Tales of the City 06 - Sure of You

“I’m sorry you had to hear it like this.”
    “Yeah, well…” He was flailing around for something to hurt her with. “What else is new? I’m always the last fucking one to know anything. Of course, I realize that when you’re destined for stardom…”
    “Brain…”
    “What did I do? Embarrass you in front of those lounge lizards at Stars?”
    “You’ve never embarrassed me.”
    “Bullshit!”
    She kept herself centered by smoothing the material on the arm of the chair. “If it makes you feel better to cast me as the villain…”
    “Oh, yeah! It does. It makes me feel fucking great! I’m on a major high right now!”
    “If you would just…”
    “Goddamn that asshole!”
    She had been waiting for this and resolved to remain calm. “You know perfectly well Burke and I…”
    “He’s taking you away, isn’t he? He’s paid for your expensive ass, and you’re outa here!”
    “Lower your voice, please.”
    “Does he know about this?”
    “About what?”
    “That you’re dumping your husband and child.”
    She flinched. “I’m not dumping anybody.”
    “You got that right! That’s one luxury you’re not gonna enjoy.” He lunged toward the door.
    “Stop, Brian. Don’t be silly. Where are you going?”
    “What the fuck do you care?”
    “C’mon. Sit down. We can have lunch somewhere.”
    “Fuck your lunch!” He flung open the door, then turned to face her for his parting shot. “You’re one coldhearted bitch, you know that?”
    He slammed the door so hard that it knocked one of her awards off the wall.

    She took off her makeup, then called the nursery.
    “Plant Parenthood.”
    “It’s me, Michael.”
    “Oh…hi.” He sounded guilty already.
    “Brian was just here,” she told him.
    “Yeah. I kinda figured.”
    “I just want you to know I feel totally betrayed by you.”
    “Well, I’m sorry. What was I supposed to do?”
    “You were supposed to keep your mouth shut. You promised me you would.”
    “And how long ago was that?” he snapped.
    “What difference does that make?”
    “You told me you’d tell him, that’s what. It’s been days. The poor bastard was making plans about New York. He was apologizing to me , for God’s sake. I couldn’t just pretend I didn’t…”
    “Why couldn’t you? I asked you to.”
    “Oh, well,” he said snidely, “in that case…”
    “You’ve hurt him very deeply. I think you should know that.”
    “ Me ?”
    “How do you think it felt for him to hear that from you? To know that you and I had discussed something so personal before he even knew about it.”
    “Well, O.K., but…”
    “If you had seen how destroyed he was…”
    “You have got one helluva goddamn never!”
    “Well, think about it.”
    “I am thinking about it! You’re the one who’s leaving him, sister, not me!”
    He hung up on her.
    She sat at her vanity and cried.
    Sooner or later, men were all the same.

A Long Evening
    I F IT RAINS A LOT THIS WINTER ,” SAID THACK , “ IT’LL BE nice and weathered by spring.”
    He was talking about his pink triangle trellis, now a fait accompli. All that was left was to plant the pink clematis, or maybe roses (they hadn’t decided which), and wait for nature to do her stuff. “It looks great,” Michael told him, standing back to admire the carpentry. “I really like the way you’ve joined the corners.”
    “It’s not bad, is it?”
    Michael didn’t have the heart to tell him that the whole thing might not read, that flowers—roses especially—might refuse to conform to the perimeter of the triangle.
    They admired it together in silence. Eventually, Thack said: “I’m worried about Brian.”
    “Me too.”
    “He didn’t come back to work at all?”
    “No.”
    “You’d think he would’ve called, at least.”
    “Well, she said he was really upset.” Michael felt awful about this. Maybe Mary Ann was right. Maybe he had only made it worse—actually contributed to Brian’s humiliation—by spilling the beans. “You think he’s pissed at me?”
    “No. Is that what she said?”
    “No, but…if he sees me as her ally…”
    “What did he say when you told him?”
    “Nothing, really. He was just kind of numb.”
    Thack nodded.
    “Do you think I fucked up?”
    “I don’t know, baby.”
    “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence.”
    “It doesn’t matter. He had to find out.” He slipped his arm around Michael’s waist. “How’s your stomach?”
    “Still there,” Michael told