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Authors: Mary Higgins Clark
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are.”
“And Priss—Priscilla—told them off?”
“Did she ever! It was beautiful! Shocked the heck out of them. And us! They pulled their kids out of the school right then, even though Susan fired Priss in front of them and apologized until I wanted to puke.”
“Did Priss say anything to you about a bucket list?”
“Isn’t that something people do when they know they’re going to die?” Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. Do you think she had a premonition?”
“No, no, I just—”
“She did say that telling off those people was something she’d always wanted to do. Well, not
always,
but you know what I mean.” That sounded very bucket list–like to him, especially when combined with the incidents involving the hot-dog vendor and taxi driver.
He wanted to ask the young woman a question that was going to sound rude no matter how he phrased it, so he just said it plainly: “Why did Priss go to work there, do you know?”
She smiled a little. “You mean, when she had all this?” She swept her right arm in an arc, indicating the signs of money around them, in the clothes, in the hair colors, in the address of the church, in the limos and cabs waiting at the curb outside.
“I guess I do mean that. And also—” He gestured in the directionof the floral dress.
“Oh, she’s nice when she interviews you,” the young woman said. “All cookies and teddy bears. You only find out later how she really is. And we never knew about this.” Her glance took in the crowd. “We thought Priss was just like us, only nicer.” She smiled again, a sweet smile. “All I knew was that she had a degree in early childhood education, and she needed a job, just like us. Well, I guess she didn’t
need
one, but she wanted it. I have a theory, now that I’ve seen all this …”
He cocked his head, the way he did to encourage patients to tell him all their symptoms.
“I think she walked into DayGlow DayCare and saw the real situation: a witch of an owner, an unhappy staff, the effect that had on the kids. And she decided she could change it. Change us. I think she went to work there because she was one of those people who makes other people feel good just to be around her.”
“And did she have that effect?”
The woman nodded. “Slowly. It was happening. We—the staff—were happier. The kids were having more fun and learning better. Susan was the roadblock, and parents like those two that Priss told off.” She started to cry openly. “I’m going to miss her so much.”
If she’d been his patient, he would have hugged her.
He hugged her anyway.
“Are you ready?”
He turned at the sound of Bunny Darnell’s voice and told her he was.
“Who was that cute little thing?”
“She teaches at the preschool where Priscilla worked.”
“Ah.” For the first time, her face and her voice softened. “Priss was a nice child.” Then her expression and tone turned wry again. “How she came out of
that
family, I’ll never understand.” She gave him a slanted look. “Oh, I could tell you stories.”
“I wish you would.”
“Really? I’ve
never
heard you gossip about your patients. It’s one of the reasons we all go to you, you know. You keep our secrets. Are you going to change my idolatrous image of you?”
“God forbid.” He smiled. “But I’m not the one who would be telling the stories, and I wouldn’t be passing them along to anyone else.”
“Oh.” She laughed a little. “Good points. In that case, get in our car and prepare to be shocked.”
But he wasn’t shocked. Not by the stories of Priscilla’s father’s shady business practices, and not by the stories of how her mother lavished big salaries on herself and her staff toadies instead of spending all she should on the charitable organization she led. Even when Mrs. Darnell confided that Priscilla had gotten pregnant at sixteen, he didn’t react with surprise.
“You’re not even surprised at that?”
“I was
“And Priss—Priscilla—told them off?”
“Did she ever! It was beautiful! Shocked the heck out of them. And us! They pulled their kids out of the school right then, even though Susan fired Priss in front of them and apologized until I wanted to puke.”
“Did Priss say anything to you about a bucket list?”
“Isn’t that something people do when they know they’re going to die?” Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, my gosh. Do you think she had a premonition?”
“No, no, I just—”
“She did say that telling off those people was something she’d always wanted to do. Well, not
always,
but you know what I mean.” That sounded very bucket list–like to him, especially when combined with the incidents involving the hot-dog vendor and taxi driver.
He wanted to ask the young woman a question that was going to sound rude no matter how he phrased it, so he just said it plainly: “Why did Priss go to work there, do you know?”
She smiled a little. “You mean, when she had all this?” She swept her right arm in an arc, indicating the signs of money around them, in the clothes, in the hair colors, in the address of the church, in the limos and cabs waiting at the curb outside.
“I guess I do mean that. And also—” He gestured in the directionof the floral dress.
“Oh, she’s nice when she interviews you,” the young woman said. “All cookies and teddy bears. You only find out later how she really is. And we never knew about this.” Her glance took in the crowd. “We thought Priss was just like us, only nicer.” She smiled again, a sweet smile. “All I knew was that she had a degree in early childhood education, and she needed a job, just like us. Well, I guess she didn’t
need
one, but she wanted it. I have a theory, now that I’ve seen all this …”
He cocked his head, the way he did to encourage patients to tell him all their symptoms.
“I think she walked into DayGlow DayCare and saw the real situation: a witch of an owner, an unhappy staff, the effect that had on the kids. And she decided she could change it. Change us. I think she went to work there because she was one of those people who makes other people feel good just to be around her.”
“And did she have that effect?”
The woman nodded. “Slowly. It was happening. We—the staff—were happier. The kids were having more fun and learning better. Susan was the roadblock, and parents like those two that Priss told off.” She started to cry openly. “I’m going to miss her so much.”
If she’d been his patient, he would have hugged her.
He hugged her anyway.
“Are you ready?”
He turned at the sound of Bunny Darnell’s voice and told her he was.
“Who was that cute little thing?”
“She teaches at the preschool where Priscilla worked.”
“Ah.” For the first time, her face and her voice softened. “Priss was a nice child.” Then her expression and tone turned wry again. “How she came out of
that
family, I’ll never understand.” She gave him a slanted look. “Oh, I could tell you stories.”
“I wish you would.”
“Really? I’ve
never
heard you gossip about your patients. It’s one of the reasons we all go to you, you know. You keep our secrets. Are you going to change my idolatrous image of you?”
“God forbid.” He smiled. “But I’m not the one who would be telling the stories, and I wouldn’t be passing them along to anyone else.”
“Oh.” She laughed a little. “Good points. In that case, get in our car and prepare to be shocked.”
But he wasn’t shocked. Not by the stories of Priscilla’s father’s shady business practices, and not by the stories of how her mother lavished big salaries on herself and her staff toadies instead of spending all she should on the charitable organization she led. Even when Mrs. Darnell confided that Priscilla had gotten pregnant at sixteen, he didn’t react with surprise.
“You’re not even surprised at that?”
“I was
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