The Tea Series

by Sheila Horgan

  “Okay, but that was a long time ago.”

  “Remember right after the cruise there was a thing in the news about a lab that got all the testing screwed up? There was all kinds of cross contamination, and then there was that one guy that people were paying to fake the test results.”

  “You’re kidding?”

  “Nope. That was the lab that they used, so Jessie was back in full denial mode. He figured she was just crazy enough to bribe a guy or something. And you know what? Hearing some of the stuff she did, I can understand why he would think that, plus he was pretty desperate to not be the dad. Not because he wouldn’t take responsibility for his child —he’s a good guy —but because he didn’t want to be stuck with this psycho woman for the rest of his life.”

  “Makes sense.”

  Teagan looked like she was going to hit me. “No, it doesn’t!”

  “I’m trying to be supportive here.”

  “Well, be realistic.”

  “Okay. How ‘bout I just be quiet?”

  “That’s a plan, too. So anyway, that dragged on for a while, and then they had to do the test again. That time, they sent it away. It takes less than a week, and you log onto their site, and there’s your future. He’s her dad alright.”

  “So why didn’t he tell you then?”

  “Remember? That was when everything was crazy. Jordan’s biological father showed up, and they pretty much went into hiding, and then there was the whole thing with him being offered that position, and he didn’t even know if I would follow him if he decided to move, so he wasn’t going to open that whole can of worms if I wasn’t even going. I knew something was off back then. He forgot stuff. Just wasn’t himself. Jerkface was getting out of jail. Everything was going crazy.”

  “I remember. I’d forgotten we called Joe-the-cop Jerkface. That was a really rough time, and it was my life that made it so rough. I’m sorry if my drama added drama to your life.”

  “Take all the blame you want, but it’s not your fault that Jessie didn’t tell me. Anyway, last night he went through it all. Every time he screwed his courage up to tell me, some major issue would come up, and it all just fell apart. Life got in the way.”

  “No comment.”

  “I know. But Joy took off with the baby, and he couldn’t track them down, and it all got to be a huge mess.”

  “So he was just going to pretend he didn’t have a daughter?”

  “No. He has had people looking for them.” Her tone was somewhere between sarcastic and angry. Then instantly it went softer. “One of the reasons Jessie is so good at doing what he does is that he completely compartmentalizes everything in his life. He took Joy and the baby and shoved them in one cubby hole and me in another.”

  Teagan was defensive and kind of aggressive all at the same time. I wasn’t sure which side of the argument she wanted me to take. I tried humor. “He should have told me. I’d have had Adeline, Carolyn, and Anna look for them. Turns out, they can find just about anybody. Long story. I’ll tell you later.”

  “They’re found. Jessie has a court hearing in two weeks. Joy hasn’t allowed him to see the baby. He’s never met her.”

  “That can’t be easy for him.”

  “Actually, when I’m being particularly bitchy about the whole thing, I assume that it’s easier for him to deny she exists because he has never met her.”

  “So what’s he going to do? Is he going to fight for partial custody? Visitation? Whatever else he’s entitled to?”

  “Right now, he’s just trying to get to see her and to make sure that Joy is bringing her to the doctor and getting her shots and all that.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know. At first, I was shocked and hurt. Not because of the baby, but because he lied to me and hid it from me. I feel like it’s a huge betrayal. I’m not sure I can get past it.”

  “I can understand that.”

  “But I love him.”

  “I can understand that, too.”

  “And, Cara, I feel like just because he isn’t perfect, this shouldn’t be the end of everything for us.”

  “I understand.”

  “It isn’t like he cheated on me. He got her pregnant before we got back together.”

  “True.”

  “At the same time, he’s had all these months to tell me, and every single time he has seen me or talked to me or whatever, that’s an individual betrayal adding itself to a huge betrayal.”

  “True.”

  “You’re not helping, dingleberry.”

