“We will, Alice. I promise you we will,” he said.
44
A Whole Other Life
“This is hard to process,” said Gabrielle.
“Gigi, you’re the oldest. You had no idea this place existed?” Alice asked.
Ursula left them alone in the cabin with the promise they’d meet up in an hour. The cabin, neat and homey, was welcoming and decorated similar to their childhood home. Although she had no family photos in the living room, they found a treasure trove of items in her bedroom closet, underneath the bed, and in her chest of drawers.
“Look at this,” said Gabrielle.
She showed her siblings a photo of Daniel and Mattie standing outside the cabin. They were hugged up, younger, vibrant eyes shining. She flipped it over and read, “We did it, Baby. This is for me and you only. Our escape.”
Joshua stared at his father. “He never stopped loving her and wanting to please her. I could never live up to that in a relationship.”
“You’re supposed to have your own relationship. Theirs was a good model, but you have to create your own marriage,” said Alice.
Gigi found more photos. “Where were we when they came here?”
“They were really young on these pictures, so I’m guessing we weren’t born. In their later years, they probably came here when we stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.” Joshua handed the photo back to Gabrielle and opened a bottom drawer of the heavy chifforobe. Letters with the name “Boris Camden, PI,” in the return address caught his attention. He removed them and informed his sisters, “I’m going to the living room. Be back in a few.”
He kicked his feet up on the coffee table and read the letters that had been opened. Pangs of guilt hit him when he thought back to his mother pleading with him to start the rotation again. He’d put his plan in motion for her to move in, but he’d been too slow. A light tap on the front door interrupted him. “Come in.”
Ursula walked in with a reusable shopping bag and sat across from him. “Are you all ready to go back to the hospital? I brought a few things I know she enjoys. We took turns with crossword puzzles. She’d do the top half; I’d complete the bottom.” She held up a large print puzzle book.
“She did the same thing with my father.” He wrapped the bow around the letters again. “How did you get to know my mother?”
“I saw her coming and going and figured she needed assistance. She was shrouded in those dark shades and running inside before I could get her attention. She was determined to keep to herself, but we’re isolated back here. Neighbors should get to know each other.”
“Thank you for looking out for her.”
“She always said she was alone in the world, but I didn’t believe her. The way she nurtured her plants and cared for her home was an indicator of motherly love. I wished she’d opened up to me.”
“You would’ve turned her in.”
“No I wouldn’t. I would find any living relatives she had. I knew something was going on because she could be jittery at times.”
Alice and Gabrielle joined them in the living room.
“Mama has a safe with money and jewelry in there, Josh,” said Alice. “She kept the combination in back of it.”
“And she has concert stubs, playbills, all kinds of entertainment mementos.” Gabrielle held up stubs from a 1972 Bill Withers concert.
“It’s like our parents lived a whole other life,” said Josh.
“Keeps the spice going,” said Ursula. She eyed her watch. “Let’s get back to the hospital. This reunion has been long overdue.”
45
We Can’t Start Over
Mattie’s chest rose and fell. The potent sedative made it hard to open her eyes. The hospital bed was no match for her soft mattress; she had to get up and go back to the cabin. She tried turning on her side when familiar voices called out to her, “Be careful, Mama.”
She shook off the sound. “Can’t be.” Her left eye sprang open. She scanned the room and pulled the covers closer at the sight of her children. “What are you all doing here?”
They’d made a pact to stay calm and let her explain herself.
“Ms. Ursula called us, Mama,” said Joshua. “I can’t imagine a mother of mine being alive and not reaching out to me or us.”
“Believe it.” Mattie’s eyes were open now. She turned away from them and looked out the window.
Gabrielle swallowed hard. “You were disoriented and got lost? Right, Mama. You didn’t know what to do, stayed away because you were afraid?”
Her attention stayed focused on the birds outside the window as she spoke. “Thanks a lot, Ursula. I’m sure you’re responsible for this mess.” Her sarcastic tone bristled them.
