"So how did you ladies, do?" Maddy inquired, joining them at the kitchen table over glasses of iced tea.
"Ah, just alright," Lori sighed. "None of the gowns looked as great in
person as they did in the magazines. And let's not even talk about the
prices!"
"Well, we'll just keep on looking, Lori. My God, you've got plenty of
time," Monica assured her. Maddy detected something else in her voice,
something that had little to do with overpriced wedding gowns.
"What's wrong?" Maddy asked, noticing the clouds forming over her
mother's face. She exchanged a knowing look with Lori.
"What else? Your sister-in-law," Monica replied curtly. "You know, I
told your brother not to marry that girl. I knew she wasn't right for him
from the start. Nobody ever listens to me!"
While Madeline sympathized with the sentiment, her stomach flipped
over at the thought of rehashing this very old and tired story.
Yes, there was more than a certain amount of truth to her mother's
statements, but after seven years of dating, three years of marriage and
now, newborn twins, Madeline figured it was an issue for her brother
Damian to resolve. Her heart did ache for her parents, however, who
couldn't seem to really enjoy being first-time grandparents, thanks to
these seemingly endless theatrics.
"Laura? What'd she do this time?"
"Your brother has an opportunity to do a six-week anesthesiology
program at Penn," Monica explained. "It's an honor to have even been
asked. Damian wants to do it, but she's giving him a hard time because
she doesn't want to stay here with us. She says I intimidate her."
"Can you believe that, Maddy? She's such an ungrateful girl," Lori
chimed in. "My God, her husband has a chance to participate in a
program that's only going to benefit his career and his family. Instead of
being happy for him, she's being a pain-in-the-ass and refusing to come
here!"
"I'm sure she'd have no problem if the program was in Des Moines,
where they could stay with her family. Sure, it'd be alright then!" Monica
was definitely angry, no doubt about it.
"Well, is that what Damian said?" Maddy asked.
"Pretty much," Lori replied.
"When's the program?"
"See, that's the rub, too," Monica explained. "It runs from just after
Thanksgiving through the second week in January, which means they'd be
here for Christmas. The babies would spend their very first Christmas
with us, not her mommy and daddy. She can't stand the thought of that. I'm
only ok when I am doing things for them, like flying down there at my
own expense to take care of the babies while they attended her sister's
wedding. And don't get me wrong, her parents were wonderful; they took
really good care of Lily and me. But I mean this is the thanks I get. My
son has an opportunity to better himself and because I am such an ogre,
she doesn't want him to take it."
"Oh boy," Maddy sighed. It had only been two months since her
mother and Lily, a family friend whose daughter had once been Maddy's
very best girlfriend-from the 6th grade until their first year of college-
had flown to Nashville. Her mother had even paid for Lily's ticket, since
she was doing her a favor by coming. Two month-old twins were a
handful for just one person-even a seasoned veteran like Monica Rose,
mother of five. At the time, Lori and Madeline had argued that Damian
and Laura should have underwritten the trip; after all, weren't Monica and
Lily doing them a good deed?
"The whole thing is ridiculous!" Lori cried. "But he needs to stand up
to her. Right now, she's not working and he's the sole breadwinner. I say
that decides it right there. He's the one who has to tell her that."
"Do you think he will?" Maddy pressed.
"We'll see," Monica said. "He has to tell them something soon.
They're not going to wait forever. It just cracks me up. Your father and I
paid for all of his expenses for medical school, hers basically told her
'you're on your own' and yet she worships the ground they walk on. I just
don't get it!"
"I sure don't," Maddy said, patting her mother's hand. "I'm really
sorry about this, Mom. I hate to see you and Dad go through more of
Laura's nonsense. It's not right; you're good people and great parents."
Just then, Joseph strode into the room, his Phillies having inevitably
gone down to defeat. He quickly ascertained the scene of his three "girls"
commiserating with long faces and exasperated sighs.
"Aw, Moni, you still upset about Laura? Forget it! Our son's a grown
man, he's gotta learn how to handle his own problems! I'm done worrying
about it!" His loud voice seemed to fill the entire room.
"Dad, that's easy to say," Lori chimed in, "But it's Damian's future
we're talking about. You mean his wife can't put up with staying here for
six weeks? It's not like we're all a bunch of monsters, for God's sake. She
should look at it this way-they'll have plenty of babysitters. They can
even go out on dates if they want to."
"Good point!" Maddy offered, wishing there was some way to wave a
magic wand and cast an infinite spell of good will over her entire family,
thus dissolving all conflict forever. Alas, that was only the stuff of
fairytales.
"Lori, your brother's a grown man!" Joseph repeated. "It's his life. I
paid for him to become a doctor, now the rest is up to him. If he wants to
blow a chance to work at Penn because of his wife, that's his choice. I'm
done with it!"
