Eve

by Iris Johansen

  “You have it all planned out.”

  “I have to have a plan. It’s the only way we can survive.”

  “We?”

  “My baby and me.” She glanced back over her shoulder. “And maybe you, Sandra. If you want to go through this with me.”

  “You want me?”

  She told the truth that she had stopped admitting to herself years ago. “I’ve always wanted you.”

  Sandra smiled brilliantly. “Then you’ve got me.” She stood up. “And I’ll dress real quick. Do you think I should wear my new pink dress? I do love it. Or maybe the navy blue one would make me look more serious.”

  “The pink one,” Eve said. “Be yourself. To hell with being serious. There’s going to be enough of that in our lives.”

  * * *

  AFTER SHE FINISHED WITH THE guidance counselor, she left her mother at the apartment and took a bus to the restaurant. She went directly to the office.

  George Kimble looked up at her entrance. “You’re looking pretty good. Teresa said you were sick. Flu?”

  “I feel okay.” She drew a deep breath. “But it’s not flu. I’m pregnant.”

  “So?” He looked her up and down. “You don’t look far along. Are you resigning?”

  “No. I’m asking for more hours. I just quit school, and I need the work.”

  “And I don’t need someone who gets sick all the time and has to go home. You put me in a bad spot last night.”

  “It won’t happen again.”

  He leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “Who was it? That kid who kept coming in here and picking you up?”

  “Yes.”

  “Won’t he help you out?”

  “I’m not asking.”

  He wearily shook his head. “You kids. You could have the whole world at your feet, and you throw it away. I like you, Eve. I thought you had your head in the right place.”

  “I guess I didn’t. I do now. Will you give me those hours?”

  “It’s not good business. I couldn’t rely on you.”

  “You can rely on me.” She put her hands on the desk and leaned toward him. “I want a twelve-hour shift. I’ll be here every day, without fail. If someone else doesn’t show up, I’ll work a double. I’ll be the most valuable employee you have, Mr. Kimble. Yes, I may get sick, but I won’t let it interfere. I’ll be here. Most of the time, it doesn’t last during the entire pregnancy. I’ll work through it.”

  “So you say.”

  “Look at me.” She held his eyes. “I made a mistake, but I’m not going to let it hold me down. I’ll be working on my GED, but having a baby isn’t cheap, and I need that money. Afterward, I’m going to hold you to your word about working around my hours while I go to college. I’m not asking for charity. You’re going to get your money’s worth, more than your money’s worth. Now do I get my twelve-hour shift?”

  He didn’t speak for a moment. “You get it. Show up tomorrow at 1 P.M.” He looked down at the papers on his desk. “Now get out of here.”

  She turned to go.

  “Eve.”

  She looked back at him.

  “If you think I’m going to be soft on you, forget it. I’m going to work your ass off.”

  She nodded and walked out of the office.

  It had been easier than she’d thought it would be. But that didn’t mean that Mr. Kimble wouldn’t toss her out if she didn’t follow through.

  She would follow through.

  “You okay?” Teresa asked, her gaze on the office door. “Did he fire you?”

  “No. He gave me extra hours. I start tomorrow.”

  “Really? Then do you want to see Linda’s doctor?”

  “No, I’m going to have the baby.” She turned toward the door. “It’s going to be all right, Teresa.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  She couldn’t convince Teresa when she had to work everything out for herself. “I have to leave now. The doctor gave me all kinds of vitamins and stuff to pick up from the drugstore.” She opened the door. “I’ve got to have everything set up before I start working full-time. See you tomorrow.”

  She started toward the bus stop down the block. Then she stopped. It was ten blocks from here to the housing development. The doctor had said she needed exercise. It would save money if she walked it whenever possible. She was going to need every penny. Sandra had said she’d get a job, but she couldn’t count on her promises. She had to keep on relying only on herself as she’d always done.

