by Adam Zorzi
“The point is, just like almost every other adopted child, you learned of your parentage.”
She didn't respond.
He pressed on. “Your parents were correct in thinking that you would never find out except in the most extraordinary circumstances. You did, however, experience those circumstances. Contrary to what we told you earlier, we now know the aide didn't find anything in your medical records.
“She discovered the familial connection from LIDS-CORIS. That's the Virginia version of a forensic DNA database. As you know, all patients at Commonwealth Psychiatric have a DNA swab taken. The match was noted after a routine computer run. Even so, the DNA samples are blind. Each sample is given an identification number that has three barriers to linking the number with the name of the patient.
“We're at a loss as to how she could have known about it unless she knows someone running the state database. It's being investigated. She may have blackmailed other people.”
That got a small rise out of her.
“You mean this woman, who presumably has no skills beyond being able to walk a semi-stable psych patient to and from appointments and around the courtyard, is a criminal mastermind? When I consented to the swab, it was with the assurance that the information was private except for use by law enforcement. So, somewhere there was a major screw-up.”
“Yes.” Dr. Youzny nodded. “I'm sorry.”
“That's why the Lieutenant Governor is involved. He wants to cover it up. Dr. Youzny, I don't want an apology from you. I should have one from whoever is responsible for this mess, but I'm not expecting one. It was a complete fluke that my parentage, as you call it, came to light. My parents couldn't have foreseen DNA tests and databases thirty years ago and even if they had, no one was supposed to identify me.
“How could they have known that someone could criminally access my DNA? No one ever heard of DNA until the OJ Simpson trial, and forensic databases probably weren't around for another ten years after that. By that time, I was an adult. The odds of my ever finding out were nil.”
“You don't feel betrayed by your parents?”
“I feel betrayed by the government and whoever allowed this to happen. I certainly don't feel betrayed by my parents.”
“The bond of trust has been broken. Doesn't that lead you to question what other falsehoods you may have been told?”
“No, it doesn't. My parents wanted me to grow up normally. They stuck with me from the schizophrenia diagnosis through this minute. I trust them. I trust everything they've ever told me that was important. I trust them to have my back.”
“I see,” Dr. Youzny said.
“Do you really? You sound as though you want me to say this has devastated me, but it hasn't. Compared to the hell I go through living with schizophrenia, this is nothing. I'd be more upset if my name was misspelled on an album credit.”
She was almost angry. Damn it, he'd outwitted her. That's what psychs do. They push and poke and push until they get a reaction. This whole conversation was a test. A final exam before discharge.
LouLou deliberately sat still in her chair and allowed calm to overcome her. She spoke at a normal pitch and pace.
“Dr. Youzny, I understand exactly what this little session was all about. I'm responding normally to provocation. I can articulate my position. I'm not going to implode. I'm better.
“I want to make it clear that I don't want anything to do with Dan Ramsay or his family. And no, you'll never have my permission to write my case for a journal article or peer presentation. I won't hesitate to report you for violating my privacy rights as a patient if you do. I don't care that my response to being adopted didn't follow the adoption manual. I'm not in denial. I simply don't care. If there's anyone who has lost my trust, it's you. I don't want to continue treatment under your supervision. Please refer me to someone else.”
She stood and left his office, returned to room, and closed the door. She leaned against it and exhaled.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
“Ms. Fleming, your car is here.”
LouLou skipped out of the hospital, down the stone steps, and into a cloudless blue sky day. She wore a soft, blue knit mini dress her mother had left in her closet. Tights and boots kept her from being cold. She was happy to be free and headed home.
She stopped at the black sedan parked in the circular driveway. Odd. The uniformed driver usually stood in front of the car to greet her and carry her luggage. She'd been taking cars and limos since she was about ten and knew their protocol. There was no chauffeur in sight. She waited until she saw the driver's side door open and a pale-faced Skylar emerge.
She raced to hug him. He hugged her tightly. “Damn fool car. You're going to have to drive home.”
He opened the door to the back seat, where Robert had spread his long, lean body and all four paws across the width of the car. Skylar squeezed in beside him. Gregg crawled out of the driver's side, hugged her, and then kissed her forehead, eyelids, nose, and lingered on her mouth. She had chills whenever he did that but especially today.
“What's going on?” She laughed.
“I couldn't use the passenger door in case someone saw it open and no one got out, so I had to come out through the driver's side. The car mostly blocks the view.”
“Skylar,” she stuck her head in the back door, “couldn't you put my bag in the trunk to pretend to be normal?” she teased.
“That was the plan, but I couldn't figure out how to open it from the inside and of course, there's no trunk lock. There's no ignition key, either. You just press a button and the car starts itself. It could drive itself for all I know. Wish it could. The two miles from the rental agency here were among the longest of my life, and that's saying something.”
LouLou and Gregg were laughing so hard, they both grabbed their stomachs. “Those two miles felt like four to me,” Gregg said, laughing.
“All right everyone,” LouLou said as she tried to settle herself. “Gregg, crawl over the console and get back in the passenger seat. I'll figure out how to open the trunk. In the meantime, Skylar hold my bag.”
