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“You sound awfully calm. It’s as if you didn’t hear the same news that I did. It seems that our father had a complete family separate from ours. That means that we were lied to for our entire lives. So, to answer your question, that’s what’s up,” Maura said.
“I’m about to hop online and see what I can find out about Sophie Cast,” Hayley said, which wasn’t entirely true, although she did intend to do it eventually.
“I’ll save you the work. She’s forty-nine, divorced, and works at a wine bar. I know this because she was there with a corkscrew in hand at the opening. Her hair is auburn, and I don’t know the color of her eyes because she wore sunglasses. Her address is in Hempstead, NY, which I found is on Long Island. I did a search of her house and it’s modest. Sophie is boring, and I wonder if this is really her or if her identity was stolen,” Maura said.
“Why don’t we call her?” Hayley asked. "If she's boring, then I don't exactly see her as a threat.”
“That seems like a good idea, but what do you say we drive to St. Michaels and check out our house? I have to make sure David is available, and I'll also get a nurse. I think a short time away will do me good. I don’t like the way I’ve been treating people, and I need a break.”
“I have work and volunteer commitments,” Hayley said.
“Think about it, please,” Maura said.
“I’ll see what I can do. A change of scenery will do me good, as well.”
It was not something expected Maura to request and she had plenty of vacation time.
3
“How are you feeling, Mom?” Maura asked.
“I just finished eighteen weeks of chemo, and I don’t know if it did a bit of good. I’m battling lung cancer, and I have never smoked a cigarette in my life. Besides that, I’m great,” Maura’s mother Lisa said.
Maura was smiling inside because her mother was showing a bit of her characteristic spunk. “Can I get you anything besides a new head of hair,” Maura said jokingly.
“I would love chicken fried rice from the place down the street,” Lisa said.
“Are you kidding me?” Maura asked with a huge smile on her face. “David, put your shoes on. Mom wants chicken fried rice from The Palace.”
David showed up in the doorway with his shoes on and keys in hand. “I’m on it. This is the best thing that’s happened to this family in a very long time. I’ve never been so excited to pick up Chinese food.” David flew out the door. Lisa hadn’t had a normal appetite in months, and before the cancer, she had lived for chicken fried rice.
“He’s a good husband, and he never wavers. I hope you appreciate him because not all men are like that,” Lisa said. “You’re a gem, too, Maura. I hated it when my mother told me I was lucky to have your father as if I wasn’t even worthy of him.”
“I’ve been pulled in so many directions in the past couple of years, so I haven’t really been living up to my side of the marriage contract,” Maura said. It had been a year since she had gone to her mother with her problems, and it was beyond comforting.
“Marriage, at least one that lasts like yours, has its peaks and valleys. There are times when you’re in a valley, and your partner is way up on a peak. That’s never easy, and it tests the strength of you both. You’re down deep, and David has to be allowed to pull you up,” Lisa said as she held her daughter’s hands in hers. “Most importantly, don’t stop communicating. At times, you may raise your voice, but at least you’re talking and listening. It’s when you grow quiet and shut each other out that problems crop up.”
“You’re so wise, Mommy. I know you’re going to beat this thing and live long enough to be a great-grandmother.”
“We’ll see about that. I don’t think Reid or Will is prepared to be parents, so great-grandmotherhood may not be something I see. What happened when you went to Parish and Rose?” Lisa asked.
“How’d you know about that?”
“I saw it written on a slip of paper on your desk. I’m sick, but my eyesight hasn’t been affected.”
“It was nothing, really. Something Hayley and I have to look into, and if it’s something you have to worry about, I’ll let you know,” Maura said nervously.
“Fair enough, but don’t keep anything from me. I can’t take that again in my life,” Lisa said. “I no longer have the time or patience for lies.”
Maura was taken aback. It sounded like her mother had been lied to in the past, and she wondered if she was referring to her husband, Bill Allen. She knew she couldn’t come out and ask her, but she wondered if her mother had been saying things like this and Maura had missed them.
“I respect you too much to lie to you. Let Hayley and I figure things out, and then we’ll come to you. Is that good enough?” Maura asked.
“That’s perfect. I trust you girls to resolve what’s happening, and I’m confident you’ll come to me when you’re ready. I was speaking of your marriage when I was talking about communication, but it counts between sisters also. You and Hayley are like oil and water at times, and you have to learn to accept your differences. The way you two have dealt with the loss of your father isn't the same, and you can learn from each other. Lately, all you do is criticize and that's hurtful to me as your mother.”
David burst through the front door of the house and into Lisa’s bedroom. “I told them it was for you, and they made it fresh right before my eyes. I’m surprised they didn’t start with a fresh bird because their attention to detail was out of this world. Mr. Chen and Miss Richelle miss you down there, and next time, they’re willing to deliver to you. They want to see you – their most loyal customer.”
“Miss Richelle came to see me in the hospital. She was there for a follow-up appointment and brought me a lovely bouquet. The card had words that could only have come from someone who’d walked my path. Miss Richelle had breast cancer three years ago, which was her second battle with this hideous disease. One of my goals is to walk down there and surprise her.”