  She turned and started down Peachtree Street. Every step was a confirmation that this was the route she had to go. She had to build her strength if she was going to keep to the schedule she’d set for herself. She had to build her strength to keep the baby strong. She had to find ways to do both. Challenge herself to get through this and come out with all the prizes.

  Very grand, she thought ruefully. The only prize she was after was to get home and hope that Sandra was still there and had not flitted off as she usually did.

  A small prize, a small step, but she would take it. She would work on the giant steps later.

  Six months later

  “There’s a man downstairs who wants to talk to you,” Rosa said, when Eve opened the door. “I left him on my bench in the yard. Nice man. He said he’d come upstairs, but he has a bad back.”

  “Who is he?” Eve asked. She didn’t really have time to talk to anyone. She had to finish this paper for her English class before she left for work. “Salesman?”

  “I don’t think so.” She frowned. “He doesn’t have that slick look. I didn’t get his name. He sort of reminds me of someone.”

  “That’s a help.” She came out on the landing and started down the steps. “Look, Rosa, you were supposed to be studying with me this morning and not sitting with the baby on that bench.”

  “But he needs the sunshine.”

  “And you need your GED. And you’re going to get it. I want you here tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay.” She made a face. “You didn’t used to be so bossy.”

  “Yes, I was. I just didn’t have time to concentrate on it.” She called back to her, “Now I make the time.”

  Rosa leaned over the railing. “Your baby is going to come out of you cracking a whip.”

  She grinned as she opened the front door. “I’ll take the chance. That will be two of us to nag you.”

  She was still smiling as she turned to the man sitting on the bench. “Hello, I’m Eve Duncan. What can—” She inhaled sharply.

  He sort of reminds me of someone.

  He was a thin man in his late forties or early fifties, with thinning gray-brown hair and olive skin and dark eyes.

  John Gallo’s eyes.

  “How do you do? I’m Ted Danner.” The man got to his feet with an effort. “I’m sorry to make you come down. I just couldn’t face those flights of stairs. John may have told you that I have back problems.”

  “You’re his uncle Ted.” She moistened her lips, trying to recover from the shock. “Yes, he said you injured it while you were in the service.”

  “I thought he’d tell you about me. We’re very close.” He smiled gently. “He’s like my own son. He’s a good boy.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “He asked me to come.”

  Another shock. “What?”

  “Well, actually, he asked me to keep an eye on you when he left for basic. He said that I shouldn’t approach you, that you’d resent it.”

  “But you’re here.”

  “I tried to keep myself from coming. But I had to talk to you.” He looked at the front of her maternity smock. “I saw you on the street three weeks ago, and I was … surprised. How far are you along?”

  “Eight months.”

  “And it’s John’s child?”

  “No, it’s my child.”

  “But John fathered him?”

  She nodded. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to claim him as the father.” She paused. “
I prefer he not know. You should agree to that. John said you were eager that he have a career in the military. A baby would just get in his way.” Her lips tightened. “Don’t tell him.”

  Ted Danner shook his head. “You poor child. You’re so alone.”

  “The hell I am. I’m doing fine. Don’t tell him.”

  “I don’t have a choice at the moment. I can’t write to him. I don’t know where he is.”

  She stared at him, stunned. “What?”

  “Right after basic and Ranger school, he was sent overseas. I heard from him from Tokyo right after he arrived, then nothing.”

  “That doesn’t make sense. You have to be able to trace him. You’re military yourself.”

  “Unless he volunteered for a special mission. John’s smart and ambitious, and that would be a way for him to rise through the ranks.”

  “Just what you’d do,” she said dully.

  “That’s what I’ve been telling myself.” He shook his head. “It’s different when it’s someone else doing it.” His voice was husky. “I love that boy.”

  She could see that he did. His eyes were moist, and his last words had been unsteady. “But you don’t know anything for certain. He could be fine.”

