Here With Me

by Beverly Long

  “Are you going somewhere?” Melody asked.

  “No. We’re having company later.”

  “Pearl, is everything all right?” George asked.

  “It’s fine,” she said. Her voice was steady. “I need you two to go and find Louis and Tilly and Genevieve, too. I want everyone to meet Bernard and me in the family room in a half hour.”

  Melody studied her grandmother. She looked calm and the request wasn’t outrageous, but still, something didn’t seem right. “Grandmother, are you sure everything is okay?”

  The older woman nodded. “Please, just do this for me?”

  “Of course,” Melody said. She looked at George and then nodded toward the stairs. He followed her up. Once they were in their room, she turned to him. “Just what the heck do you think is going on?”

  He shook his head. “You told Bernard that you didn’t know who called your grandmother. Do you?”

  “Yes. It was her attorney.”

  George rubbed his jaw. “I think we better do what she asked. I’ll go get your aunt and uncle and then stop in Genevieve’s room on my way back.”

  Melody shook her head. “I’ll call Louis’s cell phone. He always has it on him.” She pulled her own cell phone out of her purse and dialed.

  “Louis, it’s Melody. Grandmother asked me to call you. She wants to you and Tilly to come to the family room in a half hour.”

  She listened.

  “I have no idea,” she said. “Just come, all right?” She hung up the telephone. “Look, I think I’d feel better if I went and found Genevieve. Maybe she knows something that we don’t.”

  On her way past, he put his arm around her and she snuggled into his warmth. “Don’t get upset,” he said. “Everything is going to be fine.”

  She wished she could believe him but she had a bad feeling about this. “I just don’t think this is going to turn out good. Look, if I don’t come back here first, then meet me downstairs.”

  ***

  George took a fast shower and tried to figure out what might have happened. Grandmother had been polite to Bernard but her tone hadn’t held its usual warmth. Had her attorney given her news that upset her?

  After he got dressed, he realized that he still had fifteen minutes. He saw his camera on the dresser. Thinking it might make Melody happy to have the photograph of Pearl, he decided to develop it. He took his camera into the bathroom. He put the stoppers in both sinks and poured a very thin layer of developing fluid in the one and then the same amount of finishing fluid in the other.

  He shut off the light and the bath was completely dark. He opened the door just a slight crack, allowing enough light in to allow him to see what he was doing but not enough to ruin his photograph.

  He pulled the glass plate out of the camera and slipped it into the developing fluid. He let it rest there for just a moment before he transferred it to the other sink. After a minute, he picked up the glass plate and held it up.

  It was a good shot. Melody would like it. He pulled the carefully rolled photograph paper out of his camera case. He uncurled the five-by-seven sheet and laid it flat on the bathroom counter. Then he pressed the plate against it and transferred the image to the paper.

  He opened the door to the bathroom and turned on the light. He examined the photograph again. That’s when he noticed the marks in the right-hand corner, about an inch from the bottom. And then he remembered that Melody had noticed a very similar mark when she’d looked at the picture of John and Sarah. At the time she’d questioned him, he thought perhaps someone had marked on the photograph.

  He opened the box of ten glass plates he’d ordered from the Eastman Camera Company and looked through them. Sure enough, each had the same mark in the corner and it somehow was getting transferred to the paper. It was some kind of defect.

  He put the plates back in the box and quickly cleaned out the sinks and put his camera away. He’d wanted to surprise Melody with the photograph but now that he’d seen the marks on it, he knew he couldn’t do that. She was too smart. She’d pick up on the similarities and then the questions would start.

  All he had to do was keep his secret for a little while longer. Then her child would be born and she’d be better prepared to handle the news. He hated lying to her, but he just couldn’t take a chance with her health or Jingle’s health. Especially not after he’d seen that new baby inside of her. It was too real to do anything to jeopardize it.

