Fallen Gods

Twenty

Sarah struggled towards wakefulness, wondering where the sound was coming from. When it dawned on her that it was the phone, ringing beside her bed, she mumbled and threw out an arm, hoping to prod someone into answering it. She was caught in the confused tail of a departing dream; she might have been reaching out to Bob, or possibly to Ron, but she could not be sure which it was she imagined was lying beside her.

But the tone trilled on, until she came fully to her senses and realised that she was alone. She glanced at the time; it was eight-fifteen. Since Trish was not answering, she guessed that she was either in the shower, or busy changing Seonaid. Grumbling silently, she threw herself across the bed and grabbed the handset.

"Hi there," came a silvery morning voice. "Don't tell me your household was still asleep. With three kids, how do you do that?"

Sarah often thought that when Babs Walker was called to the Master her husband served, it would be because of a terminal case of cheerfulness.

"Easy," she answered, stifling a half yawn. "I don't waken the poor little things at seven o'clock on a Sunday morning. It might be a working day for you, but it's rest time for most of us."

"The Devil finds work, Sarah," Babs chirped. "Got to keep those hands busy. Speaking of which, where were you when I called you yesterday?

Your nanny was rather vague on the subject. Wherever it was, you were behaving yourself, I hope."

"You hope no such thing, and you damn well know it."

"Hey, come on, of course I do; I'm a minister's wife, after all. It just so happens that Alice Bierhoff saw you and a certain large and rugged pro foot baller getting out of a car in his mom's driveway yesterday afternoon, and standing, shall we say, rather close together. I just hope we didn't break any commandments, that all."

She felt her lips purse. Babs, in spite of herself, was her closest girlfriend, and they had been sharing most of their secrets since they were twelve. But not this one, Sarah thought, or it might go straight to Bob at the first opportunity.

"Alice Bierhoff is cross-eyed and can't see much further than the hood of her Cadillac," she retorted. "It was probably Ron's mother that she saw."

"Alice wears contacts now. And what was Ron's mother doing putting on her bra in Ron's bedroom, with the shades up, when she drove past again a couple of hours later?"

If her friend had been with her, she would have seen Sarah's face redden. "Barbara," she said, 'it's too late to tell you to mind your

Goddamned business, but please, just for once, will you go against your nature and keep your mouth shut about this. And tell dear Alice that if she doesn't want to have an emergency appendectomy, without anaesthetic, she'd better do the same."

Babs laughed. "I can deliver on the first of those, and I will, but I'm not so sure about the second."

"Make yourself sure. Now what can I do for you? Surely you didn't call me at this hour just to quiz me about my sex life? For all you know you might have been interrupting it."

Her friend chuckled. "That would have been fun, but no, I didn't. I was wondering whether we'll be seeing you in church today?"

"Why, are the Lutherans starting a confessional?"

A peal of laughter rang down the line. "Maybe we should, maybe we should. No, I was wondering whether you and the children might like to join us for lunch afterwards. It would give your girl Irish some time off."

"She's having today off anyway; I was planning to take the kids to the lake this afternoon."

"Were you now? Does Ron still have his boat there?"

"I have no idea. He wasn't included on the trip."

"Well, whatever; what do you say?"

"Have you invited anyone else?" Sarah asked.

"I could do, if you'd like."

"I wouldn't like, and with that understood, yes thanks, we'll be there. We'll be at Ian's service too; Seonaid's old enough to behave herself now, and James Andrew needs a little discipline in his life. Besides, I might see Alice Bierhoff. If I do, don't be surprised if I punch her contacts right out of her head."