Green Card

by Elizabeth Adams

  “You don’t need to be spending your money on us. You have tuition bills to pay and a new husband. You should be saving up for your family.”

  “Save up in case I get knocked up?” Liz teased.

  Mary laughed. “Exactly!”

  “Well, William makes really good money, so we’re all right in that regard. Really. So what would the kids like for Christmas?”

  “Honestly, they love all kinds of toys. Ben is really into airplanes and cars right now. Joey loves trains. I’ve been looking on Craigslist for a track set for him but haven’t had any luck yet.”

  “Oh, I want to get him that! Stop looking,” Liz said excitedly.

  “Lizzy! Those are really expensive.” Mary shook her head.

  “It’s okay, really. I’m telling you, William pays all our bills and I’m still working so all that cash is just sitting in my bank account, waiting for something to spend it on.”

  Mary looked at her skeptically. “Are you sure this won’t get you into trouble with your man?”

  “Trust me, he won’t mind at all. William’s very generous.”

  “All right, if you say so.”

  “Now, what about the girls.”

  “Maddy is still into dolls, but I don’t how much longer that will last. She loves art and drawing and making stuff. I thought about asking Tiffany to show her a thing or two.”

  “You should. I’m sure she would be happy to do that. She’d love to have a cute little girl looking up to her and listening to everything she says.”

  Mary laughed. “I’m sure she would. Lily plays with whatever everyone else is playing with, but she does seem more drawn to Maddy’s ponies. You can imagine how well that goes over.”

  Liz laughed. “Ah, sisters!” Mary rolled her eyes. “I can’t wait to do some shopping!” Liz clapped her hands excitedly.

  “Thanks, Lizzy. You know you don’t have to.”

  “Nonsense. I want to.”

  Liz reached forward and grabbed her hand. They shared a sympathetic smile. Before any more could be said, Ben came running up to show his mom the s’more he’d made. Mary smiled at Liz and let herself be dragged to the fire by her son.

  *

  Will watched Liz and her father surreptitiously. Sure, there was a slight family resemblance, mostly in the coloring, and she and her sisters were a little taller than average, a trait obviously inherited from her father's side, but that was pretty much it. Loretta was blonde and blue eyed like Jennifer and Tiffany while Heather and Liz were dark like their father. But Liz's bone structure, figure, features, everything else was more like her mother.

  Neal Barrett clearly had a dry sense of humor and all his conversations had a healthy dose of sarcasm, but he was overall a quiet, reserved man who seemed to prefer more behind-the-scenes work. Loretta Barrett was completely opposite. She loved attention and the spotlight. The prima donna and the stage hand.

  Watching the family interact around the fire, he saw that Heather was actually the most like her father. She seemed to help quietly, letting others carry the conversation and content to just enjoy everyone's presence in peace. Jennifer wasn't there to compare with her sisters, but he knew she would never push herself to be the center of attention the way her mother did. At parties, she was more often found helping in the kitchen than entertaining the guests.

  Tiffany was a miniature of her mother, in looks and personality, which explained why she was the favorite, and of course she was the baby on top of all of that. But watching Liz and her mother together, he saw more similarities than differences. Her mother was telling jokes that would have the entire group laughing, then Liz would pick up and tell the rest of the story, like they were a practiced duo. Then the two of them would fall onto each other laughing, as if that afternoon's argument had never happened.

  No matter how hard he tried to see it, he couldn't understand why Loretta insisted on believing that Liz was just like her father. Other than having above average intelligence and loving books, they weren't that much alike. Then it hit him. Of course, why didn't I see it before? It's so obvious!

  It wasn't that Liz was so much like her father, it was that she was so much like mother, and had done so much more with her life. At twenty-three, she was almost finished with an advanced degree, had graduated with her bachelor's summa cum laude, moved to the big city on her own and by all accounts had made a success of her life—or was about to, anyway. She already had one or two job prospects for when she finished in May, thanks in large part to her stunning recommendations from her professors and her 4.0 GPA.