  He opened the drawer where he kept his clothes and he put the picture underneath his extra things. When he got downstairs, Melody and Genevieve were already sitting close together on the couch. He took the chair across from them. He’d no more than sat down when Tilly and Louis joined them.

  Tilly looked more tired than usual and Louis was smoking a cigarette. They took the chairs next to the couch. When Pearl came in the room, he hurriedly stubbed his cigarette out.

  “What’s going on, Mother?” Tilly asked.

  Pearl shook her head. “We’ll wait until our guest arrives.”

  George heard the crack of lightning and not three seconds later, the rumble of thunder. He hoped the guest had a raincoat.

  The doorbell rang and Pearl left to answer it. George smiled at Melody but she wasn’t having it. She sat quite still, twisting one section of her hair around her finger.

  He wanted to take her to bed and make her forget all this craziness. He wanted to sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on her breasts and lick it off. Hell, he wanted to eat warm apple tarts off her bare stomach.

  Pearl returned with a man whom George guessed was close to his own age. He was dressed in a gray suit and he carried a leather case bulging with papers. The man nodded at the group, his manner very serious. So serious that George stopped thinking about having a special dessert and started thinking that Melody might be right—this wasn’t going to be good.

  “This is Will Beagle. I asked him to come tonight because I think it’s important that we all hear the same information.” She nodded at the man.

  He sat down in the chair next to George and pulled an envelope out of his case. “We are here tonight to discuss the terms of Pearl Elizabeth Song’s will.”

  Melody’s mouth opened then shut. She looked at her great aunt but Genevieve was staring at Louis and Tilly. They both looked pale.

  Will Beagle put on his glasses. “Now, this meeting tonight does in no way purport to thwart the court’s responsibility to read and administer Ms. Song’s will. It is simply an informal session so that all parties may understand the terms and conditions set forth by Ms. Song.”

  He opened the envelope. “To my sister, Genevieve Louise Song, I give a million dollars.” The man looked up.

  Tilly made an odd noise. Genevieve, on the other hand, said nothing. Pearl reached out her hand to her sister and said, “You have been my companion, my confidant, and my best friend. I have always known that if I stumbled, that you would be there to catch me and push me forward. The fifteen years that we were separated were fifteen years filled with missing you. And while I applauded your wandering spirit, I yearned for you to return. We have shared what few sisters have shared and I am grateful for every day that we’ve had together.”

  George would not have dreamed it possible but Genevieve Song had tears in her eyes. He understood. He was having some trouble keeping dry-eyed himself.

  Will Beagle cleared his throat. “Shall we proceed?” he asked.

  Pearl nodded.

  The man picked up his papers again. “To my granddaughter, Melody Louise Song-Johnson, I leave—”

  “Wait,” Pearl said. She leaned forward in her chair and looked at Melody. “I have something to say first.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  “I loved you when you were born like any grandmother loves her grandchild. You were a beautiful baby and very happy. Your parents were so proud of you, so delighted with you. When the three of you would come for a visit, we would have the best time. And like a fool, I thought it would always be like that.�
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  Melody got out of her chair and sat on the floor next to her grandmother’s chair. The woman stroked Melody’s hair and George knew somehow that there’d been many nights through the years that they’d done this very thing.

  “But it was not to be. When your parents died, everything changed. And after that, I would hear you crying in your room and I didn’t know, I really didn’t know, if I could do it. Could I heal your heart when my own was broken?”

  Melody was crying. Big tears rolled down her smooth cheeks and it hurt him to see her suffer. He wanted to reach for her, to hold her, but now was not the time.

  “You made it easy for me,” Pearl said. “You brought joy and laughter and the energy of youth back into this house and I desperately needed it. You saved me, Melody. You gave me a reason to get out of bed every day, a reason to eat, a reason to live. I owe you, Melody. I know you think you owe me but it’s the other way around. I’ve always known it. I want you to know it now. I love you very much.”

  She laid her head on her grandmother’s knee. “I love you, too,” she said.

