“I’ve wanted to meet you ever since you moved in. But I never wanted to intrude,” Arthur said warmly. “What a great pleasure it is to meet you, and how kind you are to invite us in. I’m beginning to think the earthquake was a stroke of good fortune,” he said enthusiastically, and Meredith laughed, and ushered them all into her home. They stood admiring what they could see by flashlight, and she led them all down to the kitchen, where some of the lights were on. Their emergency generator had kicked in, which would power a few lights and appliances around the house.
She asked Jack and Debbie to come up with something simple to eat for all of them. “Sandwiches and cookies would be great,” she suggested in an undertone. She could see they didn’t look pleased. She knew how protective they were of her and the house, and they had a profound distrust of strangers. But all of her neighbors were highly respectable people, one of them was famous, and the others looked nice. Peter was obviously a sweet boy, and both women were very pleasant, and the two children were adorable. She and Daphne were already fast friends.
“And I have a special job for you two,” she said to Will and Daphne. “Since most of the power is off, we’ll need to eat everything in our big freezer over the next week or so. So how about if you two get a head start and eat as much ice cream as you can? I think we have five or six flavors,” she said, as Will grinned and Daphne let out a squeal of delight. Meredith lifted her onto a stool, and scooped out the ice cream herself into two bowls in the flavors they wanted. And she added a plate of cookies while Debbie got to work on sandwiches with a sour look. Meredith had Jack get Joel a scotch on the rocks, Arthur asked for a brandy, both women had white wine, and Andrew said he couldn’t drink since he was going on duty, and should already be there, but he didn’t want to miss the gathering at Meredith’s house. Peter had white wine, like the two women. Meredith poured herself a small glass of wine too, took a sip, and toasted them all to welcome them to her home. It was the first time she’d had guests in years.
Debbie set out a big platter of sandwiches a little while later. She had just done a big grocery run the day before, so they were heavily stocked with food. Debbie liked to buy in quantity as much as possible, so she didn’t have to go often, except for produce and dairy products, but for now they had plenty of those too.
And Jack was pouring drinks like the bartender on the Titanic. He took a quick shot himself when no one was looking. The guests were all having a good time, and sat around the kitchen table talking. Andrew finally left them then to go to the hospital a few blocks away. After they’d all talked for a while, and eaten the sandwiches Debbie made, Meredith led them to the bedrooms she had offered to let them use. They were afraid to go back to their own houses, so they had accepted gladly.
She put Peter in a spacious room right next to Arthur. She had Debbie bring in a rollaway bed for Will, so he could sleep in the same room with his mother. And Daphne was going to share the canopied bed with her mother, and Martha, since Andrew had to stay at the hospital. Daphne told Meredith that Martha thanked her for the nice room and the pretty bed. Their rooms were on the same floor as Meredith’s, whose suite was at the opposite end of the house. There was a little sitting room off her bedroom where Meredith sat and chatted for a few minutes with Ava and Tyla. She’d given Joel and Ava a handsome guest room, after he and Peter went to shut off the gas at his house, and returned. Meredith loved having them in the house. Suddenly the whole place seemed infused with laughter and chatter, and delightful people. It felt like an old-fashioned house party and the earthquake made them feel like friends immediately.
She finally went to her own room at midnight, after making sure that everyone had what they needed. The two children were fast asleep by then, with Daphne clutching her doll, and Ava looking even more stunning in a short white T-shirt that left her midriff bare, and tight jeans. She and Joel had changed into clothes as soon as they got there.
A few minutes after Meredith got to her bedroom, Debbie came to see her in the guise of checking if she needed anything. She looked like she had something else to say as she lingered with a disgruntled expression.
“I’m fine. And thank you for the delicious sandwiches.” Meredith smiled at her, to cheer her up. She assumed that Jack had retired for the night, since their night security men were patrolling the house, making sure that no one tried to force their way in, come over the outer wall, or slip in a window. A night where most of the city had no power was an open invitation to intruders. And with the generator, Meredith’s house wasn’t dark. It was the only house with lights in the neighborhood, which made it stand out more than ever.
“You can’t let these people stay another night,” Debbie said boldly, taking Meredith by surprise. She had thought Debbie was upset by the earthquake, not the guests.
“Why not? Of course I can. Their homes may not be safe, and will have to be inspected before they go back in and can stay there. Heavy objects may be ready to fall on their heads, and there could be dangerous structural damage. There’s no electricity in any of their houses. We at least have some light, and all our mechanical devices are up and running. Jack said so.”
“But you don’t know who these people are, Meredith. They could rob you blind during the night, or even hurt you.”
“I can’t imagine a famous blind concert pianist holding me at gunpoint, or any of the others for that matter. His young novelist employee, a doctor and his wife and two children, and an internationally known founder of high-tech startups and his girlfriend.” Joel had made sure that everyone knew who he was. “They don’t seem dangerous to me, and I want them to stay as long as they need to,” she said clearly to Debbie. Meredith was in full control of the situation. She was enjoying their company, and even the sound of their voices in the hall. The house was no longer silent and it felt full of life. For an instant, she wondered if Jack and Debbie were jealous. They had been used to her full attention for so many years now, almost like children. Maybe they didn’t want to share her with strangers. But Meredith was enjoying every minute of it. The earthquake had suddenly put new vibrancy into her home, and was making her feel needed. But she could see that she wasn’t going to be able to convince Jack or Debbie to welcome their guests. They felt threatened by them, which seemed foolish and unfriendly to her. She was loving it. Their being there gave her a purpose, even if only for a few days, or however long they needed her. She was happy to welcome them and help them, whatever Jack and Debbie said.
When she went to bed that night, Meredith thought of Daphne and her doll, the fabulous concert pianist she was thrilled to meet, and all the others. There had been something endearing and vulnerable about Tyla. That drew Meredith to her and made her want to mother her. The two hotties in their bathrobes were intriguing too. Ava seemed like a bright girl, but Meredith could see easily that Joel didn’t appreciate her fully as a person. He just wanted her as a toy to play with. Peter seemed mesmerized by Ava and couldn’t keep his eyes off her. They were an intriguing group.