by Kate Gilead
She reaches across the table and squeezes her mother’s hand.
“No,” Jean says, “I’m the one who should be sorry. And I am sorry. I apologize to both of you, very deeply, for being so…blind…and…and selfish.” She sniffles and dabs at her nose with a crumpled tissue. “And I apologize to you also, Jack, for thinking the terrible thoughts that I had about you. I have no excuse, other than living in a dream world that was always too good to be true.”
“Hey, now. You don’t owe me any apologies,” I say to her.
“No, I do. And I hope you’ll accept them.”
I nod. “They’re not necessary, but, of course. Please don’t give it another thought.”
“Thank-you, Jack,” she says, her expression thoughtful.
“Mom…what happened? Are you okay?” Molly prompts her gently.
“No. I’m not okay. But I will be, darling girl. As for what happened…it’s quite simple,” she gives us a wry smile. “As I said, I’ve been living a fantasy but I’ve been waking up over the last while. Claude is not who I thought he was. It’s very sad, actually. Very sad.”
She takes another sip of her tea while Molly, Mike and I trade somber looks.
Jean takes another deep breath, sits up straight, and dives right in.
“Okay. When Claude told me about the charges pending around the mis-use of his land, he assured me that he was an innocent businessman who merely wanted to see a return on his investment while developing neglected rural areas and creating jobs. Yada yada, etcetera. He painted the government as full of evil, grasping public servants…pigs at the trough, he called them. He said he’d been solicited for monetary favors by some of these bureaucrats who were in a position to help him with his business interests. He said he’d refused, and they took revenge by framing him,” she looks at me, “with your participation.”
“So I heard. It’s a load of bull, ” I say, calmly.
She looks at Molly now. “I’m sorry to say, I believed him at the time. But his behavior’s been…degenerating. He’s been crazy, really. Beside himself. He spends a lot of time on the phone with his lawyers. There are other personal things that I won’t go into but, well, it all caused me to re-examine a lot of issues that I’ve pushed away. Including both of your discomfort with him,” she explains.
Molly, Mike and me exchange glances.
“I truly thought you were merely having adjustment issues. Rebelling. I should have known better because neither of you were ever like that.”
“It’s okay Mom,” Mike and Molly say it nearly at the same time.
She looks at them sorrowfully. “So it’s been bubbling under the surface for weeks now, in my mind. Then, yesterday morning, he went too far. He received bad news about some aspect of the case and was angry again. He…ranted, swore, threw things. When I asked him to calm down, he cursed you, Molly. He said none of this would have happened if you’d done what you were told. And he claimed that Jack framed him at your behest.”
“Oh, wow,” Mike says. “What an asshole!”
“Well I think that’s an apt description, son.” Jean says. “I may not understand the world of business and high finance and law, but I do understand my daughter.” Her voice trembles. “I know that you aren’t capable of such a thing,” she says to Molly. Her eyes well up and she pauses to wipe them.
“It’s okay, Mom,” Mike says. “We don’t have to talk about this if you…”
“I’m almost done. So, when Claude lied right to my face like that, it was like being doused with a bucket of cold water. It just…woke me all the way up.” She laughs humorlessly. “If he would lie so blatantly and…maliciously about something like that, what else had he lied about? Covered up, or neglected to tell me?”
“Wait a sec…if this only happened yesterday, when did you leave?” Mike asks.
“Immediately,” Jean replies. “I went upstairs and packed a bag. By the time I came back down, he was already back in his office, yelling and swearing on the phone again. So I just got into the van and went to a hotel. And now, here I am.”
* * *
The talk turns to Jean’s next move. I offer for her to stay here with us, but she won’t have it. She needs time on her own to sort herself out, she says. To regain herself, as she puts it.
“And I don’t want to be here if Claude comes looking for me. He hasn’t stopped texting and calling. But I retained a lawyer yesterday once I got the the hotel and his advice is to cut off contact and deal with Claude through him.”
“If you need money or help in any way, I’ll…” But she stops me.
