Read Online Mother's Day by Patricia MacDonald - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia MacDonald
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What if she chooses Linda over us…over me?”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” he cried. “Why would she choose a stranger over the family she knows and loves?”
“You saw her reaction,” said Karen. “She was thrilled with the whole thing. It was as if she had been waiting all her life for this wonderful ‘birth mother’ to appear.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Maybe I am. But I’m scared. She and I can’t have two words in a row these days without a fight. I mean, we are at each other’s throats. Everything I do or say is wrong. And then, whammo, along comes this glamorous, mysterious stranger who says, Tm your real mother and all I’ve done is fantasize about how wonderful you are and you turn out to be even more wonderful than I ever imagined.’” Karen got up and began to pace around the room. “So, on the one hand we have the unnatural mother, Karen, who’s an old witch that makes her pick up her clothes and do her homework, and on the other we have Linda, the all-embracing birth mother, who treats Jenny like some kind of walking miracle. I ask you, which one is more appealing? Which one would you choose?”
“That’s not all that’s involved,” Greg insisted, avoiding her frantic gaze.
“She’s looking for a reason to reject me once and for all. And that reason just walked in the door this afternoon. And I can’t stand it, Greg. She’s all I’ve got. She’s my only baby.”
Greg banged the magazine down on the coffee table and jumped up. “Stop it, Karen. Stop blowing this thing out of proportion. Try and be rational, for God’s sakes.”
Karen glared at him, and then tears came to her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “If I can’t tell my fears to you…”
An anguished expression rose in his eyes. He looked away from her. “Look,” he said. “You are acting as if this whole thing is up to Jenny. As far as I’m concerned, we’ll just tell her that she can’t meet with this woman anymore. We just forbid it. She’s a minor. We’re her parents. And what do we know about this woman, anyway? She could be some kind of a nut. She could be unbalanced. At the very least she has poor judgment, showing up out of the blue like this.”
“That’s true enough,” said Karen. She came back to the couch and sat down beside him.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know why you agreed to this meeting tomorrow in the first place.”
Karen did not reply.
“So, it’s that simple. We simply forbid her to see this Linda anymore and that’s the end of it. I’ll be glad to deliver the verdict to Miss Emery myself. You don’t ever have to set eyes on her again.”
“No,” said Karen with a sigh. “We can’t do that.”
“Believe me,” said Greg, “I’ll tell Jenny too. I don’t mind being the villain.”
“No,” said Karen. “It’s not that. It’s just…we can’t deny her the opportunity to get to know her natural mother. Not now that they’ve made contact. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair to Jenny. She has a lot of questions, I know. The school psychologist told me that. It’s a critical age for this identity crisis business. And adopted children have it the worst. Maybe it would help her to know this woman. To find out about her. And her father. Whatever Linda wants to tell her.”
“I don’t get it,” Greg cried in exasperation. “First you say one thing, and then, when I offer a solution, you say the opposite. I’m trying to protect you. And Jenny. Let me do this.”
“It’s not a solution,” Karen insisted. “Don’t you see that? If we make a big issue out of it, she’ll just sneak off and see her. Or worse. No, we have to let her go. Or she’ll hold it against us.”
“You don’t know what you want,” he said furiously. “You’re going around in circles.”
“Stop yelling at me. This isn’t my fault. I didn’t ask for this to happen. I’m just trying to cope with it,” she cried. “Why are you mad at
“That doesn’t make any sense,” he cried. “Why would she choose a stranger over the family she knows and loves?”
“You saw her reaction,” said Karen. “She was thrilled with the whole thing. It was as if she had been waiting all her life for this wonderful ‘birth mother’ to appear.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“Maybe I am. But I’m scared. She and I can’t have two words in a row these days without a fight. I mean, we are at each other’s throats. Everything I do or say is wrong. And then, whammo, along comes this glamorous, mysterious stranger who says, Tm your real mother and all I’ve done is fantasize about how wonderful you are and you turn out to be even more wonderful than I ever imagined.’” Karen got up and began to pace around the room. “So, on the one hand we have the unnatural mother, Karen, who’s an old witch that makes her pick up her clothes and do her homework, and on the other we have Linda, the all-embracing birth mother, who treats Jenny like some kind of walking miracle. I ask you, which one is more appealing? Which one would you choose?”
“That’s not all that’s involved,” Greg insisted, avoiding her frantic gaze.
“She’s looking for a reason to reject me once and for all. And that reason just walked in the door this afternoon. And I can’t stand it, Greg. She’s all I’ve got. She’s my only baby.”
Greg banged the magazine down on the coffee table and jumped up. “Stop it, Karen. Stop blowing this thing out of proportion. Try and be rational, for God’s sakes.”
Karen glared at him, and then tears came to her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she said. “If I can’t tell my fears to you…”
An anguished expression rose in his eyes. He looked away from her. “Look,” he said. “You are acting as if this whole thing is up to Jenny. As far as I’m concerned, we’ll just tell her that she can’t meet with this woman anymore. We just forbid it. She’s a minor. We’re her parents. And what do we know about this woman, anyway? She could be some kind of a nut. She could be unbalanced. At the very least she has poor judgment, showing up out of the blue like this.”
“That’s true enough,” said Karen. She came back to the couch and sat down beside him.
“To tell you the truth, I don’t know why you agreed to this meeting tomorrow in the first place.”
Karen did not reply.
“So, it’s that simple. We simply forbid her to see this Linda anymore and that’s the end of it. I’ll be glad to deliver the verdict to Miss Emery myself. You don’t ever have to set eyes on her again.”
“No,” said Karen with a sigh. “We can’t do that.”
“Believe me,” said Greg, “I’ll tell Jenny too. I don’t mind being the villain.”
“No,” said Karen. “It’s not that. It’s just…we can’t deny her the opportunity to get to know her natural mother. Not now that they’ve made contact. It wouldn’t be fair. It wouldn’t be fair to Jenny. She has a lot of questions, I know. The school psychologist told me that. It’s a critical age for this identity crisis business. And adopted children have it the worst. Maybe it would help her to know this woman. To find out about her. And her father. Whatever Linda wants to tell her.”
“I don’t get it,” Greg cried in exasperation. “First you say one thing, and then, when I offer a solution, you say the opposite. I’m trying to protect you. And Jenny. Let me do this.”
“It’s not a solution,” Karen insisted. “Don’t you see that? If we make a big issue out of it, she’ll just sneak off and see her. Or worse. No, we have to let her go. Or she’ll hold it against us.”
“You don’t know what you want,” he said furiously. “You’re going around in circles.”
“Stop yelling at me. This isn’t my fault. I didn’t ask for this to happen. I’m just trying to cope with it,” she cried. “Why are you mad at
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