Elizabeth's Daughter

by Thea Thomas

  This was a new line of thinking for Elizabeth, and she thought about how she had changed tremendously over the week-end. She wondered if Gail would notice, and, if so, if she’d say anything.

  But right now, all she wanted was to hold Amy, to give her love, to tell her everything would be all right, and to mean it.

  Finally she heard Gail’s car in the driveway, then she came into the kitchen through the garage.

  “Hello, hello! Anybody home?”

  Elizabeth hurried into the kitchen. “Finally! I just about can’t stand the suspense. Let’s go get Amy!”

  Gail looked her up and down. “Can’t we girl-talk for a while?”

  “No. I mean, not right now. Really, I only have one thing on my mind and that is to get Amy home. Poor baby! What does she think of us, leaving her there for days on end?”

  “Okay, okay,” Gail agreed, apparently realizing Elizabeth’s urgency was not to be deflected. “Let’s go. You got everything you need?”

  “Sure,” Elizabeth said, “I’ve been ready and waiting for an hour.”

  A couple of hours later the three of them were back home. Amy, even trussed up and hardly able to move, was conspicuously delighted to be home.

  “Bet!” she crowed, “Gao!”

  Bet and Gao smothered her in affection and new toys that each had surreptitiously been buying with abandon while Amy was in the hospital.

  Elizabeth and Gail laughed at each other’s indulgence, and the two identical fuzzy-stuffed elephants they had gotten. Which were Amy’s immediate favorites. “Lfat, Lfat,” she squealed, one in each hand, she hugged them tight.

  “I don’t know when you had time to get all of that, planning your wedding and everything else,” Gail said to Elizabeth.

  “Me! What about you? Not only did you manage to get a pile of toys as big as mine, but you invited people, got food and a cake and music for the wedding, and kept it secret. I don’t know if I said thank you, but thank you ever so much, from the depths of my heart.”

  “Yes, Pet, you thanked me. I think you thanked me about eight times, but I’m not absolutely certain. I’ve lost track.”

  “I can’t thank you too much.”

  “Yes, you can. Besides, the only thanks I want is for you to be happy.”

  “I’m happy,” Elizabeth said, “if Amy’s happy. Are you happy Amy-Pet?”

  Amy looked at Elizabeth. “Bet home!” she said.

  Gail and Elizabeth looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

  “Yes, yes, Gail said, “all my pets are home.”

  “A new word!” Elizabeth applauded. “And what a good word... home.”

  All afternoon they played. The three of them were lying on the floor giggling when Tony came home at four.

  He came into the living room and gave them a look that seemed to say, “aren’t you ashamed of yourselves, rolling around on the floor.” Then he asked, “No dinner?”

  Elizabeth got up and dutifully went over and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s a bit early for dinner, don’t you think?”

  “I don’t even see any evidence of it materializing.”

  “Well, don’t worry. By dinner time, there’ll be dinner,” Elizabeth assured. She looked over her shoulder at Gail, crossing her eyes in exasperation.

  “I want to talk to you... in private,” Tony said, turning and retreating upstairs.

  She shrugged at Gail. “Guess I’d better go see what the lord and master wants.”

  She went upstairs, wondering how she would be able to keep up the illusion that she was happily married. In the bedroom she closed the door behind her.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  “Never mind my day, which, by the way, was pretty worthless. Look, we just got married and I have to come home to this... house full of people.”

  “What? It’s not a house full of people. It’s Gail and Amy, who live here. That’s family. Besides, how can you be so callous? Don’t you care about Amy? Couldn’t you at least ask about her?”

  “I can see with my own two eyes that she’s fine. But you and me how are we supposed to get to know one another with them around all the time?”

  Elizabeth felt her pulse quicken. Was she angry or frightened? she wondered. “Look, Tony, Amy is the center of this family. We discussed all of this last week. At great length. Amy comes first. You agreed.”

  “Well, I didn’t know how seriously you meant it. I want you and me to have time together alone. Like this week-end. Wasn’t this week-end wonderful?”

  Elizabeth chose to ignore the question. But she marveled at how differently two people could perceive the same event. “We will have time alone together, when Amy is recouped and, hopefully, the adoption is proceeding, we’ll go away somewhere. But in the mean time, have some compassion! Amy just got out of the hospital a few hours ago. Please don’t make me regret what I’ve done!”

