home to call Michelle and risk her sister hearing about Nelson’s petition on the radio or TV. With the animal hospital closed for the day, she settled at her desk and punched in Michelle’s home number in Bethesda.
“Oh, hi!” Michelle said when she heard Rachel’s voice. “I was just about to call you and give you our good news. Well, Kevin’s news, but of course it affects both of us.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Michelle sounded happy, exuberant, and Rachel grabbed the chance to put off telling her about Nelson a bit longer.
“Kevin’s made partner,” Michelle said. “Faster than any other associate in the firm ever has. Isn’t that great?”
“That’s wonderful, Mish. Give him my congratulations.” Kevin Watters, Michelle’s husband of two years, was a sweet, down-to-earth guy who adored her, and Rachel would always be grateful to him for helping Michelle through the awful months after their mother’s death. She kept hoping they would have a child, one with Michelle’s blond, blue-eyed beauty and Kevin’s generous disposition, but Michelle preferred to devote her nurturing to the autistic children she worked with as a psychologist.
“We’re going out to celebrate,” Michelle said. “I’m sorry I don’t have time to talk long. We’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?”
“Mish, wait. I need to tell you something.”
“What?” Michelle’s voice instantly took on a wary edge. “Is something wrong?”
“I hate to bring this up and spoil your good mood.” Get it over with. “Perry Nelson’s asking the judge to let him spend time at home with his parents. Leslie Ryan’s trying to block it.”
Rachel waited for an eruption of anger, fear, outrage, but Michelle was silent. Rachel heard her draw a breath. When she spoke at last, she sounded icily calm. “No judge in his right mind will let that happen. But if it does—well, thank god you’re not in McLean anymore. After his mother attacked you in the Safeway—”
“She didn’t attack me, Mish.”
“Not physically, but for heaven’s sake, screaming at you in public about ruining her baby boy’s life— You couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t end up assaulting you someday. And you’d never be safe for a second if he got out. You made the right decision, getting away from McLean and the Nelsons and…and everything else.”
Everything else. The memories. Reminders of Mother everywhere she looked. And, of course, Michelle included Luke among the things best left behind. “To tell you the truth,” Rachel said, “I’m not always sure I made the right choice. I loved spending Christmas with you and Kevin, and I’ve been wanting to see you again ever since. But we’re so far apart.”
“I miss you too. I miss you a lot, and I wish we could just drive around the Beltway and see each other anytime we want to. But you went through a traumatic experience, Perry Nelson shot you, and you were in a bad relationship that was just making matters worse. You needed to make a clean break and start fresh. You know that’s the truth, Rachel. Regrets are to be expected, but I’m sure that most of the time you realize you did what was best for you.”
Sometimes Michelle sounded so much like their mother that Rachel could hardly bear to listen to her. Bit by bit, she had perfected that I’m always right and you have to be sensible and listen to me routine.
“Well, anyway,” Rachel said, trying to sound upbeat, “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. Leslie can handle Nelson. I’ll let you go and get ready for your big celebration. Give Kevin my congratulations and a kiss for me, okay?”
She hung up, feeling absurdly bereft. Why had she believed that Michelle would need reassurance and calming? Michelle, who had once been so dependent on Rachel, no longer seemed to need anything from her, not even her presence nearby. My little sister. My shadow. She had a sudden image of the two of them as children, Rachel racing through the fresh snow
“Oh, hi!” Michelle said when she heard Rachel’s voice. “I was just about to call you and give you our good news. Well, Kevin’s news, but of course it affects both of us.”
“Oh? What’s that?” Michelle sounded happy, exuberant, and Rachel grabbed the chance to put off telling her about Nelson a bit longer.
“Kevin’s made partner,” Michelle said. “Faster than any other associate in the firm ever has. Isn’t that great?”
“That’s wonderful, Mish. Give him my congratulations.” Kevin Watters, Michelle’s husband of two years, was a sweet, down-to-earth guy who adored her, and Rachel would always be grateful to him for helping Michelle through the awful months after their mother’s death. She kept hoping they would have a child, one with Michelle’s blond, blue-eyed beauty and Kevin’s generous disposition, but Michelle preferred to devote her nurturing to the autistic children she worked with as a psychologist.
“We’re going out to celebrate,” Michelle said. “I’m sorry I don’t have time to talk long. We’ll catch up tomorrow, okay?”
“Mish, wait. I need to tell you something.”
“What?” Michelle’s voice instantly took on a wary edge. “Is something wrong?”
“I hate to bring this up and spoil your good mood.” Get it over with. “Perry Nelson’s asking the judge to let him spend time at home with his parents. Leslie Ryan’s trying to block it.”
Rachel waited for an eruption of anger, fear, outrage, but Michelle was silent. Rachel heard her draw a breath. When she spoke at last, she sounded icily calm. “No judge in his right mind will let that happen. But if it does—well, thank god you’re not in McLean anymore. After his mother attacked you in the Safeway—”
“She didn’t attack me, Mish.”
“Not physically, but for heaven’s sake, screaming at you in public about ruining her baby boy’s life— You couldn’t be sure she wouldn’t end up assaulting you someday. And you’d never be safe for a second if he got out. You made the right decision, getting away from McLean and the Nelsons and…and everything else.”
Everything else. The memories. Reminders of Mother everywhere she looked. And, of course, Michelle included Luke among the things best left behind. “To tell you the truth,” Rachel said, “I’m not always sure I made the right choice. I loved spending Christmas with you and Kevin, and I’ve been wanting to see you again ever since. But we’re so far apart.”
“I miss you too. I miss you a lot, and I wish we could just drive around the Beltway and see each other anytime we want to. But you went through a traumatic experience, Perry Nelson shot you, and you were in a bad relationship that was just making matters worse. You needed to make a clean break and start fresh. You know that’s the truth, Rachel. Regrets are to be expected, but I’m sure that most of the time you realize you did what was best for you.”
Sometimes Michelle sounded so much like their mother that Rachel could hardly bear to listen to her. Bit by bit, she had perfected that I’m always right and you have to be sensible and listen to me routine.
“Well, anyway,” Rachel said, trying to sound upbeat, “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine. Leslie can handle Nelson. I’ll let you go and get ready for your big celebration. Give Kevin my congratulations and a kiss for me, okay?”
She hung up, feeling absurdly bereft. Why had she believed that Michelle would need reassurance and calming? Michelle, who had once been so dependent on Rachel, no longer seemed to need anything from her, not even her presence nearby. My little sister. My shadow. She had a sudden image of the two of them as children, Rachel racing through the fresh snow
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