“Would you rather I had called the authorities, Mattie?”
“The police care more for me than my own children.”
“Mama, you know that’s not true,” said Alice. She reached for her mother’s hands, but Mattie folded them as if in funeral repose.
She turned her eyes on them and glared. “It took the three of you thinking I was dead to be in the same place at one time. When I was still alive, how often did you see about me?”
Their silence was her answer.
“All those times I asked you to come to Grand Oak to visit, you were always so busy. Alice, you were locked up with that bossy husband of yours. Gigi, I don’t want to talk about whose husband you were with because I never knew, and Joshua, your job may as well have been your wife.”
Joshua turned to Ursula. “May we have a moment alone?” She left the room and Joshua began his tirade. “We may not have been the best at taking care of your needs, but at least we didn’t keep a million secrets. You kept my son from me!”
“Don’t raise your voice at me! Deborah asked me not to tell and I didn’t. A woman has a right to choose if she doesn’t want a man in her child’s life. Even if that man is a biological father.”
“But you got to know him in secret. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
“Don’t you know him now?”
“That’s not the point.”
“Seems my leaving made a lot of good things come to pass, so that is the point.”
“Mama, I’m going to pretend you aren’t saying you left on purpose.”
“Alice, you have no reason to pretend. If my going away got you away from Beryl, it was worth it. You look good. You’re wearing makeup and you have on decent clothes. Did you finish with your class?”
She waited an eternity to answer. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“So you have a degree?”
She nodded.
“Gigi, where are you living now?”
“I have an apartment downtown.”
“You paying the rent?”
“Of course.”
“Don’t ‘of course’ me. Your financial life was sketchy. I prayed you’d stop getting by on your looks.”
Joshua kept an even tone this time. “I read the letters from the P.I. Why are you asking us these questions when you know the answers?”
“I wanted you all to hear yourselves. You went on without me. You actually seemed to be doing well without me.”
“But I missed you so much, Mama,” said Alice. The fragile member of the trio, she sat on the bed and leaned on Mattie’s chest. “Things happened and I wanted your input. It wasn’t the same without you around.” She practically melted when her mother patted her back.
Gabrielle sat on the opposite side of the bed. “Mama, I’m sorry for being so mean to you. I never forgave you for not taking my side in Christin’s death.”
“Gigi, I wasn’t at Rock Eagle with you. I’ve always told you all I’m not the kind of parent who upholds her children in everything. I’ve seen children do some ugly things and the parents will act like their children are as right as rain. Your father and Attorney Durk made sure nothing happened to you. You would never tell me exactly what happened, so I didn’t know who was telling the truth.”
“You said Chr
istin moved away, Gigi.” Joshua was about to fire off more questions, then stopped. “Mama, how do we start over?”
“We can’t start over ’cause nobody can go back in time. We can try to do things different, though. I was wrong for what I did to you all. I paid Agatha’s grandson, BoPeep, three thousand dollars to bring me up here. Truth be told, I’m shocked he didn’t go to the news reporters after I disappeared. I was supposed to be missing until that Tuesday to see what you all would do. BoPeep never came back and I was too afraid to call you all. Me and your daddy have had this cabin for years. I was gonna sit up in these mountains until I figured it all out. Time just got away from me.
“I’m also surprised Boris never got caught spying on you all. He even gave me my money back when I didn’t respond to him. If we want to make things right, let’s talk about how I’m getting back home. Lord knows I don’t want anyone to faint dead away if they see me.”
“I called Durk this morning. We’ll hash out a good story to satisfy the press. He’s a master spin artist, so that’s the least of my worries. He said he would stop the will proceedings through probate.” For the first time since they’d returned to the hospital, Joshua smiled at his mother.
“Now, I need you all to step out so I can talk to Ursula alone. Have her come back in here.”