  Tony’s expression, even his body language changed completely. He took his hands off his hips and sat down on the bed. “I’m sorry, Liz,” he said quietly. “I guess I just feel stressed. That office is getting on my nerves. The whole business is getting on my nerves! I just wanted to come home to you all day.” He patted the bed. “Come and sit by your mean old Tony.”

  Elizabeth sat by him and he put his arm around her shoulders. “I’m glad Amy’s home and that everything is okay with her. But this is what I’ve been waiting for, to see her home and okay. So now, you and I should be able to go away. Gail is more than capable of taking care of Amy.”

  “That’s not the point, Tony. I want to be here, I want Amy to know I’m here, and to see that I’m taking care of her. I wish you would want to become close to her too.”

  “Well, sure, of course. I understand all that. But if we went to Hawaii for just a week, Amy wouldn’t even notice it, I’ll bet.”

  “Hawaii?” Elizabeth asked, surprised. “This is the first I’ve heard about Hawaii.”

  “I love Hawaii,” Tony said.

  “I don’t want to go so far away,” Elizabeth answered. “We can lie on a beach here.”

  “I want to go to Hawaii, everyone knows it’s romantic. And I want to go this week-end.”

  “No, Tony. I won’t go this week-end. Why put us at odds when we discussed that we would go somewhere in a month or so? And I definitely had some place closer in mind, like, perhaps, Lake Tahoe.”

  “Come on,” Tony said, convincingly, “you have to compromise somewhere. You can’t have everything your way.”

  Elizabeth was supremely vexed. Things that they had agreed on a week ago she was suddenly being called selfish for expecting.

  She began to see that she had two children; Amy, brave and good-natured, and Tony, spoiled and ill-mannered. And in the light of that appraisal, perhaps he did need more of her attention than Amy.

  “Tony, let’s just both think about this for a while. I’m going down to start dinner.”

  ‘”I thought that was Gail’s job.”

  “Not in the least. She cooks because she likes it and when and if she wants to. Which, it’s true, is most of the time. But since Amy needs a lot of attention now, Gail will be attending to her. That’s her job. She’s a nanny, not a cook.”

  Elizabeth got up and went downstairs. Gail was already in the kitchen, heating Amy’s food and washing vegetables. Amy’s play pen was in the kitchen doorway with Amy in it, cooing.

  Elizabeth pulled the play pen out of the doorway, went into the kitchen and pulled the play pen back.

  She shrugged and sighed when Gail looked at her. “Hungry men! Everything I’ve ever heard I guess is true. But who would think he’d want dinner at four.” She started cutting up the vegetables.

  “Yeah,” Gail agreed. “It’s enough to make you think the honeymoon’s over.”

  Elizabeth giggled. “Even when you’re funny, you’re wise.”

  Tony didn’t bother to come downstairs until he was called for dinner.

  There was not much conversation during dinn
er. Elizabeth sensed that everyone was simply exhausted and they all agreed to retire as soon as the table was cleared.

  “I think Amy should sleep in my room tonight,” Gail said.

  “Oh!” Elizabeth was torn. They had moved Amy’s crib into the room beside the master bedroom. Yet Elizabeth hated for her to sleep in a room alone her first night home, when she’d slept in Elizabeth’s room before she went to the hospital.

  “I don’t know,” Elizabeth said. “I don’t want to start that habit. But I hate for her to be alone tonight.”

  “Why did you fix up that room for her for if you weren’t going to have her sleep in it?” Tony asked.

  “Well, whatever you decide,” Gail said calmly. “I’m sure she’ll sleep through the night, she’s so exhausted.”

  Yes,” Elizabeth said, hesitating. “Well, let’s try putting her in her room.”

  Gail carefully picked Amy up and carried her upstairs, followed by Elizabeth and Tony. She went into Amy’s room and Elizabeth followed her, while Tony went on into the master bedroom.

  Gail put Amy in the crib and she did not wake up. Then Gail turned on Amy’s new carousel night light.

  Elizabeth patted Amy’s cheek and bid Gail good night.

