“Hi, Aunt Daisy,” Lani said in the softest, sweetest voice that Daisy had ever heard.
“Hi, sweetie. How are you?” She beamed and her eyes began to pool.
“Good. Umm…umm…are you coming home for Thanksgiving? Grandma said you might, but I wanted to be sure.”
Daisy smiled. “Well, I was planning to. Why? Do you want to see me?”
“Yes!” Lani sang. “Jay too. I just got a new Xbox game, and I’ve been practicing. I know I can beat him now. When he was here last time, he won. Oh, and now I can ride my bike without training wheels too, and my mommy said that maybe Santa will bring me a bigger one for Christmas.”
Mommy? The sound of Lani calling Brea that cut Daisy to the core. “That’s wonderful, sweetie. What do you want me to buy you for Christmas?”
“My mommy says it’s impolite to ask for things,” Lani said, then whispered, “but I really want a puppy and a Barbie House. Don’t tell Mommy, okay?”
“I won’t…not this time.”
“Can I speak to Jay?”
Daisy held her breath, wondering if that was Lani’s real reason for calling. “I’m sorry, sweetie, Jay’s at school. Aren’t you supposed to be at school too?”
“In a few minutes, but I don’t think I’m going. My mommy’s stomach is sick again, and Daddy’s gone already. But they promised me that after Mommy has the baby, her stomach won’t get sick no more.”
“Your mother is pregnant? I didn’t know that.”
“Mmm-hm. I’m having a little sister. She showed me a picture. I don’t know how pretty she’s going to be, though. Her face looked funny.”
Daisy fell out laughing. Lani must’ve seen an ultrasound picture. “She’ll be gorgeous, just like you.”
“Aunt Daisy, I gotta go. Mommy’s coming, and I’m supposed to be doing my phonics stuff. I’ll see you at Thanksgiving, and don’t forget to bring Jay.”
Daisy cradled the phone and cried.
Getting out of bed, Daisy removed the folded papers from her safe and carefully straightened them. She looked at Lani’s birth certificate and wept. She’d carried Lani almost ten months, because Lani wasn’t ready to come out. Daisy remembered being anxious and uncomfortable during her overdue pregnancy. She’d wanted desperately for Lani to be born so that Daisy could breathe and be one person again instead of two. Now, she’d give anything to relive those moments, to have her daughter so close to her that they’d be as one.
She felt her muscles relax, knowing that she’d get the chance to be near her during the Thanksgiving holiday. Gently, she traced Lani’s name on the birth certificate. She wished that she could’ve been there for Lani the same way that Ms. Christine had always been there for her. But she couldn’t change the past, only look forward to the future. “I love you, little girl. Even though I gave you away, I love you.”
“Hel-lo!” Daisy yelled, trying to get Ming Li’s attention.
“We’re over here.”
Ming Li’s pungent smoke reached them before she did. “So, are we playing straight, eight-ball, or nine-ball?” Ming Li pulled on her cigar and tapped Daisy. “Scoot over and let me sit down. My feet hurt.”
Daisy looked at Ming Li’s feet. “Nobody told you to wear four-inch heels to shoot pool. And besides, I don’t want to smell that stinky cigar.”
Gigi laughed as she racked the balls, removed a pair of dice from her pocket, and chalked her pool stick. “Tell her, Daisy. Ming Li thinks that’s attractive. I keep trying to tell her. She won’t listen.”
Ming Li picked up the dice and rolled a pair of sixes. She smiled, nodded, and blew smoke in Gigi’s direction. “I never said it was attractive. And now that I think about it, I never asked you, either. Daisy, do you remember me asking Gigi her opinion about my smoking?”
Daisy smiled and shook her head.
“I didn’t think so.”
“Smart-ass.” Gigi rolled an eleven. “I’m just trying to help you out. You know the surgeon general says—”
“Ssh.” Ming Li held a finger to her lips. “I didn’t ask him, either.”
“Alright, ladies,” Daisy said as she stood up and rolled a five. “Are we ready? It’s almost noon, and I have to pick up Jay at five thirty.”
