It was a few months after they first met. He was having two wisdom teeth extracted under gas at a specialist’s office on West 57th Street. “I just don’t want to hear the bones again, or whatever they are, crunch when the teeth are being pulled out.” She asked if he wanted her to come along with him. “Thanks, but I’ll be all right.” “You always say you’ll be all right,” and he said “Believe me, I’ll be fine, once the teeth are out.” She came anyway. He was in the recovery room when a dental assistant said “There’s someone here for you. Good thing, too, as we were worried how you’d get home.” “Why? I’m not driving. And I know who it is.” He was escorted out of the room. Gwen was sitting in the waiting room, reading a magazine. She said “Oh, my poor darling,” and was about to kiss him and he said “Don’t. That’s my bad side. Actually, both sides are bad, but that one’s beginning to hurt. It’s so nice of you to come here. Am I talking funny? I seem to sound it. And I now see I can use your help. You’re so considerate. So nice. So nice. We’ll get a cab to my building and then you can continue in it to yours.” “No, you’re coming home with me and staying the night. You’re a bit shaky and I want to make sure you’ll be okay.” As they were walking to the elevator, she holding his arm and saying “Lean on me if you need,” he said “This is real service. Did I ever tell you what Diana did when I was in the hospital after an operation on my leg?” “What she didn’t do, you mean. You were living with her in the Village then.” “East Tenth. I don’t mean to bad-mouth her, but she never came to visit me. I was there for two days. Memorial, so just a bus ride up First or Second. I didn’t have insurance then — I still don’t — and it was costing me plenty out of pocket, but they wouldn’t discharge me till I was able to walk out of the hospital — at least to the elevator on my floor — on my own. And she also didn’t come to the hospital to help me get home, and I could barely walk. I went in there with them thinking it was cancer — neurofibromatosis; one of the things my father had but didn’t die of. But after they cut me open and sent a piece of me to the pathologist, it turned out to be a Baker’s cyst, which all they needed to do was drain. To top it off, it was Diana’s former father-in-law I went to, whom she got to examine me gratis, and he diagnosed me and sent me to this surgeon. A double doctor screw-up. So what am I saying? I forgot.” “I think it was about my picking you up here. Diana. That I acted differently.” “That is what I’m saying. You’re everything I ever wanted. I’m so glad it took me this long.” “What a nice thing for you to say. I’ll remember it if we ever have an argument and you say about me what a mistake you made.”
They were in a mall in Baltimore. Maureen, a few months old, was in a baby carrier on Gwen’s chest. Gwen said she wanted to look around a little. “In stores that would bore you and make you irritable. Could you look after Rosalind? I know you’d prefer sitting on a bench here and reading, or having a coffee, but the two of them will be too much for me to deal with. Meet you back here in an hour? It’s almost two, so say, three?” He walked around with Rosalind. Went into a store and bought a short-sleeved T-shirt because the two he had were starting to have holes in the collar. Went to a different floor and looked in a bookstore window. “I know what,” he said. “Let’s go to the food court and get something.” He turned around. She wasn’t behind him where she was just before. He looked around. How the hell could she have gotten away so fast? The bookstore. That’s what he should have suggested to her. She loves picture books and they’ve been in it before. He looked around inside. Went to all the stores nearby. Ran in, looked, ran out, quickly said to a salesperson “Have you seen a little girl here alone? She’s three, but tall for her age. Blond. Very pretty.” All the time looking around him for her. “Wearing…wearing what? I don’t know what she’s wearing. Name’s Rosalind.” “So she’s lost?” one saleswoman said. “Want me to call Security?” “Call. Give my description. Tall, blond, three. Very pretty. Name’s Rosalind. Tell them I’m worried.” She called. “Missing child. A girl. Blond. — Very blond?” and he said “Very.” “Three. Tall for her age. Name’s Rosalind. Can you send someone up here? The father — you’re the father?” and he said “Yes.” “Is frightened something’s happened to her.” “I’ll look around in the meantime; leave my things here,” and he put the bag with the shirt in it and a book on a counter and ran out of the store and looked in all the stores he hadn’t been in yet on the floor, running down one side of the mall, then the other. The department stores at each end of the floor. Looked in, but they were much too large. “What am I going to do?” he said. “What am I going to do?” Gwen. Ran to the escalator well and yelled “Gwen, come quick. It’s me, Martin. Second floor. By the escalator. Rosalind’s lost.” Repeated it. Then yelled “Rosalind, it’s Daddy. If you can hear me, come to my voice. Come to Daddy. Go to the escalator so I can see you. Ask people where the escalator is.” People stopped. Some of them asked what it was and if they could help. “Yes,” he said. “Look for my daughter. She’s lost. She’s three. Alone. Tall for her age. Pretty. Very blond. Name’s Rosalind.” “What’s she wearing?” someone said. “That would help.” “I don’t know. That’s right. Red and white striped long-sleeved shirt and blue overalls. Look in all the stores above and below. I’ll go to the food court. Security’s also looking. If you find her, tell Security.” Several of them went in different directions. One said “I can’t help. I have to be home. But don’t worry, it’ll be all right. I’m sure they never lost a child here. Just looks that way to the parents while it’s happening.” “Good. Excuse me.” He was about to get on the up escalator to the food court when he saw Rosalind going down the escalator to the main floor. He didn’t want to yell her name because she might get startled and fall. She was holding the railing with one hand as he and Gwen had instructed her to. She stumbled a little getting off. Then he yelled from the top of the escalator “Rosalind. Rosalind. Stay where you are.” She looked around and then up at him. She didn’t move. He went down the escalator. When he got to her, she smiled and he took her hand, got them out of the way of people, dropped to one knee, held her with his eyes shut and then looked up at her and said “What were you doing? I thought you were lost. Daddy was so worried. I should hit your hand, just slap it lightly, something I’ve never done, so you’d remember never to run away from me like that again, but I won’t. Please, dear, never do it again. Do you hear? Do you understand?” and she started crying. “Oh, I’m so sorry,” and he held her closer. Then he saw Gwen coming down the escalator. From halfway up, she said “Was that you shouting out my name?” He nodded and she said “What were you saying? I couldn’t make it out. And why’s Rosalind crying?” Rosalind squirmed out of his hold and ran to her and hugged her waist. He stood up and said “She disappeared for a few minutes and I panicked. I got the whole mall looking for her. It’s all right now. I didn’t hit her. I suppose I looked angry for a few seconds, though I didn’t feel my face forming an expression in that way, so she’s just afraid. I’m still a little unsettled. But how’d it go with you? Get what you want?” and she said “I did. Perfume. Jessica McClintock, my favorite. A terrific sale on it. It’ll last me ten years. And for some reason, with each purchase they give you a small stuffed animal — mine’s a rabbit — which the kids will like.” “Then let’s get out of here. But let me get my package and book first. I left them in a store upstairs.” “Oh, you bought something?” and he said “A T-shirt. Not on sale but reasonably priced. I needed it. I also have to tell Security everything’s okay. Wait here. People might stop and ask you — they were very kind and went out looking for Rosalind — if this is the girl who was lost. If they do, thank them for me.” “I wasn’t lost,” Rosalind said. “Okay, we’ll talk about that later,” and he brushed her hair back with his hand and took the escalator up.