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“Yes, Doctor. Thank you for calling. Yes, I understand.” She listens as they speak on the other end, nodding with her head down. “We’ll be in touch. Thank you again.”
She places her phone down, staring at her lap.
“Well?”
“I have it.”
I gasp. “Oh, Mom,” I whisper, hugging her stiff body.
“It’ll be fine. I’ll be fine. No need to cry or whine. This is a hiccup and a nuisance, for sure, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“Mom, cancer is more than a nuisance. What else did they say? What stage? What do they say about a treatment plan? Are they scheduling surgery now?”
She balks at me, flipping her hand as if I’m acting irrationally and asking questions that aren’t legit questions to ask.
“I don’t have time to worry about it now. Alastair will be here in a few hours and we need to prepare for his arrival. This dinner is important and I need you on your A-game.”
“Alastair?”
I can sense her temper rising, annoyance that begins with me being curious about what’s going on.
“Yes, Alastair. He’ll be here at six-thirty and I fired the chef yesterday so I need you to work some magic.”
“Mom! Stop a second. You fired your chef? Why?”
“He tried to make me eat a bagel. A bagel! Said I needed something more substantial than my morning protein smoothie. Can you believe that?”
“The nerve of him. Trying to give you carbs and fill your stomach,” I say sarcastically.
“Exactly,” she agrees, glossing over my sarcasm. “And since you know how to cook now, I need you to put together something elegant and delicious.”
I look around, thinking I have to be on an episode ofCandid Camera. “Where’s Georgina?”
Mom huffs and stands. “What’s with all the questions? She’s gone.”
“Gone? Where? She’s been with you for years.”
Georgina is – or was – my parents’ full-time housekeeper. Quite honestly, she was more than that. She was my mother’s right hand most days and my only friend in this house.
“Stop asking stupid questions, Hadley. It’s time you grow up and understand your obligations. You’ll fill in tonight and with Georgina gone, I need to find someone to answer the door and serve dinner because what will Alastair think if we serve ourselves and answer the door?” She asks this like it’s the most preposterous thing in the world.
“Oh my gosh, Mom. Will you take a breath for a second? You’re acting ridiculous right now.”
The look she gives me would have made me wither to nothing in the past but I’m stronger now. She doesn’t scare me or intimidate me like she once did.
“I’m not ridiculous.”
I stand up so I’m facing her and take her hand in mine. It’s cold and clammy, but that’s normal for her.
“Listen to me. You wanted me here so I could be with you when you heard from the doctor and this is me being here after you found out you have cancer. Can you sit for a minute and we can talk about it?”
“You think I want to talk about the fact that some disease is trying to destroy everything I’ve worked for? I need to focus on something else, Hadley. Give me this night and we’ll figure everything out tomorrow.”
I take a deep breath, feeling off about something but I can’t put my finger on it.
She’s acting cagey and peculiar, even for her.
“Okay, fine. If that’s what you need, I’ll give you tonight. What did you plan to serve for dinner tonight?”
