Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,46
turned it into a home yet. Now, though, Mrs. Bergman’s practiced eye would certainly take in the results of Sunny’s attempts at decoration.
“It’s fine,” Eric called in from the living room, a note of annoyance in his voice. He’d been short with her ever since he’d returned from his visit to his sister. Whenever she tried to change his mood, he’d brush her off. “Stop fiddling with the flowers. Mom’s not going to care whether the rose is in front or back.”
“You’re wrong. She notices everything.” Phyllis Bergman was a perfectionist. Her home could have been featured in Architectural Digest. Although she furnished it with a decorator, Sunny knew Phyllis could have done it on her own. She had impeccable taste.
“You don’t have anything to prove to Mom. She already adores you.”
“She adores Rachel. She tolerates me.”
“You’re being ridiculous.”
That was the problem with Eric. He assumed everyone loved the things he loved. If he loved Manhattan, Sunny must love Manhattan. If he loved sushi, everyone must. And since he loved Sunny, so must his parents. Sunny thought Eric’s father liked her well enough, but his mother was another story. No matter how hard she tried, Sunny could detect the scent of disapproval from her mother-in-law. In her heart, Sunny knew Mrs. Bergman thought she’d trapped Eric, thought this woman from a working-class home had latched on to the handsome medical student from a wealthy family and purposely became pregnant.
The truth was so different. Yes, Sunny had become pregnant unexpectedly. And yes, she and Eric had married sooner than they’d planned. But Eric had implored her to keep the baby. She wanted to end her pregnancy and had gone so far as to make an appointment at the clinic. Over and over Eric begged her to cancel the appointment. They’d argue, she’d cry, they’d argue all over again. For weeks, it felt like an unending cycle of tears and infuriation. Eventually she relented. Eric was too forceful to resist.
It had been so hard to give up nursing school. Since childhood she’d dreamed of becoming a nurse. She loved Rachel—certainly she did—yet she looked forward to the time she could return to school. There had been no question that Eric would continue his studies. After all, medicine was more important than nursing. A husband’s career was more important than a wife’s. She had agreed with him when he laid out their future: finish medical school, then his residency, then settle into a practice. She could return to school later. By then, Rachel would be in kindergarten, maybe even first grade. It made sense to postpone her dream for the family, she often told herself.
“Listen,” Eric called to Sunny, “don’t mention to Mom and Dad that I visited Carol. I don’t want them worrying that she’s relapsing again.”
“Sure.” He hadn’t wanted Sunny to say anything to Carol, either, if she spoke to her. She felt too ashamed of her weakness, he’d said. It would be humiliating if Sunny mentioned it. “Maybe she’d like to know I’m rooting for her, that she can lean on me, too,” Sunny had said.
But Eric was adamant. “No!” he’d barked at her. “Just trust me. I know her better than you.” And so Sunny kept quiet.
“So, are you getting enough sleep?” Robert Bergman asked his son as Sunny cleared the dinner dishes from the table.
“Sure, Dad, it’s not a problem.”
“Because I heard how they make you residents work day and night and then the next day again.”
“It’s not like that anymore. Hospitals changed that a long time ago. I get enough sleep. Don’t worry about it.”
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t pick surgery,” Mrs. Bergman chimed in. “I mean, you waited so long to settle down that you might as well go into the field that pays the most. You don’t have as much time to save your money as those younger residents.”
Sunny could follow the conversation in the dining room as she stacked the dishes in the sink. Their apartment was small—the dining room was a tiny alcove next to the kitchen—so from just a few feet away, she could discern the disapproval in the tone of the question, and she peeked in to see Eric’s reaction. His voice remained even, but Sunny saw that his body carried the same tension he’d displayed since his visit to his sister. “I picked pediatrics because I wanted to work with children. You know that, Mom. We’ve had this discussion before.”