She got in the car with its unfamiliar dashboard and it, indeed, took a while for her to find the trunk button. She pressed it. “Okay, Skylar. Put my bag in the trunk.”
“Me? I'm an old…”
“Skylar, I'd like to leave before midnight.”
The old man got out, put the bag in the trunk, and slammed it closed. He got back in the car, buckled his seat belt, and announced he needed a nap after his long drive. Robert immediately started howling and didn't stop until he'd situated himself on Skylar's lap so he could raise his head to look out the window should he choose.
LouLou was so happy to see Gregg, she leaned over and kissed him like she meant it. He responded. They were interrupted by a yowl from Robert and Skylar's announcement that he wasn't a voyeur and could they please get on the road. LouLou started the car and drove away from Colonial Mental Health Center. Forever, she hoped.
“I'm not going anywhere until you tell me the story of how you got here. Please tell me there's no body of a chauffeur in the trunk and no crimes have been committed.”
“Nothing like that. We're not on the lam.”
“Okay.” LouLou headed for the highway.
By the time they were on the highway, Skylar was sound asleep. Gregg told the story. “Cancelling your car was easy. Skylar called the car service that was supposed to pick you up and said that he, your uncle, would do that and cancelled the reservation. He rented a sedan. All was well.
“We were a little nervous about the trip. Skylar had to drive because I'm a ghost and would be invisible behind the wheel. Also, I've never really driven and don't have a license. We rented a car here because there was no way Skylar's car would make the trip. We took the bus here despite a skirmish over Robert, who had to wear a yellow Emotional Support Animal vest.
“Things went south when we went to the rental facility and got the car we'd reserve
d. We got in. I was careful to climb through the driver's side. Robert hopped into the back seat. Skylar got behind the wheel and was overcome. He hadn't seen a dashboard since 1975, and he said it looked like airplane controls. I got the manual out of the glove compartment and read the basics aloud. First thing was to get heat going. It's much colder in the mountains than in Richmond.
“We couldn't figure out how to start the car, much less drive. Just when we'd decided that Robert should take over, I found the part about the keyless ignition and off we went. We drove about twenty miles an hour, but we made it. Skylar was white-knuckled all the way. In his defense, I've never seen anything so complicated. Skylar completely freaked when a woman started talking to him from the dashboard.”
LouLou laughed. “GPS. He must have been scared witless.”
“I wasn't too calm, either, and I'm a ghost. I don't scare easily.”
“Oh, guys, thank you. All three of you. I've never had such a welcome.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Cheers went up when LouLou, the guest of honor, and Gregg walked into Roy and Sara's house the next evening. The welcome home party was important because LouLou had been gone so long. Everyone wanted to hear about her tour. Gregg went to meet her friends even though no one could see him. He'd just watch and stay out of the way. The worst that could happen was that someone might sit on him and he'd move. They'd never feel a thing.
LouLou gave Roy a long-lasting hug and turned to his wife. “Sara, you have the best husband. I arrived after driving home and Roy handled my luggage, returned the car, and told me he stored all the luggage sent from the airport in the loft. He even filled the fridge. Unless you did that,” she said.
Sara's eyes smiled. “I may have helped.”
“When Roy told me that Skylar had driven you home, I almost fainted. When was the last time you drove?” Sara asked Skylar.
“I drive around town all the time, dear Sara, in my own vehicle that has served me well. I'd never encountered cars that turn themselves on and women who speak from the dashboard giving me directions. It's like having a backseat driver in the windshield. Fortunately, LouLou was able to get us back without incident. Robert seemed quite pleased to have an outing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm the DJ tonight.”
LouLou was pulled in different directions. Leonore, her best friend from Paris, was there en route to New York. “Please stay over with me,” LouLou asked.
“I would, but I have to be on the set of a shoot at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. If I'm not there, the photographer and client will be at each others' throats. My job is to keep them as far away from each other as possible and convince each that their vision is being captured. We'll see each other soon enough. I hear you'll be in Paris soon. Chanel. That is a coup, mon amie.”
“I can't wait. It's only for four days. Mom is coming, and we might stay an extra night. We used to go at least once a year, but my tour schedule has gotten in the way for the past three years. This will be a vacation. A luxury vacation.”
“Don't be too sure. Models work very hard for their money. And the artistic differences that surround them are méchant. Wicked crazy.”
“I was surprised they hired me. I know they're changing their image, but that supermarket couture show was too much. This is Chanel. No gimmicks necessary.”
“Don't get me started. Must dash. Take selfies of everything you wear. Everything, especially shoes. Call me when you arrive. Love you, LouLou.” They kissed on both cheeks. Leonore left in a flash of silk and exotic fragrance.
“Your friend is hot,” Trey said.
“Of course, I surround myself with only beautiful people, including you. Please tell me you don't want to see me for at least two weeks. Your choreography is killer, and I'm out of shape.”
“No, I don't want to see you until you're prepared. Take barre, jazz, and do yoga, if you insist. Then I'll see you.”
LouLou stood on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for coming. I'm thrilled to see you.”
LouLou headed toward the powder room, where Gregg lay in wait. As soon as she walked in, he closed the door and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck and swayed with him as though they were dancing.
