Frank helped Sherry to her feet and guided her to the kitchen where he turned her over to Mark who enfolded her in a comforting embrace.
Frank walked over to confront Alison. "Time to pay the fiddler. Who is Sherry's father?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yeah. And you're going to tell me."
"Oh, no! You can't make me."
She tried to get around him but he grabbed her arm. "Who's Sherry's father?"
She shook her head. Frank got right in her face with his nose almost touching hers. "Is it Sam Sturgis?"
Alison was plainly scared of him. She gave the briefest of nods.
He whirled around to the door and stomped out. He passed Jan on her way in without any indication he saw her. He got in his truck, backed out of the driveway and headed toward town.
"Where's Dad going?" Jan asked as she entered the kitchen.
"He didn't say," Mark answered, "but I would guess he's going to talk to Sam Sturgis about Sherry."
Jan turned her attention to Alison. "How dare you falsely accuse my husband of fathering your child?" She drew back her fist and punched Alison squarely on the mouth.
"I'll have you arrested for assault." Alison wiped blood from her lip.
"In that case, I'm going to get my money's worth." Jan drew back her fist again.
"Mom, stop!" Mark yelled and ran forward to grab her wrist. "Just calm down. Don't you have something to do at home, like rescuing supper?"
He turned her toward the door and walked her outside. "Just go on home. I'll send Dad over as soon as he gets back."
When Mark went back inside Sherry stood in front of her mother with her hand raised, her thumb and index finger about a quarter of an inch apart. "I was this close to slitting my wrists, Mom." Her voice was hoarse from all the crying she'd done. "I thought I'd had sex with my brother. Can you imagine how I felt? You stepped over the line. I have half a notion to let them take you back to jail."
"Please, baby, I didn't know you were sleeping together."
"You're missing the point, Mom. You shouldn't have lied. I don't blame Jan for punching you. I feel like doing that myself."
"Easy, Sherry. Alison, I'm going to take care of Sherry since you don't seem to give a darn as long as you get what you want. So you can just get used to my being around. And I'll be sleeping with her. You got that?"
"I got it."
He pulled Sherry into his arms. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
"Yes. I'm hungry. I hardly ate anything today and what I did eat I brought back up when I thought we'd committed incest."
"I've been keeping supper warm for you." Alison opened the oven door and took out the meatloaf and potato. "The salad's in the fridge. Did you have supper yet, Mark?"
"No. Your phone call interrupted that."
"There's only one potato."
"There's potato salad in the fridge from Saturday night," Sherry said.
"Suits me. Let's eat."
Sherry got out two pie tins and the tableware. "What can I use for the salad?" She started looking through the cabinets. She gave Mark her smallest saucepan. For herself, she got the little casserole. She made up two salads and set them on the table with the Ranch dressing while Alison filled the tin plates with meatloaf and a baked potato for Sherry and the potato salad for Mark.
"I really am sorry, baby."
"Mom, how often must I tell you not to call me 'baby'. I'm a grown woman."
Chapter 28
"Hello, Alison," Sam Sturgis said as they entered the kitchen. "It's been a long time."
She looked around from doing the dishes. "Hello, Sam. This wasn't my idea."
"No," he agreed. "It's better than your idea. What possessed you to lie to Sherry like that? Where is she?"
"She and Mark went over to the living room or the den. I figured I should just leave them alone."
"That's the first smart thing I've heard come out of your mouth since we left Lewistown this afternoon," Frank observed. "Who hit you?"
"Jan."
"Good for her. You should know better than to mess with her. Didn't you learn anything fourteen years ago?"
Steve sauntered in. "So where's this sister of mine?"
"Follow me." Frank led the way through the dining room.
"She doesn't have much furniture," Sam said as he looked around.
"She's been trying. Alison just set her back a couple of months and Sherry can't go back to work or draw her unemployment because her doctor won't sign off on her. They must be in the den." Frank walked over and opened the door.
