Mary, Mary

by Lesley Crewe

  “I can’t. I’m going to use it to fix up the kitchen. Jerry suggested it. He’ll do the work for free.”

  Peggy went back to gathering up the chickpeas. “That’s a wonderful idea. Mom would be super happy.”

  Sheena tried to fit her bulk on a stool but thought better of it. “You still need to save a little for yourself.”

  “I already know one thing I’m going to buy, but it’s a secret.”

  “For my babies?”

  “No, as a matter of fact. You don’t need anything. I just saw the dining-room table covered with baby paraphernalia. Are you taking all that back to Halifax?”

  “I can’t get Mom or Maxine to stop shopping.”

  “Do you know what you’re having?”

  “We decided we didn’t want to know. I don’t want to be fighting about kids’ names just yet.”

  “I hope one of them will be called Carole.”

  Sheena laughed. “Of course. And I’ll call the other one Ethel.”

  Carole and Jerry asked Mary and Daniel downstairs for supper one night. Jerry did the cooking, so there wasn’t a Kraft Dinner box in sight. It was a lovely pot roast with a chocolate cake for dessert. Mary kept wondering what they wanted to talk about, but they didn’t seem in any hurry to get to it. Only when they were finishing up their tea did Carole clear her throat.

  “We have a proposal for you both.”

  Mary and Daniel looked at each other. “Okay,” said Mary warily.

  “Once Jerry and I get married, I will live in his house, which I still can’t picture because I’ve never lived anywhere but here.”

  “That will be strange for you, Mom.”

  “But his house is much better for the dogs, with the big backyard and everything fenced in. What we were wondering is whether you two would like to live here rent-free. Jerry is going to fix up the kitchen with the money I won and you can rent the upstairs apartment and bring in some income for yourself.”

  “But don’t you want that income?”

  Jerry spoke up. “Your mother doesn’t need it now that she’s marrying me. I make good money and I don’t even want her working, unless she’d like to. I think she should take a few years off and just relax for the first time in her life. We plan on travelling to dog shows around the country. We have lots of great things planned, don’t we, Carole?”

  Carole reached out her hand and stroked his forearm. “Oh, yes. A whole lifetime of doggie adventures.”

  Mary wanted to weep with happiness. Her mother was beaming at the prospect of her future with this man. When Mary looked at Daniel, she could tell he was pleased for them too.

  “I think that would be a great idea. Don’t you, Daniel?”

  “Hey, it’s a lot bigger than upstairs. And you’ll get your wardrobe back.”

  Mary laughed. “Yes, indeed. A perfect solution. Maybe we can even find a Mrs. Aucoin to rent the upstairs.”

  “Then it’s settled.”

  As Mary and Daniel were leaving, they thanked Carol again for her generous offer. Just before they went out the door, Carole held Mary back for a moment. “Did you tell Daniel yet?”

  “Yes. I should’ve done it the moment I found out. I feel so much better now.”

  “Have you decided anything?”

  “No, but that’s okay.”

  Her mom kissed her cheek. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Peggy trudged into the house one day in July and collapsed on the family-room recliner. Ted put down his paper.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Why did I ever think it would be fun to go wedding-dress shopping with my sister? Sheena was a thousand times easier.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  “The problem is she’s trying to dress like she’s twenty-one. She wants to wear a big white dress and veil. It will be ludicrous.”

  “To whom? You? Let her do what she wants.”

  “I don’t want her to be a laughingstock.”

  “Is she getting married in front of hundreds of people? As far as I know it’s only us and Mary and Daniel. Sheena’s getting too big to go anywhere. Are his boys even attending the wedding?”

  “He doesn’t know yet. But what about wedding photos? She’ll regret it.”

  “I hate to say it, darling, but you’re turning into an incredible snob.”

  “I always was a snob. Are you just noticing?”

  Peggy felt compelled to call Mary. “How can we keep your mother from looking like a cake topper?”

  “If she wants to wear scuba gear, it’s okay with me. Why does it bother you so much?”

  “Because I know what she can look like, and I want her to see herself as I see her. If only she’d trust me.”

  “I’m not fighting this battle, Aunt Peggy. I don’t have the strength.”

  “All right. I’ll do it on my own.”

  Somehow, Peggy convinced Carole to make a hair appointment with Sheila at Vallie’s.

  “If you don’t like it, you can stand under the shower when you get home. I promise.”

  “I’m only doing this to shut you up.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll never mention it again after today.”

  Sheila was her usual bright blond self, looking fabulous with the latest hairstyle and perfect makeup. Peggy had warned Sheila that Carole would be a tough nut to crack, and not to worry if Carole scowled through the whole process. Sheila never backed down from a challenge.

  Two hours later, the results were in and even Carole couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She had a perfect bob with highlights and lowlights and even bangs that brushed over her forehead, looking perfectly messy and carefree.

  Peggy grabbed a tissue from her purse and wiped her eyes. “You see? What did I tell you? You look ten years younger.”

  Carole stood up and gave Sheila a great big hug. “Thank you. Just thank you.”

  “My work here is done!” Sheila laughed.

  “I’ll be back in six weeks.”

