by Lesley Crewe
“Not quite.” Sheena hiccupped. “Remember the day you cut off Barbie’s hair?”
“That happened once.”
“It still happened.”
“Forget I said anything.”
“Yeah. You better shut up about the Barbies. It’s not making me feel better.”
And then Sheena moaned. Mary couldn’t believe it.
“What is it, honey?” Aunt Peggy shouted.
“I think that was a contraction.” Sheena looked at Mary. “Was that a contraction?”
“No. Definitely not.”
Peggy looked around frantically. “Oh my God, my poor baby! What do I do?”
“Call Drew,” Mary said. “And tell him where we are. Ask him to get help.”
“I’m calling Ted too!”
“Ted is in Sydney,” Carole pointed out. “What’s he going to do?”
“He’s going to drive down here and hopefully be here when the babies pop out.” Then she almost passed out. “My phone has a low battery. Who else has one?”
Sheena took hers out of her purse. “I’m too shaky. You do it.”
“Aunt Peggy, why don’t you call Drew instead of text? It’ll be faster.”
Sheena groaned and leaned forward, rubbing her belly. “Are you sure this isn’t a contraction, Mary?”
“Positive. You’re sitting in an awkward angle, that’s all.”
God strike her dead for lying.
Peggy yelled into the cell. “Is that you Drew? You have to come. I—I—”
Mary stood up and grabbed the phone. “Drew? It’s Mary. Sheena and I and our moms are in an elevator at the Park Lane Parkade. It’s stuck. We haven’t moved for ten minutes, but it seems like an hour. Sheena’s water broke. I want you to send for an ambulance and I’ll be in touch. You can come here, but if they get us out they’ll take us to the IWK right away so I’ll let you know. Yes, I’ll tell her.”
Mary cut the connection and looked at Sheena. “Drew says he loves you and you’re going to be fine. He’s sending help.”
“Thank God,” Sheena cried. “He’s my hero.”
Eventually they heard a louder commotion somewhere below them. Voices called out asking if they were okay. All of them shouted back to say hurry up.
By the time they had the elevator moving, too slowly for their liking, Sheena’s contractions were coming at a pretty steady rate.
“Are you sure these aren’t the real thing?” Sheena panted.
“No. They’re Braxton Hicks. I read up on it,” Mary assured her.
“Well, they sure feel like the real thing.”
“You’ve never been pregnant before. Remember that.”
“True.”
When the doors finally opened, they were four feet above the floor. There were service people, a police officer, an ambulance crew, and Drew waiting impatiently below them.
“You’re going to have to pass her out,” the paramedic said.
“Drew! Are you there?”
“I’m here, sweetheart! You’re going to be fine!”
Mary, Carole, and Peggy knelt on the floor of the elevator and pushed Sheena towards the door, her feet hanging in the air until several people grabbed her limbs and slowly brought her forward.
“I can’t believe this!” Sheena shouted. “I’m as big as a cow. It’s taking ten guys to lift me out.”
Mary patted her head. “Think of the great story you’ll have to tell your kids.”
Before she disappeared, Sheena shouted, “These are so real contractions, Mary!”
“I know!” Mary shouted back.
The paramedics and Drew disappeared as soon as they got Sheena onto the stretcher. Drew shouted that they’d be at the IWK. It took a good five minutes to get the other three women out, all of them unceremoniously dumped on the ground outside the elevator. They quickly thanked the staff and raced for the stairs, Peggy’s arms flapping.
“Mary, call Ted! Tell him to get here fast.”
Peggy raced through traffic and almost caused several fender benders. Both Mary and Carole had to yell at her to slow down.
“That’s all these twins need on the day they’re born. A dead grandma!”
After all that rushing, they were in the waiting room for hours.
Ted, Maxine, Sherm, Chuck, and Elaine all made it from Sydney on time. Peggy regaled them with the frightening elevator situation and how Mary had saved the day once again.
“This child is going to make a terrific nurse!”
Everyone clapped. Mary was so embarrassed.
Just when everyone was starting to fade, and truthfully begin to worry a little, Drew came out of the delivery doors. Everyone crowded around the beaming father.
“We have girls! They’re identical!”
The entire group encircled Drew and everyone hugged and kissed with abandon. Mary found her face wet with tears. She was so unbelievably relieved that nothing had happened to Sheena or her babies. If there had been a real emergency, who knows what would’ve happened? All she wanted to do was call Daniel and hear his voice.
Much later, Peggy, Ted, Carole, and Mary were allowed in for a quick peek. The girls were bundled up, one in Sheena’s arms and the other in Drew’s. They looked like little pink munchkins with blond fuzz sticking straight up out of their scalps. Even wrapped up they looked alike. Peggy couldn’t stop crying as she kissed first one head and then the other.
“Did you pick names yet?” she sniffed.
“Yes,” Sheena said. “Isobel and Katherine.”
Peggy looked delighted. “What lovely old-fashioned names! I love them.”
“We’re calling them Kat and Issie.”
Peggy’s face fell slightly. “Oh. That’s nice.”
