The cold wind swept right through her as she headed into the dorm. She’d been looking forward to seeing him and at this moment she hated him.
Maybe Crystal was right. Maybe Jake would always be a player that would never settle down with one woman. Maybe her mother was right and they weren’t ready for marriage. What had she almost done?
By Tuesday evening, Brenda had driven the camper to another camping area on the other side of the lake, away from where Paul camped. She didn’t know how long she’d be here, but right now she needed a day or two to let her wounds heal before she started the drive to Colorado.
She wasn’t ready to face her daughter or her granddaughter and let them know a man had broken her heart. She was the tough old bird and right now she felt like she’d flown into the windshield of a Mack truck and was splattered all over the glass.
Now she could say she had loved again, but how did she explain she’d fallen in love with a married man?
Yes, his situation was unique, but by the laws of man and God, he was still married. He still had commitments to his previous wife and would until she passed away.
But Brenda kept seeing his pain-stricken face when he’d told her the truth and he admitted to loving her.
Life was never easy. And love was often painful.
The phone rang and she looked down to see the caller ID. With relief, she recognized her granddaughter’s number.
“Hi there,” she said, happy to hear from Katie.
“Nana, I need your help,” she said, her voice shaky.
“What’s wrong, honey?” she asked.
“Daddy’s in the hospital. They just called me and said he’s had a heart attack. Mom’s not answering her phone,” Katie said, her voice panicky. “I took the first flight out of Denver, but they routed me to Kansas City and I’m laid over here. I’m trying to get to Dallas.”
“How bad is he? Is it life-threatening?”
“They told me I needed to get there as quick as possible.” Katie started to cry. “I don’t know if I’m going to make it.”
Oh dear. The jerk was dying, but all she could think about was her sweet granddaughter. How would she handle it? How could she help her?
“You just get on the next flight to Dallas and I’ll find your Mom. Call me when you have your flight number and I’ll be waiting for you at the airport in Dallas.”
“Nana, I’m so afraid he’s going to die.”
“Honey, just say a prayer and get on the first airplane you can. I’m packing the camper right now. By the time you get to Dallas, I should be there.”
“Thanks, Nana, you’re the best. Tell Mom to call me.”
“I will. You be careful. I love you,” Brenda said, already in motion. Within a few minutes, she’d secured everything inside the camper and went outside to let down the air jacks. In less than thirty minutes, she was ready to hit the road.
She dialed Marianne’s cell phone and only received her voice message.
“This is your mother. It’s an emergency. Call me.”
Brenda sat behind the wheel of the camper and glanced out into the night. Daniel had suffered a heart attack. Damn, if it didn’t seem like poetic justice. She only hoped he didn’t pass away before Katie learned the truth about her father. She deserved to hear Daniel admit to cheating on Marianne.
Brenda cranked up the engine and pulled the big RV out of the space, heading into the night.
Thirty minutes later, Marianne called.
“Where the hell have you been?” her mother asked. The woman could answer her phone occasionally. Especially when there was an emergency.
“I’m a volunteer at the hospital and I can’t keep my phone with me. Katie has left me two frantic messages. What’s going on? Is she okay? She’s not answering her phone.”
Brenda backed off, realizing her daughter was in a place where cell phones were prohibited and that she’d called as soon as she got the message.
“Katie’s fine. She’s stuck in an airport in Kansas City. Daniel had a heart attack and the hospital called her and told her to get to Dallas.”
“Oh, dear God. My poor baby. Is she all right?”
“She’s trying to get out of Kansas City and get to Dallas. I’m on my way to DFW Airport to pick her up.”
“I’ll be on the next flight to Dallas from Fort Collins or maybe even Denver. As soon as I know my flight number, I’ll call you.”
“I’ll be waiting at the airport for both of you.”
“God, Mother, is he going to live?”
“I don’t know. Only the good die young, so probably.”
“We’ve got to be there for Katie.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Be careful, Mom. I’ll call you with my flight information.”
“You, too,” she said, and disconnected.
She was going to see her daughter and granddaughter. Suddenly she was anxious to see both of them.
Chapter 16
Marianne stepped off the plane from Fort Collins into the terminal at DFW. Numb with exhaustion and worry, she hurried through the terminal, bypassing the baggage claim, her carry-on bag in hand.
She didn’t know how she felt exactly, but she knew she didn’t want Daniel to die. He was Katie’s father, and her daughter’s life had barely begun. Marianne knew first-hand how it felt to lose your father. A young woman needed her dad.
Her mother was supposed to be waiting outside the gate in her RV. The electric door swished open for Marianne, and there her mother stood, arguing with a taxi driver.
“Damn it, I’ll be gone from here in five minutes. It’s after midnight and it’s not like people are pouring out those doors right now.”
“I’m calling security.”
“Call them. I’ll be gone by the time they arrive,” Brenda yelled, hurrying towards Marianne.
She hugged her. “Hi, honey. It’s good to see you.”
“Yes, Mom, you too,” Marianne said, glancing at the taxi driver who was on the telephone. “I think we better go.”
