Page 9 of Valley of the Shadow
Weeks not months.
You won’t ever see the sun again. You won’t be able to take the kids to the beach. Or go hiking in the redwoods…
You won’t have to do this alone.
“Natalie, talk to us,” Beatrice said. “Do we need to fly up? I’ll get Giovanni to get the plane right now. We can be there in an hour.”
“Honey, tell us what’s going on,” Dez said. “Dammit, I wish I was there.”
She just shook her head over and over. It was too much. She didn’t want to break down on the phone with her two best friends. She wanted her husband, but he was angry and confused. She wanted her kids, but she didn’t want to wake them up. She wanted the world’s biggest glass of wine.
She sniffed and blew her nose. “I’m fine.”
Two loud groans came from the telephone.
“You’re not fucking fine!” Beatrice practically yelled.
Dez said, “That’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said, and I’m counting the time you convinced me to get bangs in grad school.”
Beatrice cackled, and Natalie let out a watery laugh. “The bangs weren’t that bad.”
“They were awful,” Beatrice said. “Don’t lie.”
She couldn’t seem to stop the tears. She blew her nose and grabbed another tissue. “I know this is right,” she said. “I know this is the right thing to do. I just have to convince him that I know what I’m doing, and I know this is right.”
She heard the bedroom door open. She didn’t move. She didn’t want to talk to her husband, but she also knew she couldn’t avoid him. And she had to blow her nose again.
“Natalie”—Beatrice was talking when Baojia opened the bathroom door—“you know what’s right for your kids. You’re an amazing mom. You and Baojia are amazing parents. You’re going to be fine. You will get through this, okay?”
He stared at her, and for the first time, she saw the bare grief in his eyes. The fear. The uncertainty. Natalie held out her arms, and he knelt down and wrapped her in a hard embrace.
“You won’t be alone,” Dez was saying. “None of you guys have to do this on your own. We’re going to figure out the best place to make this happen, and we’ll all take turns helping the kids get through this.”
Natalie sniffed and Baojia pulled away to get her another Kleenex. He wiped her eyes and pressed kisses to her forehead.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Red.”
“It’s okay.” She hugged his neck and held on for dear life. “This is shit. It’s all shit. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way.”
“Nat?” Dez asked. “George, is that you?”
Baojia managed to crack a smile when Dez used his old nickname. “Hey, Dez. Thanks for being here for Natalie while I was being an idiot.”
Natalie sniffed. “Beatrice is on the call too.”
“Hey, B.”
“Hey.” Beatrice sounded sad. “Think about it this way. You have a hell of a lot more options than most families do.”
“Yeah.” He tucked a piece of Natalie’s hair behind her ear. “And I have a sexy-as-hell wife that’s gonna be thirty-eight forever. Luckiest man alive.”
She traced the only wrinkle he had, a faint line at the corner of his left eye. “Says the guy who looks like he’s twenty-nine.”
“I’ve always liked older women.”
Natalie snorted and then immediately blew her nose again while Dez and Beatrice laughed.
“Hey, Baojia?” Beatrice said. “I just had an idea. What do you think of everyone getting together for a family Christmas this year?”
