‘See you later.’ Maggie waved as Anna turned away and headed up the brick path to the dorm.
Fifteen minutes later, Maggie was sitting in the Graham Center’s beautifully appointed reception area, which was empty. There was a cushy navy-blue rug on the floor, patterned club chairs around a cherrywood coffee table, and walls covered with black-and-white photographs of Congreve dating as far back as 1810.
‘Maggie Ippoliti?’ said a voice behind her, and Maggie turned to see a trim woman who was maybe sixty-five or so, with plastic rimless glasses perched on a fine nose, sterling silver hair cut fashionably to her chin, and a gray-wool pantsuit, worn with graduated pearls and black flats.
‘Yes, thank you for seeing me on such short notice.’
‘You’re welcome.’ Ellen smiled warmly, then gestured at the chair and sat down, crossing her legs. ‘Please sit down. We can chat here, since we’re alone.’
‘Great.’ Maggie sat back down. ‘First things first. Anna told me that her father told her that I abused her, and that’s not true. Nothing like that is true. In fact, I lost physical custody when she was a baby because I had postpartum psychosis. Did you get the papers I emailed you? They explain why I lost physical custody.’
‘Yes, I reviewed them.’
‘There were no allegations of physical abuse, you saw that.’
‘Yes.’ Ellen nodded. ‘I have a good handle on the situation now. I’m familiar with postpartum depression and psychosis, which are more common than most people realize.’
‘Yes, they are. I hate that Anna thought that of me, all these years. Or that you did.’
‘Not to worry.’ Ellen pursed her lips, which were thin. ‘I will say, I often suspected that Anna was not being told the truth. I think Anna had her doubts about its veracity, as well.’
‘Thank God,’ Maggie said, relieved.
‘It didn’t stand to reason, for me. I’ve counseled victims of child abuse, and Anna shows none of the signs. In addition, I’ve seen custody battles across oceans, so I know the mud that gets slung around. Families tell lies for a variety of reasons, and I don’t think it’s for us to speculate about your ex-husband’s reasons for so doing.’
‘I agree.’ Maggie eased into the chair. She felt better, now that Ellen believed her. ‘I appreciate your seeing me.’
‘I do it all the time with the student’s permission.’
‘How long have you been seeing Anna?’
‘I’ve been working with her since she arrived. Anna has been unhappy at Congreve for some time, and since her father died, she’s been wanting to make a change. I assume she told you that.’
‘Yes.’
‘She has a remarkable degree of insight. I think that her father’s death, unfortunately, was the impetus she needed.’
‘I’m so excited that she wants to come live with me. What do you think about the idea?’
‘I think it’s a fine idea, now that the allegations about you have been resolved in my mind. Anna is on the reserved side, and though she has so many talents, her self-esteem has suffered here. She’s made very few friends.’
‘She told me that.’
‘We try to foster a sense of community and we follow an anti-bullying curriculum. That works when the girls are younger, but as they get older, it’s hard to force them to include others.’ Ellen sighed. ‘I saw Anna twice a week during the difficult times. We have scaled down to once a week, on Mondays. I think she’ll need to adjust to the move and I can refer you to some excellent child and adolescent therapists in the Philadelphia area.’
‘Thanks.’ Maggie paused. ‘Is there anything you think I should know about Anna? Ways that I can help her?’
‘It gladdens my heart to hear you say that.’ Ellen smiled with approval. ‘Anna has been on her own for some time. She’s compliant, a people-pleaser, perhaps too much so. She is a high achiever and functions well within the rules, but she tends to get lost in the shuffle. You’re thinking about a public high school for her?’
‘Yes. She wants to give it a try.’
‘Good, that’s what she told me too. I think it’s her attempt to live a normal, teenage life. She didn’t see her father more than once a year, and she’s here during holidays when most of the boarders are away.’
‘Oh no.’ Maggie felt a stab of guilt, like her heart hurt. She remembered so many Christmases and birthdays when she’d thought of Anna, wishing she were home, with her. It could have been so different. All that lost time.
‘You may be wondering if there is a diagnosis for her, but I don’t pigeonhole my patients. Not everybody fits into the categories in the DSM. More often, they fit into several. That said, I do think she has a tendency toward mild depression. However, it’s a reasonable reaction to her situation. She has no family to rely upon and she’s profoundly lonely.’
‘That’s so sad.’ Maggie’s chest tightened.
‘Isn’t it?’ Ellen’s lined face softened. ‘It may sound like a cliché, but there is such a thing as a poor little rich girl. That girl is Anna.’
Maggie felt tears brimming in her eyes. Hearing it from a professional made her feel even worse.
‘Please, take a tissue, right in front of you.’ Ellen gestured at a Kleenex box on the coffee table.
‘Thanks,’ Maggie said, thickly. She tugged a tissue from the box, wiped her eyes, then blew her nose before the snotslide. ‘Sorry.’
‘Not at all.’
‘I know I can change things for her.’ Maggie spoke from the heart, wiping her eyes again. ‘I know I can do better than before.’
‘I believe you can, but be patient with her during the transition.’
‘I will, of course. I’ll do anything she needs.’ Maggie gave a final sniffle, holding on to the Kleenex.
‘If you don’t mind, tell me about your home life and your marriage, if you would.’
‘I remarried two years ago, very happily, and I have a stepson, Caleb, who’s adorable.’ Maggie felt her chest ease, on a happier subject. ‘My husband, Noah, is a pediatric allergist, and I work in his group’s office doing billing part-time, which enables me to take Caleb to his speech pathologist in the afternoons. He has childhood apraxia of speech.’
‘I’m familiar with it. CAS.’ Ellen nodded. ‘So you feel Anna could fit in well with your family?’
‘Yes, truly. My husband is as excited as I am. And Caleb will love her. He can be shy around new people, but she seems quiet and non-judgmental.’
‘She is.’ Ellen smiled. ‘Anna told me she’s been following you on Facebook. She may have a tendency to idealize your family life, in the way we believe in the beautiful images we post for each other. Social media has made counseling adolescents and children much more difficult. They believe wholesale in what others post about their lives, their boyfriends, their parents, and the like.’
‘Oh, I’m sure. Every time I feel good about myself, if I go on Facebook I feel instantly inferior.’
Ellen chuckled. ‘Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about, and you’re an adult, your personality fully formed. But imagine if it isn’t yet, and that’s doubly true for girls, who get the societal message that physical appearance is paramount. I helped write the school policy regarding posting, which is admittedly strict. Congreve privileges face-to-face interactions over virtual ones.’
‘Sounds like we’re on the same page.’
‘But, to return to the point, you should note that Anna is mourning her father, as well as the loss of the fantasy of her father. And she’s conflicted and angry because it doesn’t square with what she has, or had.’
‘I understand.’
‘She held out hope that someday he would realize that she was wonderful and be a true father to her.’ Ellen paused. ‘I never saw that happening. I reached out to him several times, and he never responded.’
Maggie felt even more angry at Florian, if that were possible. If he hadn’t been dead already, she would have killed him.
‘So her mourning and her grief are complicated.’
Maggie remembered Anna telling her that at dinner. ‘Do you worry that she’s suicidal? Because that concerns me.’
‘No, I don’t. She has never had suicidal ideation.’