Vultures at Twilight Read Online Free PDF Page A

mine’s been fine,’ Susan said.
    And Ada selected her favorite cookie with the chunks of crystallized sugar and popped it into her mouth and chewed silently.
    â€˜Otherwise, everything’s OK, Mom?’
    â€˜Yes, dear,’ Ada replied, wondering if she should mention the gruesome discovery at the auction, and then decided not to. ‘Things are fine. Why don’t you tell Aaron to give me a call? From the sounds of it he could use a friendly ear. If he wanted, he could stay the weekend.’
    â€˜You’re not going in to see Grandma Rose?’
    â€˜No,’ Ada said, feeling a guilty twinge at the mention of her ninety-one-year-old mother in her Lower East Side apartment. ‘I went last week.’ And not wanting to give Susan any more of an opening into a topic that was tearing her up: ‘Tell Aaron I’ll email him. I’d love for him to visit.’
    â€˜I don’t know,’ Susan said. ‘He’s gotten to be a handful.’
    â€˜Whatever you decide,’ she replied, knowing that it wouldn’t be what her daughter wanted, but invariably would rest with her bullying husband. ‘I would love to see him.’
    â€˜Well, I’ll let him know. I should probably get going.’
    â€˜OK dear, give my love to the kids.’
    â€˜Love you, Mom.’
    â€˜Love you too, dear,’ Ada said and hung up. The call left her rattled, thinking about her grandson, her aging mother, but there was something else. She stared at her dated phone caddy, the kind where you move a lever over the letter and then press a bar to make it open. She moved it to ‘R’ and looked at the name. Without pause she dialed, half hoping a machine would pick up. Instead a woman answered on the second ring.
    â€˜Miriam?’ Ada asked.
    â€˜No, it’s Beth. Ada? Is that you?’
    And Ada chatted with her friend’s partner, quickly catching each other up on their respective lives. ‘Hold on,’ Beth said, ‘I hear her getting out of the shower.’
    After a couple moments: ‘Ada! Dahling, how are you?’
    â€˜I’m good,’ she said, picturing Miriam, with her curly salt-and-pepper hair, deep brown eyes and warm smile. ‘I wanted to wish you L’shana tova .’
    â€˜And a sweet New Year to you, as well. So when am I going to break you out of that ghetto for old folks? Especially for a hot ticket like you. Last time I saw you, you didn’t look a day over thirty-nine.’
    â€˜Your nose is growing and it’s not that bad here.’
    â€˜So you say. I was sure that once Harry passed you’d come back to the city.’
    â€˜No,’ Ada said, ‘I like it. It’s a bit geriatric, but it’s beautiful and I’ve got friends.’
    â€˜So you’ve said.’ Miriam’s tone was questioning. ‘Anyone special?’
    â€˜Oh, please. I’m sixty-two. I think that ship has sailed.’
    â€˜Are you serious? Sixty-two isn’t old, and besides, you’re still a fine-looking chick.’
    Ada blushed. ‘Yeah, but you should see the men out here . . . Slim pickings.’
    â€˜Dahling, not so interested in the men, and I hear those places have like three women to every one man. Maybe I should check it out.’
    Ada chuckled. ‘Actually it’s more like ten women to every man, and I don’t think Beth would appreciate your looking around.’
    â€˜True. You know we’re going to New Hampshire next month to get married? Would love for you to come, maybe force you into some horrible bridesmaid dress.’
    â€˜Congratulations!’ Ada said. ‘But why not Connecticut? You could stay here . . .’ she added, a weird mix of emotions tumbling through her head and her chest.
    â€˜Beth has family in New Hampshire, and good for you for keeping on top of this stuff. Wish it had gone through in Hawaii – oh well. Are you sure