“I’m already well provided for, thank you dear.” She thinks for a moment, then: “I’m afraid I misjudged you terribly, simply based on the fact that you were living with my daughter at your place of employment.”
“I can explain that, Mom,” Molly says.
“You can tell me all about it later. For now, I can see that you love each other. I can see that you are a good man, Jack, having taken in my son as well.”
“He pulls his weight. You did a fine job raising these kids,” I say.
She smiles. “Thank you so much. But I’m afraid my expectations have been too rigid and they caused me to misjudge you before I even met you. Maybe I’m too formal and outdated, too traditional. But to me, things should follow a certain flow. Courtship, love, marriage, then intimacy.”
“Mom…” Molly says, glancing at me.
“I know, sweetheart. Marriage may not guarantee permanency. My first marriage is proof of that. But… it does cement the bond in the eyes of society, and it lays a stable foundation for having children.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Molly glance at me again. I can see how uncomfortable she is, and suddenly I understand it’s because she’s afraid I’ll take her mother’s words as pressure on me to take the next step.
I hate to see her feeling anxious and uncomfortable. If only she knew what I’m planning next week.
But…hey. Just a second. Maybe I could…yeah.
Yes. No time like the present.
“I couldn’t agree more,” I say, standing up. “Excuse me for a sec. I’ll be right back.”
* * *
I’m back downstairs in a jiff.
“…on his own time, okay Mom?” I overhear Molly saying softly. “So please don’t say any more about…” She stops and smiles at me as I come back into the room.
I go directly over to where my Molly’s sitting, take her hands and pull her to her feet.
Suddenly, I’m nervous. Didn’t plan to do this in front of an audience, but…here goes.
“Molly? I was saving this for Christmas Eve but now seems like a better time.”
Lowering myself to one knee, I take the tiny velvet box from my pocket and open it.
Jean and Molly gasp at the same time. Molly’s eyes get wide and huge. One of her hands covers her mouth while the other presses her chest.
Mike lets out a whoop and slaps his leg. “Damn, bro!” he says, grinning.
“Molly Malone, since the day I met you, it’s been my mission to make you mine. I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me?”
She looks at her mom, whose eyes are as big as saucers, then looks down at me, then the ring, then back at me.
Eyes full of tears, she takes her hand away from her mouth, laughing as a teardrop leaks down her cheek.
She nods. “Thank you, Jack,” she manages.
“No, thank you,” I tease her, laughing.
There’s that damn lump in my throat again.
Man, my heart’s pounding so hard! Got something in my eye, too.
But I stand up, take the ring from the box, slide it onto her finger. She’s half-laughing and half-crying.
Mike’s whooping and Jean’s laughing and sniffling at the same time.
Nothing left to do but the good part.
I grab my woman and pull her to me for a smoking-hot kiss.
Epilogue Chapter 13
Three years
later
MOLLY
“Let Daddy put him in your lap…that’s right. Hold his head up with your arm. Remember? He needs help with that.”
Jack crouches in front of Todd, who’s seated in the bedside chair, his sturdy little legs sticking straight out in front of him.
Together, we watch proudly as our firstborn holds his new brother for the first time.
“‘Kay, Mama.” Tongue peeking from the corner of his mouth, Todd carefully cradles the baby, looking down at him with the air of someone given great responsibility.
A few moments go by. Jack and I wait curiously to see Todd’s reaction.
“He gots stuff on him,” Todd says finally, wrinkling his nose.
We both laugh. Todd looks up and laughs too. “Funny stuffs!”
“Yeah. He hasn’t had his first bath yet,” Jack tells him. “You had stuff on you too, when you were born.”
Todd considers this. “He…he don’ wants a baff, Daddy.”
“No, you didn’t either. But that’s the only way to get the stuff off him, so…”
“You be okay, baby,” Todd tells his brother in his sweet, two-year old voice. “We gon pway dinky cars soons you has you baff, kay?”
My mother peeks her head in the door. “They said we could come in now,” she says hesitantly. “Is this a bad time?”
