by Annie Young
“Alright,” he said, trying to hold back a few tears that were fighting to make their way out. Just the thought of his wife always made him cry. It didn't matter if it was a good memory or a bad one. Thinking about her and how empty his life felt without her always caused waves of emotion to wash over him. “How about we make some breakfast first and then we'll find your suit?”
“Okay!” Maggie squealed, her eyes lighting up. “Can I have my favorite?”
Wyatt brought his hand to his chin and looked up toward the ceiling, as though he was deep in thought. “Your favorite, huh? I can't remember what that is. You'll have to remind me. Is it green eggs and ham? Or was it sardines from the can?”
“Gross! You know what what my favorite breakfast is!” she squealed, not fooled by Wyatt's attempt at humor. “It's french toast with jelly on top.”
“Ah, yes,” he said. “That's right. I almost forgot.”
“Come on,” Maggie said, hopping off of Wyatt's lap and grabbing his wrist. “I'll help you.”
“You'll help me?” Wyatt asked, slowly standing up from his seat on the bench, with the help of Maggie pulling on his wrist, of course. “Well in that case, how can I say 'no'?”
While Maggie escorted him out of the room, they passed the dresser. On top, was a single picture in a black leather frame. It was a photo of him, Maggie and his late wife, Caroline. It had been taken at the beach by a stranger. He stood in the middle of his small family, with his wife on one side and his little daughter on the other.
“Hold up a second, kiddo,” he said, stopping in his tracks and grabbing the picture from the dresser. “Do you remember this trip?”
He squatted down to Maggie's level, holding the photo out so that they both could see.
She nodded. “Yes, I remember. We built a sandcastle on the beach.”
“That's right,” Wyatt said. “Do you remember how bad Daddy got sunburned that day? I looked like a lobster.”
Maggie giggled. “Yeah, a big red lobster!”
Wyatt's heart ached as the memory of the family trip flooded his mind. It felt like only yesterday that they were there. It was the perfect vacation, spent on the beach in Costa Rica. He'd managed to take two full weeks off of work, which didn't happen very often. Being CEO of a pharmaceutical company didn't leave much time for the fun things in life. Still, he had organized everything so that he could get the time off and create an amazing trip for his family.
The vacation, although it did turn out amazing, was also a bitter sweet memory. It was two days before they came home when Carolina received the phone call from her doctor. They told her that the cancer that she had conquered five years before had returned and this time, had spread to other parts of her body beyond her uterus. It had flooded her lungs, kidneys and lymph nodes.
“I still miss Mommy,” Maggie said, reaching forward the touch the picture.
Wyatt watched her little finger touch the face of Caroline and it broke his heart. He held back a wave of emotion, wishing that he could be a little better at staying strong for his daughter. There were times, though, when it was nearly impossible. Caroline had only been gone for a year and every single thing he looked at reminded him of her. He still hadn't been able to change anything in the house, for fear of losing her memory.
The pictures on the wall were untouched. Her walk-in closet, which was spilling over with designer clothes and shoes, still contained every article of clothing that had been there the day she'd passed away. Even her toothbrush was still in its holder in the bathroom.
He knew that he couldn't hang onto her forever. Someday, he'd have to let her go. He knew that Caroline wouldn't have ever wanted him to live like this. He was a total mess. The only thing that felt normal to him any more was Maggie and his job. Everything else felt foreign without Caroline in the picture. He'd become a walking zombie, living a painful nightmare where everything he saw reminded him of what he'd lost.
“I miss Mommy, too, honey,” he finally said. “I miss her, too.”
They both stared at the photo for a moment longer, then finally Wyatt drew in a breath and stood up from the ground.
“What do you say we make some breakfast?” he asked.
Maggie nodded, gazing up toward him. “Yeah, I'm hungry.”
He smiled and took her hand. The two of them walked out to the kitchen. It wasn't even six o'clock in the morning and he'd already been up and down the roller coaster of emotions. From happy to sad and from joyful to heartache. He'd been on this same roller coaster ever since Caroline's death and he feared he'd never get off of it.
