Her last day at work was heartbreaking for her. Everyone cried when she left, and so did Tammy. She went home absolutely drained that night, and lay in the dark, with Juanita sleeping on her chest. She had packed everything she wanted to take in four big suitcases. She was leaving the rest. She took a nine A.M. flight the next day, on Saturday, and landed at JFK in New York at five-twenty local time. She rang the doorbell on East Eighty-fourth Street just before seven. She didn't even know if they'd be home. If not, she could go to a hotel until Sunday night if they were in Connecticut for the weekend.
There was no sound inside for a few minutes, and then Sabrina opened the door and stared at Tammy, who was looking very solemn as she stood there, with four enormous bags, and Juanita in her tote.
“What are you doing here?” Sabrina looked stunned. She had had no warning that Tammy was coming, which was what Tammy had wanted. The decision wasn't theirs, it was her own.
“I thought I'd surprise you.” Tammy smiled as she started to drag in her bags. It was still warm and balmy in New York.
“You brought all that shit for the weekend?” Sabrina asked as she helped her, suddenly wondering why she was there. There was a strange look in her sister's eyes.
“No,” Tammy said quietly. “I'm not here for the weekend.”
“What do you mean?” Sabrina stopped and stared at her with a worried look.
“I came home. I quit my job.”
“You did what? Are you crazy? You love your job and you make more money than God.”
“I don't know how much He makes.” Tammy grinned at her. “But currently I'm unemployed, so He makes more money than I do right now.”
“What the hell have you done?”
“I couldn't let you do this by yourself,” Tammy said simply. “They're my sisters too.”
“Oh you lunatic, I love you,” Sabrina said, as she threw her arms around Tammy's neck. “What are you going to do here? You can't just sit around the house.”
“I'll find something. At McDonald's maybe.” She grinned. “So do I still have my pink room?”
“It's all yours.” Sabrina stepped aside, as Annie appeared on the landing with headphones on. She'd been listening to a lecture from the Parker School, but as she took them off, she heard her sister's voice.
“Tammy? What are you doing here?”
“I'm moving in.” She beamed.
“You are?”
“Yes. Why should you guys have all the fun without me?” As she said it and looked at her sisters, she knew she had done the right thing. There was absolutely no question about it. And as Sabrina helped her drag her bags up two flights of stairs, Tammy knew without a doubt that her mother would have been pleased. Better than that, she would have been proud of her.
And as they walked into the room that was going to be her home for the next year, Sabrina turned to look at Tammy and smiled with a look of relief and whispered, “Thank you, Tammy.” It had been worth everything for the look on her sister's face.
Chapter 19
Tammy's arrival at the house changed the dynamics considerably. She was another responsible adult to share the burdens with Sabrina, which was precisely why she'd come. It made things more crowded than before, even though Candy was still away. And they all knew that when she got back, it would be even crazier. They were four women and three female dogs in a relatively small house. Chris said that he was feeling overwhelmed by estrogen overload these days, which was a mild understatement. There seemed to be women's shoes, hats, furs, coats, bras, and thongs everywhere. Tammy said after being there for a week that she felt as though she had given up her job to become a maid.
“This isn't working for me,” she finally said one Sunday morning, after doing her third load of towels. Candy had gotten home the night before, and brought all her laundry home with her, although she could have had it done at the hotel where she was staying. But she said the hotel shrank everything the last time she was there, so she brought it all home, not to Mom anymore, but to her sisters. And Tammy had become the chief laundress, since she wasn't working.
“I love you guys,” she announced at breakfast, as Chris tried to stay out of the way. Annie had named him an “honorary sister” the week before, which he said he didn't think was funny, although she meant it as a compliment. But he said he was beginning to feel like Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, or worse, Robin Williams in Mrs. Doubtfire. “I need two things for total happiness,” Tammy went on. “A job, and a maid.” She had come to realize that as long as she wasn't working, she was going to become the chief cook, schlepper, maid, and bottle-washer. She needed to get out of the house and go to work. And they needed someone else to do the scut work. She hadn't done it in her own house in Los Angeles. Why should she do it here?
“That's a great idea,” Sabrina said absentmindedly, as she handed the sports section of the Sunday Times to Chris. They were all crowded around the breakfast table, and were sharing scones, pains au chocolat, and blueberry muffins. The three older sisters were sharing them, and Chris had already eaten several. Candy hadn't touched a single one. They all had noticed, and also that she had lost more weight on her trip. But no one had mentioned it so far. Sabrina wanted to talk to Tammy about it later that day.
“I can see you're all really impressed by my suggestion,” Tammy said, looking miffed, as she helped herself to another scone. Unlike Candy, she was eating too well. She had nothing to do now, except sit around the house and eat, between doing loads of laundry. They were wearing out the owner's machines. “Okay, ignore me. I'll find a maid myself.” And a job, although God knew what that would look like here.
The five of them went to a movie that afternoon, and when they did, Tammy noticed that Annie had already gotten far more proficient with her white stick. The three weeks she had spent at the Parker School had already made a difference. She was more comfortable moving around the house, used the microwave easily, and had learned several handy tricks. She had fun with Baxter when she was at school, and he called her often on weekends. She hadn't encountered Brad Parker again. He had bigger fish to talk to than her.
The movie they went to wasn't much fun for Annie, but she went so she could spend time with them. And she was able to follow it just listening to the dialogue, although afterward she said it was stupid. They went out for pizza together after the movie, and Candy teased Chris about his harem.
“People are going to start thinking I'm a high-class pimp,” he complained. But the four sisters stuck together like glue. Now that they were living together, he hardly ever got time alone with Sabrina. He didn't complain about it, but he let her know that he noticed. And before Tammy came, with Annie to take care of, she rarely spent a night at his place with him.
It was Sunday night so he went back to his place that night, after spending time with Sabrina alone for a while in her room. Wherever one went in the house, there was someone there, kitchen, den, living room, playroom, dining room. They were a lot of people living under one roof. He was a good sport about it, but Tammy had suggested to her that she shouldn't push it.
“He's a guy, after all, Sabrina. He must get sick of seeing all of us when he wants to be with you. Why don't you stay with him more often?”