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I’ll want luncheon served as soon as she gets here. Please tell Cook.”
    Mildred turned to leave, rolling her eyes. When she got back to the kitchen, she relayed the messages to Ben and Alice.
    Alice was pouring coffee for them. “How I am supposed to fix a luncheon with no food? Someone needs to tell her so she can wake up from her fairytale.” She went to a desk where her menus and recipe books were arranged neatly. “I’ll have to do something with bread; that I can make from scratch. Today we need to tell her, the three of us.”
    “What are we supposed to say?” Ben said. Then he laughed. “Good luck with that! She won’t care if there is no money! ‘Just do it!’ will be her answer.” Her three devoted house staff were all thinking the same thing, but no one was saying it out loud: Our days here are numbered .
    Alice decided on a simple lunch of puff pastry stuffed with chicken salad. She could make enough of that for two women with the leftovers from last night’s dinner. They would last another day.
    Ben left to get Sandra, when the phone rang. Mildred picked it up. She put the caller on hold, whispering toAlice as she left the kitchen to get Bernice to take the call, “The prodigal son.”
    Alice shook her head with raised eyebrows. “Oh boy!”
    Mildred came back a few minutes later. “Three for luncheon.”
    Bernice was excited! She knew Bill might be released from prison early, but a whole month! It was just testimony to his innocence that he was out already and to his love for her as his mother that he just arrived home and wanted to come to see her. It didn’t occur to her that he might have bad news. She went up to her bedroom to prepare for her guests. The idea that she would have both her beloved son and the unborn baby of her late son in the house at the same time thrilled her. She had forgotten the screaming scene when she told Bill about the baby. Bernice had a tendency to idealize even the most distorted encounter.
    She freshened her makeup and dabbed perfume behind her ears. Her sons were proud of their mother’s exquisite grooming and appearance. She didn’t want to let Bill down. Her failing eyesight hid the food stains on the front of her shirt from her view, and she couldn’t remember the last time she showered. It would not be missed by her child.
    She heard the car pull around; Sandra must have arrived. She left the seclusion of her bedroom and slowly walked down the stairs, aware that she had grown frail this summer. She no longer went to the gym; the membership was too expensive to continue. She didn’t walk much. At her age, decline happened rapidly if you didn’t watch it.Sandra was standing in the entryway, waiting for Bernice to descend. They waved to each other.
    “Hi! Thank you for having me!” Sandra said, doing her best to hide her shock at Bernice’s appearance. She met her at the bottom stair, and they embraced. “How are you?” she asked, trying to keep the concern from her voice. She had lost weight, and the most worrisome was the condition of her clothes and hair. Always pristine, she was almost slovenly today.
    “I’m doing well! But what about you?” she asked, looking down at Sandra’s still flat belly. She’s entering her second trimester; shouldn’t she be showing at least a little bit?
    “Oh, we’re just fine, with the emphasis on we ,” she laughed.
    Bernice took Sandra’s arm, and they walked together toward the den. Sandra would have to speak to Pam about Bernice’s appearance.
    “By the way, Bill is coming over for lunch, too. You’ll get to meet him under better circumstances.” Bernice looked at Sandra to gauge her reaction to this news. It wasn’t good.
    “Well, I better leave, then.” She shook off Bernice’s arm and headed for the door.
    “Wait! Please, Sandra. I didn’t set this up; he just called, truly. Not five minutes ago. Won’t you see him? Give him a chance to apologize to you.”
    Sandra thought, Yeah, like that