“You’ll make it in time. Have you spoken with Adonis?”
Gigi sighed loudly. “Let’s just play.”
“So you wouldn’t even hear him out, huh? How do you know he’s even engaged?” Ming Li pushed.
“I don’t have time for Adonis’s games. I have Jay, and he’s all I need. Just hurry up and take your shot, if you know how.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny. Just watch and take notes, Daisy. If you’re nice, I may just let you clean up my house today. It’s not too bad—about an hour’s work.”
Ming Li cleared the table on her first try, and then her second. Damn. Daisy wasn’t in a cleaning mood.
Ming Li and Gigi walked from room to room while Daisy sat on the sofa waiting. Every time they commented on Daisy’s work, she rolled her eyes. It wasn’t as if she’d had a choice about cleaning up the house. She’d lost the bet.
Daisy checked her watch. “Alright, I’m leaving. It’s after four, and I don’t want to be late picking up Jay.”
Daisy drummed her fingers on the steering wheel. She’d been waiting for Jay for over twenty minutes. Doing a 180-degree turn, she searched the grounds. She bit her lip impatiently, beginning to worry. But then it occurred to her that he’d been late once before. He’s probably on the court. Checking her watch again, she saw that twenty minutes had turned into thirty-five.
She hopped out of her Jeep and walked toward the school entrance. A little redheaded girl who looked to be about Jay’s age was coming out the door. She looked familiar.
“Excuse me,” Daisy said. “Do you know Jay Stevens?”
“Mmm-hm. He’s in my class.”
“Have you seen him?”
“He left already. I think his mom picked him up.”
Daisy’s heart flipped. She ran as fast as she could to the office.
“Excuse me,” she said to the receptionist who was on the phone.
The receptionist held up a finger. “Just a second,” she said, then continued a personal conversation that was filled with laughter and I-told-you-sos.
“Excuse me,” Daisy repeated, louder this time.
“I said, just a second—”
Daisy reached over the counter and disconnected the call.
“Now, can you please tell me where Jay Stevens, my son, is? A little girl from his class just told me that his mom picked him up, which is impossible!”
The receptionist was on her feet in an instant. “Just a second. You need to talk to Principal Reynolds.”
“Sure thing.” Daisy followed the receptionist to the principal’s office.
“Can I help you?” a woman around Daisy’s age asked.
“Where’s my son, Jay Stevens?”
“I’m sorry. Social Services came and got him. We couldn’t stop them. They had a court order.”
“You mean to tell me that you couldn’t even call me?”
“We tried. The phone number we have listed for you had been disconnected, and they’d already taken your son away, so we couldn’t ask him. It’s not our policy to get into these matters. Our interest is the child’s well-being—”
“And that’s exactly why you should’ve phoned me,” Daisy said, then hurried out of the office.
She broke down in the car, banging the steering wheel like a drum. It was all her fault. She should’ve returned Mrs. Tompkins’s call, had promised herself that she would. But obviously, she’d let her time run out.
But why had they taken Jay? True, she’d threatened to spank him, but she’d never laid a hand on him. As a matter of fact, he’d never gotten a spanking in his life. She thought of Jasper’s family. Has to be them. She pulled out her phone.
She dialed Mrs. Tompkins, who informed her that the case had been assigned to someone else, and t
hat she should call back in a couple of days.
“Well, where have they taken him? I need to see him.”
Mrs. Tompkins cleared her throat. “They won’t allow you to see him, and I don’t know to which facility he’s been taken. But I do know,” she went on, lowering her voice to a whisper, “that you should get an attorney. Possibly a Mr. Kenneth Burgess—I overheard his name a few times. Call me and let me know how it goes.”
The line went dead.
Daisy stood stuck-on-stupid for a moment, listening to dead air. Mrs. Tompkins had given her a hint. Why else would she whisper the name of Jasper’s attorney? He didn’t practice family law. Daisy dried her misting eyes with the back of her hand. She wanted to scream, break down, cry as she’d never cried before. But there was no time for tears. It was time to fight.
