Family Situation

A Family Situation

     The two women faced each in a secluded corner for a late lunch, the charming bistro atmosphere wasted on them. To the casual observer the two women were similarly attractive in a non-threatening way. The older woman had a polish about her whereas the younger woman aspired to be. There was no small talk as the women studied the menu with an intensity that seemed more appropriate for college exams. If you looked beyond the natural hair and the obvious generational fashion choices an objective eye would see the subtle similarities. Perhaps if Juanita was there the resemblance be more apparent.  Perhaps if Juanita was there they wouldn’t be hiding behind menus. This was Juanita’s fault, all of this was Juanita’s fault.

Five weeks ago got an alert from a popular ancestry subscription, a few days later she got email.

It appears that we have a relative in common. Would you be interested in discussing?

And so it began, the two women sharing terse, polite emails. After a couple weeks of uneven communication Paris suggested that they meet. Eve didn’t want to appear too eager but she jumped at the chance. Even the possibility to finally get answers to questions she had for a lifetime was too great an opportunity to pass up.

Eve was stingy with personal data. Only one of other person knew she was at this meeting today. Paris had no idea that Eve travel in to the city last night. Just like she had no idea that Eve camped in boutique hotel a few blocks away. And she definitely had no idea that the hotel chain was a client. Eve guarded her privacy and as a rule didn’t willingly share. But today was important. She cleared her entire day for this meeting, she wanted nothing else to compete for her time and attention. Dressed in her favorite sheath dress and her hair pulled into a conservative bun.

     After giving their orders to the waitress they finally faced one another. After several beats of sizing up one another. After watching the younger fret with cloth napkin to her right. Finally Eve decided to break the ice.

     “Thank you for the lunch invite. It’s a pleasure meeting you but I was under the impression that Juanita would be joining us today.”

     Paris looked into this woman’s face and saw her mother, or at least how her mother used to look. So many thoughts bounced through her head she couldn’t form a sentence. This where she should come clean.

     “I’ve enjoyed the corresponding but I came today because I thought I was going to meet her.”

      With a shaky hand Paris took a sip of water, all the while wishing for something stronger. Based on Eve’s social media profile, she doubt that she would condone the ordering of Bottomless mimosas.

     “I had hoped so too but this has been a tough week for Juanita. Did I ever mention to you why I decided to do the genealogy testing.”

      Sparing Eve an opportunity to respond , Paris had to keep going while she had the nerve.

     “When I moved back to the States I noticed that something wasn’t quite right with Momma. Even several months before I got back I noticed something was wrong but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I knew her and Daddy were facing some challenges with retirement but I had no idea. Six months later she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.”

     With Eve’s gasp Paris locked eyes with her sister. In her sisters eyes she saw the mother of her childhood. Not wanting to examine the look of pity in her eyes Paris soldiered on.

     “I made it a priority to spend more time at home. I moved closer to them, the plan is to keep Mom home as long as possible.

     “A little while back Mom confused me with Auntie Bea, her older sister. Auntie died when I was in middle school. It wasn’t the first time she had confused me with someone else but this time stood out because she was so angry. She really lit in to me, to Auntie. I thought it was just the disease but her anger was so out of place but then I started paying better attention to what she was saying to Auntie. 

     “As I started putting the pieces together and building a timeline, I came to realize that Mom has some secrets. As I tried to untangle every thing, Mom seems to be unraveling.When I reached out to you I was trying to prep Mom for what I was figuring out. Her lucid moments seem less frequent. My Father seems to think that my visits upset her.”

     With the arrival of their entrees the ladies shifted their attention but neither tucked into the meal before them. Eve waited for Paris to say more. A dome of silence held the women captive. Not even the festive, boisterous rendition of Happy Birthday could crack the tension at the table. 

     “I don’t want to make assumptions so I am going to need you to answer some basic questions. Does your mother know that you have reached out to me? If you have does she want to see me? What do you want from me?”

     “She nor my father have no idea that I have contacted you. While they have been together almost 50 years, we share a mother, not a father. And while it’s probably selfish I wanted to get to know my big sister.”

     Eve was the youngest of four children, the only daughter, her parents built a family, never had her birth been looked at as anything other than a blessing. Paris reminded her of the young ladies she mentored. Over the years she mentored many and she even shared sisterhood with her sorority. Watching the woman before her she had no idea how her words hurt. She thought of her older brothers, her family. She would not share with this stranger the bone deep hurt and disappointment she felt. Instead she reached into her wallet, took out a crisp fifty and sat it next to the salad and rose.

     “And I’m not ready to be your sister until I meet my mother.”