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“You haven’t answered my emails.”
“You were right…This motherhood thing takes up every minute of every day. But here’s Ethan.” I hold him up in front of me like a shield. “He’s doing great.”
She softens immediately, smiling at him. “He’s perfect.” With a generous pump of hand sanitizer from the wall dispenser, she rubs her hands together as if she’s prepping for surgery. “Can I?” she asks, reaching out for him.
“Sure.”
She closes her eyes and smiles as she breathes in his scent. He’s drowsy, thank goodness, otherwise he might not be cool with a stranger holding him. “He’s delicious, Charlotte, and it looks like he’s thriving. What are you here for today?”
“Routine check-up. They still want to see him every two months or so.”
“So how has it been?”
“Good, but hard like you said it would be. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without Aunt Janelle.”
“Where is she?”
“Just getting coffee downstairs.”
“Good. It’s important that you have someone here for support. I always say it’s good to have a second set of ears when you’re speaking with doctors.”
“My niece has read everything there is to know about aortic stenosis.” Janelle blows on her coffee before taking a sip. “Sometimes I have to remind myself that she’s not a cardiologist.”
“Good to see you, Janelle.”
“You too.”
I feel out of the loop when a look passes between the two of them.
“So,” Mrs. Ryan starts in as she passes Ethan back to me, “I have some things I’d like to discuss before they call you in.”
I sound ridiculous to my own ears when I pipe up, heavy on the enthusiasm. “I took the GED!”
Why oh why do I feel this pathetic need to defend myself to her?
“And I’m sure you passed, so let’s move forward. University of Michigan’s admissions deadline is February first. That gives you a little less than three months to get your application together.”
“What?”
Mrs. Ryan shrugs her shoulders and shakes her head. “The GED is behind you, so now we take the next step.”
“I-I’m busy taking care of Ethan. I can’t do this right now.”
She rests a hand on my shoulder. “You won’t actually be doing anything right now, but you have to take care of some details if you’re going to be starting classes next September.”
I look back and forth between her and Janelle. “Here? This is like six hours from home. I can’t do that!”
“Take a breath,” Janelle says in a voice that calms me. “You haven’t made any concrete plans yet, and that’s fine. Mrs. Ryan is just suggesting that you meet some deadlines so that if youdodecide to enroll in school next fall, you’ll be able to.”
“And wouldn’t that be impressive?” Mrs. Ryan beams. “You’d be starting your freshman year of college right on schedule.”
“And no pressure at all, Charlotte, but I want you to know that you have options. Ann Arbor has grown on me and I have the means to keep the apartment. I can care for Ethan while you’re in class and while you’re studying.” In response to the look of shock I’m sure I’m sporting, she adds, “Or you can go to community college up by us for a year or two before you enroll in school full-time. Nothing’s written in stone.”
“I could never ask you to do that for me.”
“Why not?”
“You’d be leaving your home, your friends. And what about Lawrence?”
