Let Me Be the One by Lily Foster Read Free Book Online Page B

yourself.  There’s nothing wrong with taking off a ye ar before starting med school.”
    She smiled at him, a genuinely loving smile, and put her hand over his hand, “Dad, it’s what I want to do.  I know what you say about the young doctors you work with but , believe me, I’ll be able to handle it.”
    He put his palms up in surrender, “I know you can handle anything.  It’s just that the field is so different now.  There’s so much you have to give up.  Years you can’t get back.  I hear these mid-thirty-somethings questioning their decision all the time.  And I know you think I’m saying this because you’re a woman but I told the same thing to Caleb and Luke. ”
    She rolled her eyes and laughed, “Can we please change the subject?”
    Sarah chimed in, “I almost forgot! Luke and Kate are coming over after we get home Sunday.  They said they have important news to tell us.”
    Darcy ’s eyes widened and she smiled broadly, “Do you think…,” then she winced. “Oh, I pray that it’s good news.  If Kate has another miscarriage it’s going to devastate her.”
    Sarah said soothingly as she took Darcy’s hand, “Ma ybe I shouldn’t have said anything but from the tone of his voice I didn’t get the impression that it was bad news.  I’m very hopeful, sweetie.”
    “ Please, I want a call as soon as you hear anything, either way.”
     
    Darcy and I were stuffed after dinner so we told her parents we’d walk the half-mile home instead of taking a ride.  I was happy she’d asked me to come.  I guess it reassured me that she felt something real for me too.  I wasn’t sure if I should pry but I dove in, “So what was that between you and your dad?”
    Darcy seemed confused momentarily and then said, “Oh , you mean about med school?”  When I nodded she said, “I think he’s afraid I’m going to work myself to the bone and study non-stop only to wake up at age thirty-five, exhausted, husbandless, and childless.”
    “Did either of your brothers choose medicine?”
    “No.  Luke was heading in that direction but when he was in high school he was involved with a Jesuit volunteer organization that put him to work on home building projects in impoverished areas.  He’s very outdoorsy and he really got into carpentry and building.  He worked for a contractor throughout college and then went out on his own a couple of years ago.  He met Kate when she was assisting the architect on one of his projects. She great, I love her so much.  Now they’re married and they have a business together.  She’s the architect and he’s the general contractor.  And as for Caleb, he never had any interest in being a doctor.  He’s in your future line of work, sort of.  He’s a commodities broker.”
    We just walked then, silent, lost in our own thoughts.  The air felt great; it was finally starting to get colder.  Darcy looked cute with her scarf wrapped around her neck and her nose red from the cold.  Holding her hand, her glove warmed mine. 
    I was thinking to myself about the thirty-five and e xhausted comment and I guess she was too when she broke the silence.  “Don’t get me wrong, maybe I won’t admit it to my father but I do think about what he says.  His interns and residents are always at our house—Sarah is great about making the ones who are new to the city feel like they have somewhere to eat a home-cooked meal.  I hear what they say.  I do think about it.”
    I squeezed her hand. “I think if it’s what you want to do, you can make it work, Darcy.  Can you do it at your own pace so you can have a life while you work towards it?”
    “It’s competitive.  You have to be wil ling to put the long hours in.  I know there are women who raise children while going through it but I know that would be tough.” She waved the thought away. “Whatever, that’s a long way off.”
    When we got back to her place, she fisted the fabric of my shirt, pulled me close and