Family Inheritance (35 page)

“Can we be like that one day?” Sarah was carefully laying out the cookie cutters
they were planning to use.

“You can, but probably not me.” Alice tried to see herself living the type of life
that Helene lived—having a housekeeper, being able to fly somewhere at the spur of
the moment, going to a country club for dinner—and she couldn't. She knew her life
would now be better than she had ever had before, but her aspirations weren't at
the level of Helene's life. She'd be happy teaching grade school, supporting her
kids, and owning a nice little house. Those were her dreams.

“Why me and not you?”

“You're young, smart, and pretty. I'm not.” Alice stepped off to the side and motioned
for Sarah to begin cutting out the cookies. “Besides, I don't see myself that way.”

Sarah carefully pressed the cookie cutters into the dough. “Are you divorcing Dad?”
She quickly glanced at Alice.

Alice looked up, startled. “Probably.” She had been thinking about divorce, but at
this point in time she just wanted to let sleeping dogs lie.

“Will you go out with guys?” Sarah had cut out several cookies in the shapes of a
bell, a Santa face, a Christmas tree, and a Poinsettia, and she was placing them
on a cookie sheet.

“Me?” Alice asked. “Who would want to go out with me?” Having a man in her life was
the furthest thing from her mind. Someone to tell her what to do or get all angry
and crabby when things didn't go their way? No thanks. She was getting used to being
single and was entirely happy with things the way they were.

“Probably lots of guys,” Sarah said.

“Honey, I'm fat and not very pretty. Men look for young, thin, pretty women.”

“Not all guys.” Sarah crumbed up a Santa cookie that had not turned out the way she'd
wanted it to.

“Probably the good ones.” Alice went over to the sink, put her hands in the soapy
water, and began to wash the bowl.

Sarah quietly asked, “Why don't you go on a diet and lose weight?”

Alice played with the soapy water as she thought about Sarah's last question. She
had been trying to be more conscious of what she ate, and she had been walking back
and forth to the coffee shop on the mornings she worked. But she still had chocolate
binges from time to time, and losing weight just wasn't a priority for her. She knew
obesity caused all sorts of health problems, and she had to get serious about losing
weight. But she could only tackle so many life changing issues in one year, and as
far as she was concerned, she had handled her quota of “big stuff ” this year.

In answer to Sarah's question, she simply replied, “It doesn't seem that easy for
me, Sarah. I get nervous and I eat. It helps me calm down. It's like Auntie Suzanne
says drinks used to do for her.”

“Well, can't you go to treatment like she did?”

Alice dried her hands on a towel and turned toward Sarah. “I don't know, maybe.”

“Do you want to be thin?”

I don't know. Do I?
Alice had been heavy for most of her life. She had gotten used
to it. “Hey, these are hard questions.” Alice turned back to the sink. “I thought
we were gonna make cookies and have fun, and here you are making me think. We've
got a break from school, let my brain rest, okay?”

“Okay, Mom, that's fair.” Sarah placed the cookie pan in the oven. “What do you think
Auntie Helene and Uncle Bill got us for Christmas?”

“I can't even guess, but probably something nice.”

“He's handsome, isn't he?” Sarah smiled.

“Who?” Alice's mind had been wandering as she dried the dishes and put them away.

“Uncle Bill!”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess he is.”

Sarah grabbed a small piece of cookie dough and munched on it as she leaned against
the counter. “I want to marry a rich, good-looking man some day.”

“If you want to, you will.” Alice was beginning to think that the world could be
open for endless possibilities for her kids. And she was now determined that she
was going to help them become whatever they wanted to become.

“Is it that easy?”

“No, but wanting is probably a good start.” Alice placed her arm around Sarah's waist.

“What did you want when you were my age?” Sarah asked.

“Sarah, for goodness sake.” Alice hugged her, then walked to the oven to check the
cookies. “I've never heard you ask so many questions. What in the world are you trying
to do, drive me bonkers?”

“No, Mom. I'm trying to talk to you. That's what mothers and daughters do.”

Alice was quiet. They had come so far—she and Sarah. When they were with Jake, they
had been adversaries. Back then, Sarah thought her mother was fat, lazy, and disgusting.
Now she was trying hard to talk to her. As she pulled the cookie sheet from the oven,
Alice thanked God for the way kids seemed to bounce back from a crisis.

Now that Jake was leaving them alone, Alice had almost forgotten what life
with him
was like, but a replay of the last beating he'd given her occasionally flashed in
the back of her mind. She would never put up with that again. A part of her didn't
understand why she put up with it then. The other part did.

Sam rushed in through the door with snow-covered mittens. “What day will it be Christmas?”

“Four days from now,” Alice answered.

“Are we gonna have more presents under our tree than we have now?” Sam's cheeks were
pink from the cold as he pulled off his mittens, snow pants, and jacket, dropping
them in a pile by the door.

Alice pointed at the pile. “I don't think so.”

He quietly turned, hung his jacket and snow pants on hooks in the laundry room off
the kitchen, and put his mittens on the floor under the hooks. “But I only have a
little one from you.”

“Sam!” Sarah scolded him as she stirred the frosting for the cookies. “Mom doesn't
have money, you know that!”

“I know . . .” His face fell as he reached for a cookie and Sarah smacked his hand.
“I'm sorry, Mom.”