“Okay, are you ready to try my french toast?” Wyatt asked, as he topped off the meal with a generous supply of maple syrup. “I've added extra strawberry jelly and syrup to the top, just like you like it.”
Maggie was waiting eagerly. She was seated on one of the stools that surrounded the center island in the kitchen. With orange juice in one hand and a fork in the other, she looked as ready as she'd ever be to try Wyatt's first attempt at homemade french toast.
“I can't promise that it will be as good as Mildred's or Mommy's,” he said. “But just know that I did my best.”
“It looks good,” Maggie said, in the cutest little voice he'd ever heard. “It smells good, too.”
He set the plate down in front of her and stood by eagerly as she took her first bite. He watched her face go from a smile, into more of a frown. It was like gravity had taken an extra toll on her lips right then, pulling them down into a look of disappointment.
“Well?” he asked.
“It's tastes like burned,” she said, washing down the bite with orange juice.
“Honey, don't you mean to say that 'it tastes burnt'?” Mildred popped her head around the corner. She stepped into the kitchen, wearing a red robe. Her gray hair was pulled into a ponytail on the back of her head. “Wyatt, you know that you shouldn't try to use the stove. Remember the last time you did that? What was it? Chicken Parmesan? You almost burned the house down.”
He sighed, looking back toward the oven where a layer of dark smoke still lingered from overcooking the French toast.
“I know, Mildred,” he said, with a grin. “I just thought I'd give cooking another try. I'm just afraid we'll starve to death if you ever decided to quit working for me. I figured I should practice in case that ever happens.”
She smiled warmly. “First off, you don't have to worry about me quitting this job. I'm far too old to go stand in the unemployment line to try to get some other job. Plus, I love it here. There's nobody in the world I'd rather take care of than Maggie. Besides, I'm just giving you a hard time about your cooking, Wyatt. I'm sure the French toast is great. Little Ms. Maggie here is kind of a picky eater anyway. She's rather tough to please. Aren't you, honey?”
Maggie giggled and her cheeks turned a bit red. “A little.”
“I personally prefer my French toast with a little char on top,” Mildred said, grabbing a few pieces for herself and placing them on a plate. “It gives it that extra flair that normal French toast is missing.”
Wyatt knew that Mildred was just trying to be nice. She was sweetest old lady he'd ever known. He and Caroline had hired her four years before, right after Maggie had been born. They figured it would be nice to have someone around the house to help out with the baby. The added bonus was that Mildred was an amazing cook and she also kept the house as clean as a whistle. Needless to say, Wyatt wasn't the best at either of those things. He was only half kidding when he said that he feared he'd starve to death without her.
“Daddy, we still need to find my swim suit,” Maggie said, between bites of food.
“Oh, right,” Wyatt said. “Mildred, have you seen her swim suit? She has swim lessons at noon.”
Mildred shook her head. “I haven't seen it, but I'm happy to go look.”
“No, no,” Wyatt said. “Eat your breakfast and relax. I'll go see what I can find.”
He left Mildred and Maggie in the kitchen and headed up
stairs. It only took a few minutes of digging through Maggie's laundry to find her little red swimsuit.
Thank God, he thought, tossing it over his shoulder. I'm not sure that was worth waking me up so early, but at least she has it now.
He made his way back down to the kitchen. Mildred was busy in front of the stove, making another batch of French toast. Her batch was flawless, though, unlike his. It was cooked perfectly, with just the right amount of golden brown on the edges of the bread.
“Wow. You're making me look bad, Mildred,” he said, with a playful smile. “Look at that. Perfection.”
Mildred laughed, placing the toast onto a plate for Wyatt. “I've got many, many years over you. The only reason I'm a better cook is because I've had quite a bit more practice.”
The three of them sat down around the center island and ate breakfast. Wyatt checked the clock a few times and started eating a bit more quickly.
“In a hurry?” Mildred asked.
Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, the morning has slipped by. I've got a meeting here in about an hour. It's an important one, too. Could be a big contract coming my way.”
