Three Wishes

Cat and Gemma wait at the doctor’s office for the baby’s first ultrasound. They thumb through women’s magazines that offer the same tired advice they’d read decades earlier as teenagers. Knowing that Cat gives Kara teen advice, Gemma wonders what advice she would give to the girl. She visualizes Kara falling in love and being emotionally abused by her boyfriend. Gemma’s own experience with Marcus bleeds over into her fantasy about Kara. That evening, when she gets home, Gemma feels impelled to call Kara and caution her about her boyfriend. Gemma says that he should always treat Kara well, not just sometimes.

After the conversation, Gemma thinks about Marcus and realizes that she blamed herself for staying with him even after he became abusive. She finally has an emotional breakthrough when she thinks to herself, “I never stopped forgiving him! Me. I forgive me for staying with him. A pressure she didn’t know she was feeling suddenly released. It felt like she was unclenching her fists for the first time in a decade” (298). As the weeks progress, Gemma attends prenatal yoga classes, and Cat converts her spare room into a nursery. By August, Frank has moved back into the family home with Maxine.