Grimm's Last Fairy Tale (12 page)

“No.”

“You know, you are putting me in an awkward position. All the tests have come back negative and I think it may be appropriate to discharge you earlier than I had anticipated. That being said, I have some doubts about your competency. The trauma from the accident might have done you more psychological damage than physical.”

“I assure you that I am of sound mind. It’s just too many years of living with cats. I’m sure that’s all it is. I would love to get on the road again and get to my children. I do have treatments to start and I don’t have to tell you that they should be started sooner than later.

“No, you don’t. I’m going to go ahead and release you, but I will give you my cell number and a note to any future doctors you may have to see on your trip, just in case. Agreed?”

“Thank you, yes! May I get dressed now?”

“There’s time for all that. Have some breakfast. Shower. Then dress. I have copious paperwork to do. I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Great. I am a little peckish. I could eat a bear.”

“I think it’s French toast this morning. We don’t do much bear here in Ohio.”

Maggie showered, dressed herself, and took her time eating breakfast. Just as she was expecting the doctor to come in, she heard a man clear his throat. It wasn’t the doctor.

“No, I’m just the schmuck that hit you and is bringing you another peace offering. So where are you headed? Will you be checking into a hotel?”

“No, I’m afraid not. There are things you don’t know, David. Let me cut to the chase. I have cancer—lung cancer, to be specific. I am on a trip to see my children and their families before I start treatment.”

“But, what about the trial?”

“Thank you for the grapefruit, the other gifts, and the company, but I need to be on my way. You can deal with your own trial. I won’t be testifying.”

“I kind of thought we might see one another.”

“I’m so sorry if I gave you that impression. I haven’t had the attention of a man in a very long time. I have sort of a man repellent that I have put on and have been wearing for many years to deter that whole scene. I’m not in the market for a relationship. Under the circumstances, that would be thoughtless. But fee free to call my cell and let me know how things go.”

“Margaret, you are an incredibly brave woman. I am so sorry that you are going through what you are going through, but I do very much enjoy your company. If you ever change your mind . . . if your circumstances changes and you would like a date . . . this sounds so awkward . . . please call me. I would drop everything to see you again.”

Maggie gave him a genuine hug, smiled, and gave him a friendly shove out the door.

She called for a rental car and waited for the doctor. She wanted to tell Jacob the news, knowing full well that he probably already knew, but she couldn’t take the chance of talking to him until she got the car and out of view of the hospital's big brother monitors.

She spoke with the shop and took one of their cards. Then she moved her things from the wreckage into the rental car, climbed in, and headed east. She decided to get on her way and that she would pick it up on the way back through.

They had been on the road about two hours when Maggie’s cell phone rang. She pulled over and answered, only to find David on the other end.

“That's great, but I can’t seem to. Look we’re both alone. We both like a lot of the same things. I don’t see what’s so wrong with wanting to get to know you better.”

“David, I’m flattered. Really, I am. But I have to tell you something. By all appearances, I am alone, but I’m not, really. I have someone in my life.”

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea. I just assumed . . . there was no ring or mention of anyone . . . you were traveling by yourself. I feel so foolish. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you going through the whole cancer treatment thing alone.”

“You needn’t feel silly. It was an honest mistake. I never mentioned it because I didn’t think you had any notion of us being, well, you know.”

There was a silence between them as they traveled that was not uncomfortable and it defined an unspoken truth. Maggie and Jacob seemed to be in it together for the long haul.

With only four hours to go before reaching her eldest daughter, Maggie was torn between trying to make it and stopping to rest. It was Jacob who convinced her that she needed to rest and that she would be much more equipped to handle the visit with some sleep and a nice shower.

They pulled in for the night and Maggie declined to even bring in her laptop. Now was the time to rest and prepare for the emotionality that would follow. There would be time for writing when the journey was over and she was home again. It was probably a silly idea anyway. She wasn’t an author. She just liked to tell stories.

in which Maggie anxiously pops in on her eldest daughter and discovers

that her intuition is as keen as ever

Maggie worried whether or not she would be able to sleep soundly without the constant intervention of nurses, but to her surprise, once her head hit the puffy motel pillow, she was out cold until the warmth of the Pennsylvania sun shone through the heavy draperies.

