by Remember Me
pediatrician, but he isn’t a medical doctor. He’s involved in research.”
“Well, that would be a rewarding career. I think it would be great to wake up each
morning and know that something you’re working on could open new doors to save somebody’s
life. Is he happy with what he does?”
“He seems really happy,” answered Ray. “You think his work is rewarding? I mean, I’m
sure he sees a lot of heartbreaks.”
“Probably, but somebody has to do the research. It takes all kinds to win the fight for
premature children. Any work that could help save the lives of unborn children would be
rewarding.”
“But what if that work becomes controversial? I mean, at some point we might cross the
line in research. At what point do we try to control life and death to the point where we become
like our own creator in making decisions about who lives and who dies.”
“Earth to Ray, please return to orbit, dear,” spoke Alice as she looked oddly at her
husband.
“I’m not making any sense, am I?”
“No, dear, you’re making sense. You and Edward obviously talked about something he’s
doing that could save lives, and now your worried about whether he should do it or leave the fate
of a child’s life in the hands of God. Whatever he’s doing, it’s upset you.”
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“It doesn’t upset me, Alice. I agree with his ideals, but what he’s proposing is extremely
controversial. I question whether it should be done or not. It just seems as if he’s trying to play
God.”
“Do you have such little faith, Ray?” questioned Alice. “I think you’re looking at it all
wrong. Research doesn’t get anywhere without being controversial. I believe God has the final
say in everything we do. If you cross the line with something that you are doing to try to save a
life, and God really doesn’t want that life to walk on this world, then you will fail at what you are
attempting to do. By doing research, you aren’t testing your ability as a god, you’re testing
whether your God really wants you to succeed with your ideas.”
“What if you suffer grave consequences from your peers and the rest of the community
for saving a life?” responded Ray. “What if it changed your life, maybe for the worst, and
complicated things severely?”
“The answer lies in your arms, Ray. Look at the life you’re holding right now. You have
to look at a child just like the one in your arms and ask yourself if it’s all worth it. The answer
will lie in your heart, Ray. You know what my answer is.”
Ray looked down at his young daughter who had fallen asleep in his arms. His wife
pulled several items from the refrigerator and began dinner. Ray turned around from the kitchen
and walked back down the hallway and up the stairs towards his room to lay the child down in
her bassinet. He marveled at how simple his wife could make the answers to a complicated
situation.
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Chapter Four
Saturday arrived early for Margaret, as her parents rushed her for the trip. Amy had
awoken with the family and shared the large breakfast before they dropped her off at her own
home. Margaret still felt tired after the busy day of repelling and the late evening discussions
with Amy the night before.
Margaret stared out the window of the car at the vast open space. She could see for miles
without the hindrance of a large mountain hiding what might lurk behind it. Margaret didn’t feel
comfortable unless she knew what lay beyond the objects which blocked her view of the world.
Growing up in Deer Hollow, she began hiking at a young age. Even as a child she would
sneak away from her house and wander off farther than her mother permitted in order to explore
her world. She had climbed most of the mountains which surrounded her small town before she
reached her teens.
Because of her interest in mountain climbing, she had learned to climb steep rocks and
repel down cliffs at an early age. Her parents realized she would climb whether they liked it or
not, and so her father had paid for her to take classes from a professional. They knew that they
couldn’t keep her from her exploration, so they decided to make it as safe as possible.
Margaret enjoyed the mountains for recreation, but felt more at home in the wide
vastness of the open range. Here things seemed free of the seclusion she often experienced in her
own hometown.
She felt particularly happy now as she and her parents drove into the city. Today they
would shop for a dress for her graduation. She looked at graduation as a step in the right
direction. Like most people her age, she had reached the point in life where she didn’t always
agree with her parents’ opinions, or more correctly, almost never agreed. They were good
parents, and she deeply loved them, but their ideas no longer seemed rational to her. She was the
youngest in the family, and the hardest to let go. Her absence would signal the end of hands-on
parenthood for her mother and father, and they didn’t seem eager to see her leave.
Margaret could remember back to the times she was a young child. Her parents and she
seemed to communicate much better then. The onset of adolescence ended that smooth flowing
talk between them, and she found their reasons for denying her certain freedoms illogical. Her
parents dealt much better with her older siblings, and she felt that she would get along better
once they treated her more like an adult. Freedom in her eyes stemmed from adulthood, and she
looked forward to taking that step. Her parents would always seem old-fashioned to her, but at
least by moving on to college, she would advance to a new level in her parent’s eyes.
