{"id":268,"date":"2022-02-09T22:20:43","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T03:20:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foxglovesystems.com\/herbheineman\/Stowaway\/?page_id=268"},"modified":"2022-04-07T18:02:31","modified_gmt":"2022-04-07T22:02:31","slug":"twenty-two","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/twenty-two\/","title":{"rendered":"TWENTY-TWO"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Debbie knew her way round northwest Philadelphia, because she\u2019d grown up there, and the more she thought about the move back the more she liked the prospect. Giving up her house in Edison, she also gave up any feeling of responsibility to live within easy driving distance of Brooklyn. C.J. and Chris would take a train or bus whenever they felt like visiting their other grandparents. Philadelphia once again became her home.<\/p>

She was now thirty years old, and as she casually walked the streets of West Mount Airy she noted with amazement how little had changed in the thirteen years she\u2019d been away. True, there were no familiar faces among the pedestrians she passed. But the houses stood just where she\u2019d left them, their windows seemingly smiling at her in welcome.<\/p>

Once she was settled in her parents\u2019 home she was in no hurry to explore the real estate market. The McCallum Street house was big enough for all of them; her boys would sleep in the room once occupied by Josh. She wondered whether the Averys still lived in the neighborhood, so she asked her mother.<\/p>

\u201cYes indeed,\u201d Esther said. \u201cAfter Eden\u2019s death they toyed with the idea of adopting a child. But Karen decided that giving up her career once was enough. Alan wasn\u2019t happy with the decision against another child. I think he felt partly responsible for Eden\u2019s health problems and ultimately her death, but he also recognized that his guilt feelings were his problem and no excuse for denying Karen. So she went back to being a full-time lawyer. Frazier and Drummond had always held a place for her and they welcomed her back. Now she\u2019s a partner.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDo you see them much?\u201d Debbie asked.<\/p>

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say much, but we do get together occasionally. Sometimes we play bridge. Bridge reminds me of the time Josh and Eden took that fateful walk in Carpenter\u2019s Woods. I don\u2019t know exactly what happened there but it must have been important, because Josh was never the same afterwards.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cPoor fellow,\u201d Debbie said with a sigh.<\/p>

\u201cYes, poor fellow indeed. He never got over losing her. He\u2019s met plenty of women since then, and being such an attractive guy he could pretty much have his pick. But it\u2019s not too late for a man. Maybe having your family close by will revive his interest.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnd of course you\u2019re being the good mother and not nagging him for more grandchildren!\u201d Debbie laughed saying this. Esther, with mock earnestness, said: \u201cDon\u2019t think for a moment that I haven\u2019t been tempted.\u201d Unstated was her concern that he might pass a defective gene to his daughters.<\/p>

\u201cAnyway,\u201d Debbie said after a pause, \u201cI\u2019ve been thinking of looking the Averys up.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh, do! They\u2019ll be delighted, I\u2019m sure. Let me get you their number.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie expected to have to leave a message, since both Averys were bound to be at work. She was surprised, therefore, when the phone was answered on the first ring and she heard the familiar sound of Karen\u2019s voice.<\/p>

\u201cMrs. Avery? It\u2019s Debbie Rabin \u2014 actually, Debbie Flynn, though I wasn\u2019t sure you\u2019d recognize my married name. Eden\u2019s friend from way back.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh goodness, what a wonderful surprise! How did you know I\u2019d be home in the middle of the day?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI didn\u2019t, but Mom gave me that number, so I tried.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou don\u2019t live in Philly anymore, do you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI didn\u2019t until recently. We were living in Edison, New Jersey. My husband died a couple of months ago and \u00a0. . . I\u2019d like to drop in sometime, and then I can tell you all about it, and lots more if you want to hear it.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOf course we want to hear it, all of it. Let me check with Alan and I\u2019ll get back to you. How do I reach you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAt my parents\u2019 number. I haven\u2019t got my own place yet.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie hadn\u2019t seen the Averys for thirteen years. Their contact had not outlived Eden\u2019s death. That they had aged at the same rate as she shouldn\u2019t have come as a surprise, but she hadn\u2019t expected it to be so obvious. Karen\u2019s hair was shorter and tinged with gray streaks; Alan\u2019s hairline was receding. She wondered how they would see her; after all, she too was thirteen years older.<\/p>

