9781250209153

Dr. Abraham pulls back. She crosses one leg over the other and regards
me with a stern expression. It doesn’t scare me. I’ve seen the exact same
look on her daughter’s face.
“Do you think I don’t understand how much cheerleading means to
her?” Dr. Abraham asks.
“I don’t know,” I say mildly. “Maybe you do. But Irene doesn’t think
you understand. She doesn’t feel like she can fully share this part of herself
with you. Look, Dr. Abraham, I know I’m speaking out of turn here. I’m
not trying to be disrespectful and I’m not trying to meddle. It’s just that
Irene means a lot to me, and I know it would make her incredibly happy if
you would come watch her cheer tomorrow. She always acts like she
doesn’t need people’s validation, and maybe that’s true for the most part,
but she does need yours.” A sudden memory floats back to me. “I mean, she
sleeps with that old shirt of yours like it’s a teddy bear.”
Dr. Abraham closes her eyes like she’s trying not to smile. She exhales.
Her body relaxes. “Yes, I do know that much. She tries to hide it from me,
but I’ve seen it in her laundry pile.”
“She’s a lot like you.”
“I know.” Dr. Abraham nods in that way all moms seem to do. “She’s an
incredible girl. I’m very blessed.”
“So you’ll come tomorrow?”
She looks at me with something like amusement. “Yes, Scottie, I’ll be
there.” She stands up and waits for me to do the same. As she steers me to
the waiting room, she says, “Thank you for coming. I can see why she likes
you.” She smiles at me fully. “Nice to see that my cheerleader daughter has
a personal cheerleader of her own.”
“Thanks, Dr. Abraham.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Scottie.”
It’s not until I’m passing the receptionist’s desk again that I notice the
small rainbow flag sticking out of the vase in the corner. “Is that yours?” I
ask.
The receptionist spins around to see what I’m asking about. “No, Dr.
Abraham put that there.” She smiles knowingly at me. “She loves her
daughter very much.”