Charlotte: As of today, I still have not spoken to or seen you since I learned about you sleeping around with my ex-husband, and in all honesty, I don’t plan to. It is my hope that you and I never have to cross paths again and that you will stay as far away from me as possible. To say that you hurt me terribly would be an understatement, but I think it is only fair that you know something about me. When I am finished with someone, I am finished with them for good. I do not believe in second chances because the first chance should never be violated in the first place—at least not at this magnitude. We all make mistakes, but this mistake of yours was a bit too much for me, and it is the reason we can no longer continue our friendship. We will always be cousins, but this is only because I do not have the power to change that. So, my only request from you is that you please stop trying to contact me by phone and through my mother. My suggestion is that we leave well enough alone and move on with our lives. It really is the best thing for both of us.
There wasn’t much Charlotte could say, but it was obvious that Anise had mailed the package on or before Saturday when Charlotte had seen her at her mother’s. The mere thought that they would never be close again bothered Charlotte, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about it. Anise had been hurt by David, Frank, and even some woman she worked with named Lorna. So of course this thing with Charlotte was the final blow so to speak. She wished that Anise would reconsider what she was doing, but Charlotte doubted it would ever happen. She knew that Anise was serious about every word she’d written.
Charlotte folded the note and dropped it inside the box. She carried the box up to her closet and placed it under some clothing she was planning to give away to the church for women who were in need. She couldn’t take the chance of Curtis seeing all of the charges. All it would do was cause another commotion. It would give him another reason to leave her.
A couple of hours passed before Curtis returned from the church. Shortly after, the three of them headed for the testing center.
“So did you finish up everything you needed to take care of?” she asked.
“Pretty much.”
“Is Lana still taking vacation next week?”
“As far as I know.”
Charlotte was trying her best to lighten the atmosphere, but her best wasn’t good enough.
“Mom, where did you say we were going again?” Matthew said from the backseat.
Charlotte looked over at Curtis, Curtis looked over at her, and then he switched his gaze back to the road. He didn’t say a word, and Charlotte knew what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to lie to Matthew the same as she had yesterday, and she hated it. Still, she didn’t have any choice. The look on Curtis’s face confirmed it.
“Sweetie, we’re going to a clinic so we can have some blood work done.”
“You mean with a needle?” His face filled with terror.
“Yes, but it won’t really hurt.”
“Uh-huh. It always hurts. That’s why I’m afraid of needles. I don’t want them to take any of my blood.”
“I’m sorry, honey, but we have to.”
“Why, Mom?”
“Because we need to make sure that all of us are healthy. It’s just like when I take you to the doctor and they give you an examination.”
“But I already had that before school started last year.”
“I know, but we have to do it again.”
“Dad, do we have toooo?”
“Unfortunately, son, we do. I know you don’t like needles and neither do I for that matter, but we have to have this done. It won’t be as bad as you think, though.”
Charlotte could tell that Matthew didn’t believe a word of what she or his father was saying. He was completely afraid and Charlotte blamed herself. If only she hadn’t slept with David. If only she’d told Curtis about it from the very beginning. But she hadn’t planned on Curtis or anyone else ever finding out. For the life of her, she still couldn’t understand why she’d confided so much information to Aaron. She’d asked herself that question over and over and still she didn’t have an answer.
Curtis drove through a four-way-stop intersection and turned into the parking lot of the building that they were going to. Charlotte swallowed hard and silently prayed for all to go well. She prayed that Matthew wouldn’t throw a fit once inside, since he truly was afraid of needles. She wished Curtis would take that into consideration and forget about doing any of this. But she knew that would never happen.
“Hi,” Charlotte said when they walked up to the reception desk. “We have an appointment at three and the name is Charlotte Black.”
The receptionist scanned her computer screen. “I have a few forms that I’ll need you and the father to fill out.”
“This is my husband,” Charlotte said.
The woman looked at her strangely. Charlotte knew their situation wasn’t normal. It wasn’t every day that a husband and wife walked into a DNA clinic, trying to verify who their son’s father was. She was so embarrassed.
“How are you, honey?” the woman asked Matthew.
“I’m afraid of needles.”
“Really? Well, you won’t have to worry about anything like that here. The test we’ll be performing won’t hurt at all. We won’t need to use even one needle.
Matthew’s face brightened. Charlotte was relieved.
Curtis seemed happier, too.
Each of them took a seat, and Charlotte filled out most of the documents. Curtis signed those that required his signature. When they approached the desk again, the receptionist asked them for photo IDs and then made copies.
“Okay, I think that’s everything. We’ll be calling you very shortly.”
Charlotte flipped through a women’s magazine, and Matthew tried to work a puzzle over in the children’s corner. There was another little boy sitting at the table, and Matthew exchanged a few words with him. But it wasn’t long before the boy’s mother’s name was called and they both left the room.