  Ted nodded. “I’ve dropped from the radar any number of times, and here I am with nothing but a bad back. I’ve been doing a lot of praying lately.” He stood up. “I thought you should know in case you wanted to do a little praying, too.”

  She was so stunned that she didn’t know how she felt. It was hard for her to believe that the John Gallo she had known could be in any danger. “I’m sure that he’ll be all right.”

  Ted Danner nodded. “I thought you should know. But don’t worry too much. It wouldn’t be good for you.” He started down the walk toward the gate. “If I can do anything for you, let me know. It’s the least I can do. John would want me to stand by you.”

  “You have your own problems. Your nephew would want you to take care of yourself.”

  “You’re a good girl, Eve,” he said quietly. “I can see why John cared about you.”

  She watched him walk stiffly down the street. Poor guy, he was really worried, and John was obviously all he had. But he was jumping the gun. She couldn’t believe that John Gallo was dead just because he was temporarily missing. He was so young and strong and tough. Men like him weren’t easily killed. She refused to think that it could happen to him.

  Or was it fear that was keeping her from acknowledging that his uncle might have reason to panic? She had still not come to terms with how she felt about John. Just when she had convinced herself that it was purely sexual emotion, his uncle had shown her a love for him that must somehow have been deserved. He had seen his torment as a child and lived with him, been a companion.

  She had never seen that torment. He had not let her get that close.

  But he had been close enough to give her this child in her body.

  Perhaps, even though she couldn’t believe he was truly in danger, she should pray for the father of her child.

  CHAPTER

  7

  DAMMIT, NOT IN THE MIDDLE of the night!

  But why not? Babies didn’t pay any attention to the clock. Just make it as inconvenient as possible for the mother.

  Eve turned away from the commode, and called, “Sandra, I’ve got to get to the hospital. My water just broke.”

  “Not in the middle of the night!”

  “My thought exactly.” She turned to the closet. “I’ll get my suitcase, and you run downstairs and wake Mr. Milari. He promised he’d take me to the hospital in his taxi no matter what time. You may have to persuade him. I’m sure he was hoping it wouldn’t be at four in the morning.”

  Sandra yawned as she stumbled out of the bedroom. “I’ll convince him.” She headed for the door. “Call the doctor.”

  “I will.” The pains were beginning, and she took a deep breath. “After I deliver, call Mr. Kimble and let him know. Tell him I’ll only be out seven days like I promised.”

  “For heaven’s sakes, you worked up to the last minute. He can’t expect you to jump right back, and—”

  “Yes, he can. And I will.”

  Sandra stopped at the door. “You haven’t told me whether you’re going to put the kid up for adoption. I should let the people at the hospital know.”

  “They’ll know when I do.” She had been wrestling with that decision for months. She should probably give the baby up. It would be better for Eve and for the baby. All the odds were against you when you were sixteen and had a kid to raise. Look at what had happened to Sandra. But ever since the first movement, the child had become real to her. It was her baby, her child. “Let’s just get me there.”

  * * *

  “YOU’RE BACK WITH US.” THE plump, freckled young woman was smiling down at Eve. She was wearing a badge … MARGE TORAN, LPN. “You had us worried when you blacked out just as the baby was coming. Though it was a really long, difficult delivery. Heaven really wanted to keep that child.”

  The nurse was smiling, Eve realized hazily. That must mean everything was all right. Medical people didn’t go around grinning if they had to give you bad news. “My baby?” she whispered.

  “You have a little girl,” the nurse said softly. “A beautiful little girl. Is that what you wanted?”

  Eve shook her head. “I didn’t think about it.” She had deliberately kept herself from thinking about the sex of the child. She had been afraid that she would grow even closer to her baby and not be able to make that crucial decision. “Does she have … everything? Toes, eyes…”

  “All the right number of everything. She’s perfect.”

