Won't You Be My Neighbor?

by Vanessa Gray Bartal

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. No boys?”

  “No boys. All girls—hundreds of them.”

  As she turned to survey the park, the scads of women began to stand out. All of them had long hair. All of them were wearing dresses. “You didn’t tell me to wear a dress,” she said. She plucked nervously at her pants.

  “Why should I? You don’t have to dress like them.” There was no mistaking the bitterness in his tone.

  “You don’t believe the way they do, obviously,” she said.

  “No. Women are not meant to shoot babies from their bodies like human Pez dispensers. There’s no way to justify that lifestyle, no way to justify a woman having children after her doctor warned her to stop, no way to justify someone dropping dead at the age of forty five because her body is worn out from so many pregnancies.”

  Blair’s lips puckered into an unspoken “O.” She didn’t need a degree like Tristan’s to figure out that he was talking about his mom and that watching his mom wear out and die had forced him from the lifestyle in which he had been raised.

  “I’m sorry,” he said after another moment of heavy silence. “I should have told you about this sooner. We can go if you’re uncomfortable.”

  “Why should it make me uncomfortable that your family likes to have babies? I’m anxious to meet them.” She tried to make it true; the anxious part was true.

  “You’re a brave woman, Miss P.”

  “I get that a lot,” Blair said.

  Sully led the way into the crowd. A girl of about eleven was the first to notice them. She stopped midstep and looked from Sully to Blair and back again, and then she opened her mouth and yelled. “Sully brought a woman!”

  A little more than a hundred pairs of eyes swung around and focused on Blair.

  “O-kay,” she drawled.

  “This is not awkward at all,” Sully muttered. Out loud he added, “Someone bring me a baby.” Within seconds, he was presented with two babies. He chose the smallest and turned to Blair. “Remember what I said about retribution when you least expect it?”

  She motioned to the gawking crowd. “This isn’t retribution enough?”

  “You said you would learn on a tiny baby. This one looks to be about two weeks old.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I stopped keeping track after the first wave went to elementary school. I don’t even know this one’s name, but it’s Seraphina’s, so it starts with a K. What’s this baby’s name?” he called.

  “Kendall,” someone answered.

  “I thought there was already a Kendall,” he said, turning around to search for the speaker.

  “No, you’re thinking Kendra. That was a few years ago.”

  He turned back to Blair and pressed the baby to her arms. “Kendall. She’s yours for the day.”

  She reached out and tilted the baby’s blanket to peek at her face. “What if I get baby fever?”

  “Then you can take this one home with you. Her mother probably already has a replacement in the works.”

  “I’m feeling pretty normal compared to you and your family,” she whispered as she reached out and took the baby.

  “You’re quite possibly the most normal woman I know,” he said.

  The baby was drowsy, warm, and snuggly as Sully circulated Blair through the crowd, introducing her to sisters and nieces she would in no way remember. She noticed that he was careful to preface every introduction with “my neighbor” so his sisters wouldn’t get the wrong idea. Holding the baby was nice because it gave her something to do with her hands and eyes while meeting so many new people. Just when she was feeling really good about her progress, Kendall woke up and started to screech.

  “I broke her,” Blair said. She held the baby out to Sully, but he pushed her back.

  “She’s fine. She needs something.”

  “What? Whatever it is, she can have it if she’ll stop doing that.”

  “She’s probably hungry. I need a bottle,” he called. Again as if from thin air a bottle was suddenly in his hand. Blair tried to hand the baby back again, but he wouldn’t take her. He tipped the bottle upside down, tapped out the air, and handed it to Blair.

  “This seems like the kind of gathering where people would breastfeed,” Blair said.

  “Go ahead and try if you want,” Sully said. “I don’t mind.”

  “I meant them,” Blair said, exasperated even though she knew he was teasing her.

  “This one was probably a C-section. My sisters have trouble breastfeeding after C-sections. Yes, I wish I didn’t know that about them. This is what happens when you’re the only boy—you learn way too much about women.” He watched her feed Kendall for a while, judging her progress. “You should stop halfway and burp her.” At her panicked look, he took the baby, demonstrated the technique, and handed her back.

  The baby burped—loudly. It was disgusting. “Why are you making me do this?” Blair asked.

  “To prove to you that there’s nothing wrong with you. You’ve never been around kids; you’re not defective.”

  The use of the term she had so often used on herself made her wonder if he had been having secret conversations with Tanya. She was sure he hadn’t, but how else would he know?

  Kendall fell asleep before she finished her bottle. “You should change her now,” Sully added. “Babies void after they eat.”

  “Void. Who talks like that?”

  “Someone who has been surrounded by babies for longer than he would care to remember. Stop looking like a raccoon caught in a flashlight beam. I’ll walk you through.” He explained the steps to her and even helped her a couple of times when she got stuck. It wasn’t as difficult as she imagined, but it was still gross. She had no way to wash her hands.

  “Wipe,” Sully called. A bag of wet wipes appeared in his hand. He used one to wipe Blair’s hands for her as she held the baby using her elbows. “That’s a pro-level move,” he said. “I’m impressed.”