It was Debbie who had reached out to the Averys, so it naturally fell to her to tell the story of her life since she left Philadelphia. They listened with muted interest to her account of her courtship, marriage, and children. It sounded quite ordinary. None of it elicited any expression of surprise, until she got to the matter of Chris\u2019s hemophilia. Predictably, Alan wanted to know all about the boy\u2019s symptoms, what the hematologist said, where it had come from, Chris\u2019s limitations, and so on. Karen\u2019s mind turned to legal implications: Was someone to blame? Was there a possibility of a lawsuit? Debbie, partly irritated and partly amused, suggested:<\/p>

\u201cI could try to sue myself, or my mother, or however far back my lawyer could trace the family inheritance.\u201d<\/p>

Confused, Karen turned to her husband for help. \u201cHemophilia is inherited from the mother,\u201d Alan explained.<\/p>

\u201cOh, I\u2019m so sorry,\u201d Karen said blushing, \u201cwe\u2019ve never had a hemophilia case that I can remember. I just didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie gave them a condensed history of Chris\u2019s diagnosis and treatment, without mentioning the doctors involved and Con\u2019s reaction to them. But Alan asked whether she was satisfied with the care Chris was getting now, so she felt obligated to reveal their names. \u201cOh yes,\u201d Alan said, \u201cI know them all. Your boy\u2019s in good hands. You may not remember, but Doctor Harmon was Eden\u2019s doctor too. Good guy.\u201d Then added, almost as an afterthought: \u201cHe wasn\u2019t to blame.\u201d<\/p>

That was the only time Eden\u2019s name was spoken or, for that matter, any reference was made to her. Debbie had half expected some mention of the Garden but did not bring it up herself because she didn\u2019t want to remind the Averys of the tragic circumstances of their daughter\u2019s death. She wondered at their silence on the subject but didn\u2019t dare to ask. Alan, she knew, had suffered not only the loss but also a good deal of self-blame. Karen, on the other hand, seemed to have actually flourished after the initial period of mourning, able now to give all her energies to her career.<\/p>

\u201cMom tells me you\u2019ve been made a partner at your law firm,\u201d she said.<\/p>

\u201cYes, they were very good to me and kept a place for me. I have a lot to be thankful for. But I worked hard and I think I deserved the promotion. Let me show you something.\u201d She got up from the table and went to a desk against the wall. From a drawer she retrieved a sheet of paper, which she gave to Debbie.<\/p>

\u201cOur new letterhead,\u201d she said with a broad smile.<\/p>

Debbie read, Frazier, Drummond, Buehl and Avery, Attorneys-at-Law.<\/em><\/p>

\u201cCongratulations!\u201d Debbie said. Inside, she felt a vague discomfort. It almost seemed that the partnership made up to Karen for the loss of her child. She didn\u2019t know what to make of it, but she was glad when Karen changed the subject.<\/p>

\u201cHow do you find Philadelphia \u2014 or should I say Mount Airy \u2014 after being away all these years?\u201d Karen asked.<\/p>

\u201cSurprisingly unchanged,\u201d Debbie replied. \u201cExcept for the fact that all the people I see on the street, even on McCallum, are total strangers, it looks just the same. When I get my own place, it\u2019ll be somewhere around here. I like the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>

\u2756\u2756\u2756\u2756\u2756<\/p>

Debbie decided to visit Eden\u2019s Garden next day. A car pulled out of a place in the visitors\u2019 parking lot just as she was cruising past, so she quickly backed up and pulled in just as another car came on the scene. \u201cLucky me,\u201d she thought. She\u2019d beaten the odds, and she realized that parking problems would follow her the rest of her days in Philadelphia.<\/p>

She entered the hospital and made for the library without meeting the gaze of the receptionist, who would no doubt try to be helpful in locating the patient she wanted to visit. She didn\u2019t want to explain the reason she had come.<\/p>

In the years since she had left Philadelphia for Oberlin she had made a point of \u201cvisiting Eden\u201d as often as her periodic trips home allowed. She felt she owed it to her friend, especially after playing no part in the genesis of her memorial. As she stepped under the ebony and gold plaque, through the sliding door, she wished she could have said to Eden, \u201cI\u2019m home.\u201d But that thought remained a thought. She approached the obelisk-like column to the side of the door, on which a bas-relief of Eden was engraved, followed by what could best be described as a doctor\u2019s credo. Those lines, composed by those most closely affected by Eden\u2019s death, were inspired by the tragic circumstances of her death \u2014 in particular, the role of medical negligence.<\/p>

