The Choice (46 page)

“I'm staying with Rosalita for a few days,” Maria said. “My father is very mad at me because I have not had the abortion.”

“Will he bother you at Rosalita's trailer? It's so close by.”

“No. He wants me to be there. If I am going to have a baby, he wants me to take care of it myself.”

Sandy switched to Spanish. “What do you want to do about the legal papers filed against you to have you declared mentally incompetent?”

“I want Mr. Lane to help me,” Maria replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“And you won't change your mind?”

Sandy didn't want to be hard on Maria, but she felt it necessary to make sure the girl had really made a firm decision.

“Rosalita and I talked about it. She believes I need to have someone I can trust helping me. Will you let him know? He told me I needed to sign a paper so he can be my lawyer.”

Satisfied, Sandy said, “I'll call him today.”

During the short break between first and second periods, Sandy went to her car and phoned Jeremy's office.

“Lane Law Offices,” Deb said.

“Hi, Deb. This is Sandy Lincoln. Is Jeremy—”

“Sandy,” Deb interrupted. “This is so incredible. After seeing you and Jeremy together at the church, I can totally see the family resemblance. I was looking at the pictures in Jeremy's office this morning. Chloe looks even more like you than he does. Send me a cute photo of yourself, and I'll have it framed to put on his credenza. It will be a fun surprise.”

“Thanks, but I'm already working on an album for him. If he wants a picture for his office, I'm sure he'll let me know. I'm trying to avoid surprising him any more than I already have.”

“There's no use being too coy. This is huge. I tried to corner Jeremy this morning, but he dashed in here for five minutes, then left for the courthouse. Did you enjoy meeting Leanne? She's a sweetheart.”

“Yes, very much.”

“She's more serious than Jeremy. He has a big playful streak that he doesn't show much as a lawyer, but it comes out when he's with his kids. You'll see it eventually. Oh, I assume you're going to ride together to the hearing in Atlanta on Wednesday.”

“Yes, we talked about it the other day. He'll prep me some more during the drive.”

“This must be so exciting for you. Do you have any other children?”

“Did Jeremy tell you he has a fraternal twin?”

Deb screamed so loud that Sandy had to hold the phone away from her ear.

“Sorry about that,” Deb said. “It's a good thing I'm here by myself. This is like something from a movie. Have you met him?”

“No, and I don't know where he is.”

“I'm sure tracking him down will be one of Jeremy's priorities.”

“Maybe.” Sandy frowned. “Listen, I'm in between classes and have to go, but I talked to Maria Alverez this morning, and she wants Jeremy to represent her in the juvenile court case. Can you ask Jeremy to send me an attorney-client contract for Maria to sign?”

“Of course; he had one in the file when he met with her and her father in Rutland on Thursday”—Deb paused—“the day he found out about you. I know it was intensely personal, but I wish I could have been there. Was he skeptical at first? Did he cry?”

“No tears from him. And it wasn't too hard to convince him.”

“How did you do it?”

“I think the key was when I told him how much he weighed when he was born.”

“That's so perfect. Who else would know that after thirty-three years but a mother?”

Sandy heard some muffled talking, then Deb came back on the line.

“I've got to go,” Deb said. “A client came in to pick up some papers.”

“Okay. Don't forget the papers for Maria.”

“I'll send the contract within an hour.”

Sandy had submitted a request for a vacation day as soon as she found out about the hearing in Atlanta. When she stopped by the teachers' lounge on her way to the cafeteria for lunch, there was a sealed envelope in her school mailbox. Inside was an approval for paid time off; however, at the top of the page was typed “Carol Ramsey.” Sandy suspected her letter had been sent to Carol. She put the envelope in Carol's box, which turned out to be empty.

Sandy wasn't surprised that Carol would be at the hearing. Who else would claim that Sandy had been intimidating Maria? However, it didn't make being on opposite sides of the courtroom from a coworker any easier. Before going to the cafeteria, Sandy went by the school office. Dr. Vale's secretary, a young woman who didn't look much older than some of the students in Sandy's classes, was sitting at her desk.

“The approval for Carol Ramsey's request for a vacation day on Wednesday was in my box,” Sandy said. “I put it in hers. Did she turn mine in to the office?”

“I haven't seen it,” the woman said. “Are you sure you sent one in?”

“Yes,” Sandy replied patiently. “You weren't at your desk, so I gave it to Ms. Falls. She was filling in for you.”