  Could it be that simple? Could Loretta be jealous? The more he thought about it, the more it seemed likely, and the more he thought she had to be jealous about. Loretta had gotten pregnant and married, in that order, when she was eighteen and only two months out of high school. Liz had had so many more opportunities than she'd had, and had taken advantage of every one of them. And of course Liz had two major points in her favor: brains and bravery. It probably also rankled Loretta that Liz managed to have a healthy, close relationship with Neal, something he and Loretta had never been able to manage for more than a few months at a time.

  He found it in his heart to be a little sorry for Loretta, even though he was still angry with her for the way she treated Liz. It wasn't Liz's fault that her mother had gotten knocked up or that she hadn't been able to make her marriage work. But still, Loretta must have had dreams, at some point in her life at least. It couldn't have been easy to watch everything fall away like that.

  “Hey, whatcha thinkin', city boy?” Liz plonked down on the log next to him and nudged his side.

  “Just thinking about you and your family. You have some very interesting dynamics.”

  She quirked a brow at him. “Uh-oh. Don't go analyzing too closely. You might not like what you find.”

  He smiled and asked, “Are you having fun?”

  “Yeah. This has always been one of my favorite holiday traditions.”

  “I believe it. You've been laughing non-stop for the last hour.”

  She smiled and replied, “Scoot over. I'm freezing!” He opened the quilt he had wrapped around his shoulders and made space for Liz inside.

  “Better?” he asked.

  “Much.” She laid her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer and sharing his warmth. “This is so much more fun with a boy.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Snuggling by the fire. My sisters and I usually share a blanket, but it's not the same.”

  “I should think not,” he said, sounding mildly insulted.

  She giggled.

  “Did you never snuggle by the fire with any of your previous boyfriends?”

  “Not really. My freshman boyfriend spent the holiday with his family in Rhode Island, then for some reason I was always single over Thanksgiving after that. Jeremy was supposed to come home with me last year, but something came up last minute and I came alone. So nope, it's just you. Does that make you feel special?” she asked with an impish grin.

  “Yes, I feel quite honored. I can be your first bonfire boyfriend.”

  She giggled again. “Bonfire husband.”

  He pulled her closer and they sat in companionable silence, watching the others laugh and talk. Heather passed out hot cider to everyone and Will listened in as Liz talked to the neighbors who stopped to ask her about her Christmas shopping plans and if she was going to any glamorous parties over the holiday season.

  It was another hour before the fire started to dwindle and people began going home.

  “Come on, Lizzy, let's get you into bed.” Will stood and held out a hand to her and she groggily followed him up the stairs to their room.

  “You smell like fire,” she said as he removed the blanket from around her shoulders and unwound her scarf.

  “So do you.”

  Liz blindly grabbed a T-shirt and pulled her sweater over her head. She tugged on the shirt and shucked off her jeans, leavin
g them in a heap on the floor. “Come keep me warm, Will. I'm cold,” she said sleepily as she climbed into bed.

  “I'll be right back. Just want to clean my teeth.” He left the room and came back a few minutes later in flannel pajama pants and a white T-shirt, his teeth clean and minty.

  He felt his way through the room without turning on the light and slid in next to Liz. She immediately scooted over close and pushed her bottom into his hips. “You're so warm. Hold me, Will. I'm freezing!”

  He obeyed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest and scooting his knees behind hers. She grabbed his hand where it lay across her belly and laced her fingers with his. His other arm was beneath her neck and she placed a sleepy kiss on his forearm before she drifted off.

  “How much did you drink, Lizzy?” he asked in a whisper. He smiled to himself when he realized she was already asleep.

  **

  The next morning, Liz woke slowly and smacked her lips, instantly regretting not brushing her teeth the night before. She felt unusually warm and it only took a second to realize the cause was Will, plastered to her side. She was on her back and his leg was tossed over her knee, his head resting between her chest and chin. His hair was tickling her face and she could feel his warm exhalations on her chest. She smiled when she noticed his hand was holding her breast. I guess some things are just universal.

