Page 29 of Last Call (Open Tab #5)

Chapter Six

Why did people keep secrets? Fallon puzzled over the question endlessly.

How could she have lived in Whiskey Springs nearly all her life and not know that her mother and Dora Bath had once been best friends?

How could she have been part of Andi’s life, been Andi’s lover, and the subject never have arisen?

And why wouldn’t Pete say something? So many years—so many… .

“Fallon?”

Fallon looked up at Riley.

“How was Sylvia?” Fallon asked.

“Okay. Just okay. This isn’t about you,” Riley said.

“I realize that. My mom was so angry at the Biddy Brigade when I opened the pub. And that wasn’t the first time they incurred her wrath. I don’t get it. I can’t remember my mother spending time with Dora—ever.”

“Dora is….”

“Friends will all of those women, Riley. Jesus. Do you know how stressful growing up with her was for Dan?”

Riley sat down beside Fallon. “I think what Andi told you is true. It isn’t her story. It isn’t your mother’s.”

“Sylvia told you something when she called.”

“She told me some things. Yes. She imagined you would have a million questions.”

“What did she tell you?”

“Not as much as you hope. She said something happened to Dora when Dan was little. It changed things—it changed Dora. That’s about it.”

“Andi was upset, Riley. I could see it in her eyes.”

“Don’t push this issue,” Riley advised.

“Whatever happened, it affected a lot of people—not only Dora. Let Andi and your mom share what they’re comfortable with in their own time.”

“Billie knows.”

“Fallon.”

“She knows. She said something about it not being her place to tell Dan Bath’s story. And she was quiet the entire time we were at the pub.”

“Everyone was quiet,” Riley said. “You might not like Dora and her friends, Fallon. They are part of this community. Everyone likes Dick.”

“He’s a good guy.”

“And he’s married to Dora. Even if some people find her—challenging, they like Dick. They’re thinking about him, too,” Riley said. A knock at the door drew her attention. “That’s probably Pete with Owen.”

Fallon massaged her temples. It had been a long day, and she feared it wasn’t ending anytime soon. She heard Pete’s voice ask if she was home and sighed.

“Hi,” Pete said.

“Momma!” Owen ran into Fallon’s knees.

“Hey. Did you have fun with Uncle Pete?”

“Yep. I caught two fish, Momma.”

“Wow.”

“And he’s not even wet,” Riley commented as she entered the room. “Beth has taught you well,” she told Pete.

Fallon rolled her eyes. “They were fishing, Riley, not catching frogs.”

“My mistake,” Riley said. “Do you want to stay and have a beer?” she asked Pete.

Pete looked at Fallon, then back at Riley. “Sure.”

“Owen,” Riley said, “Let’s get you a snack.”

“Kay! Momma?”

“Yes?” Fallon replied.

“I went to school!”

“I heard. You went to pick up Evan.”

Owen shook his head. “No. I did work.”

Fallon tried to understand.

“Letters,” Pete explained. “I think Aunt Beth put them in your backpack,” he told Owen.

Owen sprinted back toward the door.

Riley emerged from the kitchen with two beers. “Where’s Owen?”

As if on cue, Owen ran into the room with his school paper waving in his hand.

“Mommy!”

Riley bit her lip to keep from laughing. “What do you have there?”

Owen held up the slightly crinkled paper proudly.

“You did that?” Fallon asked.

“Yep. It’s homework,” Owen explained.

Fallon pulled Owen close and hugged him. “I’m so proud of you.”

The triumphant grin that curled Owen’s lips melted Riley’s heart. “I think that deserves a soda,” she said.

Owen’s eyes popped open wide.

Riley held out her hand. “Come on. That is an A+ paper,” she said, leading him to the kitchen.

Pete took a sip from his beer. “He’s a neat kid.”

“Yeah. He really is,” Fallon agreed.

“Listen, Fallon.”

“It’s none of my business.”

“No. It isn’t. It isn’t mine, either.”

“But?”

“I remember when Mary Branigan wrote that petition to keep you from opening Murphy’s. Your mom and Mrs. Sherman came to my mother’s house. Ida was pissed because Dora didn’t shut it down.”

Fallon shook her head.

“My mother told Ida that Dora tried. She asked Mary to drop it.”

“Why would she do that?”

“Dora was their fifth wheel.”

“You mean when they were in school?”

“Longer than that. A lot longer,” Pete said.

“I never saw Dora at my mother’s house. Never.”

“Not that you remember,” Pete said. “I didn’t know about this until Andi’s mom passed. I brought my mom to see her. She and Pat told Andi and me to stay. Pat was so sick, Fallon. Andi was a mess.”

“I remember.”

