The Time Keepers

Chapter 36

CHAPTER 36 Long Island, 1979

W HEN G RACE RETURNED HOME FROM HER OUTING WITH A NH and B?o that afternoon, she was still shaken by Adele’s behavior. The woman had been so quick to condemn an innocent child whose only mistake was believing what his father had told him.

But he hadn’t even wanted to eat the candy afterward. After she drove them back to Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, she noticed the candy bar was still in the rear seat and left unopened. When she went to take it out, she could feel how soft it was beneath the wrapper.

Her heart sank. Adele had ruined what was meant to be a happy excursion outside the motherhouse.

It had begun on such a positive note. She’d put the radio on, and the station wagon became flooded with the latest tunes of summer. “Music Box Dancer” by Frank Mills filled the air, and she caught sight of B?o smiling in the rearview window. As they stepped into Kepler’s, Anh stopped in front of the fruit section. Pyramids of peaches and plums were laid out in front. Plastic baskets of strawberries were arranged on a long wooden table, as well as other fruits in season. Anh reached out and picked up a mango and lifted it to her face. She took two deep breaths and inhaled, searching for its rich fragrance.

“Not ripe,” Anh had simply said as she smiled at Grace. The two of them had then walked toward the deli counter, the first step in getting Anh to use her English with a stranger.

They were in the middle of ordering when the commotion with B?o began.

Grace replayed the incident again in her head, then pulled down a glass from the cabinet and filled it with some tap water. She looked at the clock. In another hour, she’d head over to the beach club and pick up Katie and Molly. Outside, the flower boxes were parched, and the lawn had just sprouted some unwanted dandelions. She couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholy. Had she bitten off too much, only to fail, despite her best intentions? Should she have taken Adele to task more for her terrible behavior? She sat down and finished her drink. Next time, they’d all go swimming at the club. Grace painted the scene in her head, the splashing, the laughter. She wanted to erase the memory of today and replace it with something better.

She heard her late father-in-law’s voice in her head and reminded herself that time didn’t move backward. Rather, it was the opposite. The future expanded with each passing minute. And there was plenty of room to get things right the next time.