Life Happens

by Sandra Steffen

  Until that moment, she hadn’t a clue. Bending down for her purse and jacket, she said, “I’m going to pick up a pizza.” The statement was delivered in a tone of voice that encouraged him to go ahead and make something of it.

  He didn’t, of course.

  As she left the building, Mya wondered what Dr. Phil would say about the fact that she was disappointed. In the pit of her stomach she knew it wasn’t sane or rational.

  Maybe she hadn’t come so far after all.

  CHAPTER 3

  E lle entered Brynn’s through the front door the following morning. Mya was busy with a customer who kept commenting on her hair. Elle didn’t know what that was all about, but she hiked Kaylie higher on her hip and waited. Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long. Mya rang up the sale, placed the purchases in a lime-green bag, then followed the customer to the front of the store. The fact that the woman looked wealthy didn’t keep her from staring openly at Elle.

  The moment the door closed, Elle said, “The rumors will be flying now.”

  Mya’s eyebrows rose a fraction, but her voice was level as she said, “I can handle rumors. How was the pizza?”

  “I’m not a charity case. Is everyone who comes in here full of herself?”

  Mya’s gaze was direct, her pause palpable. “Evidently.”

  The woman didn’t take much crap. To Elle’s annoyance, she respected that. She didn’t know why she was dishing it out in the first place. She’d been surprised when she’d heard the knock on her door last night. “Pizza delivery for Elle Fletcher.”

  She’d opened the door but not the chain, and saw a boy who was probably still in high school start to smile. Wearing a baseball cap and a jacket bearing the pizza store’s logo, he held the flat box out to her.

  “I didn’t order any pizza.”

  He’d fumbled in his pocket for the order pad then checked the address. Pizza delivery guys were always nerds. It was probably in the job description.

  “It’s bought and paid for,” he’d said. “My job was to deliver it.” A nerd with a bad attitude, he put the pizza on the step and left without another word.

  She may have been belligerent and too broke to give him a tip, but she wasn’t stupid. She’d taken it inside. While Kaylie used a crust for a teething ring, Elle sank her teeth into a thick slice of lukewarm pizza loaded with cheese, mushrooms, onions and pepperoni. She’d wolfed down three pieces before she thought about the example she was setting. Hopefully, Kaylie was too little to pick up bad table manners. The thought seared the back of her mind, bringing a sense of dread and sadness she refused to give in to.

  “The only reason it tastes so good is because I haven’t sprung for pizza in a while,” she’d told Kaylie as she started on her fourth slice. “That doesn’t mean it’s the best pizza in the universe.”

  Kaylie drooled solemnly from the middle of the bed. Elle had gone to sleep with a full stomach. And then she’d finished the pizza for breakfast while she fed Kaylie her oatmeal.

  She knew she should thank Mya. Instead, she eased Kaylie out of reach of a rack of sunglasses and said, “What did you do? Follow me?”

  “If you’re asking how I knew where to have the pizza delivered, I called the nearby motels and asked to speak to you.”

  “I should sue them for breach of confidentiality. That’s a big thing these days.”

  “Lawsuits or confidentiality?”

  “You tell me.” For some strange reason, Elle was glad Mya could hold her own with her. Not many people could. Elle didn’t know why she was dishing it out in the first place. She looked Mya up and down. Her skirt had an uneven hem, her top a knit number with pink and green stripes. There were bangles on her wrists and dangles in her ears. Elle found herself looking at the diamond ring on Mya’s left hand. “What do you think the Minute Man is going to do when he finds out about me?”

  “His name is Jeffrey. And I told him last night.”

  Elle blinked, and Kaylie strained to get down. She’d been fussing a lot lately. Mya seemed to be having a hard time taking her eyes off her.

  “Ever since she learned to crawl, it’s all she wants to do. I haven’t been letting her crawl around much in our motel room.”

  “How long have you two been on the road?”

  “We left Pennsylvania a week ago, but we’ve pretty much been on our own since before she was born.”

  Kaylie was getting worked up. Elle tried moving her to her other hip, but it didn’t help. When Kaylie got something in her head, there was no changing her mind.

