by Ashton Lee
“Isn’t that something? We noticed it as soon as we got her home,” Periwinkle added. “It was almost like she was saying to us, ‘It’s about time you got me outta that place with all those wires.’”
Everyone gathered around the bassinet laughed, and Connie said, “You’ll get used to these adorable little tics and facial expressions. When we got Lindy home eons ago it seems like, I would even write all those things down in a journal and show them to Douglas every evening when he got home from work at the law office. I didn’t want him to miss anything.”
“She’d make me sit down with her and try to interpret them,” Douglas added. “Can you imagine? Finally, she decided that some of them didn’t mean much, if anything at all, and that she’d at least be willing to wait until Lindy learned to walk and talk before returning to that journal full-time. And believe me, she did just that. She practically wrote an epic novel.”
Connie gave him a sideways glance and a playful punch on his bicep. “I did not. Besides, I didn’t do anything any other first-time mother wouldn’t do. Cut me some slack.”
“I’ll probably end up doing the same thing real soon,” Periwinkle said. “I’m just thrilled to have the chance to do it at all, though. That’s the main thing I don’t wanna lose sight of.”
“And we’re thrilled for you,” Maura Beth said, sipping on her bottled water with a twist of lime. “Of course, Jeremy and I can’t wait to be in your position. It’ll be any day now, according to Dr. Lively.”
“Did you tell them what else Dr. Lively said?” Jeremy added, munching on a handful of cashews.
Periwinkle put her arm around Maura Beth’s shoulder. “Well, I know you’re definitely past due, girlfriend. What else do we need to know?”
“Definitely past due is the phrase. Two more days and then Dr. Lively says he’ll have to induce labor. Liam doesn’t seem to want to come out and play. Elise is in the same boat with her baby.”
Elise stepped up and entered the conversation as she was making short work of a mini-quiche. “I sure am. My Celice is hiding out in there probably doing some research for my next paper and doesn’t want anyone to come looking for her before she’s through. Induced labor is beginning to sound pretty good to me, and it looks like Dr. Lively might get two for the price of one. But I promise I won’t complain. I’m ready to start being a mother. I’ve been ready for some time now.”
“Parker and I know you’ll keep us posted,” Periwinkle said. Then she started surveying the room as she pulled out of the conversation abruptly. It was not the action of a gracious hostess merely keeping tabs on all her guests. There was genuine worry in her face and body language.
“Were you looking for someone?” Maura Beth said, tuning in on it all. “I think the gang’s all here, judging by my count.”
“Yes, they are by mine, too,” Periwinkle added. But she seemed distracted and did not smile, and she kept turning this way and that in a not-so-subtle manner.
Suddenly—and without any doubt in her mind about it—Maura Beth realized what was going on and gently took Periwinkle by the arm. “I almost forgot. Weren’t you going to give me your recipe for these delicious mini-quiches of yours? I just can’t stop eating them. I’m not this big for nothing.”
Periwinkle frowned for a second with a tilt of her head. “Was I? Was I going to do it in person or e-mail?”
“In person, remember? We said we’d take care of it today when I came.” Maura Beth pointed toward the kitchen door. “Let’s just run in there real quick. Nobody will know we’re even gone. I just can’t go another day without it, and I’m sure Parker can play host while I go in and write it all down.”
“Sure I can,” Parker said, standing nearby. “You Free Sample Sisters go right on ahead and do your thing.”
“We will,” Maura Beth said, smiling. “We always do.”
* * *
At the kitchen counter, Maura Beth took Periwinkle’s hand while speaking softly.
“Now I want you to listen carefully to me. We’ve been friends for so long, I think I can read your mind. You can trust me with this, so don’t try to cover up. It’s your mother, isn’t it?”
