“A lot of dropouts have simply given up. They don’t think they can do the work. We need to provide our children with tools to become successful, and I certainly will be proposing such a program be added to the budget if I’m elected to the city council.”

  As Lisa sat back down, several audience members stood up and clapped for her. One shouted, “I’m all for it. An after-school program could surely help my son.”

  Yes! They were feeling her. Lisa wanted to jump back up and tell them about other plans she had for the community, but she had already used her two minutes.

  Mike Barnes stepped to the podium. He hesitated a moment. Then turned toward Lisa. “You have some great ideas for this community, Mrs. Coleman.” He shook his head, then turned back to the audience. “The thing I don’t understand is why Mrs. Coleman has defaulted on rental property and credit cards if she truly cares about this community.”

  Lisa blinked. Did he say what she thought he said? She looked in John’s direction. John mouthed, You got this.

  Barnes continued. “How can we trust someone to work on a budget for our citizens when they default on their own bills and treat creditors as if paying them is not as important as taking advantage of them?”

  “That’s not fair!” Lisa jumped out of her seat. The cameras zoomed in on her. Her legs wobbled. She put a hand on the chair next to her. “How dare you! I am a victim of identity theft, and the police are working on my case right now.”

  “I’ve heard it all before.” Mike waved off her comment. “People play the victim card all the time when they don’t want to take responsibility for what they’ve done.” He turned back to the audience; the cameras were in front of him. He gave a sad frown. “Now, I ask you, do we really need someone who is dealing with money issues on the city council? What if the money the people in the community have paid in taxes suddenly comes up missing and then my opponent plays the victim again? I say we shouldn’t even take the chance!” He hit the podium with his fist to bring home his point.

  The moderator tried to get the debate back on track with a few other questions. John tried to encourage her with smiles and nods every time she spoke, but it was no use. Lisa’s mind kept replaying Mike Barnes’ words over and over.

  When the debate ended, a reporter ran over to Lisa and stuck a microphone in her face. “How much money do you owe? How many creditors have you defaulted on?”

  “I didn’t default on anything. I’m a victim. A victim!” she shouted.

  * * *

  Tears flowed like a river as she and John watched the news later in the evening. She had told John she would simply let the people know she was a victim of identity theft if the subject came up, but those words came back to haunt her as the local news picked up the horrible scene where Mike accused her of defrauding creditors, then they used the sound bite of Lisa saying, “I’m a victim. A victim!”

  Her political career was over before it had begun. There would be no city council seat. Her dreams of doing something positive for her community ended tonight. How would she ever recover from this nightmare?

  “Argh! I’m mad.” She kicked the chair.

  John put a hand on her shoulder. “Hon, it’s not as bad as you think. Once the police find the person who stole your identity, everyone will know you told the truth.”

  She knew he was trying to calm her, but she didn’t want to be calm. She was tired of being the calm, reasonable one while others went about life doing whatever they pleased to whomever they pleased.

  She shrugged his hand off of her shoulder and stormed out of the room.

  Chapter 24

  “Yo, your girl got torched at the debate last night,” Jeff said as he and Dana lay in bed watching the morning news.

  Dana sat up, eyes glued to the television. “She looks shell-shocked.”

  “It’s not like those accusations came out of nowhere. She knew about those nonpayment issues. Why’d she run for office before taking care of her issues—either by paying her bills or finding this person she claims stole her identity?”

  Dana’s hand went to her mouth as she closed her eyes to blot out the pain and guilt she was feeling. The hurt in Lisa’s eyes was forever branded on her soul. This was someone she had once called a friend.

  “Babe, you know the money we gave to her campaign is worthless now.”

  Dana turned to her husband. She didn’t like the way he made all this sound like a business transaction. “I didn’t donate to her campaign to get anything from her. I wanted to support her. I know how she feels about Bed-Stuy.”

  Jeff put an arm around his wife’s shoulders as he laid a hand on her stomach. “You have a good heart, hon. It’s too bad you can’t get her out of this jam. I seriously doubt she will win the election after what we saw on the news.”

