Mary, Mary

by Lesley Crewe

  Bonnie put her napkin over her face. She didn’t say anything as she tried to compose herself. She finally put down the napkin and took a deep breath. “I think you were more than generous with him.”

  “He never told anyone about me. That makes me sad. You had no idea?”

  Bonnie shook her head. “None. If I’d had an inkling he had a child somewhere, do you think I’d have stayed away?”

  Mary smiled. “I don’t know you very well, but I don’t think so. Which is why I felt it was okay to have this conversation with you.”

  Bonnie reached over and touched Mary’s arm. “What are the chances that we would meet? That you found out about me on your very last day of work? To think that I might have gone through my life without knowing you! It doesn’t bear thinking about!” Bonnie sat back and thought for a moment. Then she brightened and said, “Oh, Mary! You’re my niece! I’ve always wanted one! This is a dream come true. Wait until I tell my family!”

  “I keep thinking that maybe Dave made it happen.”

  “Who’s to say? Do you want to see pictures of your cousins?”

  “Cousins! I never even thought of that. I have more cousins!”

  Bonnie rummaged through her bag. “Oh boy, do you.” She brought out her wallet and retrieved some school pictures. She handed them to Mary. “Here’s Damien. He’s eighteen and exactly like his name, a bag of trouble, but we love him.” Mary flipped to another portrait. “This is Jamie, she’s sixteen and thinks she knows everything. She rolls her eyes constantly and sighs heavily every time I open my mouth.” She flipped to another. “And this little devil is Nigel. He’s twelve and all I want to do is kiss him, which makes him run for cover.” Mary flipped to the last photo and Bonnie said, “Oh yes, and here’s my husband, Simon. He’s my rock.”

  Mary was overwhelmed. “These people are my family. I can’t believe it.”

  “Yes! You belong to us now. You can’t ever escape!” Bonnie clapped her hands with glee. “I came here feeling so lonesome and sad and now I feel as though Dave has come alive again. Thank you for this. You have no idea how this has changed my life.”

  Mary handed back the pictures. “What about Dave’s wife? Will she want to know me?”

  Bonnie made a face. “She might and she might not. That’s not for you to worry about. I’ll tell her and if she wants to meet you, fine. But if she doesn’t, that’s her right too. She’ll be very angry at Dave for not telling her about this, and I don’t blame her. She’s allowed to feel what she feels; don’t you agree?”

  Mary nodded. They sipped their coffee and grinned at each other, both of them astonished at this turn of events. And then Bonnie looked suddenly serious.

  “I’m so very sorry that you had to find out about Dave’s illness like that. It couldn’t have been easy.”

  “At first I was angry with him, but like my Uncle Ted said, he owed it to me to tell me.”

  “Yes, absolutely.”

  “Do you have it too?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “So you decided not to be tested?”

  Bonnie looked away for a moment and then smiled at Mary. “My brother and I were very different people. He felt he wanted to know, so he eventually took the test. When it came back positive, I saw a little life drain away from him at that moment. I decided I didn’t want that to happen to me. Life is so uncertain anyway, you know? Who knows what will happen tomorrow, let alone twenty years down the road? Why tie yourself down like that? That’s what I tell my kids, anyway. The choice will be up to them some day.”

  “You never felt guilty about having kids?”

  “No. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t have the disease. I didn’t have it the day they were conceived or the day they were born. That’s how I live my life. We are just stupidly happy with our lot today.”

  Mary felt a massive weight vanish from her heart. There was no decision to be made. She didn’t have Huntington’s on this glorious day.

  All she had today was an Aunt Bonnie, an Uncle Simon, and three more crazy cousins. An Aunt Bonnie who said, “Wait until you come to the house! I’m making a new quilt, and I know just who I’m giving it to!”

  Mary was still smiling three days later when she and Daniel heard someone at their back step. They looked outside to see her mother and Jerry coming up the stairs with a big box tied with a red ribbon.

  “Hello! Anyone home?”

  Mary got up from the table and opened the door. “Hi, come on in. Would you like some tea?”

  “No thanks,” Carole said. “We just came to give you both your housewarming gift.”

  Daniel got up as well. “That wasn’t necessary. It’s enough that you’re letting us live here.”

  “Oh, you need this,” Jerry said. “No home is complete without one or two of these.”

  Now they were curious.

  “What is it?” Mary asked excitedly.

  Jerry put the box on the kitchen floor and Carole untied the ribbon. She opened the top and Mary and Daniel peered inside.

  Two little Weechees looked back at them.

  Both Daniel and Mary squealed and rushed to picked them up in their arms, both pugs kissing and grunting and nuzzling them immediately, their silly pink-tongued grins and crossed eyes looking every which way. Daniel grabbed Carole and Jerry with the dog still in his arms and gave them big hugs.

  “This is amazing! Where did you get them?”

  “They’re from Ontario. They flew in today,” Carole said.

  Mary began to sob. She reached out and hugged her mother while trying to keep the little black devil in her arms.

  “They’re perfect!” she cried. “Thank you for thinking of them. Now it feels like home!”

  They spent a good two hours just watching the pups run around and chase poor Roscoe in and out of the kitchen. They both had scratches on their noses before the evening was over, but they deserved them.

  “What should we call them?” Daniel wondered.

  “Thing One and Thing Two,” Jerry laughed.

  After she kissed Mom and Jerry goodbye, Mary went out into the living room. Daniel was in the old recliner, his puppy completely zonked from all the excitement. “Is this not the best day, little guy? Wait until I tell you the stories about your big brother Weechee.”

  Roscoe sat on the back of the sofa looking miffed.

  Mary took her puppy out onto the porch and introduced him to the neighbourhood. “This is a nice place to grow up. You’ll love it here.”

  As she stood there, Mary looked back on her life. Playing with friends in the yard, listening to her mom and Gran holler and laugh at each other through the open windows. Seeing Gran charge over to Dotty’s Dairy for lotto tickets. The excitement of waiting for Aunt Peggy, Uncle Ted, and Sheena to come to her birthday parties, always with amazing gifts in their hands.

  And now here she was with her fur baby, knowing Daniel was inside waiting for her, and a nursing career about to begin.

  There was no point in what ifs. Life was what it was.

  Spectacular.