Bella climbed onto the side of the bed. I looked over at Gary to see if it was okay that she was up there, and he gave me a slight nod. When she was settled beside her grandmother, Bella explained the picture contained her favorite animals, colors, flowers, and ice cream, in it so Naomi would know what they were. After reviewing each component of the collage, the questions began.
I’d always had the gift of gab, and in the case of Bella, the apple hadn’t fallen far from the tree. I watched as Bella asked everything that she’d asked me and more. Naomi answered each one thoughtfully with a smile on her face.
Seeing the two of them together, side by side, I couldn’t believe that I’d never put two and two together and that Bella was basically Naomi’s mini-me. Even though I hadn’t seen my mother in over twenty years, I felt silly that I hadn’t put two and two together. The resemblance was so striking that it was uncanny.
As I looked between the two of them, I noticed Naomi’s breathing was getting shallow. Her skin had lost some color, and each blink was slower than the last.
“Why don’t you go change and have a snack, Squirt?”
Bella looked up at Naomi. “Do you want a snack?”
“No, thanks. I’m okay.”
“When I’m done, I’ll come back, and we can color your favorite things,” Bella chirped happily as she climbed down from the bed.
Naomi looked at me with uncertainty in her eyes. I could see that she was asking permission to agree to the plans my daughter was making. I nodded.
She smiled at Bella. “I’d love that.”
Bella bopped out of the room, and I stood for a moment, unsure of what to say. “Do you need anything?”
“No. You’ve done so much. I don’t know how…” I noticed tears filling her eyes. “Thank you.”
Her emotion caused a stirring of feelings I wasn’t ready to face. “It’s fine. I’m glad I can help.” Then I looked over at Gary. “If you guys need anything, just let me know.”
With that, I turned and walked out of the room. When I shut the door, I took a deep breath. I’d been so anxious about our first conversation, and now it was out of the way. She’d met Bella, and the interaction had gone well. I still had no idea what was going to happen, but I was relieved that those two milestones were behind me.
I could do this, I told myself. I just needed to take it one step at a time and go with the flow, which for a control freak like me was worse than getting a tattoo on a sunburn.
