Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

* * *

Maddy gingerly extricated herself from a deeply slumbering Ken's

embrace; it was already late morning and she wanted to make him a few

meals before heading back home to Media. Thank goodness, Betty had

understood when Maddy phoned in her request to take an impromptu

vacation day. Mondays weren't typically auspicious days for selling,

anyway. Most of Maddy's agenda was going to consist of visiting existing

clients, rather than cold-calling prospects. And since schmoozing was an

activity Betty rather enjoyed, she'd been more than happy to deliver the

donuts to the new account.

Over at the SuperFresh, Maddy had purchased the supplies she

needed to make some of Ken's favorites-including the spicy marinara

sauce he'd raved over the night they had dinner with her mother and Aunt

Maria. Instead of mussels, though, Maddy had bought scallops and

shrimp, figuring they might fare better in the freezer. Then all he'd have

to do is boil some spaghetti and, voila! Dinner. There was just one minor

problem: Despite her heritage, Maddy wasn't quite as learned in the

methods of making Italian sauce as her elder female family members. In

fact, it had only been in recent years she'd even developed a taste for it

herself.

As a child and adolescent, she'd always asked her mother for "plain"

pasta, tossed in olive oil and garlic instead of tomato sauce. For whatever

reason, she just couldn't understand why everyone was so enamored with

what some in her family had often called "gravy." Of course, once she'd

grown into a young adult that had all changed, though pesto was still her

preferred choice. In fact, she could have made it easy on herself by buying

a container of the olive oil, basil and pinola nut mixture at the store, and

simply leaving it in Ken's refrigerator. But when she remembered how

much he loved the spaghetti and mussels, she didn't have the heart to

deny him.

"Guess I'll just have to call Mom," she thought, walking over to

Ken's phone. Though it was long distance, she was pretty sure he

wouldn't mind. Besides, the conversation was on his behalf and anyway,

how long could it possibly take to write down a recipe? Monica Rose

answered on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Mom." Maddy spoke in a hushed whisper.

"Hi, hon, where are you?" Monica's tone was cheerful as she set

down the bridal magazine she'd been reading. Lori had asked for her

opinion on a few more select gowns she'd discovered since their

conversation the previous day. They were planning to go to some

boutiques that evening.

"I'm still at Ken's," Maddy replied.

"How's he doing?"

"He's sleeping right now, so that's a good thing. It's nothing serious,

thank God; the doctor thinks he'll be as good as new in a few days."

"That's good. Well when he wakes up, tell him I was asking for him."

"I will."

"So when are you heading back?"

"Uh, in a few hours. I want to leave him with some food for the

week, which is why I'm calling. He really loved your sauce that night, but I

am not exactly sure how you make it. Can you give me the recipe?"

Monica laughed.

"Sure, honey. You're not going to believe how easy it is!"

"I'm sure. I guess I never really paid attention when you cooked it."

As Maddy jotted down her mother's instructions, Kathy entered the

kitchen, still clad in her bathrobe. She exchanged smiles with Maddy,

before pulling out the coffee pot to brew eight strong cups in preparation

for work.

"Ok, Mom, that sounds great. No, don't worry; I am definitely going

to leave before it gets dark. I'll call you."

"Alright, sweetie. I may still be out with your sister when you get

back, but Louis and your father should be here."

"Thanks for the recipe. I love you."

Maddy replaced the receiver and then turned to Kathy, who was now

seated at the table.

"Good morning! I hope I didn't wake you?" Kathy looked at Maddy

with warm green eyes.

"Not at all sweetheart!" She spoke with an enthusiastic and raspy

voice. "I'm not much of a sleeper, which is one of the reasons why I love

my job so much. Constant activity, noise, people-it's what I live for!"

Maddy cracked up.

"Growing up in a family of five kids, I've definitely had my share of

that," she replied. "I must admit, though, sometimes quiet works really

well for me, too!"

"So what's all this?" Kathy asked, motioning to the ingredients that

were spread out all over the counter.

"Oh, I just thought I'd make some meals for Ken before I go home

today." Then remembering herself, she added, "There's plenty here for

both of you to enjoy. I just hope I can make it taste as good as my

mother's."

"Well, I can sure tell why he's so crazy about you," Kathy stated, as

Maddy began to blush. "Adorable and thoughtful. You don't see that in

too many girls today. They're either users, liars, sleazes or a combination

of all three. They see a nice guy like him and they pounce. Use him for

whatever they can get, and then break his heart." Kathy spoke with a

mixture of disdain and concern.

"Wow, Ken sure is lucky to have a friend like you looking out for

him," Maddy said sincerely. "You really seem to have his best interests at

heart."

