#
The party room had been reserved for the family luncheon. At least ten small tables were already filled with people by the time Willetta, Andrik, Martha, and Mr. Ricky arrived. As soon as they entered the room, Martha practically dragged Mr. Ricky across the room as far away from Andrik as possible.
Andrik had been quiet. He was
uncomfortable and tense. Willetta could feel it. She herself was nervous and pensive. She didn't know what the evening would bring. The unknown had grown out of control and was shadowing her every move. No one could relax under these type circumstances. She didn't even try to conjure up words of comfort for Andrik.
Gwenneth and Samuel wanted Andrik and Willetta at their table. Besides the four of them there was a young boy at the table as well. Willetta smiled at him and he smiled back.
Gwenneth introduced him, "This is Chance," she said.
"Hi, Chance," Andrik said and reached his hand across the table. The boy shook it with another big smile on his face. "Did you get bored on the drive down here?"
"No, I like traveling. I like to read too," he said. "I brought some books to read. So, nope, I didn't get bored."
"Did you guys have another baby," Willetta asked incredulously.
"No, we did not," Gwenneth said
indignantly, before laughing. "Chance belongs to another family member. It's so many of us here. I have to introduce you to everyone, Willetta."
Andrik was staring at the child with a frown on his face. "He looks like you Willetta," he said.
"Well, we're all relatives," Samuel cut in.
Andrik still stared. "But he looks just like, Willetta. Smile again Chance. I know I'm not crazy," he insisted.
Willetta looked at the child again. She looked very closely at him. She turned her head sideways searching for something and then she found it. The fingers of ice that wrapped around her ankles and slowly made their way up her body seemed intent on squeezing the life out of her. She was immobilized.
Samuel and Gwenneth wasted no time. They sent Chance to another table and asked Andrik to help Willetta out of the chair.
"There is not to be a scene," Samuel said firmly. "We weren't expecting her to find out this soon. I'm a lawyer and Mama Jean has retained me to handle some very delicate issues regarding Willetta," he said by way of explanation.
Andrik had no idea what was going on, but he knew Willetta was going through some sort of trauma. Sweat was pouring off of her and she was gasping for air. Her legs were like wood as he led her out of the restaurant. He couldn't pick her up, because that would cause a scene.
"Get in," Samuel said, as he held open one of the back doors to his black Suburban. Gwenneth had already climbed into the front seat.
"Where are we going," Andrik said after he had lifted Willetta into the SUV.
"She's probably going into shock. We're going to the hospital just in case," Samuel said.
Andrik looked at Willetta and his heart almost stopped. She was staring straight ahead. She wouldn't look at him. Tears were rolling from the corners of her eyes.
"Willetta," he whispered.
His words fell on deaf ears. Andrik pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Her whole body trembled. With a slow and heartstopping dawning, Andrik realized Chance must be her son. She'd told him she had a miscarriage. Andrik wondered what really happened at the hospital and how much Mama Jean was involved.
He liked Chance. Chance was like him, the product of a rape, but he was happy. Willetta was fifteen when she gave him away. She was just a little girl and Andrik knew that was probably the best decision to have made. He felt sympathy for both Willetta and Chance. If Chance didn't know she was his mother, it would probably be best if he never knew unless Willetta was willing to fully accept him.
He leaned back against the seat with Willetta in his arms and felt that all things in his life had come full circle.
CHAPTER 40
Volume 3, pg.2 (February 1989): "Maureen asked me to take care of Willetta. The cancer is eating her up and she ain't gone last much longer. Willetta know her momma is sick, but she ain't saying a word about it. It's what she ain't saying that's scaring me. Stanley done seen this child and still don't see that she his. He think I done got a foster child. "
#
"What did the doctor say," Samuel asked anxiously when Andrik came back through the lobby doors of the emergency room.
"He gave her a sedative and they're going to let her go home to sleep it off," he said. Andrik was beginning to understand why Mama Jean really wanted him to watch over Willetta. She had planned for Willetta and Chance to be reunited. It would take all his skill and a good portion of his soul to deal with this situation.