  Dana heard what Jeff said, and she wondered if she might be able to help. All through the day, as she sat in product development and marketing meetings, her mind kept swinging back to this morning and hearing Lisa say she was a victim. She wanted Lisa not to be a victim anymore. And she was going to find a way to make that happen.

  “Dana, are you with us?” Lee Stevens, her production manager, asked.

  “I’m sorry, Lee, my mind was somewhere else. Please, what were you saying?”

  “Is this how it’s going to be for the next six months?” he joked with her.

  Dana rubbed her belly. She was almost three months pregnant, dealing with morning sickness and fatigue. “I can’t make any promises. This baby is kicking my butt so far, so I don’t know how I’m going to be acting in a few months.”

  When the meeting was over, Dana left the conference room and went back to her office. She took care of a few things, then fatigue set in, so she called it a day. If this was how pregnancy was going to be for her, she didn’t know if this kid was going to have any siblings . . . this was work.

  She called Jeff as she walked out of the building. She was hoping to hail a cab. She wasn’t feeling the train today. Her stomach was queasy, and if she threw up on someone at the subway station, she might have to fight her way out of there.

  “Hey, hon, just letting you know that I’m leaving work.”

  “Is something wrong? Do you need me to come home?”

  “No. I’m tired again. I feel like getting into a bubble bath and then taking a nap.”

  “You work hard. You deserve to take it easy every now and then.”

  Dana was holding the phone to her ear with her left hand as she waved to a cab with her right. Out of the periphery of her left eye, she saw a woman heading down the street toward the subway.

  The woman had the same olive skin tone, height, and skinny frame as Vida. She was wearing a lime-green tank top and a pair of cutoff jean shorts. Dana yelled, “Ma! Ma!”

  The cab pulled in front of Dana. She waved him off as she headed down the street.

  “I think I saw my mother. Let me call you back,” she said to Jeff.

  “Okay, but be careful,” Jeff told her.

  “I will.” Dana put her phone in her purse and yelled to the woman again. “Ma! Stop! Wait!” The woman kept going. Dana walked fast in order to catch up with her. She needed her mother to know she was pregnant. She was going to be a grandmother. Maybe if she knew, it would change things. Make her want to go to rehab.

  The woman made it to the corner of Nostrand and Fulton, looked around, then ducked into the subway station. “No!” Dana lost sight of her. She took off running, still screaming, “Ma! Is that you? Wait! I have something to tell you.”

  The subway was so crowded with people she couldn’t see the woman. She nudged and pushed her way through the crowd. She felt like a kid in need of her mommy. How she would love to rest her head on her mother’s shoulder and listen to her sing a lullaby. Her mother had had a beautiful voice before the drugs destroyed it.

  Peeking over the throng of people, Dana saw the woman in the lime-green tank top standing by the turnstile. “Excuse me, excuse me.” She pushed and pushed her way through the crowd. She sprinted down the subway steps. Eyes scanning, searching. Dana was moving too fast down the stairs. Her three-inch heel turned on something and she went tumbling to the ground.

  She yelled as her knees hit the ground first, then she fell on her back. Holding her belly like she was protecting the crown jewels, Dana let out an oof from the impact of hitting the concrete floor.

  “Lady, are you all right?” asked a woman with concern etched on her face. She held out a hand to help Dana up.

  “I think I had the wind knocked out of me.” Dana took the woman’s hand and pulled herself back on her feet. “Thank you.”

  “Be careful out here.” The woman left Dana standing there.

  Dana looked down. Her left knee was bleeding, her back ached, and the heel of her shoe was cracked, yet she still looked around, trying to see if Vida was there. When she didn’t see her, Dana limped her way back onto the street, hailed another cab. Once she was seated in the back seat of the cab, she called Jeff. “Babe, I fell.”

  “What? Where? What’s going on?”

  “I was chasing after my mother. She went into the subway, so I followed, but I fell down the steps, and now my back is hurting.”