  “It’s getting less awkward,” Blair said. She gazed down at Kendall’s face with a smile. “I like her best when she’s sleeping.”

  “Said all mothers everywhere,” Sully said. “Let me know when you’re ready to let her go and I’ll foist her on someone else.”

  “You said I had to hold her all day,” Blair reminded him.

  “You cracked much easier than I thought you would. You’re getting the look, the one that’s imagining you with a round belly while buying pink hair bows at the store.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “I’m not the mothering type.”

  “Could have fooled me,” he said, noting the way she was gently swaying back and forth as she cuddled Kendall.

  Awhile later, the baby woke and began to wail again. Blair handed her off to someone who may or may not have been her mother. Her arms felt oddly empty. She crossed them to ward off the feeling.

  A teenager bounded up to them and threw her arms around Sully. He returned the hug, picking the girl’s feet off the floor. “Blair, this is Prudence, my oldest niece. We call her Pru.”

  “Hi,” Pru said. She held out her hand for Blair to shake, encompassing her in her wide, friendly smile.

  “Hi,” Blair replied. There was something different about Pru. Blair didn’t know what, but Sully solved the mystery.

  “Pru is the family’s only other defector. She’s going to college next year, and she’s not getting married until she’s finished.”

  “True story,” Pru agreed. “We freaks have to stick together.” She held her hand up and Sully gave her a high five.

  “Where do you attend high school?” Blair asked.

  “I’m homeschooled,” Pru said.

  Blair stopped herself from asking if she knew Tyler. How would they know each other when they were both homeschooled? Still, the wheels in her head were turning. Tyler needed a friend. Pru seemed nice and friendly. They had the commonality of homeschool. “You should visit your uncle sometime. Our handyman, Tyler, is homescho
oled and I think you would hit it off.”

  “First of all, handyman is a polite term for someone who scooped leaves from my gutters and replaced the light bulb on your porch. Second, are you trying to fix my niece up with some boy?”

  “Of course not,” Blair said. “People can be friends, can’t they?”

  “Good point. But she’s kept her head on thus far. I don’t want it turned when we’re this close to the finish line. This is about the time everyone else in the family starts pairing up and planning their weddings,” Sully said.

  “I don’t want to get married,” Pru reiterated. “I want to go to college. But I also like to meet new people. Meeting Tyler sounds fun. Set it up, Blair; it’s a date.”

  Blair gave her points for throwing the last part in just to irritate Sully. He ruffled her hair and she squealed before scooting away. They gravitated toward food tables that groaned under hundreds of dishes.

  “Where should we sit?” Blair asked after their plates were loaded.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Sully said. “There’s nowhere to hide.”

  She soon understood what he meant because even though they sat far from the group, they were quickly surrounded by Sully’s sisters. Everyone’s name started with an S, adding to Blair’s confusion. She was peppered with questions, but so was Sully. Blair had the impression that reunions were few and far between for the sisters and their brother. Watching him with them was almost like watching him with Sharon. The longer they talked, the more agitated and cornered he became.

  “Isn’t it time for sparklers?” Sully asked.

  He said the magic word. Kids sprang up from everywhere as boxes of sparklers began to appear. The sisters gravitated toward the action, presumably to make sure their children didn’t catch anything on fire. The group moved en masse toward the wide expanse of dark lawn, far from the lights under the patio. Someone handed Blair a lit sparkler; she stared at it, mesmerized.

  Sully watched her hold the sparkler far away so as not to singe her clothes, and something flipped over in his stomach, something that had been building for a long time. He clasped her hand and tugged her away to a darkened corner of the park.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked.

  “Somewhere private,” he replied.

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m going to kiss you,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “I have no idea.” He stopped and faced her. The sparkler dangled limply from her hand. He clasped his hand around hers and held it away so she didn’t catch her pants on fire.

  “This seems like a bad idea,” she whispered.

  “The worst,” he agreed.

  She opened her mouth to tell him she didn’t enjoy kissing, but he covered it, cutting off the words. The kiss was nothing like the hard brush of Tim’s mustache or the sloppy wetness of Gilly’s doggy lick. This kiss was sweet and soft, just a brush of his lips on hers. The sparkler burned down and touched their fingers so they dropped it and jumped, causing an abrupt end to the kiss.

  “Oh,” Blair said. “You’re much better at that than your dog.”

  He should stop there and walk away, but he didn’t. He dropped her hand and cupped her face. “Good because that was just the warm-up.” He kissed her again. Blair’s hands slid between them and clutched his shirt for support as Sully drew her closer, pressing her to him. By the time it was over, Blair realized she wasn’t so defective after all. She liked kissing—very much, indeed.

  Chapter 13

  Blair and Sully didn’t see each other for a week. Sully called once to say another radiologist was on vacation and he was busy working overtime to fill the gap. Blair had her doubts about that. Maybe he was as confused as she was. The ride home from the park had been silent. Blair was too stunned to say anything, and Sully seemed to feel the same way. He walked her to her door and said goodbye without another kiss. Blair would have believed he wanted nothing more to do with her but, a week after the fateful day, he called and asked her to have lunch with him at the hospital.

