I take her hand. “Yes. Hello. Please, call me Mo; everyone does.”
Cassie grabs my arm and drags me inside. “I’ve waited and waited. I thought you’d never get here. Do you like Barbie? I love her. Want to color with me? Oh, come see my room. Is the bear for me? I love bears.”
Her enthusiasm brings a smile to my face. I hand her the white teddy. “Yes, the bear’s for you, and I’d love to see your room.”
*
Two hours later, Cassie lounges next to me on the floor twisting the ring on my pinky finger, her eyes rapt on the television. I take the glass Samantha offers as she sits across from me.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your mom. I can’t imagine what would happen to Cassie if I die. You were very lucky to have the Jennings take you in.”
“Yes, I really was. They’ve been so good to me. I can’t imagine life without them.” Or Danny.
I point to Cassie. “Has it been hard? You know, without help?”
“Well, I’m not sure being a mother, single or not, is ever easy. But I wouldn’t trade one second for the alternative. So, with help or not, I’m glad I have Cass. She’s my heart. My smile at the end of a long day. My world.”
“So you wouldn’t do it differently? You don’t wish you’d have chosen—”
“A different path? Another guy?” She finishes for me.
I shrug. “Yeah.”
“No. Not at all.” She shakes her head. “I wouldn’t have Cassie if I had. And I wouldn’t be the me I am today if I’d done that. Every experience makes us the person we are in this moment. Good ones. Bad ones. All of them. And I like me. No, I love me. There aren’t a lot of people who can say that.”
Her words swarm my brain. I search for a reply, but come up empty. Stunned maybe. I don’t even know.
Samantha leans out and touches my upper arm. “Look, I know it’s got to be hard growing up with no dad. And I wish he’d have stuck around to see Cass grow. But he’s the one missing out. And you? He’s missed out on you, too.”
I swipe a knuckle under my eye and blink back the rest of the tears threatening to undo me in front of these strangers who are the only family I have left.
Sam catches an errant tear with the back of her hand. “Look how beautiful you are, and how sweet. You’ve grown into a wonderful young woman in spite of your dad. Maybe even because of him. Who knows how you’d have been different if he’d have been there? I can’t wait to see how Cassie will turn out.”
I push up from the floor and hug Cassie goodbye. She’s still half-glued to the television, but she does manage to smile up at me and squeeze my legs one last time before I head to the door.
On the way home, my mind replays what Sam said about how I turned out all right, even without my dad.
Do I like me?
Yeah. I do.
If I choose to have this baby, will she like herself? Will she grow up all right if Danny takes off?
I push through the front door of the shelter. Lights flash. I put my hands up, shielding my eyes.
What on Earth?
The pine oil scent that usually dominates the halls mingles with an overly strong floral perfume.
A woman shoves a microphone into my face. “Ms. Clark? Can you tell us your side of the story?”
I stop, pulling back. “What?”
A photographer kneels in front of me, snapping photos at Olympic speed. Another guy adjusts a setting on his shouldered camera. Camera? Great. Like I haven’t had enough of those lately.
The petite woman swipes a swath of hair from in front of her face. “Your side of the story? Creeper Gate?”
I step back. “Creeper Gate? Who are you?”
She tosses a disgusted look to her cameraman. “She doesn’t know who I am. Kids these days; they don’t know anything.”
I shake my head and push between them. “No comment.”
In Cindy’s office, I lean against the inside of the door. “There’s a news crew in the hallway.”
Cindy spins in her chair. “What?”
I hook my thumb to point over my shoulder. “They accosted me just inside the door, asking me about something called Creeper Gate.”
She shoos me out of her way. I shut the door behind her, but her voice comes through loud and clear. “You cannot be in here. I’ll call the police if you don’t leave these premises immediately.”
When she returns she grabs the remote and turns on the small flat screen hanging above the file cabinet. “Hey, before I forget, Danny’s called, asking for you, no less than ten times today. And I know what this Creeper Gate is about. There’s been an—incident, apparently. I’ll have a meeting later this afternoon to inform everyone of what procedures they need to take, if any. I’m waiting for the legal department to get back to me.”