“You have great friends. They love you. I mean, really love you. They're not fake social friendships.” She put her head on his shoulder.
“That's what I need,” she whispered so anyone outside wouldn't think she needed medical attention for talking to herself. “I wish they could meet you.”
He kissed her neck. “I'm enjoying myself. I like seeing you happy. You're the most beautiful woman in the room.”
They kissed quietly before LouLou pulled away. “I've got to get back. I'm the guest of honor.”
“Allow me.” He opened the door.
Clive grabbed her hand and pulled her into the dancing fray. “Tonight, you get to dance and someone else works. Skylar's a good DJ.”
LouLou couldn't hear anything beyond that. She danced and danced and danced. She was sane. Safe. Happy.
After the party, Lou and Gregg returned to her loft. She snuggled as close as she could to Gregg in bed. “I think the best part of a party is this.”
“Coming home to make love?”
“That is the absolute best. After that, it's talking about the party. Did you really enjoy yourself?”
Gregg got up, got a glass of water for LouLou, and returned to bed. “I did. I haven't been to a party since my junior prom, so merely going was a treat. I love that everyone dressed up, Skylar picked special music, and everyone was so happy for your successful tour. I even enjoyed the vicarious thrill of hearing how much everyone liked our music.
“I liked your yoga instructor and her husband a lot. Sweden, right? She seemed so pleased that you'd used her recommendations and taken an extra day to go to that sculpture garden outside Stockholm. Clive and Olive are great dancers. Trey is a terrible flirt. All wasted, because your friend from Paris had to leave early.”
“Would have been wasted anyway. She's married with six-year-old twins. I'm godmother to one of them. Her husband is very dear and solid. A good man.”
“The dancing was wild. No one had partners or cut in or even held hands. It looked like jumping jacks from Physical Education or improvisation.”
LouLou laughed. “I love your interpretation of things I think are ordinary. That's what the crowd looks like at my shows. Aside from freestyle, the main dances are the slide, vogue, and lean back. Surely, there were dances when you were in high school.”
Gregg rolled over to face LouLou. “I haven't thought about dance moves since high school. There was the twist. Then the mashed potato.”
“The mashed potato? That's really the name of a dance? How do you do that?”
“It's like the twist, but you grind the ball of your foot like you're mashing potatoes.”
She poked him. “You're making that up. Was there a song called The Mashed Potato?”
“Yeah, “Do the Mashed Potato” by Chubby Checker and “Mashed Potato Time” by a woman. I don't remember her name.”
“I'm going to look those up. What else?”
“The Swim, where you pretended to swim with your arms and held your nose while you sank down to the floor. The Pony. Another Chubby Checker dance. Oh, The Frug and Watutsi. How could I forget The Jerk? That was just standing and jerking your arms around.”
LouLou was crying, she'd laughed so hard. “Oh, you have to teach me those. All of them.”
“I need music.”
“I'm sure Skylar has all the basic dance tunes. Ask him tomorrow.”
“I guess things haven't changed all that much. Those were all individual dances. Still, dancing without partners was considered scandalous. Only partner dancing was allowed at the prom.”
She rearranged herself so her head lay on Gregg's chest. “Who did you take to your junior prom? What did she wear? What did you wear? Who was the band?”
“Her name was Mary Lynn Bailey. She was a sophomore. It
was a big deal for her to go with a junior. The prom was in the high school gym. One of the Tri-Hi-Ys was in charge of decorating.”
“What's a Tri-Hi-Y?”
“It's a club. Sort of part social and part community service. Like a pre-sorority.”
“What was the theme? There's always a theme.”
“Camelot. The movie came out that year, and all the girls thought it was the most romantic story. I don't remember the decorations beyond a castle, a white horse, and silver stars hanging from the ceiling.”
“Oh, that is nice. Camelot. What did Mary Lynn Bailey wear?”
“Something blue. I remember because I didn't know what color corsage to get. Back then, our choices were dyed carnations and pink roses. I opted for pink roses and she gave me a pink rosebud boutonnière. I wore rented black pants, a white dinner jacket, and whatever shirt came with it.”
“Oh, that's sweet. You must have looked so handsome. I've never had a corsage. I've never seen a man with a boutonnière except at weddings.”
“Bill Deal and the Rhondells played. They were a local band who had national success the next year. They were good. I'll bet Skylar has something by them.”
“Yes. Yes, I want to hear them.”
“It was a fun evening. We danced a lot, took punch breaks, and were polite to the chaperones. I had Mary Lynn home by eleven o'clock.”
“Eleven. On prom night?”
“It was small town Virginia, 1967. Not a lot going on.”
“When did you have time to have sex?” LouLou asked thoughtfully.
Gregg laughed. “Sex? I'm sure Mary Lynn didn't have sex until her wedding night. We had a good night kiss. I tried for a French kiss, but she said she wasn't that type of girl.”
LouLou rolled with laughter in bed. “No sex. No French kissing. That type of girl. What did guys do?”
“Naturally, we dated the other type of girl for three dates and then we were allowed to do more. A charm for her charm bracelet was usually expected.”