The morning drive was quiet as Maggie thought about the day ahead. She was anxious to see Rhiannon and her little family, but not looking forward to her reaction to the news. Rhiannon had always been a little high-strung. She tended to want to jump in and take over, having always viewed her mother as a little incompetent in the area of life skills. She was the one person who could still manage to make Maggie feel inadequate on so many levels.

Just about noon, they pulled into the circular driveway of her eldest child’s suburban Tudor and Maggie thought about how it could make the cover of Better Homes and Gardens. It was perfectly landscaped and manicured, but she also knew the tension that often lived in this home. Rhiannon and her surface-sweet husband, Lawrence, often fought over nothing. They had a love/hate relationship and much of that was due to the abuse Rhiannon had suffered as a child. She was pitifully suspicious of most people, but was a very loving mother to her two little ones. She actively engaged in the moments she spent with her son, Ian, 8, and her daughter, Kathryn, 6.

Maggie showed Jacob her concern with a pained expression and he gave her an uncharacteristic “thumbs up” as she turned to ring the doorbell.

“Grandma!”

Ian rushed out the door and wrapped around her legs, nearly toppling her. She dropped her suitcase and allowed herself to be pulled through the front door.

Her daughter was one of the most intuitive people she knew. There were so many times as she was growing up that she and her mother shared an almost eerie connection, often warning each other to not do something they had planned for fear of what might happen. They trusted each other so much back then.

She gave her mother one of those looks that brought all of her feelings of inferiority to the surface. Maggie had to look away before those searing blue eyes found out the truth. The time had to be right and with the grandchildren buzzing around, this was not it.

“Ian, take grandma’s bag up to the guest room, please. Kathryn, get grandma a glass of lemonade.”

Once the children had departed, Rhiannon pushed the issue.

“O.K, mom, spill it. Are you getting married again? Please tell me there isn't some weird man out in the car waiting to be sprung on us.”

“Oh, brother. You really are a piece of work, aren’t you? Maybe you should have thought about showing up at 7:00 this evening instead of noon then.”

With that, she turned and headed back into the kitchen, leaving Maggie to sit in discomfort. Rhiannon never had much patience. She had always managed to get things out of Maggie regardless of her resolve not to tell. Maggie thought to herself how this was not the scene she had envisioned, but how it was probably the one she should have.

They both knew that there was nothing Jacob could do that could possibly remedy the situation. The strained relationship between Maggie and her first were going to be challenged and one of two things was going to transpire: they were going to become closer than ever before and Rhiannon was going to become a champion for Maggie; or, Rhiannon would somehow find that Maggie’s illness was attributable to her own choices and would adopt a “told you so” stance, complete with hands on hips, a wicked smirk, and a single raised eyebrow.

Rhiannon re-entered the living room carrying a silver tea service and a plate of cookies and set it down on the coffee table. She looked at Maggie and was just about to open her mouth and demand an explanation when the children bounced back into the room. The temperature dropped notably.

“You two come here right now and give me some loving!”

Maggie stretched out her arms and they quickly accommodated her. Light conversation consisting of trivial catching up ensued. They asked about the Austenian cats and Maggie drug out photos of them and told them stories about their challenging life and how hard it was to get their 20 hours of sleep a day. They chuckled in all the right spots and the afternoon was pleasurable with the exception of the dark cloud hanging over Rhiannon. She was growing more and more agitated as the hours passed.

Lawrence came home at precisely 5:15. He was a creature of the utmost habit and ran his life like a train schedule. He hugged her and though he told her how pleasant a surprise it was to see her, it was, nonetheless a surprise and not at all on his agenda for the evening. Maggie smiled a smile ignorant of his implications and continued her visit with her grandchildren.

Dinner was lovely and as usual could have been featured in a women’s magazine for both presentation and flavor. Rhiannon never did things carelessly. She and Lawrence really were a match made in heaven. Maggie just wished they would realize it for themselves.

After dinner, Rhiannon and Lawrence did the dishes and Maggie supervised baths and read bedtime stories. She realized how much she missed the routine of getting children to bed. As a young mother, she could never wait for bedtime and its reprieve from the chaos of the day, she found that she experienced a sort of sadness when the house was finally quiet. She couldn’t wait for the next day to begin.