Before Mary left, Sheena called her over. “I knew you were lying to me, but I felt better with you there. Thanks for everything.”
“I’m glad I could help, cousin.”
Sheena reached up and gave Mary a big hug. “You’re the best.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
On Mary’s last day at Sobeys, the staff had a small party for her before her shift, with a cake and a card wishing her well on her new adventure. Everyone said they’d miss her, especially Janet, who handed Mary a gift. “It’s just a little something.”
Mary opened the box and inside was a red sweater and cherry red lipstick.
“Oh, Janet! Thank you. I love it. You have no idea how this sweater changed my life.”
“Yes, I do. His name is Daniel, and he’s gorgeous.”
“He is, isn’t he?”
While they were cleaning up, Mary noticed an open Cape Breton Post on the table. The obituaries caught her eye. There was a picture of Dave.
She sat on a chair and brought the page closer. He’d died of pneumonia three days earlier. Her eyes scanned the obituary. “Survived by his wife, Denise, and sister, Bonnie.” There was no mention of her. Dave must not have said anything to Denise after all. Or maybe he had, and his wife chose to ignore it. Mary wasn’t sure what to feel. It was sad, but it didn’t feel personal. She’d lived her whole life without him. She was used to it. Still, it seemed such a waste that after all this time, they hadn’t had a chance to really connect.
Towards the end of the day, Mary noticed her favourite customer standing in line with a large tray of sweets and one of sandwiches, the kind you can order beforehand. She gave Mary a sad smile.
“Are you having a party?” Mary asked.
“No. Some people are coming back to the house. My brother died.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you, dear.”
Mary reached out to take her money when her heart started to pound. “Is your name Bonnie?”
“Yes.”
“Was your brother Dave Cooper?”
“Yes, did you
know him?”
A shiver ran through Mary’s body. This wonderful person was her aunt. This woman she’d admired and joked with was her blood. It was as if her father had left her a gift.
“I knew him a little.”
Mary was aware that customers were waiting behind Bonnie. She quickly made the change and put it in Bonnie’s hand. “This is my last day here. I might never see you again. Would you mind writing down your phone number so I can call you? Maybe we can meet for coffee. I have a story to tell you about your brother.”
Bonnie looked taken aback, but she opened her purse and passed her a card. “Here’s my business card. I sell quilts. My number is on it.” She looked into Mary’s eyes. “I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”
Mary walked back to the house slowly to get some air. She breathed in all the familiar smells: leaves on the trees, the grass, the car exhaust, and the faint smell of KFC. The sounds of traffic and radios playing through open car windows, the far-off noise of a lawn mower and kids shouting. Just a typical day in the city, and yet this miracle had happened.
How lucky was it that she’d made the connection with her aunt on her very last day of work? Someone had to be responsible for it. Maybe her dad, Gran, and Weechee were conspiring.
Daniel was home when she walked in. They were living happily downstairs now. Even the mess that Jerry was making with the renovations wasn’t enough to quell their excitement about all the extra space. Mary loved restoring the dining room to its proper function. No one was more delighted to see the old sink and hair dryer tossed in the trash.
She sat at the table while Daniel filled her in on his day at school, but he eventually noticed she wasn’t paying much attention.
“Your mind is elsewhere.”
“My father died.”
“Oh jeez.” He took her hand. “I’m sorry.”
She passed the paper to him and he read the obituary. “No mention of you,” he noticed.
“No.
“Are you okay?”
“I felt a bit empty and then the most amazing thing happened.” She told him about Bonnie.
“You mean the woman you always talked about, the crazy one with the lipstick? She’s your aunt?”
“Can you believe it?”
“Did you tell her who you are?”
“No. There wasn’t time. I’m going to get in touch with her. She gave me her card.”
“Maybe that’s why you always liked her. Does she look like you?”
Mary thought about it. “You know, I think she does. She certainly has my freckles.”
“If she’s as nice as you say she is, you’re going to love her.”
“Do you think she’ll love me?”
Daniel grinned at her. “What’s not to love?”
After they had their supper, Daniel said, “Why don’t you go tell your mom?”
“Maybe I will.”
She got in the car and drove over to Jerry’s house. It was a really nice place in Sydney Mines. He took good care of it, too. Jerry was capable of anything. It was a miracle he’d crossed paths with her mother. Mary thanked the heavens for him every day.
After the slobbery dog welcome, Mary sat at the kitchen table and told her mom about Dave. She showed her the obituary.
“Oh dear. Oh, I’m sorry, Mary. I feel so guilty—”
“Don’t feel guilty,” Mary interrupted. “It’s all in the past now. You did your best and so did he. So did I, for that matter.” She sighed and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “It wasn’t meant to be and I’m okay with it. I just felt like being with you right now. Tell me what he was like when you knew him.”
Carole put down the paper. “He was cute, and he had a nice laugh. He also had a great body, which is why I was so desperate to be with him. I don’t think my girlfriends at the time thought I was good enough for him. Turned out they were right. I knew from the beginning he wasn’t serious, but when you’re young and think you’re in love, your imagination takes over, and I let myself get carried away. He never promised me anything or told me he loved me. He didn’t lead me on, as they say. Getting pregnant was an accident that turned out to be the best thing I ever did. I’m sorry now I didn’t let him enjoy you too. He didn’t have any other kids, did he?”
