Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
C helsea held up a copy of a paperback book and then handed it to Maggie, who was sitting on the back porch swing.
“I know you’ve been preoccupied lately, so I picked up a copy for you. It looks like we’re set for January 30 th at Claire’s house for the first book club meeting.”
Maggie took the book in her hand and smiled.
“You’re kidding, right?”
“What?”
“What do you mean, what? Who picked this book?”
“Claire did, it made the most sense for her to start us off. What’s wrong with this book?”
Maggie laughed. “Only that the woman on the cover looks like me, that’s all.”
Chelsea looked at the book cover and shrugged.
“You may have a point. I hadn’t noticed. Now that you mention it, I think the story fits nicely with your own journey. A woman on a mission to find herself, after years of dedicating her life to her husband and children spends a year on Cape Cod. I mean, if we replace the location with Captiva Island, it almost sounds like you,” she teased.
The twinkle in Chelsea’s eye didn’t convince Maggie of anything except her best friend was making fun of her.
“I told Claire that when we finish with this book, we should get together and watch the movie.”
“There’s a movie?”
“Yeah, I’ve never seen it, but I heard it’s good. You know how that goes, most of the time the movie is nowhere as good as the book. We’ll see.”
Maggie examined the book and read the description on the back. “Well, it sounds good, and it’s less than two hundred pages. I’m sure I can handle that. Who knows, I might need something to read during chemo.”
Chelsea grimaced. “Stop that. You can’t think the worst, Maggie.”
Maggie shrugged. “I know, but it’s so hard after everything I’ve been through not to expect bad news. I’m glad I’ll get the biopsy tomorrow. The sooner I find out, the better. We’ve got so much to do this month, I don’t have time for cancer.”
Chelsea giggled in spite of the somber mood. “I think I’ll have a t-shirt made with that on it. We can pass them out at the hospital…No Time For Cancer.”
Just then, Millie came out onto the porch.
“Oh, you both got the book. I’m going to the bookstore after work to pick mine up. I’m so excited to dive in, aren’t you?” she asked, looking at Maggie.
“Hmm, yes, it should be fun, Millie. Chelsea got one too.”
“That’s great. You know who we should invite to the book club?” she whispered.
“No, who?”
“Oliver. He doesn’t know anyone on the island, and I’m sure he’d love to meet everyone.”
Maggie shook her head. “I doubt that. At least for now, why don’t we let him focus on working with Iris and getting up to speed on how we do things around here? Besides, the book club is only for women so far, and the first book doesn’t seem like something a man would be interested in reading.”
Millie put her hands on her hips. “That might be how things were done in the old days, but not anymore. Women and men enjoy and participate in many of the same things we didn’t years ago.”
“The old days? Millie, you’re older than we are,” Chelsea said.
“Well, you know what I mean. Anyway, maybe not for this book, but we should consider inviting him for the next one. He’ll have been working here for two months by then.”
“Well see,” Maggie said.
“Well, I’ve got to vacuum upstairs. I’ll see you all later.”
After Millie left, Maggie chuckled. “Never a dull moment around here.”
“That’s for sure,” Chelsea added. “Well, I’ve got to get home, lots of Christmas gifts to wrap,” she said, getting up from her chair.
“Thanks for the book,” Maggie said. “I need a distraction this afternoon, so your visit was perfect timing.”
“I assume Paolo is taking you to the hospital tomorrow?”
Maggie nodded.
“Well, if you need more moral support, you know I’ll go with you.”
Maggie reached for Chelsea’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you, dear friend, but I’ll be all right. I appreciate the offer though.”
Chelsea smiled. She didn’t want Maggie to see how concerned she was, so as usual, she made a joke.
“Don’t use this latest health situation as an excuse to get out of buying me a nice Christmas present.”
Maggie laughed. “Darn, and I was about to do that very thing.”
Sarah couldn’t decide whether to call her siblings about their mother’s latest cancer scare. She had changed her mind several times in the last twenty-four hours. Ultimately, she realized she needed her brothers and sisters to help her cope with the fear of the unknown.
She sent a text to Lauren, Beth, Christopher and Michael, and asked them to join her in a group phone call. The joke had always been that whenever a group video or phone call was needed, a Code Red would signal something distressing or an emergency. It was their mother’s way of getting everyone to pay attention.
Sarah didn’t use the Code Red announcement but explained in her text that it was serious.
She paced the living room, the phone clutched tightly in her hand. The familiar ringtone of each sibling joining the call brought a mix of relief and anxiety.
“Hey, Sarah, what’s going on?” Lauren’s voice was the first to break the silence.
“Is everything okay?” Beth asked.
“Becca and I are over at Brea and Michael’s, so we’ve got you on speaker phone,” Christopher added.
“I didn’t want to worry you all, but I couldn’t keep this to myself any longer. Mom found a lump under her armpit. She’s going in for a biopsy tomorrow.”
There was a collective intake of breath, followed by a heavy silence.
“Oh no,” Lauren whispered, her voice breaking.
“Do you think it’s…is it the cancer again?”
“We don’t know yet,” Sarah replied, her voice trembling. “But, given her history, the doctor is taking it seriously. Mom sent me a text this morning that the doctor’s office had called and they scheduled her for the biopsy tomorrow. That’s all I know right now.”
“Should we call her?” Michael asked. “We’re all going to be there for Christmas in two weeks. Maybe we should wait for the biopsy results before making any changes to our plans?”