The dress they shopped for stood out in her mind as a symbol of a new freedom. She
would leave the town she grew up in to experience the world. Margaret lived for new
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experiences. College life seemed like a dream to her, but now that dream wandered within her
grasp.
Margaret sat quietly in the back seat of the car as her father drove the large vehicle into
the parking lot of the mall. This Saturday, dozens of cars searched the full lot for a spot to park.
Obviously, others had interest as well in buying new clothes for the end of school and beginning
of summer.
Dr. Drake found somebody leaving their stall and slowed down to wait for the opening.
Minutes later, the three walked through the doors and into the large air conditioned building.
Inside, the mall hustled with excited shoppers looking for the perfect purchase.
Ray stopped before they walked very far and stretched slightly, recognizing the soreness
in his muscles as a signal that old age had overcome him. Sitting in the car for the hour drive had
left him cramped up, and he didn’t look at the crowded mass of people with the same vigor and
vitality that his wife and daughter did. Margaret saw the state of confusion as an opportunity,
something she learned from her mother. Ray viewed it as a part of life, and something he
couldn’t avoid, though he would much like to.<
br />
Margaret and her mother soon separated from her father so they could search through the
numerous stores for the perfect dress. Her father headed off to the sporting goods store,
expecting to find a place of solitude from the hectic scene which sat before him. Like most of the
men in the mall this day, he made the mistake of believing that he was the only person that such
an idea occurred to, and would soon learn otherwise. Before leaving, he promised to meet back
with them in a few hours to give his insight for the final selection.
The time passed by quickly as Margaret and her mother moved frantically through the
mall. It was at the fifth store they entered that they finally found what they wanted. By then, the
two hours had completely passed and they had to race to meet her father at the rendezvous point.
He had beaten them there and calmly awaited their return.
“Did you find anything?” asked Raymond.
“I think we’ve narrowed it down to two selections,” answered his wife. “We need you to
come with us and see the dresses on her to decide which one you think is the perfect choice.”
Margaret’s mother explained the dresses to Raymond as they walked down to the store
where the salesperson had them on hold. Margaret walked ahead of her parents, and didn’t
appear to pay much attention to the chatter of her mother. She entered the store first, and asked
specifically for the red dress to try on first for her father’s approval. She slipped off to the
dressing room while her parents waited outside.
There were several other customers shifting through the clothes on the racks of the store.
Alice waited patiently with a blue dress held over her arm. They were a safe distance from the
dressing room when Alice voiced her opinion to her husband.
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“She really likes the red dress, Ray,” explained Alice.
“So why do you have the blue one then?” Ray asked.
“I think it’s a little bit revealing. I like the blue dress. It leaves more to the imagination.
She’s counting on you to pick the red dress. I just think that the blue dress makes her look more
professional. I want her to look tasteful in her graduation photos. I really hope you like the blue
dress better.”
“Why Alice, if I didn’t know better, I might think you were trying to persuade me into
taking your side on this one.”
The conversation stopped short by the sound of the dressing room door opening up
behind the two. Ray turned around to see the stunning figure of his daughter walk out in the
elegant dress.
“Wow,” Ray uttered as he looked the dress over carefully.
Margaret smiled an embarrassed smile and looked down at her feet. Her face matched the
color of the dress as she stood still biting her lip.
“Mom thinks it’s revealing, but I love it. The other dress makes me look like a little kid.”
“This dress really makes it clear that you aren’t our little girl anymore,” agreed Ray. He
looked over and smiled at his wife who had an expression of surprise capped by anger across her
face. “Looks like our youngest daughter has become a beautiful young woman, Alice,” he
finished.
Alice handed the blue dress back to the salesperson to place back on the rack,
surrendering to defeat. She came to terms with her upset quite quickly, though it wouldn’t show
in her eyes for some time. Ray looked back at his daughter who stood with a gleam in her eye.
She ran over to him and gave him a hug. Ray enjoyed the joyous show of affection.
Independence came at a cost, and it was rare that she did this anymore.
“Thanks daddy,” Margaret uttered as she stepped back from him.
“Well, turn around a few times, let me get a better look at this heartbreaking dress we’re
going to buy.”
She turned around several times, allowing him to survey the beauty of the dress and the
astonishing creature it covered. Ray watched with pride as she displayed her stunning features to
her parents and several other customers who looked over at her. She had indeed blossomed into a
beautiful woman.