  Peggy knew that Sheila had another customer for life.

  Apparently Jerry almost fainted when she saw his fiancée later that night. She didn’t get home until the wee hours of the morning.

  Now it was just the damn dress standing between a beautiful bride and a cartoon.

  “But I want a veil.”

  “You can have a veil. A sweet little birdcage that will cover your face but not your hair. You simply cannot hide your hair. It’s your crowning glory.”

  “But—”

  Peggy grabbed her sister by the elbows. “Please let me show you. Please!”

  “For God’s sake, Peggy. You’re like a dog with a bone.”

  “That’s me. Now let me chew it.”

  So Carole relented and let Peggy drag her into clothes shops to look for elegant dresses fit for a wedding. There was one dress overlaid with lace in a soft eggshell shade that really was scrumptious. As soon as Carole put it on, Peggy knew it was the one.

  “This is it, Carole. As God is my witness, you will never put on anything that will make you more beautiful. It’s breathtaking, and it looks appropriate. You don’t want to look like Sheena on your wedding day. You are a mature bride, but no less stunning. I wish I had worn something like this. Instead I looked like I had an eagle’s nest on my head.”

  Carole had to admit she did look pretty spectacular. She was glad she’d told Mary to stay away from dress shopping. She wanted to surprise her daughter as well as her future husband.

  Carole bought the dress with her own money. She knew her mother would want her to.

  In the end, she and Jerry were married in his backyard by a justice of the peace, surrounded by the dogs. His sons showed up, which meant the world to their father. Carole met his close friends for the fir
st time. Mary, Daniel, Peggy, and Ted were Carole’s only relatives there, but several of Carole’s regular customers were invited, and all of them wanted to know where Carole had had her hair done, which pissed her off big time.

  Peggy kept taking pictures of Carole and sending them to Sheena, who cried because she wasn’t able to attend her aunt’s wedding. She even called on the cell and cried as she talked to Carole, raving about how beautiful she was and how Sheena was so incredibly happy for her. Carole was genuinely touched until she remembered that Sheena was currently crying every minute of every day. Still, it was sweet.

  Mary made sure she had a moment with her mother before the guests left. “You were a beautiful bride, Mom. I so wish Gran could’ve seen you.”

  “She probably did. She was awfully nosy, if you remember.”

  “Yes, she was that.”

  “I hope one day I can see you and Daniel get married.”

  “I don’t think that’s in the cards, Mom. I’ll be with him forever, but right now, it’s not something either of us needs.”

  “You’ll change your mind. You don’t know everything when you’re twenty-five.”

  “Let’s agree to disagree.”

  “Why change things now?”

  Sheena couldn’t get comfortable, no matter which way she turned her body. She was due in two weeks but kept wishing the babies would just come early. They were more than big enough now, but the doctor said he didn’t want to interfere unless he had to.

  “Typical man!” Sheena shouted at her mother, who was now living in a hotel room in Halifax to be close at hand, seeing as how Sheena’s house was too small for a guest room.

  “We really should’ve bought a bigger house,” Sheena whined. “I told Drew that, but he said we’d be fine. Well, we’re not fine. You have to stay in a hotel instead of being here with me.”

  “Now is not the time to worry about moving. I’m perfectly happy in a hotel room, but I’ll sleep on the floor if you need me here.”

  “Mommy, rub my feet.”

  That’s all Sheena wanted. Someone to rub her feet and for Drew to take her on drives in the air-conditioned car to buy ice cream. She’d gained sixty pounds. Drew was sworn to secrecy about that little detail.

  The babies’ room had been prepared for months. Drew had painted animals on the wall. Peggy made the curtains, the babies’ blankets, and the cover for the baby table. Everything was in shades of soft greens and yellows. The cribs were white ovals, pushed into the middle of the room. Peggy thought it looked ridiculous but she kept her big mouth zipped. Sheena had seen it in a celebrity magazine, and the fact that this room was ten times smaller didn’t dissuade her. Peggy knew the minute real life intervened the cribs would be pushed against the walls so they had room to move around. Let Sheena find out the hard way.

  “Mom! Why is it so hot?”

  Peggy stood over Sheena, who was splayed on the couch with her feet on the coffee table. She fanned the mother-to-be with a magazine. “I’m not responsible for the weather, my love.”

  “Any other summer it’s freezing out, but not this one. The gods are against me.”

  The doorbell rang.

  “Oh no. Send whoever that is away. I look like a beached whale.”

  Peggy opened the door and was delighted to see Mary and Carole. “What are you two doing here?”

  “We decided to take a spur-of-the-moment trip to Halifax to see Sheena before her big day.”

  Sheena held out her arms. “You’re allowed to see me as long as you didn’t bring any paparazzi with you.”

  Mary kissed her cousin. “You look amazing.”

  “I look amazingly fat. My ass is getting bigger by the day and my stupid doctor doesn’t think that’s a problem. Next time I am definitely getting a female doctor.”

  “Next time?” Carole said. “Will there be a next time?”

  “You’re right. Forget I said that. I doubt I’ll ever want to do this again.”

  Peggy went to get lemonade for all of them. When she returned, Sheena was opening more gifts. Mary had knit two mice wearing shorts for the babies. Sheena cried when she held them.

