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Rocko joined us. “What are you two up to?”
“She’s leaving soon for Lebanon,” Margo said. “Going to go tell the units.”
Rocko hugged me. “I don’t want you to go, but I get it. What’s Flynn going to do about his practice?”
“She’s going alone,” Margo said. We explained the story.
“Come with me,” I said. “I’m going to tell everyone so the aunts can be a buffer in case George freaks out.”
“He won’t say anything in front of them,” Margo replied.
“That’s the point,” I said, waving at them to follow me.
The announcement caused the usual chaos. The decibels got higher as a debate ensued. Then my grandfather left the fold and approached me alone.
“I know why you’re doing this,” he said. I was about to protest when he put his hand up. “Let me finish, Isabel.”
I didn’t owe him anything, but curiosity made me listen. “Okay. What’s up?”
“You need to get away.”
I just nodded. Wow, he was so deep. But I waited. There had to be more, didn’t there?
“I saw Lucy deteriorating, too. I don’t have the kind of relationship with my daughter that she would listen to anything your grandmother and I would say without taking it as criticism.”
“Why’d you give me so much grief, then?” I asked. “You said I should have been the one who died.”
He put his hand up again, alarmed. I bet he didn’t think I’d bring that up right away.
“I didn’t mean it to come out like that, but it was a terrible thing to say, and I’m sorry. It’s too late, I know. I should have done more. I should have backed up your suspicions to your mother. But I just couldn’t do it. I’m sorry, Isabel. Someday when you’re old, you might understand. You see things happening right before your eyes that you’re powerless to control. We knew you were struggling, too. But again, we didn’t think we should interfere. If we had it to do over again, I promise you, we’d proceed differently. We’ve never wanted our girls to get mad at us. So when that happens, you’re permissive in the extreme. You can see where that got us.”
He glanced over to my mother and her sisters.
“Your words almost destroyed me,” I finally said.
“I’m so sorry. But I can see now that they didn’t destroy you. You rose above everything that was thrown your way.”
“Well, not everything.” I thought about the intense desire to get online immediately and buy baby clothes.
“I’ll help you in Lebanon.”
I looked at him sidelong. “What does that mean?”
“I’ll help with financial support. You and the doctor. Get an address for me, and I promise to take it from there.”
If he did that for us, I’d forgive him for being a jackass for the past nearly seven years. It felt surreal, but I had learned not to examine things too closely.
“Grandpa, thank you.”
There was nothing else to add. Margo rescued me. I needed to get out of there for a breath of air, plus I needed to get to work in a few hours, and before that I wanted to see Flynn if he was available.
But when I called, he didn’t answer.
Chapter 8
I don’t always believe that if something is meant to be it will go smoothly. But I had a work permit within a week. Krista called me, ecstatic.
“Get your ticket! I can even help you with that expense. Just get here.”
