Chapter 24
Two days later
Standing outside Mariah’s front door, I feel nervous. I missed meeting her when my cousins met her two days earlier. Bethel and Ariel told me all about Mariah afterwards. They were so excited that they finally got to meet her. Deborah was over the moon as she and Mariah had been close as children.
I was not able to meet her 2 days earlier as my daughter, Christie, was sick. Now, standing on her steps, I look down at my six-year-old child standing next to me. She is playing with the buttons on her blouse. I feel amazed looking at her. It was six years since Christie and I reunited with my cousins, the Abraham sisters.
Gratitude towards Sarah swells up in my chest. She had been the first of the nine sisters I got to know. She helped Christie and I get away from a bad situation in Texas. That was how she met her husband, Jacob.
I take in a breath to steady my nerves and knock on Mariah’s door. I wait for a few seconds and then the door opens. A lovely young woman who looks like Deborah steps into the doorway.
“Morgan!!!” she exclaims in an excited voice. “It is so good of you to come.”
Mariah steps towards me, reaches forward and hugs me. I am relieved she is so gracious towards me and surprised she seems so welcoming to someone she does not know. I let go of Christie’s hand and put my arms around Mariah.
I feel gratitude wash over me. Thank you God, I say in my mind.
She releases me and steps back, “I am so glad you came.” She bends down and looks at Christie, “Hello, You must be Christie. You are so cute. I am Mariah, your cousin.”
Christie looks at her shyly. She hesitates and then looks up at me. I smile at her and nod my head. This gives her confidence. She turns back to Mariah and says in a quiet voice, “Hi.”
Mariah stands up and addresses me, “Please come in, sit down, would you like juice to drink or tea or water?”
“Nothing for me, thank you Mariah,” I turn to my daughter, “Christie, do you want some juice?”
Christie nods shyly.
Mariah grins at her ”great, I’ll be right back.”
She disappears into the kitchen and is back in a minute with juice in a plastic cup for Christie and a coloring book and crayons.
She pulls her small coffee table in front of Christie and puts everything down in front of her. Christie looks very happy when she sees the crayons. Her eyes seem to dance in excitement.
Five minutes later Mariah has Christie drawing houses and buildings. I sit and look at the two of them.
***
An hour goes by and Christie starts yawning. Mariah invited me to rest Christie on her bed. I take Christie to it and in a few minutes she is asleep.
When I come back to the living room, I see that Mariah has made tea for us. She is sitting on the couch and sipping from her cup. Another cup on the coffee table sits waiting for me. I feel another wave of thankfulness wash over me at the thought of how hospitable Mariah has been to us.
Happily, I walk over and sit next to her. She smiles at me. I pick up my cup and say, “Thank you Mariah. You were awesome with Christie. She doesn’t take to everyone. She is shy.”
Mariah glows, “I grew up at an orphanage, so I am accustomed to children.”
“Oh yes, I forgot. Bethel told me,” I feel sheepish. I imagine Mariah had a rough life in the orphanage. I didn’t want to bring up bad memories for her. I fall quiet not knowing what to say next.
Mariah puts her hand on my arm, “It’s ok Morgan. Don’t feel awkward. My situation is weird and yes I am sensitive about it sometimes. I had amnesia as you know. Well, I still have it to some degree. I don’t know what happened to my parents. No one does. Maybe I will find out in the future.”
“I’m sorry Mariah. I guess I don’t want to say anything to trigger your memories.”
She rubs my arms. “It is ok. I noticed that Christie seems kind of frightened. She jumps easily. It is like she is expecting something bad to happen.”
Morgan sighs, “Yes, I think it is because the situation I was in when I lived with her father was volatile. I left when Christie was a baby. Sarah and Joshua came and got me. That is how they met actually. I think Christie developed that nervous behavior as a baby.”
I look down at my hands. “I feel as though I have failed as a mother. I question myself and ask myself why I allowed Christie and myself to stay in such a toxic situation. I tried to get Christie out. I don’t know why I didn’t have the courage to leave on my own. I think I was scared.”
I can feel my hands trembling, my eyes getting wet. Then I felt Mariah’s arms around me and she pulled me towards her. I allowed myself to sink into her arms.
Another loving relative has entered my life, thank you God.
Then I become conscious of the fact that my tears are wetting her blouse. I pull back and look at her and mentally try to pull myself together.
“Sorry,” I mutter. Mariah stands and comes back in seconds with a box of tissues. She hands me some and then takes some into her own hands and dabs at my tears.
She speaks gently to me, “It is ok Morgan. You are away now. Why were you scared?”
I hesitate, “I think I was afraid to be alone. Afraid of change. I think I thought I could not provide for Christie on my own. I could never hold down a job.”
“Morgan, you have become a brave strong woman. I am here. Whenever you need a place to stay, come stay with me.”
I laugh as I dab at my eyes, “I am doing well now. I got myself educated and I have a good job. We have a place to live. Thank you though.”
As I speak, my phone rings. I reach for my bag and fish it out. It is Simon. Instinctively a smile comes to my face as I imagine his happy face looking down at me. Then I shake my head and will my mind back to Mariah sitting next to me. I cancel his call, but not before Mariah catches his name on my phone.
“Ooooh,” she cooes, “Who is this Simon in your life? Don’t say a friend. I saw your expression.” I can see eagerness on her face.
I groan, ”You sound so much like Deborah,” I smirk.
She giggles, “You look like Sarah.”
“I can’t deny that,” I concede.
“Don’t change the subject,” she chides me. Then with a pout she puts on a whiny voice like a child who wants candy, “who is this man you like?”
I sigh, “Yes I like him. Quite a lot. His name is Simon. He is wonderful, but I don’t feel ready to date. I want to settle myself and Christie better first.”
Mariah looks at me with a perplexed expression, “Aren’t you settled now? You graduated and are working and you guys have a place to live and Christie is in school. What do you want to settle?”
“Well,” I hesitate, “I need to get a better job and Christie can be jumpy and she scares easily and I’m not sure this is the right time. Maybe later…”
I see understanding in Mariah’s eyes. “It is ok to be scared Morgan. You have been through a lot. Take your time. But don’t let your past hold you back from your future. I made that mistake. I have been so wrapped up in discovering my past and who I am now and finding myself and grieving my losses, I missed out on a wonderful man, James. Don’t make my mistake.”
“Can you call him? Make things right?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Like you, I hesitate. I don’t know,” she looks through the window. “Would you like to look at the stars with me?” she asks.
“Sure,” and together we rise and hand in hand, we walk out her front door.