Periwinkle couldn’t seem to look Maura Beth in the eye as she took a deep breath that seemed to take everything out of her. “Yes, I sent her an invitation against my better judgment. I was hoping against hope she would come. Fifteen more minutes and this thing’ll be over. But I know in my heart she’s not coming. I guess I knew she wouldn’t when I licked the envelope and put a stamp on it. You know, everyone else I sent an invitation to came today. Book club people, my best customers, anybody that has ever meant anything to me. But not my mama.”
Maura Beth was briefly conflicted, but she knew she had to rule out any possibility of telling Periwinkle that Mama Kohlmeyer had asked about the baby’s color in a tone of severe disapproval and judgment that would cut to the bone. It was toxic information and should never be repeated to anyone. It was only for Mama Kohlmeyer herself to say such words to her daughter and suffer the consequences.
“I’m so sorry she’s still turning her back on you and Parker. I’m sure it hurts, but the important thing now is to become a family, even if it means moving on without her. You’ve done everything you can to reach out to her. If she won’t communicate, there’s nothing more you can do.”
Periwinkle finally caught Maura Beth’s gaze with a grateful smile. “Now, how on earth did you know I had my mama on my mind out there in the middle of that crowd of sippers and see-ers? Is that even a word?”
“Probably not. But it’s just one of those Free Sample Sisters things, as far as I’m concerned. When you’ve shopped ’til you’ve almost dropped with another woman, there are no secrets. I also think pregnant women share a bond that no man will ever understand. It’s an experience we have all to ourselves, no matter how empathetic they are, and it’s meant to be that way. The men have their gifts and strengths, but everything comes through us women; and without us, no gifts or strengths are possible for anyone on the planet.”
Periwinkle dabbed at the tears she had been working up over her mother’s no-show and sniffled once or twice. “My, my. You librarians sure can turn out a speech. Bet you did some research for that one. But then you have all those books out at the lake to help you.”
Maura Beth gave her a peck on the cheek. “I certainly do.” She pulled back and smiled. “And you’re right. That did sound a little like a speech or even a lecture. It’s probably from hanging around Elise too much. Sometimes I even think I should be taking notes when I’m around her.”
“That’s funny. I know exactly what you mean.” Periwinkle drew herself up and gently clasped her hands together. “You know, I really like Elise. She’s like me in that she’s her own woman. She’s made her choices and stood by ’em. I can respect that. I built The Twinkle up from my divorce settlement with Harlan, but it was me who did all the work, and that can never be taken away from me. I hope it all turns out well for Elise in that same way.”
“So do I.”
“But as for me,” Periwinkle continued, “I wouldn’t even want to try to raise a baby alone. I’ve got Parker, and I know he’s gonna pitch in and do his part. So, you’re right. Once and for all, I need to accept the fact that my mama’s not gonna come around. She just hasn’t got it in her. I’m sorry about that, but there’ll be no more invitations to anything. Parker’s right about me not setting myself up for rejection time and time again. If she should show up at our door one day and ask to come in and be part of our lives, I think Parker and I’ll find it in ourselves to forgive her and say, ‘Come on in!’ But we won’t be holding our breath now. Parker’s already laid down the law big-time about me worrying about what she thinks.”
The two women hugged as best they could with Maura Beth’s girth getting in the way. Then Maura Beth said, “Well, are you ready to join our friends again now that we’ve wrapped up this phony recipe mission?”
“Sure enough. And, hey, we don�
��t wanna miss any new expressions Denia comes up with, do we?”
“Absolutely not.”
* * *
Alex had been keeping an eye on what Elise was eating during the sip ’n’ see, and at the right moment sidled up to her with two more mini-quiches on a small plate. Without giving it too much thought, he was continuing to pursue his favorite aphorism of food as the ultimate common denominator and icebreaker among human beings.
“Another refill?”
She swallowed a sip of her fruit punch and considered. “You talked me into it. I was thinking seriously of quitting, but with a friendly waiter like you at my disposal, I’ve changed my mind.” She took the plate off his hands and thanked him.
“That little girl is just beautiful, isn’t she?” he said, but it didn’t sound much like small talk. The sincerity of his remark came through clearly. Or maybe it was Denia’s irresistible appearance that had infused all conversation with a total lack of pretense. Disarming was often a good thing.
