“Yeah, but they’re in college. Not much danger of having to raise them.”
Michael sat down and put his head in his hands. He ran his hands through his hair as he thought about what to do. That’s what he did when he was upset. Instantly, he looked like he hadn’t slept for three days. He wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. Then he stood and began to pace.
“I’m sorry. We’re not taking the child. You have to find another place for her, for her sake. I was a total failure at this.” Christy saw tears in Michael’s eyes.
“Michael, honey, that’s not true. You were never given a chance. Things will be different this time. Besides, if we don’t take her, social services will.”
“You can’t lay this at my doorstep, Christy. This is the one thing I cannot do. Please believe me.” Michael’s face was practically purple.
“Honey…”
“DON’T. ‘HONEY.’ ME. We’ll figure out an alternative. We’ll find her a family, someone who can give her what she needs.”
“Michael, please, at least consider it,” Christy pleaded.
“I married you because I trusted that you actually meant what you said when you told me you didn’t want children.” Michael grabbed his coat and walked out of the house. Christy watched him through the window and saw the Range Rover’s lights go on. She heard the engine grinding and wheels spinning in gravel. He gunned the SUV, backed out, and sped down the hill. Silently, she begged him to slow down.
Should she wait? Go after him? Christy didn’t know how to fix this. She knew one thing, though. If she was forced to choose between Renata and Michael, she would have to choose Michael. That is, if he’d even take her back after this.
Christy awoke with a start. Light spilled through the cracks in the curtains. She looked over: Michael’s side of the bed was empty. The clock read nine thirty-four. Instinctively, she touched her throat. The diamond necklace was digging into her skin. She reached behind her and unlatched it, then dropped it on the nightstand. Where was Michael? She ran downstairs, hoping she would find him asleep on the couch. He was sitting in the kitchen drinking a beer.
He looked at her with an expression that told her he felt completely desolate. “That was our first argument,” he said sadly.
“It was a doozy,” Christy added. She sat down beside him and found his hand.
Michael stroked Christy’s hair gently. “What do you want me to say? That it’s okay to take the kid? That wasn’t our deal.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. But I feel such an obligation. It’s Maria’s granddaughter.” She hesitated, then spoke. “Tell me. What would we do if something happened to Suzanna? Would we take Ali in?”
Michael sat up. “Of course. I’m her father, her real father. But this is different. Renata’s not your child. And we had a specific agreement that we wouldn’t have children together. You want to go back on a promise that was fundamental to our getting married in the first place.”
“Michael, please,” she said. “Just give it a try. You’ll see. Nothing will change. I’ll keep Renata separated from you. You can pretend she’s not in the house.”
He looked at Christy. “I can’t do that. How can I not interact with her if she lives with us? Next thing you know, we’ll have a relationship. I’ll be involved.”
“And that would be a problem why?”
“Because I don’t want another child in my life. I already have a daughter who won’t speak to me. Christy, if I can’t live with my own child, how can I live with someone else’s?”
“Michael, I’m sorry you don’t have a better relationship with Ali. But Renata’s exactly the kind of kid you always say you want to help. Not spoiled, never had a break, and she’s a straight-A student.”
Michael ran his hands through his hair as he considered this. “Tell you what. I’ll take her if we can send her to boarding school. How about that?”
Christy shook her head. “Please, only as a last resort, if she becomes a burden. She just lost her grandmother, who was like her mother, who died when she was three. Don’t you think she needs someone to nurture her, someone like me?”
Michael looked at Christy and sighed. “Beegee, you don’t have a clue what you’re getting into. People like you and me make terrible parents. We have too many other obligations. I was a complete failure at it. I don’t want you to get your heart broken like I did.”
“But Michael, let me take the risk. I feel like this is happening for a reason. It’s like I’m being given the chance to pay back a cosmic debt for all the good things that have happened to me, like you.”
“You’re too generous for your own good.” There was an edge of sarcasm in his voice, but the wall was coming down. Christy could see that she hadn’t lost him completely. She took his comments as a yes and didn’t mention Renata for the rest of the weekend. She was smart enough to know when to stop negotiating.
Michael, for his part, thought of nothing else.
Renata the Refugee
DEAR DIARY,
THAT MEAN SELFISH BICH CHRISTY HAYES KILLED GRANDMA. GRANDMA WAS SO UPSET ABOUT MISSING MY CONCERT THAT SHE HAD A STROKE. IF CHRISTY HAD LET GRANDMA COME IT NEVER WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. CHRISTY DENIED IT BUT ITS TRUE. I TOLD HER SHE HAS GRANDMA’S BLOOD ON HER HANDS.
AFTER THE FUNERAL CHRISTY LEFT ME WITH HER ASISTENT EVE SO SHE COULD GO SKIING IN ASPEN. THAT’S JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE OF HER SELFISHNESS. EVE IS NICE. WHILE CHRISTY WAS HAVING FUN, WE WENT TO BURGER KING. I HAD A DOUBLE WHOPPER WITH CHEESE. EVE HAD AN ANGUS STEAK BURGER.