  “Okay. I’m leaving work now. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

  Dana shook her head as if Jeff could see her. “I don’t feel like spending hours at the ER. I want to go home. I didn’t fall on my stomach, so I’ll be all right.” She hung up, not wanting to argue with him. She was a little sore, but the baby was okay. However, Dana was not. She needed her mom and was out of sorts about the whole situation.

  When she arrived home, Dana ran her bathwater, sprinkling Epsom salt and bubble bath in the water. She doctored her knee, wiping away dried blood, then took a book off her shelf and settled into the hot water for a soak while reading a mystery.

  Dana had read three chapters when her water started to cool off. She got out of the tub. Her knee and back felt better, but she still put a bandage on her knee in case the bleeding started again.

  Throwing on a pair of pajamas, she checked her messages before climbing into bed. Jeff had called while she was in the tub. “I called your ob-gyn. She can see you at five o’clock. I’m on my way home. I picked up some soup for you.”

  Soup sounded good to her. She hadn’t been able to hold much else down lately. The doctor’s visit, not so much. Dana touched her stomach; she had a baby to consider. She wouldn’t be like her mother, doing things she wanted, whether it was good for her child or not. So as Jeff opened the front door, Dana looked at the clock on the wall. It was three in the afternoon. She had time to eat her soup and then go to the doctor for a checkup.

  “What did you bring me?” She looked at the bag in Jeff’s hand.

  “Clam chowder today.”

  She smiled. “I love clam chowder.” Dana sat down at the dining room table and ate her soup.

  Jeff stood next to her, staring, as if he could tell how she was doing by looking at her.

  “I’m fine,” she said between bites.

  “When you finish the soup, you need to get dressed so we can go, and it might be time for you to go down to two-inch heels.”

  “Never,” Dana joked.

  The doorbell rang. “Are you expecting someone?” Jeff asked.

  “No.”

  Jeff walked over to the door. “Can I help you?” he asked before opening the door.

  “This is the police, sir. We are looking for Dana Jones.”

  Jeff glanced back at Dana.

  She shrugged, but she was nervous as he opened the door. Were they coming to arrest her? Had they discovered her secret? She had come so far from the girl she used to be. She needed a bit of grace. There was no way she was going to give birth to her child in prison.

  Dana wanted to run, but she couldn’t leave Jeff to deal with her chickens coming home to roost. Dana stood, but her legs felt like tree trunks—planted and rooted. She couldn’t move. This is it . . . This is the day I pay for my sins.

  “Her name is now Dana Williams. I’m her husband. Can we help you?”

  The police officer looked past Jeff to where Dana stood in the dining room. “Sir, do you mind if I step in? I really need to speak with your wife.”

  Jeff pointed toward Dana. “She’s right there. Yes, come in.”

  The officer took his hat off and walked over to Dana. “Ma’am, I am Officer Ronald Stokes. I believe you are related to Vida Jones. She had your business card, and information in our system shows her as your next of kin.”

  Dana nodded. “She’s my mother.” Releasing the breath she had been holding, Dana asked, “Did Vida get herself into trouble after I tried to chase her down this afternoon? Whatever she did, I’ll cover the cost. Has she been arrested?”

  The officer lowered his head, tightly gripping his hat. “I am sorry to inform you that Vida Jones passed away this morning.”

  Dana squinted. Her head swiveled one way, then went the other.

  “We found her in an abandoned building. She was taken to the hospital, but she didn’t make it.”

  Something wasn’t adding up for Dana. “Are you sure it was her? I saw my mother this afternoon.” She lifted her pajama pants and showed the officer the bandage on her knee. “I got this when I fell in the subway station chasing after her.”

  “Are you sure you saw your mother? Because this woman was taken to the hospital this morning.”

  “She’s not dead.” Dana would not accept this. She saw her mother run into the subway station this afternoon, so how could she have died this morning?

  “Would you come to the hospital to identify the body?”

