“Jud’!” William called out, beaming.
“William, hi! Hi, everybody!” Judy beelined to William and gave him a hug, and William tried to hug her back, raising his clenched hands slightly, though his skinny forearms remained mostly rigid at his sides, as if he were pinned by the elbows. “William, this is my friend Mary.”
“Hi!” William grinned up at her, raising his arms slightly, and Mary gave him a hug.
“William, I’m so happy to meet you. I heard such nice things about you from Judy.”
William nodded excitedly, still beaming, though his facial muscles were so drawn back that that it looked almost painful. He had on a plaid shirt and baggy jeans with black sneakers, his feet resting askew in the stainless-steel footrests of his wheelchair, which had a tall padded back. Around his neck was a pair of Dr. Dre headphones, and a smartphone was clamped to his wheelchair arm. He had darker, curlier hair than John, but his blue eyes reminded Mary of his brother’s, piercing, wide-set, and connecting with her intently. William was trying to tell Mary something, struggling to form the words, and spittle appeared in the corners of his mouth.
Mary put her hand on his, bending over. “What is it, William?”
William smiled hard, and his lips quivered with the effort of speech, then it burst forth: “You have a … baby in there!”
Mary laughed, too. “Right, I do! I have a baby, right in here.” She rubbed her tummy, and William kept grinning, though a new look in his eyes made Mary think he was curious. On impulse, she asked, “Do you want to touch my belly? The baby is inside.”
“Yes!” William nodded with excitement, his head jittery and his neck tilted to the side, frozen in that position. He tried to reach his hand out, with its knobby clenched fist, but Mary leaned over and her belly made up the extra distance.
“Here we go, William. Can you feel that?”
William brushed it gently with his knuckles. “Ha!”
“What do you think?”
“It’s a boy!” William burst into merry laughter, and so did Mary, since she hadn’t seen that coming. As they were laughing, a tall, middle-aged man came over with a professional smile. He was well-built in a white polo shirt with the Glenn Meade logo, khaki Dockers, and sneakers.
“Judy, hi, glad you could make it today.”
“Hi, Mike.” Judy gestured to Mary. “This is my friend Mary DiNunzio.”
“From the phone? Nice to see you.” Mike extended a beefy hand, and Mary shook it.
“You too, thanks.”
“Sorry about William, his excitement gets the best of him.” Mike frowned down at William. “William, you’re not supposed to touch pregnant ladies. It’s rude and—”
“No, it’s okay,” Mary interrupted. “I invited him to and I have no problem with it, actually. Total strangers on the bus touch my belly. I’m like a walking Blarney Stone.”
Mike blinked. “My wife tells me it’s not politically correct.”
“I’m Italian-American, and even though that’s only a label, we like to be touched.” Mary smiled down at William, who was still grinning, so Mike’s rebuke hadn’t fazed him. “William, you can pat my belly anytime.”
William looked at the door, raising his chin slightly. “Where’s John?”
“I’m taking you out today, with Mary,” Judy answered quickly, walking around the back of the wheelchair and taking the handles. “Let’s go see the ducks.”
“Okay! Can we feed them?”
“Yes, I have change for the machine.”
Mike went to the door, opening it. “Judy, we packed him a water bottle and strawberry yogurt for a snack, if you want to give him that. It’s in his bag on the back of the chair.”
“Thanks, see you soon.” Judy pushed William through the door in his wheelchair, with Mary following.
“Bye, Mike!” William called out over his shoulder, and Mary didn’t think he was that hard to understand, after she got used to him.
Judy rolled William into the sunshine, checking in the large black bag that hung on the back of his wheelchair. “William, do you want your prescription sunglasses? They’re in your bag.”
“No. I like the sun.” William grinned, still blinking against the brightness.
“So how have you been?”
“Good.” William smiled, and a soft breeze ruffled the curls in his hair. Now that they were outside where it was quieter, Mary could hear hip-hop music playing through the headphones resting around his neck.
Judy rolled him past yellow crocuses blooming beside the asphalt path. “William, look, flowers. Everything is blooming, and spring is here. No more winter.”
“I don’t like winter. It’s cold!” William smiled, still blinking. He leaned forward in the wheelchair, his excitement plain.
“I don’t like it either. I like spring.”
Mary fell into step beside William’s wheelchair. “I like summer.”
“Me too!” William looked up at Mary, delighted. “I can go fast! Judy, make me go fast!”
The path led gently downhill, and Judy leaned over to William. “Here we go down the hill! Hold on tight, William!”
“Whee!” William cheered, though he was in no danger, strapped into the wheelchair by belts at his waist and chest.
“Don’t fall out!”
“I won’t!” William laughed, thrilled, as Judy wheeled him downhill. The path led behind the back of Poplar House, and ahead lay a grove of tall evergreens and underneath a verdant blanket of kelly-green ferns and hosta. Beyond was a large pond dotted with grayish-brown mallards and ringed at regular intervals with weathered cedar benches. The sight would have been idyllic, but for the fact that Mary knew Judy was going to tell William the worst news of his life there.
William grinned up at Mary, breathless. “Are you Judy’s friend?”
“Yes.” Mary found herself wishing that they could walk slower, just to prolong William’s last moments of happiness. “I’ve known her for a long time.”
“How long?”
“I have to think about that a minute.” Mary caught Judy’s eye, and they both smiled. “I don’t even remember. A long, long time.”
Judy chuckled. “I don’t remember, either. William, can you believe that? I’ve known Mary for so long I don’t even remember how long? Isn’t that silly?”
“Ha!” William laughed. “I have friends. Tom and Jason and Big Bill.”
“You have a lot of friends.” Judy smiled. “You’re a friendly guy.”
“I know them a long time.”
“You’ve lived here a long time. Everybody likes you.” Judy leaned down to William as they walked. “Remember what I told you about the name of your house?”
“What?” William raised his head, squinting.
“It’s called Poplar House but I said you should call it…?”
“Popular House! Ha!” William laughed again.
“And do you remember why?”
“Because I’m popular!”
“That’s right! You’re very popular.”
“John is my best friend.” William smiled, looking happily around as they traveled down the gentle hill.
Judy swallowed hard, and Mary felt her chest tighten. They reached level ground, heading toward the duck pond, and Mary could see grayish-brown mallards floating around on the glassy surface.
“Ducks!” William shouted happily.
“Ducks, here we come!” Judy glanced over at Mary, as they approached a cedar bench. “Mary, why don’t you wait for us here? I’ll take John to feed the ducks. We don’t want to scare them with too many people. Is that okay?”
“That’s a great idea,” Mary answered, keeping her tone light. On impulse, she patted William’s hand, clenched tightly atop the padded armrest of his wheelchair. “William, I’ll see you when you get back. I’ll wait here.”
“Okay, bye!” William’s attention was already drawn to the ducks, and Mary met Judy’s eye, feeling her pain.