  “I’m being a sounding board. I’m just listening. Sounding boards don’t have mouths. Only ears.”

  “So what do you think I should do?”

  “You aren’t going to like my answer.”

  “Tell me anyway, dingleberry.”

  I took a very deep breath. “I think you and Jessie should go talk to Mom and Daddy. Together.”

  “What? Why?”

  “Who do you know that has a better marital relationship than Mom and Daddy?”

  “Nobody.”

  “They have had their share of problems, Teagan. Their lives haven’t been that easy. They’ve worked through all their problems and all our problems, and they’re still going strong. I think they could give you really good advice.”

  “But if I’m not even sure what I want to do, why put them in the middle of it?”

  “You aren’t putting them in the middle of it; you’re asking for their guidance. No matter what you and Jessie decide to do, eventually Mom and Daddy are going to learn the details. If they’re going to know about it anyway, why not tell them now and get some help?”

  “Good point.”

  “Do you think he would do it?”

  “No doubt in my mind. He said he would do anything I want him to do. Anything. He even cried. It was sweet and pathetic, and it did make me feel a little better.”

  “Then I think your next step is to talk to Mom. Tell her you want your very own O’Flynn pre-cana conference.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  I smiled at her. “It had to happen sooner or later. Me being right.”

  “Thanks. I’m out of here. I’m going to do that right now. I’m not going to work today. I called in Honey.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It’s our new office term. We’re thinking about putting it in the company handbook. It means I just didn’t feel like going in today.”

  “Hey, if it works for you guys, it works.”

  As I opened the door to let Teagan out, Suzi was opening her door, a screaming Evelyn in her arms.

  Teagan went straight toward them, her mission forgotten for the moment. Procrastination is a wonderful thing. “Is she okay?”

  “I was going to walk her around in the fresh air. She’s not a happy person. Been like this for a while. She just won’t calm down.”

  Teagan took Evelyn from Suzi. “First, we’ll do a body check. Then I’ll take her for a walk, and you and Cara can have a nice calming cup of tea.”

  “Body check?”

  “Just a thing my mom always does with crying babies. Babies can develop the strangest things. They get a hair wrapped around a toe or their diaper stuck to them or any other weird little thing that can become a very trying problem in a short person’s life.” The last few words had completely changed tone. Teagan was in full baby mode, rocking back and forth and using her best sing-songy voice, which babies seemed to love for some reason.

  Suzi reached in and closed her apartment door. We all trooped back to my place. Teagan threw a baby blanket on the couch and started undressing Evelyn while Suzi watched. I went in and put the kettle on. Again.

  When a naked little Evelyn was no happier than she was before, Teagan got her dressed again, swaddled her up, told Suzi to relax, and walked out the door.

  Poor Suzi. Every little thing Evelyn takes offense to, Suzi takes personally. It’s really hard when the first baby you’re around is your ow
n.

  By the time we’d finished our tea, Teagan and Evelyn were back. Evelyn was completely out, sleeping hard with just a sigh or a catch in her breath every now and then. After-tremors of a crying fit were so much cuter than the fit itself. Teagan sat at the table, still holding her.

  Suzi smiled. “You’re so good at this, Teagan. You’re a naturally good mother. It’s like you can step in with any baby and make things right.”

  Teagan looked startled. “It’s an O’Flynn thing.”

  My mother called about an hour later. “What is it that Teagan is having troubles with?”

  “What?”

  “Do not play innocent with me, Cara Siobhan. Your sister called and asked to speak to your father and me. She said that she and himself would be over shortly. She said she wanted our advice. Her voice was such that I am quite sure there is trouble about. What is it that she needs?”

  “She’ll explain it all when she gets there, Mom.”

  “I am well and truly aware of that, love. I would like to be just a bit prepared.”

  “You’ve been preparing since the day Seamus was born. She just needs a little mothering, and there’s no one in the world more prepared than you.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment, love.”

  “It was meant as one.”

