Mom rushes to Mrs. Cantaloni’s side, and she and Mrs. Bennett help her walk. “We’ll drive you to the hospital,” Mom says.
“I don’t know if there’s time.” Mrs. Cantaloni grimaces, taking a couple of steps. “This baby’s coming fast.”
“Let’s get you inside,” Mrs. Bennett says calmly. And to Mom, “Call the paramedics.” Mom’s peering at her phone, punching in numbers. Dad runs over with a flashlight and shines it on Mom’s phone.
“Jim’s on his way from the city,” Mrs. Cantaloni says. “I’ve had contractions all day, but they were far apart. I thought I’d make it.”
“This’ll be interesting in the dark,” Mrs. Bennett says. “We need more flashlights, everyone.”
Mr. Millman rushes over with the headlamp on. “I’ll be your labor coach!” He takes Mrs. Cantaloni’s arm. “Now breathe!” They all help Mrs. Cantaloni into the house.
“Oh, Stan.” Mrs. Millman puts a hand over her heart. “Fathers weren’t allowed in the delivery room when we had our boy,” she says to the rest of us.
I didn’t even know they had a son.
“He lives in Boston,” she tells Mrs. Chung, who’s holding a huge flashlight. “We’re going to visit him in the fall.”
The Cantaloni boys are skipping across their lawn. “We’re having a baby!” Jordan shouts.
“It better be a boy!” Jack says. “Girls are yucky!”
“I like girls!” Jeremy says, and his brothers tackle him. Thomas jumps in too.
Jorie comes out with a pink flashlight. Her mom has pulled two chairs to the end of their driveway. She sits on one and pats the seat of the other. Jorie sits next to her. I notice that her mom has lit the aromatherapy candle I put in their mailbox weeks ago. It gives a soft glow to both of their faces. Her mom turns the chair and says something. Jorie is listening.
“I need to ask you something,” he says.
My heart jumps.
“What’s this ring you’ve been wearing? Did Grady Brunson give it to you?”
“What?”
“Are you going to homecoming with him?”
“Grady?”
“Jorie kind of hinted that you were.”
“Me and Grady? No.”
“You’re not going to homecoming with him.”
“No!”
“Really?”
“I swear. I’ve barely ever talked to the guy. He thinks my name is Gina.”
Eli smiles and picks up my hand. “So who gave you the ring?”
“It was my grandma’s wedding band.”
He nods.
An ambulance, fire truck, and police car pull up. Sirens blaring. A Com Ed truck is right behind them. Two paramedics leap out of the ambulance and run into the Cantalonis’.
“Nina. I do remember that night we ruined Mr. D.’s flowers. But what I remember most is hiding in back of Mrs. Chung’s. With you.”
“I remember it too.”
“So.”
“Don’t go anywhere.” He runs into his house and comes back with a pen.
“Are you going to take notes?” I say.
“Shut up.” He smiles and takes my hand again, the one with Grandma’s ring. And he writes: HC?
The other girl?
It was me.
It was always me.