46
Epilogue: One Year Later
Alice’s nerves were on edge as the last of the guests arrived. The weather cooperated for the patio shindig. Mattie sat in a decorated chair at the gift table and directed traffic her way. When someone handed her a box, she rearranged the gifts and gave a warm thank-you.
Katisha and Nanette unwrapped the fruit and vegetable trays and lit candles underneath chafing dishes filled with meatballs and wings. Ladies mingled and laughed as they took in their surroundings.
“Alice, your house looks like something out of a magazine,” said Zola, one of Synaria’s childhood friends. “Who decorated it?”
“I did most of it myself. I got a lot of ideas from magazines and books. The actual rehab and upgrades were done by a friend of mine named Sabir.”
“Honey, you missed your calling as an interior designer. This place is fabulous.”
“Thanks, Zola.”
Alice had moved in less than a month ago. She had prepared for her round of the rotation by outfitting Mattie’s bedroom with her favorite photos, puzzles, and sewing patterns. Four months of hosting her mother excited and simultaneously frightened her. She spared no expense as Robert made good on his promise that she’d get money back from the Ponzi scheme. That money, in addition to proceeds from the sale of her old home and alimony from Beryl, allowed her to breathe and work on her clothing design and alteration business. She hadn’t ironed out all the details yet, but she took advantage of local business initiatives created for entrepreneurs.
Mattie flagged Gabrielle as she walked past. “Gigi, bring me a glass of lemonade, please.”
“What else would you like, Mama?”
“One of those pimento cheese things.”
“Pinwheels, Mama.”
“You know what I mean.”
Alice joined her mother at the gift table. “I’m going to have the guests eat soon.”
“I’m so proud of you, Baby. You started over and you survived.”
“One day at a time, remember?”
“I said what I meant and I meant what I said.”
They chuckled as ladies lined up at the food table.
Mattie tsked after getting her plate. “Gigi, I didn’t think you’d ever make it back. I’m starving.”
“I was only gone a minute.” She’d spotted Synaria by the pool chatting up ladies from the library. Several of them held her hand as they admired her ring. “It will be good having a new sister. It took Josh forever to propose.”
Mattie nodded. “I bet he’s not gonna run away this time. He really loves her. I can’t say I felt that way about the others.”
“The three of us agree on something!” Alice did a victory dance and stopped when Mattie shot a look of disapproval. “What?”
“Stop clowning like that about your brother. He needed to find the right one.”
“Whatever you say, Mama.”
Synaria came up behind Alice and gave her a big hug. “I’m over the moon that the first party at your new place is my bridal shower.”
“You were going to be part of the family one way or the other.”
“If it hadn’t been for you and Gigi making me open my eyes and my heart again, Josh may have slipped through my fingers.”
“After Mama left and we had a long talk, we realized Josh was afraid he couldn’t live up to Daddy’s example. You broke through those fears, Syn. You’ll make a great wife,” said Alice.
Synaria laughed, ate, chatted, and played games with everyone. She sat in the center of the women donning a burgundy caftan and a sparkly tiara as she opened gifts. She oohed and aahed at the wide array of presents. She received everything from lingerie, sex toys, cookbooks, and gift cards from various retailers.
She got to the last gift and held it up. “This one doesn’t have a card.”
Mattie beamed. “It’s from me. Had to get my daughter-in-law something special.”
Synaria ripped paper from the slim box and pulled an envelope from it. She took a deep breath as she looked at its contents.
“I can’t take this, Ms. Mattie.”
“Too late. You two own it now.”
As she had done with the other gifts, she held it up for her family members and friends to inspect.
Mattie sat back, pleased Durk had helped her gift the cabin to Joshua and Synaria. Daniel had bought the land and had the cabin built four years after they married. They promised each other their marriage would be different than the ones they saw growing up. He’d fulfilled so many promises. He was gone now. She only hoped his son, his seed, would make a good husband and make time for his wife as his father had for her. She planned to be around a long time to witness the continued growth of all her children.
