Chapter 18

"Oh, Rhoda. That was so humiliating." Mary exclaimed as she opened the front door.

Rhoda stirred from her spot atop the couch, having fallen asleep beneath a pile of want-ads. "What was, Mare?" She sat up, collecting up the crumpled papers. Mary came into view, still somehow managing to look radiant, gorgeous even as she was nearly seven months pregnant and thoroughly pissed off.

"They served me at work, right there in front of Murray and Lou and, oh God, Ted. I mean it's one thing that they have to see that I'm pregnant, but for them to get involved in this Peter fiasco. And to top it off, you wanna know who else is on the document, who is really seeking custody?"

Rhoda rubbed at her forehead, ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep up with Mary's story. "Who?"

"My mother. Yes, Dottie Richards is seeking custody and she wants Peter to have secondary custody. And where am I, the child's mother, in all of this? Oh, I'm so mad, I could spit. Rho-Rhoda, why would she do this?" Mary sank down on the couch beside Rhoda.

"Oh, Mary. Oh, kid." Rhoda shifted towards her, placed her hands on either side of her face, seeing the tears there in her eyes, threatening to fall. "She's evil, an evil woman. Doesn't she know you're going to be the world's greatest mother?"

"Apparently not since I'm a morally corrupt person." Mary sighed.

"Because of me?" Rhoda's lip turned downwards.

Mary looked into Rhoda's eyes and nodded.

"I hate this, Mary." Rhoda removed her hands from Mary's person, moving to straighten out her nightgown. How was she still in her nightgown when it was nearly eight at night? Well, at least she wouldn't have to change again. She could see Mary looking her over, the same thoughts probably running through her mind.

"Rhoda, you haven't had any luck?" Mary wiped at her eyes.

Rhoda shook her head. "Nothing yet." She was nervous then, nervous that Mary would be upset with her for appearing to not be trying. But it wasn't true. She had been trying, desperately pounding the pavement of Minneapolis searching for window display jobs or any sort of art job yet she kept coming up emptyhanded. Today had been the first day she'd allowed herself to stay in, to look through the want ads for practically anything and instead of getting up and getting out, she'd felt depressed and had stayed home. But this wasn't good enough, not for herself and not for Mary Richards. Rhoda inwardly admonished herself for being so lazy.

Mary, who was very kind and always wanted to give people the benefit of the doubt, looked as if she wanted to say something, but then bit her tongue.

"Mary, I really am trying, kid." Rhoda whispered.

"I know."

"Hey, hey why don't you go enjoy a nice warm bath and I'll make us some dinner. Yeah?"

Mary nodded, the tension visibly releasing from her shoulders at the suggestion of being cared for, of pampering herself. Rhoda pressed her lips to Mary's cheek and stood then, helping the other woman to her feet.

She banished Mary away and began preparing a meal. She was pleased that she'd learned so much about cooking since moving in with Mary. She'd begun checking cooking books out of the library and dutifully finding the healthiest options recommended for pregnant women. She used her limited grocery money to get the best things for Mary so that she was eating well. It had become her life's work to care for Mary in every way possible, since most days Rhoda felt she could hardly care for herself.

"Rhoda!" Mary called from the bedroom, startling Rhoda from her finishing touches on the salad and pasta she'd made.

"What? What is it?" She felt her heart skip a beat, fear and panic rising high in her chest. Had something happened to the baby? To Mary.

"Rhoda, what is this?" Mary was standing in their doorway holding the pack of cigarettes.

"Oh, geez kid." Rhoda pressed her hand against her rapidly beating heart. "You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought you'd fallen or gone into labor or something."

"I'm just fine." Mary held up the cigarettes again. "What is this? I found it shoved into the sock drawer."

"Oh, yeah," Rhoda rubbed at her forehead, searching for some explanation. "Yeah, I guess the sock drawer is a pretty unoriginal place to hide anything."

"Are you smoking?" Mary looked cross with her.

Rhoda shrugged. "No, I mean, yes, but not in the way you think." Rhoda bit her lip, ran her fingers through her hair before crossing her arms over her chest. "It was just a lot, Mare. Losing my job, almost losing you, I…it's been hard."

