Mama looked at me again to see my reaction to Daddy's responses. "You're not helping the situation with this sort of reaction, Christopher."
"Well, what's she want to do?"
"Dr. Dell'Acqua wants to begin with blood tests. She also wants her to have a cerebral CAT scan. There are different types of precocious puberty and we have to determine which she has, what's causing it, and then treat it."
I'll never forget the expression on Daddy's face when he looked at me then. Ere made me feel as if he thought I was a freak. The distaste and disgust in his fact brought tears to my eyes. I felt as if I couldn't breathe.
"Regardless," Mama continued, maintaining her firm demeanor and control, "she is going to have great psychological and emotional difficulty and we'll have to give her all the support and care we can. She might even need professional therapy."
"Therapy! A seven-year-old kid?"
"With divorces and other marital problems these days, that's not as unusual as you might think, Christopher. In any case, that's what Dr. Dell'Acqua told me even before she has looked at her. Jordan will have difficulty adjusting to the changes and the impact they have on her mentally. Besides," she said with a deep sigh, "'her body is beyond a seven-yearold's so you have to stop thinking in terms of her age."
"Stop thinking in terms of her age? That's weird. This is horrible," Daddy said.
My lips trembled and I let out a small moan.
"You're scaring her, Christopher," Mama said, glancing at me and then putting her arm around my shoulders.
He looked away and then turned back quickly. "Anything like this ever happen to anyone else in your family?"
"Not that I know of, Christopher. Why does that matter now anyway?"
"Was it something that you might have done wrong when you were pregnant with her?" he followed without a blink.
Mama looked at me quickly and then back at him. "Don't be ridiculous, Christopher. I was under Dr. Dell'Acqua's care with her. Why are you trying to fix blame on me or my side of the family? Are you already worrying about what your mother's going to say or do?"
At the mention of Grandmother Emma, Daddy's eyes widened. "Look," he replied instead of answering her question, "I think you're right to keep this all secret. I agree. No one has to low beside the doctor for as long as possible, especially my mother. Somehow, she'll find a way to blame it on me. I know her."
"Her appointment is at eleven tomorrow. I'm picking her up at school," Mama said, ignoring his self-pity.
"Eleven?" He thought a moment and shook his head. "I can't be there at eleven. I have an important meeting."
"It can't be more important than your own daughter's well-being and health, Christopher. Christopher!" she said sharply when he didn't reply.
"Okay, okay. I'll work it out," he said, and rose to his feet. He glared down at the two of us. "You should have done something when you first noticed, maybe. Maybe you could have nipped it in the bud."
"You're going to have to stop doing this, Christopher."
"Stop doing what?"
"You're going to have to stop shifting responsibility and blame onto me for everything that displeases you and your mother."
"Yeah, right," Daddy said. He turned and left the room so quickly. I felt a breeze in his wake.
I saw my mother fighting hard to keep her tears in check, but she couldn't win that battle. She wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, and then hugged me to her.
"You'll be all right, honey," she said. "Just be brave when we go to see the doctor."
I really did like Dr. Dell'Acqua. She was always very nice to me, but my mother warned me that one of the things she would do to me would be to stick a needle in my arm to take blood. I had a difficult time falling asleep that night thinking about it. She came into my room twice to reassure me.
All my friends were curious about why I was being taken out of school the next to last day of the school year. Why couldn't anything I needed to do have waited? My mother told me to say it was a dental appointment that couldn't be broken, if I were asked. I was never a good liar. My lips always trembled and I could never look anyone in the face. I had to look down or away, but my mother was so worried about strangers finding out about me. I had to do the
best I could.
When we arrived at Dr. Dell'Acqua's office, Mama was immediately upset because Daddy wasn't there waiting, as he had promised. While we waited to ao in to see Dr. Dell'Acqua, the receptionist received a phone call from Daddy, who told her to tell us he was just unavoidably delayed at the market. He would a et to the doctor's office as soon as he could.
My mother said nothing. She didn't even thank the receptionist. She just stood there staring at her until the phone rang again and the receptionist had to take the call. Daddy didn't arrive before we were called to go into the examination room. Soon after, Dr. Dell'Acqua entered wearing her long lab robe and her stethoscope. Her nurse accompanied her.