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“Beth’s mind was so broken, she didn’t think she could be a mother. So should we be mad at her for not being a great one?”
Sammy crosses her arms in front of her. “You’ve been as mad at her as I have,” she tells me. “Why are you being understanding now?”
“Because we’re about to see her again, and this reunion can go one of two ways.”
“And those are?”
I start the car and pull out of the parking space. “We could go in being so mad that no good could ever come from it, or we could try to go into it with an open mind.”
There’s a long stretch of silence before I hear Sammy sniffle. “I changed my mind about ice cream. Can we just go home?”
“Sure.”
“Dad,” Sammy starts to say. I stay quiet and give her the space she needs to gather her thoughts. She finally adds, “What if Beth doesn’t want to see me again after Sunday?”
A sharp pain stabs at my heart. My poor little girl is scared to meet her mother for fear that she’ll be left again. “Beth requested the meeting, honey. She wants to know you.” And so help me, if she tries to ditch Sammy again, I’ll hunt her down to the farthest corner of the globe.
Sammy sighs loudly. “I’m really scared.”
“I know, baby. Me too. But with the year you’ve just come through, I don’t think there’s anything you can’t conquer.”
“Maybe, but I don’t always want to have to be strong, you know? Sometimes I just want life to be easy.”
I couldn’t agree more. Beth forced me to be everything for our child and it has not been a piece of cake. Every day since she went to London for that job has been a monumental challenge. Even the days that were full of laughter and fun were lacking because she wasn’t there to share them with us.
Sammy suddenly asks, “You don’t think she’ll bring her husband and stepson, do you?”
She’d better not. I make a mental note to make that part of our agreement to see each other. “No, honey, I don’t. She’s coming to meet you, and you alone. You are the star of this show.”
When we get to our house, I tell her, “I know it’s impossible for you to not worry about Sunday, but I think you should focus on your new friends and getting ready for school.”
I pull up to our driveway and park the car. When I turn to her, she’s slowly nodding her head. “I am super excited about starting school here. Okay, Dad, I’ll do my best.”
“That’s all I can ask.” We get out of the car and walk up to the house. “I can’t wait until we move into the log house, how about you?”
“It’s gonna be cool. Especially those make-out parties,” she teases.
Once we’re inside, Sammy runs off to her room to call her friends. I pick up my laptop, knowing full well what I must do. Once I’m situated on the swing, I go into my email and click on the compose button.
Dear Beth,
Sammy and I will be in Chicago on Sunday to meet you, but I have terms …
CHAPTERTHIRTY-NINE
MELISSA
I’ve felt like a raw nerve ever since last night. Jamie makes me madder than anyone I’ve ever known and that includes my mother. I’m so out of sorts, I even snapped at Esmé at Rosemary’s when she told me they were out of scones. But in my defense, I get the same thing five days a week. You’d think she would have put one aside for me.
I don’t feel like working today, and I certainly don’t feel like fielding my mom’s questions about my social life. Tim has been the only topic she wants to talk about since our second date at the club.
I’m currently trying to gird myself for the scene that’s sure to occur when I tell her we aren’t seeing each other anymore. So, imagine my surprise when she walks into work and the first words out of her mouth are, “I gave that Tim Ferris a piece of my mind, let me tell you.”
“Excuse me?” I lay down the veil I’m holding onto the counter.
“Howard and I saw him at dinner last night holding hands with some other girl.”
“And?”
