Rachel
Sitting in the curtained room, I thought I was going to pass out when, after two attempts, the phlebotomist gave up and went to get someone else to draw my blood. “Your veins are so tiny,” she said. “Let me get Calvin. He has a way with tiny veins.”
A few minutes later, Calvin pushed back the curtain. She was right. He did have the Midas touch. He was able to tap my vein on his first try. I was so happy I could’ve hugged the big guy. “Thank you,” I said.
He flashed a big toothy smile and winked. “Next time you come, just ask for me. I’ll take care of you.”
I smiled. I hoped there wouldn’t be a next time.
After picking up my prescription I swung by the bar to see Claire. I thought I’d also get a bite to eat. I hoped the attorney guy she’d talked about might be there. Claire said he usually stopped in on Tuesday nights.
Claire just about dropped the beer glass in her hand when I walked in. “Where’s Piper?”
I slid onto a bar seat. “With Mary. I had to get some bloodwork done and I asked Mary to watch her. She insisted I take some time for myself. I think she enjoys helping Piper with her homework and reading to her.”
Claire smiled. “She really does sound a lot like Miss Evelyn.”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her. I’ll have to have you over for dinner one night and invite Mary, too.”
Claire’s eyes bugged out. “Wait a minute! You cook now? Wow. You never cooked before. The closest you ever came to cooking was putting a hotdog in the microwave.”
I laughed. “You’re right, but I’m learning. Mary said she’d teach me.”
“I’m liking this lady more and more!” Claire laughed.
“Speaking of food, I’m famished. Can I order a burger and fries?”
“Coming right up.” Claire walked away to put in my food order and serve some guys sitting at the end of the bar. When she returned, she had the glass of water I’d asked for.
“So, why the bloodwork?” Claire asked.
I told Claire about the doctor visit. “He just wanted to check it. Make sure everything was okay.”
“Maybe you have an iron deficiency. I had a friend once who didn’t have enough iron in her blood. She was anemic, tired all the time. Like you.”
I sighed. “He also felt a lump in my neck and wanted to check it. The nurse scheduled a biopsy for tomorrow. It’s outpatient. At least I’ll get some sleep tonight.” I held up the pills I’d picked up at the pharmacy.
“Can I get you anything to drink besides water?”
“How about a diet tonic with a slice of lime.”
“No gin?” a deep voice said.
I turned around in the direction the voice came from to find an older man with white hair closely cropped and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and red tie.
Claire smiled. “That’s Rod. The attorney I was telling you about.”
Rod slid into the seat beside me. I held out my hand. “Hi, I’m Rachel. And normally I would have gin, but not tonight. I have to drive.”
“Now that’s willpower.” Rod ordered a lager. “So why was Claire telling you about me?”
I sighed. “Because I think I might need a lawyer. She thought you might be able to help. Thing is, I don’t have a lot of money. But if you can advise me. Not now. Not here. I’d come to your office. God, I sound so desperate.”
“Rachel, right?”
“Right.”
“Slow down. Take a deep breath. If I can help you I will. And if I can’t, I’ll refer you to someone who can. But first, I need to know what your issue is. DUI?”
“No!”
“Divorce?”
“No. Look, I don’t drink and drive and I’ve never been married. And to be honest, I don’t plan on ever getting married. As soon as I can I’m going to finish college. But first, I need to take care of my little sister.”
“How little?”
“Five. She’s in kindergarten. My mom, from whom I’d been estranged, died. That’s when I learned I had a little sister and there was no one to take care of her but me.”
“Where’s the father?”
“In jail. That’s my problem. He’s out now and I’m afraid he’s going to want Piper. But he’s still a drunk and the only way he’s ever going to get Piper is over my dead body.”
Rod sipped his beer. “Well, now, tell me how you really feel.”
“Look, the only nice thing the guy ever did for Piper was to leave her when she was a baby. I just need to know what my rights are and if he could get custody of her if he wanted to.”
Rob rubbed his neck. “She’s his biological child?”
“Yes.”
He took another sip of beer. “And you’re absolutely sure about that?”
“According to my mom’s best friend, Judy, Mom was totally in love with the guy. They met at an AA meeting. He was sober for a while but went off the wagon shortly after Piper was born.”
“Hmm. He’d of course have to establish his paternity to make any claim. But if he is Piper’s biological father, he has rights. This is true regardless of whether or not he was married to Piper’s mother.”
I pointed my finger at him. “For the record, they weren’t.”
Rod pushed his beer glass forward and Claire served him another lager. “Look, Rachel. This isn’t my area of expertise. But fathers’ rights almost always trump others’ rights, regardless of what the custodial parent’s will says. Under normal circumstances, the surviving parent has an automatic right to custody when the other parent dies. Unless the father waives the right, or the chosen guardian, in this case you, can present a compelling reason why his child should live with them instead.”
“So I’d have to prove that he’s an unfit father?”
Rod sipped his beer. “Yes. If you’re able to show that granting him custody would likely harm Piper you might be able to fight this. In other words, evidence of drug problems, which you obviously have, could be used to argue against him.”
