I smiled.
“Not about me.”
The following afternoon, Irvin went to Vanessa’s barbecue alone.
I waited thirty minutes.
Then I walked next door carrying a large gift box.
The backyard was packed with neighbors holding drinks and paper plates.
Conversations slowed when I entered through the gate.
Irvin saw me first and immediately had to hide a smile.
Vanessa didn’t bother hiding her irritation.
“What are you doing here?”
“I brought you a gift.”
I placed the box on the patio table.
“Go ahead. Open it.”
Half the neighborhood was watching.
Vanessa lifted the lid.
Inside was a hammer.
A screwdriver set.
Several kinds of batteries.
Lightbulbs.
A jar opener.
A basic home-repair manual.
And a printed list of local handymen.
Her smile vanished.
“Now you don’t need my husband every time something breaks.”
A nervous laugh moved through the crowd.
Vanessa forced one of her own.
“Oh my God, Claire. You’re being dramatic. I was joking.”
I looked directly at her.
“No, you weren’t. You sat in my kitchen and told me to prepare for divorce because you were going to take my husband.”
The laughter stopped instantly.
