Chapter 6

Jen accompanied Lisa to the supermarket the next Saturday morning, saying that food was an important line item in their budget, and she was helping maintain the family fortune.

While Jen’s reasoning was sound, Lisa privately thought her sister wanted time away from the little ones, a chance to enjoy a ride in their new car while Mike supervised her brothers and Emily. But once at the supermarket, Jen had proven to be an ace, checking or calculating the true unit costs against the aggregate bulk, figuring out sales from sales pitches. No need for a calculator. She did it all in her head.

“You really are hardwired for numbers, aren’t you?” asked Lisa as they unpacked the items in the kitchen afterwards.

“Young as she is, I think Emily’s a math person, too,” replied Jen with a nod. “Must run in the family.”

Lisa chuckled. “Maybe I was adopted.”

“No way. You look so much like Mom—except her eyes were true blue—that seeing you from a distance…sometimes…I forget.” Her voice trailed off, and Lisa was again reminded how a mood could change in an instant; the tragedy shadowed them twenty-four seven. 

“Thank goodness we have the new car,” Lisa said, purposely changing topics. “How would we ever have done all this shopping without it?”

“Twenty round trips by bus?” suggested Jen, wrinkling her nose. “Carrying grocery bags for two miles would be ridiculous!”

Her sister was right, and even though Lisa had been uncomfortable accepting it, her heart warmed thinking of Mike’s generosity. He’d helped them out and also searched for the right vehicle. Now, they had a reliable workhorse, and Lisa expected no repair bills for a very long time.

“You’re back!” Emily lost no time in running to Lisa and wrapping her arms around her waist.

“Good morning, ladies.” Irene was there, too, her glance taking in their activity. “I brought some simple recipes that stretch money and food,” she said, waving several sheets of paper in her hand.

“Simple,” said Lisa. “I like that word. Thanks a lot.”

“I used them myself when the boys were young and money was tight.”  

Lisa noticed the change in Irene’s inflection. The woman was trying to make a point. It seemed the issues she’d been nurturing since the court hearing were still with her, and one of them was about money. As though Lisa wasn’t concerned herself. 

“How about taking a walk with me, Lisa?” suggested Irene. “The girls can finish up here. Emily’s been wanting to help out, too.” 

Her suspicions confirmed, Lisa immediately agreed. “I could do with some fresh air.” She finger-waved to her sisters and ignored Jen’s frown.

A minute later, she and Irene were outside and away from the house. But now Mike’s mom seemed to have a hard time getting started. Lisa took a deep breath and jumped in.  

“Something’s on your mind, Irene, so just spill it. After all,” she said with a chuckle, “I’m going to be a lawyer one day, so I’m used to conflicts—at least, in case law.” Lisa tried to lighten the mood while sounding confident, but her heart pounded. Her plate was more than full, and she didn’t want to deal with anything else. But willful ignorance never worked. She needed to meet trouble head on.

“All right.” Irene offered a curt nod. “It’s just that William and I…well, we’re trying to be both Mike’s parents and your parents, too—in a way. Looking out for both of your best interests. I mean…you and Mike as a couple…you want the best for each other.” Her statement ended as a question.

“Of course we do. You must know that by now.”

“But I’m worried that my son is not ready to support a family, emotionally or financially. His career has barely started. The season isn’t as short as it seems. Training is really a full-time, year-round job. Even now, he’s going back and forth to Boston to his coaches. If you’re depending on him to share the childrearing—the parenting—his career will be over before it begins. He’s barely more than a child himself. Just like you.”

“Are you kidding?” Lisa halted and pivoted to face the other woman, who must have lost fifty I.Q. points recently.  “You think I’m still a child? From the moment the cops knocked on my door, the last remnants of my happy childhood disappeared. I’ve stood up to my own relatives, fought for the kids in court, organized a household. Does that sound like a child’s activities?” 

Irene ignored the question and spoke quickly, as if to unload everything she’d been holding back for the past few months.

“Right now, it might seem that Michael’s earning a lot of money, but there are five of you to support! And I know my son. He’s given you a car; next he’ll want to buy you a new house and everything the children need. He already mentioned a new computer for Jen. It’s just too much pressure on him.”