“No, come in Mama.”
She comes to my bedside, looks at my face anxiously, then her eyes focus on our newborn as she greets Jack and Todd.
She smiles.
“Hi Nanny,” Todd says. “Here ya go Daddy,” he says, pushing the baby back towards his father.
Jack takes the baby up and rocks him. Big dark eyes gaze up at his father from a tiny wee face.
Todd jumps down from the chair and runs to my mother.
“Nanny, da baby gotta has a baff!”
“I know,” Mom soothes. “He’ll be okay though. I just want to say hello to the baby, and then you’re coming home with me to see the puppies!”
“Oh yay!” Todd clasps his hands together, then jumps, and spins around, saying “Buppies! Buppies! Let’s go!” Then he gallops towards the door.
“Hey, not so fast…” Jack starts.
At that moment, Jack’s mom, Roberta, and her boyfriend, Neil, appear in the doorway. Roberta bends and scoops Todd up, saying “Where ya think you’re going, huh? Huh, my little escape artist?”
“Gamma! Boppy! Let’s go see buppies!”
Jack laughs. “Yep, on to the next thing already, aren’t ya kiddo.”
“We gots a baby an’…an’…he gots stuff on ‘um!” He tells his Gramma.
“Yeah? The baby gots yuckies on him?” Roberta kisses Todd soundly on the cheek.
“Uckies, Gamma! Daddy ’n’ mommy’s baby… he gon has a baff den…he come see buppies, ‘kay?”
“Oh-kay! Hi Jeannie,” Roberta greets my mom. “Hi kids,” she says to me and Jack. “Congrats!” Her eyes focus on the newborn too. “You hogging that baby already, son? Me and Jeannie’ll fight ya for him.”
We chuckle.
“Everyone okay?” Neil asks.
“Yes,” Jack says. “We’re tired but everyone’s well.”
“Awesome,” Neil says. “How about I take Mr. Busy here for a little walk so you ladies can visit with Molly and the baby?”
Roberta hands Todd over and Neil takes him out of the room. We can hear Todd babbling happily to his Poppy as they go.
“So how was it? Any easier than last time?” Mom bends over me and kisses my forehead, then looks into my face anxiously.
“Honestly? No. He’s just as big and healthy as Todd was, but I couldn’t manage this time. He was delivered by c-section.”
“Ah, okay. Poor sweetie. You look so pale,” Mom fusses.
“Did you get any sleep at all during the labor?” Roberta asks.
“Nope. I’ll be fine though.”
Jack comes around the bed so both grandmothers can see the baby. “The nurse is coming back shortly to bathe him, so if anyone wants to hold him quick…”
Roberta takes him first, saying, “Let me just take him for a little stroll down the hall. I’ll bring him right back, okay Jeannie?”
“Okay, Bobbie. No rush,” Mom says, smiling. Then she turns back to me. “I had a hard time with your brother, too. He was huge, nine pounds. I had a longer recovery, as well.”
“Yes, this one weighed in at eight pounds, nine ounces. Just two ounces less than Todd. But, I have more help than you did, Mom. Jack will take care of the night feedings for few days so I can get some sleep.”
“Okay, good. Have you decided on a name yet?”
Jack and I look at each other. “Yes. We’re calling him Theodore, after my father,” he says. “But we’ll probably shorten it to Theo, rather than Ted.”
“Oh, Bobbie will be so pleased,” Mom says.
“Pleased about what?” Roberta returns.
We tell her as she hands baby Theo over to my mother.
Her grin reminds me so much of Jack’s. “That’s wonderful, guys. I know your dad would be so proud.” She looks up at the ceiling and smiles. “Hey Ted? You hear that? You and Todd both have namesakes now.”
“Okay, kids, I’ll get going now,” Mom says. “There’s no rush to pick up Todd. Larry’s grandkids are coming by tomorrow as well, so he’ll have lots to keep him busy.”
“Sounds like you and Larry are the one’s who’ll be busy,” Jack says.
