keep from folding.
You were born on March the tenth, Frank had begun, coincidentally the very same day as today, at three-oh- eight in the afternoon, which is almost the time it is now, in the year nineteen hundred and seventy-four.
At three-oh-eight in the afternoon?
Three-oh-eight on the dot, Frank assured her. Your mother was lying in a wide bed on soft white sheets....
How did she look?
She was smiling a wonderful smile because she knew you were about to be born, and that smile made her look like an angel the most beautiful of angels. Except, of course, she didn't have wings yet.
Did she get wings?
Certainly. It was part of the bargain, but the angel and your mother did not make their bargain right away, so your mother had to wait for her wings.
When did the angel come?
She appeared in the hospital in your mother's room just as you were about to be born. Now, angels are usually invisible, but your mother could see this angel.
Only my mother?
Only your mother. And that was because she was so like an angel herself.
What did the angel say?
' Samantha,' she said, in a voice that sounded like a light rain falling, ' God is very lonely in heaven and he wants you to visit.' ' Thank God for me,' your mother said, ' but I am about to bring a wonderful baby girl into the world, so I must stay with her.' ' God will be very sad to hear that,' the angel replied. ' It can't be helped,' your mother told the angel. ' My little girl is the most precious little girl in the world, and I love her to bits. I would be very sad myself if I couldn't be with her always.'
What happened then?
The angel flew back to heaven and told God what your mother had said. As you can imagine, God was very sad. He even cried a few tears. But God is very smart and an idea occurred to him, so he sent the angel back to earth.
Did the angel tell Mother God's idea?
She certainly did. ' Would you come and visit God in heaven if you could be with your little girl always?' she asked. ' Of course,' your mother answered. She was a wonderful person and never liked to see anyone sad. ' God has an idea,' the angel told your mother. ' If you will come with me right now, God will put your soul in your little girl, right next to her heart. Then you will be with her always. It will even be better than the way other mothers are with their children. You'll be with her everywhere she goes, even if she is at school or on the playground or on a trip.' ' How wonderful,' Samantha said, and she shook hands with the angel to seal the bargain.
Then what happened?
A miraculous thing. As you know, you can't get to heaven unless you die, so your mother died, but she didn't die until the second that you opened your mouth and took your first breath. When your mouth was its widest, the soul of Samantha Jaffe jumped right inside of you and went straight to a spot next to your heart.
Which is where she is today?
Which is where she is every minute of every day, Frank had answered, giving Amanda's hand a gentle squeeze.
Amanda remembered the story of her miraculous birth every time she and Frank made their birthday pilgrimage to the cemetery. For years Amanda really believed that Samantha lived next to her heart. As a small girl, at night, snug in her bed, she talked to Samantha about the things daughters confide to their mothers. As a teenager, it became a ritual before she mounted the blocks in each swim meet for Amanda to press her fist against her heart and silently ask her mother for strength.
Frank had never remarried, and an older Amanda wondered if her father really believed that Samantha dwelt with them. She had asked him once why he never married again. Frank told her that he had come close twice but had backed out in the end because neither woman could make him forget the love of his life. This saddened Amanda, because she wanted her father to be happy, but Frank always seemed at peace with himself, and she guessed that someone as strong as Frank would have married again if he had fallen in love.
Frank's sacrifice, if it was one, also impressed upon Amanda the power of true love. The emotion was not something to be trifled with, and she did not give herself easily. Love was very serious business. It was, as she learned from her father's example, something that could truly last forever.
Frank and Amanda had been lucky. A hard rain had fallen on the morning of March tenth, but it quit a little after noon and never resumed. The sun had even come out for a while when they were visiting Samantha's grave. As usual, Frank and Amanda were silent after leaving the cemetery. March tenth was always a hard day for both of them, and they used the drive home as a time to think.
A Porsche was idling in their driveway. As soon as Frank pulled next to it, the door to the Porsche opened and Vincent Cardoni started toward them wearing loose-fitting sweatpants and a faded UCLA sweatshirt. He was six- two and well muscled, with long black hair combed back from a high forehead. Cardoni's jaw was square and his nose classically Roman, but his complexion was washed out and his cheeks were sunken, as if he was not eating properly. A hard edge showed in the doctor's eyes, and anger forced his lips into a tight line.
There are cops at my house, Cardoni said as soon as Frank's door was open.
It's a bit cold out here, Vince, Frank said with a friendly smile. Why don't we talk inside?
Did you hear me, Frank? I said cops. More than one. I counted three cars. They were looking in the bushes around my house. The door was open. They were inside.
If they're in your house, the damage is done. We'll need to discuss this calmly if I' m going to repair it.
I want those motherfuckers out of my house, now!
Frank's face darkened when Cardoni swore. I don't believe I've ever introduced you to my daughter. Amanda is a fine attorney. She's just finished a clerkship at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. That's a very prestigious job. Now she's lowered herself and is working in my firm. Amanda, this is Dr. Vincent Cardoni. He's a surgeon at St. Francis.
Cardoni stared at Amanda as if seeing her for the first time.
Pleased to meet you, Dr. Cardoni, Amanda said, extending her hand.
Cardoni gripped her hand hard, and his eyes stayed on hers for a brief moment before sliding down her body. Amanda felt the heat rise in her cheeks. She released Cardoni's hand. His eyes held hers for a moment, then shifted back to her father.
Let's go inside, Cardoni said in a tone that made the words sound more like an order than the acceptance of an invitation. Frank led the way, and the doctor followed. Amanda hung back to allow a bit of distance between her and Frank's client. Inside, Frank turned on the lights and escorted Cardoni into the living room, where he indicated a couch.
Tell me what's going on, Frank said when they were all seated.
I have no idea. I was out for a run in Forest Park. When I drove back, I saw cops swarming over my yard and my house. I didn't stop to ask them why. He paused for a moment. This can't have anything to do with the scrape you got me out of last year, can it?
Doubtful. The case was dismissed with prejudice.
Then what's going on?
No use speculating. What's your phone number at home?
Cardoni looked puzzled.
I' m going straight to the horse's mouth. The police are probably still at your house. I'll ask the man in charge what's going on.
Cardoni rattled off his number, and Frank left the room. Amanda did not like being left alone with Cardoni, but he showed no interest in her. He fidgeted, then stood and began to pace around the living room, glancing briefly at the artwork and fingering curios. Cardoni walked behind Amanda and stopped moving. She waited for Cardoni to move again, but he did not. When she could not stand the stillness any longer, Amanda turned sideways on the sofa so she could see the surgeon. He was standing behind her, his eyes on the painting across the room from him. If he had been watching her, there was no way Amanda could prove it.
We're going to drive over to your house, Vince, Frank said as he reentered the living room.
