Rachel
Mary stayed in the waiting room while I went back for the biopsy.
“Hi, Rachel. I’m Dr. Jackson. I’m going to take a tissue sample from your swollen lymph node. Then we’ll send it to a pathologist who will examine it under a microscope. We usually get the results in about a week. Do you have any questions?”
“Will it hurt?” I asked.
“Since the lymph node is close to the surface and will be easy to remove, I’ll give you a local anesthetic. You’ll have a few stitches at the site that I’ll cover with dressing. It might be tender for a while. Your GP…”
“GP?” I interrupted.
“Sorry, your general practitioner.” He looked at the sheet of paper on his clipboard. “Dr. Sweet will remove the stitches, so you should make a follow-up appointment with him for one week from today. Hopefully, by that time he’ll also have the biopsy results.”
The biopsy didn’t hurt too much and by the time we left the office it was a little past noon.
“Are you hungry?” Mary asked.
I nodded. “A little. What about you?”
“I’m famished. Let’s stop and get lunch. My treat.”
I figured we’d stop at a diner, but Mary pulled into the parking lot of a fancy restaurant I probably couldn’t afford to buy even a cup of coffee at. “We’re going to eat here?”
“It’s one of my favorite places.” Mary turned off the car and pulled out the key. “But if you’d rather go somewhere else, we can.”
“No. No, of course not. I’ve just never been here before. It’s way too expensive.” I unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Well, then it’s about time we changed that.”
The maître d’ knew Mary by name and as soon as we walked in the door we were seated at a table overlooking the city skyline.
I looked out the window. “What a beautiful view.”
“Yes.” Mary picked up her leather-bound menu. “This is my favorite table so, when it’s available, they always sit me here.” She opened the menu. “Order whatever you’d like.”
“There are no prices on the menu,” I whispered.
Mary smiled. “That’s because you’re not supposed to worry about the cost. Order whatever you’d like.”
I followed Mary’s lead and ordered a crock of French onion soup and a chicken salad sandwich on thick sourdough bread. The chicken salad was made with grapes – just the way I like it.
Mary and I chatted throughout lunch, talking about everything from our favorite TV shows to weightier matters, like the lack of a state budget and its effect on local schools. Being with her was like being with a friend you’ve known forever. It was a good, comfortable feeling that made you warm all over.
“The soup and salad were delicious, Mary. Thank you for bringing me here.”
Mary smiled. “Would you like dessert?”
I rubbed my stomach. “I don’t think I can eat one more bite.”
Mary ordered tea and I got coffee and our talk turned serious.
“Rachel, I’m going to speak to my attorney later today about Piper’s dad. I’ll do everything I can to help you keep her.”
I sighed. “Thanks, but I’m not sure I can afford your attorney. Will he accept payments?”
Mary smiled. “That’s the last thing you should be thinking about. Don’t worry about the cost. I’ll take care of it.”
I could feel the emotion beginning to inch up my throat and I choked on my words. “Mary, you’re so kind but I don’t want to take advantage of you. I don’t expect you to pay for my attorney. I got the name of one to call. I just haven’t had time to do it yet. You’ve done so much already. I couldn’t begin to pay you back.”
Mary reached for my hand. “Rachel, I’m not only doing this for you and Piper, but for me, too. What would I do if my girls weren’t together?”
I smiled. Hearing her say “my girls” filled me with warmth and gratitude. I’d never been anyone’s “girl” and finally, at age twenty-two, I was. I think knowing that you matter is an incredible gift and I hadn’t realized how much I longed for it until Mary gave it to me.
The more time I spent with Mary, the more I was beginning to see that a family is something that’s made. It’s a gift. I remembered one of my first conversations with Mary. The one where she said she had everything she’d ever wanted. The best clothes. The best house. More money than she could ever spend. But the thing she’d wanted most had always eluded her. It wasn’t something she could buy, or trade for, or even steal. It was a gift that had to be given. Not something she could take. And in that moment I knew what Mary wanted most in life was to have a family. Piper needed that, too, and I was beginning to realize I did as well.
After we got home, Mary insisted I take a nap. I was tired and didn’t argue but instead thanked her for staying and getting Piper off the bus.
I rested while Mary walked to the bus stop to wait for Piper. I must’ve fallen asleep because it wasn’t until the sun was setting that I woke up. I walked into the hallway and heard voices below. It sounded like Mary was reading. I inched closer to the steps and stopped. Mary was reading Cinderella.
“Which mice do you like better?” Piper asked.
“All of them,” Mary said.
“But if you had to pick, which one?”
“Hmm. Maybe the chubby one.”
“Gus-gus?” Piper laughed. “Me, too!”
I listened as Mary finished the book, not wanting to interrupt the story.
“I wish I had a dress like Cinderella,” Piper said. “She’s beautiful.”
“Just like you and Rachel,” Mary said.
Mary heard me come down the steps and turned around. “Rachel, how are you feeling?”
“Better. Guess I didn’t realize how tired I was. Thanks for reading to Piper.”
Mary stood. “Her homework’s all done and I fixed her some dippy eggs and bacon for dinner.”
I yawned. “Thanks, Mary.”
“And I showed her how to put them on the plate and make a smiley face like you do,” Piper said.
“Yes, you did,” Mary said. “Now, let me get you something to eat, Rachel.”
“You don’t have to. You’ve done enough.”
Mary waved. “Nonsense.”
I told Piper to go get her bath while I went to the kitchen with Mary, who fixed me the same thing she’d fixed Piper. She even made a smiley face on my plate with the food.
The doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Mary said.
I stood. “No, I will. Relax and finish your tea.”
I opened the door to find Piper’s dad staggering. He smelled like stale cigarettes and whiskey. He took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke in my face.
I clenched my teeth. “What do you want?”
“Pepper.” His speech was slurred.
I felt Mary behind me.
“Well, you’re not going to get her.”
“But I’ms herz fath-ter.”
“Prove it!” I slammed the door.
Mary put her arm around me and the doorbell rang again.
“Here, let me answer it,” Mary said. “Yes? May I help you?”
“I’mz Pepper’s dad.”
“Mr.… What’s your name?” Mary asked.
“Richards.”
“Well, Mr. Richards, it seems to me that being a father requires far more effort than you’re obviously capable of. Perhaps it would be better just to let things be. Piper’s been through so much already.”
Piper’s dad wobbled and pointed at Mary. “I know who you are. You drive that Mercedes. You’re that rich bitch. If you want Piper so bad, pay me for her.”
“You’ll be hearing from my attorney!” Mary slammed the door in his face.
I couldn’t stop shaking. I was glad Piper was singing in the bathtub and hadn’t heard the commotion. “What kind of man does that? Puts a price on his daughter. What are we going to do, Mary? There’s no way we can ever let him get custody of Piper.”
Mary looked at me and I saw something in her eyes I’d never seen before. It was a cocktail of determination and anger and unwavering commitment. “Don’t you worry about a thing, Rachel. I’ll take care of this once and for all.”
“But…”
She held up her finger. “Do. Not. Worry. I’ll take care of this. I promise.”
And something told me she would.