Skeltons In The Closet

They had been warned that Fred was bringing someone new to the party for Caroline and James, his aunt and uncle; they had been married for about a zillion years. Fred tried to remember exactly when they had got married, he was born in 1957 and they were married ten years when he arrived on the scene. He was sixty three years young tomorrow, so that would mean they were married seventy three years on August 10. Loving his aunt and uncle were hard since they were the type that had no children because they were a bother is what his loving aunt and uncle would always say. Babies cried, wanted to be change, and cost a lot of money. Children were just as bad with causing trouble, wanting things, and costing a lot of money. They bragged how they saved money to spend on themselves by having no children.

Fred arrived early with his special lady on his arms; she was smiling at him despite how nervous she felt. Wanting to scream and run as fast as her feet would carry her. Julie was not good at meeting new people and this wasn’t going to be just a small gathering that Fred had talked her into meeting the family at. No, the count for the people that were in attendance was two hundred fifty five people, new faces to go with new names which if she didn’t remember the right name with the right face could spell disaster for her. Would that person get mad if she called someone by the wrong name? Why had she agreed to come with Fred? She was going to mess up somewhere and end causing a family fight on her first appearance with the family.

Julie stood there as Fred introduced one person after another; she knew that somehow she was going to screw up.   Fred was talking to an older gentleman that somehow seemed familiar to her, he had introduce him as “Uncle George” ,but for some reason Julie either knew him or knew about him. She kept staring at Uncle George trying her hardest to remember how she knew him and from where? Somewhere in her past, he had been part of her life and now, she wondered if his part in her life was either good or bad.   Why couldn’t she remember him?

As the evening went on, she knew she had to know where she knew him because not knowing was driving her crazy.  Walking over to Uncle George, she said, “I have a question for you and please don’t think I am crazy or hitting on you. This has been driving me crazy all night and I just have to know. Do I know you from somewhere?” They stood there looking at each other trying to figure out where they knew each other. The silence stretched on and Julie started to feel nervous standing there with Uncle George, instead of mingling the crowd.

“I am sorry, but I don’t think we know each other. We met when Fred introduced us a little while ago and I think that is the first time I met you. Do you have any notion to when you think we met?” Uncle George stood there looking at Julie and knew why she thought she knew him. He couldn’t tell her because he had promised her parents never ever to tell her how they knew each other. He had never thought he would know her, so he had no problem making the promise. 

Thinking back to the day when he saw his once beloved wife, Susan and her new husband, Tyler. They were walking in the park with their new baby daughter, Julie.   He tried his hardest to be happy for the couple, but had always wondered if Julie was his daughter. The timing had been so close and there was always that nagging thought that he was Julie’s dad.   About eight or nine months ago, they had divorced and the next month, Julie married Tyler. The next thing he heard about the twosome was they were expecting their first baby. He wished he had demanded the DNA test, but he had tried to be the tough one by saying he didn’t care. As the days, weeks, and months passed on, Uncle George wanted to know if he was the father, but he didn’t have the guts to bring the confrontation around. Was he the father to the young beautiful lady standing in front of him? He wanted to know more now than before and it was something that had always bugged him.

Julie was standing there looking at Uncle George, wondering if she should call him Uncle George or something else. She knew deep within herself that he knew what she was talking about, he knew when and where they had met. She was wondering where that had happened and when was he going to tell her.  Uncle George smiled at her and said, “Well, I hope the meeting was on good grounds and not some disaster that has taken place. If you ever figured it out, please let Fred know and he will know where to find me. I am sorry to say I better start mingling or I will catch it from my wife.”  With that she watched as he walked off to stand beside a woman that she had been introduced as his wife, but she wasn’t for sure.

The rest of the evening came and went as a blur because her mind was more on Uncle George than listening to the new people she was meeting and new conversation that was taking place around her. When Fred dropped her off at her house, he said if she had enjoyed herself and she said she had. It had been more fun that she expected and she was glad she had gone.  She even surprised herself that she had lied to Fred and not asked more about Uncle George, she was dying to know if something Fred could tell her would trigger a memory to come forward.  Maybe there was someone that she could ask about this man and their memories of his involvement in the family. She wanted to know that it was starting to be like a pesky bug that just wouldn’t leave her alone. Like it wanted, demanded to be central stage with her and that the attention it would bring would not be good.

 Julie was standing there as she watched a strange car pull up in front of her house and she knew who would get out even before he opened the door. It was Uncle George and he had a determine look on his face. A look that made her nervous, a look that screamed I have a secret to tell you, and a look of stubbornness that said I am here to clear something up and no one is going to like it.

Her mother’s car pulled up behind Uncle George’s car and she watched as they exchanged some words before coming up to the front door to announce their presence. When she let them in, neither smiled or said anything, they just went in and her mother put on some coffee which meant they were going to be there for a while talking about whatever was going on. Both of her visitors knew what they had come to discuss and neither wanted to start the conservation. What was going on? What had she started when she asked her simple question if she knew Uncle George before the party and how she knew him?

Sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee, she learned that there had been questions never address back when she was young especially who was her father. Her mother and Uncle George had divorced because they were simply not getting along anymore when her mother and Tyler got married. No one had mention to her about how close the timing was when she was giving life to their divorces and marriages. Now, Uncle George wanted to know for sure who her father was and no one was going to keep him from finding out. Tyler had passed away several years earlier because of a drunk driver causing a stupid car accident. Tyler was the one parent she used to turn to help figure out questions in her life. Who would help her in this situation? What would that mean to her and Fred if Uncle George was Fred’s uncle and Julie’s dad? Would there be any change to their plans of marriage?  Why had she asked the question at all? Why was he so familiar to her if she was young when he left? That was one of many question she wanted answered.

They went the next day for the DNA test and she got more nervous waiting for the results. One day, she was sure she wanted to know and the next day, she wasn’t too sure if she wanted to know if it was going to cause problems for her and her family. She didn’t want to lose Fred because the question was not what anyone wanted to hear. 

The day they were to hear the results a small group went to the doctor’s office to find out the result.  Only three people were allowed into the office to hear that her mother was indeed her mother, but when it came to hear the results on which her father was, Julie said, “I want you to know I am not sure I want to hear the results. I am still going to think of Tyler as my dad because he was there all of my life. George, if you are my father, I will be respectful and try to develop a relationship with you.  I don’t know what type of relationship we will have, but I want you to remember that Tyler is my dad.” She looked from her mother to Uncle George. She nodded at the doctor who softly said, “Tyler is your dad.”