Read Online The Laws of Gravity by Liz Rosenberg - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Liz Rosenberg
Tags: General Fiction
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grin. “Guess it’s not all bad, getting sick.”
“You are going to be fine,” Ari said, closing his fingers around his son’s shoulder. “Just fine.”
Mimi barely waited for Nicole to say hello before she blurted it out. “Ari changed his mind. I’m so sorry.”
The phone was slick in Nicole’s hand. She sank into the kitchen chair. “About the cord blood? He changed his mind?” It felt like a wave had rolled over her, knocking her off her feet. She thought how cowardly Mimi was to tell her this over the phone. She forced herself to take a breath. “Why?” she said. “When did this happen?”
“Can I come over?” Mimi said. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me.”
“I’ll always want to see you,” Nicole said. “Come.—It’ll be all right,” she forced herself to say, though she did not believe it. Outside she heard the sound of children playing kickball in the street. An ordinary late summer’s day. She felt the room slipping out from underneath her—as if she might slide off the chair and end up on the linoleum floor.
“I’ll be right over,” Mimi said.
“You want coffee?” Nicole said. “I can make some.”
“I think I’d rather have a whiskey,” Mimi said. “Nikki—I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Nicole said. She felt embarrassed saying the words out loud. Mimi had always been the more demonstrative one.
Forty minutes later Mimi rang her doorbell. She held little Rianna in her arms, all bundled up though the day was sultry. Only the girl’s small face stuck out like a baby Eskimo’s.
“Does Rianna want a whiskey, too?” Nicole asked, after she’d helped unwrap the baby from her cotton blanket. Her small face looked flushed and furious. Her pink booties were removed and set in front of the closet. Rianna rocked slightly on the kitchen floor, inside her flowered infant seat, which doubled as a car seat.
“She would, if she knew what’s going on,” Mimi said. “Julian came down with something about a week and a half ago. He had swollen glands,a high fever. We took him to our GP, who thought it might be Hodgkin’s disease.”
“Oh, Mimi,” Nicole said. Her hand went out instinctively to touch her friend’s arm. “Why didn’t you call me? Is Julian all right?”
“He’s fine,” Mimi said. “Don’t worry. It was just swollen glands—a summer cold, maybe a touch of flu. They drew blood, they ran all the tests. He’s fine. He’s playing soccer, he’s playing Guitar Hero—he’s absolutely fine.”
“I don’t understand,” Nicole said. “Then what’s the problem?”
Mimi twisted her thin gold wedding band around and around on her finger. Ari had given her a large pear-shaped diamond ring for their tenth anniversary, but she hardly ever wore it. Now and again she’d sport some piece of costume jewelry that Julian had bought her for Mother’s Day. Mimi wore a black T-shirt and jeans. Her hair looked as if she’d forgotten to brush it.
“Ari is scared,” she finally said. “He’s just scared to death. ‘What if it really
had
been Hodgkin’s?’ he keeps asking me. ‘What if Arianna gets sick? We might need this cord blood.’ Julian’s blood is a better protection for Rianna than it is for Julian. Did you know that? They have a six/six match. It’s perfect. That’s practically unheard of.”
Nicole said nothing. She stared at her own hands, lying in her lap. They looked unfamiliar. She put them on top of the counter, but that only made it worse.
Mimi said, “I told Ari that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Chances are we can use this cord blood more than once.
You
are sick right now. You need this now.”
“Thank you,” Nicole said. She hated the quiver in her voice. She hated the pathetic gratitude she felt. She hated being sick, like being stuck alone,lost in a country where you didn’t know the rules or the language. She was sick and tired of it, and she knew it was all just beginning.
“Don’t thank me,” Mimi
“You are going to be fine,” Ari said, closing his fingers around his son’s shoulder. “Just fine.”
Mimi barely waited for Nicole to say hello before she blurted it out. “Ari changed his mind. I’m so sorry.”
The phone was slick in Nicole’s hand. She sank into the kitchen chair. “About the cord blood? He changed his mind?” It felt like a wave had rolled over her, knocking her off her feet. She thought how cowardly Mimi was to tell her this over the phone. She forced herself to take a breath. “Why?” she said. “When did this happen?”
“Can I come over?” Mimi said. “I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me.”
“I’ll always want to see you,” Nicole said. “Come.—It’ll be all right,” she forced herself to say, though she did not believe it. Outside she heard the sound of children playing kickball in the street. An ordinary late summer’s day. She felt the room slipping out from underneath her—as if she might slide off the chair and end up on the linoleum floor.
“I’ll be right over,” Mimi said.
“You want coffee?” Nicole said. “I can make some.”
“I think I’d rather have a whiskey,” Mimi said. “Nikki—I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Nicole said. She felt embarrassed saying the words out loud. Mimi had always been the more demonstrative one.
Forty minutes later Mimi rang her doorbell. She held little Rianna in her arms, all bundled up though the day was sultry. Only the girl’s small face stuck out like a baby Eskimo’s.
“Does Rianna want a whiskey, too?” Nicole asked, after she’d helped unwrap the baby from her cotton blanket. Her small face looked flushed and furious. Her pink booties were removed and set in front of the closet. Rianna rocked slightly on the kitchen floor, inside her flowered infant seat, which doubled as a car seat.
“She would, if she knew what’s going on,” Mimi said. “Julian came down with something about a week and a half ago. He had swollen glands,a high fever. We took him to our GP, who thought it might be Hodgkin’s disease.”
“Oh, Mimi,” Nicole said. Her hand went out instinctively to touch her friend’s arm. “Why didn’t you call me? Is Julian all right?”
“He’s fine,” Mimi said. “Don’t worry. It was just swollen glands—a summer cold, maybe a touch of flu. They drew blood, they ran all the tests. He’s fine. He’s playing soccer, he’s playing Guitar Hero—he’s absolutely fine.”
“I don’t understand,” Nicole said. “Then what’s the problem?”
Mimi twisted her thin gold wedding band around and around on her finger. Ari had given her a large pear-shaped diamond ring for their tenth anniversary, but she hardly ever wore it. Now and again she’d sport some piece of costume jewelry that Julian had bought her for Mother’s Day. Mimi wore a black T-shirt and jeans. Her hair looked as if she’d forgotten to brush it.
“Ari is scared,” she finally said. “He’s just scared to death. ‘What if it really
had
been Hodgkin’s?’ he keeps asking me. ‘What if Arianna gets sick? We might need this cord blood.’ Julian’s blood is a better protection for Rianna than it is for Julian. Did you know that? They have a six/six match. It’s perfect. That’s practically unheard of.”
Nicole said nothing. She stared at her own hands, lying in her lap. They looked unfamiliar. She put them on top of the counter, but that only made it worse.
Mimi said, “I told Ari that’s a risk I’m willing to take. Chances are we can use this cord blood more than once.
You
are sick right now. You need this now.”
“Thank you,” Nicole said. She hated the quiver in her voice. She hated the pathetic gratitude she felt. She hated being sick, like being stuck alone,lost in a country where you didn’t know the rules or the language. She was sick and tired of it, and she knew it was all just beginning.
“Don’t thank me,” Mimi
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