"Well, he's like a son to me. Did he tell you about Liz Anne? What

that girl did to him was nothing short of cruel!" Kathy whispered loudly

as she glanced back towards the living room.

"Um, yes, he did share that with me." Afraid Ken might wake up and

hear them, Maddy tried to discourage any further commentary on the

topic. Kathy, however, remained undeterred.

"I mean, did she have any idea what she was giving up? How could

she hurt him like that? Men like him don't grow on trees. Believe me, I

know!"

"Yeah, he got a little choked up when he told me about it. And about

his dad, too. I felt really bad for him." Maddy busied herself with food

preparation, feeling strangely intrusive, though Kathy's narrative mirrored

everything Ken had already shared with her.

"Thank God, he and his dad patched things up," Kathy confirmed.

"And now that you've come along-a nice girl, the kind of girl he's been

looking for, he's finally rid of that tramp, Roseanne!" Roseanne?

"Uh, who?" Maddy asked.

"Oh, don't worry, honey, she's just some local bimbo," Kathy

shrugged. "She can't hold a candle to you, but you know how it is for

men, sometimes. Even if they want to settle down and get married, while

they're looking for the right girl, they still have their needs. Women do,

too, but it's easier for us, somehow. And this trashy Roseanne has

probably been with every single guy under 30 in Atlantic County-

provided they have the means to wine her and dine her, of course."

Maddy could feel a knot tightening in her stomach as she sautéed

onion and garlic in a frying pan. Why hadn't he ever mentioned her?

"I-I guess we never got around to discussing Roseanne," she admitted

softly.

"That's because she's really insignificant. Just a girl he knows, that's

all. After Liz Anne broke his heart, he needed a distraction and she just

happened to be there. There was never anything serious between them-

on either of their parts." Then sensing Maddy's discomfort, she added,

"Madeline, I hope I didn't upset you. I swear there's nothing between

Ken and Roseanne. It's been months since I've seen her around here. And

you are all he's talked about since the night he met you. There's nothing

to worry about!"

Kathy spooned some sugar into her coffee mug, before adding a

dollop of cream. Raising it to her lips, she looked Maddy in the eye.

"Please, don't be mad at him. Knowing Ken, I am sure he was

planning to tell you, even if it was just a convenience kind of thing. The

fact that he didn't proves my point-she was such an insignificant part of

his life, she wasn't even worth mentioning."

Kathy placed her hands on Maddy's shoulders. "Honey, look, I share

your background, even though I'm from the city and I'm not a college girl

like you. I know how you were raised, probably just like me in many ways.

Did you go to Catholic school, too?" Maddy nodded.

"St. Maria Goretti," Kathy announced, patting her chest.

"Cardinal O'Hara," Maddy answered softly. She really didn't enjoy

dredging up old adolescent memories.

"So, you know how it is, then," Kathy went on. "They teach us how

to live, right from wrong, and that's a good thing. And I come from a big,

close family like yours. Only one sister, but lots of cousins around the

neighborhood. My family wasn't rich, but my parents were very proud.

They worked really hard to send us to Catholic school. And they taught us

all of the same things; took us to Mass every Sunday. The whole bit."

"And then one day, my older sister Donna announced she was

pregnant at age 18," Kathy went on. "Hoo-boy! My parents were

devastated!"

"I can only imagine," Maddy sympathized, shuddering at the thought

of ever being in that position herself. She was fairly certain her parents

would never disown her, although it would be a very long nine months

filled with recriminations and lectures about her future; hopefully after the

birth of an adorable grandchild, all would have been forgotten, if not

actually forgiven. But for the rest of her life she'd live with guilt over

"embarrassing" her family. Definitely not a good scenario.

"So what happened?" Maddy asked.

"Well, Donna had been seeing the boy-the father of her baby, for

over two years. He was also from the neighborhood; in fact, he was like

the son my father never had. So, once my parents got over the shock, they

accepted it."

"Just like that?"

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Kathy shrugged again. "It's not like

Donna was out tramping around; this was her steady boyfriend. And they

loved each other very much."

"So did they get married?"

"They sure did, but in a quiet, low-key ceremony. Our parish priest

was a good friend of the family, and he agreed to marry them. And guess

what? They're still happily married! Even had two more kids."

"Wow, that's great," Maddy said, still trying to put herself in the same

position with the exact same result. Somehow, it just didn't seem possible.

"Yeah, and here I am, 50, and still single. Go figure!" Kathy let out a

loud, gravelly belly laugh, before announcing her intention to go smoke a

cigarette out on the patio.

"And don't give a second thought to what I told you!" she reminded

Ken's young girlfriend as she opened the sliding glass door off of the

kitchen and stepped outside.