The Gift

She was wearing a dark gray wool dress, with a little white collar and a black bow tie, that she had bought with her salary when she outgrew everything else she owned, and Tommy started taking her out for dinner on her days off from Jimmy's. And she had combed her bright red hair into a tight ponytail tied with a black velvet ribbon. She looked like a little kid hiding a big balloon under her skirt, and he smiled as he helped her into his dads truck. She looked so cute, and she hoped that the meeting with his parents would go smoothly. They had said very little to him after their long talk the week before, except that they wanted to meet her. And Maribeth was excruciatingly quiet on the drive over.

“Don't be nervous, okay?” he said, as they stopped in front of his house, and she admired how tidy it looked. It was freshly painted and there were neat flower beds outside. There were no flowers there at this time of year, but it was easy to see that the house was well cared for. “It's going to be fine,” he reassured her as he helped her down, and walked ahead of her into his house, holding her hand as he opened the door and saw his parents. They were waiting in the living room for them, and he saw his mother watch Maribeth as she quickly crossed the room to shake her hand, and then his father's.

Everyone was extremely circumspect and polite, and Liz invited her to sit down and then offered her tea or coffee. She had a Coke instead, and John chatted with her while Liz went to check on dinner.

She had made pot roast for them, and the potato pancakes Tommy loved, with creamed spinach.

Maribeth offered to help after a little while, and she wandered into the kitchen to join Tommy's mother. The two men glanced down the hall after her, and John touched Tommy's arm to stop him when he seemed about to follow her into the kitchen.

“Let her talk to your mom, Son. Let your mother get to know her. She seems like a nice girl,” he said fairly. “Pretty too. It's a shame this had to happen to her. What happened to the boy? Why didn't they get married?”

“He married someone else instead, and Maribeth didn't want to marry him, Dad. She said she didn't love him.”

“I'm not sure if that's smart of her, or very foolish. Marriage can be difficult enough sometimes, without marrying someone you don't care about. But it was brave of her to do that.” He lit his pipe and watched his son. Tommy had grown up a lot lately. “It doesn't seem fair that her parents won't see her until she has the baby,” John said, looking at his son carefully, wondering how much this girl meant to him, and he could see that she meant a great deal. His heart was bare for all to see, and his father's heart went out to him.

When Liz called them to dinner finally, she and Maribeth seemed to have become friends. Maribeth was helping put things on the table, and they were talking about a senior civics class Liz was teaching. When Maribeth said she wished she could take something like it, Liz said thoughtfully, “I suppose I could give you some of the material. Tommy said you've been trying to keep up with your school-work, by doing his with him. Would you like me to look over some of your papers?” Maribeth looked stunned by the offer.

“I'd love that,” she said gratefully, taking her place between the two men.

“Are you submitting anything to your old school, or just doing it for yourself?”

For myself mostly, but I was hoping they'd let me take some exams when I go back, to see if I could get credit for what I've been doing.”

“Why don't you let me look at it, maybe I could submit it to our school for some kind of equivalency here. Have you done all of Tommy's work?” Maribeth was quick to nod in answer, and Tommy spoke up on her behalf as he sat down between Maribeth and his mother.

“She's gone a lot further than I have, Mom. She's already finished my science book for the whole year, and European history, and she's done all of the optional papers.” Liz looked impressed and Maribeth promised to bring all her work by that weekend.

“I could give you some extra assignments actually,” Liz said, as she handed the pot roast to Maribeth. “All of my classes are for juniors and seniors.” They both looked excited as they continued to discuss it. And by the end of dinner, Liz and Maribeth had worked out an excellent plan to meet on Saturday afternoon for a few hours, and on Sunday Liz was going to give her half a dozen special assignments. “You can work on them whenever you can, and bring them back when you have the chance. Tommy says you work a six-day week at the restaurant, and I know that can't be easy.” In fact Liz was surprised she still had the energy to work ten-hour shifts on her feet, waiting on tables. “How long will you be working, Maribeth?” She was embarrassed to ask about her pregnancy, but it was difficult to avoid it, her stomach was huge by then.