Water Signs: A Story of Love and Renewal

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The late September sun flooded through the filmy curtains of the

Pocono Inn hotel room, stirring Maddy from a fitful sleep. For one brief

second, she lost all concept of time and space, but one glance at Lori's

slumbering figure in the adjacent bed transported her back to a very

unpleasant reality. Ugh! Why did it seem every wedding in this family was wrought

with controversy? As if it hadn't been bad enough that Vanessa's insane

perfectionism about everything from church hymns to place cards had

fueled endless fights with Greg over the last two months, another

blowout in the run-up to the wedding had taken place at the rehearsal

dinner the previous evening.

In his sheer jubilation over the presence of his grandchildren from

Nashville, Dr. Rose had inadvertently neglected to acknowledge Vanessa's

out-of-state relatives during an enthusiastic champagne toast. Beaming

with pride, he'd mentioned one year-old Tommy and Ava by name and

expressed his gratitude to Damian and Laura for making the effort to

attend. Given the fact that the discord stemming from Mom and Louis'

summertime visit to Tennessee had threatened their attendance, the

relieved grandfather's words had sprung forth out of genuine, heartfelt

sentiment, and not malicious intent. However, they set off a firestorm of

emotion that had raged into the wee hours of the morning.

Torn between both sides of the argument, Maddy chided her father

for his actions, though considering no one else had been offended, the

entire episode felt like much ado about nothing. Worse, the pained look

on her father's face in reaction to her betrayal had devastated her. But how

could he lavish so much praise on Damian and Laura after all of the turmoil of the

last month? Was it really that easy to forget?

Maddy recalled her mother's homecoming three weeks ago, with its

corresponding tales of ingratitude, abrasiveness and inhospitality. While

she reserved a certain amount of sympathy for her brother Damian-

along with sisterly love and loyalty, she abhorred such despicable

treatment of their mother. After all, Monica Rose had willingly responded

to their call for help (a practice which had become her habit in spite of

past difficulties), going so far as to procure extended vacation time for

Louis, a highly competent babysitter in his own right. And like Monica

and Lily's childcare sojourn for the nuptials of Laura's sister the previous

year, the 800-mile trip-with its accompanying fuel, food and other

travel-related costs, had been financed out of Dr. and Mrs. Rose's bank

account.

At the very least, Monica and Louis merited a basic level of respect

afforded to grocery store clerks and strangers in elevators. Instead they

were made to feel like intruders; a necessary evil in order to juggle difficult

work schedules with the demands of twin babies. And though Maddy

could appreciate the private tensions that might naturally exist between

even the most loving husband and wife, they were no excuse for bad

behavior. The tough part was acknowledging that while her brother and

sister-in-law possessed universal human flaws, many of their inexcusable

actions had a basis in lingering hypersensitivity over past events.

Yes, perhaps their mother shouldn't have written that letter to

Damian when he was a medical student; but her concerns were still valid,

even if her methods might have been a bit harsh. Further, Damian should

have confined the issue within the bounds of a private parental summit,

rather than sharing the controversial correspondence with his future

wife-who never could quite move beyond the incident despite repeated

clarifying dialogue and ultimate acceptance into the family.

In fact, to many including Madeline, Lori, Daphne and Aunt Maria,

Monica had more than adequately compensated for previous mistakes

through her noticeable efforts to welcome Laura and keep the peace. It

soon became apparent that Mrs. Rose's generosity and interest where her

youngest son and his wife were concerned had far exceeded any

demonstrated by Laura's own relatives. Although warm and gracious

people, her parents had left her to fend for herself in terms of

underwriting her medical school education and providing for basic living

expenses incurred as a result of choosing a faraway school.

Most shockingly, when Tommy's traumatic birth nearly resulted in

tragedy for both mother and baby, it took them six weeks to even make

the trip to see their first grandchildren, and to personally confirm their

daughter's successful recovery. The Rose family, by contrast-Monica,

Lori and Madeline-had shown up in advance of the event to help out,

remaining in Nashville until both infants were well out of the woods.

And yet, Laura's parents still reigned supreme in terms of their

daughter's unfailing accommodations and acquiescence. Monica, on the

other hand, seemed to incur mostly second-class citizen status in spite of

her selfless actions. Understandably, Dr. Rose despised this mistreatment

of his wife, but usually defended his son vigorously, perhaps due to a

mutual understanding of the pressures of the medical profession. Maddy

and her siblings demonstrated equal ferocity in defense of their mother,

all the while loving their brother and longing for a resolution that would

satisfy everyone. And as the youngest child, Madeline in particular was

torn between fidelity to her mother and genuine sympathy for all involved

parties.

Her interest had led to a heated phone confrontation with Damian,

who demanded to know what their mother's "problem" was, apparently

flummoxed by the fact that Monica might actually take offense to being

regarded as an trespasser in his home after graciously responding to his

pleas for help. In return, Maddy had unleashed her fury, thoroughly

disgusted by the entire situation and simultaneously anguished that it

necessitated a verbal boxing match with her brother. Then came the

threats of staying home rather than attending Greg's nuptials-a move

that would've incurred unspeakable humiliation and upset. Dr. Rose had

quickly stepped in to avert disaster, thus unintentionally paving the way

for last night's drama.

A sharp, shooting pain suddenly gripped Madeline, interrupting her

morning ruminations. She abruptly sat up and clutched the affected area,

just as Lori began to stir. "You ok, Mads?" she asked groggily.

"Ugh! That's a loaded question," Maddy sighed. "Between last night

and this morning, this whole wedding is beginning to feel more like a

funeral."

"Do you need some Advil? I packed some," Lori offered, throwing

back the covers and walking over to the dresser.

"Yeah, thanks. It's just the usual-period late again!"

"How long this time?" Lori sat down on the bed and handed her a

bottle of water to go with the pills.

"Three months," Maddy admitted. "I really wish my body would

correct itself. I don't care what the doctors say, there's no way artificial

hormones can be good for you. I know if I'd just refill the stupid birth

control prescription, I'd get it again. But it's only a band-aid, masking the

real problem, whatever that might be. Plus, the Pill makes me sick-no

matter how many times they adjust the dosage, it never seems to help."

"I know," Lori sympathized. "Hopefully the Advil will kick in soon.

We'll take it with us, 'cause God knows, it's gonna be a long day! You and

I have to be at the hair salon at ten, then to the Andiario's at Noon for

pictures with Vanessa and the other girls. The limo is picking us up from

their house, so I can drive us over in my car and someone can bring us

back there after the reception to get it."

"I wonder how Greg is doing," Maddy wondered. "Why is it that

every time someone gets married in this family, we have a problem?"

"I don't know, but Vanessa's being ridiculous! I mean, it bothers me

that Dad had to go out of his way to praise Damian and Laura after what

happened with Mom, but for God's sake! He wasn't slighting her relatives;

the whole thing is so goddamn stupid! It's her wedding day for crying out

loud-why is she picking fights with Greg and getting everyone all upset?

He had nothing to do with it. You'd think she'd be so thankful to have

found someone like him that she wouldn't have time for this crap!"

"Oh, tell me about it," Maddy agreed sadly. Here I am, dateless for

this beautiful event and Vanessa doesn't even have a clue how lucky she

is. A handsome, funny, smart, genuine guy like Greg-maybe she should

trade places with me for a day."