  It was three in the morning when Amy began shrieking at the top of her lungs. Elizabeth ran into Amy’s room, and Gail was right behind her. They picked Amy up, cuddling and reassuring her.

  Elizabeth had never heard Amy shriek like that and she was pale and crying herself, as Gail comforted them both.

  Tony stumbled into Amy’s room, looking about as stormy as Elizabeth could imagine him capable of looking.

  “What the HELL,” he growled.

  “Shhh, Tony, please, you’ll scare her more,” Elizabeth begged quietly.

  “Make her be quiet.”

  “We’re trying. She’s really frightened.”

  “Bet’s home,” Gail cooed. “Bet’s home.”

  But Amy refused to become calm.

  “Maybe she’s in pain,” Elizabeth suggested.

  “I’ll get her medication,” Gail said, hurrying downstairs and back up.

  Tony just looked at the three of them as if it was all out of his control. “Oh, I can’t stand it!” he finally seethed. He turned and went into the bedroom. He came out a minute later, dressed, buttoning his shirt.

  “Tony!” Elizabeth called. “Where are you going?”

  “I still have a month’s lease on my place. I’m going to get some rest.” He stormed down the stairs.

  “Tony, please, don’t,” Elizabeth begged as the door slammed.

  Gail laid a hand on Elizabeth’s arm. “Let him go. You’ve got to give him time to adjust. It’s just too much all at once. At least you know where he’s going.”

  Elizabeth nodded. “You’re right.”

  Amy quieted down.

  “You’re absolutely right. He’s... upset about other things as well. He wants to go to Hawaii this week-end, just the two of us, and I told him absolutely not. I don’t know where he came up with that idea, we discussed all of this last week. But I guess he either thought it would be all right, or thought he could manipulate me. We’ll work it out.”

  “Of course you will,” Gail agreed.

  “I’ll take her to bed with me,” Elizabeth said, taking Amy.

  “What if Tony comes back?”

  “I don’t think he will tonight,” Elizabeth surmised.

  Elizabeth was right. She lay awake all night watching Amy sleep peacefully beside her.

  Chapter XXI

  The next day Elizabeth fought an urge to call Tony all day, but she didn’t. And he didn’t call her.

  But he came home after work with an arm full of spring flowers, and a stuffed rabbit for Amy.

  Dinner was somewhat quiet and uncomfortable, but after dinner, Tony got down on the carpet and played with Amy. Elizabeth and Gail exchanged a surprised and meaningful look, then got on the floor with them and they all played. Everything was going perfectly until Elizabeth and Gail got up to get soda for themselves and juice for Amy.

  A moment after they were in the kitchen, Amy started to protest.

  “No, Beetie,” she said. “No, Beetie!”

  Elizabeth and Gail came back into the living room.

  Tony was sitting with his back against the fireplace mantle, having moved three or four feet away from Amy.

  “What’s the matter with her?” he asked. “I haven’t lifted a finger. Why is she telling me not to beat her?”

  Gail and Elizabeth broke out laughing. Elizabeth picked up Amy and pointed to Tony. “No, Beetie,” Amy said again.

  “Beetie, is Peter,” Gail explained. “She’s saying that you’re not Peter.”

  “Well I know I’m not Peter,” Tony growled.

  “I guess she’s just a one-man sort of girl,” Gail laughed. She patted Tony’s arm and looked at Amy. “This is Tony. Tony is nice, Pet, see? Nice Tony.”

  Elizabeth joined Gail and Tony on the floor. “Nice Tony,” she agreed, patting him.

  Amy looked from Gail to Elizabeth then back to Tony. “No Beetie,” she maintained.

  “No,” Gail agreed. “No Peter. This is Tony.”

  “Be nice to Tony,” Elizabeth said. “See, Tony brought you the pretty rabbit?” Elizabeth handed the new stuffed animal to Amy.

  “Amy nodded cautiously. “Nony-Bet.”

  Elizabeth and Gail chuckled. “Yes,” Gail said, “Tony-Pet.” Elizabeth and Gail continued to pat Tony.

  “Well,” Tony said, drinking up the attention. “I guess I could get used to this!”

  After that, Elizabeth’s whole world seemed to calm down. She agreed with Tony to go to Hawaii in three weeks.