  “That’s good. I tried to make sure she’d be healthy. It will give her a better … chance.” Was she making sense? She felt as if she was drifting away. “And if she’s a girl, she’ll need every…”

  Another girl. Sandra. Eve. And now this little girl Eve had brought into the world. A chain. Would her daughter give birth at sixteen in some run-down slum? Did the chain have to go on and on?

  “Would you like me to bring her to you?” Nurse Toran asked. “We’re cleaning her up, but you’ll be able to see her soon.”

  She shouldn’t see her. She should tell the nurse her daughter needed a better place, a better life, a better mother.

  “You rest.” The nurse was at the door. “I’ll bring her as quick as I can.”

  Then she was gone.

  Eve closed her eyes. Don’t go to sleep. They’re going to bring her. She was going to get to see her little girl.

  “Eve.”

  She opened her eyes to see Sandra beside the bed. “Hi.”

  “It’s a girl,” Sandra said.

  “I know. The nurse told me. Thanks for staying with me, Sandra.”

  “I wanted to do it. I remember how lonely I felt when I woke up after I had you.”

  The chain again. But this was a different link in the chain. A less cruel link.

  “Have you seen her?”

  “Not yet.” Sandra smiled. “You get the first glimpse.” She took Eve’s hand. “But they let me in to see you. You look good, kind of glowing.”

  “Plain old perspiration. She gave me a hard time.”

  “What do you expect? She’s your daughter.”

  “And your granddaughter.”

  Sandra’s eyes widened in mock horror. “Eve, I’m much too young to be a grandmother. Grandmothers have gray hair and wrinkles.”

  “Then you’ll set a new trend.”

  Sandra’s smile faded. “You’re going to keep her.”

  She shook her head. “I know I shouldn’t do it. She deserves more.”

  Sandra nodded. “It wouldn’t be smart.”

  “Here she is.” Nurse Toran was coming through the door carrying a pink-wrapped bundle. “She’s magic. She doesn’t look like a newborn at all. And I know newborns aren’t supposed to see well or smile, but I swear she smiled at me. She seems to be glad to be here.” She
put the baby in the curve of Eve’s arm. “Though that may change. She’s going to be hungry soon.” She folded the soft pink blanket away from the baby. “Say hello to your mama, cutie.”

  So tiny, Eve thought. So delicate.

  And then she looked down at the baby’s face.

  And her little girl smiled at her.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered.

  And it was not a curse.

  A cap of wispy red-brown hair framed that tiny face. Dark eyes stared up at Eve, curious, alert, full of joy. Reaching out for everything that life held.

  “What did I tell you?” the nurse said softly. “Magic.”

  “Yes.” Eve’s arm tightened on the baby. “I never dreamed … May I keep her with me?”

  “For a little while. Then you’ll have to sleep.” Nurse Toran headed for the door. “But both of you seem pretty happy right now.”

  Happy? That wasn’t the word. Eve felt as if her entire being was opening, beginning to shine, with a kind of luminous radiance. A radiance that was coming from the child she was holding.

  “She’s beautiful, Eve,” Sandra said.

  “Yes.” Eve couldn’t look away from her little girl. “I know every mother thinks her child is special, but she is special, isn’t she? Even the nurse could see it.”

  “So pretty.” Sandra took a step nearer. “And look at the way she’s looking at me.” She put a gentle finger on the baby’s hand. “She likes me, Eve.”

  “I think she loves the whole world.” Eve touched the satin of the baby’s cheek. “It makes you want to make sure that she keeps on loving it, that nothing ever hurts her.” Her lips brushed the baby’s head. “Don’t you worry. I’m here. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “Eve.”

  “I know. But she’s magic, Sandra. And she knows no one could ever love her like I do.” She said softly, “Don’t you, baby? It’s sort of like a golden river flowing back and forth between us that will never end.”

  “You’re going to keep her.”

  “I want to keep her. I feel as if my heart will break if I lose her. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to give her up.” She could feel the tears sting her eyes as she pressed her cheek against that silky head. “But I’ll think about it. I’ll give myself a little time.”