segment 18

Mrs. Neely carried a tray of pink drinks, with umbrellas sticking out of the tops of the glasses, around the deck.  Mr. Neely stood in front of the grill, slapping some kind of meat down while rattling the ice in his glass.  Ala’s parents were sitting on opposites sides of the fire, talking to people from the neighborhood.

Ala hadn’t remembered then particularly caring for the Neely’s, or anyone else in the neighborhood socially, but apparently, they were all friends.  A tall man in white linen pants and an aqua v neck tee-shirt sat down next to Ruth Billows. She constantly went out without her husband, who was seventy eight years old and very wealthy.  Her lips puckered every time she said a word and her chest heaved every time she laughed.  Although she had implants, she seemed to go to great lengths to never show cleavage.

The man leaned in to tell her something that others in the perimeter wouldn’t hear and she raised her hand to her mouth in disbelief at whatever he said.  He looked Latin and rich.  He must’ve been new in the neighborhood and Ala could not understand why someone who seemed so hip would be hanging out with the middle aged neighbors.