  To fill her time in the interim, she invited Pru and Tyler to meet and have a play date. She knew it wasn’t called a play date when the kids in question were almost adults, but she didn’t know what else to label it. She took Mrs. Caruthers to church and signed her up for a couple of programs at the senior center in town. Now for a nominal fee, her neighbor received three meals a week, a ride to the store, and a weekly bingo session at the center.

  To round out the week, Blair had her standing lunch date with Susan. She was tempted to tell her about Sully, to seek advice, but the situation was too confusing. Blair needed to work it out in her own heart and mind before she told anyone else. Instead she listened as Susan gushed about Tim. They were slowly moving into a serious relationship and almost at the point where they introduced their children into the mix. Susan was nervous about that. Blair spent some time reassuring her, although she had no idea what she was talking about since she had never been in a similar situation.

  Finally, the day of their scheduled lunch arrived. Blair was nervous. She tried to soothe herself with the notion that nothing was going to happen. Sully realized the kiss was a mistake. Maybe they wouldn’t even talk about it; maybe they would pretend nothing happened and move on.

  He was wearing scrubs that made his job seem real. Even though she knew it was a cliché, she felt her respect level for him rise. He was a doctor; he had made it through one of the toughest career paths in the nation. She couldn’t help but be impressed by his intellect, perseverance, and discipline. He flagged her down with a wave and they went through the cafeteria line together. “Thanks for meeting me,” he said. He sank into the chair across from her looking exhausted. “I feel like I’m back in med school. I can’t wait for this week to be over.”

  “I visited Gilly every day,” she said. “His bark sounded lonely.”

  “Thanks for that,” he said. “You’re a good neighbor.”

  They ate a few bites of food in silence that landed somewhere between awkward and comfortable. “What have you been up to this week?” he asked. He finished his food while she talked and then set aside his plate and folded his hands on the table. Blair wasn’t finished, but the thought of food was suddenly unappealing. Surely if she tried to eat now, it would all lodge in her throat and choke her. She set her fork aside and sat on her hands to keep them from fidgeting.

  “Nothing much,” she said.

  “We need to talk,” Sully said.

  Blair realized that nothing good ever started with those words. She wondered if she should jump in and reassure him that the kiss hadn’t meant anything, that she hadn’t read too much into it. She wasn’t the jump in and reassure type, however, so she waited for him to continue.

  “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week. You’d be surprised how much the mind wanders when you’re reading x-rays. Over the last decade, I spent a lot of time saying that I don’t want to date anyone, but I think I was referring to the women who pursued me or to the women my sisters tried to throw at me. That didn’t include someone who is well suited to my needs. You’re settled and together and not needy. I like that. I like you, Blair. We’re friends, and I think we could do well in a relationship. We wouldn’t have to rush anything, wouldn’t have to give up our own living situations. We could be neighbors who date and have the best of both worlds.”

  Blair couldn’t have been more surprised if he hit her in the head with a bowling ball. He brought her there because he wanted to get together? She wasn’t sure what to say. “I’m not sure what to say,” she said.

  “You don’t have to say anything today. Take some time and think about it. I’m sure your rational nature will lead you to the conclusion that this is a good thing.”

  “I’ll think about it,” she promised.

  He smiled. “Good.” He glanced at her food. “Are you going to eat that?”

  She shook her head and pushed her food closer to him. Movement caught the corner of her eye. She
looked up and saw Tristan. She drew in a breath. Sully looked up from the food to see what made her gasp.

  “Oh, that guy,” he muttered.

  “You know him?” Blair asked.

  He chuckled. “Oh, yeah. He’s a psychologist. The nursing staff goes gaga over him. They secretly call him Dr. Darcy. We doctors have a little secret of our own, though—he doesn’t wash his hands.”

  Blair blinked at him, sure she had heard wrong. “What?”

  “I’ve been in the bathroom with him a few times. He comes out, bypasses the sink, and leaves. He doesn’t wash. I’m not the only one—a few other doctors have reported the same thing. So while the nurses are sighing over him, we’re mentally calculating how many people he’s infected with the plague.”

  “He…he doesn’t wash his hands,” Blair repeated.

  Sully shook his head. “I knew you of all people would appreciate how disgusting that is.”

  Blair pressed both hands over her mouth and shook her head. Her eyes were filling with tears, and there was no way to explain. Sully dropped his fork and leaned forward. “Miss P? Blair, are you okay?”

  “I…I can’t…I can’t do this.”

  “What? Are you sick?”

  She shook her head. “You. Me. Us. I can’t. I can’t do it. I’m sorry. I have to go.” She stood and sprinted away, almost knocking the chair over in her haste to get away. Sully watched her go, more confused than he had ever been in his life.

  A week later, Sully was still confused when his niece showed up unexpectedly on his doorstep. “What are you doing here?” he asked, though his tone wasn’t unfriendly. He loved his niece and enjoyed her company. Maybe she would provide a reprieve from his misery.

  “Tyler and I are seeing a movie.”

  Sully frowned. “I do not approve.”

  “Relax, Uncle Sully. We’re just friends. He’s going to college, too. Anyway, I have a few minutes before I meet him, so I thought I would stop by and see how you’re doing. How are you doing?”