Read Online ... and Baby Makes Two by Judy Sheehan - Free Book Online Page B

so, I better hurry off or I'll miss the bus. Thanks for everything.”
    Kevin and Neil nodded. Linda and Kitty were still hunting their children and gathering paper products.
    Peter offered her a ride back to the city in his nice-smelling car. He always stayed in the city on school nights, and anyway, he knew where she lived. It's not like he had to go out of his way.
    Clearly, Peter was raised by nice people. He chitted and chatted, but he never mentioned the mini-drama at the end of the evening. He waited for Jane to bring it up.
    â€œYour brothers still call you ‘Janie-Painie.’That's cute.”
    â€œNo. Not if you're me, it isn't. They called my sister Sheilio. That was a much better nickname.” There. Jane had mentioned Sheila, so she went ahead and said, “Mom's mad at my sister, Sheila.”
    â€œI gathered that. I know it's none of my business, but can I ask what happened?”
    â€œShe moved away. She got married. Eloped, actually”
    Jane and Peter were sitting in the car, which was sitting in traffic, miles away from the Holland Tunnel. Jane wanted so badly to be back on her island. What better time to tell her family's story.
    Sheila was the youngest in the family. She wore Coke-bottle glasses from the third grade and despised them forever. It was herexcuse for being excruciatingly shy and awkward, which was her reason for staying at home. All the time. After high school, she attended the local Catholic college and commuted from home. She worked as a court reporter and commuted from home. She was a good cook, got stains out of anything, was quiet and neat as a pin. She learned to give Betty her insulin injections. She monitored her parents’ growing array of medications. She chauffeured them to church, malls, grocery stores, and doctors'appointments. She might have considered surgery for her eyes, or maybe contact lenses, but it seemed a waste of money. She gave most of every paycheck to Betty.
    And then, early last year, Sheila eloped. No word of warning, no dates with any gentleman callers, no preparation. She left a note for her parents, packed her quiet clothes, and left under cover of darkness. His name was Raoul. She met him in court. He was also a court reporter. They had lunch together every day. Sheila had been eating the exact same lunch for more than twelve years. Raoul offered variety. He was shy and quiet too. But compared to Sheila, he was Desi Arnaz.
    But he had a lot of family in Florida, and he missed them. So the two quietly planned their elopement and their life together. Sheila made travel arrangements without saying a word. She never mentioned the elevator ride to the fourth floor of the courthouse, where she and Raoul obtained a marriage license. Betty and Howard never heard Raoul's name until they read it aloud in a note:
    Dear Mom and Dad,
    I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I am getting married. His name is Raoul Espinoza and I love him very much. We are moving to Miami. I'm sorry that this is such a shock to you. I knew I couldn't tell you. You need me so too much.

I love you, but I want to have my own life before it's too late.

I'm sorry.
    Sheila signed it with hugs and kisses. She attached a detailed schedule of doctors’ appointments, questions for the doctors, and a medication schedule. A week later, she called from Florida, but Betty hung up on her. Howard tried to make peace, but Betty was having none of it. She was:
INSULTED— SHE WAS NEVER GOING TO DEPRIVE HER DAUGHTER OF A LIFE! SHEILA HAD
CHOSEN
TO STAY HOME. THE LETTER CLEARLY IMPLIED THAT BETTY WAS TRYING TO
ENSLAVE
HER DAUGHTER!
CONFUSED—HOW COULD THIS RELATIONSHIP HAVE DEVELOPED UNDER HER VERY NOSE, WITHOUT A CLUE? BETTY WATCHED
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS
REGULARLY AND THOUGHT SHE KNEW JUST HOW SNEAKY PEOPLE COULD BE.
L OST—WHO WAS GOING TO DO THE INSULIN INJECTIONS? W HO WAS GOING TO MAKE DINNER? W HO WAS GOING TO DRIVE THEM TO CHURCH? H OW COULD S HEILA ABANDON HER