Mark sat on the brown chair with Sherry on his lap. Their arms were entwined around each other, their mouths locked in an ardent kiss. At the sound of the door, Sherry scrambled to her feet, her face turning red. Mark stood up behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
"Sherry this is your father, Sam Sturgis. The other guy's your half-brother, Steve."
Sherry gave her father a tentative smile. "Hi." She looked him over. He was a couple inches shorter than Mark with gray hair thinning on top. His eyes were hazel behind wire-framed glasses. In his fifties, he had the physique of someone who ate too much and didn't get enough exercise. But she didn't care about that. He was her father.
She walked over to him and threw her arms around his middle. "I used to dream about meeting you. I can finally give a face to that man."
Sam looked a little uneasy but he put his arms around her. "I've got a lot to make up for. Give me a little time to get used to it."
She stepped back wiping tears from her face with her hand. "Me, too. We'll work at it together. Okay?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you sit down and get acquainted?" Frank asked. "I'm going to give Alison a piece of my mind and then I'm going home for supper. Hope Jan could save some of it."
"Dad, don't leave without me. I need to go over for my truck and my briefcase. I have some work to do before class tomorrow."
Steve stepped in front of Mark. "About Elena. I'm sorry I ever got mixed up with her. That woman's only hitting on three cylinders."
"Tell me about it," Sherry said. "She's just plain crazy. I saw that close up and personal."
Steve looked at his newly found sister. "She called me. Wanted me to cut the brake lines on your car. I told her to go to hell. Then I went and told Scotty about it."
"When was this?"Mark asked.
"Last week." He frowned as he thought about it. "Wednesday night."
"My car was parked in the garage." Sherry said. "Mark was here."
"She said she has a key to your house."
"The cops said they got that from her." Sherry wasn't pleased with that.
"Maybe she got a copy made before they took the one they have," Sam suggested.
"I gotta go before Dad leaves without me." Mark trotted off to the kitchen where he found his father standing in front of Alison with a grim look on his face, his finger pointed at her. "It's darn time you get it together and start behaving like a mother. Sherry got you out of jail and you lied to her about something like that."
Alison couldn't meet his gaze but looked at the floor. "I know. I'll try to do better."
"Trying isn't good enough. You have to do it. I'm going home. I'm hungry." He stomped out the door.
Mark pointed at his father. "What he said. I'll be back in a bit. Then I want to talk to you."
Frank and Mark walked into the kitchen together. Jan came from across the hall where she'd been watching television. Mark went on past her to go upstairs.
"Could you save anything from supper? I'm hungry." Frank asked.
"I'll heat it up." Jan went about getting his supper ready. "We need to talk, Frank. About how much you're involved in Sherry's life. I'm your wife. I'm not satisfied with 'I promised not to tell; trust me.' I want to know what's going on."
"I guess it's time. It doesn't matter at this point. Sherry's got Mark and Sam and Steve to look out for her now. A couple days before Violet died, I was in town so I stopped
by the nursing home to see her. She was all upset about leaving her 'little girl' behind. I wanted to ease her mind so I promised to look out for Sherry. She told me not to tell anyone because Sherry's so independent. I don't make promises lightly, Jan."
She put her hands on his shoulders. "I should have known it was something that. It's just the way you are." She kissed him.
He pulled her close and the kiss deepened. She pulled back and looked up at him. "Mark's moving in with Sherry. Lisa's away at college. We're going to be empty nesters."
"Does that bother you?"
"No. I want to celebrate."
"Thanks a lot, Mom," Mark said as he walked into the kitchen carrying his briefcase and duffle bag. "Here I thought you'd be missing me."
"You're not moving to the other side of the world. I'm sure I'll see a lot of you and Sherry. I might even invite you for Sunday dinner now and then."
"I'll need that just to get away from Alison. I hope she doesn't plan to live with us forever."
"Right now she has no choice," Frank reminded him. "She's in Sherry's custody."
