Matched To Mr Right

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The driver paused at the curb outside her mother’s apartment and Dannie frowned. Paint peeled from the wood siding and weeds choked the grass surrounding the front walk. The shabbiness had never bothered her before. How was it fair that Dannie got to live in the lap of luxury but her mother suffered both pulmonary fibrosis and near poverty?

But what could Dannie do about it? She didn’t have any money of her own—everything was Leo’s. A nasty voice inside suggested he could pony up alternative living space for her mother in reciprocation for last night.

She hushed up that thought immediately. Leo hadn’t treated her like that. He’d told her what would happen on more than one occasion and she’d chosen to create a fairy tale in her head where love conquered all.

Her mom slid into the car and beamed at Dannie. The nurse had done wonders to improve her mother’s quality of life with daily pulmonary therapy and equally important emotional support.

“I’m so glad to see you, baby,” her mom gushed.

The driver raised the glass panel between the front seat and the back, then pulled out into the flow of traffic to ferry them to the restaurant. Dannie leaned into her mother’s cheek buss and smiled. “Glad to see you, too.”

What ills could she possibly have that Mom couldn’t make all better? The pricking at her eyelids grew worse.

Her mother’s hands on her jaw firmed. “Uh, oh. What happened?”

She should have known better—sonar had nothing on a mom’s ability to see beneath the surface. Dannie pulled her face from her mother’s grasp and looked out the window in the opposite direction. “Nothing. Leo and I had a little...misunderstanding. I’ll get over it.”

Probing silence settled on her chest and she risked a glance at her mother. She was watching her with an unreadable expression. “Nothing serious, I hope.”

Dannie half laughed. “Not in his opinion.”

With a sigh of relief, her mother settled back against the seat. “That’s good.”

“Well, I don’t think he’s planning to divorce me, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

At least not yet. By all rights, her desperate mental reorganization of their arrangement should have resulted in a firm boot to the backside long before now. Yet, he hadn’t breathed a word about divorce, so apparently he still needed her for reasons of his own.

“Of course that’s a concern.” Her mother’s warm hand found Dannie’s elbow. “Fortunately, you married a solid, respectable man who believes in commitment. A very wise choice. You’ll never end up brokenhearted and alone like I did.”

Yes. That was the purpose of this marriage. Not grand, sweeping passion and a timeless love. This was a job. Wife was her career. Hardening her heart against the tiny tendrils of feelings she’d allowed to bloom last night in Leo’s arms, Dannie nodded. “You’re right. Leo is a good man.”

The muted sound of sirens filtered through the car’s interior a moment before an ambulance whizzed by in the opposite direction. She’d ridden in an ambulance for the first time not too long ago, on the way to the hospital, with her mother strapped to a gurney and fighting to breathe. When the bill came, she’d gone to the library that same day seeking a way to pay it.