Daisy held the phone to her ear as Ms. Christine lectured. She’d called to borrow money so she could obtain a lawyer, but instead she’d been getting advice she hadn’t asked for.
“I know you mean well, Ma. But really, I don’t have much time. Will you and Dad loan me the money until I sell my Jeep?”
“Of course we will, but on one condition.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to promise me that you’ll let Lani stay where she’s at, that you won’t disrupt her life—”
“What do you mean, disrupt?”
“You know, tell her that you’re her real mother.”
Daisy was exasperated. “Look, Ma, if I don’t tell her, she’ll find out in court anyway, thanks to Calvin.”
“I’m not talking about Calvin. I’m concerned about what you’ll do.”
“Alright,” Daisy said, sighing heavily. “I’ll think about it.”
“Well,” Ms. Christine said, mimicking the sigh, “so will I. When you make your decision, I’ll make mine.”
12
Daisy looked at the two remaining suits lying across the bed. For the life of her, she couldn’t decide which to wear. The blue one made her look like someone who meant business, but the yellow one made her appear too soft. She finally decided on the blue and hung the other one back in the closet.
She yawned. She needed a cup of coffee. An over-the-counter stimulant. An electric current to zap her awake. She’d been up all night, thinking about her options. She had no idea how she was going to get Jay back. All she knew was that she had to get her hands on two things: money and Jasper’s lawyer.
“Hey, you ready?” Gigi asked from the doorway.
“Yes, I am.”
“Okay. Ming Li said she’d be there in fifteen minutes. She persuaded the attorney to meet with her for an emergency consultation.”
Daisy grabbed her purse. “Did she imply that she had a lot of money? Did she make him think he could make a lot of money if he handled her?”
“I don’t know what she said, but whatever it was worked. Apparently, he canceled a meeting with one of his clients for her.”
“She hooked him.” Daisy nodded.
“Yes, she always gets the men.”
“Well, then I guess I have to reel him in.”
Gigi stood at the receptionist’s desk, first belting the woman with a barrage of questions, then making an appointment to cover for Daisy, who sneaked past.
“Hello, Kenneth,” Daisy said, barging into his office with a smile on her face.
The attorney jolted to his feet. “I’m sorry, Daisy, but I’m meeting with a client.” He gestured toward Ming Li.
Ming Li stood too. “No, I’m finished here. Thanks.” She turned her back to Kenneth, gave Daisy a wink, and walked out.
Daisy locked the door behind her. Crossing her arms, she leaned against the heavy, mahogany door and drank in the room. Expensive barrister bookcases. Custom wet bar. Suede furniture. A wall of windows. Small indications spoke volumes of his success or, at the very least, the money he’d been making off his clients.
“What can I help you with?” he asked, looking flustered.
Daisy removed a roll of twenties and threw it on his desk. “Now will you see me? It’s not much, but it’s all I can afford.”
“Daisy, I don’t understand—”
“Damn if you don’t, Kenneth! You wouldn’t even accept my calls after Jasper died. But I distinctly remember us eating at the same table before. You, Jasper, and I had dinner together how many times?” She waved her hand, indicating that she didn’t really want him to answer. “You can sit now. I’m not here to threaten you. I want an answer, that’s all.”
Kenneth sat down, fumbling with his tie. “Would you like a drink?”
“Social Services took Jay,” she said, ignoring the question.
Kenneth’s face was blank.
“Kenneth, don’t play lawyer with me. I know you know something, and I want to know what it is. Why did they take him? Furthermore, I want to know why Jasper left his son penniless. I know that you know that too, so don’t pretend that you don’t. You two were friends—not just business associates,” Daisy spat, ready to chew and spit him out like a stale piece of gum.
“Honestly, Daisy, I don’t know why they took Jay away. I can find out, of course. It’s not my field, but I’ll see what I can do. And about the money, I mentioned it to him when we were going over his will. He told me not to worry about it. That’s all I can say. You know I’m not at liberty to discuss his personal matters—”
“But he’s dead! The deceased don’t have personal anything.”