"Whoever heard of putting a mother in her daughter's custody?" Mark queried.
"I don't know but that's the way it is. Get used to it."
****
"Oh darn!" Sherry pulled off the road and stopped. The fact that she'd forgotten to bring a check to get cashed for quarters did nothing to improve her already bad mood. She'd quarreled with Mark that morning. He wanted her to take the laundry over to the farm to do it. She insisted on taking it to the Laundromat.
"You're just being stubborn because I suggested it," he accused.
"It's more complicated than that," she responded.
"Okay, tell me. You told me you want commitment yet you aren't willing to give it."
"I am committed. Just give me a chance to get my head around all these changes."
"I don't have time for this right now. I'm already late." He stomped out without a goodbye kiss.
Sherry put the car in gear and continued on. She certainly didn't want to go back to the house after she'd argued with her mother about what to make for supper.
"Fine; suit yourself," she said and went out to her car. She felt like Mom was trying to take over the house. That was why she'd forgotten the check. We won't be going naked if the laundry isn't done today, she thought. She decided to go on to town to stop at her father's auto sales. She recalled what he told her last night about himself.
He hadn't tried to whitewash his affair with her mother. He'd simply said that Rhoda had shut him out of her life and he was lonely. He also told her about his financial troubles, apologizing that he couldn't give her money. "I've missed out on a lot of birthdays and Christmases."
She told him she still had money in the bank and could use it now that her account was no longer frozen. That was exactly what she planned to do. She couldn't wait for her mother to get a job and buy back what she'd broken.
She needed to get gas. Maybe her dad would let her get enough until she had a chance to pay him. She pulled up to the pump and got out. The sign on the door said 'Open' so she went on in. "Hi, Dad," she said as she walked into his office.
He stood up quickly. "Hi, Sherry. I didn't expect you to take advantage of my invitation so soon."
"If you don't want me here I can leave."
"No. No. How can I help you?"
"How good's my credit?"
"Why?"
"I need gas and I forgot to bring a check with me. I can't get change for the Laundromat either."
"I can give you the gas. No charge. But I can't give you any money. Are you hungry? We can go to my place for lunch and you can do your laundry there. Come on, I'll get your gas for you."
Sam balked when he saw her car. "I am not pumping gas in that old clunker. My daughter is not driving around in an old rattletrap like that. After we eat and do your laundry, we'll come back and you can take your pick of any vehicle on the lot."
"I can't afford another car."
"You don't need to. I'll give it to you. Sort of a makeup gift for all the birthdays and Christmases I missed. Let's get your laundry moved to my van."
It was past two o'clock when they arrived back at the dealership. "I'd like to have a station wagon if you have one."
"I have two. A 2000 Chevy and a 2004 Subaru Outback. Let's go take a look."
The dark green Outback took her eye. "May I drive it?"
"Sure. Wait till I go get a dealer plate."
Sherry loved the car. They went to the office to do the paperwork. "I'll need your driver's license number."
"I don't have it. The police still have my purse. They're supposed to give it back. The judge issued an order."
"I'll fill this out and you can still drive it home. I have some things at the house to give you. I'll be out this evening. Maybe you have something else with your number on it. I'll also need the title to your old car. Let's go out and transfer the plate and you can go home. Tell Frank if he wants that truck, he better get it or it's going to the auction."
"I'll tell him."
Sherry's was in high spirits when she drove her new car in the garage. Right away she noticed her mother's car was gone. "That does it! She can just go right back to jail. I will not put up with this.
"Mitzi, stay out of my way," Sherry scolded as the kitten pounced on her foot and wrapped her paws around her ankle. Sherry's good mood evaporated when she saw that her mother's car was gone. She carried in the wicker clothes basket her father gave her and dropped it on the floor in front of the kitchen cabinet barely missing Mitzi.
