Madeline
Marcie pats Tom on the back. “There there,” she says. His coughing fits had become worse. They had moved Tom out of the hospital and back home once they realized there was not much more they could do for him. The cancer had spread and it was out of the doctor’s control. The first, second, and third opinions agreed he had a little longer.
The last doctor suggested to Marcie that he would be more comfortable at home and she couldn’t help but agree. They set up a hospital bed in the small crowded living room leaving only a foot between the bed and the low couch. Even though they paid for a full-time caretaker, Marcie couldn’t dare to leave the side of her loving husband of thirty years. Even sleeping on the couch rather than in her comfortable bed just a few steps away upstairs.
They caught the lung cancer too late and the small family only had a few weeks to digest the news. Once he was back home, no one in the house would use the “c” word. It was inevitable what would happen to Tom and there was no reason to aggravate it. Positivity was the theme in the house.
But Marcie knew if Tom had little more time she better tell him sooner than later.
Tom’s cough finally subsides and Marcie takes a deep breath. “Tom,” she smiles at him, “Are you comfortable?” He nods.
“Do you want water or anything?” She asks. He shakes his head. Marcie needs to bite the bullet and say it.
She continues, “There is something I have been meaning to tell you. And it won’t be easy for me to say nor easy for you to listen, but I need to tell you this. I need to get this off my chest. Perhaps it is selfish of me, but I need this.” Tom nods again and gives Marcie a warm smile. He loved his wife from the moment he met her. She had this curly brown hair she would try to tame and when she got older, cut it short and let it be wild. He loved the woman she was and loved the woman she turned out to be. They grew together. Not all couples can do that.
Marcie continues, “I want to talk to you about something that happened thirty years ago. Before we were married. If I made different decisions, our lives would be different. Not just mine but yours too. I want you to know that I do not regret for a minute marrying you. You were the best thing to happen to me but you came along at a weird time in my crazy life. I want you to know that I love you with all my heart and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. Do you understand that?” Tom nods again. He was glad she felt the same way.
Marcie continues, “Do you remember when we first started dating? Back in the early 90s. Do you remember I worked at that restaurant over off 3rd street? I was a waitress. Do you remember?” Tom nods again. That wild curly hair comes back to his memory.
Marcie continues, “I don’t know if you remember but there was a guy who worked there with me. His name was Mark.”
“I remember Mark. Tall? Beard?” Tom wheezes out and finishes with a cough. Now it is Marcie’s turn to nod.
“Yeah, that’s Mark. He was always after me. He was always looking at me. He was always trying to get me to go out with him. So, around the time when you and I had met, I finally gave in and went on one date with him. You and I had only been out once or twice. We were brand new and so it wasn’t cheating at least I never saw it that way. I hope you don’t either.”
“So, you went out with a loser. What’s the big deal?” Tom’s wheezing is harsh and he coughs. He looks up at the ceiling for a moment, takes a deep breath, and then looks back at his wife.
“The big deal is that Tommy is not your son.” Marcie covered her face with her hands and tears started streaming down her face. “I’m sorry.”
The two of them sit in silence. Tom opens his mouth but all that comes out is a cough. Marcie pats his back, waiting for the coughing to subside.
A tall figure appears in the doorway and the shadow gets Tom and Marcie’s attention. They both look up realizing they never heard the front door open and close.
“Dad is not my dad?” The figure takes a step forward, eyes wide.
“Oh, Tommy,” Marcie stands. She dropped a bomb on the two most important people in her life. She was about to ask how much he had heard, but he had heard the most important part. She attempts to add sugar to the conversation as she always envisioned: “Dad will always be your dad. He was the one who raised you. And he loves you.”
Tommy cut his mother off, “because you tricked him into it. You skank.”
The comment stings Marcie but she brushes it off. Her son is hurting. She sighs and takes her seat. Marcie looks down at Tom. Tom takes her hand and squeezes it. She squeezes back.
“Are you upset?” She tilts her head and looks deep into her husband’s blue eyes. He shakes his head.
“Well, I’m upset,” Tommy still stands in the doorway with his hands on his hips tapping his toe.
“Right now, spending time with your father is the only thing that matters. If you can’t accept that, then you need to leave this house and we can work through this at a later date.” Marcie’s tone was sharp.
Tommy is silent. His mother is right. He gives a single nod and walks over to the side of his father’s bed opposite his mother. He reaches out and grabs his father’s other hand and sits down.
Their small family was all they needed. A family of three was soon to become two. And although it was never said in that cramped living room that day, all three knew that love outweighed genes.
