“Absolutely, I remember,” said Martha. “You were so strong, Carmen. I still can’t believe Mark didn’t stay back in Hanover for our senior year. I mean, come on. You were pregnant and alone.”
“Martha, that’s not fair, he needed to be successful at the bank, and New York was too far of a commute. Look, I graduated and we got married, so what else could I have asked for? I wasn’t exactly the love of his life. As you will remember, Mark was supposed to be the fun senior frat guy. But we’ve made the best of it, and I can’t complain. And I wasn’t alone. I had you guys.”
But Carmen hadn’t had them, not really. Avery was born in New York shortly after the girls graduated. None of them were able to visit her in the hospital. Elizabeth and Sara had already gone back home to get ready for law school in the fall. Martha was gearing up for med school. Everyone had big plans. Everyone except for Carmen. It had been a hard, lonely time.
“I don’t know, Carmen. I still say he could have done better. But you’re right, Mark did the right thing in the end. And I know you love him, Carmen. I just think you deserve perfect happiness,” said Martha.
“Well, maybe these treatments will finally do some good,” said Carmen, not wanting to get into a conversation about Mark with Martha. Maybe she should talk to her friend, though, about what was going on with Mark. Martha was probably the only one that knew almost the whole truth. That Carmen’s marriage to Mark was one of compromise. That Carmen had pushed away her disappointment and concentrated on Avery’s success and her own plans for a bigger family that she could pour all her energy and love into. That even there she had failed because her plan for a big, busy family with Mark had not materialized. That maybe her mom had been right all those years ago on her graduation weekend.
It had been a disaster of a weekend. Carmen hadn’t told her parents about the pregnancy (much less the marriage) until a few weeks before graduation weekend. She hadn’t been showing at Christmas break and had fabricated a reason not to come home over spring break. Her parents also hadn’t even met Mark. The only thing they thought they knew for sure about him was that he didn’t care enough about their daughter to show up for her graduation. Carmen assured them that Mark had been a stand-up guy and that they had married a few months before, but that seemed to make her mother even sadder.
At the end of the graduation weekend, she had planned to meet her parents for breakfast at Lou’s. Before the food even hit the table, her parents asked her if she would consider coming home and raising the baby there instead of going to New York, “which was no place for a human, much less a baby.” They were concerned that Mark’s family would never accept a half-Hispanic wife or even a quarter-Hispanic daughter. Carmen told them that they were being ridiculous—this wasn’t 1965, and it wasn’t Texas. But they weren’t convinced and thought she should get a quick divorce, cut her losses, and start over in Texas.
That idea seemed ridiculous to Carmen, but her mother insisted, “You’ll see, honey. Time will tell. He’s not the man for you. And you will be so lonely by yourself in a tiny apartment with a baby and no help. And your poor baby. What will come of her?”
Carmen had hated it when her mom turned out to be right, at least about the alone part. She might have nailed Mark, time would tell, but she had been very wrong about Avery. On that score, the proof was in the pudding. Avery was in her first year at her mother’s alma mater. And things would be different for Avery.
“Martha,” Carmen continued, “I’ve been thinking that maybe I should stop trying for a baby.”
“What do you mean?” asked Martha. “You’re still young. Don’t give up. That’s not you.”
“I just wonder if maybe I’m still trying to make something work that’s not meant to be.”
“Carmen, I’m going to need to go,” interjected Martha suddenly.
“Oh, okay,” said Carmen, disappointed that she wasn’t going to get a chance to talk about Mark now that she had gotten up the courage to broach the topic. But this was always Martha’s way. Always something happening. “I’ll call you later I guess.”
“Yeah, no, Carmen, I’m going to need you to come to the hospital. Like right now. My water just broke.”
“Yes!” screamed Carmen with excitement. “We’re having a baby!” She sat up abruptly and starting pulling the needles out of her arms.
At the noise, Dr. Lee burst back into the room.
“What are you doing?” he demanded, fixing a glare on the cell phone in Carmen’s left hand.
“We are having a baby! Like right now!” she shouted as she pulled out the last of the needles and pushed past him out the door.
As she exited the office, she heard Dr. Lee ask the receptionist to make a referral for her to a psychiatrist.
As she rushed back to her car, Carmen clicked open her phone to make a note to call Dr. Lee back and explain. She noticed a text from Elizabeth and Sara.
Elizabeth: Ladies, this is your official save the date: Carmel, June 1. Heather’s out, but her new cottage is in! Carmen, please be the planner! Pretty please?
Sara: Of course, I’m in. But I can’t plan it, you guys. I plead temporary insanity. Ha! Get it, it’s a lawyer joke!
Of course they wanted her to plan the weekend. Some things never change. She texted back:
Fine. But you fancy lawyers are ponying up for the booze. Also, get your shit together and get over to the hospital. We’re having a baby!!! No excuses, Sara!
MARTHA
“You’ve got this, honey—one more push!” encouraged the petite blond nurse who was so young that Martha doubted she had yet experienced the pleasure of being anchored to a bed by an IV and paralyzed from the waist down.
The OB at the foot of the bed wasn’t Martha’s regular doctor. This baby was coming early—and quickly—and her new Wisconsin OB wasn’t able to get there on time.
And Robert was going to miss it. Again.
He had been traveling when Bobby was born a few weeks earlier than expected. All of their doctor friends had assured them that first babies were always late. Nope.
He’d also missed Jack’s birth because he had a presentation scheduled the same day Martha went into labor, and he just couldn’t cancel. Hundreds of doctors had come to hear him speak about his research.
So here she was again, alone in labor for the third time. Goddammit, she should have just stayed in Boston. At least her mom and dad would be around. The only thing currently keeping her company was the neighboring cornfield. No, that’s not entirely accurate, she reminded herself. She was here in labor with this doctor who was a stranger to her and her new “friend,” Tiffany, the teenage nurse. She couldn’t be sure, but she thought Tiffany had a tiny T tattoo on the back of her neck. At least she hoped it was a just a T.
In Robert’s defense, Martha’s baby was almost three weeks early this time, and Robert had thought he would have time for a quick business trip. He had left on Wednesday and promised to be back by the end of the day Friday. Several hours too late, it turned out.
Martha heard a commotion at the door. Maybe he had made it after all. But then she heard, “I am family, Tiffany, is it?” and she knew everything was going to be okay.