They separated, and Brenda walked toward the RV. As she passed the taxi driver, she flipped him off and continued to the door.
Curses in a foreign language rent the air and Marianne quickly climbed into the RV and locked the door behind her.
“Colorful as always, Mom.”
“I’ve been sitting here five minutes and that asshole acted like he owned that space of concrete.”
Sometimes conflict followed Brenda like a jealous cat.
“It’s called the taxi pick-up area.”
“There was nowhere else to park that was close to the door. Five minutes is not going to hurt.”
She pulled the big RV out of the parking spot and onto the service road. Marianne was amazed at how well her mother drove the lunking RV.
Marianne laughed. “So, where is Katie?”
“We have to pick her up at terminal two. She should be arriving about now.”
“Have you heard anything else about Daniel?”
“No, I thought we would go to the hospital as soon as we pick up Katie.”
Marianne remembered her last conversation with Katie and couldn’t help but tense. “I’m surprised she called me. She hung up on me the last time we spoke.”
“What now?” Brenda asked.
“She and Jake are engaged.”
“Dear God, history repeats itself. Is she pregnant?” Brenda asked, glancing at Marianne.
“She said she wasn’t. I just think this boy has conned her. She’s doing his homework and he’s talking wedding.”
She hated that this was the last conversation she’d had with Katie, but she wanted the very best for her daughter.
Brenda shook her head. “This little prick is not going to ruin my granddaughter’s life.”
“The little prick is sleeping with her.”
“And you’re sure she’s not pregnant?” Brenda asked.
“That’s what she told me.”
“Then why buy the bull wh
en the sex is free?”
Marianne laughed. “Please don’t say that to Katie.”
“Someone needs to.”
They rounded the corner of the terminal and there stood Katie, her suitcase at her feet, waiting. Marianne’s heart leaped into her throat. She loved her daughter so much and wanted only the best for her. How was she going to react to Marianne?
Brenda pulled the RV to the curb and Marianne yanked open the door, anxious to reach her daughter. “Katie, I’m so sorry about your Dad.”
“Mom, how did you beat me here?” Katie asked, shocked.
“I took a direct flight from Fort Collins. I think I caught the last flight of the day.”
“God, I feel like I’ve been flying forever,” Katie said, hugging her. “Any news on Dad?”
“Not that I know of,” Marianne said.
“Nana,” Katie said, releasing her mother and hugging her grandmother.
“I think you’ve gotten even more beautiful,” her grandmother said, hugging her. “Let’s get you in the RV and to the hospital.”
Katie didn't know how she felt right now, besides numb. First the call from the hospital and now to see her mother here in town with her grandmother. She hadn't expected that.
“I’m so tired,” Katie said, climbing into the RV while her grandmother grabbed her suitcase and placed it inside the vehicle. “I didn’t think I would ever get out of Kansas City. Four hours sitting, waiting, and worrying.”
Brenda climbed into the vehicle and pulled the RV back out into the non-existent airport traffic. At midnight, very few people were on the road besides the airport workers.
“What hospital is he in?” Brenda asked.
“Medical City in Dallas,” Katie replied.
Brenda zoomed right through the tollbooth at the north end of the airport. It was silent in the RV as she took the freeway that would take them to the hospital.
“Your mom told me you’re engaged,” Brenda said.
Katie could feel herself bristle. This was not the time to admit that her mother was probably right about Jake. That he was a two-timing cheater. She felt hollow inside, no more room for any other pain.
“Yes, Jake asked me to marry him and I accepted. I’m going to meet his family at Christmas and we may get married then.”
She hadn’t made a permanent decision, but Crystal was telling her it was time to cut Jake loose, and the rational part of her agreed, while her heart slowly broke.
Silence prevailed in the RV.
“Are you pregnant?” Brenda asked out of the blue.
Her mom so was certain that history was going to repeat and she was going to get pregnant! She was too tired to deal with this now.
“No,” Katie said, her voice rising. “Mom told you I was, didn’t she?”
“I did not,” Marianne interjected.
“No, but with your mother’s history, it seemed likely. Your mom married your dad in the spring, quit school, and you came along seven months later. If you’re not knocked up, what’s the rush?”
“We’re getting married because we want to be together,” Katie said, defiantly staring out the window, her heart breaking inside. When had she become so enamored of getting married? It had seemed like the answer to everything. Something solid to build her life around. But would a man, especially Jake, bring security or more chaos?
“Yeah, well forever is a long time to be with the wrong one. Just look at your mother, she spent most of her life with the wrong man.”
Her grandmother knew just the thing to say to piss her off.
“Mom, drop it,” Marianne said
“No, she needs to realize the mistake she could be making. She needs to know how hard marriage is,” Brenda said.
“He is the right one,” Katie defended weakly, wishing with all her heart she could break down and tell them the truth. That she could confess she didn't know what she wanted anymore. “We love each other.”
“Wait at least a year and if you still love each other, then get married,” Brenda said.
“I don’t want to wait,” Katie replied, her voice cracking. “I want to wake up beside him each morning.”
Or at least she had until she'd caught him in bed with someone else. God, this hurt.
