getting on the road towards Maine, they stopped at First National Market to pick up provisions for the vacation. Addy had made a shopping list so that she and the kids could zip through the aisles and not keep Lionel waiting. It was pathetic how automatically Addy responded to every situation that might spark Lionel’s temper. What a way to live.
Because the cottage was actually a summer home, where the owners planned to retire one day, it had a fully equipped modern kitchen and other amenities. Lionel said the beach was only a few minutes’ walk, and there was a small grocery store nearby. The children, well trained by Addy not to get on their father’s nerves, were quiet during the endless trip to Maine. They amused themselves looking out the windows as they whizzed past parts of New England they had never seen. When they finally pulled into Beach Plum Lane, then the driveway of a lovely home, Addy was suddenly overwhelmed with feelings of nervous anticipation and joy. Fighting back the tears, she excitedly asked Lionel, “Is this it?”
“Yep,” he grunted. “Charlie has a gorgeous place here, and he never rents it out to strangers. He did it as a favor to me so you’re darned lucky.”
The house was actually two cottages joined together in a U-shape. It looked as if there had once been a freestanding garage between the bungalows, but a large part of the garage had been redesigned to increase the size of the O’Malley’s place and add the master suite. There was still an attached garage for the O’Malleys with a door leading directly into the other residence. Lionel said that portion of the U-shaped configuration was still very much a beach cottage. Charlie had the “luck of the Irish;” an old woman sold him the two houses for a song, with the stipulation that she could use the cottage side for two weeks a year for the rest of her life. Apart from those two weeks, Charlie rented out the cottage side as an income property.
Once again, Lionel emphasized how fortunate Addy and the kids were to be able to stay in Charlie’s side of the property and warned the kids not to mess anything up. Addy wondered if Charlie knew that Lionel wanted to spend these two weeks with his woman in Colorado. After all, Charlie was often on the road with Lionel.
When Lionel turned the key to open the door to this beautiful home, Addy was speechless. The house was something Addy may have seen in one of her magazines. Light streamed into the many windows, illuminating the space with a happy glow. Darker hues were popular when Addy and Lionel’s house was constructed several years ago, but now their home seemed gloomy and dated. Lionel never wanted to spend any money on improvements. As Addy walked through Charlie’s house, one space after another entranced her. The floor plan was very open with living room, dining room, and kitchen flowing into one another. The kitchen contained white cabinets with glass doors, a white tiled floor, and a counter that looked out into the living room. There were stools on one side of the counter, and a large dining area extended from the kitchen. Off the dining room was the huge master suite with its own bath. On the nightstand, Addy spied a photograph of Charlie O’Malley and his wife. Charlie was a tall, handsome, athletic-looking Irishman whose eyes seemed to twinkle with warmth. He looked like a mischief-maker, holding back a good laugh. Charlie’s wife on the other hand, was plain and serious-looking, almost homely. Not that Addy was any beauty, mind you, but she often wondered how some unattractive women won the hearts of gorgeous men. Just how Charlie’s wife, Kathy--Addy thought that was her name--held her head, Addy knew that if Charlie ever dared stray from her, she would raise holy hell. With her sixth sense about people, Addy knew immediately that Charlie loved his wife, and he was not a cheater. She had to turn away from the photo quickly. Pictures of happily married couples stirred up a mixture of envy and sadness in Addy’s heart. She knew that envy was one of the seven deadly sins. Although she held such disdain for the Catholic Church, Addy still tried to be a good person and avoid the worst offenses: Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.
The children shouted with delight as they discovered that the sliding glass doors on one side of the dining room led to a sun porch, the brightest space of all. The white wicker furniture sported new blue, yellow, and white printed cushions. Adorning the sofa and chairs were hand-hooked throw pillows with images of shells, starfish, and seahorses. There were huge jalousie windows on three sides and a ceiling fan overhead.
The fireplace mantel in the living room held numerous photos of Charlie’s family and friends. Addy glanced at them briefly and decided they represented a slice of a very happy existence: beachside barbeques and lobster roasts; Charlie, his wife, and another couple smiling as a waiter carried out a glowing birthday cake; pictures of the kids at various stages of their lives. Addy just had to stop looking. She vowed to avoid studying these photographs too closely during the vacation.
Lionel hated when Addy would drift off into her dream world. He said sharply, “There’s a restaurant near the beach parking lot. I thought I’d take you and the kids there for lunch.”
Addy figured Lionel might be feeling a slight pang of guilt for leaving them while he went off to Denver, but no. He wasn’t that selfless. She suspected the real reason for his sudden generosity was that he wanted a lobster roll.
Although the restaurant was within walking distance, Lionel drove them there. Addy saw him check his watch several times; he must be on a tight schedule. They drove to the parking lot of Wells Beach, and then walked over to McKenna’s Sea Side Grill. The intoxicating smell of fried fresh seafood mixed with salt air immediately brought back memories of Addy’s summers at Sound View Beach. In fact, the whole place resembled a scene from a 1920s picture postcard.
The kids ran quickly to save a picnic table by the sea wall. You could walk down some stone stairs to the beach about thirty feet below. Hot dogs and fries for the kids, a lobster roll for Lionel, and a fried scallop roll for Addy; what a delicious break from their normal routine of always eating at home. The children’s faces were already pink from the sun, but they didn’t mind the heat. A soft breeze played gently with the wisps of auburn hair that framed Mary’s sweet face. Anyone watching Lionel, Addy, Peter, James, and Mary eating lunch by the sea would assume they were a normal, happy American family. When Addy noticed the impatient look in Lionel’s eyes, she knew she had better eat faster.
While they rode back to the house, Lionel spouted inane directions, which he always assumed she needed. “Don’t lose the keys to the cottage; make sure the kids shower outside so they don’t track sand into the house; leave the place as spotless as you found it; be sure to wash all the towels and sheets after stripping the beds … and blah, blah, blah.”
Lionel immediately jumped out of the car as soon as they returned to the house and didn’t even bother to walk inside with them. Tousling the boys’ hair, and giving Mary a quick peck on the cheek, Lionel reminded them he would be back to pick them up on the 21st around 6:00 p.m., and he wanted them all packed and ready to go. He glanced toward Addy, then reached into his pocket, took out his wallet, and handed her a fifty-dollar bill. “This is in case you guys want to eat at McKenna’s sometimes. Now don’t think you have to spend it all.”
“Thanks,” Addy said cheerfully, trying to disguise her eagerness for him to leave. Once Lionel’s dark spirit had gone, the true sweetness and light of this enchanted cottage could shine through at its brightest. There were two other bedrooms so the boys quickly called “dibs” on the one with matching twin beds. That made more sense since the other bedroom had one double bed. By the time they unpacked their clothes and made up the beds, it was nearly four o’clock. “Can we go to the beach now, Mom?” James asked excitedly.
Addy hesitated … she thought, after all, dinner would be at six, and that wouldn’t give them much time. Just before responding, Addy had a revelation: Who said we have to eat dinner at six? Lionel isn’t here, and we four are on VACATION.
“Sure. Go change into your suits.” The boys raced to their room, digging through their dresser drawers to find their swim trunks. Addy had to stop herself from saying, “Hey, we just finished putting everything so neatly into the bureau, and now your clothes are all scrambled up.”
Before the words tumbled automatically from her lips, she made a silent vow to herself that the kids were going to have the time of their lives, and it didn’t matter if the drawers were neat. She really wasn’t a stickler for tidiness but had to conform to Lionel’s