  Elle saw Mya reach her hand toward them, but it took a few seconds to notice the key held between her thumb and forefinger. “What’s that for?”

  “You can let her crawl on the floor at my house.”

  “Aren’t you worried I’ll make off with the good silver?”

  Kaylie was crying in earnest now, so they practically had to yell.

  “I don’t believe you drove all the way to Maine to rip me off.”

  Their gazes locked.

  It was the perfect opening, but Elle couldn’t bring herself to take it, so instead she said, “What would we do all day?”

  “Do whatever you want. Play with the cats.”

  “I don’t like cats.”

  For some reason, that made Mya smile. It took everything Elle had to tear her gaze away.

  Mya continued to hold out the key. Relying on instinct, Elle took it and turned quickly, only to stop. Kaylie quieted, and in a meek voice Elle barely recognized as her own, she said, “Thank you.”

  And then she got the hell out of there.

  The bell had stopped jangling before Mya remembered to breathe. She had no idea what that had been about, and yet she’d won that round. The fact that Elle hadn’t put up more of a fight made her uneasy.

  Elle inspired a curious urgency in her. It was similar to the way she used to feel the last week before school started when she’d been a child, when the sun was still scorching and the days still felt endless, but she knew the end lurked like an alligator under the bed. Back then, she’d never wanted school to start, not because she didn’t like school, but because she hated endings. She used to cram every summer experience into that last week, from ice-cream cones, to lobster bakes on the beach, to catching fireflies in Mason jars.

  She felt that same sense of urgency now. She wanted to get to know Elle. She wanted to flip the Closed sign in the window and spend the day at home. With her daughter. She didn’t know whether to be shocked about that or worried. Somehow she doubted Elle would appreciate being smothered. Mya knew the feeling. For years, she’d backed away whenever her mother tried to hover.

  Oh, no. Her mother. Claire and Jeffrey knew about Elle. She had to tell her mom.

  In Elle’s words, the house was rocking.

  Mya didn’t remember the last time it had been this noisy in her living room. The television was on, Claire and Suzette were engaged in a heated debate over the president’s foreign policy, Jeffrey was refereeing, and Elle was changing the baby.

  “Mom,” Mya said into the phone. “Would you listen?”

  “What’s all that noise?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you.”

  “What are all these cars doing in front of your place?” Millicent asked.

  “You’re on my street?”

  “Are you having a party?”

  Mya had to plug one ear in order to hear. “Mom, don’t come inside yet.”

  “Just a sec. I need two hands to park.”

  “Mom, wait. Listen.”

  Static. Great, she’d laid the phone down.

  “Mom?”

  Silence.

  “Mother!”

  The line went dead mere seconds before Millicent burst into the house, smiling all around. “Why, it is a party.” She beamed at Jeffrey, and didn’t seem to notice that everyone except Kaylie had quieted. Talking to anyone who was listening, she said, “Who does Mya know who has a baby?”

  Her gaze fo
und Elle, and her mouth dropped open.

  Suzette closed the door. And Claire caught the oversize red purse before it hit the floor.

  Somebody turned down the television, and Millicent traipsed forward, stopping a few feet in front of Elle, who looked shy suddenly.

  Mya said, “Mom, as I was trying to tell you—”

  “It’s you,” Millicent said.

  Looking from Elle to her mother, Mya said, “This is Elle Fletcher and Kaylie. Elle, this is—”

  “I’m your grandma. I’ve been waiting a long time to meet you properly.” Millicent’s voice shook with emotion. “And this is Kaylie, you said? Hi, sweet thing!” Ducking down slightly in order to be at the baby’s eye level, she said, “It looks like somebody’s having a bad day.”

  Jeffrey said, “I checked her over. I think she’s cutting teeth.”

  Millicent straightened again, patting Elle’s arm. In a whisper loud enough to penetrate steel, she said, “Teething’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

  She let Jeffrey take her coat. Speaking to Mya on the way to retrieve her purse from Claire, she said, “A little forewarning would have been nice.”

