The Blessings of the Animals: A Novel - By Katrina Kittle Page 0,74

It hurt. I pressed a hand to my ribs. “God, when will these be healed? I can’t stand it!”

“Vijay?” We heard Shivani’s voice and froze like high-school kids.

“Yeah, Mom,” he said. He reached behind me, picked up a bag of rice, and walked out as if he’d come into the pantry for that alone. I followed, after adjusting my shirt and running fingers through my hair.

Shivani spoke to Vijay about the saag and asked him to get more wine from the basement when he had a chance. She didn’t seem to have noticed a thing, but on her way out of the kitchen, she nodded toward the pantry, lifted a lush eyebrow, and said sweetly, “Your ribs are better, yes? I am glad.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

MY RIBS SLOWLY MENDED AS SUMMER CAME TO A CLOSE. I found myself the mother of a high-school senior. How the hell did that happen? A high-school senior applying to Harvard who wanted to be an attorney before she became president.

The start of the school year coincided with Helen’s birthday. Hank planned a “rib fest” birthday party for Helen at their house, joking that “rib fest” had a double meaning that year.

Vijay had to change his flight twice, but he finally made it and we arrived at the party late but in time for the decadent food. Squeezed in shoulder to shoulder we slurped down tender ribs, corn on the cob, and watermelon doused in vodka.

Hank stuck candles in the peach cobbler (compliments of Big David), we sang, and Helen blew out the candles, everyone urging her, “Make a wish! Make a wish!”

She looked at Hank and smiled a little kid smile. “One of my wishes has already come true.”

Hank kissed her cheek.

After we’d moaned over the warm cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream, Big David pushed back his plate and put both hands on the table as if about to make an announcement. “Okay,” he said. “We have some good news. We—”

“Oh, my God! You got picked!” Gabriella said.

“Aagh! I wanted to say it!” Big David said. “But yes—we got selected by a mother!”

I couldn’t speak. Something pressed against my ribcage, the pain exquisite. Vijay squeezed my hand. “I’m so happy for you,” I choked out. “This is wonderful! Yay, Helen,” I said. “Thank you, thank you.”

Helen lifted her shoulders, looking shy. “Actually,” she said to the cobbler crumbs on her plate. “This had nothing to do with me.”

“Helen is great for understanding,” Davy said. “We found another attorney, not through the agency. We were only trying to increase our chances. He just made it happen sooner.”

“Tell us everything!” Gabriella said.

It didn’t take much prompting before Davy was reciting, as well as anyone can speak clearly with a gigantic smile on his face, “The mother’s name is Kim. She’s nineteen, not married, already has two kids and doesn’t think she can handle a third. She works at Kroger, but she’s been going to school at Sinclair to be an X-ray technician, so she can provide better for the kids she already has. An infant, obviously, is going to keep her from going to class. She worries it will interfere with all the progress she’s made.”

I winced at the word interfere. How many times had I been asked to euthanize a healthy cat simply because it peed outside the litter box? At least this woman, this Kim, bless her, was not going that route. She was opting to let my baby brother be the dad I knew he was born to be.

Davy still beamed. “And she chose us!”

“When we met with her and her mom,” Big David said, “being gay never even came up. They asked us about income, about our house, about our family traditions—”

“About holidays,” Davy said, “and who would be with her during the day and how we’d—”

“Her?” I asked.

They both nodded, eyes shining.

“I’m going to have a cousin!” Gabby said. “A little girl cousin! What are you going to name her?”

“Brooke,” Davy said at the exact same moment Big David said, “Nicole.”

Everyone laughed.

“We don’t have that much time to decide,” Davy said. “Kim is almost eight months along.”

“So,” Gabriella said, “are her two other kids my cousins, too?”

The Davids looked at each other, as if for an answer. Davy shrugged. “I honestly don’t know. We’ll have to sort all that out.”

“It just seems like it will be so confusing,” Gabriella persisted.

Neither of the Davids looked at all angry, fortunately, but I was mortified.

“A toast,” Vijay said, coming to the rescue. He raised his