surgeon, surrounded by three adoring children. It was a weird picture. "She must be a wonderful woman."
"Not really. Just efficient and responsible." That sounded awful. Poor Alex.
Alex straightened a little, and Nina realized her distress nust have shown in her face. "Hey, don't knock it," he old her. "When you're a kid, that's pretty good, especially if your own parents aren't around much."
He shook lis head, remembering. "One day we were all together, nust have been a holiday, and I disagreed with something Melanie said, and Dad said, 'Do what your mother tells you' and Melanie just looked at him and said, 'I'm not his mother.' And Dad said, 'What?' And Melanie said,
'He's Mice's son.' My dad didn't even remember." Alex slouched back in his chair. "Thank God for Melanie. I'd never have made it to adulthood alive and sane." He stopped in the niddle of his Oreo, a cautious look on his face, and put his hand on his stomach.
"Well, the sane's still up for grabs," Nina said. "All those Oreos on top of milk, scotch, whiskey, brandy, and beer can't be a good idea. And you call yourself a doctor."
Alex thought about it for a moment and finished the cookie. "I think it was the milk that was the bad idea. But you need milk with Oreos." He tried to look stem. "It's probably because it's skim milk.
Whole milk would have coated my stomach."
Nina tried to look stern back at him. "How old did you say you were? Ten?"
"Very funny." He reached for another Oreo and she moved the package away. "Hey!"
"You've had enough. You're going to get sick."
He frowned at her. "You must be one mean mother."
"Nope," Nina said. "No kids."
Alex sat back. "Did I just put my foot in it?"
"Nope," Nina said again. "Never wanted any. I'm just not the maternal type."
"Now that's interesting." Alex leaned forward again and snagged another cookie while she was off guard. "I never want any, either. Neither does Stella. Max says he gets enough babies delivering them. I've always figured it was our lousy childhoods since we all lost parents. What's your excuse?"
"I'm the oldest of six kids," Nina said. "I already raised five brothers and sisters. I'm done."
Alex raised his eyebrows. "No mom?"
"I have a mother," Nina said, not wanting to discuss it. "She's not interested in children. She gave birth, and then we took it from there.''
Alex nodded sympathetically. "Career woman."
"No." Nina took an Oreo from the package, rattling the plastic and alerting Fred, who came to sit beside her. She blinked down at him, surprised by his enthusiasm, and fed him a cookie, and then watched him trot to the couch before she looked back over at Alex. "Not a career woman. Society woman. We had money, we just didn't have parents."
"So you went to college and became an editor?" Alex shook his head. "That doesn't make sense.
You're either supposed to become your mother or her opposite."
"I thought that was marry your father or his opposite."
"Same difference. So you became your mother's opposite?"
"No." Nina put down her cookie as the realization dawned. "No, I became my mother. I married a lawyer and did the society thing and became a law-firm wife. My God, I did become my mother." She blinked at Alex. "No wonder the divorce felt so good. That life was hers. Now I'm living mine." She leaned back in her chair. "Boy, does this explain a lot of things." She picked up her Oreo and bit into it, feeling even more liberated than she had before.
"What kind of things?" Alex asked.
Nina stopped in midcookie. "Why do you want to know?"
"Well, I just spilled my family secrets to you," Alex said reasonably. "It's payback time."
"I didn't hear any secrets."
"Okay." Alex nodded at her, the picture of reason. "My father is alcoholic. He doesn't drink before seeing patients but we're keeping an eye on him, anyway. My stepmother kicked an amphetamine addiction a couple of years ago and now is grossly overweight. We worry about her heart. My mother is manic-depressive, and I
"Not really. Just efficient and responsible." That sounded awful. Poor Alex.
Alex straightened a little, and Nina realized her distress nust have shown in her face. "Hey, don't knock it," he old her. "When you're a kid, that's pretty good, especially if your own parents aren't around much."
He shook lis head, remembering. "One day we were all together, nust have been a holiday, and I disagreed with something Melanie said, and Dad said, 'Do what your mother tells you' and Melanie just looked at him and said, 'I'm not his mother.' And Dad said, 'What?' And Melanie said,
'He's Mice's son.' My dad didn't even remember." Alex slouched back in his chair. "Thank God for Melanie. I'd never have made it to adulthood alive and sane." He stopped in the niddle of his Oreo, a cautious look on his face, and put his hand on his stomach.
"Well, the sane's still up for grabs," Nina said. "All those Oreos on top of milk, scotch, whiskey, brandy, and beer can't be a good idea. And you call yourself a doctor."
Alex thought about it for a moment and finished the cookie. "I think it was the milk that was the bad idea. But you need milk with Oreos." He tried to look stem. "It's probably because it's skim milk.
Whole milk would have coated my stomach."
Nina tried to look stern back at him. "How old did you say you were? Ten?"
"Very funny." He reached for another Oreo and she moved the package away. "Hey!"
"You've had enough. You're going to get sick."
He frowned at her. "You must be one mean mother."
"Nope," Nina said. "No kids."
Alex sat back. "Did I just put my foot in it?"
"Nope," Nina said again. "Never wanted any. I'm just not the maternal type."
"Now that's interesting." Alex leaned forward again and snagged another cookie while she was off guard. "I never want any, either. Neither does Stella. Max says he gets enough babies delivering them. I've always figured it was our lousy childhoods since we all lost parents. What's your excuse?"
"I'm the oldest of six kids," Nina said. "I already raised five brothers and sisters. I'm done."
Alex raised his eyebrows. "No mom?"
"I have a mother," Nina said, not wanting to discuss it. "She's not interested in children. She gave birth, and then we took it from there.''
Alex nodded sympathetically. "Career woman."
"No." Nina took an Oreo from the package, rattling the plastic and alerting Fred, who came to sit beside her. She blinked down at him, surprised by his enthusiasm, and fed him a cookie, and then watched him trot to the couch before she looked back over at Alex. "Not a career woman. Society woman. We had money, we just didn't have parents."
"So you went to college and became an editor?" Alex shook his head. "That doesn't make sense.
You're either supposed to become your mother or her opposite."
"I thought that was marry your father or his opposite."
"Same difference. So you became your mother's opposite?"
"No." Nina put down her cookie as the realization dawned. "No, I became my mother. I married a lawyer and did the society thing and became a law-firm wife. My God, I did become my mother." She blinked at Alex. "No wonder the divorce felt so good. That life was hers. Now I'm living mine." She leaned back in her chair. "Boy, does this explain a lot of things." She picked up her Oreo and bit into it, feeling even more liberated than she had before.
"What kind of things?" Alex asked.
Nina stopped in midcookie. "Why do you want to know?"
"Well, I just spilled my family secrets to you," Alex said reasonably. "It's payback time."
"I didn't hear any secrets."
"Okay." Alex nodded at her, the picture of reason. "My father is alcoholic. He doesn't drink before seeing patients but we're keeping an eye on him, anyway. My stepmother kicked an amphetamine addiction a couple of years ago and now is grossly overweight. We worry about her heart. My mother is manic-depressive, and I
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