“What are you suggesting?” Lauren asked.
“Well, I don’t mind going down earlier than originally planned.”
“Becca and I are leaving in four days, so we’ll probably be there when she gets the results of the biopsy,” Christopher said.
“Yeah, we’ll be there for her if she needs anything at all. We were planning on getting there a week before you all, so that we can sneak in a little vacation before the baby comes,” Becca added.
“I’ll call Mom tonight,” Beth said. “I want her to know that I’m thinking of her. I don’t have to say anything about you telling us Sarah. I’m surprised she didn’t call us,” Beth said.
“Really, Beth? You know Mom. She wouldn’t want to upset us,” Lauren said. “I’ll call her tonight too, I’ll keep it light and just check in.”
“Me too,” Michael said.
“Don’t you think she’ll be suspicious that we are all calling her on the same day?” Beth asked.
“We can just tell her that we were all together today and talking about Christmas and how much fun it’s going to be, and we thought we’d call and talk about it,” Michael explained.
They all spent the next hour discussing their concerns, sharing their feelings, and comforting each other. They reminisced about their mother’s strength, her previous battle with cancer, and how she had emerged victorious. They laughed about her insistence on Code Red calls and how it always managed to bring them together, no matter what.
As the call came to an end, Sarah felt so much better. Whatever they had ahead of them, they’d deal with it together. They had always counted on each other in difficult times, and this time would be no different.
Sarah sat in a chair in the corner of the living room and looked out the window. If she was still in Massachusetts, snow would fall, and she’d be drinking hot chocolate. A Captiva Christmas was anything but traditional, but at least the balsam fir candle made the room smell like Christmas.
Sarah thought back to previous years’ Christmas when they were all together in Massachusetts. She could picture the scene clearly. The family gathered around the large Christmas tree in their living room. Smells of freshly baked cookies filled the air, and the sound of carols playing softly in the background. Her mother beamed with happiness, surrounded by her children and grandchildren, a look of pure joy on her face.
This year, they would create new memories, no matter what the biopsy results revealed. Sarah was determined to make it a Christmas to remember, filled with the same love and joy as always.
She envisioned the laughter of her siblings filling the house, the kids playing together, and the comforting presence of her family giving them all strength.
Whatever her mother’s prognosis, the medicine would remain the same as always. Support and love from family and friends that never wavered, no matter what life threw in her path.
Maggie Wheeler Moretti was truly loved, but more than that, her ability to love others was the true medicine, and no cancer could ever take that away from her.
Maggie read the book description again.
“Over the course of a year, she gradually discovered that her life as an ‘unfinished woman’ was full of possibilities.”
Maggie chuckled.
Is that what I am, an unfinished woman? Isn’t every woman?
She thought about how much she’d gone through in her life, and unfinished life made sense; she had many more years before she could claim her life was finished.
Do I? How many more years do I have?
The questions upset her and so she tossed the book to the side, and pulled her sweater close as she rocked the porch swing back and forth.
Her cellphone rang, and she recognized the ringtone as Lauren’s.
“Hey honey. How’s my girl?”
“Hi Mom, everyone is great here. We thought we’d check in and see how you were getting along.”
“Oh, things are the same around here. How is the baby doing? I miss that little boy.”
“He’s great, wait until you see him in a couple of weeks. It’s incredible how fast they grow.”
Maggie’s phone vibrated.
“Oh, honey, hang on. Beth’s calling.”
“Hey Bethy, I’m on the phone with Lauren right now. Can I call you back?”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll be here.”
Maggie returned to her call with Lauren.
“I don’t remember the last time that happened. Anyway, I told her I’d call her back. So, what’s up?”
“Not much, I just thought I’d call and say hello. So, everything is going well down there?”
“Yes, honey. Everything is fine. Oh…wait, I have another call. Hang on.”
“Hey Chris, honey, I’m on the phone with Lauren, and…”
Maggie stopped mid-sentence when it suddenly hit her that her children knew…Sarah had let the cat out of the bag.
“Chris, I’ll call you back.”
“Okay, Mom.”
When Maggie got Lauren back on the line, she knew what to say.
“Lauren, that was Chris. I have to assume that sometime tonight, maybe even while I’m talking to you, your brother, Michael, will call me, and I know why.”
Lauren didn’t respond.
“Tell me the truth, Sarah called you all, didn’t she?”
“Mom, she was worried and needed us. I would have done the same, don’t be angry with her.”
Maggie wanted to cry. She hated what her cancer had done to her family. It was one thing for her to worry about what was to come, but it wasn’t fair that people she loved suffered over it.
“Oh honey, I’m not mad at Sarah. I know you all are concerned, but let’s keep a positive attitude, okay? Trust me, if this is cancer, there will be plenty of moments when I’m going to be grateful for you and your siblings’ support. We’ve been through this before, and we’ll get through it again. But, if you all want to help me right now, what I need is for you all to get excited about Christmas. I want everyone to focus on us being together and having a wonderful time. Can you all do that for me?”
“Of course we can, and don’t worry, you don’t have to return Chris and Beth’s phone calls. I’ll call them and tell them what you said. We’re looking forward to all of us being together this year. But, Mom, you have to let us know what happens with the biopsy. Don’t try to spare us. We want to know.”
Maggie nodded into the phone. “I promise to call you when I know. Until then, you hug Jeff and the children for me. I can’t wait to hug you all soon.”