  “I know you do. And you will never know how that has sustained me.”

  The room was absolutely silent. Finally, Pearl nodded at her lawyer to continue.

  “To my granddaughter, Melody Louise Song-Johnson, I leave a 50 percent interest in Songbook Serenade ranch and a 50 percent interest in Sweet Song of Summer wines.”

  Melody’s head jerked up. “But—”

  “I want you to have it, Melody. I want you and George to stay here and to raise your child here. Nothing could make me happier.” She turned to her attorney. “Will, please continue.”

  Will cleared his throat, again. “And to my trusted friend, Bernard, who has been with me through both good and bad times, I leave the remaining 50 percent of Songbook Serenade and the remaining 50 percent of Sweet Song of Summer wines.”

  No one in the room moved. Then Louis jumped out of his chair. “That’s outrageous. Insane. Jesus Christ, you crazy old woman,” he said to Pearl. He took a step toward Melody and Pearl but George was faster.

  He hit him: a quick punch to the stomach, which sent Louis sprawling back onto his chair.

  Tilly didn’t even glance at him. She sat quietly, staring at her hands.

  “You can’t get away with this,” Louis said. “We’ll contest the will.”

  Will Beagle chuckled. “Good luck,” he said.

  “He’s not even family,” Louis screamed.

  Pearl shook her head and went to stand next to Bernard. He was white-faced and stood still as a statue. She put her arm on his. “When I realized I was dying, my one regret was that I’d never found out more about my father. I’d been afraid for years, afraid to unearth rocks that were no doubt best left lying in the dirt.”

  She smiled at her attorney. “Young Will here was of great assistance. So tenacious. And before long he’d discovered what I’d always known in my heart. My father had another family, another life.”

  George heard Genevieve’s intake of breath and saw Melody reach for her aunt’s hand. Tilly had finally looked up. Louis had moved forward to the edge of his chair, his eyes darting furiously between Pearl and the young attorney.

  Pearl squeezed Bernard’s arm. “Reginald Song was mine and Genevieve’s father but he was your father, too. Not by blood but by all else that was important. He raised you, he loved you, and you were with him when he died.”

  Bernard closed his eyes and he seemed to shrink into the carpet, like all the breath had been taken from him.

  “I’m right, aren’t I?” Pearl asked. “And you’ve known it since the beginning, since you came to work here.”

  Bernard opened his eyes and looked first at Genevieve, then at Pearl. “I was six when my mother met Reginald Song. She loved him more than life itself and I think he loved her, too. Even so, I don’t think he would have stayed. He would have gone back to you and to your mother. But my mother was not a well woman. She said that if he left, she’d kill me first, then herself. I think he believed her. I know I did.”

  The room felt hot and stiff and George desperately wanted to take Melody away from all of it. But he knew the time had come for all of them to know the truth.

  “So he stayed,” Bernard said. “I called him Father and she called him husband while the two of you had no one to call Father and your mother had no husband to share a life with. Before he died, he told me about you and I swore that I’d somehow make amends.” He turned to Pearl. “Your dream, all of this, became my dream. Your joy—” he nodded his head at Melody—“became my joy. I gave some but I received so much more in return. There’s no need for payment now.”

  Pearl shook her head. “You are my brother, in every sense of the word, and I am honored to share this with you.”

  “Bullshit,” Louis said.

  George who had stayed standing up in case Louis tried to do something else stupid, walked over and grabbed Louis by the shirt collar. He yanked him up. “You’re done. Get out.”

  Louis tried to push him away. “It’s not your house yet,” he yelled.

  Pearl stood. “No, but he’s right. There’s no place for you here any longer. I’m hoping my daughter has the good sense to divorce you, but if she doesn’t, once again that’s her choice. But I’m not going to let you ruin everything that I’ve worked a lifetime for. So, you either go to the door nicely or I’m going to ask George to help you find it.”

