“My God!”
My mother approached, extending her arms to give me a hug.
And all my anger rose to the surface.
All my anger burst to the surface.
I took a step back.
“Don’t touch me. Not after what you did.”
“What did I do?” Mom frowned. “What are you talking about, honey?”
I blocked the contract.
My blood ran cold when I saw my parents’ faces.
“You wanted to get rid of her!”
“Don’t touch me. Not after what you did.”
“You don’t understand what we had planned…”
“I understand perfectly. And you’re not going to walk into that recovery room pretending you care. Not today, not ever.”
“Of course we care,” my father blurted out. “That’s precisely why we did it.”
“He was the one who accepted money to marry her,” Mom said, pointing at Ben. “You can’t be mad at us without being mad at him too.”
“That is precisely the reason why we did it.”
“You signed a contract to get rid of her,” I said. “Ben signed one to save her. It’s not the same thing.”
The voices had begun to reach the hallway.
Nurses.
Two women leaving the maternity waiting room.
Even one of the hospital volunteers had stopped pretending not to hear.
“It’s not the same.”
My mother looked around.
Finally, he seemed to realize that everyone had heard every last word.
“This is no place for that kind of thing,” he hissed.
“No,” I said. “The issue goes back three years, when you decided that Rosie was a burden you had to take care of.”
Around us, nobody was moving.
“You decided that Rosie was a burden that had to be gotten rid of.”
In the hallway, all faces were turned towards them.
My mother looked down first.
Without saying a word, they headed to the elevator.
They left without saying a word.
The hallway lit up the moment the elevator doors closed.
Ben touched my elbow, gently and uncertainly.
They left without saying a word.
“I’m sorry I kept it from you.”
“You kept her safe. That’s what matters.”
A nurse appeared in the doorway and smiled.
SEE NEXT PAGE >>>
To see the full cooking instructions, go to the next page or click the Open button (>) and don't forget to SHARE it with your friends on Facebook.