Lisa’s stomach tightened, her usual reaction to unexpected stress. She’d talk him out of the computer. “I know exactly what Mike’s earning. And I’m not an idiot about the downside in his career. Why do you think I jumped at that job?” 

Finally, Irene paused before speaking but seemed stunned or confused. “You…you’re all such a distraction. He could get hurt on the field.”

The crux of the matter.

“Any player could get hurt,” Lisa snapped. “Football’s not for sissies.” She stepped forward and motioned to continue walking.  “I can assure you, Irene, that when Mike is on the fifty-yard line, his mind is only on the game. So stop casting me as the bad guy here. I’m his biggest cheerleader.” She was marrying Mike for his heart, not his money.

“And he’s still paying off college loans. He only had a partial scholarship.”

Mike’s mother was a terrier, holding on to what she wanted, in this case, her arguments to Lisa. “I hear you, Irene, and I understand your point. I have college loans, too.”  She reached for the woman’s hand. “Irene…you know I’ve loved your son for years and want the best for him. You know he loves me, too.”

“You were children…still are. Love’s easy before the rent’s due and the bills come in.” Irene’s face hardened. She stared at Lisa without blinking, and in that moment, Lisa saw a stranger. She’d never seen this side of Irene before, the side that viewed her as a threat to her son’s happiness and success.

“My siblings and I have an income of our own,” Lisa said, her jaw thrust forward, her voice hard. “We’re not dependent on Mike for survival.” 

Irene’s eyes quickly tracked to the new Pilot, as if to say, oh, really? and Lisa’s frustration zoomed from simmer to boil. She made an effort, however, to restrain her reply.

“C’mon, Irene. Could you live on Hawthorne Street without a vehicle? The car was a necessity, not a luxury.”

Irene waved Lisa’s words away. “You can rationalize anything. If you love Mike and want him to succeed, then you have to protect him. He’ll want to be the ‘man.’ He’ll want to be the provider. He’ll want to jump neck-deep into the kids’ lives and problems. If he tries to do everything, he won’t do anything well. He could easily get hurt out there if he’s distracted.” She paused for breath. “Now, do you understand?”

Oh, she understood, all right. Irene wouldn’t be swayed by any counterargument Lisa had. A stalemate. But her heart broke at another fracture line in the family. Sure, getting hurt in the game was an idea in the back of their minds—hers and Mike’s—but they never dwelled on it. Hell no! Mike’s love of football overcame any doubts they had.   

“Don’t project your fears on me, Irene. We don’t live that way.”

“Then it’s time to wise up and face reality. I’m his mother, and I’ve lived with fear since he was nine years old. Players do get hurt. It’s a killer sport.”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” said Lisa, not bothering to hide the impatience in her voice. “Then you should have made him play baseball. I have to believe Mike won’t get hurt.”

“If you let him focus on his work, maybe he won’t.”

Lisa froze. Stared at the woman in disbelief. “Are you saying that if Mike gets hurt on the field, it’ll be my fault?”

“If he can’t concentrate because of you and the children, then yes. So maybe it would be better not to get married yet. Let him go to Boston and begin his career by himself without…without…” She turned her head slightly, now gazing over Lisa’s shoulder toward the house.

And in that moment, Lisa understood Irene’s true motive for the conversation. She wasn’t suggesting a temporary postponement of the wedding but, rather, a permanent one. Mike could do better, a lot better than a needy girl with troubled sisters and brothers. Irene wanted a change of bride.

“You’ve said enough,” said Lisa, her voice thick with pain she couldn’t hide. “Was your past generosity just a cover for the neighbors? Thank goodness my mom and dad can’t hear you now and see the truth.” 

Irene gasped. Lisa’s words had finally hit home, but crushed her own heart, too.  With a quickened pace, she left the other woman and headed back toward the house. Irene had been hateful, no doubt about that. Among her barbs, the only the point Lisa agreed with was the need for a warm and secure environment. Irene’s first loyalty was to her son, and Mike had to be sheltered from the Delaneys’ problems. But to Lisa, all her family needed was to feel secure as they found their way forward. 

Clearly, Lisa’s job would be to create a perfect home. She’d handle all the family issues alone and protect everyone she loved. She’d do it quietly and provide a smooth path for her soon-to-be husband.  

Postpone the wedding? No. That would surely drive both her and Mike to a distraction that never entered Irene’s mind.