  She started to move away and he gripped her tightly, groaning slightly while his head snuggled a little lower. She pried his hand away and slipped out from beneath him and slithered out of bed. She went straight to the shower and snuck back into their room to get her warm clothes on. Seeing Will was still asleep, she wrote him a quick note and slipped out of the room, heading downstairs and outside to the trail that led to her father’s house.

  Elizabeth walked slowly through the fields, listening to the crunch her boots made on the frost covered grass. She was wrapped up warmly in her faded navy coat and plaid scarf, a cloth covered basket in her hand. As she rounded the corner near the creek, she heard her father’s dog barking at the door, and three seconds later she was being jumped and slobbered on by Jake, her father’s Newfoundland. Elizabeth laughed and dodged the dog as she made her way up the creaky stairs and onto the wooden porch.

  “Jake! Get down! Have some self-respect, man,” Neal said as he led his daughter inside. “Morning, Lizzy.” Neal kissed his daughter’s rosy cheek and took her coat, hanging it on a faded wooden peg behind the door as she unwound her scarf.

  “Morning, Daddy,” she said cheerfully, heading to the kitchen. “Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Do you want an omelet? I got a few eggs from Bertie on my way out the door,” she asked, referring to the chickens in the coop behind her mother’s house.

  “Sounds good. Coffee?”

  “Yes, please.”

  They set to work in a familiar pattern, Neal getting cups out of an oak china cabinet that had belonged to his grandmother, Liz cracking eggs into a crockery bowl while an iron skillet heated on the stove.

  “So what have you been eating?” she asked.

  “Dag nabbit, young lady! You ask me that every time you come home. I’m eating! Let that be the end of it.”

  Liz smiled at his irritated expression as she flipped the omelet in the pan. “So beans and hotdogs?”

  He gave her a look and she burst out laughing. Neal tried to keep a straight face but eventually joined her.

  “It’s good to have you back, Lizzy.”

  “It’s good to be back, Daddy.”

  “So how’s it going with that man of yours? Did you make up last night? ”

  “Yeah, we did,” she answered, completely unsurprised that he’d realized they weren’t getting along. “We had an argument back home and there was a misunderstanding, but we’re good now.”

  “Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

  They ate in silence until Neal asked, “Have you picked out the tree yet?”

  “No, I haven’t had a chance. Want to do it together?”

  She followed her father outside and they walked the half mile to the field until they reached a row of trees that were roughly seven feet tall.

  “Douglas Fir or blue spruce this year?” he asked.

  “I think the Douglas. They smell so nice!” She leaned in and took a big whiff of the tree on the end.

  “The ones down here are best.” He led her down the row and stopped in front of a grouping of beautiful firs, perfectly shaped with full, green bowers.

  Liz took her time, walking around the trees in circles, carefully inspecting their branches to make sure none were broken and searching for the perfect pointed top.

  “I think it’s between this long elegant one and the fuller one over there.”

  Neal nodded. Every year with Elizabeth it was the same. She found two very different trees that were both beautiful in their way and then she went round and round about which one to pick.

  “Well, this one is leaner, more regal and distant. This one is rosier, cheery. Both admirable in their way, just depends on what you’re looking for,” said Neal patiently.

  “I think I want cheery this year, Daddy. Let’s go with this one.”

  She took a red ribbon out of her pocket and tied it to the tree, marking it to be cut later. Elizabeth sighed and looked around.

  “It’ll be weird having Christmas without you this year,” she said. “I’m going to miss this.” She gestured to the rows and rows of trees around them and the forest beyond, covered in frost that sparkled under the clear morning sun. The sky was a pale blue, cold but still bright. She could see the mountains in the distance, the hazy mist surrounding them like smoke rising from a fire.

