Rachel
Later that night, after Mary had left and Piper was sound asleep (and the Tooth Fairy had visited), I called Claire to tell her what had happened. She wasn’t happy with me.
“Why didn’t you call sooner?”
“I would have but everything happened so quickly. And then when Mary brought me home, I cried myself to sleep and woke up hours later.”
“Listen, Rachel. Everything’s going to be okay. You’ve got this. You’re the strongest person I know.”
I could feel my anger inching up my throat. “But I’m just so pissed, Claire. Why can’t anything ever be easy? Why does my whole life have to be one battle after another? Meanwhile, other people go through life with no struggles or difficulties at all. You’d think God would notice I’ve had enough to deal with and give me a break. But nooo. That’s too much to ask. Instead I get thrown another curve ball. And here’s the thing that really gripes my ass. If it was just me I had to be concerned about, that would be one thing. But it’s not just me. I have Piper to think about now. That’s why I asked Mary to adopt her.”
“Whoa! Wait! Back up! What just happened here?”
I told Claire about Mary’s appointment with her attorney and what we had set out to do. “So I asked Mary, if we were successful at having Piper’s dad’s rights terminated, if she’d adopt Piper.”
“And what did she say?” Claire asked.
“She said she would on one condition.”
“Which was?”
“That I’d also allow her to adopt me.”
Claire sniffed. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve heard in a long time.”
“Me, too,” I said.
“Well, you’d better call Nick,” Claire said. “He was in the bar tonight and asked if I’d heard from you. He said he texted you but you didn’t respond.”
I sighed. “I’ll call him next.”
When Nick picked up the phone he sounded like he’d been sleeping.
“Oh, sorry, Nick. It sounds like I woke you up.”
“Rachel? Finally! I’ve been worried about you. What did the doctor say?”
“It’s not good, Nick. I have cancer.”
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone and then I heard a loud “Fuck!”
“Oh, man, Rachel. I’m so sorry. Is there anything you need me to do?”
“Thanks, Nick. Piper and I are going to move in with Mary. That way she can help care for Piper while I undergo treatments.”
“That’s a great idea. You know, I didn’t realize I was in Mary McAlaster’s house until after we left there.”
“Oh, do you know her?” I asked.
“Rachel, almost everyone in town knows Mary McAlaster, or of her. The woman is probably this city’s biggest benefactor. She was the one who put up the money for the renovation of so many of the old buildings downtown. The woman is practically a saint in this town.”
“I had no idea she was that well known. I mean, I knew she gave a lot back, but I didn’t know how much.”
“Well,” Nick said. “You’re in good hands. People in town say that if Mary McAlaster wants something done, it gets done.”
I laughed. “I suppose I just see her through a different lens. To me, she’s the mother I never had but always wanted.”
“From what I could see the other night, she thinks the world of you and Piper, too. I’m glad you’ll be moving in with her. She’ll take good care of you. So what’s next?”
“I have a CT scan tomorrow. Dr. Sweet said the scan will show how widespread the cancer is. He said once we know that, we’ll be able to determine the best way to beat it. Most likely it will be a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.”
“Damn, I wish there was something I could do.”
“There is,” I said. “Just be my friend. Visit me and Piper. She could use someone to take her bike riding. She’s been bugging me to take off her training wheels.”
Nick laughed. “Already?”
“Yep. You know Piper. She’s not one to let grass grow beneath her feet.”
“Just like her big sister,” Nick said.
I laughed. It was the first time I could remember being referred to as Piper’s big sister and I sort of liked how it sounded.
I hung up the phone and looked around my bedroom. Soon, I’d be sleeping in Mary’s house. Maybe her house would feel like home. God knows this place never had. As hard as I tried, I’d always felt like an outsider. I’d tried too hard to make this apartment my home for Piper’s sake. The truth was it was never going to happen. Mary was right. I needed help. A lot of help. And she was willing and able to give it. Maybe one day I’d be able to return the favor. I knew that, no matter what, Piper had a better chance with Mary than without her. And I wanted to give her that chance. I wanted Piper to succeed in all of the ways I’d failed. Maybe then Mom and I both would have gotten something right.
The next morning, Mary arrived at the apartment before we woke up. Fortunately, I’d given her a key the night before and the smell of bacon stirred me awake. I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen to find an apron-clad Mary frying bacon and mixing up a batch of pancakes.
“Good morning,” she sang. “Ready for breakfast? I made coffee and I’ll have a pancake on the plate in a minute.”
I smiled. Mary was happy. I never knew anyone who enjoyed making bacon and pancakes so much they couldn’t stop smiling. But then I realized she wasn’t just making bacon and pancakes that morning; she was making memories.
Mary went with me to get the scan and that night she insisted on taking Piper and me to dinner at the fanciest place I’d ever been to. She had stopped at the mall so I could pick out a new dress and she also bought one for Piper that I knew she’d love. It was pink, of course, with a lacey flowing skirt and wide silk bow around the waist.
I chose a silky black dress that cost more than my entire wardrobe. I didn’t want to spend that much money, but Mary insisted. And I know this is morbid, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, I imagined myself lying in a coffin with that dress on. I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about death.