“Me too.” Alice looked at her son as pain pinched at her heart. Then Helene's words
rang in her ears, “If I can ever help, all you have to do is ask.” Alice wiped her
hands and looked at Sarah. “Will you watch the cookies? I've got to go to my bedroom
for a minute.”

As Alice left the room, she heard Sarah scolding Sam. “Now you made her cry, you
bozo.”

Alice stopped in the hallway and peeked back into the kitchen to watch her children.

“Did not!” His hands on his hips, Sam made a face at his sister.

Sarah offered him a cookie. “You did too. Don't ask her about presents no more. Okay?”

“Oh, okay.” Sam's chin dropped. “I wasn't trying to hurt her.”

“I know, Sam. I know.” Sarah put her arm around him. Alice smiled at the sight, then
headed down the hallway.

Once in her room, she sat on the bed, reached for the phone, and dialed Helene's
number.

The sisters chatted for a few minutes as Alice asked how the winter excursion had
been for Thomas, and Helene's laughter and stories made Alice smile.

When Helene asked how they were doing, Alice got to the point of the call. “I need
to ask a favor.”

“Sure.”

“Helene, it's really hard for me to ask you this, but the kids have been through
so much, and this is the first Christmas I've seen Sam so full of hope.” Alice took
a deep breath. “Would you loan me two hundred dollars to buy the kids a few Christmas
presents?”

“You didn't find it then?”

“Find what?” Alice asked. Was she supposed to have looked for something?

“The card,” Helene answered.

“What card?”

“Bill and I left a card for you. I was going to give it to you when we were there,
but we were all having so much fun, and I wanted to keep it just between us. I couldn't
seem to get you alone for even a minute, so I just left it for you in the most obvious
place I could think of without leaving it sitting out in the open. I figured you
would have found it by now.”

“You did? Where did you leave it?” Alice's eyes scanned the room as if she expected
to find it sitting out in plain sight.

“In your kitchen cabinet with your plates,” Helene answered.

“Oh, no, I didn't . . .” Alice's hand dropped to her lap. “You left me money?”

“Yes.”

“Why? After everything you've done and all the presents you bought.”
That's a dumb
thing to say since you just called her and asked her to loan you money.

“Because we love you, and I figured that with school and your other expenses, your
budget might be tight.” Helene's voice was soft. “Raising kids costs money.”

“It sure does.” Silence. “I feel a little dumb that I called.”

“Why would you feel dumb?”

“Because I asked.” Internally, she was scolding herself for calling. Here
Helene
and Bill had already left her something and she didn't find it.
But wait a minute,
why in the world would I ever think they would leave me something in my dish cupboard?
Sometimes Helene really mystified her.

“I don't. I feel good.” Helene's voice sounded happy.

“Why?”
There are times this sister of mine seems to talk in riddles.

“Because you asked,” Helene replied.

“Oh.”
Okay, that makes sense.
Happy chills danced down Alice's arms. She was getting
used to being cared about and she liked it.

After she hung up, Alice felt so giddy she tried skipping toward the Christmas tree
and almost fell. Shaking her head at herself, she walked the rest of the way and
opened the kitchen cupboard as Sarah and Sam watched her. At first glance Alice didn't
see an envelope—just dishes. Then she lifted the plates, and there it was. A square
envelope. She turned her back to the counter and leaned against it, holding the card
against her chest.

“What's that, Mom?” Sarah asked.

“A card.” Alice allowed herself to feel the love that Helene must have for her to
do something so nice.

“From who?” Sarah persisted.

“Auntie Helene and Uncle Bill.”

“Why would they leave a card under our dishes?” Sarah put the finished cookie on
a plate and picked up another one.

“They didn't. They left it on top. Somebody must have moved the plates,” Alice explained
as she continued to hug the card.

Alice didn't say anything as she took the card and walked to her bedroom. Sitting
on the bed, her hands trembled as she opened the envelope. A cashier's check for
$1,000 fell into her lap. The note in the card said, “Do something special for all
of you.”

The tree glowed with the newly purchased lights, and the new packages crowded around
the tree. Suzanne had taken the kids ice skating so Alice could go shopping and surprise
them. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve, and her kids were going have a good one thanks
to Suzanne and Helene. For the first time in her life, Alice knew the special feeling
of having sisters.

She put the last of the groceries in the cupboard and set the candle centerpiece
on her dinette table as Suzanne, Sarah, and Sam returned. Their faces were flushed
from winter's chill and the exercise of skating.

“It's time for some nice hot chocolate.” Suzanne laughed. “These bones need something
hot and soothing. And I don't think I'll ever be able to sit down again.” She rubbed
her backside.

“Auntie Suzanne was funny, Mom.” Sarah giggled. “She kept falling down, but I think
some of it was on purpose because a cute guy kept helping her up.”

Suzanne pretended shock. “Why, Sarah! I'd never do that.”

“Why not?” Sarah grinned mischievously. “I would! He was cute!”

“He was kinda cute, wasn't he?” Suzanne conceded.

“Mom!” Sam rushed into the kitchen. “Our tree's filled with presents!”

“It is?”

“Yeah! And they say they're from you!”

“Can you imagine?” Alice laughed.

Sarah looked curiously at her mother and walked to the living room. “Mom! How could
you do all this? The tree even has lights!” Sarah returned to the kitchen. “Where
did you get all this money?”

Alice pulled her daughter to her. “Honey, let's just say there are such things as
Christmas miracles. They're called sisters.”