Mary's brow creased, a look of worry forming in her features. "Rhoda," Mary moved forward, wrapping her arms around Rhoda, holding her close. "Oh, Rhoda. I know it's been hard, probably too much for you and for that I am sorry. But you don't have to smoke. I mean, I would prefer it if you didn't smoke."

Rhoda nodded against Mary's chest, inhaling her fragrant bath soap which lingered on her skin. "I know. I'm sorry, Mare. I'll get rid of them, okay?"

Mary nodded and held Rhoda closer to her, bringing their lips together. "You'll tell me, won't you, if it's too much?"

Rhoda smiled, "it's never too much when it comes to you. I love you, you crazy kid." Rhoda punched her lightly in the arm, feeling awkward about getting all mushy with her, about opening up and admitting that she'd been feeling the strain. She had wanted to keep it together for Mary's sake and here she was crying.

"I love you, too. But it's okay to tell me how you feel sometimes. My feelings for you aren't going to change." Mary assured her, pressing their lips together again.

Rhoda smiled into the kiss, a feeling of relief swirling about her, a want to be better, to do better grasping ahold of her.

They jumped apart, instinctively, when they heard the doorbell chime. "Who could that be?" Rhoda wiped furiously at her cheeks.

"I have no idea, it better not be my mother. I can't face her, not right now. I might do something I'll regret later." Mary muttered as she moved to open the front door.

Neither woman was prepared for whom was standing on the threshold.

"Mary! Oh, Mary! Look at you. Rhoda said you were expecting but I couldn't believe it until I saw it for myself. Oh, just look at you, let me look at you!" Ida Morgenstern dropped her suitcase and held out her arms to examine Mary, to take in her rounded out belly, her ample bosom, her flushed cheeks, the radiant sheen to her luminous skin. "You're positively glowing, dear."

"Ma, what're you doing here?" Rhoda stomped forward, not prepared, not ready for this little, completely unexpected surprise.

"Oh hello, Rhoda." Ida stepped back from a speechless Mary. "You look like death, dear. Have you not been eating at all? You look like you're wasting away. It's a good thing I've shown up."

"Thanks, Ma." Rhoda rolled her eyes as her mother enveloped her in a hug. "But why have you shown up?"

"Oh, dear, I could sense that things were amiss when you sent such a short letter home so I just knew I had to come and see you." Ida grabbed her arm, looked her in the eyes. "A mother knows, a mother always knows when her children need her. Mary here will know soon enough." Ida patted her on the arm and swept past the two of them into the room, taking in the new space.

Rhoda and Mary exchanged glances, neither quite sure how to react to Ida's unexpected and intrusive visit. If she'd known her mother was coming she would have cleared things out, made it look like as if two people inhabited the space as friends instead of as lovers. Oh God, what would her mother think of that?

"It's wonderful, just wonderful. The place has good bones." Ida commented. "Not a kosher kitchen, but what's a mother to do." Ida threw up her hands as she closed the refrigerator. Then she turned towards the open bedroom door and paused for a moment. Rhoda felt her heart leap into her chest, fear grasping hold, tightly. "Only one bedroom, I see." Ida tapped her cheek, wiped at her brow, turned to Mary. "Where will the baby sleep?"

"I - uh - I imagine in there." Mary pointed awkwardly to the bedroom.

Ida shrugged, "well it'll have to do for now but eventually you'll need a bigger place. Children require room." Ida smiled and folded her hands. "Have I interrupted something? I see dinner's just ready. And Mary, dear, you really shouldn't be smoking in your condition."

Rhoda's cheeks went bright red. Mary was still holding the found pack of cigarettes. "No, Ma. Those are mine." She grabbed them from Mary's hand and then tossed them away in the kitchen trashcan. "Ma, now is really not a good time."

"Well I could get a bus to the local hotel and leave you alone, but I've already traveled so far. I'm exhausted. My feet are killing me."

"Oh, Ma." Rhoda rubbed her forehead. "No, c'mon. Stay for dinner." Rhoda set to work fixing three plates. "What'dya mean 'a mother always knows'? What do you know?" She asked as she sat down at the table, her appetite gone out the window.

"You're still in your nightgown, Rhoda. And the smoking, which you only did when you were upset as a young girl. Really, Rhoda. It's very unbecoming. Just think, would Mary smoke? No, never. She's a cultured, sophisticated woman who doesn't need to smoke. Take some cues from her." Ida pointed out. "I can only guess that you've lost your job."