Charlotte continued flipping through her magazine and read an article on how to add more spice to a marriage. She looked over at Curtis, hoping that he was at least glancing at the page, but he was sitting next to her with his eyes closed. Lately, he did just about anything so he wouldn’t have to pay her any attention. In the past, he would have chatted with her nonstop. It was amazing how radically everything had changed.
They waited another twenty minutes, and Charlotte realized that she hadn’t called in to her office. She’d taken the day off, but she’d told her bosses that she would check in, making sure they didn’t need anything. But then, they would never hesitate calling her if something came up. Still, she hadn’t been herself of late, so she was worried that she might have made a few mistakes on some of the legal documents or filed something in the wrong place. Her home life was affecting her work life, and she was sort of glad she’d decided to quit the firm.
“Charlotte and Curtis Black,” the very tall and beautiful nurse announced. Her haircut was very becoming, and it made Charlotte want to whack her own hair down about two inches.
They followed her down a carpeted corridor and into an average-size room.
“How is everyone? And please have a seat.”
“We’re fine,” Charlotte said.
“Can’t complain,” Curtis said.
“What about you, Matthew?” the nurse asked.
“I’m good. The lady outside said I didn’t have to get poked with any needles.”
“And she was right. We do something here called a buccal swab procedure. Have you ever seen a Q-tip?”
“My mom uses them when she cleans out my ears.”
“Oh, that’s not good, Mom,” the nurse said.
“Why is that?” Charlotte asked.
“You should never use Q-tips to clean out anyone’s ears, not even your own. There are so many dangers involved, like causing infection, pushing earwax even farther into the ear canal, and damaging the skin inside. There have been many cases where perm
anent damage has been done, including hearing loss.”
“I had no idea. My mom used them on me, and so do a ton of other people I know.”
“I’m not surprised, but believe me when I say that it’s very unsafe.”
Charlotte felt like an unfit mother, and Curtis stared at her like she was.
“Okay, now, back to the buccal swab. The two benefits of this particular test are that it is quick and painless. All we have to do is rub it around the cheek area inside the mouth.”
“Is the swab method just as accurate as taking blood?” Curtis asked, folding his arms.
“As a matter of fact, it is. All sample types give the same results.”
“When will we have the results?” he said.
“The usual turnaround is five to seven days, but for an additional fee, we can probably have them in three. We have actual lab capabilities right here and won’t need to send them outside.”
“Whatever the charge is, I’ll pay it.”
“Not a problem. But with Thursday being a holiday, you still won’t have it until Friday.”
“That’ll be fine.”
Charlotte hadn’t even thought much about the Fourth of July. Probably because she knew they weren’t doing anything special. Her mother-in-law’s funeral was arranged for Wednesday, so she knew Curtis wouldn’t be in the mood for celebrating.
“Okay, then, unless you have any further questions, we can get started,” the nurse said.
Then she asked one of her coworkers to come in and assist her. They took samples from Charlotte, Curtis, and Matthew, and the procedure was over in no time. Before leaving, Charlotte stayed back and asked the nurse why they needed her DNA, since this was strictly a question of paternity and not whether she was the mother. The nurse explained that although her DNA wasn’t actually required, without it the samples would involve much more analysis and would take a few days longer to complete.
When Charlotte went outside and got in the car, Curtis drove onto the street and said, “Matthew and I are going out for pizza. We would invite you, but we haven’t had a boys’ night out in a long time. Have we, Matthew?”
“Nope. Sorry, Mom.”
“That’s okay, sweetie. You go with your dad and have a good time. It’s good when you guys spend quality time together.”
Charlotte saw Curtis roll his eyes toward the ceiling of the car, but she pretended not to notice him.
When they arrived in front of the house, she stepped out of the car and Curtis pulled away from the curb. She went inside the house and considered calling her parents. She’d called them from work last Thursday and then again on Saturday morning so that Matthew could speak to them, but she’d made sure to keep their conversation short. She hadn’t wanted them noticing anything different. She’d tried to be as upbeat as possible, but she’d been worried about overdoing it, especially when speaking to her mother, a woman who could detect trouble a thousand miles away. Actually, Charlotte wished she could confide everything to her, but she knew if she did, her father might find out and would probably threaten David with statutory rape charges the same as he had with Curtis. It just wasn’t worth causing so much trouble. It wasn’t worth getting her parents upset over something they couldn’t do anything about.
Charlotte turned on the television and searched for something interesting. But no matter how many channels she flipped through, she felt awfully uncomfortable. And she knew why. She was already dreading the outcome of those test results. Until now, she’d been sure that there was nothing to worry about, but for some reason she felt edgy. She felt like there really was something to be concerned about, but maybe she was getting herself all worked up for nothing. What she needed to do was make that appointment with an abortion clinic. She’d found a place in Wisconsin, but by now they were probably closed for the evening. She’d make sure to call first thing in the morning from her office at work.
She rested her head against the back of the sofa, trying to relax her nerves. Just as she closed her eyes, her cell phone rang and she reached inside her bag and pulled it out. When she saw that it was Aaron, she set it on the table. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? And if he was calling her now, he had to have been watching when Curtis and Matthew left. She was shocked that he wasn’t calling their home number.
