"Mama, where are we?"
"Shh, Tess, you'll wake your sister. We're in Arizona."
"Why?"
"Tess, I told you, not so loud. Sweetie, we're going to meet a friend of mine who lives here. We're not far from her house." Truthfully, Carol had no idea where the house was. She just wanted Tess to go back to sleep. She'd been on the road for too many hours, driving with only a few gas stops. She hadn't slept, she just drank too much coffee. She was nervous and tired and she was scared. She never pictured herself leaving Doug, and she didn't know what to say to her girls. They would undoubtedly want an explanation as to why the trip they were taking was so long, why they couldn't call daddy...but she just wanted them to sleep so she could figure it all out. She'd driven to Arizona on a whim. She could have gone to Chicago, but she decided to visit Susan instead. Luckily she kept a bunch of maps in the car, left over from various vacations, so she was able to find her way at least to the state, if not the area. Carol pulled off the highway suddenly, nearly losing control of the car. She had almost missed the exit, and the car needed more gas. The sudden movements woke Kate up and caused her to look at Carol, terrified.
"It's ok, Mama just needs some gas for the car." Kate nodded and turned to her twin, grabbing a cat's cradle string from her backpack. The girls were too young for the game, really, and Tess had almost no interest in it, but Kate had begged at the store. Doug had given in, as she recalled, and bought it for Kate, although Carol had pointed out that they were too little. Doug never cared much for people telling him what to do. So they had a piece of string and a book of instructions they were too young to really read, all for the grand total of $15.38. Carol shook her head and pushed the little button that released the gas tank top. She left the windows rolled down enough so that the twins wouldn't suffocate, but high enough so that no one could reach in. She pumped the gas and stopped when she heard the stupid little sound she was supposed to listen for. Someone had once told her what that was, but now it was just 'the sound that means the tank is full'. Carol leaned down so she could be seen through the window of the car. She was on Kate's side of the car, so she knocked on the window. The girls were looking at a picture book, absorbed in what they were doing.
"Tess, Kate! Sweetie, Mama's got to make a phone call. Can you be good girls while I'm gone? The phone is right there." She pointed to a pay phone, which was not far away. They nodded.
"Mama, I want a drink!"
"OK Tess, after I make the call we can go get something to drink inside." She looked at the mini-mart, wishing she didn't have to go into it. Even the exterior looked dirty and rat infested.
"OK Mama!" Tess turned back to the book, content with the promise of a drink soon. Carol blew them a kiss and walked to the phone. Turning to make sure that she could still see the girls clearly, she grabbed a phone book from the shelf. She flipped through the pages and settled on the proper one, finally finding a listing for "Joseph and Chloe". She dialed with shaking hands. Placing the receiver to her ear, she could smell the gas on her hand.
"Hello." The voice was distant and faraway, and could only be little Suzie.
"Hi, is this Suzie?"
"Uh-huh."
"Is your mommy there?" Carol was amazed at the sound of Suzie's voice. She must be at least 9 now. She hadn't realized that Suzie would be so big...all this time, she'd thought of Suzie as the little baby.
"Moooooom! PHONE!" she heard blasting through the phone. She laughed as someone picked up.
"Hey, Chloe speaking. Who's this?" Carol was somewhat taken aback. Even though she'd looked up Chloe and Joe in the phone book, she'd expected Susan to come to the phone when she asked for Suzie's mom. She paused and then replied, "This is Carol Hathaway. I don't know if you remember me, from Chicago..."
"Carol, of course! Hey, how are you?"
"OK. I was kind of wondering, is Susan still living near you?"
"Yeah, she lives pretty close, actually. You thinking of coming for a visit?"
"Well, I'd say I'm fairly nearby, actually."
"Carol, where are you?"
"Flagstaff," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Carol, you OK?"
"Yeah. I need to call Susan though. Could you give me her number? I checked the book, she's not in it."
"Sure. But she's in there...but she got married. Charlie Robbins is his name. But anyway, here's her number." Carol fished a pen out of her bag and tore a corner off of the cover of the phone book. She scribbled down the number, realizing she might not have enough change to make the call. Luckily, a search of her bag turned up at least two dollars in change.
"Thanks Chloe. My time on this pay phone's running out. I have to go now. Bye!"
"Bye, maybe I'll see you when you're in town."
"Sure, that'd be..."*CLICK*
The pay phone hung up on Carol, and she sighed. Waving to Kate and Tess, who were looking out at her, done with their picture book, she inserted more change into the slot and dialed Susan's number.
*****
Kate and Tess finished their mini cartons of orange juice at the same time, somewhere halfway between Phoenix and Flagstaff.
"Mama, can we put on some music?"
"Yeah Mama, I want music!"
"Alright, girls, what should we play? I have..." Carol groaned, realizing she hadn't brought any CDs that the girls liked to play in the car.
"What Mama? What is it?"
"Nothing Kate, I just left the CDs at home. But we have..." She found a CD lying on the passenger side, almost under the seat. She pulled off to the side of the road and unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbing it. "The Beatles."
