Wedding Bell Blues - [22]

Her curly brown hair hung loose around her tanned shoulders. She looked stylish, comfortable, and very,very rich.

Lily was wearing a sky-blue dress she had borrowed from Jeanie. Except for her most faded pairof Levi’s, it was the lightest-colored garment she had worn since she was a kid. But for Mimi she’d sufferanything — even pastels.

Lily looked down at her daughter, who was playing on the floor and wearing a mint-greensmocked dress. Lily watched as Mimi spotted Mordecai, a demonic gleam in her eye. “Mookie!” shesquealed, then pulled herself to standing at the coffee table, walked three tentative steps, and fell smackon her diaper-padded butt.

“Omigod!” Lily yelled at the exact same moment Jeanie did. Lily picked Mimi up and swung herthrough the air. “Mimi-saurus, that was great! You’re a toddler now!”

“Did you see that, Benny Jack?” Jeanie was breathless with excitement. “Your little girl just tookher first steps!”

“Yeah,” Ben said, sounding completely devoid of interest. “Well, I guess I’d better go pick up theCobb County cretins now.”

As he headed out the door, Jeanie shook her head in exasperation. “Men. Sometimes I think theyjust don’t know what’s important in life.” She turned her attention to Mimi. “Now, I think a big walkinggirl ought to at least get a cookie if her mama says it’s okay.”

Lily smiled. “Of course it’s okay. This is a special occasion.”

Jeanie and Lily assembled a salad while Mimi nibbled her cookie. “It would be great if Mimiwould walk in front of the Maycombs tonight,” Lily said, slicing a cucumber that she was secretlythinking of as Mike Maycomb’s penis. “That way, they’d see she’s developing normally in thisenvironment —”

“You know,” Jeanie said, chopping a tomato, “Big Ben told me about Mimi not being yours byblood, but I’ve never seen nobody love a child the way you love her. If these people can’t see that, there’ssomething bad wrong with them.”

Lily felt her eyes fill, and it was carrot, not onion, that she was chopping. “Mimi’s the world tome. She’s all I’ve got.”

“Besides Benny Jack, you mean?”

“Yeah, right. Besides Benny Jack.”

Just as Jeanie had feared, Ida, Charles, and Mike Maycomb arrived at the house before Big Ben.

Big Ben’s absence made Lily nervous. She knew the Maycombs would be more comfortable if there wasa patriarch presiding over the evening’s events, and as far as patriarchs went, Ben the younger didn’t quitefit the bill.

When Ben the younger walked in with Ida, Charles, and Mike, a rictus of a smile was frozen onhis face — the kind of grin worn by a death’s head. “Come on in,” he said, through clenched teeth. “Lilyand I would’ve invited you over to our new place, but you would’ve had to sit on unpacked boxes.”

The three Maycombs glanced around the living room— approvingly, Lily hoped. Despite the hotweather, Charles and Ida were both dressed for a Sunday service at Calvary Baptist. They looked asstarched and proper as Dick and Pat Nixon in their heyday. Mike, however, was going for a more casuallook. In his ridiculous fuchsia polo shirt with matching fuchsia and kelly green plaid pants, he wasdressed for a day on the golf course.

Ida nodded at Lily and emitted a frosty “Hello.”

“Hi,” Lily said as brightly as she could manage. “I’m glad y’all could make it.”

Ida’s frostiness melted away when her eyes came to rest on Mimi. “There she is!” she whooped.

“Grandma’s little precious!”

Mimi stretched out her arms. “Gamma!” Ida picked up her granddaughter and held her close.

“She took her first steps today,” Lily said.

“She did?” Ida crooned, “Gwamma’s little angel’s getting to be a big girl. Charles, did you hearthat?”

“Sure did.” Charles shifted his feet uncomfortably, obviously wishing he was in a setting where hewould feel more comfortable, like a book burning or a Klan rally. He looked over at Mike for a cue. Lilyhad noticed how both Ida and Charles tended to follow Mike’s lead. To them, their son was one of thegreatest minds of this, or any, century. Lily had no doubt that contesting her custody of Mimi had beenMike’s big idea ... and that he had convinced Ida and Charles of its wisdom.

“Hel-lo!” Jeanie half sang, emerging from the kitchen as though she was making her big entrancein a play. “Please, sit down, and make yourselves at home. I’m Jeanie McGilly, Ben’s mama.” She shookhands with her guests, who introduced themselves. “I am so sorry that my husband hasn’t arrived yet. I’msure you know how hard it is to drag a man away from work, don’t you, Ida?” Jeanie’s smile wasstunning. “Can I get you folks anything to drink before dinner?”

Lily saw Charles recoil slightly. The Maycombs were teetotalers who regarded anyone who drankso much as a beer a day as a hopeless alcoholic. Jeanie must have noticed Charles’s reaction, too, becauseshe added, “Iced tea? Lemonade?”

They all sat in the living room, glasses of lemonade in hand, unable to come up with a single topicof conversation. Lily sat close to Ben on the couch, her hand in his. It was difficult to pretend to be in