  “These are my favourite things in the whole world! How did you do this?”

  “I saw it online. It took me forever to finally get them right. Roscoe ate the first one I made. He’s still in detention for that one.”

  Carole gave Sheena stuffed toys, a Newfoundland dog and two Chihuahuas. “To remind you of home.”

  Sheena smiled. “Remember when we first saw them and they chased Gran around the yard? That was so funny.”

  “I wish Ma was here. She’d get a kick out of seeing these babies,” Carole said.

  They nodded together, each with their own memories.

  Peggy took a sip of lemonade. “So tell me, Carole, what’s it like living in your new home?”

  “Surprisingly, I love it. I don’t miss the old place one bit. And the dogs are happy there. They play in the yard all day. Sometimes they’re even too tired to go for a walk.”

  “Have you stopped hairdressing?” Sheena said.

  “Yes. I’ve retired, and I can’t believe what a difference it makes to wake up in the morning and have the whole day in front of me to spend how I like. I still have to pinch myself sometimes.”

  “Why don’t we go out for lunch? Are you feeling up to it, Sheena?”

  “Mom, the only pleasure I have in life at this moment is eating.”

  They bundled Sheena into the car and went to the Park Lane Parkade, rather than try to find a spot on Spring Garden Road. As they herded themselves into the small elevator, Sheena had a thought. “After lunch, why don’t we go see a movie here?”

  Peggy said. “Good idea. It’ll be at least three years before you get to see another one.”

  “Hardly. You’ll be babysitting,” her daughter said with a grin.

  They all faced forward and the elevator started normally but three seconds into the ride it stopped abruptly.

  “Okay, that’s weird,” Sheena said.

  They waited for something to happen.

  “Push the button again,” Carole told Peggy.

  Peggy pushed it four times for good measure, but nothing happened.

  “This isn’t good.”

  Mary put her hand on Sheena’s arm. “It’s okay. Mom, press the call button.”

  Carole pressed it, but again, nothing.

  “Oh, my God. We’re going to be stuck in here!” Sheena wailed. “I’m going to have my babies in this elevator!”

  Peggy looked around in a panic. Mary knew she better defuse the situation. “Look, guys, we’re fine. They will notice the problem and get us out. This is a very busy elevator. Someone will come along in a minute. And by the way, Sheena, you’re not due for two weeks. I doubt very much we’ll be in here that long.”

  “But what if we are? Drew isn’t here with me! I mean, I love you guys, but I really want my husband with me when our babies come into the world. I have to call him!”

  “NO!” three voices said all together, causing Sheena to jump.

  “Don’t do that, honey,” Aunt Peggy said. “We don’t want to frighten him. We’re fine. Right, Mary?”

  Mary nodded. “Right.”

  Carole put her face up to the door and yelled, “Help!”

  Only silence.

  Peggy joined her. “Get us out of here! Can you hear us?”

  Sheena started to breathe quickly. “I can’t believe this.”

  Again, Mary stroked her arm and made soothing noises. “Don’t panic. We’re fine.”

  “We’re not fine! We’re stuck in an elevator!”

  “Sheena, why don’t you sit down?”

  “On this dirty floor? Are you crazy?”

  “You can sit on my sweater. I just don’t want you to we
ar yourself out.”

  Both mothers agreed, so Sheena gingerly slid her bulk down the back side of the elevator wall. Mary squatted beside her and held her hand. “Now just rest until help comes.”

  Peggy whispered to Carole in front of the crack in the elevator doors. “Thank God Mary’s here. I’m trying not to faint. What if we can’t get out?”

  “Is it my imagination, or is it getting hotter in here?”

  Both Carole and Peggy went back to shouting through the door. Mary wished they’d stop but even she felt a little bubble of panic as the minutes dragged on.

  And then the unthinkable happened. Sheena looked down and saw a circle of liquid oozing across the elevator floor. “My water just broke! What do I do? Tell me what to do!”

  Mary now had three hysterical women to deal with. Everyone was hyperventilating. She finally had to put her fingers in her mouth and whistle sharply. They stopped and looked at her.

  “Everyone, knock it off! This isn’t like the movies! Sheena isn’t going to have the babies this instant. She’s not even in labour yet.”

  “I am—I can feel something.”

  “You’re not feeling anything. You’re imagining it.”

  “I am?”

  “Yes! Water breaks all the time and you could still have hours or days to go. The calmer you are, the better for the babies. Do you hear me, Sheena? You have to stay perfectly calm and your babies will stay put. I promise.”

  Mary had no idea if what she was saying was true, but it had the desired effect. Sheena started to take slow breaths and actually listen to her.

  “Mom, Aunt Peggy, keep yelling through the door and keep pressing every button. Bang on something too.”

  Mary took a bottle of water out of her purse and put it up to Sheena’s lips. Then she rubbed the small of Sheena’s back in soft, circular motions. She even hummed—anything to bring Sheena comfort.

  “Remember when we were little girls and we’d play Barbies together?”

  Sheena nodded.

  “We’d always have Barbie in some kind of danger and she was always rescued before anything bad happened.”