Author’s Note
Two incidents prompted Mattie’s Call: A real life Mattie’s Call and the wild stories of my nursing home friends. Several years ago, my now deceased sister-in-law walked out of a facility in Atlanta and a Mattie’s Call was issued. There’d been a holiday program and she walked out with the choir. We were nervous until they found her. She went back to the facility unharmed, but I never shook the feeling of not being able to tell her how much I loved her and what she meant to me if she had died. I also volunteer at a local nursing home and the stories the men and women share are amazing. One grand diva still talks about the cabin she and her husband bought and kept secret from their children for over forty years. It was their retreat, their place to get away and reclaim peace and quiet.
My siblings and I were fortunate to have parents who loved us and stayed married forty-eight years. In return, we all rallied together in their last days to take care of them. Both my parents died in my sister, Becky’s, house. My nursing home friends tell me it doesn’t always work out that way. Some of them are lonely, are the last living children of their bloodline, or have estranged relationships with their children. I set out to spread a message of parental love with this work.
Ten million thanks go to Sara, Zane, and Charmaine, for giving me extra time to complete this book. Fear and the reality of writing got the better of me, but I’m grateful they allowed me to finish what I started.
To the lovely book ambassadors and fellow authors who keep inspiring me: Devetrice Conyers-Hinton, Andrea Allen, Jerine Campbell, Author Cathy Jo, Author Renee Swindle Tiffany Tyler, Orsayor Simmons, Deborah Owsley, Ben Burgess, Jr., Julia Blues, Kimyatta Walker, Yolanda Gore, Lasheera Lee, Ella Curry, Tumika Cain, Cyress Webb, Johnathan Royal, Adrienne Thompson, Trice Hickman, Victoria Christopher Murray, King Brooks, Christina Lattimore, Charles Frazier, Alvin Horn, Nhat Crawford, Christine Pauls, Sadeqa Johnson, Victor Carroll, Tressia Gibbs, Curtis Bunn, Sherrod Tunstall, Tamm
i Kinchlow, Dawn Jones, Teresa Beasley, A’ndrea Wilson, Kiera J. Northington, Anthony Lamarr White, Kim Knight, Christine Pauls and Donna Meredith.
To every book club, radio outlet, public library, Facebook and Twitter friends, hometown squad, and reader who has encouraged me with kindness, food, constructive feedback, and a good old-fashioned, “Girl, that book made my day,” I thank you. It is because of you that I strive to be a better writer and master the craft.
To my siblings, I couldn’t have asked for a better tribe, and we couldn’t have been given better parents. I love you.
IF YOU ENJOYED “MATTIE’S CALL,” BE SURE TO CHECK OUT
BY STACY CAMPBELL
AVAILABLE FROM STREBOR BOOKS
Then
“Let’s face it; everyone in life is passing for something.”
—Woodrow Guill, Sparta, Georgia
Clayton Kenneth Myles is my father. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Well, Clay and his partner, Russell Morris. They are two of many factors that always made me the odd girl. The one with two dads. The one with the rickety family tree.
Clayton whisked me to Atlanta on my ninth birthday; April Fool’s Day in 1984. I’d made a yellow cake in my Easy Bake oven, and before I could lick the milk chocolate frosting from my fingers, Aunt Mavis told me to go outside and play in a tire swing until my ride came. She joined me a few minutes later in the opposite swing, wearing her white nurse’s uniform.
We smiled at each other and she said, “Hard decisions have deep consequences.” She stood and gave me a tight hug. “This will make sense when you get older. We’re doing this because we love you.”
A speeding, shiny, black Chrysler Laser interrupted my “What do you mean?” The car topped the hill with a plume of smoky dust chasing its fender. The car skidded to a halt, and out jumped Cousin Clayton, a high school English teacher and the family grammarian. Tall, pencil-thin, and rubbing an immaculate goatee, he looked at us, his dark eyes misty from crying.
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