  The chaos resumed while Mya was still holding the phone.

  “The last time I kissed a girl goodbye on the front porch, I was in the tenth grade.”

  Mya had to tip her head back in order to look into Jeff’s eyes. “At least this brings back fond memories.”

  “Not that fond. Any idea how long Eleanor plans to stay with you?”

  He called Elle by her full name. Not five minutes ago, Elle had referred to him as Minute Man, and Mya was pretty sure he’d overheard. Either he didn’t mind, or he wasn’t letting on. It was hard to tell with him.

  Mya’s mind was spinning. Claire and Suzette were two of the best friends Mya could ask for. Both had come over as soon as she’d called to tell them her daughter was here. Keeping the conversation lively, Suzette had gone off on one of her favorite tangents, insisting there was a reason all this was happening in Mya’s life at precisely this time. Evidently, it all had to do with Mercury conjoining Uranus, and not one but two black holes. Or did she say Pluto was retrograde and the moon was in Taurus? Which didn’t explain anything to Mya. She didn’t even know why she was thinking about Suzette, except that Suzette had been even livelier than usual tonight, sharing a plethora of knowledge of everything trivial all evening.

  “Did you know,” she’d asked Jeffrey, “that rubber bands last longer when refrigerated?”

  While poor Jeff was still struggling to find the relevance in that fascinating information, Elle had reached into her pocket and brought out a rubber band she’d found on the floor. Handing it to Suzette, she’d said, “Better put this in the fridge so we’re prepared for the imminent shortage.”

  Suzette wasn’t amused, but Claire, Millicent and Mya couldn’t help laughing. Jeffrey had looked at them as if they’d lost their minds. Maybe they had. Or maybe the moon really was responsible.

  “Mya?”

  What? she thought, feeling irritable suddenly.

  Oh. His question. “I get the feeling Elle isn’t planning to stay in Maine for long,” she said. “I’m surprised she accepted my invitation at all.”

  Jeff squeezed her hand. Although she knew he would have preferred a different scenario for his night off, he’d been a good sport, all things considered. He really was a nice guy. Loneliness twisted and turned inside her. There was no reason for this. The man who wanted to marry her was standing right here. Closing her eyes, she felt guilty and selfish, two of her least favorite emotions.

  “Tired?” Jeff asked.

  “I guess.”

  “It’s been a rough few days. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He tucked his hands into his pockets. Instead of leaving, he transferred the contents of his right hand to hers. “My contribution to the cause.”

  Mya found herself staring at more rubber bands, and surprised herself by laughing. Watching him walk away, she thought that maybe, just maybe, everything would be all right.

  The moment Mya stepped inside, three generations of Donahue females stared at her. Millicent was perched in the rocking chair, Kaylie on her lap. Elle sat cross-legged on the floor where she’d been trying to coax the white cat out of hiding.

  Hanging up her jacket, Mya asked, “Any luck?”

  Elle shrugged in a manner Mya was coming to recognize. “This cat’s come the farthest. The other two haven’t ventured out from under your bed since Kaylie discovered their tails before lunch. The Minute Man looked a little put out.”

  Mya didn’t waste her breath telling Elle that all three cats had names, and so did Jeffrey. “He was just surprised, that’s all.”

  The rocking chair creaked as Millicent offered Kaylie her bottle. “You’re going to have to do a little pampering to keep him happy, Mya, if you know what I mean.”

  “There are greater tragedies than going without sex, Mom.”

  “For God’s sakes, don’t let him hear you say that,” her mother said without looking up.

  “Don’t you know anything about men?” Elle asked.

  It was so nice to see that her mother and daughter had bonded.

  Everyone was relieved that Kaylie didn’t have an ear infection. Unfortunately, she was still fussy. Mya felt a little like chewing glass, herself.

  “There, there, sweet thing.” Millicent patted the baby’s back as she rose.

  “She’s not deaf, Mom.”

  “Now you’re an expert?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Here. You take her.”

  Before Mya could protest, her mother dumped the baby into her arms. Mya had no choice but to hold her.