No one else was in the Garden at the time except a white-coated resident physician seated on the opposite side making notes and paying no attention to her. She sat down on a bench and contemplated her past and her future. The peace and quiet of the Garden allowed her attention to wander far from the original reason for her visit. She closed her eyes and let her head droop. Would she marry again? She would not exclude the possibility; time would take its course. One thing she knew for sure: now that she knew the danger lurking in her genes, she would not produce more children, and any man interested in marrying her would have to accept that.<\/p>

She turned her thoughts to Eden, once her dearest friend and now the subject of the living memorial in which she sat. If Eden were alive now, would she also be married? To Josh without a doubt. With children? Would Eden\u2019s children have been playmates of Debbie\u2019s? Cousins of course! How would Eden have reacted to Chris\u2019s hemophilia? To Con\u2019s death? If only Eden were here now for Debbie to confide in. The questions were endless. \u00a0<\/p>

She heard the sliding door open and close. Footsteps announced that someone had entered the Garden. They stopped as if the person was hesitating, deciding which way to turn, then resumed in her direction. Debbie did not look up, because conversation with a stranger was the last thing she wanted right then. The footsteps approached and stopped right next to her.<\/p>

\u201cDidn\u2019t we meet somewhere around here before?\u201d a vaguely familiar voice said. She raised her head and found herself looking at Doctor McCrae. Her eyes opened wide. She immediately recognized the face even though she was taken aback by the changes it had undergone. But of course, she rationalized, he had also aged. With a silent sigh of relief she thanked her lucky stars that she was spared the embarrassment of searching for his identity. She got up and held out her hand.<\/p>

\u201cMy goodness, that was years ago,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have a good memory.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo better than yours, I dare say. To what do I owe this good fortune?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cActually I\u2019ve been here quite a few times, usually when visiting my parents. A friend like Eden doesn\u2019t deserve to be forgotten.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cToo bad I missed you each time.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m living in Philadelphia now. Just moved here from Edison, New Jersey. I haven\u2019t got my own place yet, so I\u2019m staying with my parents till I do. I have my old room, and the boys share Josh\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>

\u201c \u2018The boys\u2019!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes. A lot has happened in all that time.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019d like to hear all about it,\u201d McCrae said with enthusiasm, \u201cbut this is not the place for a long conversation. Would you be willing to join me for lunch? We could meet in the hospital cafeteria or go up the street to a deli.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYour choice,\u201d Debbie answered, hiding her own mixed feelings. \u201cYou must know the neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s a nice place a block and a half north of here, right on Germantown Avenue, called \u2018Dora\u2019s Deli.\u2019 I can pick you up here or we can meet in the deli. It\u2019s easy to find. Is twelve-thirty a good time?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cTwelve-thirty sounds fine. The walk will do me good, so let\u2019s meet in the deli. If I get there first, I can hold a table.\u201d<\/p>

After Doctor McCrae left, she looked at her watch and determined that she could stay another hour. But she no longer thought about Eden or about getting married again. Instead, she remembered the talk Doctor McCrae had given at the Garden\u2019s dedication and her own reaction to him.<\/p>

He walked through the door at Dora\u2019s Deli just as Debbie was sitting down at a table for two next to a window looking out on Germantown Avenue. \u201cOK, now you can hold the table while I call Mom to tell her I won\u2019t be home for lunch.\u201d<\/p>

When they were both seated they ordered Dora\u2019s special, Reuben sandwiches, and sodas and studied each other. Neither seemed willing to start the conversation. In the end Debbie spoke up:<\/p>

\u201cSo, are we just going to sit here staring at each other?\u201d<\/p>

McCrae shrugged. \u201cI guess it\u2019s my responsibility, since I suggested lunch.\u201d<\/p>

While he was deciding how to start, their food arrived, affording him further delay. But he\u2019d run out of excuses.<\/p>

\u201cSo, as you see, Debbie \u2014 OK if I call you by your first name?\u201d She nodded \u2014 \u201cI\u2019m still here. They made me head of pediatrics. You\u2019d never have guessed.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cActually,\u201d she said, \u201cmy family\u2019s kept me too busy to wonder. But now that you mention it, I imagine most people who know what happened during your internship would not have guessed. Anyway, congratulations. Obviously the higher-ups decided you deserved the promotion.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m not sure I would have been that generous, especially as that wasn\u2019t the only preventable disaster on my watch.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie\u2019s sandwich stopped short of her open mouth. What kind of medical staff would award departmental chairmanship to a doctor with such a record? McCrae noticed her surprise.<\/p>

