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Authors: Jacquelyn Mitchard
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“Diane, we’re so sorry . . .” Mark began. “This is so bad and unexpected for you.”
“We’re all in this together now,” Big Ray put in, in a comforting rumble. “We have to stand up tall for this little one here.”
“Do you want something to eat?” Nora asked.
“We have all the food in America,” Lorraine added.
“We can’t eat,” Diane said.
They all found chairs in the living room, and sat staring at one Theory[001-112] 6/5/01 11:58 AM Page 45
A Theory of Relativity
45
another through the shadows. No one moved to turn on a light. Diane fumbled in her huge kidney-shaped leather bag. “I brought a photo from before Christmas,” she said. Keefer and Ray, bare feet oversized in the foreground, laughing faces in the background, sitting on a knoll at Sandpiper Reserve, the golf course where the older Nyes lived.
“This is incredibly thoughtful of you to bring us this,” Lorraine said.
“Thank you, Diane.”
“My baby,” Diane said, her thumb caressing Ray’s sun-hallowed head. “Does anyone know how this happened?”
“We won’t know anything for a while, I guess,” Mark told her.
“It was accidental,” Nora put in. They all turned to look at her.
“You remember my sister,” Mark said, “Nora Nordstrom. I don’t know why I didn’t think to introduce . . . I hardly know what I’m thinking. I don’t know if I am thinking . . .”
“We didn’t get to say good-bye,” Diane went on.
“Mother, now,” Ray got up and settled himself around his wife, and Lorraine felt a moment’s envy. People always treated women like Diane as if they needed taking care of, like babies. For once, Lorraine would like to be treated as if she were a baby.
“None of us got to say good-bye,” Mark told her, astounding Lorraine. This had to be the second or third longest conversation Mark had ever willingly conducted with anyone outside his immediate family.
And there was something else in it, a sharpness. Did Mark feel the same way she felt about Diane? “Really, if we’d had a chance, what would we have said, anyway? They knew how much we loved them.”
“At least we can be thankful they didn’t bring the baby along,” Big Ray said.
“They wouldn’t have. It was the old car,” Mark murmured.
“We want to take Keefer for the night,” Diane said, “let you folks get some rest. My daughters are here, and the grandbabies, the two little boys. They just love her to death. They’re only three and four, Brent and Brooks, they have no idea . . .”
“They’re all in the pool right now,” Ray said, “I don’t know how Ali and her husband got back from their cruise so fast, but thank the Lord.
Caroline is doing all right but Alison’s been having a hard time; she and Theory[001-112] 6/5/01 11:58 AM Page 46
46
JACQUELYN MITCHARD
Ray were only fifteen months apart. We raised them like twins, same outfits . . .”
“We all loved Ray,” Mark said. “Ray loved Georgia so much.”
“Where’s Gordon?” Diane asked, “Why isn’t he here? Is he here yet?”
“Oh, he’s in town. He lives here, Diane That’s probably half of why she wanted to move back to Wisconsin, Gordie being here. I don’t know where he is right now, but I think, I don’t know,” Lorraine said, “I think he went to Ray and Georgia’s . . . house, to find . . . pictures . . . I guess to try to write the things he wants to say . . . tomorrow. . . .”
“Big Ray will give our son’s eulogy,” Diane said suddenly.
“Of course.”
“And we are going to have a memorial service for him at the club-house. So many of the players want to come. They have something planned for Keefer. I think for a scholarship. You all come, if you’d like.”
“Well,” Lorraine said, “it kind of will depend on the baby.”
“She’s been so stressed,” Mark explained. “We want to give her a little time to adjust.”
“This won’t be for a few weeks,” Ray said soothingly. “She’ll be all
“Diane, we’re so sorry . . .” Mark began. “This is so bad and unexpected for you.”
“We’re all in this together now,” Big Ray put in, in a comforting rumble. “We have to stand up tall for this little one here.”
“Do you want something to eat?” Nora asked.
“We have all the food in America,” Lorraine added.
“We can’t eat,” Diane said.
They all found chairs in the living room, and sat staring at one Theory[001-112] 6/5/01 11:58 AM Page 45
A Theory of Relativity
45
another through the shadows. No one moved to turn on a light. Diane fumbled in her huge kidney-shaped leather bag. “I brought a photo from before Christmas,” she said. Keefer and Ray, bare feet oversized in the foreground, laughing faces in the background, sitting on a knoll at Sandpiper Reserve, the golf course where the older Nyes lived.
“This is incredibly thoughtful of you to bring us this,” Lorraine said.
“Thank you, Diane.”
“My baby,” Diane said, her thumb caressing Ray’s sun-hallowed head. “Does anyone know how this happened?”
“We won’t know anything for a while, I guess,” Mark told her.
“It was accidental,” Nora put in. They all turned to look at her.
“You remember my sister,” Mark said, “Nora Nordstrom. I don’t know why I didn’t think to introduce . . . I hardly know what I’m thinking. I don’t know if I am thinking . . .”
“We didn’t get to say good-bye,” Diane went on.
“Mother, now,” Ray got up and settled himself around his wife, and Lorraine felt a moment’s envy. People always treated women like Diane as if they needed taking care of, like babies. For once, Lorraine would like to be treated as if she were a baby.
“None of us got to say good-bye,” Mark told her, astounding Lorraine. This had to be the second or third longest conversation Mark had ever willingly conducted with anyone outside his immediate family.
And there was something else in it, a sharpness. Did Mark feel the same way she felt about Diane? “Really, if we’d had a chance, what would we have said, anyway? They knew how much we loved them.”
“At least we can be thankful they didn’t bring the baby along,” Big Ray said.
“They wouldn’t have. It was the old car,” Mark murmured.
“We want to take Keefer for the night,” Diane said, “let you folks get some rest. My daughters are here, and the grandbabies, the two little boys. They just love her to death. They’re only three and four, Brent and Brooks, they have no idea . . .”
“They’re all in the pool right now,” Ray said, “I don’t know how Ali and her husband got back from their cruise so fast, but thank the Lord.
Caroline is doing all right but Alison’s been having a hard time; she and Theory[001-112] 6/5/01 11:58 AM Page 46
46
JACQUELYN MITCHARD
Ray were only fifteen months apart. We raised them like twins, same outfits . . .”
“We all loved Ray,” Mark said. “Ray loved Georgia so much.”
“Where’s Gordon?” Diane asked, “Why isn’t he here? Is he here yet?”
“Oh, he’s in town. He lives here, Diane That’s probably half of why she wanted to move back to Wisconsin, Gordie being here. I don’t know where he is right now, but I think, I don’t know,” Lorraine said, “I think he went to Ray and Georgia’s . . . house, to find . . . pictures . . . I guess to try to write the things he wants to say . . . tomorrow. . . .”
“Big Ray will give our son’s eulogy,” Diane said suddenly.
“Of course.”
“And we are going to have a memorial service for him at the club-house. So many of the players want to come. They have something planned for Keefer. I think for a scholarship. You all come, if you’d like.”
“Well,” Lorraine said, “it kind of will depend on the baby.”
“She’s been so stressed,” Mark explained. “We want to give her a little time to adjust.”
“This won’t be for a few weeks,” Ray said soothingly. “She’ll be all
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