He pulled out a business card. “I’m going to give you the name of a friend who specializes in family law. Tell him I sent you. I’ll give him a call, too, and give him a heads up. I’m sure he can give you better advice than I’m able to.”
I slipped his business card into my purse. “Thanks. You’ve given me a lot to think about. And I really appreciate your time.”
Rod threw a handful of peanuts into his mouth. “Good luck. If anyone can help you, Ned can.”
Claire returned with my burger and fries.
“That looks so good, Claire. Thanks.”
“It’s on me,” she said.
“No, you don’t have to buy me dinner.”
“But I want to.”
“Tell you what,” Rod said. “I’ll buy it. And yours, too, Claire, if you eat later.”
I turned to Rod. “Thanks, that’s so nice of you.”
“Just enjoy it.”
“Yeah, thanks Rod,” Claire said. “Did you get Rachel all straightened out?”
He smiled. “Not sure I helped that much but at least I gave her the number of someone who can. Ned and I went to law school together. He’s won many cases others thought were impossible.”
I devoured my food and then checked the time on my cellphone. “I should go, Claire. I don’t want to keep Piper out too late. She was hard to get up for school this morning.”
I slid off the bar stool and flung my purse over my shoulder. I held out my hand. “It was nice meeting you, Rod. And thanks again for the advice and for dinner.”
Rod tilted his head. “My pleasure.”
As soon as I got into the car I called Judy and told her what Rod had said. She promised to help me get the evidence I needed to fight Piper’s dad. I also called Mary and told her I was on my way. She said Piper was getting a bath and that they’d finished all of her homework.
I filled up my gas tank and by the time I walked into Mary’s house, Piper was asleep in her arms.
Mary looked up from where they sat on the couch. “She fell asleep watching TV.”
I smiled. Piper looked so peaceful and Mary so happy. At that moment I knew Mary was right. Things happen for a reason.
I sat down across from Mary and told her about the biopsy. “I figured I’d put Piper on the bus and get that taken care of before coming over here.”
“No,” Mary said. “You’re not coming over here. I’ll come to your house and take you for the biopsy. You’ll probably have a few stitches and it will be tender and sore. Cleaning is the last thing you should be doing.”
A tear slid down my cheek. “Thanks, Mary. It would be good to have the support.”
I carried Piper to the car and Mary helped me put her inside. She slept the whole way home, waking up briefly when we arrived at the apartment. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I tucked her in bed and put Rachel Rose in her arms.
The next morning, I stumbled downstairs to make some coffee and went through Piper’s backpack to make sure there were no papers I needed to fill out. I pulled out a purple sheet with the words Grandparents’ Day in big letters at the top. I read it. Turned out the school was inviting grandparents to visit the classroom and eat lunch with their grandchild in the cafeteria. What if you don’t have a grandparent? I wondered. Can an aunt come? An older friend? What about a sister?
Piper was unusually energetic when she walked into the kitchen. “Guess what?” she grinned.
“I’m too tired to guess. Why don’t you just tell me?”
“We’re having Grandparents’ Day and Mary said she’d come.”
I smiled. “Did she now?”
“Yep! And she said she’d eat lunch with me, even if it’s something she doesn’t like.”
I got Piper a cereal bowl from the cabinet. “You really like Mary a lot, don’t you?”
Piper launched into an exaggerated nod, her chin touching her chest before bouncing back up.
I poured milk over her cornflakes. “I like her a lot, too. She’s a very special woman.”
“She said you’re special.” Piper grinned.
“Me? She did?”
“Yep! She said you’re a really good big sister and that she wants you to be happy.”
“That’s nice.”
“Are you?”
I rubbed the top of Piper’s head. “Well, of course I am. How can I not be happy spending my life with you!”
Something had happened over the past few months. I’d realized I needed Piper as much as she needed me. It was a revelation that had come to me quietly, tiptoeing into my mind and settling snuggly in the corner. My life was more meaningful in ways I didn’t think mattered. I was more concerned about Piper and her well-being than myself. I wondered if this was how love felt. You cared so much for someone else that you’d do anything to help them and protect them. That’s how I felt about Piper. She brought out the best in me when the worst was winning.
I waved goodbye to Piper as the bus pulled away, just like I did every day. It occurred to me how something so routine had grown in importance. A few months ago, I would’ve considered having to take Piper to the bus stop a pain. Today, I looked forward to our morning routine. If something happened and I couldn’t do it any longer, I’d be sad. It’s crazy how there are two sides to everything and how, depending on where you’re at in life, you can see it differently.
I was waiting for Mary when Judy called. “He told me he wants custody,” she blurted into the phone as soon as I answered.
I sat down on the couch. I was shaking and my hands were sweaty. My heart thumped. “I’m going to call the attorney Rod told me about last night. The one who specializes in family law. Rod did say, however, that Piper’s dad would have to prove paternity. You’re sure my mom wasn’t sleeping with anyone else?”
“Positive,” Judy said. “She would’ve told me.”
“Well, I’m not going to make it easy for the bastard. He’s going to have to prove paternity and if he passes that test I plan to fight him with everything I’ve got, which I know isn’t much. But the one weapon I do have is his record, and I plan to use that against him.”
I said goodbye to Judy but by the time Mary arrived, I was fired up again.