  Dana looked from Jeff back to the officer. “I-I—”

  Jeff came over to her. “It’s okay, hon. We’ll go together.”

  “B-but I have a doctor’s appointment.” It wasn’t her mother. She didn’t want to go. Dana turned to Jeff with a plea in her voice. “She’s not dead, Jeff. I told you, remember? I saw her today.”

  Dana closed her eyes and pictured the frail woman in the lime-green shirt again. She looked so much like Vida. But this officer was standing in their home telling them that Vida was dead. Jeff put his arms around her. “It’s probably not her, but we need to go see.”

  Fear clenched Dana’s heart. She tightened her hold on Jeff. “I don’t want to do this.”

  “I’m here, Dana. We’ll do this together.”

  He kissed her forehead, the way he always did to calm her. She could do this . . . She could face whatever was to come as long as Jeff was with her.

  * * *

  When they arrived at the hospital, Dana’s heart raced. She took a few deep breaths to calm her nerves, then closed her eyes. Her nose twisted at the bitter smell of body odor, antiseptic, and a mix of fragrant soaps and cleaners that lingered in the air.

  She held on to Jeff’s hand. He guided her into the room the officer said her mother was lying in.

  She still thought the officer had gotten it wrong. Her mother wasn’t dead. Vida was going to be a grandmother, and Dana couldn’t wait to tell her mother about the baby. She prayed the knowledge would cause her to change her ways. Her baby needed a grandmother.

  “Is this your mother?”

  Dana heard Jeff ask the question. She slowly opened her eyes. They were standing directly in front of the bed. Dana looked at the sunken cheeks, the light skin contrasting with brown lips. Her breath caught, and she stumbled backward.

  Tears stung her eyes and drenched her face with a downpour of sorrow. “It’s her. Oh God, how can it be her?”

  Jeff pulled her into his arms. “I’m so sorry, hon. I’m so, so sorry.”

  It was her mother, lying in that bed, not moving . . . dead. “Why? Why? Why?” She beat on Jeff’s chest as the tears kept coming. Dana could feel herself shaking. This was too much. She stepped back over to the bed. Put her hand on her mother’s thin arm.

  Her head lowered as her heart cracked into a thousand little pieces. Dana doubted her heart would ever mend. Her chin quivered, and the tears came again. All her hopes, all her dreams about her mother one day getting clean and becoming a responsible parent and grandparent were over. Her mother had been a junkie for most of Dana’s life, and now it was over.

  The nurse came into the room with paperwork for Dana to sign. She sat down and filled it out. She gave the nurse her information and asked for the bill to be mailed to her. This was the last thing she would be able to do for her mother. Vida had little dignity in life. She was going to make sure all Vida’s affairs were in order and she received the best headstone she could find.

  While Jeff took the completed forms to the nurse’s station, Dana stood by her mom. She placed a hand on her stomach. “You’re going to have a grandchild, Ma. I was hoping you would come visit me so I could tell you my good news.

  “You have a son-in-law who is a really good man. He’s not like the kind of men you used to bring home or the one I fell for back in the day. Jeff loves me, and he’s going to take good care of me and the baby, so you rest easy, M-Mom.”

  Her throat constricted as she said “Mom.” The tears came again. Dana lowered her head, suddenly feeling a heavy weight descend on her. “I wish you could have met my new family, that’s all.”

  Jeff came up behind her. He pulled her into his arms and wept with her. Dana felt silly for crying like this. Vida hadn’t been much of a mother, but she was the only mother she had . . . the only one she would ever know. Her baby would never get to meet Vida, and she didn’t know whether that was good or bad.

  Then suddenly she felt a pain in her abdomen. It caused her knees to buckle. She held on to her stomach with one hand and grabbed Jeff’s arm with the other. “The baby. Something’s wrong with the baby.”

  Chapter 25

  Lisa lost the election. Devastated, she went to Bible study the next night and lay on the altar, crying her heart out and calling out to God. “Why is this happening, Lord? I have served You. I have been faithful. I don’t deserve this.”