Meet Me in Barcelona Read Free

this; Carrie Ann that. I thought we’d put that nuisance behind us for once and for all. Is this what it comes to? Reliving your worst nightmare?”
    â€œI’ve never heard you speak so harshly about Carrie Ann,” Grace said. Her mom was the one who used to say the worst things about Carrie Ann. She said Carrie Ann was evil. She said Carrie Ann was a curse that would follow all of them to their graves. Once she had even said there wasn’t enough Lysol in the world to get rid of that stain. And each insult had cut into Grace like her mother was saying it about her. Her sister. Of sorts. Her own Dickens-like drama. Carrie Ann was the best thing that had ever happened to Grace, and she was the worst. She’d been out of their lives for nearly fifteen years. And Grace had spent every one of them trying, and failing, to put the past behind her. She turned to her father.
    â€œWhy didn’t you tell me?”
    â€œTell you what?”
    â€œThat Mom’s been talking about her.”
    â€œBecause I don’t want to dredge up all that nonsense. It’s her damn medication. I keep telling the doctor it’s making her worse, and he won’t listen to me.” Her father slammed his fist on the arm of the chair. “These people think just because we’re old that we’re stupid. She wouldn’t be so forgetful if she cut down on some of those pills. How do I know that? Because she’s my wife . Because I’ve been married to this woman for forty-four years. You know what he said to me?”
    â€œWho?”
    â€œThat snot-nosed doctor, that’s who!”
    â€œWhat did he say?”
    â€œPut me in my place. In front of my wife. ‘You’re a psychotherapist, correct? Not a psychiatrist? You don’t prescribe medication?’ That’s what the snot-nosed so-called doctor actually said to me. Can you believe that? Some twenty-year-old who just started wiping his own ass. I’m telling you she’s on too many pills! Makes her soupy. He won’t listen to me!”
    â€œIt’s okay, Dad. Calm down. It’s okay.”
    â€œI can’t bear hearing her talk about Carrie Ann. Your mother’s the one who told us never to mention Carrie Ann’s name again.”
    Forbid us. Forbid us to ever mention her name again. “I know, Dad. I’ll talk to the doctor. Calm down.”
    â€œI always wanted to go to Spain,” Jody said. She turned off the television and patted the side of the bed. So she’d heard and understood the conversation. God, the brain was a mysterious thing.
    Grace went over and sat down. “You never told me that.”
    â€œI would hardly share that with a stranger.”
    I’m your daughter! she wanted to shout. But her mother couldn’t help it.
    â€œJust keep talking,” her father said. “At least she’s not dredging up ghosts, or drooling over naked stud muffins.”
    And now Grace couldn’t believe her father had just said “naked stud muffins.” Maybe getting away for a bit wasn’t such a bad idea. Grace turned back to her mother. “Why did you always want to go to Spain?”
    â€œMy mother went to Spain. All by herself. When she was in her seventies.”
    â€œI know,” Grace said. It had been just after Grace’s grandfather had died. Her grandparents were supposed to take the trip together. Everyone thought Annette Jennings would cancel the trip. Instead, she buried her husband and packed her bags. Little Annette, who had never been outside of her home state. Grace had had many conversations with her grandmother about that trip. She was proud of her too.
    â€œIt was really something,” Jim said. “Because in those days seventy wasn’t the new fifty or whatever the kids say today. Seventy was seventy .”
    â€œTell me about it,” Grace said.
    Jody Sawyer straightened up, and her eyes seemed to take in more light.