\u201cCora Hamilton, the previous chair, who retired five years ago, actually recommended me, even though she was there at the time of Eden Avery\u2019s death and knew I was responsible. I can\u2019t imagine why she, of all people, would think I\u2019d make a good chair.\u201d And he shook his head.<\/p>

Debbie was silent for a few seconds. \u201cMaybe Doctor Hamilton was smarter than you think. She could have figured that since you\u2019d been through such a wrenching experience and come out of it honorably, what with the Garden and the public apology, you\u2019d be especially good in that position. What was the other disaster you referred to?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat one wasn\u2019t totally my fault, though I bore part of the blame because I was weekend supervisor. Only nobody called me. Unlike Mort Friedman, who was supposed to supervise me when I was an intern, I could have been reached easily enough. It involved a mismatched transfusion. Young girl with leukemia. A careless substitute nurse on Thanksgiving weekend. Such a sad story. I get stomach cramps just thinking of it. As if Eden Avery and Jill Wonderlin were two chapters in the unworthy life of Calvin McCrae.<\/p>

\u201cJill also left a boyfriend bereaved, though they\u2019d only known each other from meeting in the transfusion unit. I forget his name.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie saw no reason to ask.<\/p>

Debbie studied McCrae\u2019s face as he spoke. She\u2019d seen insincere apologies a few times, usually from politicians caught with their hands where they shouldn\u2019t be, and she might have suspected McCrae\u2019s of being nothing but a boast of his essentially good character designed to advance his career. But McCrae was no politician, either professionally or ethically. Debbie remembered his demeanor and actions at the time of Eden\u2019s death. She remembered hearing the conversations between Josh and their parents about forgiveness. She once again remembered McCrae\u2019s speech at the Garden\u2019s dedication ceremony. Above all, she remembered her own reaction to this young doctor devastated by his terrible mistake and his gratitude to those who made his redemption possible. No, she would never have claimed that bluffing, or lying, was his style. He could have blamed the Wonderlin disaster on the transfusion nurse, where the blame really belonged, but he took guilt upon himself even though he was not told until days later that anything had gone wrong.<\/p>

\u201cThose experiences must have been really hard on you,\u201d she said. \u201cTell me about your personal life during all these years. You must have children. How old are they?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThat\u2019s easy. No children. No marriage.\u201d<\/p>

She bit her tongue, almost literally. How\u2019s that possible? <\/em>\u00a0Aloud she said, with a smile that hid her disbelief: \u201cSome doctors are so conscientious, they don\u2019t take time for any social life, never mind marry, have children, and take care of a family.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh, I\u2019ve dated here and there, but nothing ever came of it. So I spend my time taking care of patients and doing a lot of administrative work.\u201d<\/p>

He looked at his watch. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get back. Look, can we continue talking? Say, a week from now, same time, same place? I want to hear your story too.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOK, let\u2019s,\u201d she said. \u201cGo ahead. I\u2019ll finish my coffee. See you next week.\u201d<\/p>

She watched him pay the bill for both and leave. That was sudden, she thought. Did he really have to go, or was he entering dangerous territory and afraid to have it explored further?<\/p>

\u201cGuess whom I had lunch with,\u201d she asked her mother the moment she got home.<\/p>

\u201cMust have been someone you like, judging by the expression on your face. Or someone who picked up the tab for both of you.\u201d<\/p>

Thanks for giving me an excuse, Debbie thought. \u201cYou\u2019re right, it didn\u2019t cost me a penny. So guess.\u201d<\/p>

Esther, ever ready to combine calculation with intuition, presented her analysis. \u201cIt must have been someone you met by chance, else you\u2019d have mentioned it when you left to go to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cRight so far. Go on.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYou called from the restaurant without saying whom you were with. There had to be a reason for that.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cGo on.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cLet\u2019s see. Maybe you met someone on the way there or back. Not likely, since you were driving. Could have been in the parking lot, I guess. Oh, I don\u2019t know. I give up.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDoctor McCrae!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOf course,\u201d Esther said, slapping her forehead. \u201cWho else is there at the hospital that you know? How did it happen? Where were you?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI was sitting in the Garden, thinking about Edie and just letting my mind wander, and I didn\u2019t see him come in. But he spotted me and came up to talk to me. It\u2019s been years, of course, I don\u2019t know how many. I think the last time I saw him was when Con first came here to meet you and we went to look at the Garden together. That time we bumped into McCrae in the parking lot. He\u2019s changed. But I guess I have too. Still, he had no trouble recognizing me.\u201d<\/p>