"We can't leave until Mama Jean's will is executed," Samuel said. "The rest of the family can go home, but Chance and I will have to stay."
"I'm staying too," Gwenneth said.
"What do you need me to do," Andrik asked. His main concern was Willetta. He didn't care much about whatever else Mama Jean had planned. As far as he was concerned, there was no will. Mama Jean didn't have anything anyway and all her secret revelations were doing was tearing people apart and opening old wounds.
Samuel must have sensed his distaste for the whole situation, because he said, "Andrik, I would not be here unless there was something very important to be resolved. Chance's future and a huge sum of money are involved in this case. There's a legal battle going on that Willetta knows nothing about, but she has to be told and then she has to make a decision regarding her son. Mama Jean said you are a psychologist. I need you to get her ready to make those decisions."
"Man, we don’t' even know what's going on. How in the world can she get ready for something like this? She's been blind sided," he said angrily.
Samuel remained calm and looked Andrik directly in the eyes, "You two have not read the journals, I see. You've had plenty of time to at least get started. I suggest you do that immediately." #
It was decided that Samuel would take Andrik and Willetta back out to the house. Andrik turned his keys over to Samuel and left it to him and Gwenneth to get Martha, Mr. Ricky and his car back home. Samuel, Gwenneth and Chance would stay with Andrik and Willetta at Thompson Estates until Willetta was well enough to meet her son and talk with Samuel.
When they arrived back at Thompson Estate, Andrik gingerly gathered a sleeping Willetta into his arms and carried her into the house. He took her upstairs and laid her on her bed. He slipped her shoes off her feet and eased her out of her jacket. She murmured something and then turned into the fetal position and went back to sleep. He laid a sheet over her and sat on the edge of the bed to watch her.
Andrik sat there on the side of her bed like a statue for hours. Time passed and he still sat there. His thoughts were deeply meditative. He wondered how much control any man or woman had over their own lives. Maybe it was a privilege to have someone care enough to manage things for you rather than let them spiral out of control. Mama Jean had acted out of love. She'd been given a second chance so-to-speak to help a child of unfortunate circumstances. Instead of leaving Chance in the situation, she'd rescued him. She'd given Willetta time to grow into maturity. In his case, he'd been left with a traumatized mother and an unwilling father figure. The combination had wrought devastation and unlimited pain for all of them. Mama Jean must have realized her mistake and tried to make up for it. She'd been loyal to Andrik all her days. Anything he ever needed emotionally or physically she willingly provided without a moment's hesitation.
"She loved me," Andrik said. His shoulders began to shake and tears spilled out of his eyes. He slid off the bed and onto the floor, his body racked with sobs. Even though he was her husband's child by another woman, she had bravely breached those interminable boundaries to love him with all her heart. "I love you too, Mama Jean," he whispered.
After a while, Andrik composed himself and got up off the floor. The evening was late and there was little light left in the room. W
illetta was still softly snoring. He looked down at her and touched her hair. Then he lit a candle and turned his attention to the suitcase of journals in the corner of the room.
#
Within hours Andrik had found out about Martha and Mr. Ricky. He read about how in love his mother was with Richard. It no longer devastated him to read about his mom's apathy toward him. Once he understood how she felt about Richard, he understood how having Richard's father's baby must have destroyed her. He was beginning to get a really good sense of how much Mama Jean loved him when he heard knocking downstairs.
He let Gwenneth, Samuel, and Chance in. The boy looked extremely tired, but he still had a smile for Andrik when he came through the door. Samuel and Gwenneth asked about Willetta with their eyes.
"She's still sleep," Andrik said.
Samuel nodded. "Where to, Andrik? I'm beat. This has been a long day. You know I had to demand Martha and Mr. Ricky get out at the old house down the road. They were determined to come check on Willetta for themselves," he said.
