What Alice Forgot

I also wanted to apologize for thinking that you were a smug dad with a perfect life. When you told me at our last session that you and your wife were actually going through fertility treatments too, and that photo on your desk wasn’t your children, but your nephews, I was ashamed of all my self-centered thoughts.

So, here is my homework, Jeremy. I know you never wanted to read it, but I thought I’d submit it anyway. Maybe it will help you with other patients. Or maybe it will help you when your wife is acting crazy, as she will sometimes do.

The Infertiles came to visit yesterday, laden with expensive gifts. It was sort of horrible. I knew exactly how they were feeling. I knew how they would be trying to hold it together, promising themselves they would only stay for twenty minutes and they could cry in the car, keeping their voices light and bright, their poor, tired, bloated bodies aching with need when they each dutifully held the baby. I complained about the lack of sleep (we’d had a really bad night) and I knew I was overdoing it, even though I knew there is nothing more patronizing to an Infertile than to hear a new mother complaining, as if that will make you feel better for not having your own baby. It’s like telling a blind person, “Oh, sure, you get to see mountains and sunsets, but there are also rubbish dumps and pollution! Terrible!” I don’t know why I did it, except that I understand now that desperate, clumsy desire to make people feel better—even when you know perfectly well that nothing will. The Infertiles will probably bitch about me at the next lunch. I won’t see them again—the distance between us is just too great—unless, I guess, one of them gets to join me here on the other side.

I don’t know if this is presumptuous of me, Jeremy, but I was wondering if you and your wife might be struggling with the problem of when is the right time to give up.

And if so, I want to say something that will make no sense.

We should have given up years ago. It’s so clear now. We should have “explored other options.” We should have adopted. We gave up years of our lives and we very nearly destroyed our marriage. Our happy ending could have and should have arrived so much sooner. And even though I adore the fact that Francesca has Ben’s eyes, I also see now that her biological connection to us is irrelevant. She is her own little person. She is Francesca. If we weren’t her “natural” parents, we would still have loved her just as much. I mean, for heaven’s sake, I named Francesca after her great-grandmother, who has no genetic connection to us at all and wasn’t even part of our lives until I was eight years old. I couldn’t love Frannie any more than I do.

So there’s that.

But now, to be completely honest, I have to contradict myself.

Because if your wife were to ask me if I would go through it all again, then this is how I would answer.

Yes. Absolutely. Of course I would. No question. I would go through it all again, every needle, every loss, every raging hormone, every heartbreaking second, to be here right now, with my beautiful daughter sleeping beside me.

PS. I’m enclosing a strange, rather ugly doll. It might just do the trick. Good luck, Jeremy. I think you’ll make a wonderful dad. However long it takes and whichever way you choose to get there.

Chapter 35

Frannie’s Letter to Phil Hello again, Phil.

I’ve had this unfinished letter in my desk for months now.

My days are so full at the moment, I don’t seem to have time to write to you. (Or to your memory, or your ghost, or to myself, or to whoever it was I’ve been writing all these years!)

I’ve just returned home from seeing Madison compete in an oratory competition and I’m still on cloud nine.

SHE WON FIRST PLACE!

It was a competition against the best children from other primary schools, so it was quite a big deal. She gave an extremely informative and entertaining speech about world records. (Did you know that the world record for the most live rattlesnakes held in the mouth at the same time is . . . eight!)

We were all so nervous beforehand. Xavier was pale and perspiring, and Alice was snapping at everyone. When they announced Madison’s name, we went quite crazy. Olivia danced in the aisle. Roger leapt to his feet, knocking his elbow into some poor woman’s eye. (Somewhat embarrassing.) Barb burst into tears. I could hear Xavier telling the man next to him, “That’s my great-granddaughter you just heard. Gets all her talent from me!” He has appropriated my family in typical Xavier fashion. They don’t seem to mind.

Elisabeth and Ben were there with the baby. You know what I love? Secretly watching Barb when she’s secretly watching Elisabeth. The bliss on Elisabeth’s face every time she looks at her baby is mirrored on Barb’s face—and maybe it’s mirrored on mine, too.

(Sometimes Barb comes across as a bit of a silly thing, but there’s more to her than people think. That Roger knows he’s on to a good thing. And I’m not just saying that because she’s my daughter. A daughter I wouldn’t swap for the world.)

Of course, little Francesca gets prettier every day. Tom kept her amused by rattling Ben’s keys. He’s good with babies. He finds them scientifically interesting.

Alice and Dominick seemed quite happy together. Alice is so much more relaxed since her accident. She’s lost that tense, gaunt look. Perhaps we all need a good thump on the head from time to time? There is talk of them moving in together.

I hear Nick has a new girlfriend too, although she wasn’t there, thankfully. Nick was kept busy with his sisters and his mother. I believe the modern term for these women is “high maintenance.”

Everyone keeps telling me there is no chance of reconciliation between Alice and Nick. “No chance at all,” they tell me, as if I’m a deluded old woman. And yet . . .

Xavier and I happened to be sitting next to Nick, directly behind Alice and Dominick. When they announced Madison was the winner, Alice didn’t even look at Dominick. She turned straight around to look for Nick. She reached out her hand to him almost involuntarily. He took it. Just her fingertips. Just for a fleeting second. I saw the expressions on their faces. That’s all I’m saying.

Well, I think perhaps it’s time I signed off, Phil, and I hope you don’t mind, but I think this may be my last letter.

Xavier is waiting for me to come to bed.

Love,

and goodbye,

Frannie

Epilogue

She was floating, arms outspread, water lapping her body, breathing in a summery fragrance of salt and coconut. There was a pleasantly satisfied breakfast taste in her mouth of bacon and coffee and possibly croissants. She lifted her chin and the morning sun shone so brightly on the water, she had to squint through spangles of light to see her feet in front of her. Her toenails were each painted a different color. Red. Gold. Purple. Funny. The nail polish hadn’t been applied very well. Blobby and messy. Someone else was floating in the water right next to her. Someone she liked a lot, who made her laugh, with toenails painted the same way. The other person waggled multicolored toes at her companionably, and she was filled with sleepy contentment. Somewhere in the distance, a man’s voice shouted, “Marco?” and a chorus of children’s voices cried back, “Polo!” The man called out again, “Marco, Marco, Marco?” and the voices answered, “Polo, Polo, Polo!” A child laughed; a long, gurgling giggle, like a stream of soap bubbles.