  “So it’s certain you won’t be coming back?”

  She sighed again and tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “It looks like we’ll be going to London to be with Will’s family. I’m sorry, Daddy. I’d rather be here with you, believe me.”

  She laid her head on his shoulder as they walked slowly back toward the house, Jake running and jumping in front of them. Neal patted her head with a rough hand, then leaned over and kissed her crown.

  “I know, darlin’. But marriage is filled with compromises, and you can’t be in two places at once.”

  She squeezed his arm and they continued on, silent and slow.

  **

  When she got back to her mother’s house, everyone was still in bed so Liz took the opportunity to do some online shopping for her cousin. Mary had written down the children’s sizes—just in case—and Liz went to town. But first, she found toys for all of them for Christmas, including an extensive art kit for Maddy and a 250 piece train track set for Joey. She selected gift wrapping for all of them and gleefully typed in her cousin’s address. Next she went to Amazon and set up a monthly shipment of diapers to her cousin, and added in a box of Mary’s favorite chocolates for good measure.

  When Tiffany joined her, she asked her little sister if she’d like to make some money and offered to pay her to watch Mary’s kids for two days so Liz could send Mary to a spa as a Christmas gift.

  “Yeah, I always want money! And Mary’s kids are nice, not like those nasty Jenkinson brats.”

  Liz agreed and they worked out the details, but not before Tiffany asked if she would be getting such a fancy gift, to which Liz replied that if she had four kids by the age of twenty-six, she would gladly send her to a spa for the weekend. Tiffany wrinkled her nose and Liz laughed out loud. She hugged her little sister and promised her a nice gift when she graduated the next year, to which Tiffany squealed in delight and squeezed Liz within an inch of her life.

  Together they went to a children’s clothing site and chose new outfits for the kids: T-shirts and jeans for playing in, nicer clothes for school, and a pretty Christmas outfit for each of them. Tiffany saw some adorable new winter coats and matching snow boots which Liz eagerly put into her shopping basket and when she saw a beautiful knee length wool coat th
at would look great on Mary, she added it to her growing pile of clothing.

  In the end, she and Tiffany were practically giddy with joy and imagining how surprised and happy Mary would be when she opened everything. Liz felt like a fairy Godmother and was a little embarrassed that she hadn’t thought of this before.

  “You don’t think she’ll be offended, do you?” Liz asked warily.

  “No! Why would she? She’s working twelve hour shifts at a diner and her husband does the swing shift at a rubber factory. I think she’ll be relieved. Now she can put her money to better use, like paying for classes and cool Christmas gifts,” Tiffany reasoned.

  “When did you get so smart?”

  Tiffany nudged her sister with her shoulder. “I am a straight A student, Lizzy. You didn’t get all the brains in the family,” she said.

  Liz laughed. “I’m glad to see that. I’m proud of you, Tiffany.” Her sister rolled her eyes. “No, really, I mean it. I know we don’t spend much time together, but you’re a really sweet girl and I’m proud to be your sister.”

  “Aww, I’m proud of you, too!” Tiffany hugged her sister and then pulled back and fanned her face. “Now don’t make me cry! Ryan’s coming over later and I don’t want to be all puffy.”

  ***

  “What’s that?” Liz asked. She’d just stepped onto the plane and was taking off her coat to hand to the flight attendant.

  “Mr. Harper said it was a surprise for you.” The attendant said before taking her things to the tiny closet near the cockpit.

  “For me?” Liz looked at the large wrapped package strapped down in the corner of the plane. She turned around when she heard Will settling in behind her. “Will, what’s that?”

  “That?” He nodded toward the package. “Just a little surprise for my wife.” He smiled and kissed her forehead.

  He refused to tell Liz what it was no matter how many times she asked him. She finally gave up and decided to pretend she didn’t want to know even though she was burning with curiosity the entire time. They finally landed in New York and made it to their apartment; Liz had mostly managed to stop thinking about the mysterious box.