"They were very upset," Gwenneth said. "Samuel had to tell them a little about what's going on."
Samuel glanced down at Chance and said, "Where can this little fellow sleep tonight?"
"I want to see her before I go to bed," he said.
"See who," Samuel asked.
"My momma," he said. He wasn't smiling anymore.
No one said a word.
CHAPTER 41
Volume 5, pg.1 (August 1989): "Maureen's funeral was today. I don't agree with how she did this. Willetta don't know nothing. She don't even know her momma is dead. Maureen told me to leave her out of it. She want Willetta to remember her being alive and well, not sick and dying. Today is just another day to the child, but we all know Maureen done lost the fight. "
#
Andrik had not forgotten how seriously and deeply emotions could run even in a small boy. The expression on Chance's face tore at his heart and brought the memories rushing back. He could see fear in the child's eyes and Andrik knew what kind of fear it was. It was the fear of rejection.
"Come on. You can see her, but she's still sleeping," he said gently.
Gwenneth and Samuel stood to the side and let Andrik lead Chance up the stairs. Mama Jean had convinced them that he was capable of mediating the reunion between Willetta and Chance. The situation was emotionally burdensome, but not impossible. Willetta had been their main concern when she had come to them at age fifteen, but now Chance's well-being was paramount in the situation. They could not allow anyone, not even Willetta, to hurt him.
Andrik sensed Samuel's watchfulness and was glad the boy had so much support. He knew he had fallen in love with Willetta, but this smiling, gangly, preteen little person had him solidly on his side. One wrong move on Willetta's part and Andrik knew he'd be forced to deal with her and probably unkindly. His interest was, quite understandably, personal.
He pushed the door open to Willetta's room and gently pushed Chance forward. The candles were still burning and the room was cast in shadows. Yellow light cascaded across Willetta's bed and they could see her clearly.
They approached her bed and looked down at her. She was sleeping peacefully. Her hair spread across the pillow as she lay on her back. Her lips were slightly parted and she looked very young and very pretty to Andrik. Chance must have felt the same.
"She's so beautiful," he whispered. His eyes devoured the woman who had given birth to him. "My biological father hurt her," he said sadly.
It was then that Andrik realized Chance had been given the whole truth about what happened to his mother and how his birth came about. All he needed was to put faces to the names. Now he had the face of his mother before him and the whole truth would take on a new and deeper meaning. Andrik put his hand gently on Chance's shoulder.
"Yes, he did," he said simply.
Chance reached his hand out tentatively. It hovered above Willetta's hair. Then he lowered it and touched it. He lifted a strand and just looked at it. "Can I kiss her," he asked quietly without once looking away from the strand of her hair he held in his hand.
Andrik shifted uncomfortably on his feet. For the second time in a day, he wanted to cry. He knew it would probably scare the child if he saw him crying. He was still strange to the boy. So, he took a deep breath and nodded.
Andrik watched as Chance leaned over the mother he'd recognized all on his own; the mother he'd been alienated from all his life. His lips touched her cheek almost reverently and Andrik felt some of what the child was feeling. This was probably as close as he would ever get to Willetta. It made Andrik sad.
But one minute the situation was controlled and the next it wasn't. Andrik watched in disbelief as Chance wrapped his arms around Willetta's neck and pulled her in for a hug. She instantly began to waken. Andrik was immobilized.
"W…what is going on," Willetta said groggily. She looked into the eyes of the little boy holding on to her and instinctively began patting him on the back. Tears were running out the child's eyes as he held on to her tightly. Her eyes lifted to Andrik. He shrugged and fastened his eyes on Chance's back.
"It's okay, sweetheart. Don't cry. Just let me sit up," she whispered. Willetta's heart hammered in her chest. His thin body was pressed tightly against hers. She could feel his heart beating and smell the strange scent that was his. This was the child she'd spurned.