She turned around to go back to the garage for her other clothes basket when she saw the note on the magnetic clip on the refrigerator door. "Dear Sherry, I got called to work at the dollar store. I called the sheriff's office so they don't think I'm trying to run away. Make something good for supper. I laid a chicken out to thaw. Love you, Mom."
Sherry drew a deep breath and relaxed. The tension dissipated from her shoulders. She was smiling when she carried in the other basket. "I should put that chicken in the oven now so it's roasted by the time the milking is done." She and Mark would have some time to themselves that evening.
She heard a car pull in the driveway, and since she couldn't see out the window with its translucent plastic covering, she went to meet the driver at the door. Chad came carrying her purse. "Here you are. Your keys are inside."
"Where's my claw hammer?"
He grinned. "We won't release the key piece of evidence until your mother pleads guilty. We may need it if it goes to trial. I understand the judge, D.A. and Mr. Wright have been meeting today to work out a plea agreement. If your mother's smart, she'll go along with it. She just may get off with a slap on the wrist. Especially since it's her first offense. You may be able to influence that if you want to."
"Part of me wants to put her away for a while. Part of me doesn't. I can look the other way as far as the thefts are concerned. I got that back. But not the vandalism. She broke every dish I had."
"By the way, I heard about the findings of Elena's evaluation. They admitted her to the hospital for testing. They think there may be a physical reason for her insanity."
"Just so they keep her away from me."
Chapter 29
"Time to get up, Mom, it's nine-thirty."
"I'm awake. How can I sleep with you traipsing back and forth?"
"That's not what I said. It's time to get up."
"It's cold in here. And you had to let in more cold air opening and closing the door."
"Just carrying wood in for the fire. You know. Fire. Warmth." Sherry went through to the den. When she came back she was carrying her yellow fleece robe. "I told you not to wear that flimsy nightgown. Here, put this on."
Alison sat up. "That's ugly."
"It's warm, Mom."
Alison grabbed the robe. "You talked me into it. Don't you have another robe?"
"I have Gram's pink robe with the flowers she embroidered on it b
ut I'm not going to let you wear it."
"I won't eat it." When Alison stood up to pull on the fleece robe she could see through the open door to the den. "After I go to the bathroom, I'm going to sit in front of the fire until it's time to leave."
"Whatever," Sherry returned. "Look out the window. It's snowing."
"In the middle of October? You can't see out these windows," she complained.
"Whose fault is that?"
Sherry was in the kitchen with a cup of coffee when her mother came from the bathroom. "I'm glad Steve helped Mark put that window in last night, "Alison said of the window over the sink. At least you can see out one of them."
Alison poured herself a cup of coffee. "I'm glad your dad brought those dishes out for you last night. It's better than drinking coffee from a plastic measuring cup. I'm going to the den to sit by the fire."
"The brown chair's mine," Sherry said as she picked up her mug to follow. She liked the big chair because she could sit cross legged on it.
Alison sat on the gold rocking chair and set her coffee on the milk-can side table so she could hold her hands out to the fire. "We're taking your car this afternoon and I'm driving."
"Getting a little bossy, aren't you?"
"We're taking your car because it's all-wheel drive. I'm driving because you never drove in snow before. It makes sense. I want to get there and back; not end up in the hospital. I've only ever been in a hospital once in my life and that was when you were born. Make that two. I was born in a hospital, too. I try to avoid those places."
"Whatever. I don't think we should take time to stop at the thrift store. I do have to stop at the drugstore."
"For what?"
"A little nosy, aren't you?"
"Does it have anything to do with you and Mark sleeping together?"
"It's not the sleeping together, Mom. It's what we do before we go to sleep."
"I'm hungry."
"You know the way to the kitchen."
Sherry was glad her mother left her alone for a while. She wished she had some potato chips but Mark and her mother had finished them off last night. She could pick up a bag when she went to the pharmacy. She hoped her mother didn't make a habit of prying into her affairs with Mark. She wanted to think. She needed to think about Mark.
No Plans for Love Page 26