  “There will be dinner here Sunday at seven. We have a bit of celebrating to do. Will you be here?”

  “I will. What are we celebrating?”

  “Any number of things. See you then, love.”

  With that, she was gone.

  I kept myself busy with more work for Adeline. Then the cooking I hadn’t finished for Ben and Joe (the bouncers that came to A.J.’s aid the night he was attacked) and Teagan’s future mother-in-law — I hope. Then I moved on to some house cleaning. It all kept me busy enough to only think about what was going on over at Mom’s house instead of obsessing on it.

  Okay, I lied. I couldn’t think about anything else.

  It wasn’t about the baby. Babies are always a good thing. Although I haven’t done the math, and I’m not sure exactly how old she is. If I think back on the cruise, and if that was when Jessie first found out, that would make the baby a little older than Evelyn. That would stick with what Jessie said about ‘less than a year’ if he didn’t know that Joy was pregnant right away. But that would mean that he’d known for such a long time.

  I didn’t ask very many questions of Teagan. Not even the baby’s name. It seemed like she was trying to keep it a little bit impersonal, and once a baby has a name and age, it’s personal.

  It would be personal soon enough. Teagan needed the luxury of control. I think that’s part of the problem for her. She’s a really controlling person, and when Jessie didn’t tell her what was going on, not only was it about dishonesty and betrayal and all that, but he took the control away from her. Control to plan her life. Control to make good decisions.

  It seems impossible for a person who loves you to keep that kind of life-altering information away from you for that long. I could understand a week or two while you figured out where your own brain was, but almost a year? Really?

  And then to plan that whole completely over-the-top romantic weekend with Teagan. We should have known something was up. Who does something like that? It wasn’t a bonding experience for Jessie and Teagan and our whole family; it was one big huge manipulation.

  Those thoughts brought up all the thoughts I’d had — okay, resentments would be a better description — when everything happened at the studio. You would think that you would let your girlfriend know when you were attacked or when your place of business was attacked. Not once, but twice, and A.J. didn’t call me right away. I knew he was busy, and I knew he was a guy and guys fixed things first and talked later, if ever. But we’re supposed to be a team.

  In all fairness, I always call Teagan first, but I’m getting better about that. If A.J. and I didn’t want to ask my parents for help — and believe me, we didn’t — then we needed to figure this stuff out before there was a problem.

  I was trying to decide if I should take a bath, call and ask Jordan out on a date with his favorite Auntie, or put a hit out on Teagan for keeping me in suspense so long, when she called.

  “I can’t talk right now. We’re going to go out to dinner. I just wanted to say thank you.”

  Before I could say anything, I heard Jessie’s voice. “Red, I want to thank you, too.”

  I seemed to be on speaker phone all of the sudden. I hated that. I decided not to complain and ruin the moment and laughed instead. “You haven’t called me Red since we were in high school.”

  “I mean it. I will owe you for the rest of my life. I’ll make it up to you though, I promise.”

  “You have nothing to make up to me. Enjoy your dinner, Jessie.”

  They must have hit buttons because it sounded like I was off speakerphone and back to Teagan. “Don’t tell him he doesn’t owe you anything. Milk it!” With that, she laughed and hung up.

  I guess whatever Mom and Daddy said to them worked because they sounded pretty happy.

  I’m sure they have a really long road ahead of them. Nothing is fixed that quickly, and it’s going to take Jessie a long time to win Teagan’s trust back. Actually, trust is earned not won, but either way, it’s going to take some time.

  I called Jordan. I figured because my brother is probably trying to catch up on work — he’s been so busy helping with Morgan and A.J.’s stuff — that he might like a break from multitasking, taking care of Jordan and business at the same time.

  Anna, Adeline, and Caroline beat me to it. Today he’s out with the girls; they decided to spoil him a little. He was supposed to go on an amusement park tour with them, but he delayed it so that his friend and the friend’s parents could go instead while he babysat their pets. The friend’s mom just got back from being deployed. I’m not sure what exactly happened; I had to change a bunch of reservations and arrangements that I’d made on Adeline’s behalf.

