Track 47 Mother and Child Re
Track 47
Mother and Child Reunion
Maggie
Maggie and Beatrix led the barefoot procession home, arm in arm, their party shoes dangling at their sides. Maggie marveled at the ease she felt with her birth mother. The four days when only one of them was aware of the weight of their connection helped. There was none of the awkwardness and tiptoeing she imagined would have occurred if she had straight up introduced herself. This was not a normal mother and child reunion.
Her brain cued up the Paul Simon song of the same name and she did her best not to hum the first notes.
Beatrix suggested they walk on the beach and Maggie was happy to. She would miss the beach. She would miss this magical island, and Shep and her birth mother, of course. Even Veronica had grown on her. But if she was being true to herself and completely honest about what she had felt over the past four days, she would miss Matt most of all.
She turned to see him walking a few steps behind with Jason and Dylan. She caught Jason’s eye, and he shook his head in a “Can you believe it?” way. He loved her so much, it was as if this was happening to him as much as her. Maggie decided against being true to herself and went with her old standby, being true to Jason. It had worked for her thus far and she wasn’t about to jeopardize it for some guy who had slipped into her heart just when it was cracked wide open.
Dylan hiked her dress up to her knees and dashed in and out of the ocean’s edge while Matt and Jason spoke about who knew what. Ben and Addison also tagged along, towing their wagon of sleeping flower girls over the packed sand at the shoreline. Paul and Shep were standing between them, Shep clearly talking their ears off.
The bride and groom, far in the distance, were bringing up the rear.
When they reached their block, Beatrix asked Maggie if she’d like to hang back a bit so they could be alone, sit on the steps, and catch up. It was a beautiful night and there was certainly a lot to catch up on.
“I hope you’ll be returning next summer, Maggie,” Shep said before pulling her in for an old-man bear hug. When he finally let go, he climbed up a few stairs and announced:
“I have something to say.”
“What a surprise,” Ben ribbed. “You know, Shep, you should really consider doing a TED Talk.”
Even Maggie knew this was their schtick. She had been using a lot of Yiddish lately, dipping her toe into the vernacular of the tribe without even meaning to.
“I think this night is worthy of some old-man wisdom,” Shep declared, and launched ahead.
“You know, I’ve spent near sixty years on this glorified sandbar. No matter where I go or what I do, all roads lead me back to this narrow spit of sand.” He pointed to Matt and Dylan. “It’s why these two whippersnappers always return, no matter where life takes them, and it’s where Ben and I escaped to when Caroline and Julia went and left us. It’s where beautiful Addison came for seven weeks and stayed for seven years. All roads lead us here. This is our Rome. I hope it becomes your Rome too, Maggie. I know you must leave in the morning, but I want you to know you are always welcome. I think I can speak for everyone here when I say—you stole our hearts.”
“Veni, vidi, vici,” Ben proclaimed, keeping with the Roman theme, before loosely translating it for the few confused faces in the group.
“She came, she saw, she conquered.”
“She certainly did,” Dylan added in a knowing tone.
“What’s going on here?” Renee asked, showing up late to the party.
“I’ll explain it all at home,” Matt assured her, wrapping his arm around his mother’s shoulders, and pulling her in for a hug. Renee bent his head down and kissed the top of it.
“My sweet boy,” she said, effusive with love.
“Whatever you have to say, you better make it quick, Matty. It’s our wedding night,” Jake warned.
“Ewwww, gross, Daddy,” Dylan laughed as they all helped Ben and Addison lift their precious cargo up and over the stairs.
Paul gave his wife a quick peck on the lips. “You OK?” he asked quietly.
“More than OK.”
Jason did the same to Maggie. And Bea and Maggie watched them all go before getting comfortable on the second-to-bottom step, both happily wiggling their toes in the cold night sand. There was so much ground to cover.
“I really wish you weren’t leaving in the morning.”
“Wow, didn’t take you long to tap into that Jewish Mom guilt, huh?”
They laughed a little too hard. They must have both needed it. But when the laughter had subsided, Beatrix quickly took it in another direction.
“Seriously, though, Maggie, I’m so sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be sorry. For deceiving you all week.”
“Oh my goodness, don’t give that another thought. It was brilliant to try to get to know me before committing. I’m surprised you even stuck around after seeing that horrible scene between Veronica and me.”
“We have Matt to thank for that—he convinced me to stay, that you were worth it. Wait,” Maggie added. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because I gave you up without any idea of where you would end up.”
“Never be sorry for that. I am endlessly grateful for what you did, really. I had the most wonderful parents and a childhood in a beautiful place.”
“You can’t imagine what it means to me to know that. I hoped and prayed that was the case, but sometimes my mind would take me to awful places.”
Beatrix took off her pashmina wrap, spread it out on the sand, and patted it.
“Let’s get comfortable.”
The two women lay next to each other, heads on the blanket, eyes on the stars.
“Tell me everything!” Beatrix said.
“I’ll try,” Maggie replied.
For the next hour or so she did just that. There was so much to say, so much Bea had missed. Her questions were endless; Maggie did her best to answer each one before another popped out of Bea’s mouth. When she felt satisfied with their coverage of the past, Bea moved on to the future.
By now, she had turned on her side, staring at her daughter.
“You know, it’s funny. This weekend, I didn’t doubt any of it. Even for a second. You and Matt seem made for each other, and you and Jason really do seem like brother and sister.”
Bea laughed until it was obvious that Maggie wasn’t joining in. She somewhat changed the subject.
“Oh my God, Jason! I forgot about Jason.”
“Don’t worry. Paul took him back to the house. I’m sure they’re both sound asleep on the couch by now.”
Maggie looked at her phone. There was a text from Matt, but she didn’t read it.
“It’s almost three a.m.! We should go. I’m leaving on the ten o’clock boat.”
They grabbed their stuff and headed home to collect Jason. Maggie stopped in her tracks in front of Matt’s house. The lights were out. The whole street seemed to be asleep.
“It’s so quiet and dark,” she remarked.
“I used to love that when I was a teenager. Coming home late at night when the entire street was sleeping. I would picture everyone cozy in their beds.”
“This place is unbelievable,” Maggie said quietly.
“It truly is.”
“Is every block like this?”
“You mean close?”
“I mean like family.”
“Some are, for sure. But I like to think ours is special.”
Maggie read Matt’s text.
Come by when you’re done.
Along with a selfie they took on the dance floor.
When she looked at the photo, her heart dropped to her stomach and an enormous smile crept across her face.
“What?” Bea asked. “What does it say?”
Maggie did her best to rein in her smile, but as soon as she flashed the picture to Bea, it escaped again.
Bea silently raised her eyebrows.
“Don’t,” Maggie said.
“I’m not,” Bea replied.
Their dynamic was already familial.
She texted Matt back.
Sorry it’s so late. I’m sure you are sound asleep.
Before she could walk away, the light in his bedroom flicked on.
“Damn,” she said under her breath.
“I’ll leave you be,” Beatrix offered, and headed home.
Matt opened his window and shout-whispered, “Come up.”
Maggie shook her head and pointed to her watch.
“I’ll come down.”
“Don’t,” she said, her eyes immediately filled with tears. She collected herself as best she could and added, “Come see us off in the morning?”
“OK, I will. And, Maggie…”
“What?”
He took a beat.
“Nothing. It can wait till morning.”