"Ma! None of this you knew before you came, so how'd you know?" Rhoda sensed the answer to the question the minute it left her lips.

"What do you mean?" Ida played coy.

"You really have stooped to a new low, you know? I can only imagine how you harassed Brenda into telling you everything."

"Rhoda, I was worried about you. You hardly call anymore! You tell me nothing and then I show up and it's much worse than I imagined."

"Ma!" Rhoda rubbed her forehead, irritated at all her mother was saying.

Ida's hand covered Rhoda's. "But I'm here now and things will be okay." She patted it, smiled at Rhoda, then at Mary and happily ate her dinner while Mary and Rhoda exchanged confused glances.

"Ma, why don't we go into the bedroom and talk." Rhoda suggested once they were finished with dinner, Mary offering to do the dishes - which Rhoda hated because she'd worked all day, but Mary had insisted, had nudged Rhoda to speak with her mother.

Ida followed her inside the bedroom. Rhoda closed the door behind them, sinking onto the bed. Ida stood, glancing about, surveying every inch of her surroundings.

"Ma, what are you thinking?" She felt so transparent, so see through when it came to her mother and her all-knowing senses.

"I see that Mary keeps her glasses here. This is her mirror from the other apartment. There's her 'M', I see you've gotten an 'R'." Ida pointed out the obvious. Rhoda knew, could sense that she had already connected the dots.

"Ma, if you're going to be disappointed or - or upset with me, just tell me. Don't act so calm. It really freaks me out."

"Rhoda," Ida sat on the edge of the bed. "Rhoda, you know that I love you." Rhoda nodded. "I think of Mary as my long-lost protestant child." Rhoda frowned but nodded again. "I've always liked her, very much." Rhoda folded her hands in her lap, waiting for the shoe to drop. "You - uh - you share this room, do you?" Rhoda nodded in hesitant affirmation. "I see. And you, you love her I take it? I always knew it, always saw it when I visited, when you visited. I could tell." Ida smiled.

Rhoda could not comprehend the smile, the easy attitude, the laissez-faire way in which Ida Morgenstern was taking in all of this information, how she was handling it so well. "Ma, are you saying what I think you're saying, I mean, are you okay with this, with me and Mary?"

Ida took her hands in her own. "Rhoda, dear, I can't say it makes me over the moon happy but I'm happy you're happy. I'd already long ago given up the idea of you having a wedding - of course it would have been nice, I would have been very happy with that, but this will have to do."

"But Ma!" Rhoda clasped her hands together, "we are married. In a way. Look at this." Rhoda held out the ring, the diamond sparkling on her finger.

"Oh, Rho! Rhoda it's gorgeous. It's on the wrong finger but it's gorgeous. Look at that! Mary has good taste, I knew it when I first met her."

"It was her grandmother's." Rhoda explained, still enjoying the newness of the weight of it about her finger.

"I have just the thing!" Ida rummaged through her purse and pulled out a box. "This was your grandmother's. I'd intended on giving it to you when you were married but...well, it would look great on Mary's long, slender fingers."

Rhoda's eyes widened at the stone, and then she knew. She knew right then that her mother had known all along, that she had seen right through her when she'd said she was moving in with Mary. A mother always knows.

"And you know, at least I'll get a grand baby out of it all."

"Well," Rhoda sighed as she stared at the gorgeous golden band with sapphire stone planted in the center. It did look like Mary. "It's not so easy. Mary's mom is not so "over the moon" about the whole situation. She's suing Mary for custody."

"What?" Ida was furious. She stood and began pacing. "How could she do this? It's Mary's child. A child needs its mother!"

"I know, I know." Rhoda slid the ring box under Mary's pillow for later.

"I'll just have a word with Mrs. Richards." Ida decided.

"Oh, Ma. No, I don't think that's a good -"

"Sure it is! That child is Mary's. It will need Mary. And we're not going to let anyone take it away."

"Oh Ma." Rhoda felt tears pricking her eyes. "Ma, Ma." She got up and wrapped the small bundle of energy up into her arms. "I love ya, you know that?" And then she was crying on her mother's shoulder, all the tears and frustrations and upsets seeming so small and minute because her mother was there for her, would be there for her no matter what.