“Things between Andi and Jake weren’t good then, Fallon. I think that’s why Pat and my mom decided to tell us about Dora.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know what Andi has told you. When Jacob was a baby, she walked in on Jake. In their bed with Delia Hutchinson.”

Fallon was sure she’d stopped breathing. Delia Hutchinson graduated with Fallon and Billie. She was always an incurable flirt. Fallon never imagined she’d sleep with someone’s husband, much less Andi’s. “Andi never told me that.”

“Not surprised. She was supposed to spend the night at her mom’s.

They were going through her father’s things, deciding what to donate.

It was a shitty time. I mean really shitty for Andi.

Her dad had just died, Jake had taken the sales job.

He was never home, and Jacob wasn’t even a year old.

I guess your mom and Pat said they’d babysit so Andi could be with Jake.

She went home to surprise him. She ended up with the bigger surprise. ”

“What the hell was he thinking?”

“Jake Maguire doesn’t think.”

“You don’t like him,” Fallon said. “You never said anything.”

“I love Andi. I said plenty back then. Some of it probably hurt more than it helped. I backed off.”

Fallon sighed. “What does that have to do with Dora?”

“You probably won’t remember this. I barely remember it. Dick Bath wasn’t always a lawyer. He worked for the State Police.”

“I don’t think I ever heard that.”

“Worked his way through school. Sold his parents’ farmhouse and used the money for law school. He went to Boston for two years when Dan was little.”

“How do I not know any of this?” Fallon asked

“Probably because no one talks about it. Anyway, I guess the same thing happened to Dora. She left Dan with Andi’s mom. Went to Boston to surprise. Found him with his girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?”

“Yep. He spent weekdays with his girlfriend. Weekends with Dora.”

“No way. Dick?”

Pete nodded. “Yep. I know. Hard to believe, isn’t it? Dora was crushed. I guess her solution was to drown her sorrows at the bar. Then she drove home.”

Fallon stayed silent.

Pete took a deep breath. “She hit a kid, Fallon. A ten-year-old boy riding his bike.”

Fallon felt sick.

“Yeah. I know. It’s awful.”

“What happened after that?” Fallon asked.

“Dora just shut down. She did time in a treatment program through the church. My mom said it was brutal. Judgment, shame, guilt—the whole thing. When she came back, she had to do community service. Guess who oversaw that?”

“Let me guess, Mother Mary Branigan.”

“Good guess.”

“I don’t know everything. I know that Dora’s mother took custody of Dan for more than a year. She told Dora that our mothers were bad influences, “too far from God,” my mom told me.”

Fallon couldn’t help but chuckle. “Because they drank?”

“Probably.”

“I can tell you that your mom and Andi care a lot about Dora. When Dora found out about Jake’s affairs, she sent Andi a letter. I don’t know what it said. I know Andi still has it.”

“How can there be so many secrets in this town?” Fallon wondered.

“I don’t think it’s a secret. Just something no one wants to revisit.”

“Why wouldn’t Andi tell me?”

“Have you told Andi and Riley everything about Liv?” Pete asked. “Did you tell them how close you came to not being here?”

“They know about the bridge.”

“All of it?”

Fallon shrugged. “Enough.”

“People don’t look, Fallon. It’s kind of like working on cars.”

“Huh?”

“People hear something rattle or they feel something shift. Most times, they ignore it. Until they can’t.”

“Maybe you should think about becoming a shrink.”

Pete laughed. “Nope. That’s one hood I don’t need to open,” he said, taking one last sip from his beer. “I should go. I want to call Andi on the way home.”

“Thanks. Pete?”

“Yeah?”

“I hope Dora is okay.”

“Yeah. Me too.”

June 15 th

Fallon always calculated the start of summer by the end of school and the beginning of fall by the day she returned to school.

That hadn’t changed since she started kindergarten.

She tried to remember a summer that began with as much activity as this one.

Two weeks. That’s all it had been since school ended.

Two weeks. She’d been to three of Evan’s baseball games, a dance recital, and now she was setting up a baby shower.

The following week would be Owen’s birthday party.

Then came Riley’s, Emily’s, and Summer’s birthdays.

“We need to start a town-wide social calendar,” she mumbled, placing another chair in the yard. “And a Target.”

“What are you mumbling about?” Ida asked.

“Nothing. Just thinking I need somewhere closer to shop for all these parties.”

“Mm-hm. You keep adding kids. You keep spending money.”

Fallon chuckled. “You’re here early.”

“I stopped to bring Dick some banana bread and a casserole.”

“How is Dora?”

Ida sighed. “The same. He’s running back and forth to the rehab facility.”

“Is she talking?” Fallon asked.

Ida shook her head.