“Maude, dear?”
Because if I am honest with myself, I can’t remember it being a dream of mine before we were actually doing it. It’s almost like I thought it up on the spot.
“Maude?”
My attention snaps back into focus and I look around, realizing someone is calling my mother’s name. An old man is sitting in the overstuffed chairs by the front window, his arm raised over his head to wave in my direction. His expression brightens when our eyes meet and I change directions to head his way.
“You didn’t hear me!” he smiles as I approach. “I was calling you!”
Just as I am about to explain that Maude is my mother, I realize I am talking to Boss Warner. The white fluff in his ears has grown to heroic proportions and he is much older than I remember him.
He holds out a hand to me and I take it in mine, smiling as I sit next to him.
“Good morning, Boss Warner,” I smile, remembering my Florida manners. “Beautiful day, isn’t it?”
He takes a deep breath and holds it, covering my hand with his other hand and patting my wrist fondly.
“Just another day in paradise,” he sighs, grinning. “I was just sitting here, waiting for the sandpipers. They usually stroll by here around lunchtime.”
Glancing out the window, I think I can see what he means. There’s a fountain not far away and gravel paths all around it that lead out to the beach. I imagine a lot of wildlife comes by this window over the course of a day.
“How have you been?” I ask, watching his green eyes gain and then lose focus.
I can still see the image of the man I used to know, with this older man superimposed over it. He was already quite mature when he was my doctor. I actually thought of him as being ancient. But that must have been ten years ago, perhaps. And now he is here, and I don’t think he is practicing medicine.
“Oh, can’t complain, can’t complain,” he shrugs. “I mean, I could complain, but what good would it do me?”
I laugh along at his joke, certain he has said it at least a dozen times, probably since this morning. I remember he was always the sort to recycle a good joke until everyone had heard it at least twice.
“So,” he says, tugging me a little closer with his eyes twinkling, “how far along are you? Do you know what you are having?”
My breath catches in my throat. “Boss? What are you talking about?”
I try to pull back, but he holds my hand trapped between his.
“Oh, I’ve been in the business too long to miss the signs,” he winks. “And don’t worry… I’m sure no one else will be able to tell for another couple of months. It will just be our secret.”
“Oh!” I gasp, terrified but relieved that he’s not telling me I suddenly started showing since this morning. “I guess nothing gets past you, right?”
“I’ve delivered every baby in Willowdale for twenty years!” he brags, though I figure he must be short at least a couple of decades. “Why, I practically have everyone’s cycle memorized. I should put out a calendar!”
“Oh my gosh!” I laugh, delighted by his innuendo. “What a scandal! I bet that would really turn everybody’s heads.”
We lean together, chuckling, and it is a bit of a relief to be able to share a laugh over this. I have to admit that I feel safe here. He was my pediatrician, after all. In fact, he even delivered me, right there in the cabin. My mother had a brief and sudden labor, and there was no time to get to the hospital. As a matter of fact, in her own charming way she claims that I shot out like a greased piglet.
Actually, now that I think of it, that is pretty good to know. I can only hope I will be so lucky.
“Now, I do need to scold you,” he announces. “I haven’t seen you in the office yet. You need to make an appointment right away, you know. We need to get all the testing done.”
“Um, okay,” I smile uncertainly. I would like to pull my hand back, but he is still hanging onto it.
“Prenatal care starts from the very beginning,” he continues.
“Yes, I know,” I rush, starting to feel uncomfortable. “I will definitely do that. This week?”
“That would be fine,” he smiles. “Just give my wife a call to set the appointment, or drop by if that’s more convenient, all right?”
Blinking back tears, I force myself to smile back. His wife has been passed on for at