“Well, aren’t you doing that already?” Brenda asked.
An ugly silence filled the RV. Why were they assuming she was living with Jake? Sure she'd considered it, but it just hadn't felt right. Finally, she responded. “I live in the dorm and have a girl roommate.”
“So, you’re still a virgin?” Brenda asked.
She gasped. Good grief. Did being old give you the right to just pry into your grand-daughter's personal life?
“Mom, stop it,” Marianne said. “You’re not helping.”
Now Katie understood. Her mother had convinced her Nana to try to convince her not to marry Jake. It was all beginning to make sense and it just pissed her off even more.
“I’m trying to keep your kid from making the same mistake you made,” Brenda said, shooting Marianne an angry glance.
“Mom, you put her up to this, didn’t you?” Katie accused. “You couldn’t just come back to Dallas and be with Dad and me.”
“Hey, I haven’t said a word, except to tell your grandmother you were engaged before we picked you up. And I now see that was clearly a mistake.”
If her mother wanted to fight unfairly, so could Katie. She could be just as mean.
“I know you don’t love Daddy anymore, so why did you even come?” Katie said, her voice rising. “You destroyed our family. Are you here to finish Daddy off?”
“I came because I am worried about my daughter. I am concerned about Daniel and I wanted to be here for you if you needed me,” Marianne responded, her own voice escalating.
“You should have just stayed in Denver with your lover. That’s why I couldn’t get in touch with you, isn’t it? You were over at his house.”
Brenda tried to say something and Marianne spoke over her.
“I was volunteering at the hospital, where I can’t wear my cell phone,” Marianne said.
Brenda tried again to say something and Katie spoke over her.
“You shouldn’t have come if all you were going to do was stir up trouble. Dad doesn’t need it, I don’t need it, so why don’t you just catch the next flight back to Denver where your boyfriend can pick you up?”
Suddenly, Brenda slammed on the brakes, the tires screeching in protest as the RV came to a halt in the middle of the freeway. Marianne braced herself for impact, but when they came to a halt she looked around in surprise.
Brenda put the RV in park, flipped on the hazard lights, turned in her seat, and faced both of them.
“Enough! Both of you!” she yelled, in the small confines. “You two bicker worse than any married couple I’ve ever met. It’s got to stop. Marianne, it’s time Katie learned the truth. You’re not doing her any favors by keeping her in the dark.”
“Mom, it’s not your decision,” Marianne said loudly. “We’re sitting in the middle of the freeway. You need to move this RV.”
“Not until we’re all honest with each other.”
“You’re going to get us killed!” Marianne yelled.
“Then by God, we’ll die exposing the secrets in this family.”
“Mom, move this RV!”
“Marianne, she is about to make the same mistake you did. Tell her the truth!”
“What?” Katie said, her voice anxious suddenly feeling very nervous. What was her mother keeping secret from her?
Tears were streaming down her mother's face as she all but screamed, “What do you want me to say? That her father was fucking another woman?”
“Yes!”
This day couldn't get any worse. Why was her mother doing this? But when she looked at her face, her stomach clenched. Her expression was not one of a woman lying, but Katie couldn't be wrong. She'd treated her mother so horribly, if what she'd just said was true.
“Y
ou’re lying,” Katie said vehemently from the back.
“It wasn’t the first time I caught him with someone else. It’s the reason our marriage ended.”
“Yes,” Brenda said softer. “Be honest with her; tell her everything.”
“I couldn’t take it anymore, Katie. It had to end. Three times I caught your father. Three different times with different women.”
Brenda reached out and patted Marianne on the shoulder. “Katie, your Mom tried to protect you. Your father cheated on her multiple times during their marriage. The last time was just too much for her to handle.”
Why would they be telling her this, now, when he was laying in a hospital bed?
“Nana, how can you say this when he could literally be dying right now!” Katie said, staring at her grandmother in shock.
“Because you need to ask him the real reason why your mother left,” Brenda said. “You need to know so that YOU don’t make the same mistakes your mother did. You need to quit blaming your mother for your parents’ divorce. Grow up, Katie.”
Reeling, she felt like her Nana had just slapped her. Did she need to grow up? Was she making the same mistakes as her parents had by marrying Jake?
She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she sat in the RV, trying to understand all that had happened. Was she at fault for the way her life was going?
The shouting had come to a halt and now silence deafened the inside of the RV, though cars honked as they moved around the parked vehicle.
Screeching tires had Marianne jumping. “Would you please start this damn thing and get us off this freeway before you kill us?”
Brenda took off the hazard lights and put the RV in drive. The rest of the drive was so quiet, even the turn signals sounded loud. Thankfully, they soon pulled into the hospital parking lot.
Numbly Katie followed her mother and her grandmother into the hospital. Exhausted, she wondered what else was life going to throw at her.
First Jake, then her father’s heart attack, and now her mother’s accusations that her father had committed adultery during their marriage. Ok so there were maybe a few signs that could possibly be pointing in that direction, but that didn’t have to mean that he had been!
Secrets, Lies, and Online Dating: Three Generations Learn to Love Again (Women's Fiction) Page 23