“I think everyone would be grateful to have a baby like that,” Elise told him. “What a life changer she’ll be for Periwinkle and Parker. And the wonderful thing is, she’ll be growing up in a time when the world will be so much more open to women and people of color. The old prejudices are fading fast, or at least I hope that’s true.”
“I’m sure we’d all like to think so,” Alex said, taking a sip of his wine.
Elise finished off a quiche and leaned in, looking somewhat skeptical. “You don’t think so?”
“I don’t want to sound like a pessimist,” he began. “But I teach at the high school. This is still the Deep South. I know what goes on, and I hear about certain students being called into the principal’s office for misbehavior. Now don’t get me wrong. A lot of it is nothing—just pranks and silliness and boys and girls cutting up in class. You’ll never get rid of that. But there are still a few who call names, and it’s racist in nature. This is a part of a new generation in the millennium we’re talking about. The fact is, some people are still out there trying to fight the Civil War, and they pass that on to their children here and now. I’m not saying that progress hasn’t been made—because it certainly has. But perhaps I’m just a little more realistic on the subject at this point.”
Elise seemed a bit taken aback. “Do you think I’m being naïve?”
“Not necessarily. I would point out that your academic environment at the university is somewhat elevated, though. You’re there teaching students who want to learn the fine points of living successfully in our society. It seems to me that they have reasonably open minds. Am I right?”
“Yes, you are. That’s exactly the way I’d put it.”
Alex studied the expression on her face and noted that it had changed from somewhat skeptical to something resembling admiration. Was he making slow but steady progress with her?
“So you’re telling me that the N word has definitely not been put to bed?” Elise continued.
“Not by a long shot, unfortunately.” Alex hesitated, wondering if he should open up further to her, but decided not to hold anything back in the end. He had come this far. “And just last semester, we had a female student who was raped but had the guts to report it so that justice was eventually served. The boy’s parents fought it every step of the way, but they didn’t prevail. They tried to use that old ‘she brought it on herself’ defense. I bring all that up because of your comment about a new world for women. I hope I haven’t made you think it’s all hopeless out there and that tons of bad apples are just waiting to pounce, but I do think we have to be very vigilant about how people are treated.”
“You’re absolutely right, of course.” Elise finished the last of her mini-quiches with great satisfaction. “I’m glad you told me all this. You hear all the time about academics like myself being detached from the real world in our ivory towers. Maybe I’ve been guilty of that from time to time. I know I’ve lectured my family enough about everything under the sun. And yet, here they all are supporting me when I need it most. What I’ve chosen to do has changed me in ways I never expected.”
“And that’s a good thing, right?”
“Yes, it is. This has been a most enlightening sabbatical so far. It’s turning out to be about much more than pregnancy.”
Alex let a healthy swig of his wine course through his veins. “I can’t help but think that we’ll be turning out one helluva book now. I know your academic credentials will count for a lot when the editor looks over our manuscript. I don’t think there’s a base we won’t have covered.”
Jeremy came over with some urgency and held up his cell phone. “Leesie, Maura Beth and I both just got a text from Dr. Lively saying he wants Maura Beth to come up to Memphis tomorrow to induce labor. You might want to check yours real quick and see if he’s left you the same message.”
“Oh, right,” Elise said, retrieving her phone from her purse. “I’ve had it turned off because I didn’t want to disturb the Sip ’N See.”
When she turned it on, the same message was indeed waiting for her. “Can you believe it? Looks like Dr. Lively really is going to get two for the price of one from the same family. Where’s Maura Beth? This is prime bonding time.”
Hearing her name called nearby, Maura Beth joined them quickly. “Guess we better run home and pack for the big event. I think we should go up in tandem. Jeremy can drive me up, and Aunt Connie and Uncle Doug can drive you up. Won’t we be something?”
