Kiss Mommy Goodbye (38 page)
Donna remembered a time much earlier in all their lives when he had said the same thing. When she spoke, her voice was calm, in command. “I guess you have to decide what’s more important to you—your love for the children or your hatred for me.” She paused. “I’m taking them home now.”
Victor lowered his head; Donna turned and walked out of the room.
Both children were curled up against the folds of Mrs. Wilson’s skirt, fighting sleep, when Donna and Mel walked into the room. Adam sat up immediately upon their entrance, backing into the curve of the housekeeper’s arm.
“If you want,” the woman said quietly, “I can pack their things and bring the suitcase around to your motel tonight.”
“Thank you,” Donna said. “I’d appreciate that. We’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”
They all spoke in whispers, as if afraid to disturb the sudden peace.
Donna walked over and picked up her half-sleeping daughter. The child stirred momentarily awake, her eyes smiling in recognition, her hand reaching forward and stroking her mother’s cheek. Then she let her head lower to Donna’s shoulder, and her eyes closed in instant slumber.
Donna looked down at her son. “Adam?” He hung back, still clinging to Mrs. Wilson. Donna moved to Mel and transferred the sleeping youngster from her shoulder to his, then she walked back to Adam, and knelt down in front of him.
“Once upon a time,” she began, not sure exactly what she was going to say, “there was a little boy named Roger
and a little girl named Bethanny, and they went to the zoo to see the giraffes. And they took some peanuts with them. But the sign said—” She stopped, feeling her throat catch.
Adam was staring at her wide-eyed and breathless.
“The sign said ‘Do Not Feed The Animals,’” he uttered softly and then stopped.
“Oh, Adam, I love you so much. Please come home with me!”
Suddenly, he was in her arms, his hands tightly around her neck, the sobs openly pouring from his body.
“Oh, my baby. My beautiful little boy. How I love you!”
She stood up slowly, carefully, Adam’s legs wrapping themselves around her lower torso, clinging to her as tightly as he knew how. At first she thought his mutterings were just sounds; soon the sound became more distinct. A word. Over and over. Mommy.
Donna and Mel walked with the two children in their arms to the doorway. Donna turned to Mel and smiled through her tears. “Let’s go home,” she said.
Copyright © 1981 Joy Fielding Inc.
Anchor Canada edition published 2010
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eISBN: 978-0-385-66984-9
“
I Will Survive,
” words and music by Dino Fekaris and Freddie Perren.
Copyright © 1978 by Perren-Vibes Music, Inc.
Poem by Margaret Atwood from Power Politics (Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 1971). Reprinted by permission of the author and publisher.
Kiss Mommy Goodbye
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published in Canada by Anchor Canada,
a division of Random House of Canada Limited
Visit Random House of Canada Limited’s website:
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