“Puppies and grandkids, oh my,” Bobbie laughs.
* * *
A few hours later, Jack watches as I sit up, pull out a boob and position Theo to nurse again. The baby latches well this time, sucking hungrily. The familiar sensation of faint tickling within my breast starts up.
I close my eyes and imagine the nourishing colostrum flowing into my baby, doing him good.
“Yeah, kiddo, grab that boob,” Jack says. “They’re yummy, take my word for it!”
I smile.
“I wonder if Todd’s worn your mother and Larry out yet.”
“He has his grandkids there, too. They’re a bit older. I think they’ll all wear each other out.”
“Heh. For sure. And all those puppies, too.” He steeples his hands, then crosses them in his lap. “You know, I thought becoming a dog-breeder might’ve been too much for her, but she’s really thriving with it.”
“I wish she’d decided to breed something bigger than Chihuahua’s though. I’m afraid Todd will squish one of those puppies by accident.”
“Nah. They have everything under control there. Larry’s no slouch. Look at all the stuff he’s set up for them! Kennels, play area, whelping boxes. And that’s just for the grandkids!”
Laughing, I crinkly my nose at him.
“Yeah, Larry’s he’s been good for her too,” Jack says. “After her disappointment with Claude, it’s good she found someone so down to earth.”
“God, yes. I’m glad Claude didn’t make the divorce too hard on her, either.” I shift my position and drink some juice. “Despite his problems, you know, I still say he really loved her. Didn’t want to hurt her. I mean, look at that settlement! That will take care of her for life.”
“Yeah well, he has bigger worries now. I hear he’s still fighting those charges. Still throwing money at it, battling every motion, dragging it through court. Still trying to get that land back.”
“Still chasing those diamond dreams.”
“You know, once I took a look at a topographical map myself, I could kind of see why it’s so interesting. There does seem to be some kind of formation there that closely resembles that of kimberlite pipes.”
“But you said the surface samples didn’t show anything.”
“No, but they didn’t get very far with it. There’s much more to the process than that. But you need time and money, and, all of those trees would have to go, as well.”
“And all that habitat would go with them. You don’t think…there’s no way he can win, right?”
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“I doubt it. Once the government takes something, when do they ever give it back?”
“They can’t be compelled by law?”
“They make the laws. As far as I know, the only way to compel them after that is through revolt.” He sighs. “In some ways, it’s true that government is the biggest racket going. It’s too easy to corrupt. Did you know that income tax was once supposed to be temporary? A war measure, I think, from World War One.”
“No, I didn’t know that.”
“Yes. And here we are, over a hundred years later. Still haven’t repealed that temporary war measure.”
“I guess we shouldn’t hold our breath then?”
He laughs. “You feel like taking to the streets over it?”
I look at him, wide-eyed. “No.”
“Me neither.”
The baby lets go of my nipple with a faint pop. Immediately, his little face crumples and his body squirms.
“Okay, okay…here you go. Shh, shhh…” He grabs back on and sucks, a little whimper escaping his throat.
“Awwww,” Jack and I look at each other and smile.
“Hey, have you heard from Mike, hon? I left him a message but he hasn’t replied.”
“No. The last I heard they were at some facility in the Alps. He’s very busy. He probably hasn’t checked his Facebook yet.”
“Or maybe he’s just busy with Elsa…if you know what I mean.” He waggles his eyebrows.
Mike and his Swiss girlfriend Elsa are working on setting up a high-speed internet network in her hometown, a village in the Swiss mountains.
“They’re six hours ahead of us, so they could be sleeping.” I smile. “Remember how frazzled he was, trying to court her long-distance?”
“Yep. That’s how I knew it was getting serious,” Jack says. “I kind of thought he had more reason to stay at school over the summer breaks like he did, than he was letting on.”
“I thought that was just all Claude’s idea. Mike never told me about Elsa until he came back from visiting that time.”
“Well, he kept it to himself until he knew where it was going,” Jack says. “That’s the responsible thing to do, don’t you think?”