When she had looked across the table and seen the freckles across the bridge of his nose, the bottom had fallen out of her. Orlando Jr. and Olivia both inherited the trait from Aunt Octavia. She remembered those freckles on Orlando's flushed-red and hateful face as he panted above her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she still loosely held the child of that violent union in her arms.
Andrik's voice suddenly flowed over her like milk and honey, "Willetta, take it easy. One step at a time. This is Chance. He knows you're his mother and he wanted to see you before he went to sleep. He thinks you're beautiful. Come on Chance, move back and let her sit up. She's been sleeping off some strong medicine. Let's give her a chance to shake it off."
He gently moved Chance out of her arms and gave her a warning look over the child's head. Willetta understood the look and knew she was to do nothing to make Chance uncomfortable. She had to get herself together quickly. It was hard when she was falling apart all over again. The memory of the rape was washing over her in waves and she wanted to throw up. When she looked at Chance, she saw Orlando more than she saw herself.
He was also a reminder of how vulnerable she had been. He was a reminder that her life wasn't as complete as she thought it was. Here was the child of her very own womb who had been living apart from her for over a decade. He symbolized everything wrong in her life and every deficiency of her character. She was a runner. She didn't know how to stay and deal with problems.
Her body weakly submitted to the onslaught of emotions and she cried. It was a pitiful keening cry of a wounded animal. She had no strength to stop its flow. Andrik and Chance watched silently as she struggled.
"It's okay to cry," Chance said. His voice was breathless with burgeoning panic and stilted with deep sadness. "He hurt you and I know I remind you of what happened. I saw him and I look like him, but I'm not like him. Even though I'm glad to be alive, I would give my life back to keep it from happening to you."
Andrik's eyes narrowed upon Willetta and he waited. He should have taken Chance and run with him the minute her eyes opened. This was not going well. Chance's words evoked a rage in him that came from deep within the recesses of his terrible past. No child should ever feel they shouldn't have been born. It didn't matter how that birth had come about. Andrik rose to his full height and put one hand firmly on Chance's shoulder with the intention of ushering him out of the room away from Willetta and her destructive self-pity.
"I'm glad you're alive too, Chance and I know you are not like him," she said gently. Willetta wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. She threw the cover from her legs and put her feet on the f
loor. She looked into Chance's face and said, "I want you to tell me who took you to see that horrible man and why."
It was spoken like a true mother. Andrik's heart soared. His girl was back and now the real show was about to begin.
CHAPTER 42
Volume 5, pg.5 (August 1989): "Maureen lived poor, but she left a fortune for Willetta. It's in a trust and it will be some years before she can touch it, but it’s a doozy. The lawyer said it's a life insurance policy. He said it'll be a whole lot more when she can get her hands on it. I wonder if I can get one like that?"
#
Vivica Townsend had spent the majority of her adult life reeling from the effects of a bad marriage. At fifty-two she was wise from hindsight and satisfied with her single self. She had one goal and it involved her grandson, Chance. She wanted him to be hers and hers alone. He was the one sure fire beam of light in her life and it was time she made him her own.
Jean Myers had contacted her eleven years earlier with the not so shocking news that she was a grandmother. Her only child, Orlando Jr., was serving a prison term for rape and assault. She'd heard about his ruthless escapades through television and newspaper. It had been shocking though to find that the baby was the result of an entirely different rape and that she was to keep the child as a grandparent and nothing else. There was to be no adoption.
Even if the terms were unethical and a bit strange, curiosity won over and she agreed to at least see the child. It had been love at first sight. Chance was not the Neanderthal his father and grandfather were. He was happy, sensitive, and intuitive. Vivica poured every ounce of wisdom she had into him and lent him to cultural exposures that could mold him further into the promising intelligent young man he seemed to be becoming.
She now lay in a substandard hotel in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The bitter taste in her mouth had nothing to do with the mediocre meal of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy she had eaten. She was worried about Chance. This was the day he'd finally meet his mother; the young woman Orlando had assaulted when she was only fifteen.
Journals of the Secret Keeper Page 15