I feel better," she muttered with little enthusiasm.

She really didn't come out of the suite until we sailed into Montego Bay and Daddy went down to announce we had arrived. It was a magnificent day, the kind the Caribbean islands were famous for--rich blue sky with only a passing cloud, a luscious warm breeze, and music everywhere. I was on the upper deck playing Ping-Pang with two girls I had met during the voyage, the Spenser sisters, Clara and Melanie, who were both about my age, so I didn't know what went on between Momma and Daddy below, but the next thing I knew, the porters were carrying Momma's luggage off the ship to a waiting taxi.

I watched in disbelief. Oh, Momma, what are you doing? I wondered. We weren't supposed to be checking into a hotel here. The ship was going to dock at the harbor for three days and nights. Passengers would disembark to shop and go to the restaurants, and then we would sail back to Boston.

Daddy signaled to me to come to him.

"Your mother wants to see you below," he said. He looked so tired and depressed with his sad, unhappy eyes cast downward at the deck. My butterflies started waking up, but this time they felt less like flutterings, more like birds flying and crashing around in my stomach. I was scared that I might be sick.

When I entered their suite, I found Momma dressed in one of her olive green, silk cardigan suits with a lily of the valley beaded pin on the bodice, a silk scarf and matching silk gloves. She-had her hair brushed back and up

away from her face and put on her e: :shell white bell bonnet just as she turned to face me. The suite reeked with her jasmine perfume.

All the paleness and gloom was gone from her face. Her cheeks were rosy, her lips bright. She had put on all her makeup and even darkened her eyelashes. I thought she looked as healthy as ever. It was a miraculous recovery, and one that filled me with anxiety and dread.

"Oh Leigh," she said when she set eyes on me. "I've made a decision. I'm going back to Boston," she announced. Her words fell like thunder and my heart became a heavy lead drum in my chest.