"EEEEW, bugs!"
"It's a CD, Tess! And it's all we have. I think you'll like it." Carol hoped they would like it. She put The White Album into the CD player and pressed play. The girls soon became bored with the music, as they didn't know the words. They liked to listen to music in the car because they liked to sing along. They couldn't carry a tune perfectly, but they sang well for four year olds. By the time they reached Phoenix, the girls were asleep and Carol was humming along with the CD. As the car rolled into a driveway slightly outside of downtown Phoenix, in a nice little suburb, Carol tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the soft song and began to sing, "All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free..." She stopped abruptly when she saw Susan and a man sitting on the porch, waiting for her. She turned and woke the girls, then turned off the car, cutting short the last notes of "Blackbird" Exiting the car, she opened the back doors and let the girls out. They had learned to unbuckle themselves, and Carol always made sure they kept themselves buckled during the ride, but she saw no harm in them having a little freedom. They stood beside their mother as Susan came rushing over. The girls looked familiar to Susan, but she couldn't quite place their faces. Their hair and coloring were identical to that of their mother, but they looked like...Susan smiled as she saw the obvious resemblance to Doug Ross.
"Hi Carol! How are you?"
"I'm alright. You?"
"I'm ok. Are these your girls?"
"Yeah, this is Kate and this is Tess. Girls, this is Susan. She used to work with Mama in the hospital."
"In Seattle, Mama?"
"No Tess, in Chicago. Where you were born. Remember when I told you about it?"
"Where you met Daddy!" Susan could see Carol stiffen at Kate's remark. But she smiled anyway.
"Charlie, this is Carol. We worked at County together. Charlie is a doctor at the hospital where I work now."
"Nice to meet you."
"You too." Carol's replies were short and she didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Charlie, can you take the girls on a grand tour?"
"Of course, if it's OK with Carol." She just nodded, and Charlie took the girls' hands and walked them inside. Susan and Carol walked over to the porch and sat down. It was then that Carol noticed Susan's bulging stomach.
"Look at you! How far are you?"
"About 5 months."
"Wow. Congratulations."
"Yeah, you too! Are they Doug's? They're beautiful...and so sweet!"
"Yeah. They're Doug's."
"Carol, what's wrong? You seem...upset." Carol sighed and settled back in her chair, ready to tell Susan everything. Instead she broke down into tears. Susan put a comforting hand on her shoulder and waited until Carol was ready to talk.
"Shh, Tess, you'll wake your sister. We're in Arizona."
"Why?"
"Tess, I told you, not so loud. Sweetie, we're going to meet a friend of mine who lives here. We're not far from her house." Truthfully, Carol had no idea where the house was. She just wanted Tess to go back to sleep. She'd been on the road for too many hours, driving with only a few gas stops. She hadn't slept, she just drank too much coffee. She was nervous and tired and she was scared. She never pictured herself leaving Doug, and she didn't know what to say to her girls. They would undoubtedly want an explanation as to why the trip they were taking was so long, why they couldn't call daddy...but she just wanted them to sleep so she could figure it all out. She'd driven to Arizona on a whim. She could have gone to Chicago, but she decided to visit Susan instead. Luckily she kept a bunch of maps in the car, left over from various vacations, so she was able to find her way at least to the state, if not the area. Carol pulled off the highway suddenly, nearly losing control of the car. She had almost missed the exit, and the car needed more gas. The sudden movements woke Kate up and caused her to look at Carol, terrified.
"It's ok, Mama just needs some gas for the car." Kate nodded and turned to her twin, grabbing a cat's cradle string from her backpack. The girls were too young for the game, really, and Tess had almost no interest in it, but Kate had begged at the store. Doug had given in, as she recalled, and bought it for Kate, although Carol had pointed out that they were too little. Doug never cared much for people telling him what to do. So they had a piece of string and a book of instructions they were too young to really read, all for the grand total of $15.38. Carol shook her head and pushed the little button that released the gas tank top. She left the windows rolled down enough so that the twins wouldn't suffocate, but high enough so that no one could reach in. She pumped the gas and stopped when she heard the stupid little sound she was supposed to listen for. Someone had once told her what that was, but now it was just 'the sound that means the tank is full'. Carol leaned down so she could be seen through the window of the car. She was on Kate's side of the car, so she knocked on the window. The girls were looking at a picture book, absorbed in what they were doing.
"Tess, Kate! Sweetie, Mama's got to make a phone call. Can you be good girls while I'm gone? The phone is right there." She pointed to a pay phone, which was not far away. They nodded.
"Mama, I want a drink!"
"OK Tess, after I make the call we can go get something to drink inside." She looked at the mini-mart, wishing she didn't have to go into it. Even the exterior looked dirty and rat infested.
