Cracks in the Sidewalk(75)

“That front has finally moved on,” he said, pointing to a glob of gray on the map, “but there’s a mass of cold air following it, so it looks as if this snow will be with us for a while.”

“How long?” Elizabeth said wearily.

As if answering her question, Weatherman Walt said, “By mid-week we should see a warming trend.”

“Oh dear,” Elizabeth murmured. “The kids are supposed to come over tomorrow.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Charlie said. “Not with all this snow on the roads.”

Claire gave him a reproachful glare, a warning to say no more.

~

On ten o’clock Sunday morning the telephone rang. Elizabeth, sitting on the sofa, answered.

“Guess what, Mommy,” David said. “We had a big snowstorm!”

“I know,” she answered. “We had it too.”

“Today Daddy’s gonna take us sleigh-riding.”

“That sounds like such fun. Did you get a sled for Christmas?”

“Yeah,” he answered, then said nothing more about sleigh-riding or that Bobby, and not he, had received the sled. Quickly changing the subject, he parroted, “We can’t come to Grandma’s house today because there’s too much snow.”

“I know,” Elizabeth said. “I miss you and Kimmie and Christian, but I wouldn’t want your Daddy to have an accident driving in the snow.”

“You’re not supposed to call her Kimmie.”

“That’s right, I forgot.”

“Daddy said you forget a lot of things because you’re sick. He said pretty soon you’re gonna forget us. Is that true?”

“It’s true that I forget things. That’s because Mommy has a boo-boo inside her head. But I could never forget you or Kimberly or Christian. The three of you are not just inside my head, you’re inside my heart. When someone is inside your heart that means you love them so much you’ll never, ever forget them.”

“Daddy,” David yelled, “Mommy said she’s not ever gonna forget us!”

“What else did you expect her to say?” Jeffrey answered, then told David to give the phone to his sister.

Elizabeth wanted to tell David Christmas just didn’t seem like Christmas without seeing him, but before she had the chance Kimberly voiced a sniffling hello.

“What’s the matter?” Elizabeth asked.

“I wanna go to Grandma’s house, and Daddy won’t bring me.”

“Sweetheart, I’m disappointed too,” Elizabeth said tenderly, “but it’s not safe for Daddy to drive the car when there’s so much snow on the road.”

“I don’t care, I wanna come anyway.”

“I know, honey, but I wouldn’t want Daddy to have an accident where you or one of your brothers might be hurt. You be a good girl and mind what Daddy tells you, and then as soon as this darned old snow melts he’ll bring you over and we’ll have a wonderful Christmas together.”

“Did you get me presents?”

“Yes, indeed. Lots of presents.”

“A Cabbage Patch baby with yellow hair?”

“No, Kimberly. Mommy tried to order one from Santa, but he didn’t have any.”

“Grandpa could buy one in the store.”

“Grandpa and Grandma and Mommy tried every store we know of, and nobody had a single Cabbage Patch Baby left.”

“Oh.” Kimberly sighed, her disappointment obvious.

“But do you know what Mommy is gonna do?”

“What?”

“I’m going to keep looking until I can find a yellow-haired Cabbage Patch Baby, and then I’m gonna buy it specially for you.”

“You mean for my birthday?”

“Nope. I mean the very minute I find it, I’m giving it to you.”

“Honest?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Enough, Kimberly!” Jeffrey yelled. “Get off the phone.”

“No!” she answered defiantly.

“Kimberly,” Elizabeth scolded. “It’s not nice to say no to your Daddy like that. He loves you and wants to do what’s best for you.”

“No, he doesn’t. He only loves David and Bobby.”

“Bobby? Who’s Bobby?”

“He’s gonna be our brother.”

“Brother? Who told you such a silly—”

“Kelsey. She said when you die Bobby is gonna be our brother. Please don’t die, Mommy. I hate Bobby, and I don’t want—”

“That’s enough!” Jeffrey screamed. A moment later someone slammed the phone down.

~

Elizabeth did not see her children until January 5th of 1986. Although the Frasier fir had lost most of its needles and two strings of lights had gone dark, Christmas was wonderful for Elizabeth as she sat in her wheelchair watching the children open their presents.





And thus begins 1986


In the early part of January, Elizabeth went back to Saint Barnabas for her regular chemotherapy treatment.

“I wasn’t happy with your last report,” Doctor Sorenson remarked. She ordered multiple scans before and after Elizabeth’s treatment.