Jenna seemed to bask in the approval. She subtly pushed her hips forward and said in a sweet, girlish voice, “Don’t you worry, Mr.
and Mrs. Cole. Andrew took me to the doctor. Everything is in perfect working order. I can definitely give you a grandson.”
“Wonderful! Just wonderful!”
His parents were overjoyed, practically fighting over who could give Jenna a gift first. In their excitement, they pushed my daughter,
Lily, aside like she was a piece of furniture.
The other relatives swarmed them, showering Jenna with compliments.
Amid the noise, I heard Andrew’s uncle–a man to whom I’d “loaned” over two hundred thousand dollars over the years–clap his
hands and roar with laughter. “That’s my boy! Now that’s a true Cole man!”
His aunt–the one for whom I’d pulled every string I had to get her daughter into a university abroad–was dabbing her eyes with a
handkerchief. “Oh, this is such a relief. I liked Jenna the moment I saw her. She has a good, solid feel about her.”
And his younger brother+whose failed startups I had repeatedly bailed out with my family’s connections–stood up to raise a toast. “To my brother and my new sister–in–law! To a long and happy life, and may you have a son soon!”
Every single one of them. Every person in that room had taken something from me–my help, my money, my kindness.
And now, not one of them remembered my name. It was as if I had never existed.
The aunt, after wiping her tears, grabbed my three–year–old daughter and pushed her in front of Jenna: “Well, what are you waiting
for, sweetie?” she urged. “Say hi to your new mommy!”
“Yes, yes,” his mother chimed in, suddenly remembering Lily. She took my daughter’s hand and tried to press it into Jenna’s. “Lily, go
on, Call her ‘Mama‘.”
Lily looked at the circle of strange, eager faces, her own face filled with terror. She shook her head violently. “No! She’s not my
mommy! My mommy’s name is Leslie! Grandma, I want my mommy.”
Her small voice trembled. “Can you please call my mommy to come get me?”
She thought her grandmother would save her.
But the warmth vanished from her grandmother’s face, replaced by a cold fury. She grabbed Lily’s ear and twisted, hard. “You stup- id girl, what nonsense are you spouting? She is your mother now. Say it!”
Andrew’s father scowled at Lily, his disgust plain. “Andrew, is this how you’ve raised her? With no manners?”
09.57
Jenna bit her lip looking faint, and collapsed dramatically into Andrew’s arms. “Andrew,” she whimpered, “I don’t think Lily likes me.”
He wrapped his arms around her, his voice a low, soothing murmur, ‘Don’t be silly. She’s just a kid, she doesn’t know any better.
Once we’re married, she’ll do whatever you say I won’t interfere
