“Neil, it’s Debbie.”
He tensed. “Don’t tell me there’s something else wrong with Gram.”
“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just concerned about you.”
“How did you get this number?”
“Off Elvina’s—I mean, your grandmother’s—chart.”
“It’s good you called, actually. I need you to find out for me if they have her on some kind of new medication. Something that may be giving her hallucinations.”
“I can ask the charge nurse, but I don’t think she’s on anything new. Neil, I wish that you would tell me what’s going on.”
He gripped the tiny phone until his hand went numb. “It’s just that she’s talking about things that make no sense. Like her mind has snapped or something.”
A pause came over the line. “Neil, I’ve been with her the last twenty minutes. In fact, I’m even staying until nine to make sure she’s okay. She seems completely lucid to me when I’m with her. But I can tell she’s worried about you. She thinks she upset you.”
An understatement, to say the least. She might as well have thrown a bucket of ice water on me. “I just don’t know what to think with the way she is carrying on about my grandfather.”
“It’s that time of year,” Debbie’s soothing voice came over the phone. “People tend to think more about loved ones. They get to reminiscing.”
“You don’t seem the least bit concerned.”
“No. And neither should you. Just pray about it. I’m sure when you see her tomorrow everything will be better.”
“I’m not coming in tomorrow. I think I’ll lay low and wait for this to pass.” He paused before adding, “Actually, when she found out about you and me, that’s what brought this on—all this talk about some sweetheart. So I think we also need to cool it for a while.”
A pause came over the line. “Exactly what is it I’m supposed to cool?”
He could hear her vexation on the rise but thought little of it. “Just tell Gram that we aren’t interested in each other, okay? Tell her we just happened to bump into each other, that kind of thing. We hardly know each other anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
He heard a gasp followed by, “Sure. Whatever you want.”
Then silence.
Great, Neil thought. She hung up. Well, what am I supposed to do? The reason Gram got off on this whole sweetheart idea was because she thought Debbie and I were going out. All I want to do is push Gram back into the reality of her husband and my grandfather named Joe, the only grandfather I’ve ever known.
Neil felt no better when he arrived in Roanoke. Everything looked so cheerful with white lights decorating the office buildings. Some houses were decked out in so many lights that the air traffic in the skies above would have no problem zeroing in on Roanoke. But his mood right now didn’t match the gleaming decorations. Nor was he in the mood to head for his lonely apartment, even if the guy in the condo next door would likely call him up, looking to play a computer game.
Instead, he drove to the suburbs of Roanoke. Soon he was passing places where he learned to ride a bike with training wheels, sold oranges and magazines to neighbors for school fund-raising projects, played street hockey with the neighborhood kids. At the end of the cul-de-sac stood the family home, a modest one-level ranch over a basement. And here, he stopped.
“Neil!” his mother exclaimed when she answered the door. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“I should have called first, instead of just showing up on your doorstep.”
She gave him a kiss. “I’m always glad to have you drop by. No one seems to do it anymore. Everyone’s too busy.”
The television blasted from the family room. Neil figured the chatter of the tube probably kept her company. Thankfully this wasn’t her night to be with her friends at the quilting club, the Red Hat Club, or any number of her other clubs that kept her occupied. When he thought about it, he realized he should probably come by more often for a visit. “Have you heard from Sandy or Dick?” Neil asked.
A smile broke out across her face. “Yes. They’re planning to be here for Christmas. Isn’t that wonderful? I’ll have all my kids together. I’ll bake all your favorite cookies. You can start a fire in the fireplace. I haven’t used the thing since the last time you all were here; was it Thanksgiving a few years back? We’ll have a wonderful time.”
“Great to hear, Mom. Anyway, there are a few things I need to talk about concerning Christmas.”
She led the way to the living room, where they sat down. All at once, his eyes fell on twin portraits of his paternal grandmother and grandfather. Gram and Grandpa Joe. There they were, as plain as day. Maybe he should ask Mom if he could borrow the pictures to give Gram a reality check.
“You look like something’s on your mind,” she observed. “Have you had dinner? I can make you up something quick.”
“I ate with Gram.”
“Oh yes, of course. How is she doing? I need to go see her soon.”
“Look, I went to see her tonight, and she was saying some pretty strange things.”
She straightened in her chair, a look of distress distorting her features. “Oh dear. Don’t tell me she’s going downhill. I’ve heard people say that the holidays are hard on older people. I understand because the holidays are hard on me, too.”
“Mom, this may sound strange, but tonight Gram was talking about another man. Some sweetheart of hers from long ago. She said no one probably has ever seen him, that there were no pictures. And she denied that this was Grandpa Joe. Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”
Her eyes widened. She shifted in her seat and looked off in the direction of the miniature Christmas tree sitting on a table. “Neil, you know older people. I’m sure it was some old boyfriend from long ago.” She added in a high-pitched voice, “Though I don’t know why on earth she would mention him. She had a wonderful marriage with your grandfather.”
“Which grandfather?”
