[cont.]
She should have told him that contrary to Tiffani’s predictions of endless misery in store if Odessa didn’t follow her instructions to take up yoga, things here were looking up. Odessa was indeed taking her morning walks and having lunch with both men and women friends again without any prodding. The gallery continued to look splendid and the shows got rave reviews. Odessa was back to doing her usual umpteen million studio visits and talking about which fairs to apply to. She was on the road to recovery without the assistance of chants and contortions.
Poor Jack. Well, she shouldn’t pity him, should she? He chose to marry the woman even if why was mystery. Men are supposed to marry women like their mother. Tiffani was about as different from Odessa as anyone could be.
Unlike Jack, she had perfectly conformed to the old adage, having picked a partner exactly like her father. All Barbara lacked was the lust for physical violence and the weight to carry it off. The experience with Barbara had made her wary of love altogether.
You know, maybe she was judging Tiffani too severely. Odessa was often described as a formidable woman, someone who knew her mind and spoke bluntly, and Odessa might well have been more rigid during Jack’s formative years. After all, she certainly didn’t compromise one iota with Grandma Beulah. She had told her she would come back with Jack only if Grandma Beulah apologized and promised not to strike Jack again. That never happened and true to her word, Odessa and Jack never stepped foot in the house again. Maybe Tiffani irritated her so much because she actually was like Odessa, only with passions and concerns Maggie disagreed with.
Odessa had a heart to heart with her when she first moved in, “I know I have flaws. We all have them and you’ve seen more than your fair share of them. But if you are constantly on the lookout for flaws, that’s all you’ll find. Life goes better if you assume there is some good in everyone around you. Looking for good tends to bring it out in most people too.” It was good advice up to a point. But one thing was certain: Jack had always been very kind to her. He welcomed her into the family with hugs and always defended her. For his sake, she would try to keep an open mind and a quiet tongue. It was the least she could do.
Thirty Four
“You owe me an apology,” Lawrence Cotter nudged her gently at the museum’s fundraising party, as they stood in a crowd near the base of the stairs in the subterranean patio, surrounded by the young and beautiful of Los Angeles.
“You’re probably right.” Odessa smiled at him. He was dressed more like an adult today, but the hair was still unnaturally dark.
“I had a date and you killed my self confidence.”
“So she didn’t fall madly in love with you?”
“No.”
“What a shame. How old is she?”
“Twenty six.”
“Did it ever occur to you that what she found attractive about you is your age? Some young women like older men. And by dressing like you were her age, you confused her.”
“No, I didn’t think about it that way.”
“You got a great facelift. The strong bone structure shows and working out has made you slim. You are obviously vital and engaging. But you aren’t a young man. Pretending to be one just makes you ridiculous.”
“Are you always this truthful?”
“I try. For instance, you shouldn’t go for a three day beard look. The contrast between the really dark hair and the silver stubble just makes your hair look like a wig.”
“You say the nicest things.”
“And I do have nice tits.”
He started laughing. “Ok, we’re even.” The laughter seemed almost as artificial as his hair color. She had embarrassed him.
“It’s hard, I know. Losing your partner. It throws you off your game.”
“Yes. I didn’t realize how much of a partner Doris was until she died. That Joni Mitchell song, ‘Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.’ It’s sad that it’s so accurate.”
“Yes. It’s sad in general.”
“When does it start getting better?”
“I honestly don’t know yet. But what do you think of the art work?”