  It was kind of funny. Adeline was going to surprise the girls. Anna usually makes all their travel arrangements, but this time, Adeline wanted to do something special and have Anna relax. It all fell apart. Anna must have had somebody up there watching over her. I tried to tell Adeline that Anna likes to do all the arranging because it gives her a sense of accomplishment. She loves the organizing part, and there’s just a wee bit of a control issue in there, too — I know this because I am this — but Adeline had me go ahead anyway.

  Now, the girls were going to head up toward New York to deal with Adeline’s children. That was a scary thought.

  Her kids had tried to kill her not all that long ago.

  Okay, that might have been a little bit of an exaggeration.

  The kids — who are a lot older than me, but that’s how I think of them — knew that Adeline was starting to fade away. They might not have known why, but they knew she was sick and getting sicker, and they didn’t do anything to help her. Her younger daughter did. She was in the service and contacted a neighbor to check on her mom, and that woman contacted me.

  Turned out, the house had mold in it. She has a huge house. It has a full basement, which isn’t really common in this area. The pumps that were supposed to make sure that everything stayed dry and healthy weren’t working, and Adeline just got sicker and sicker. As she got sicker, she let more and more of her staff go. By the time her neighbor Jovana called me, Adeline was in pretty bad shape.

  You know me. I can’t mind my own business. Ever. I had to get all involved, which turned out to be a good thing, since I got my job. But by having my job, I also know how really disgusting her older kids are.

  And she and two other little old ladies were going to go confront them.

  I tried to talk her into letting the lawyers handle it.

  She wouldn’t.

  I tried to talk her into letting the security people go with her.

  She said no. She also said if she found out that they follo
wed her or had her watched, she’d fire them. They had a bit of a problem in Vegas because of all that, but that was a whole other story.

  So the girls are off to New York all alone.

  The good news was the girls would have a blast. Carolyn and Anna had no clue what they were in for. Adeline had the kind of money that you really couldn’t wrap your brain around, and since she was going to deal with her kids, she was going in the style that her world was used to, not the style of normal people. I couldn’t wait to hear all about it.

  I took a nice long bath. Slathered myself with smelly good stuff. For some reason known only to God, I put on yoga pants and a t-shirt instead of evening wear and sat on the couch with a fresh cup of tea and Bernie’s journal.

  I was bound and determined to read it all of the sudden, but I refused to read it in order. That just seems like bowing to what Bernie wanted, and I don’t want to do what Bernie wanted.

  Yeah, real mature. I get that.

  I don’t care.

  I read that whole thing about Cassia, and it didn’t bring back any memories of the weirdness I encountered as a kid while I was with Bernie, so I decided I’d flip to stuff a little more current, or at least in the second half of the journal.

  I lost the last of them today. The truth of it is that she died more than a fortnight ago without her children giving me a thought. Why would they? The long lost daughter of a family that sent her away and never retrieved her. When I came to America, it was a tool for the family, even in such innocence I understood that. I was to come to the land of opportunity and create a safe landing for each of them to come in turn. They did not follow. Not a one of them. They did not insist that I return. They left me far from home without a single resource, and then when I went about building a life by any means available to me, they turned their backs on me once more.

  There is a part of my soul that screams good riddance to them. To them all. When Mam passed, and in turn Da, the lot of them did not notify me in time to make the journey had I the funds and the will. They claimed that passage would take too long and that the troubles were boiling hot. It seems reasonable that a civil war would keep me away, but in all truth it was that they didn’t want me there. Had they told me that Mam was ill, or that Da had been injured, surely they knew that I would make every effort to join the family. They were aware that I was able to afford the journey. Although they considered my riches to be ill-gotten gains, it did not deter them from accepting the monthly wire I provided.