Maddy's Phoenix by Patricia Yager Delagrange

Author:Patricia Yager Delagrange [Delagrange, Patricia Yager]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ravenswood Publishing (Sly Fox)
Published: 2017-08-07T16:00:00+00:00

Maddy spent her term break working, playing with Judith and letting Cheryl have a much-needed respite from taking care of a toddler. She didn’t return to her Mac for another week. When she did, she brought her fingers to her lips, stifling a gasp.

“What is it?” Cheryl said.

“I’ve got an address.”

“For your momma?”

“Yeah.” Maddy leaned in to read the details. “My God. She lives in San Francisco.”

“You’re kiddin’ me.”

Maddy shook her head. “And there’s a phone number, too.” She looked up at the ceiling and closed her computer.

“What’re you gonna do?”

“I can’t picture me cold-calling her. Like, “Hi, Mom, how’s it going?””

“You could just show up on her doorstep but … ”

“Yeah.” Maddy scrunched deeper into the chair cushion, pulling her knees up to her chest. “Or I could write her a letter, just like you did with Nikki.”

“You could.” Cheryl stood. “You got school tomorrow, don’tcha, hon?”

Maddy nodded, silent. Cheryl patted her on the shoulder as she passed on the way to the bedroom. “You’ll figure it out. But if you need to talk, I’m here.”

Maddy went to bed early that evening. She would talk to Bryce about the best way to contact her mom. With that idea in mind, she tossed and turned most of the night and woke up feeling groggy.

After classes she popped into the student union cafe for a latte with a double-shot of espresso. She had to work later and didn’t want to be exhausted while taking orders and bussing tables.

She’d just taken a seat outside on a bench in the sun when she saw Bryce walking in her direction. He sat a good distance from her on the same bench. “How’re you doing, Ms. McCray? How are classes?”

She shrugged. “All right, I suppose.”

“What’s wrong? Talk to me.”

Maddy rubbed her temples with her fingers, then flopped her hands on top of her legs. “I have an address and phone number for my mom. She lives here, in San Francisco.” She slapped her knees with the palms of her hands. “Now what do I do with it?" She looked into his eyes. “What would you do?”

“Write her a letter? Though that’s not as personal as talking to her.” He looked to the side of her for several seconds. “Drive to her house?”

“That’s what Cheryl suggested.”

“I don’t know what I’d do, Maddy. It’s going to be a shock no matter which way you contact her.”

“There’s something about actually seeing her reaction, you know? To gauge whether she’s happy or ticked off.”

He reached out for her hand but quickly pulled back. “Oops. Sorry about that. I can’t tell you what to do. It has to be your decision.”

“I know. But I need advice, and you’re an intelligent man. I trust you.”

“I’ve never had to deal with this sort of situation, so I wouldn’t call my opinion an expert one.”

“True.” She smiled. “You’re lucky to have two loving parents. I’m envious.”

“Speaking of parents, how would you like to come to dinner at their house next weekend?”

“You want to introduce me to your parents?” She shook her head.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.