Before long, her phone rang again. She debated whether she should answer it, and while she knew she shouldn’t have, she did.
“Aaron, so help me God, if you don’t leave us alone, I’m filing charges against you.”
“What? Is that supposed to scare me?”
“I don’t care what it does to you, but if you keep calling here, you’re going to be arrested.”
“And if you do, your life will be over as soon as I’m out of jail. You won’t live more than a few hours afterward.”
“What we had is over, and I told you that I was sorry. Why won’t you just move on with your life?”
“Because my life is with you.”
“Look, I’m not staying on here, Aaron. I’m hanging up, but if you call me again or come near my family, you’ll be sorry. That stunt you pulled at church yesterday wasn’t very smart because now the entire congregation thinks you’re crazy.”
“Is that right? Well, the congregation is mistaken. I’m a lot more than just crazy, and they don’t have a clue as to what I’m capable of. And neither do you for that matter.”
Charlotte didn’t know why she was wasting her time on the phone with him. But in all honesty, she’d been afraid not to pick up the phone. She’d been afraid he might try to break in on her if she ignored him, especially since Curtis wasn’t there with her.
“Aaron, please don’t call here again. I’m begging you not to. At least think about Matthew and his well-being if nothing else. You know Matthew always looked up to you.”
“You know what? You’d better stop trying to play all these head games with me, because it’s starting to piss me off. Unlike you and your paternity charade, I would never do anything to hurt Matthew. I would never harm him in any way. And you’ve got a very sick mind if you ever thought I would.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You damned well should be, and don’t you ever let me hear you make reference to Matthew around me again. He’s an innocent child who can’t even fend for himself. He never asked to come here, and neither did I. But my mother brought me into this world anyway and then gave me up to some child welfare agency. You didn’t know that, did you? I was tossed around from one foster home to another, and every time I started to love my foster mothers, they always got rid of me. They always pretended like they really cared, but then they’d change their minds at the last minute. They lied to me the same way you did.”
“I’m so sorry, Aaron.” She tried to pacify him and show some concern. If she did, maybe he would have mercy on her. Maybe he’d leave her alone for good.
“I don’t like that word sorry either. If people did what they were supposed to do, they would never have to apologize.”
His philosophy was so similar to Anise’s, and, strangely enough, he was making sense. But he was still insane. He was still someone to be frightened of.
“I’m finished talking to you for now, but I’ll be calling you again very soon. And next time, make sure you sound a lot happier to hear from me. Love you.”
Charlotte dropped her phone on the sofa and wondered what was next. Whatever it was, she knew it wouldn’t be good. She knew something bad would have to happen before this was over.
Chapter 25
WHAT A SAD TIME THIS WAS FOR CURTIS. HE’D TRIED TO KEEP HIS mind fairly occupied over the last four days, but the day had finally arrived for him to see his mother. As a minister, he’d preached at a great number of funerals, too many to count, but this would be the most different and most painful that he’d attended. It would be the funeral he’d never forget for as long as he lived. Not to mention how heartlessly his sister was still treating him. She’d ended up calling him late Sunday night, telling h
im that the funeral would be on Wednesday, but when he’d tried to ask additional questions, she’d told him that she didn’t have time for it. She told him that he didn’t even have to come to her house if he didn’t want to. It was her opinion that it would be better if he drove straight to the church and simply walked in with them once they got there. Curtis had been speechless and near tears right after she’d said it. But it was obvious that she meant every word.
He tried respecting the way she felt and knew she had every right to be upset with him, but he’d been hoping that she’d at least try to stay civil. He had hoped that she would let bygones be bygones for the sake of the family, because even he had decided to do the same in regard to Charlotte. He hadn’t wanted Charlotte riding over to Chicago with him and Matthew, but he knew Matthew would never understand their leaving her. She’d been waiting on pins and needles, wondering whether she’d be able to go, and finally Curtis had agreed. He decided that he might actually need her support when all was said and done.
Now, though, they’d picked up Alicia and were just pulling up in front of Trina’s massive brick home, located in the south suburbs. Thankfully, the church was just a few miles away.
Curtis turned off the ignition, and they all got out of the car. Matthew held his sister’s hand, and Charlotte and Curtis walked behind them. Curtis noticed his mother’s brother immediately.
“Curtis, is that you?” the man said, smiling yet tearful.
“Uncle Bradley? It’s so good to see you,” he said, embracing him.
“Boy, it sure is good to see you, too. It’s been a long, long time. And who is this handsome little fellow right here?”
“This is my son, Matthew, and my daughter, Alicia.”
“I already know Miss Alicia. I met her a couple of years ago. But it’s nice to meet you, Matthew.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Mr. Bradley.”
“That’s Uncle Bradley to you.”
Matthew smiled and looked at his father.
“And what about this beautiful young lady standing next to you?” Uncle Bradley asked.
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