"Well, I'm his mother and it bothers me that my son could miss out
on something so important just because his small-town, mini-minded wife
has no self-esteem! She may have an M.D. but she has no common sense,
and certainly no social skills! For God's sake, her parents don't even have
any friends. She told Damian, she's amazed by all of the people we know.
They never had parties or anything growing up; they all lived in this little
cocoon with just their immediate family."
"Well, Moni, he chose to marry her," Joseph reminded. "He knew
what he was getting into."
As her parents and Lori continued the debate, Maddy stifled a yawn
and looked at her watch. Oh my! Ten o'clock already. She wanted to call
Kenny back before it got too late. Besides, as badly as she felt about this
latest disruption, she'd long grown weary of the constant turmoil that had
defined their lives ever since Damian brought Laura home for
Thanksgiving all those years ago. And now Greg was on the verge of
marrying Vanessa, who so far was fitting in quite nicely, though she did
have an irrational tendency towards perfection. In that regard, she was
much like Lori, who agonized over every buying decision, from a simple
sweater to a formal evening gown.
Madeline loved everybody dearly, but was beginning to feel lost in
this never-ending drama; she didn't really want to offer an opinion on this
or that, though she was more than willing to listen and sympathize. But
yet, others would insist on involving her in the scuffle, as if she somehow
had control over the outcome. Maybe it had to do with her Zodiac sign,
but whatever the cause, Maddy had a distinct proclivity towards absorbing
the feelings of others-not a bad thing when all was well, but when
tensions were high, it could be downright exhausting. Was this what devoted
daughters were supposed to do? Was this the price you paid for having a close, loving
family?
Caught up in their own dialogue, no one noticed when she quietly
slipped away to the sanctuary of her bedroom. Judging from the sounds
of it, Lori wouldn't be joining her anytime soon. And Greg was apparently
on his way home from Vanessa's; no doubt he'd have a few things to say,
too. Hopefully, his natural optimism and sense of humor would help calm
a few nerves.
Maddy quickly brushed her teeth, completed her nighttime facial
regimen and slipped into a pair of comfy pj's. Then she snuggled under
the covers and dialed Ken's number. Her heart skipped a beat when she
heard his voice.
"Hey teddy bear, it's me!"
"Maddy, how are you sweetheart?" He'd been dozing on the couch
while he waited for her call, still feeling a little woozy from the pain meds.
He rubbed his shirtless chest as he spoke to her. Although it had cooled
off outside, he still felt hot. And since he was temporarily sleeping in the
living room, he had to at least wear boxer shorts, out of respect for Kathy.
"Great, now that I'm talking to you," she whispered.
"Aw, thanks." She could almost see his smile through the telephone.
"So, what's the plan for this weekend?" His tone was hopeful.
"Well, I'm definitely coming, and as I said before, I know at least one
person who'd really love to join me, provided he doesn't have to work."
"Louis," Ken said softly. He laughed as he remembered their fun
times in the arcade and on the boardwalk rides. "That'd be great. We
could all go to a movie, maybe even take him gambling at one of the
casinos."
"Sounds wonderful," Maddy agreed. "Of course, if he does have to
work, I could always see what Carmen is up to."
"She still seeing that Iranian guy?"
"Nah, I don't think so. Last time we spoke, she was thinking about
going back to her old boyfriend. I told you she's flighty!" Maddy laughed.
"Hey, I owe her a debt of gratitude," he said seriously. "If it weren't
for her I would have never met you."
"Yeah, well, you could've bought that rose for me, Mr. Lockheart,"
she teased. "I would've not only accepted it, but would've been your
exclusive date for the evening. Guess it took an exotic brunette to get
your attention initially!"
"C'mon, Madeline, you know how I feel about you!" He sounded
almost frustrated. And as he lay there in the dark, he was still embarrassed
by the whole incident. But what did he have to do to prove his love for her? He
thought for sure he'd done everything right up to this point, if not
perfectly.
"Oh, Kenny, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you; I was just joking
around," Maddy explained. She made a mental note never to bring it up
again.
"It's ok, sweetheart, I think I'm kind of cranky with this leg thing,
anyway. I just want to get back to work and get on with life."
"And you will. My goodness, it's only been one day!"
"By the way, my mom was here and I gave her some of your sauce
for her and my dad. She was very impressed that you made all of that
food for me. Told me to thank you for her. She can't wait to meet you."
"I look forward to meeting her, too." Maddy was certain she must be
a wonderful woman, to have raised such an unbelievable son.
"Maddy?"
"Yes?"
"I wish you were right here next to me."
"Me, too."