“You seem excited about it,” she said. “I hope that it all works out.”
“I've got a good feeling that it will.” Wyatt took a sip from his coffee after speaking.
“Daddy, you're leaving?” Maggie asked, giving him that painful puppy dog stare that did nothing but pull at his most sensitive heart strings.
Wyatt smiled softly. “I'm sorry, baby. I have to go to work today.”
She pouted out her lower lip a little further. “But I don't want you to go.”
“I have to,” he said, wishing that his words weren't true.
Ever since Caroline had passed away, Maggie had become extra sensitive to him leaving. Every time he had to go to the office or even run to the store, it was the same thing. She put up a fight every single time, begging him not to go. She never wanted him to leave her side and she'd do whatever she possibly could to make him stay. Sometimes that included creative bribery, like when she promised Wyatt could have half of her Skittles. Other times she'd just use the always-effective puppy dog face. Many times it worked in her favor. This time, though, he couldn't stay no matter how badly he wanted to. He had to get to work for this meeting.
“Don't be sad, Maggie,” he said. “I'll be home before you know it. In fact, I'll be waiting for you here when you come back from swim lessons.”
Her face didn't lighten up. She just sighed and went back to eating her breakfast.
It hurt his heart to see her like this. Her mother had been pulled from her life at a very young age. Maggie had only been three years old when Caroline lost her battle against the cancer. It had been a long and exhausting battle, too. Not just for Caroline, but for the whole family.
The whole thing started a years before Maggie was even born. In fact, it wasn't long after Wyatt and Caroline had gotten married when things became complicated with Caroline's health. She started having strange pains in her belly. The pain came and went and were just intense enough to be annoying. Neither Wyatt or Caroline were too concerned at first. They just chalked it up to Caroline being a little bit stressed.
However, the pains didn't go away. In fact, as the months went by, they got significantly worse. Caroline would wake up in the morning, holding her stomach. She was barely able to walk to the bathroom. Her entire life became consumed with this nagging ache in her belly. Finally, after weeks of avoiding it, Wyatt convinced her that it was time to see a doctor. He remembered it was it was yesterday.
They had sat in the emergency room for over an hour, nearly having a panic attack, while they waited for the test results to come back. Finally, the doctor popped his head through the opening in the curtains. Both Wyatt and Caroline had their fingers crossed, hoping that whatever was going on was no big deal. Unfortunately, luck was not on their side that day.
It had turned out that there were several tumors that had grown inside of Caroline's uterus. They believed that the growths were cancerous, but couldn't be sure. Regardless, the doctor's recommendation was for a hysterectomy. This meant the complete removal of the uterus from Caroline's belly.
“What about kids?” she had asked, as Wyatt drove her back to their mansion. “We won't be able to have kids if I get this surgery.”
“It's better than losing you altogether,” he had replied.
So, after much discussion, Caroline decided to go ahead and get the surgery. It cured the nagging pain that she'd been experiencing for so long and most of her energy came back. She still wanted kids, though, regardless of the fact that she couldn't have her own.
Wyatt suggested adoption, but that wasn't enough for Caroline. She wanted the real thing. She wanted her child to be from the same DNA as hers and Wyatt's. The only real option at that point was to find a surrogate mother. Someone who would allow Caroline to basically rent her body for nine months, to put it bluntly.
They took their time, looking for the perfect surrogate. They wanted her to be young, strong and smart. Someone with a good head on their shoulders and from a good family. Obviously, someone who had a clean background and didn't use drugs.
Eventually, they stumbled upon the perfect girl. Her name was Lily Thompson and she was just twenty-one years old at the time. Caroline loved her from the moment she met her. She was sweet and caring and extremely intelligent. She was the perfect woman to have Caroline and Wyatt's child.
“I don't want you to leave!” Maggie shouted from across the table, shaking Wyatt back into reality. Maggie was sitting there with a scowl on her face now. Mildred was seated nearby, affectionately rubbing her back and trying to calm her down.
