Haley broke down again and, between sobs, said, 揗ama left a letter, along with my original birth certificate and adoption papers. I抦 ruining our evening that we抳e all looked forward to, and I抦 so sorry.?
Wade stood up, whipped a red bandanna from the hip pocket of his jeans, and handed it to Jessica. What a sweet gesture, she thought as she wiped Haley抯 tears away with it. 揟alk to us. We抮e all here for you. I didn抰 know you were adopted.?
揑 am, but then I抦 still family, and I never knew.?Haley took the bandanna from Jessica and blew her nose on it. She seemed to steel herself as she straightened up and wrung her hands. 揜emember me talking about my sister who went to California when I was just a little girl and seldom ever came back home to see my folks??Her voice quivered, and tears continued to flow down her cheeks.
揑 remember her.?Wade sat back down. 揑 was five or six when y抋ll moved here, and I got to admit, I kind of had a crush on her. She was fifteen or sixteen that year, and I thought she was the most beautiful girl in the world with all that blonde hair and those big blue eyes.?
揃londe hair and blue eyed is right, and I have black hair and brown eyes. You抎 think I抎 look in the mirror and ask questions, wouldn抰 you??Haley finally got control.
揥hat happened??Jessica asked.
揑 found the letter in Mama抯 Bible telling me that Frannie isn抰 my sister. She抯 my mother, and that my father was half-Latino, and they were both just fifteen, so they were too young to even think about marriage, and . . .?Haley stopped and took a breath. 揑 always wondered why I was an oddball in the family. Now I know, and both my biological mother and my grandmother, who I thought was my mother, are gone, and I don抰 have anyone to be mad at. This hit me like a ton of bricks.?
揋ood Lord!?Mary Nell gasped. 揥hy didn抰 you call us for a FaceTime conference??
揑 found the letter about five minutes before I got the text that Jessica was home,?Haley answered. 揑 wasn抰 going to tell y抋ll until later, but I had to talk about it. I抳e barely got past the denial stage in the grief process for the woman I thought was my mama and now this.?
揑 can sympathize with you.?Mary Nell scooted her chair over closer to Haley抯 and draped an arm around her shoulders. 揑抦 going through some of the same things, only mine is about a failed relationship. And, honey, your mama was your mama. She didn抰 birth you, but she raised you from the time you were born, so she was your mother.?
揗ary Nell is right,?Jessica said, 揵ut that抯 a big chunk of news to get handed to you before you can even find closure for your mama抯 passing.?
揑抦 a high school counselor, and I抳e had a little training in therapy. But right now, I realize what it feels like to be on the other side. Why don抰 we talk about something other than our problems tonight??Haley raised her beer bottle high and said, 揟o being back home together again and riding on the float as representatives of our class this fall.?
They all raised their bottles. 揟o homecoming!?
When they抎 all taken a sip, Daisy raised her disposable cup of root beer from the local convenience store. 揟o me and Lily being cheerleaders in the new school this fall. We couldn抰 do that in Kentucky.?
揥hy??Jessica asked.
揋ranny Martha said no, and nobody ever crosses Granny Martha, especially not Daddy. The whole family does what she says,?Lily answered.
揟hat would be talking about problems, so let抯 put that story on the back burner,?Risa said.
Mary Nell glanced over at Wade. 揝o, what抯 your story? Why did you come back to Riverbend when you got out of the service??
He shrugged. 揑t抯 home. How about you, Jessica??
She raised one shoulder. 揝ame as you. It was home for eighteen years, and the only place I remember having roots. When I enlisted, my folks moved west. They wanted me to join them on Orcas Island when I finished my twenty years in the service. I抎 planned to do that, to be near them, but I don抰 know where I want to land since they抮e both gone now. Where are you living, Wade??
揑 bought a small travel trailer that hitches up to my truck. Right now, it抯 parked out behind Sparky抯 old convenience store that closed up when COVID hit. He lets me keep my tools in the store building.?Wade nodded toward her RV. 揑t抯 not as fancy as that, but it抯 bigger than the tiny area I could call my own in the military.?
揧ep, that one is really small compared to some that I looked at, but it seemed pretty big after living out of a duffel bag for twenty years. And the owners were being sent to Germany for two years, so they had it up for sale.?
揑 know Risa is living with her mama right now, since I hung a new screen door for Stella last week. What about you other two??he asked.