The Heritage Paper

Chapter 76



As they reached the corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West, Veronica began questioning her intuition.

One voice said that Zach was right—the prudent move was to split up the jewels. But her inner-mother was taking issue with the idea.

Before they went their separate ways, Zach whispered in her ear, “I will meet up with you at the West 110th Street subway station.”

Veronica didn’t know if it was the comforting tone of his voice, or the intoxicating smell of his cologne, or who knows, the way the planets were aligned, but as he pulled away she planted a juicy kiss on his lips.

Oops.

He looked stunned, but there wasn’t time to plead insanity. She grabbed Maggie’s hand and headed in the opposite direction, fighting every desperate urge to take another look back at Jamie.

Veronica found herself right in front of The Dakota, the apartment building where John Lennon had lived … and died. And just a few blocks up Central Park West was the Museum of Natural History, another favorite of her children. Jamie loved the dinosaurs, while Maggie’s favorite part was feeding the pigeons outside on the museum steps—she always had a thing for the outcast. Veronica had vowed to continue the city experience for the kids after moving back to Pleasantville, but this wasn’t exactly what she had in mind.

She didn’t know why Zach chose the meeting spot he did, but he appeared to be man with a plan. She tightly held Maggie’s hand as they hurried down the steps of the subway station on 72nd street.

It seemed like hours until their train arrived. When it did, Veronica and Maggie found a seat in the back. The first thing Maggie said was, “You kissed Mr. Chester.”

Veronica flashed a surprised look. “I did nothing of the sort.”

“Mom …”

“Okay, fine—but it was just a small good luck kiss—like a family kiss.”

“I don’t know what family you’re talking about, but if Uncle Phil ever kissed me like that I’d call the cops.”

“It was nothing, Mags. Besides, he was the one who kissed me.”

“Puhleeze … you totally made the move.”

“Made the move?”

“He was just standing there and you planted one right on his lips.”

“Let’s drop it, Mags, we have bigger issues here.”

Maggie wasn’t easily moved off a subject matter she was interested in. “Did you kiss that guy you went out with the other night?”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but no, I did not. It was just movie and a dinner—like friends. Who told you I went on a date?”

“Uncle Eddie,” Maggie said, her look turning somber.

Veronica put her arm around her. After a lengthy silence, Maggie said, “He tried to do the right thing in the end. He saved us.”

Veronica nodded. She still wasn’t sure what to make of Eddie. But it was a debate for another day.

She was all for changing the subject to something that didn’t include Nazis, Eddie, or dating, but Maggie had other ideas. “I’d give you my approval if you wanted Mr. Chester to be your boyfriend.”

“Your approval?”

“You always say we’re a team.”

“I had no idea you listened to anything I said. And besides, Mr. Chester is married.”

“Does it count if his wife is in jail?”

“It counts even more. Marriage is for better or worse, and the worse part is when things really count.”

“Like when you and Dad used to fight all the time before he died?”

“We had a lot of issues we were trying to work out.”

“Do you think you would’ve gotten divorced if he were still alive?”

Wow—where did this come from? Veronica had always wanted more mother/daughter heart-to-hearts, but she guessed her own mother was right when she warned her about being careful what she wished for.

“No matter what happened, it wouldn’t have changed how we felt about you and Jamie.”

“That’s totally the way divorced people talk. So what were you guys so mad at?”

“Just typical married stuff—you’ll find out one day.”

“I think you thought he was having an affair with Flavia.”

Affair? Veronica tried to think if she even knew what that word meant when she was twelve. She wanted to end the conversation, but was hesitant to, since Maggie might not open up again until college. She also didn’t mind the temporary diversion from their current predicament.

“That’s between your Dad and me, and it’s going to stay that way.”

“I don’t know why you would think that—you’re way prettier than her.”

And with that one comment all the struggles were worth it.

“Kingston said Dad was involved in this thing,” Maggie continued.

So that’s what was gnawing at her. “No he wasn’t, Mags. He was trying to stop it, just like we are.”

Maggie’s face turned as serious as Veronica had ever seen. “I was there, you know, when he did it.”

“Did what?”

“When he … you know … hit you. I was hiding in the doorway.”

Veronica never felt worse in her life. “Oh, Mags.”

“Did he do it because he had Nazi blood in him? Will I do stuff like that because of the Nazi blood?”

Veronica pulled her as close as possible. “Your father was a good man. It was one bad moment in the fifteen years that I was with him. He loved us so much—and if he were here, he’d tell you that your future is completely up to you, not who you’re related to.”

She hoped.

Maggie looked encouraged. “Uncle Eddie said the same thing. He told me I don’t have to be like them.”

Carsten and Eddie—so different, but always on the same page when it came to family.

Despite the danger surrounding them, the conversation gave Veronica a sense of peace. It made her think back to when she read The Diary of Anne Frank back in high school. Veronica was taken by how such a young girl, despite being trapped in an attic while being hunted by the Nazi Gestapo, still could find hope in the most ordinary life events. And now Veronica, through her daughter, had done the same.