“What are the odds of this happening?” Elise said, rising from her chair with some help from Alex. “But what a good story it’ll make years from now when Celice and Liam are old enough to understand. It should create a special cousinly bond.”
Alex turned to Jeremy and patted his shoulder. “I’d go with you if I didn’t have class tomorrow, but I know we can keep in touch with our phones.”
“Sure. I’ll text you, and you won’t miss a thing.”
“Hey, I might even drive on up to Memphis after class,” Alex continued. “I’d love to be a part of this and lend my support.”
“How sweet of you,” Elise said, and there was genuine warmth in her voice.
Then they all told Periwinkle and Parker the news and made their manners, full of the hope and energy that comes with knowing new lives would soon be coming into the world.
14
Double Delivery
There was a lingering suggestion of déjà vu for Connie McShay about the Memphis Children’s Hospital waiting room and the role she was now playing. Nearly two years earlier at Cherico Memorial, she had functioned as the liaison between Justin Brachle’s doctors and nurses and his concerned book club friends when he had suffered a heart attack. Her considerable skills and training as a long-time, though retired, ICU nurse had kicked in, and she had kept everyone informed thoroughly while Justin was being stabilized and then ambulanced to Nashville, where he could receive first-rate care and eventually fully recover. That particular event had disrupted a regular meeting of The Cherry Cola Book Club and set a precedent for many that had followed.
On this late-January morning, however, when both Maura Beth and Elise had presented themselves to Dr. Lively and staff for induced labor, there was only one other person waiting for the outcome in the hospital—Connie’s husband, Douglas. Everyone else was tucked away down in Cherico with their cell phones on alert while sending all their positive energy and an occasional text northward. There had been no parade of Greater Chericoans heading up on the Natchez Trace Parkway in this instance.
But the big surprise was that Connie wasn’t going to be Elise’s coach in the delivery room, as the two of them had been planning for months. Connie had walked in with confidence to confer with Dr. Lively and been given a decidedly different set of marching orders.
“It doesn’t quite fit the definition of an emergency, but Elise is going to need a C-section, Dr. Lively told me just now,” Connie said, sounding both concerned and disappointed.
Douglas rose from his c
hair urgently as his wife stood in front of him with the news. “Has something gone wrong? Do we need to worry? I know you. Level with me, please.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. Dr. Lively just thinks it’s the safer procedure right now. Turns out Elise’s hips aren’t that wide, and it could be a tight squeeze for the baby going down the birth canal. You don’t want to risk injury to the brain. C-sections are done all the time, though, and that’s the reason I’m out here with you and not in there. By the way, Dr. Lively will be doing the C-section, but Maura Beth’s getting a cohort of his, Dr. Drake, to deliver her baby.”
“So Maura Beth’s having a conventional birth, then? Everything’s okay with her?”
Connie brightened somewhat. “You bet. Jeremy’s gone in with her now to the delivery room. I imagine he’ll soon be telling her to push, push, push in the grand Lamaze manner he practiced so diligently. And we’ll soon be greeting two new little citizens of Cherico. I’ll be texting Susan and Paul and all the rest of the gang in just a minute.”
Douglas chuckled. “You make it all sound so easy and clinical.”
Connie could not let that one pass and lightly rapped her knuckles on his bicep. “Now, you know better than that. You always hope and pray everything that goes on in a hospital will go down easy, but you have to be vigilant and never let your guard down. Elise will be having general anesthesia in this case, so she won’t be aware of what’s going on. There shouldn’t be a problem, but I’ve always erred on the side of cautious optimism.”
Douglas sat back down and beckoned his wife to join him, putting his arm around her as he spoke. “As much as Elise has invested in all this emotionally, I’d hate to see anything go wrong for her now. As single-minded as she is, I wonder if she could take it.”
“Let’s don’t think about it that way. Dr. Lively seemed very certain that this was the best option to get the baby here safe and sound. I’m sure we’ll look back on this in an hour or so and wonder why we ever had any concerns. In fact, I forbid you to have any negative thoughts.”
