Timmy was the outsider in much of our discussions. I insisted he not be lied to, but all of us realized his age prevented him from grasping exactly what was going on. Our one candid answer to our doctor visit prompted the Doctor Cuckoo title when Karen tried to explain. However, Timmy seemed content with the barest of details. He was gleeful in his knowledge that his father was not only being punished for fibbing but very sorry for having done so. He cared not a mite what the fib amounted to.
"What's the verdict?" I asked Karen as we chomped chips and a grilled cheese. "Give me your read on Dr. Mason."
"He's nice enough. I told him pretty much everything about how my mom died. Was that okay?"
"Certainly.'
"He was glad you got me to tell you what I saw. He said keeping stuff in was no good."
"We both know that now, don't we?"
Karen nodded. "He asked a lot about you, like what I thought about having you as a new mother." I crossed my finger, above the table, where she could see them. She smiled. "I told him pretty much what I tell you." And what is that? I wanted to ask.
"Did you tell him . . . all the answers I gave you to your questions?"
"God no, Sarah! That's between you and me! I'd never say stuff like that! Besides, he's a man, for heaven's sake! I told him we share secrets but I wouldn't tell him what they are."
I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank, you." While I was convinced my candor was more beneficial than harmful, I didn't relish explaining myself and my forthrightness to the good doctor.
"Are you going to tell me what you guys talked about?" she asked.
"Sure. No big secrets there. I told him I feel terrible about not seeing my mother for so long and sticking my sister Suzie with all her care. I got a little snippy with him because I was nervous but I apologized."
She picked up her chips one by one. "You didn't use swear words, did you?"
I smiled. "I didn't get that nervous. How about you?"
"I wasn't jittery; not after I got to meet him. He didn't push me to tell him anything I didn't want to. You can tell Dad talking to him isn't going to be a big deal for me."
"I'll hold off talking to your father until after I meet with Dr. Mason this afternoon." I breathed a sigh of relief; so far, so good.
When I returned to his office, Dr. Mason was looking down at his notes. He smiled at me. "Karen is a remarkable little girl."