“Try telling him you abandoned her six years ago. I'm sure he'll be very sympathetic to you after that.” The doorbell rang, and Liz felt her heart pound. It was Jane, and she didn't want her to hear her talking to him. “Anyway, get lost, Chan. Or to put it a little more clearly for you, go screw yourself.”
“I think you just did. I'm seeing a lawyer this afternoon.”
“What for?”
“I want to see my kid.”
The doorbell rang again and she shouted out to wait just a minute.
“Why?”
“Because it's my right.”
“And then what? You disappear for another six years? Why don't you just leave her alone?”
“If that's what you want, you'll have to talk to me.” So that was it. Another scam. He wanted money from them. She should have known.
“Where are you staying? I'll call you back.” He gave her a number in Marin, and she jotted it down.
“I want to hear from you by tonight.”
“You will.” Sonofabitch, she said through clenched teeth as she hung up and she went to the door, looking pale, and let Jane in. She had been banging her lunch box against the door and there was a big chip on the black paint and Liz yelled at her, which made her cry, and she slammed into her room, as Liz went in and sat down on the bed, close to tears herself.
“I'm sorry, sweetheart. I had a rough afternoon.”
“So did I. I lost my belt.” She was wearing a pink skirt with a white belt she loved. Bernie had brought it from the store, and she treasured it, like everything else he gave her, and most of all himself.
“Daddy'll bring you another one.”
She looked slightly mollified as she sniffed and Liz held out her arms, as Jane came to her reluctantly. It was a hard time for all of them. Liz was tired. Bernie was on edge, thinking she was going to have the baby every night when they went to bed. And Jane wasn't sure just how the newcomer would affect her life. It was natural that they were snapping at each other a little bit. And this sudden reappearance of Chandler Scott didn't help. Liz brushed the hair back from Jane's face, and gave her a plate of the cookies she'd made for her that day, and a glass of milk, and when Jane sat down at her desk to do the homework she'd been given in school, Liz went quietly back to the living room. She sat down with a sigh, and dialed Bernie's private line. He picked it up himself, but he sounded busy when he did.
“Hi, sweetheart, bad time to talk?” She was so damn tired, and she was having contractions all the time, especially when she was upset, like now, after talking to Chandler.
“No, no, it's okay.” And then suddenly he realized with a start. “Is it time?”
“No.” She laughed. She wasn't due for two more weeks. And it could be late, the doctor always reminded her.
“You okay?”
“I'm fine …more or less …” She really wanted to talk to him before he came home. She didn't want Jane to overhear her telling him about Chandler Scott. “Something very disagreeable happened today.”
“Did you get hurt?” He was beginning to sound like Grandma Ruth and Liz smiled, but not for long.
“No. I got a call from an old friend. Or an old enemy, I should say.”
He looked puzzled as he frowned. What enemies did she have? None she'd ever mentioned to him. Not that he could remember anyway. “Who was that?”
“Chandler Scott.” The name electrified them both, and there was a long silence from his end.
“Is that who I think it is? Your ex-husband, right?”
“If you can call him that. I think we lived together for a total of about four months, and legally a lot less than that.”
“Where did he come from?”
“Jail probably.”
“How the hell did he find you?”
“My old landlady. Apparently she gave him my married name and told him we were living here, and it was easy after that.”
“You'd think she'd ask before she gave the information out.”
“I guess she saw no harm in it.” She stretched uncomfortably on the couch. Everything was uncomfortable. Sitting, standing, lying down. Even breathing was difficult now, and the baby felt huge, and moved constantly.
“What did he want?”
“He claimed he wanted to see Jane.”
“Why?” Bernie sounded horrified.
“Honestly, I don't really think he does. He said he wanted to 'discuss it' with us. He said he'd go to an attorney about visiting rights unless we talked to him.”
“That sounds like blackmail to me.”
“It is. But I think we ought to talk to him. I said we'd call him back tonight. He gave me a number in Marin.”
“I'll talk to him. You stay out of it.” He looked worried as he stared at his desk. The timing was just terrible. Liz didn't need a headache like that at a time like this.
“I think we ought to talk to an attorney ourselves. Maybe he has no rights by now.”
“That's not a bad idea, Liz. I'll check it out before I come home.”
“Do you know who to call?”
“We have counsel for the store. I'll see who they suggest.” He hung up after that, and Liz went back to see if Jane had finished her math homework. She was just closing her books and she looked up at Liz expectantly.
“Is Daddy bringing me a new belt tonight?” She looked hopeful and Liz sat down with a sigh.
“Oh sweetheart … I forgot to ask …we'll ask him tonight.”
“Mommy …” She started to cry, and Liz felt like crying herself. Everything seemed so difficult suddenly. It was hard enough just moving around and putting one foot in front of the other these days, and she wanted to make things easier for Jane, not more difficult. Poor Jane was all shook up about the baby coming into her life and changing everything. She climbed onto her mother's lap, still wanting to be the baby herself, and Liz held her while she cried. It made them both feel better afterwards and they went for a long walk, and bought some magazines. Jane wanted to buy some flowers to give to Bernie when he came home, and Liz let her pick a bouquet of iris and daffodils, and they walked slowly home again.
“Do you think the baby will come soon?” She looked at her mother half hopeful and half afraid, and half wishing it would never come at all. Although the pediatrician had told Liz that Jane was a good age to deal with this sort of thing. He thought she'd adjust very quickly once the baby was born, but Liz was beginning to wonder about it.
“I don't know, sweetheart. I hope so. I'm getting pretty tired of being fat.” They exchanged a smile as they walked hand in hand.
“You don't look so bad. Kathy's mom looked terrible. Her face got all fat like a pig”—she distorted her face and Liz laughed—“and she got all these blue things in her legs.”
“Varicose veins.” She was lucky, she had never gotten them.
“It must be horrible, having a baby, huh?”
“No, it's not. It's beautiful. I don't know, afterwards it's all worth it. You forget all this yucky stuff, and it's really not so bad. If you have a baby with a man you love, then it's the nicest thing in the world.”
“Did you love my daddy too?” She looked worried and it was odd that she should ask the question today, when Chandler Scott had called after all these years, and Liz was reminded of how much she had hated him. But she couldn't tell Jane that now, and wondered if she ever would. It might affect the way she saw herself, Liz thought.
“Yes, I did. Very much, in fact.”
“How did he die?” It was the first time Jane had asked her that, and she wondered if she had heard something that afternoon. Liz fervently hoped not.
“He died in an accident.”
“A car accident?”
It seemed as reasonable as anything else. “Yes. He was killed instantly. He didn't suffer at all.” She thought that might be important to her and it was.
“I'm glad. It must have been very sad for you.”
“It was,” Liz lied.
“How old was I?” They were almost home and Liz was so out of breath she could hardly talk.