  “Relax,” her mother said. “You’re stiff as a board. Babies are like dogs. They sense when you’re nervous.”

  Mya glanced at Elle. “You don’t mind that comparison?”

  Shrugging, Elle said, “It looks like Kaylie thinks you’re doing okay.”

  Miraculously, it was true. Pink cheeked, her eyelashes matted from her tears, the baby stared solemnly up at Mya as if trying to figure out something important. But she didn’t look particularly worried. Mya was nervous enough for both of them. “You know, kid,” she said, “you’re heavier than you look.”

  “How much did she weigh at birth?” Millicent asked.

  “Six-and-a-half pounds. It seemed like a lot at the time. How much did I weigh?”

  Millicent looked to Mya to answer.

  In a quiet voice, Mya said, “You weighed six pounds, fourteen ounces.” There was absolutely no reason for her throat to close up, and yet it did.

  The room was silent. While everyone was trying to decide where to look, Kaylie figured out what it was she’d been pondering, and tried to stick her finger up Mya’s nose.

  She was quick. But Mya was quicker.

  “Good dodge,” Elle said. “She’s had a thing for noses lately.”

  “When Mya was two, I had to take her to the emergency room because she put a button up her nose,” Millicent said, very matter-of-fact. “I guess it’s not surprising she’s marrying a doctor. Isn’t he as close to perfect as a man can get?”

  Mya’s diamond ring glinted beneath the lamplight. Another brittle silence ensued while she told herself there was nothing wrong with her diamond ring or with Jeffrey. Maybe that was the problem. Or maybe the flaw lay within her. Struggling with her uncertainty, she began to walk slowly around the room, the way she’d seen her mother do earlier. With a sigh, the baby rested her head on Mya’s shoulder.

  “Kaylie resembles you, Elle,” Millicent said.

  “Except for her eyes,” Elle said. “They’re blue like her father’s.”

  Mya found her mother watching her. Something powerful passed between their gazes. Elle’s father had blue eyes, too.

  A flash of grief ripped through Mya. Part of it was guilt for depriving her mom of her only grandchild, but that was far from all of it, for her mother wasn’t the only one Mya’s decisio
n had deprived. At the time, she’d been so certain she was doing the right thing.

  “Well looky there,” Millicent said when Kaylie’s eyes fluttered. “I’ve heard it often skips a generation.” There was reverence in her mother’s voice.

  “What does?” Mya asked cautiously.

  “That connection. It’s instinctive. She knows you all right. You two fit.”

  Mya was peering down at the baby, therefore she didn’t see Elle’s expression still and grow serious. Millicent saw it, and it brought a dull sense of foreboding. The girl was keeping secrets. And Millicent knew from experience that when girls Elle’s age kept secrets, there was usually hell to pay.

  Mya knocked softly on Elle’s closed door.

  A quiet “Yeah?” came from within.

  Poking her head in, Mya whispered, “Is Kaylie asleep?”

  Elle nodded. A dim lamp illuminated one corner of the small room. Elle had pushed the double bed against the wall. The baby slept on her tummy on the far side, a small bump beneath the blanket.

  “Be prepared for my mother to arrive with a crib tomorrow. I told her to talk to you about it first. Did she?”

  Elle shook her head, but didn’t seem to know where to look. And Mya found that the earlier belligerence had been easier to deal with than this reticence. She would have preferred to have this conversation later, when Elle felt more comfortable here, but Millicent was convinced that the girl was hiding something, and insisted this couldn’t wait until morning.

  “Are you coming in or what?” So much for Elle’s reticence.

  “Won’t Kaylie wake up?”

  “Once she’s out, she stays out.” Elle sat near the head-board in baggy flannel bottoms and a stretchy tank top that bared a small tattoo of a musical note that seemed at odds with the barbed wire tattoo encircling her other arm. “I had a good mom,” she blurted. “The best.”

  Perching carefully at the foot of the bed, Mya said, “Did she and your—do you have any brothers or sisters?”

  Elle sat cross-legged, her elbows propped on the pillows she piled in her lap. “She said I was all she needed. Well, me and Dad.”