"OK Mama!" Tess turned back to the book, content with the promise of a drink soon. Carol blew them a kiss and walked to the phone. Turning to make sure that she could still see the girls clearly, she grabbed a phone book from the shelf. She flipped through the pages and settled on the proper one, finally finding a listing for "Joseph and Chloe". She dialed with shaking hands. Placing the receiver to her ear, she could smell the gas on her hand.
"Hello." The voice was distant and faraway, and could only be little Suzie.
"Hi, is this Suzie?"
"Uh-huh."
"Is your mommy there?" Carol was amazed at the sound of Suzie's voice. She must be at least 9 now. She hadn't realized that Suzie would be so big...all this time, she'd thought of Suzie as the little baby.
"Moooooom! PHONE!" she heard blasting through the phone. She laughed as someone picked up.
"Hey, Chloe speaking. Who's this?" Carol was somewhat taken aback. Even though she'd looked up Chloe and Joe in the phone book, she'd expected Susan to come to the phone when she asked for Suzie's mom. She paused and then replied, "This is Carol Hathaway. I don't know if you remember me, from Chicago..."
"Carol, of course! Hey, how are you?"
"OK. I was kind of wondering, is Susan still living near you?"
"Yeah, she lives pretty close, actually. You thinking of coming for a visit?"
"Well, I'd say I'm fairly nearby, actually."
"Carol, where are you?"
"Flagstaff," she replied, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Carol, you OK?"
"Yeah. I need to call Susan though. Could you give me her number? I checked the book, she's not in it."
"Sure. But she's in there...but she got married. Charlie Robbins is his name. But anyway, here's her number." Carol fished a pen out of her bag and tore a corner off of the cover of the phone book. She scribbled down the number, realizing she might not have enough change to make the call. Luckily, a search of her bag turned up at least two dollars in change.
"Thanks Chloe. My time on this pay phone's running out. I have to go now. Bye!"
"Bye, maybe I'll see you when you're in town."
"Sure, that'd be..."*CLICK*
The pay phone hung up on Carol, and she sighed. Waving to Kate and Tess, who were looking out at her, done with their picture book, she inserted more change into the slot and dialed Susan's number.
*****
Kate and Tess finished their mini cartons of orange juice at the same time, somewhere halfway between Phoenix and Flagstaff.
"Mama, can we put on some music?"
"Yeah Mama, I want music!"
"Alright, girls, what should we play? I have..." Carol groaned, realizing she hadn't brought any CDs that the girls liked to play in the car.
"What Mama? What is it?"
"Nothing Kate, I just left the CDs at home. But we have..." She found a CD lying on the passenger side, almost under the seat. She pulled off to the side of the road and unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbing it. "The Beatles."
"EEEEW, bugs!"
"It's a CD, Tess! And it's all we have. I think you'll like it." Carol hoped they would like it. She put The White Album into the CD player and pressed play. The girls soon became bored with the music, as they didn't know the words. They liked to listen to music in the car because they liked to sing along. They couldn't carry a tune perfectly, but they sang well for four year olds. By the time they reached Phoenix, the girls were asleep and Carol was humming along with the CD. As the car rolled into a driveway slightly outside of downtown Phoenix, in a nice little suburb, Carol tapped her fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the soft song and began to sing, "All your life, you were only waiting for this moment to be free..." She stopped abruptly when she saw Susan and a man sitting on the porch, waiting for her. She turned and woke the girls, then turned off the car, cutting short the last notes of "Blackbird" Exiting the car, she opened the back doors and let the girls out. They had learned to unbuckle themselves, and Carol always made sure they kept themselves buckled during the ride, but she saw no harm in them having a little freedom. They stood beside their mother as Susan came rushing over. The girls looked familiar to Susan, but she couldn't quite place their faces. Their hair and coloring were identical to that of their mother, but they looked like...Susan smiled as she saw the obvious resemblance to Doug Ross.
"Hi Carol! How are you?"
"I'm alright. You?"
"I'm ok. Are these your girls?"
"Yeah, this is Kate and this is Tess. Girls, this is Susan. She used to work with Mama in the hospital."
"In Seattle, Mama?"
"No Tess, in Chicago. Where you were born. Remember when I told you about it?"
"Where you met Daddy!" Susan could see Carol stiffen at Kate's remark. But she smiled anyway.
"Charlie, this is Carol. We worked at County together. Charlie is a doctor at the hospital where I work now."
"Nice to meet you."
"You too." Carol's replies were short and she didn't seem to be paying attention.
"Charlie, can you take the girls on a grand tour?"
"Of course, if it's OK with Carol." She just nodded, and Charlie took the girls' hands and walked them inside. Susan and Carol walked over to the porch and sat down. It was then that Carol noticed Susan's bulging stomach.
"Look at you! How far are you?"
"About 5 months."
"Wow. Congratulations."
"Yeah, you too! Are they Doug's? They're beautiful...and so sweet!"
"Yeah. They're Doug's."
"Carol, what's wrong? You seem...upset." Carol sighed and settled back in her chair, ready to tell Susan everything. Instead she broke down into tears. Susan put a comforting hand on her shoulder and waited until Carol was ready to talk.