“Yes, he is. But I still must honor his wishes.” He picked up the roll of money and tucked it into his pocket. “Give me until after the holidays,” he added, then wrote on the back of his business card and handed it to Daisy. “Here’s my home number. If anything else happens between now and then—”
“Kenneth, I can’t wait a couple of weeks. I won’t!”
“That’s the best I can do,” he snapped.
Daisy slammed her hands on his desk and bore into him with her eyes. She hadn’t come to play games. Her glare seemed to cut him in half, split Kenneth in two like the Red Sea.
His expression softened. “No, you’re absolutely right.” He clicked on his intercom. “Nancy, can you find me the number of the contact I have over at Family Services?” He turned back to Daisy. “I’ll see if I can arrange for you to see him. Call me at home in a couple of hours. It may take a little while. It’s a lot of phone tag.”
Daisy sat on her suitcase while Gigi snapped it shut. Daisy had been devastated for the past few days.
“So, they still won’t let you see Jay?”
“No. Kenneth tried and tried. I didn’t believe him, until he let me listen to the message.”
“Well, maybe it’s good that you’re going home for the holidays. You’ll get to see Lani,” Gigi reminded her.
A faint smile came to Daisy’s face. “Yes, and I’m looking forward to it, although I know my visit’s going to cause turmoil.”
“You’re not going with the intention of starting something, are you?”
“No, but I know how my sister and mother can be when they get together. And I know my mother’s told Brea that I want Lani. Truthfully, I just want to see her, maybe brush her hair. I just want to be close to her. I’m tired of fighting. It’s all I’ve been doing since Jasper died.”
“I know.”
“The funny thing is, I wouldn’t have had to if I’d had a job, independence, money. I wouldn’t have had to struggle so much. I would’ve been able to provide a stable life and a comfortable home for Jay, and I would’ve had the money to hire an attorney immediately. I never realized what freedom independence provides.”
Gigi patted her on the back. “Have a good time, and go see your daughter.”
Daisy helped Ms. Christine set the dinner table, admiring the delicate bone and floral china, which had been passed down through the generations. Inhaling the fruity scent of the place, she felt warm. Her parents’ house had always smelled like apples. She smiled. It was good to be home.
Her
father walked into the dining room. Daisy kissed him on the cheek. “Hi, Pop.” She ran her fingers over his graying hair.
“Wisdom. That’s all wisdom, baby,” he chuckled, and kissed her on the forehead. “It’s good to have you back.” He turned his attention to Ms. Christine. “Chris, have you talked to Brea and Phillip? He’s supposed to bring the beer. You know the fight’s on later.”
“No, but they’d better hurry. They’re bringing pumpkin pie.”
Daisy wrinkled her nose. “Pumpkin pie? We don’t eat pumpkin pie.”
Her parents laughed.
“We do today,” Ms. Christine said. “Lani made it. She watched a Thanksgiving special on TV, and now she’s convinced that we have to have one.”
“Lani made it?”
“Oh, yeah. Lani’s a little chef already. We can’t keep her out of the kitchen.”
“Wow,” Daisy breathed, realizing that she hardly knew anything about her daughter.
Mr. Parker stuffed tobacco in his old pipe.
“Oh, Dad…do you have to smoke in here?”
“We’re having smoked turkey, right? If the turkey can smoke, why can’t I?”
“It’s okay,” Ms. Christine said. “I don’t mind, really. He’ll just do it over there.” She pointed out the window toward the neighbor’s backyard.
Everyone laughed.
“Dai-sy,” Mr. Parker sang in his baritone voice. “Guess who’s coming to dinner.”
The room grew silent.
“I don’t know. Who?”
Ms. Christine shook her head.
“Seems like it’s not a secret around here. Guess I’m the only one who doesn’t know.”
Ms. Christine whistled and looked in the other direction.
“I don’t know,” Daisy said with a shrug. “I don’t know. I hope you don’t expect me to sit here and call out names. Tell me, Ma.”
The doorbell rang. Mr. Parker looked at his watch.
“Right on time. Always did like a fella who’s punctual.”
Fella? “Ma, who’s Dad talking about?”
Pushing Up Daisies Page 13