though I could see my mother-in-law turning my daughter into a brat, how could I abandon my own daughter? I suppose I hoped that I would still be able to influence her . . .that she would grow up and see that Grandma Eunice has her faults. But I'm afraid all Lauren sees is that Grandma Eunice has a fat pocketbook. And I have nothing. And so I kept my troubles bottled up inside and continued writing my sunny letters to mother. And now she is gone." Suddenly Anna was crying again. As if all that she had lost came rushing at her like a tidal wave. "Oh, Babette!" she cried. "She is gone. Truly gone!"
Now they both cried. Flooded with regret, Anna wished with all her heart that she'd come back to her mother sooner— before it was too late. Why hadn't she simply packed up Lauren and brought her back here? Eventually, Lauren would've gotten used to the slower-paced life. She would've made friends. Perhaps she would've grown to love the river eventually. And now she never would.
"I wish I'd been honest. I wish I'd told Mother all about my life,"Anna said through her tears. "All about Adam's problems, how it felt having my mean mother-in-law breathing down my neck all the time, putting me down, calling me names. I wish I'd confessed to Mother that I was letting my daughter push me around—the same way I allowed Eunice to bully me. I should've told her everything."
"Maybe not, chérie."
Anna blinked, blotting her eyes with her own handkerchief now. "Why not?"
"I think it would have crushed her."
"Your mama she was a wise woman in her way."
"Oh."
"Yes." Anna nodded.
"She knew things about Adam . . . things she never told anyone except me."
"What?"Anna waited anxiously.
"Your mama saw a weakness in him. She hoped it was only youth. But when you called her to say you were married—so quickly—your mama, she was worried."
"I know . . . I could hear it in her voice."
"Her worry . . . it make her sick . . . such stomach troubles." Babette shook her head. "All from too much worrying."
"Poor Mother."
"So your letters come . . . and the sun it comes out . . . your mama, she happy. Her stomach is well. Like I said, your letters were good medicine."
Anna thought about this. Perhaps her pretense at a happy life had prolonged her mother's life. Maybe it had all been for the best. At least for her mother. "Do you think she knows the truth now, Babette? That all wasn't as it seemed in my life?"
"I do not know about that, chérie. But I do believe she is in heaven and to be in heaven is to be happy, so I think this—if your mama knows your story, the sad story you have just told me, then she also knows the other part of your story."
"The other part?"
"The part that is not yet to happen!" Babette laughed. "And I am sure it will be the happy part."
Anna sighed. "I hope you're right. You know, if Mother was here right now, I would tell her everything. I would admit that her concerns about marrying so quickly were justified. I would confess that the weakness she saw in Adam was correct, and that I was blinded to it at the time. It was just like that song Lauren listens to on her record player."
"What's that?"
"The words go something like this: when you're heart's on fire, smoke gets in your eyes." She shook her head. "But what the song fails to mention is that sometimes when your heart's on fire you get badly burned."
Babette laughed. "Oh, I could tell you that, chérie."
"But Mother never told me much about love and romance while I was growing up. I watched it in the motion pictures at the Saturday matinees, but the silver screen was always filled with heat and passion and fire."
"Oh, Hollywood, they are expert at making it sizzle.""But for the most part the characters didn't get burned in the movies, not in the ending anyway." At least that was true in the movies she'd liked. "I remember they got singed from time to time, but in the end they usually wound up with their true love, presumably living happily ever
Now they both cried. Flooded with regret, Anna wished with all her heart that she'd come back to her mother sooner— before it was too late. Why hadn't she simply packed up Lauren and brought her back here? Eventually, Lauren would've gotten used to the slower-paced life. She would've made friends. Perhaps she would've grown to love the river eventually. And now she never would.
"I wish I'd been honest. I wish I'd told Mother all about my life,"Anna said through her tears. "All about Adam's problems, how it felt having my mean mother-in-law breathing down my neck all the time, putting me down, calling me names. I wish I'd confessed to Mother that I was letting my daughter push me around—the same way I allowed Eunice to bully me. I should've told her everything."
"Maybe not, chérie."
Anna blinked, blotting her eyes with her own handkerchief now. "Why not?"
"I think it would have crushed her."
"Your mama she was a wise woman in her way."
"Oh."
"Yes." Anna nodded.
"She knew things about Adam . . . things she never told anyone except me."
"What?"Anna waited anxiously.
"Your mama saw a weakness in him. She hoped it was only youth. But when you called her to say you were married—so quickly—your mama, she was worried."
"I know . . . I could hear it in her voice."
"Her worry . . . it make her sick . . . such stomach troubles." Babette shook her head. "All from too much worrying."
"Poor Mother."
"So your letters come . . . and the sun it comes out . . . your mama, she happy. Her stomach is well. Like I said, your letters were good medicine."
Anna thought about this. Perhaps her pretense at a happy life had prolonged her mother's life. Maybe it had all been for the best. At least for her mother. "Do you think she knows the truth now, Babette? That all wasn't as it seemed in my life?"
"I do not know about that, chérie. But I do believe she is in heaven and to be in heaven is to be happy, so I think this—if your mama knows your story, the sad story you have just told me, then she also knows the other part of your story."
"The other part?"
"The part that is not yet to happen!" Babette laughed. "And I am sure it will be the happy part."
Anna sighed. "I hope you're right. You know, if Mother was here right now, I would tell her everything. I would admit that her concerns about marrying so quickly were justified. I would confess that the weakness she saw in Adam was correct, and that I was blinded to it at the time. It was just like that song Lauren listens to on her record player."
"What's that?"
"The words go something like this: when you're heart's on fire, smoke gets in your eyes." She shook her head. "But what the song fails to mention is that sometimes when your heart's on fire you get badly burned."
Babette laughed. "Oh, I could tell you that, chérie."
"But Mother never told me much about love and romance while I was growing up. I watched it in the motion pictures at the Saturday matinees, but the silver screen was always filled with heat and passion and fire."
"Oh, Hollywood, they are expert at making it sizzle.""But for the most part the characters didn't get burned in the movies, not in the ending anyway." At least that was true in the movies she'd liked. "I remember they got singed from time to time, but in the end they usually wound up with their true love, presumably living happily ever
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