Esther\u2019s eyebrows had risen perceptibly. \u201cSo he invited you to lunch? Just like that?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI guess so. Anyway, I accepted. He\u2019s head of pediatrics now.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAfter what he did to Edie? That\u2019s hard to believe. Was he telling the truth?\u201d<\/p>

Debbie couldn\u2019t help laughing at her mother\u2019s incredulity. \u201cIt never occurred to me that he might be faking it. Anyway, it would be easy enough to check. I can\u2019t imagine he\u2019d want to risk being caught in such a lie. But there was more.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHe told me he\u2019d been recommended for the position by the previous head \u2014 Hamilton, I think her name was \u2014 and she was there when Eden died and she knew all about McCrae\u2019s role in that.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHm, I wonder what she \u2014 I think you said she,<\/em> right? \u2014 what she was thinking,\u201d Esther said, frowning. \u201cMaybe she saw some talent in him. As I recall, he was just in his first month of internship at the time, fresh out of med school.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie shrugged. \u201cMaybe she knew him better than he knew himself. Anyway, he was quite open with self-doubt. He even mentioned another time there was a death due to a mistake, although that wasn\u2019t his fault; he just happened to be on call as supervisor.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWell, I guess that\u2019s all in the past,\u201d Esther said. \u201cI\u2019m sure he\u2019ll be extra careful with your children, not to mention that he\u2019s learned a lot since those days.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cSomebody else in the department might be taking care of them. Josh knows all those people. McCrae doesn\u2019t have to be involved directly. Anyway, after telling me about himself he realized he knew nothing about me, so he wants to have lunch again.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cA week from today. I said OK.\u201d<\/p>

Esther thought about this. \u201cDo you like him?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cGoodness, I hardly know him. But he seems like a nice guy. I was quite touched by him telling me so much about himself, especially the bad things. I think he has quite a capacity for guilt.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWhich he showed in abundance after Edie died.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cAnd then,\u201d Debbie continued, \u201che wants to hear my story too.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cHm,\u201d Esther said thoughtfully.<\/p>

\u201cOh, I don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

Debbie almost failed to find a parking place, and when she finally did walk into Dora\u2019s Deli Doctor McCrae was there waiting. He smiled as she sat down facing him.<\/p>

\u201cI see you got the same table for us,\u201d she said. \u201cDid you reserve it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNo. But this is the one I\u2019d have picked if I could have. It\u2019s good for conversation. They don\u2019t accept reservations here. Luckily we got here before the lunch crowd.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cThe hospital parking lot\u2019s pretty crowded. That\u2019s why I\u2019m late. Sorry.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cIt\u2019s OK. I knew you wouldn\u2019t stand me up. Anyway, let\u2019s order and then we\u2019ll continue where we left off last week.\u201d<\/p>

They agreed to order Dora\u2019s Reuben sandwich, which they had enjoyed on the previous visit.<\/p>

\u201cI could really get to like this place,\u201d Debbie said. \u201cThe menu\u2019s great. Thanks for introducing me!\u201d<\/p>

\u201cNothing but the best, . . .\u201d He stopped short of finishing the sentence. They were silent until their order was brought. Debbie couldn\u2019t help notice the slight blush that spread over McCrae\u2019s face as he spoke.<\/p>

\u201cSo, it\u2019s my turn,\u201d Debbie said between mouthfuls. \u201cI don\u2019t know how much detail you\u2019re interested in.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cEverything, but you just tell me what you want to,\u201d he answered. \u201cIf I want to know more, I\u2019ll ask.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI met Connor in college \u2014 Oberlin, to be exact \u2014 and I had a lot of doubts at first. He was sort of impetuous, but charming. You may remember him. We ran into you right there in your parking lot, when he came to visit. Long before we got married.\u201d McCrae nodded. \u201cOne of the problems was his parents. He was Catholic, you see, and they, especially his father, didn\u2019t like the idea of him marrying a Jew. My parents had no problem with that. They\u2019re very liberal.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m Catholic too, you know,\u201d McCrae said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how my parents would react to a Jewish woman. I never got around to testing. But go on; I don\u2019t mean to interrupt.\u201d<\/p>

Debbie let that sink in before continuing. She proceeded to tell him about her contented life with Con despite his father\u2019s undisguised hostility. She described their pride in their firstborn, Connor Junior, who seemed destined to live up to the expectations of both father and grandfather.<\/p>

She let her gaze drop and took a deep breath. \u201cThen there\u2019s Chris,\u201d she said, looking up into his eyes. As she told the story of his disorder and its diagnosis, those eyes opened wide. \u201cI had no idea there was hemophilia in your family. But then, I know so little about your family.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cI had no idea either,\u201d Debbie said with a wry smile.<\/p>

