Page 42 of The Family Guest

Walking over to the local farmers market with our exchange student on Sunday mornings had become one of our weekly rituals. Something I used to do with Anabel, but hadn’t since her death. Tanya and I both looked forward to it. She loved picking out beautiful fruits and vegetables with me as well as selecting fresh flowers. Sometimes we went to Starbucks or Noah’s Bagels first and had breakfast. I begged Paige to come with us, but she had no interest. The closer I grew to Tanya, the further away I grew from my daughter.

I was beginning to think my exchange student experiment was a failure. The only one who seemed to be benefitting from having Tanya in our household was me, and now I was no longer sure.

“Natalie,” she rasped, breaking into my thoughts, “can you please pass me the water?”

“Of course.” I reached for the plastic cup on the stand next to her bed and held it to her parched lips. She took several long sips through the straw.

“Go on, Tanya,” urged Matt with growing impatience. “Tell us more about what happened.”

“Please, Matt. Be gentle with her. She’s been through a traumatic experience.”

“Natalie, I just want the facts.” His voice didn’t soften, but at least it didn’t grow gruffer.

Tanya stopped drinking. “Everything was good. I got there in one piece and found the perfect bouquet of flowers for Natalie. A dozen gorgeous long-stemmed pink roses interlaced with baby’s breath.”

“They sound beautiful.”

While I quirked a small smile, Tanya’s eyes began to tear up again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t give them to you. I guess they were towed with the car.”

I set the water cup back on the stand, and then held her hand in mine. “Please don’t worry…It’s the thought that counts. What matters most to me right now is that you’re alive.”

“How did the accident happen?” asked Matt, his one-track mind still on a quest to get answers.

“As I was driving home, I saw a squirrel crossing the street. I didn’t want to hit it, so I slammed down on the brake. But in my freaked-out state, I accidentally floored the gas pedal. I lost control of the car and crashed head-on into a tree.”

I gave her hand a little squeeze. “Thank goodness you were wearing a seat belt. If you hadn’t been, you might have gone right through the windshield and—”

A lump, the size of a golf ball, lodged in my throat. I couldn’t bring myself to finish my sentence. Tanya finished it for me.

“I know…I could have died.”

My heart almost broke at the thought of losing her. Tears pricked my eyelids, but I held them back.

“Is the car totaled?” Her voice was small and hesitant.

“I don’t know,” replied Matt. “The police implied it wasn’t in good shape, but we haven’t seen it.”

“Paige is going to hate me, like, forever.”

“She’ll get over it. The car’s insured. If it’s fixable, we’ll fix it. If it’s not, maybe we’ll buy her another one, though with that crap she pulled with Stanford she frankly doesn’t deserve one.”

“What she did was wrong. What I did was wrong.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “If you want to send me back to England, I understand, but please don’t tell my father what happened.”

Leaning over, I stroked her hair and held her tenderly in my gaze. “My sweetness, we’d never send you back. What happened is a freak thing. We love having you in our house. You’re the best thing that’s happened to me since we lost our Anabel.”

“Oh, Natalie, thank you. I feel so lucky to have you and Matt in my life. You’ve been like parents to me.” The waterworks broke loose again.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I sat down on the edge of her bed and gently took her frail body in my arms. And hugged her. Feeling her heartbeat, her warmth, I let her cry against me until she could cry no more.

“It’s okay, honey,” I whispered against her neck.

After several long minutes, she broke away and I handed her a tissue so she could wipe her tears and blow her nose.

“How long do I have to stay here?”

“Your doctor wants to keep you overnight for observation.”

“I want to go home! Please, Natalie!”