Traffic on Madison had come to a grinding halt. Aware that she had no control over the situation, she clenched and unclenched the steering wheel to abate her frustration. She forced a smile and glanced in the rearview.
"How's your cookie, Cookie?"
Emily was midchomp. As she grinned to acknowledge her thorough enjoyment of the treat, a few tiny crumbs spilled out of the sides of her bow mouth and stuck to her dimples.
"Mommy's so proud of you. You know that, right sweety?"
Still more interested in her snack at the moment the child nodded, bouncing the honey brown ringlets in her ponytail.
Margaret drilled her nails against the wheel and sighed inwardly, wondering if this would ever get any easier. The child was making strides in therapy, but it broke her heart watching her go through it. Learning to walk all over again. Crying sometimes and asking her if she'd ever be able to skate again. She bit her lip at the thought, chiding herself for scouting office space across from Bryant Park so many years before. The location had been perfect. Now, the thought of the winter village gave her the chills.
Her eyes darted to the clock on the dash every other minute or so. Morning was turning to early afternoon, but they weren't going anywhere anytime soon. She turned off the radio, and called the office from her Bluetooth.
"Hey."
"I'm late, I know. Is Esther there yet?"
"Margaret," Angela replied in earnest, "Family first, remember? Never apologize for that."
The other woman was in near tears, but didn't want either her child or her partner to know she was breaking. But Angela knew her all too well.
"Difficult session? Listen…why don't you take Em home, spend a little QT. Or—better yet—do something girlie. Mommy and Me manis…a ride around the Ferris wheel at Toys-R-Us. I got this, okay?"
"Thanks."
"Pfft…how many times have you helped me out in a pinch?"
Too many times, Angela thought to herself as they hung up.