Suddenly Single. Millie Criswell

then crossed herself to atone for her sin. “What is this woman, Mussolini, that she thinks my daughter isn’t good enough? I should call her up and give her a piece of my mind.”

      “It wouldn’t do any good. Honey oozes out of Miriam Mackenzie’s sweet Southern belle mouth. She looks right at you and smiles, and then pushes a knife into your back. I’ve got so many holes I should be leaking like a sieve.”

      From the start, Miriam had gone out of her way to cause trouble between Lisa and Alex. The woman was always bringing her son’s old girlfriends into the conversation, going on about how accomplished they were, how beautiful, how much Alex had adored them, trying to get a rise out of Lisa. She would probe for information about Lisa’s education, knowing her daughter-in-law had only a two-year degree from a junior college, or ask her about certain poets or composers in an attempt to make Lisa look stupid, which usually worked.

      Lisa was up on her Aerosmith and Bono, but didn’t know a thing about Bach or Beethoven.

      Crossing herself again for good measure, Josephine pondered her daughter’s comments, and then tried to reason with her. “I didn’t get along good with your father’s mother, either, before she died. God rest Carmela’s miserable soul. She was a nasty old woman, your grandmother. In fact, Carmela Morelli was so nasty that she made my mother, who’s no picnic, look like a saint.”

      “I heard that!” Grandma Abrizzi shouted from the living room, making Lisa smile.

      The elderly woman, who lived with Lisa’s parents, was a feisty old gal who said what she thought, shooting straight from the hip and rarely taking any prisoners.

      Lisa liked to think she was a lot like her.

      “But you didn’t marry Alex’s mother,” Josephine continued. “You married Alex. And I assume, since you went to so much trouble to marry him quickly and outside the sanctity of the church—” she kissed the gold cross hanging around her neck “—that you love this husband of yours.”

      Not about to give her mother any ammunition that the wily woman could use against her, Lisa hedged. “I don’t know. All I know is that our marriage was a mistake. As soon as I can afford to hire a lawyer, I’m going to file for divorce.”

      “That would be a sin, for more than one reason.”

      “Would you have me live my life and be unhappy? Is that what you want for me?”

      “I want all my children to be happy. I want what is best for you, Lisa. You know that. But in my heart I don’t believe that divorcing Alex Mackenzie is going to make you happy. In fact, I think it will make you very unhappy and you will come to regret it.”

      Lisa felt betrayed by what she deemed her mother’s lack of support and understanding. “There’s no point in discussing this further, Mom. We are not going to agree.”

      No surprise there! They rarely agreed on anything.

      Sighing deeply, Josephine shook her head at her daughter’s stubbornness. “So where are you going to get the money to rent an apartment?”

      “I intend to find a job to support myself. I’ve already decided that I don’t want any of Alexander’s money.”

      “Have you spoken to Leo about letting you live with him a while longer? You know you can always come home, if he says no.”

      “I know, Mom, and I appreciate that.” Not!

      “I’m going to talk to Leo this evening when he gets home from work. I’m sure he’ll expect me to be gone. He sort of hinted at that this morning. But Francie’s going to put in a good word for me today, so maybe he’ll be more agreeable by tonight.”

      “For all of Leo’s sins in the eyes of God, he has a good heart.”

      “Yeah. Let’s just hope his generosity and goodness extends to me.”

      “Living with a gay man is going to be awkward, no? What about his…” Josephine searched for the right word. “Friends?”

      Lisa shrugged. “That doesn’t bother me in the least. To each his own, I say.”

      “You young people have strange ideas. I don’t understand your way of thinking.”

      Now that was one statement of Josephine Morelli’s that she could agree with wholeheartedly.