III
Caroline Klein has never seen Izzie. She was their daughter's birth mother but it was a closed adoption. Caroline has never even seen a picture of Izzie. They were given the vaguest description of her. She knew that she grew up in a trailer park and gave birth to Hannah while she was in high school. They imagined her to be a certain way. They thought Izzie still lives in the trailer park, got married and has a bunch of kids by now but as she watched Izzie walk toward her table, she realized how wrong she was. Izzie was beautiful but Caroline had been expecting that. She was wearing a light grey suit of an unmistakable designer pedigree, red pumps that made her look 5 inches taller and was carrying a red designer bag. She looked like a fashion magazine's idea of a successful businesswoman.
Izzie walked towards the table without hesitation. She had a long talk with Denny last night. That eased all her fears about this meeting. She was prepared for whatever outcome it may have, or so she thought. She saw Caroline stand up she approached the table. Izzie held her hand towards her.
"Hi. I'm Izzie," Izzie said as the other woman took her hand. "You must be Caroline."
"Yes," Caroline replied civilly. "Thank you for meeting me."
"Can I get you ladies, anything?" Their waiter said. Caroline looked at Izzie questioningly.
"Just some orange juice," Izzie replied.
"Okay. We'll have two, please." They proceeded to give the waiter their orders. They tried to size up each other without seeming rude. Caroline Klein seemed like the typical, suburban mother. She was wearing an understated but stylish outfit. She looked prosperous but her face looked tired. She was a tad too thin. There were dark circles under her eyes, like she hasn't slept in a week.
If Caroline was surprised by Izzie's appearance, that was nothing compared to how she felt about Izzie's confident air. Where is the scared, distraught woman I imagined? This was a woman who was happy and satisfied with her life. Caroline knows it because she was that woman until two years ago. Whatever Caroline may have thought of Izzie, it surely wasn't this.
Reluctant to bring the subject up , the two women sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Caroline felt she couldn't delay the conversation any longer.
"You're nothing like I imagined," she began.
"You're exactly like I imagined," Izzie smiled.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I imagined--I'd hoped--you'd be like the mother I've always wanted. You know, perfect," Izzie said with a shrug.
It was hard reconciling the Izzie in her mind and this beautiful, confident young woman in front of her but in that small remark, Caroline caught a glimpse of that scared, pregnant teenager. Caroline's motherly heart went out to her.
"I'm not perfect."
"No. I think you are," Izzie said. "Hannah must love you very much."
"She does. She thinks I'm her best friend."
Izzie hestitated for a moment. "Tell me about her."
"Well, she's seventeen now. She's going to turn eighteen in November," Caroline hesitated. "But you already know that."
Izzie smiled sadly. She does know it. She's been celebrating Hannah's birthday in her mind for eighteen years. She even bought Hannah presents every year but not knowing where to send it, she'd eventually return them. She leaned forward, eager to know more about her daughter.
"She looks exactly like you," Caroline continued. "She's very tall and she has your hair. She's also very beautiful and has a great personality to match. She's one of the popular girls at school but it's not because of her beauty. People just can't help but be drawn to her. I think it's because she radiates happiness. She's always been sunny, even as a baby. You wouldn't believe how little trouble we had when she first came to us. My husband used to joke that we adopted the world's only middle-aged baby."
Caroline opened her bag and took out a small photo album. She handed it to Izzie who eagerly opened it. Izzie saw a very pretty cool blonde teenager, the kind you often see in magazine ads. It was like looking at herself 16 years ago. Hannah was also the very image of Sara. Tears welled in Izzie's eyes.
"She's a good girl. She is class president and captain of the volleyball team," Caroline continued as she watched Izzie look at her daughter's--their daughter's--pictures. "She also runs her school's 4H club. She loves to cook. I don't know where she got it 'cause I hate cooking. Of course, I can cook but nothing fancy, you know. She does all the fancy stuff. She can make a 5-course dinner in my 1-star kitchen."
Izzie laughed at that. Hannah is sounding more and more like me, she thought. She saw Caroline give her an inquiring look.
"I think she got that from me," Izzie explained. "I bake. Obssessively."
"Oh," Caroline smiled. "She's also very obsessive with cleaning and organizing. Her room is so neat, you could eat off the floor--even when she was very little. Her room is like her sanctuary. We never go in without her permission. She also likes everything in order in the rest of the house. She makes everything a delight. Holidays and family gatherings are always organized by Hannah. We sometimes call her Martha just to tease her but she doesn't mind. She owns it." She paused when Izzie chuckled.
"Me again," Izzie explained and they both laughed. "It's amazing. I've often wondered how she grew up, you know? I've always imagined her to be my opposite because we've grown up in such different environments. It's astounding to find out she's exactly like me."
"I'm so sorry we didn't keep in touch. We moved to Santa Barbara and were so busy starting our new business that I forgot to send you pictures. I tried sending you some more when I finally thought of it but my letters came back. We thought you'd probably moved."
"I did. I moved out right after high school. I went away to college and never came back."
The waiter came back with their food. Izzie handed the album back to Caroline but the older woman waved her hand. "Keep it."
"Thank you," Izzie said gratefully.
"So, you're a doctor now," Caroline remarked.
"Yes. I'm a surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital," Izzie said. She saw the other woman's curious look and explained, "I put myself through med school with money I earned from modeling."
"Wow!"
"It was hard but I got through it," Izzie said with a shrug. "I have a husband and two children now, a boy and a girl."
The agency people told her that Izzie was a well respected doctor in Seattle now. She couldn't believe it at first but now that they've met, there isn't any doubt in her mind that it's true. Caroline was glad her daughter's birth mother is a success. It's going to make it a lot easier to do what I'm about to do.
"Izzie--can I call you Izzie?" Caroline asked. She saw Izzie nod back. "I'm here because I need to talk to you about Hannah."
Not knowing what to say, Izzie remained silent. She braced herself for what she's about to hear. She saw Caroline draw a deep breath as if hesitating. Izzie's heart skipped a beat. Izzie has imagined a lot of outcomes to this conversation but nothing could have prepared her for this.
"Would you consider taking Hannah?"