Mary shook her head.
“I was wrong. I should’ve let him know you.”
“Maybe.”
Carole reached out and took Mary’s hand. “Life is made up of chapters. This chapter is closed. You have so much ahead of you. Say your goodbyes and move on.”
Mary smiled. “That’s the most profound thing you’ve ever said.”
“I’m not a complete asshole.”
“No, just partial.”
Carole snorted. “Charming.”
Then Mary told her about Bonnie.
“Why don’t you just move on? Do you really need to connect with this woman?”
“Mother. You just said you were sorry you didn’t include Dave in my life. Now you’re telling me that I shouldn’t try and get to know my aunt?”
Carole frowned. “Well, when you say it like that….”
“What are you worried about?”
Carole looked out the dining-room window at the dogs prancing around the yard. “I remember you talking about her. Your favourite customer. And now you want to meet her. I’m afraid you’ll like her more than me.”
“I probably will,” Mary joked, “but you’re my mother. I’m stuck with you, aren’t I?”
“That’s true.”
It took a week for Mary and Daniel to scrub the apartment upstairs and get it ready for a new tenant. Mary was in charge of picking the right person.
“I remember the night I met you,” she grinned. “I wanted you to move in so badly.”
“Not half as much as I did. I wanted to kiss you the moment I saw you.”
“I wonder what ever happened to Amber.”
“I’m sure she’s out there making some other guy miserable.”
“That’s not nice. You obviously just weren’t meant to be together.”
“I hope she has a nice life—just very far away from mine.”
The doorbell rang.
“Here goes,” Mary said.
There was something about the first guy that Mary didn’t like, and Roscoe growled when he came to the door. That was good enough for her. The second person was a girl who had forty earrings in both ears. She was perfectly pleasant, but Mary couldn’t look at her ears.
When the doorbell rang a third time, Mary kept her fingers crossed. As soon as the door opened, she knew her prayers had been answered. It was an older woman.
“Hello, dear. My name is Ethel.”
“The apartment’s yours.”
“But I haven’t even seen it.”
“You’ll love it here.”
Mary did take her upstairs and show her around, and Ethel was very pleased with the whole arrangement. “Oh, I get a nice feeling when I’m in this kitchen.”
“Please say you like to bake cookies,” Mary said.
“I’m a cookie expert.”
“I’ll buy whatever you’re making.”
“Land’s sake, child. I’ll give them to you.”
“No, that’s not fair. I’ll pay for three dozen cookies a week. Daniel is a cookie junkie.”
“Sounds like a lovely arrangement. Now I must tell you, I do own three cats, but they are very well-behaved elderly gentlemen who stick close to home.”
“That’s perfectly fine. We love cats. Roscoe will no doubt be up here to visit.”
“How marvellous.” Ethel smiled.
Mary waited a couple of weeks to contact Bonnie. She didn’t want to intrude on her grief, but she also didn’t want Bonnie to think that she’d forgotten her. They arranged to
meet at Starbucks. Mary had fond memories of that place.
They settled down with their coffee. Bonnie insisted on buying them. Today she was wearing bright orange lipstick and purple shoes. Her knitted cardigan had chickens all over it.
“What an odd thing,” she said. “My favourite checkout girl knew my brother.”
“I was your favourite?”
Bonnie laughed and waved her hand in the air. “By far! Didn’t you notice that your line was always the busiest? That’s because everyone liked coming to your counter. You were always so kind to the old hens, as I call them. The little old widows who come to the store for their daily jaunt. It did my heart good to see that in a young person. I always wondered who your parents were, that you turned out to be such a lovely girl.”
Mary gulped. “Well, funnily enough, that’s why I wanted to speak to you. There’s not a delicate way to say this….” Mary took a deep breath. “It turns out your brother was my father.”
Bonnie was in the middle of a sip of coffee. She gulped it down and coughed into her napkin. Her eyes were like saucers. “Excuse me?”
“This is no doubt a shock. I only found out myself at Christmas.”
“But I don’t understand.”
“He came to our house last Christmas to tell me that I was his daughter. I never knew anything about him.” And then the story came spilling out: “My mother always insisted I was the result of a one-night stand and said she didn’t even know my dad’s last name. Then Dave told me that he and my mom went out together for two months, but that when she got pregnant, he took off. He did say he was ashamed of his actions and that years later he tried to contact me but my mother wouldn’t let it happen.”
Bonnie was thunderstruck. “My God. I never knew any of this. But I thought he couldn’t have children. That’s what his wife always said. Although she always had a tendency to blame him for everything.”
“The main reason he wanted to get in touch with me was to tell me about his Huntington’s diagnosis. He felt I should know. I was very upset, obviously, but after a few months, I agreed to meet with him a couple of times. I told him he couldn’t be my father but I’d like to be his friend. He seemed happy with that.”
