Change at Jamaica Station

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten       

Tennis in the Poconos                     2018 Total Tennis, NY

"Well, I chose this place so Carrie could afford it." Tabby explains to Gerri, as the two walk from their modest cabin down to the tennis court. Tabetha is in a Stella McCartney white tennis dress, and Gerriann is in Denise Cromwell, and looks more like she is going to lunch at a posh spa. Total Tennis Camp was known for great tennis, O.K. food and poor, but cleanish, accommodations, at a very reasonable price.

"It's fine. I'm just glad to be out of the office. It's been a year since I took a break. The food here is surprisingly good though. So, has there been any word on Mark's disappearance? What does Carrie do for a living these days anyway?" Gerriann asks.

"No word on Mark. She doesn't really discuss it. She still works part time as a receptionist at the hair salon, and part time some kind of delivery service, though her car is often broken or broken into. Last week she told me someone had stolen the battery out of her car, and she had to get a new one."

"Where is she delivering that someone would steal your battery?" Gerri asks.

"All over Nassau? Organically grown vegetables from a local farm, Tiny Hearts, or something like that. She really hasn't changed much since high school, always so sweet, always helping others. But she's always complaining how she needs to get her car fixed again so she can work. I wish I could help her out somehow," Tabetha states. "She won't take my money, but she does let me buy her dinner once in a while."

"That over-the-top salon in Cedarhurst is still there?" Gerriann asks.

"Yeah, but they can only afford her part time now. The five towns became Orthodox. She moved to Valley Stream after Mark went missing anyway. Her son, Jared still...." Tabetha starts, then Gerri interrupts, "I know."

The two women meet up with Caroline on the tennis courts, who is in all black, tennis skirt and top, with a handsome, energetic tennis pro, and begin a good rally. When they finish their lesson, Caroline takes cash out of her purse and tips the pro generously, as Gerriann and Tabetha nod to each other, noting that Caroline doesn't seem concerned about the cost of the weekend. They continue to play tennis until a half hour later the rain comes pouring down and they run back to the cabin, laughing, and jesting all the way. They dry off in a cheerful mood and Gerriann takes a dozen things out of the refrigerator and begins slicing fruit and putting it in a blender.

"Too early for peach margaritas?" Gerriann asks shaking the water out of her ponytail.

"Well, I'll just have a virgin one." answers Tabetha.

"Just try one the way I make it honey. I promise to go light. You're on television now, so maybe you're ready to try some other things?" Gerri asks Tabby softly and Tabby gives her a nod 'yes'.

"It's five o'clock somewhere," answers Caroline. "I can help with snacks to go with the margaritas. Hey, did you see this article about Johnson and Johnson paying $272 million dollars to settle lawsuits in Oklahoma?" Caroline picks up a report sitting on top of Gerriann's bag.

"No. What for?" ask Tabetha.

"To make reparations for selling opioids to patients without warning them sufficiently about the addictive qualities of them," Caroline states as she picks up the article passing it to her.

"Or more precisely, for hiring major marketing and consulting companies to push the spread of the dangerous drugs into doctors' hands to overprescribe highly potent drugs for long periods of time to make money." Gerriann states as she nods to the report.