The Surrogate

Instead, she rotated around for every holiday, getting all the hugs and kisses she needed and keeping her home her own. Seeing her there in the big kitchen cooking for a large dinner, Esther could see that Roberta felt young again as she worked over the dinner preparations. To Esther, it felt like old times.

It was not too long before Hillary arrived with her family in tow. Reinvigorated from resting, Hillary’s small pack of people were enthusiastic to be in the sparkling home many people only dreamed of entering. Hillary herself told Esther in excitement that the mansion was on New York’s historic registry.

Hurrying down the hall, Archie and Esther welcomed the Lebowitz family with many smiles. The let them quickly and shut out the chilling air as the sky grew darker and the snowfall seemed more imminent.

“I made pie!” Hillary called as she came through the front door.

Her boys pushed past as they ran to go see what Grace was up to in another part of the house. The college-aged son Adam strolled, too focused on his phone to rush like his siblings.

“It’s a girl apparently,” Oliver said in a hushed tone as the boy got out of sight.

All of the sons piled into the large parlor where the television had been on non-stop since Grace had disappeared with her lunch. The boys began to watch the holiday movies playing on the screen that Grace had picked earlier with her Grandpa Louis. Louis however was fast asleep in the large leather chair with a newspaper in his lap. Even the entering chaos did not wake him.

Hillary’s husband carried two perfectly wrapped pies in his hands, which Archie helped the man with before leading him off to the bar area where Archie began to ask him his preferences on beer or liquor. Hillary and Esther were then left in the foyer putting away the coats tossed aside on the floor by her wild family. Hillary whispered to Esther many thanks as they headed down the hall to the kitchen, passing the extravagant dining room set for the impending affair.

“Archibald is even more handsome in person!” Hillary squealed. “Seriously, Ess, he is so dreamy. If I did not love my precious dumpling of a husband, I would be fawning over than man right now, but I do not know even he would even notice me with the way he is so set on you!”

“Have you really never met him?” Esther asked with surprise.

Hillary shook her head. “No, but after all our talks I feel like I have. Can you see how smitten he is with you, Esther? Or are you blind? That is totally checking off all my boxes. I don’t know why you don’t just marry him already.”

Esther chided her friend as she chuckled at Hillary’s sudden girlish commentary saying, “You’ve got to chill! Our kids are here!”

“I know, but please make out with him and then tell me all about it.”

“We’ll see….” Esther replied with her voice trailing off as she thought about the thought of kissing him deeply and passionately like the tipsy teenagers they had once been.

The thought crept into her head as they headed slowly down the hall. After everything this morning, Esther could have curled up with him on the sofa and kissed him until sundown, but people were there. Her father slept in the leather recliner down the hall. None of Hillary’s fantasies had much possibility with the eyes of people Esther loved watching them carefully.

“Oh my!” Hillary exclaimed, snapping Esther out of her fantasies and anxieties. “That’s a nineteenth century French dining table. Is that the original stain?”

“I believe so. It belonged to his mother’s family. He had it shipped from their home in Maine where a lot of her family’s things were.”

“That has to be priceless,” Hillary replied as she saw her pies on the marble buffet table in the corner of the room next to the platter of cookies and chocolate cake, and quickly sighed. “Don’t tell anyone, but I burned my pies. Esther, they were like charcoal. I swear the crusts were pitch black! I covered them and got them replaced while you guys were at the parade. I had to call up like twelve different bakeries to find them. I had to haul my ass over to Chinatown to get these.”

“You didn’t even tell your husband?”

Hillary scoffed. “God no, I would have not heard the end of it until the new year.”

Esther smiled thinking of Archie as she replied to her friend’s comment with, “He does like to tease.”

They finally headed into the kitchen where Roberta was basting the turkey and using her special compound butter on the skin. The smell of herbs overtook them.

After Archie had found a radio for her, it had been kept on the holiday station. The cheerful music bounced around the kitchen all afternoon. Even with the massive amounts of counter space, Roberta had every square inch covered in pans and cutting boards. Green beans simmered in the skillet on the stove. Macaroni and cheese bubbled in the oven. Sweet potatoes had been beaten to a puree and were waiting to be baked with a streusel crumble topping and chopped nuts. The rolls that Louis had made with Roberta upon their return from the parade were on the kitchen island waiting to be baked at the last minute before dinner. Stray peelings for the roasted vegetables were on the floor.

It was messy and Esther loved it.

The ladies kept each other company, but others did float in and out to offer a quick hand. Before long, it was dinner time. Hillary went to gather the small crowd, and Esther went to pee. On her way back from the toilet, she felt a hand grab her and pull her into a linen closet. Under the light of the single bulb with the smell of fresh laundry around them, the world seemed close and quiet as Esther looked Archie over.

“I’m a bit intoxicated,” Archie admitted. “One glass of hard alcohol will do that to me, but I haven’t seen you this afternoon too much. I missed you.”

“Missed me?” Esther asked, smiling.

“Just a bit.”

She giggled. “So you pulled me into a closet?”

“We don’t have much time, Essie. I just wanted to say how happy I am we did this. This is one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had.”

“I’m glad you’re happy, Archie. You could not just tell me that outside of a closet.”

“I know you don’t like people watching you. Even if they are family, you are a private person, and I wanted this moment to be as you like things: private and unfussy.”

“Fussy can be all right… like today.”

Archie grinned like a child, but his body in the closed quiet space was intoxicating. She felt his hands against the smallest part of her waist as her hands trailed up his arms to rest together behind his neck. The softness of his sweater was warming to Esther, and this stolen moment felt foolish and thrilling. Letting go for just a moment, she kissed his cheek. It smelled of aftershave and bourbon. She wanted more, but knew they would be found out if they took any more time.

“A stolen kiss for me,” Esther whispered.

With that, she rushed out of the closet and hurried to where everyone was gathering around the extravagant table. Archie popped up a moment later, the blush of his cheeks still faintly there on his face. Hillary’s comments danced in her head as she watched him take his seat at the table, but too many people were there to do anything.

Besides… it was time for dinner.

The table set before them overflowed with an abundance of food. It was far more than any of them could ever eat, but the turkey looked divine and the accompaniments were no laughing matter. A myriad of seasonal vegetables were accounted for on the menu.