Ray glanced over her shoulder to notice one of the other customers in particular. The
older woman stared directly at him and sent a slight chill down his spine as he struggled to place
where he knew her from. It was a face he had not seen in many years.
The woman began walking closer to him, never taking her eyes off his face.
Astonishment filled his thoughts as the memories of the woman came rushing back to him.
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“Raymond Drake,” the woman uttered as she got close enough to take a good look at
him.
“Yes,” he answered. “Cheryl, how have you been?”
“I’m just fine.”
Ray stood silently for a few seconds before he realized that his wife and daughter did not
recognize the woman, not that Margaret would. He quickly regained his senses and reached out
for the hand of his wife.
“Alice, you remember Cheryl Penn, Edward’s wife,” Ray explained.
“Oh yes,” answered Alice. “I’m sorry, I didn’t even recognize you. You look great.”
“Why thank you. You both look as young as the last time I saw you.”
“How long has it been?” asked Ray, searching his thoughts.
“Not since the funeral,” Cheryl answered.
“It has been a while. How are things for you?” asked Alice.
“Wonderful,” explained Cheryl. “My kids have all grown up and moved away. I have
eight grandchildren and I remarried about five years ago. My husband and I moved into a small
house just outside of town about three years ago. Life’s dealt me a pretty good hand since
Edward’s death, but I still miss him.”
“We all do,” Ray agreed.
“This lovely creature must be your daughter,” Cheryl uttered staring at Margaret in her
dress. “That looks just wonderful on you, dear. Don’t wear that too often, it’s sure to break some
hearts.”
“Thank you,” answered Margaret in a bashful voice.
“Come on, Margaret,” spoke Alice. “Let’s go pay for this dress and let your dad and
Cheryl talk for a minute.”
Margaret walked back to the dressing room to change her clothes, while her mother
walked over to the cash register to pay for the dress. Ray and Cheryl walked out of the store for a
little bit of privacy. They reached a bench in the mall and sat down to talk. Ray felt surprised to
see Cheryl’s eyes filled with tears as he looked over at her.
“It’s her, isn’t she?”
“What are you talking about?” Ray asked, confused by the question.
“Edward’s experiment,” Cheryl answered. “Tell me that’s the child Edward was trying to
keep alive.”
“I thought you didn’t know.”
“I always knew, Ray.” He noticed a sudden look of guilt creep over her face, and she
immediately spoke to explain herself. “You have to understand that at the time I had no idea
what I was going to do with her. I couldn’t go public at that point in time. My husband had just
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died and I didn’t know the firs
t thing that needed to be done for her. Edward hadn’t told me
anything about her until a week before his death.”
“So you knew all along that I had taken her?”
“I wasn’t sure if she was still alive or not,” Cheryl answered. “I had friends and family
over as soon as the police came by with the news of Edward’s death. He was only going out for
something to eat and was supposed to be back in less than an hour. He spent most of his time at
home keeping tabs on her progress. I went along with the innocent act because I didn’t know
what you wanted to do at that point.”
“Then you aren’t upset that I never published any of his work?” asked Raymond.
“Like I told you, I had no idea if she had survived or not. Is it her?”
“Yes, we’re here picking out her graduation gift.”
“Wow,” remarked Cheryl. “She’s already graduating. Does she know anything about her
past?”
“No,” Ray answered. “My wife and I decided we would raise her as one of our own. I
didn’t want her life to be under the spotlight. I know very little about what Edward was doing
with his device. I’ve been reading his research carefully and have most of it prepared for
publication.
I wanted her to have the same upbringing as most kids get. I thought that if I could
present a fully grown and normal child to society when we go public, it will back up our work
even more. I couldn’t give her that kind of upbringing if she was the focus of global interests.”
“So you do plan to tell her the truth?”
“She’ll be eighteen in less than three months. I made a promise to my wife to not tell her
anything until her eighteenth birthday. That’s when I’ll publish everything and allow her to
choose if she wants to go public or not. It will change her life drastically. I almost don’t want the
truth to come out. But I know I have to tell her sometime.”
“I’m sorry, Ray,” spoke Cheryl, with tears still in her eyes. “I’m sorry I lied about not
knowing about her and leaving you to take care of her. I just felt so helpless without Edward. I
didn’t know what I would do with a new baby that I didn’t know how to care for.”
“She’s a perfectly normal child,” Ray assured her, “but don’t apologize, Cheryl. Margaret
has always been a welcome addition to our family. I wouldn’t change a thing now if I could. I