  The next week Elizabeth invited Mrs. Vargas over for dinner, and what Mrs. Vargas saw was a happy family, with Amy recouping ahead of schedule.

  She told Elizabeth that she couldn’t be happier for Amy. She promised she would bring over paperwork the next week that would initiate adoption proceedings.

  And so it was that Elizabeth was in a wonderful frame of mind the day before she and Tony left for Hawaii. She still didn’t want to go and could hardly stand the thought of being away from Amy for even a day, let alone a week. But she had told Tony that they would go and she was not about to upset the delicate balance.

  While she was upstairs packing, the doorbell rang and she heard Gail open the front door.

  “Peter! Hi! What a sight for sore eyes! Elizabeth,” Gail yelled up the stairs, “Peter’s here.”

  Elizabeth came to the landing. “Well, hi there, stranger. I have to get some packing done. I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Don’t rush,” Peter said. “Sorry I didn’t call, I had to do some business in this area and thought I’d stop by to take a peek at Amy.”

  “Good! Play with her, she’ll be so delighted to see Beetie. I’ll be right down.” She went back into her room, heard Peter and Gail move through the house and out onto the patio. With the house quiet and Elizabeth’s windows open, she heard every word between Peter and Gail.

  “She’s packing?” Peter asked.

  “Yes,” Gail answered. “Would you like something?”

  “Oh, maybe a glass of water,” he said. “Hi Amy! Oh look at you, beautiful, happy girl!”

  “Beetie!” Amy chortled.

  Elizabeth smiled. Her little darling still had a warm spot in her heart for “Beetie.”

  “So, where’s she going?” Peter called towards the kitchen.

  “Hawaii,” Gail called back, then returned to the patio. “For a week. She doesn’t think I know she doesn’t want to go, but I know she doesn’t want to go.”

  Really? Then why is she going?”

  “Because that Tony insists.”

  ‘That’ Tony? Elizabeth’s eyebrow went up in surprise.

  “Hmm,” Peter said. “Oh yes, Amy-Pet, cute elephants!”

  “Lfat, lfat,” Amy chimed.

  “Their very first week-
end he threw a big temper tantrum because she wouldn’t go to Hawaii,” Gail stage whispered. “So she agreed to go as soon as Amy was a bit recouped. For pity’s sake, she’s got two children.”

  “Hmm,” Peter said again, clearly interested but not commenting.

  “And here’s the punch line,” Gail went on, “she’s paying for it.”

  “How do you know that?” Peter asked.

  “Because at dinner a couple of nights ago he candidly asked her for her VISA to give to the travel agent. Can you believe it?”

  There was a silence. Elizabeth imagined a shrug from Peter.

  “Well, as far as I’m concerned,” Gail went on, “she clearly married the wrong man.”

  “Really?” Peter asked. “Who would you have had her marry?”

  “Why, you of course. Why didn’t you ask her?”

  “Well, Gail,” Peter sounded uncomfortable.

  Elizabeth thought she’d die of embarrassed on the spot, greatly relieved that no one could see her discomfort. Gail was incorrigible!

  “Elizabeth and I were hardly... an item,” Peter went on.

  “It was just a matter of time,” Gail answered in her maternal, matter-of-fact voice.

  “She was always very taken with Tony,” Peter said. “You can’t blame her. He’s a very good-looking guy.”

  “Sure, sure, he makes Valentino look like a shoe-shine boy. But let me tell you, Peter, he’s a text book case of beauty being only skin deep. He’s so spoiled, and insecure at the same time. It’s only because she’s such a good mother to Amy that I went along with the whole thing.

  “And let me tell you something else, ‘Beetie,’ It’s not that Elizabeth wasn’t attracted to you, she was just star-struck.”

  “Oh, come on Gail. She’s never even read one of my books. How could she be star-struck?”

  “Doesn’t matter. She told me that she was awed by you.”

  “Really?” There was such a long pause that Elizabeth had to fight the urge to peek out the window.

  “It looks like I was in the running before I know there was a race,” he finally said. “I mean, she... I would have... that is, there’s not much anyone can do about it now, is there? We might all just as well close these thoughts away. I value Elizabeth’s friendship and I think it’s best to concentrate on that now.”