“I can check with Dr. Vale, but you should probably put in another request. I can't be responsible for things that aren't given directly to me.”

Sandy clenched her teeth.

“I'll be right back.”

Returning to her classroom, she printed out a copy of the request with the date at the top and marched down the hall. When she entered the office, Dr. Vale was standing beside his assistant's desk.

“Here she is,” the secretary said.

“Ms. Lincoln,” Dr. Vale said, “it's school policy to file requests for vacation days at least five business days in advance.”

“Which is why I gave this to Ms. Falls last week,” Sandy replied, handing him the request. “Check the date at the top. Apparently it wasn't delivered to you in a timely manner.”

“Do you have proof of delivery?” the principal asked.

“Do you have a Bible handy?”

“Why?” Dr. Vale gave Sandy a blank look.

“So I can swear on the Bible that I delivered the request more than five business days in advance.”

“Make arrangements for your own substitute,” Dr. Vale answered curtly. “And in the future, give any requests for days off directly to me.”

“I'll do that.”

Fuming, Sandy left the office. Never in her teaching career had she faced overt harassment from the school administration. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself. Dr. Vale was probably catching heat from the school board about two of his staff squaring off in a legal proceeding that would bring negative publicity to Rutland High.

After lunch, Sandy went by the teachers' lounge. There was an envelope in her box. It was approval for her vacation request signed and dated the previous day by Mr. Blankenship, the assistant principal.

Bureaucratic foul-ups could drive a person crazy.

THIRTY-TWO

T
uesday morning Maria signed the contract hiring Jeremy as her lawyer. Sandy took it to Coach Bestwick's office to scan and send to Jeremy. The basketball coach was sitting at his desk reading when she entered.

“Sorry, something else,” she said holding up the sheet of paper.

John scooted away from his desk.

“Go ahead.”

When Sandy placed the contract on the printer and pressed the Scan button, she saw a devotional book and an open Bible on John's desk.

“You're reading the Bible?” she asked.

“Yeah, I'm trying to get in thirty minutes a day. That's still less time than I spend running and lifting weights.”

“I'm impressed.”

“I've been making some changes. I even contacted my ex-wife last week and apologized for being such a jerk during the final year of our marriage. She didn't know what to think.”

Sandy didn't know the details of the divorce.

“Is she remarried?”

“Yes, but I needed to do it anyway. A few days ago, I called my daughter Fay, you know, the one who just started a new job in Jacksonville. She'd heard from her mother and asked me a bunch of questions. She ended up telling me she loved me. That hasn't happened in years. I feel like the prodigal father who came home.”

Sandy removed the contract from the machine.

“I know what you mean,” she said.

John Bestwick's words were still in Sandy's mind when she left school after cheerleading practice. Instead of going straight home, she pulled into the parking lot for her church. Margie Little, the church secretary, was there. The two women had known each other for decades.

“Reverend Peterson is at the hospital visiting Bill Woods,” Margie said when Sandy came in.

“What's wrong with Bill?”

“Gallbladder. They thought it might be something more serious, so the news was a relief.”

“I didn't come by to see Reverend Peterson,” Sandy said. “I just wanted to spend a few minutes in the sanctuary.”

“Go ahead,” Margie said and waved her hand. “I won't be finished here for at least half an hour. Take your time.”

The deserted sanctuary was as still and quiet as a secluded pond on a windless day. Sandy walked down the center aisle but didn't stop at the pew where she usually sat. Instead, she headed toward the spot where she'd sat with her family the night of the special Christmas Eve service.

Sitting down, Sandy closed her eyes and folded her hands across the body that had been full of new life that long-ago night. Now she knew one of the tiny, hidden babies was a strong, grownup man—Sandy smiled—who was no longer able to kick her bladder in the middle of the night so she had to crawl out of bed and go to the bathroom.

Everyone is a prodigal in their own unique way
, Sandy thought. She knew she'd come reluctantly to the church on Christmas Eve as an unmarried, pregnant teenager and been embraced by the welcoming arms of a loving heavenly Father. She was a prodigal who came home and experienced God's peace and forgiveness. The ensuing years had proven the change genuine. She took a few minutes to silently express her gratitude.

But Sandy sensed the need for something more. God knew every hidden whisper of her heart, but she wanted to receive a tangible token to carry with her on the next stage of her journey. She rested her fingers lightly on the top of the pew in front of her for a few moments.