“Look—I know that your friend Lucia has this big ol’ fancy life right now. She’s in expensive cars and meeting fancy people and she’s got a great big old ring, but you wouldn’t have been happy like that, Liza, I know you wouldn’t.”

“Oh, Granny, I know. I don’t want her life, and”—she rushed out the last bit—“I’m happy for Chicho.” It wasn’t all the way true, but if she said it enough it would become so.

“Well, what’s the matter, baby?” Granny looked all out of options. Why had she kept Dorsey from her?

“There was someone,” Liza started.

“I hope you don’t mean that flashy one . . .” Granny quieted down. “I mean, WIC is a charmer. But I just didn’t like that he couldn’t show up for you that night.” Granny paused to think. “You ended up dancing with that Mr. Shit Don’t Stink.”

Liza lifted her head from Granny’s chest again. Her voice had lost its tremor. “No, his shit is normal.” Liza shook her head. “No, I mean, he’s not like that. He doesn’t think that.”

Granny huffed, reminding Liza a little of Bev. “Well, he’s not winning any congeniality contests over here.”

“He’s not like David. He’s probably never ordered anything with sprinkles on top. But he’s not unkind. It’s important to me that you know that, Granny.” Liza searched her granny’s face for agreement.

“Okay.” Granny look perplexed. “Okay, I know that now.”

If she held on to any suspicion about Liza’s pointed defense of Dorsey, she didn’t let on.

“Granny, have you ever messed up really bad and didn’t know if you could fix it?”

“Oh yeah.” Liza could see her wrestling with speaking again. She sighed after a long pause. “I stepped out on your grandfather, you know.” She waited for condemnation from Liza that did not come. But surprise did roll over her. Her grandmother had always chastised Bev about her penchant for married men. She’d never dreamed her granny would ever make a huge relationship mistake like that.

Liza stayed quiet. She didn’t want to break the soft spell of this truthful moment. Slowly Granny continued.

“Your grandfather was in Vietnam, and I had just gotten so lonely. In the end, I just had to ask his forgiveness. Forgiveness will take you a long way, Leese.” The use of the old nickname combined with the soft trilling of Aretha turned Liza’s stomach inside out.

“I think this person is a kind of cut-’em-loose-forever type,” Liza said.