She turned pale. “What are you talking about? Grandpa Joe, of course.” She pointed to the picture.
“That’s not what Gram said. She called this man my other grandfather. She said Dad had a different father. And he wasn’t Grandpa Joe.”
Her jaw tightened. “Neil, honestly. Your grandmother is over eighty. She’s already lost her sight and her mobility. Who knows what’s happening to her mind? I’m sure she just came up with this because she’s feeling lonely. I know what it’s like to be lonely, even though your father would have wanted me to remarry. But I couldn’t do it, even though I came close. He was my one and only.”
“So there isn’t anything to what she says? This is purely old age and nothing else?”
She began to fidget before standing and walking into the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?”
“Sure, thanks.”
He ventured to the doorway, observing her pour soda out of a two-liter bottle. He was never good at picking up on emotional responses, but clearly his mother seemed troubled by something. Maybe his grandmother wasn’t so crazy after all. Maybe there was something slowly being brought to light. When Neil took the glass of soda from his mother, she refused to make eye contact. He drank it down, wishing he could muster some time to scout around the house for clues. But what clue was he supposed to find? He didn’t even know where to begin. And Mom wasn’t being helpful at all.
He thought of broaching the other subject, his once glorious idea of inviting Gram to spend Christmas with them. That had to take a backseat right now. One stress point at a time. He had to get this ironed out first.
The rest of the evening was consumed by the mundane. What his brother and sister were doing. His nieces, his sister Sandy’s kids, and what Mom planned to buy them for Christmas. Dick’s new job. He wondered if his siblings were privy to this mystery surroundin
g an alternate grandfather, if they had heard of such a thing or knew of a skeleton hanging in the family closet.
He picked up his coat, telling his moyher he had to go.
“Neil, please forget about what Elvina said,” she said, staring in concern. “You’re making yourself upset over nothing. Let it go.”
“I wish I could, Mom. But I think there may be more here than meets the eye.” He made for the door.
She nearly ran to him, putting her hand on his arm. Her lower lip quivered, and tears welled in her eyes. “Neil, I’m begging you. Let it go. Whatever it is, it’s not worth rehashing.”
He carried the memory of his mother’s troubled face into the cold winter’s night. Something was afoot. Something strange. A secret kept under wraps for years—until now. How could he possibly let this go? This had to do with his flesh and blood, after all. His lineage. His heritage. He had a right to know the truth.
As soon as he got into the car, Neil picked up his cell phone. He wasted no time contacting his sister to tell her what was happening.
She only laughed. “Neil, Gram’s an old lady. Let her have some fun with her memories or whatever.”
He grimaced. How typical of Sandy to make light of something this serious. She always said older people made her feel uncomfortable. She couldn’t understand why he would want to spend evenings with their grandmother when he could be out on the town, living it up. For all he knew, she had never put one foot in White Pines. “I hardly would call this fun. It’s serious. You and I may have some grandfather other than Grandpa Joe. Our father’s father could be a stranger we never knew existed.”
“Even if we did, he’s long gone by now. What’s the big deal? So what if Gram had a lover before Grandpa Joe and they shacked up together. That’s the way life is these days. Guess back in her day, too.”
He winced at these words. To Sandy, this all seemed as natural as baseball games and apple pie, even if she should be concerned about the consequences of immorality as the mother of two daughters. “If she did, do you realize that makes our father illegitimate?”
“Really, Neil. That’s disgusting. You shouldn’t be saying such things, especially since you never knew Dad. I was three when he died, and I remember him in his uniform and everything. He died fighting for his country. The least you can do is honor his memory. He doesn’t deserve to be slapped with a label, especially over something that isn’t his fault.”
“I’m not doing anything of the sort. I am honoring his memory by finding out the truth for the sake of our family.”
“Sometimes the truth is better left unsaid. I don’t want you spoiling Christmas by bringing this up. We’re all going to be together, and we’re going to have a good time. So please, for all our sakes, let it go.”
That was the proverbial saying of the night. Let it go. And just how was he supposed to do that? Life had been turned upside down in an instant. And now he was facing it head on.
❧
Neil slept little that night, spending hours on his computer, scouring the Internet, and trying to find out more information about the family genealogy. He ran into brick walls on every turn. Without details and specifics, such as the phantom grandfather’s name, he had little hope of discovering the truth.
During his time away from White Pines in his pursuit of the truth, he called the nursing unit to check on Gram. He had the nurses tell her he was under the weather, an understatement, to say the least. He never felt worse. All the respect he held for Gram, all the love he had for her, was now being put to the test. What if she did have a child out of wedlock, who happened to be his father? People do make mistakes. But Gram’s swooning over his dad’s father, when the man’s memory should have been put away long ago, made Neil angry. If anything, such sin should be a closed book, not thrust wide open for all eyes to see.
When three days had passed, Neil realized he would have to venture back to White Pines and face the situation head-on. He didn’t relish the encounter. The joy of spending that special time with Gram was lost on the heels of all this. It would be difficult concealing his feelings about it, too. Gram would sense something was up. She was far from senile but, rather, was as sharp as a tack. She’d know—which maybe was for the better. Maybe he could put this to rest, once and for all.