  George felt mildly disappointed when Louis picked up his pack of cigarettes and walked out the door. Tilly stood up, moving slow like an old woman. Pearl motioned for her to sit down. “We’re not quite finished here, Tilly,” she said, her voice gentle.

  “It sounds to me like we are,” Tilly said. She didn’t sound angry or bitter, just very sad.

  “Please continue, Will,” Pearl said.

  “To my daughter, Tilly, I leave the sum of three hundred thousand dollars,” he read.

  Pearl stared at her daughter. “Here’s what I suggest you do with that money. First, pay off your gambling debts and your credit cards.”

  Tilly’s face reddened. “But how. . .”

  “I know you tried, but really, you can’t think you were successful in answering every phone call and intercepting every piece of mail that came for you?” Pearl asked. Her voice was kind, almost consoling. George thought it sounded like she might have been angry at one time but was now just sad for her daughter.

  “I’m sorry, Mother,” Tilly said. Her lower lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

  “I know you are. I am, too. But you made choices along the way that were bad choices. And there are always consequences. You should have enough left after you get your affairs in order to hold you over for a couple months. Find a job, Tilly. Use some of the talent and brains that God gave you. In time, I hope that you’ll forgive me and understand why I made this decision. It has been the hardest decision of my life.” Pearl smiled at her daughter. “You don’t need to leave tonight. Why don’t you go back to your room and start making plans. Tilly, I really think that the best part of your life is ahead of you.”

  Tilly kissed her mother on the cheek. “I love you,” she said.

  “And I love you,” Pearl replied.

  Pearl waited until she’d left the room, and then said, “You should all know that I have reserved some additional money for Tilly. It will remain in Will’s capable control until such time it can be determined as to whether Tilly has taken my advice to heart. If she does, then she will receive an additional two hundred thousand dollars. If not, then Will has been instructed to donate it to one of the worthy causes that I have favored through the years.”

  Neither Melody nor Genevieve seemed surprised at that news. No doubt they’d realized how difficult it had been for Pearl to make her decision. While George had no way of knowing, he thought maybe Tilly would find her way out of the darkness.

  Pearl looked at her lawyer. “Thank you, Will. I appreciate all that you’ve done for me
. And I appreciate you driving out here on such a wicked night.”

  Almost as if on cue, there was a bolt of lightning, clearly visible through the big windows and it seemed to split the sky. Will gathered up his papers quickly. “I think I’ll be going before it gets any worse,” he said.

  “Me, too,” Bernard said.

  Pearl shook her head at Bernard. “Please stay.” She turned to her attorney. “I’ll show you out.”

  He held up his hand. “No need. I can find my way out. Goodnight.”

  Once he was gone, Pearl glanced around the room, looking rather expectantly at each of them. George wondered what could possibly be next. Whatever he’d expected, it hadn’t been for her gaze to settle on him.

  “George,” Pearl said, “I like you. I might even love you. And I can see that you have made my granddaughter happy. But I can’t leave this earth without knowing that you’ve told her the truth, the whole truth.”

  He felt the room start to spin. “What?”

  Melody looked from her grandmother to him, then back to her grandmother. She was clearly confused, concerned.

  No sudden shocks or other stressful situations.

  He looked at Genevieve. She didn’t look confused but neither did she look happy. She stared at her sister. “Pearl, some things are better left unsaid.”

  Pearl shook her head. “I used to think so, too,” she said. “But if I have learned anything over the years, it’s that the truth, as ugly and scarred as it may be, must be dealt with. If Bernard had told us the truth years ago, we would have had a brother to share our lives with. If years ago, I’d have been more truthful with Tilly, had forced her to see the truth about herself, about Louis, then tonight could have been a very different night. I won’t keep making mistakes like that.”

  He couldn’t think. What did she know? What was she expecting him to say? “Pearl,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Now is not the time or the place.”

  She smiled. “Interesting choice of words, George. That’s what I’m interested in hearing. Is exactly how you’ve come to be at this particular time and place?”