\u201cThat means you have to be a carrier, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>

\u201cYes. And my mother too. And she had no idea either. You see, her<\/em> mother was adopted as an infant during the 1918 flu pandemic after her parents died. So she\u2019d also have been a carrier. We can\u2019t trace my mother\u2019s family history back any farther than that.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWow! But you have a hematologist right here. That should be helpful.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cJosh is still in training, but of course he knows all about hemophilia.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cDo you think that\u2019s the reason he chose hematology?\u201d<\/p>

Debbie shrugged. \u201cI doubt it. He\u2019d already made up his mind by the time Chris was diagnosed. Anyway,\u201d she added, \u201cif he\u2019d made his decision for sentimental reasons, he\u2019d have chosen rheumatology, or maybe infectious diseases . . . or allergy.\u201d<\/p>

At this, McCrae\u2019s expression changed. He looked at Debbie intently and said, \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, so sorry, for what I did to Eden Avery. Your family and Eden\u2019s parents were wonderful to accept my remorse and help me memorialize her, but the thought of her has never left me, and never will. That\u2019s why I often go into the Garden: not to read or relax, but to remind myself. I stand before that column with her face carved on it and the lines that Josh and I composed, and I keep asking for forgiveness, usually in silence but sometimes out loud.\u201d He shook his head. \u201cNow I\u2019m rambling on about myself. I\u2019m sure you\u2019re not interested in my internal struggles. Tell me more about your husband.\u201d<\/p>

Actually Debbie was very much interested. She couldn\u2019t be sure his eyes were moist; maybe the sun was now catching them at a different angle. But she believed in his sincerity. She remembered how, despite the circumstances that first brought him to her attention, she had found him singularly attractive and warm. As an eighteen-year-old, she had fleetingly toyed with thoughts that she herself recognized as inappropriate. She had disciplined herself by calculating that at that time McCrae was probably at least eight years her senior. Well, he was still at least eight years her senior. Only when you\u2019re already in your thirties a man approaching forty just didn\u2019t seem<\/em> as much older as a man in his mid-twenties does to a teenager.<\/p>

\u201cWould you rather not? It\u2019s OK. It\u2019s your private life, and I can respect that,\u201d he said, noticing the vacant expression on her face.<\/p>

\u201cWhat?\u201d she replied, brought back to the present by his question. \u201cNo, no, I do want to tell you. But I\u2019m not sure you\u2019ll have the patience to listen to all of it.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cOh, but I do,\u201d he answered, wondering whether Debbie\u2019s husband would mind having his story shared with a person he\u2019d met only once in a parking lot \u2014 when he wasn\u2019t even her husband.<\/p>

\u201cWell, if you really do, I think we\u2019ll have to schedule another lunch at Dora\u2019s Deli. I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve got things to do this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>

He smiled. \u201cThe trouble with lunch is, you\u2019ve got to get back to work. Would you be willing to consider dinner? You can take all the time you want then, and I promise to listen to every last word and not interrupt.\u201d<\/p>

She considered this and willed herself to ignore the troubling questions his proposal raised. Heck, it was just a meal and a long chat, nothing more. Wasn\u2019t it?<\/p>

Obviously not reassured, she sensed a blush stealing over her face. I hope he doesn\u2019t see it<\/em>. She felt a compelling urge to go home and think, think, think. To begin with, McCrae didn\u2019t even know that Debbie\u2019s husband was dead. Would he have invited her to dinner if he had known? It was a moot point now, since he had already invited her. Sooner or later she\u2019d have to tell him she was a widow. Could she do so without implying that she expected him to be interested?<\/p>

She really should take time out and think it all over, away from any distraction like his company. But before she could escape to the privacy of her thoughts, the words tumbled out.<\/p>

\u201cI think I\u2019d like that.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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<< TWENTY-ONE<\/a><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Debbie knew her way round northwest Philadelphia, because she\u2019d grown up there, and the more she thought about the move back the more she liked the prospect. Giving up her house in Edison, she also gave up any feeling of responsibility to live within easy driving distance of Brooklyn. C.J. and Chris would take a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-268","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nTWENTY-TWO - The Stowaway Gene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/herbheineman.com\/Stowaway\/twenty-two\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"TWENTY-TWO - The Stowaway Gene\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Debbie knew her way round northwest Philadelphia, because she\u2019d grown up there, and the more she thought about the move back the more she liked the prospect. 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