Arriving at White Pines, Neil decided to get his act together before he ventured up to Gram’s room. He headed for the cafeteria and a cup of coffee, hoping he could come up with a way to salvage his relationship with Gram while finding out information at the same time. Hunkered down at the table, he was nursing his dilemma over a cup of hot brew laced with cream and sugar when he heard a friendly hello. He looked up to see Debbie standing over him, holding her own cup of coffee. He never thought the vision of a sweet and friendly face would stir him as much as her face did at that moment.
“Everything all right?”
He shrugged and took a swallow of coffee.
“I wanted to call, but you made it pretty clear that I should avoid you. So I did.”
“That was a big mistake on my part.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“I thought the two of us got my grandmother on some kind of strange track that made no sense. Now, after talking to my family, I think there may be something to her story.”
“About your grandfather?”
“How he may not be the man I thought. My dad’s father is not Grandpa Joe but a man I know nothing about.”
Debbie sat down, her mouth a perfect O.
He nodded. “Mom acted pretty strange when I asked about it. My sister laughed it off, like the idea of Gram shacking up and having a child out of wedlock is no big deal. But it is to me. If I find out it’s true, that we’re all illegitimate, do you realize what kind of a stigma that is to live with?”
“Neil, if your grandmother did something in her past, it’s like every other sin in our lives. God can erase it, as far as the east is from the west. He can make something good come out of it. And I think He already has. Look at you.”
Neil wanted to accept the compliment she offered. Instead, he found himself sagging under the weight of it. To him, this sin left a stain that could not be erased. It would always be a part of him, this bloodline that was not Grandpa Joe’s but some stranger’s. “I have to find out from Gram who this man is, but I don’t know how to go about asking. My family told me to forget about it. But I can’t.”
“Neil, if it will help, I’ll gladly ask Elvina about it. I can talk pretty openly with the residents. I’ll try to discover what’s going on so you won’t be caught in the middle.”
“That might be better. The truth is, I don’t feel comfortable asking Gram about her past. I feel like a busybody. But, maybe, if you were to do a little probing. . .”
“Sure. As it is, Elvina’s been pretty depressed since you stopped visiting. She won’t eat her dinner. So you need to get up there on the double and assume your post.” Debbie shot him a grin before looking at her watch. “Dinner is being served as we speak.”
“So she isn’t eating, huh?” He drained his coffee. “I can’t have that happening. I’d better make tracks. And, Debbie. . . thanks a lot. You’re a godsend.”
Her smile warmed his heart and set him at ease. Despite the situation he now found himself in, he thanked God for leading Debbie across his path.
Seven
Debbie mulled over everything as she drove to work the following morning. How does one handle a delicate matter like this, one so fragile that the situation could break apart if she wasn’t careful? She didn’t have the slightest idea. This was a tough walk, like trying to walk on pavement made of glass. Not only must she consider Elvina’s feelings but Neil’s, too. She liked the man a great deal and spent a good amount of time thinking about what had happened and the stress he must be enduring. She wasn’t immune to stress herself, by any mea
ns, and couldn’t help feeling sorry for his situation. Now he was depending on her to be a clever gumshoe in his time of need. She sighed, a bit fearful, and hoped she wouldn’t let Neil down. Maybe if she succeeded, they would also succeed in their relationship, which appeared about ready to blossom. Maybe if they could handle this crisis successfully, they truly would be inseparable.
Debbie drove down the main road of Fincastle and spied a small antique store with windows decked out in holiday trim. A thought came to her. Parking in front of the establishment, she wandered inside. To her delight, she stumbled upon a box of old records, some from an era that Elvina was certain to enjoy on her old-fashioned record player. She went ahead and purchased the entire box. Maybe it would pave the way to a closer kinship with Elvina and perhaps an open door to her past.
Arriving at work, Debbie groaned when she saw Trish there. It had been peaceful the last few days on the floor with Trish taking some time off. Even Harold was calmer and not shouting down the menacing Germans like he usually did. It was as if the residents were more relaxed without Trish around.
“What is that?” Trish inquired, pointing to the phonograph records in Debbie’s possession. “You never give up, do you? You still want to be the belle of the floor.”
“I care about the residents.”
“Ha. You mean, you want them singing your praises so it makes the rest of us look bad.” She glanced over at Natasha who nodded.
“Trish, I don’t know why you’re so concerned about what I’m doing. It would be nice if we all just worried about our own lives.”
Mrs. Whitaker ducked into the nurses’ lounge, telling them it was time to get their assignments. When she saw Debbie’s armful of record albums, she asked about them.
“They’re for Elvina,” Debbie said proudly.
“What a wonderful idea. Maybe it will lift her mood a little. Since her grandson stopped visiting regularly, she hasn’t been acting quite right. I think this is a great idea.”
Truly Yours Contemporary Collection December 2014 Page 54