“Honey, your Daddy has to go work today,” Mildred said softly. “If you want, we could go to the zoo or the museum for a couple of hours before your swim lesson.”
Maggie didn't respond. She just sat there, staring at Wyatt, until her lower lip began to tremble.
I have to do something, he thought. I can't just let her cry. I hate seeing her cry.
“Hold on, Maggie,” he said. “I've got an idea.”
Her lip stopped quivering and her eyes seemed to lighten up, if only a little bit.
“How about I call your Aunt Lily and see if she'll come hang out with you this afternoon?” he asked, while hoping and praying that the suggestion would be enough to make his daughter happy.
“Aunt Wiwee?” Maggie said, still unable to fully pronounce Lily's name correctly. Wyatt didn't mind it, though, because he thought it was the cutest thing in the entire world.
“Yes, Aunt Lily,” he said. “What do you think?”
“I love Aunt Wiwee!” she squealed and the smile returned to her face immediately.
Wyatt breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, well I'll send her a text in a few minutes and see if she has plans for later this afternoon. I don't know what her schedule is like today, but I'll find out. I'm sure that if she's not working late, then she'd love to come see you.”
Maggie hopped off the chair and began jumping up and down. She was completely unable to contain her excitement. Aunt Lily was Wyatt's secret weapon to making Maggie happy whenever she was feeling down.
“Mrs. Mildred, Aunt Wiwee is coming to hang out with me today!” she said, pulling on Mildred's arm.
“I don't know for sure, honey,” Wyatt said, trying to temper her expectations just a little bit in case Lily wasn't able to make it. “I'm going to ask, though. Let's just hope that she's free this afternoon.” He then turned toward Mildred. “I'll let you know if Lily can make it by. If so, feel free to let Maggie know.”
“Of course,” Mildred said. “I hope she's able to make it. It's always nice to see Lily. It's been a few weeks since she's stopped by.”
“Yeah, I think she's been working a lot of hours at the coffee shop,” Wyatt said. “Rent is so damn expensive in this city any more, I'm guessing that most people have to work overtime just to survive.”
It's almost like
you have to be a damn billionaire just to enjoy a decent lifestyle, he thought. It sure does make me feel grateful for what I have, though.
The three finished up their meals and Wyatt stood up from his seat. “Okay, I've got to go take a shower and get changed. I'll say goodbye before I head out the door.”
Maggie was already preoccupied with a new Lego set that Wyatt had bought her a few days before. She had completely ignored it until right then. It was like she suddenly had renewed interest in it. Her face was beaming with excitement. Of course, Wyatt knew that it didn't have anything to do with the Legos. Her happiness was brought on by the fact that Maggie was going to get to see her favorite person in the world that afternoon.
I just hope Lily isn't busy and is willing to come by, he thought, as he made his way upstairs to get ready for work.
Chapter 3
Lily
After working the early-morning shift, Lily finally clocked out at one in the afternoon. She was a bit tired, but there were advantages to working in a coffee shop that helped with those sort of things. One of them was that she was able to make herself as many caffeinated drinks as she wanted for free. She'd already had two mocha lattes and was working on an iced coffee as she left the building and went to her car.
What a long shift, she thought, letting out a slow exhale and relaxing into the driver's seat.
She closed her eyes for a bit, just enjoying the silence. Her coffee shop was one of the busiest in town, which meant that while she was working, she never even had a full minute to sit down and rest. It was nonstop from the moment she clocked in until the moment she left. It was worth it, though, at least for now. The pay was decent and she got full health benefits. Still, it wasn't exactly where she thought she'd be at twenty-six years old.
In fact, she thought for sure she'd have a real job by now. Maybe something in a high rise building or a cubicle, where she could get dressed up a little bit and do her makeup before work.
She applied to different opportunities nearly every day and had been aggressively job searching since graduating from college. It turned out, though, that her bachelor's degree in liberal arts meant next to nothing in the real world. None of the hiring managers seemed to really care that she'd studied film history and modern art.