Chapter 33
Grandma Mazur arrived in time to celebrate Christmas with us. She brought the inheritance Helen left for Angie and Mary Alice. The girls would need to open bank accounts in Miami to deposit the cheques.
Edna Mazur was how I remembered her. Loving, kind, and generous. There was a new side to her I've never seen before. My Merry Men had to watch grandma's wandering hands. She managed to grab Michael, Ranger, Lester and Binkie's package. "Grandma," Angie stated, "You can't go around grabbing men's privates. It's inappropriate."
"You're still no fun," grandma replied as she moved her dentures around in her mouth.
"Where are you planning to live?" I asked. We had room for her in the house, but Lory and Curt are moving back home. Binkie, Manny and Hector are collecting their belongings after Christmas. It would feel crowded if grandma moves in too.
"There's a seniors apartment complex not too far away. I was thinking of moving into a unit," she replied.
"Do you need any financial assistance?" I wondered.
"Nah. I have Henry's pension. There's more than enough to cover rent," she insisted.
Lory and Curt loved grandma Mazur immediately. They remembered the stories I told them many years ago. Grandma was surprised they already completed university. "You get that from your mom," she said with pride. "My Stephanie was always an intelligent girl."
I expected Angie to get her knickers in a knot, but she was surprisingly kind. "You must have been scared being the youngest in university," Angie assumed.
"We experienced some growing pains, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Tia Sophia helped us through the rough patches," Lory admitted. "Have you started your college applications, Angie?"
"Not yet. I still have another few years of high school before I start sending applications," Angie replied.
"Oh, I'm sorry. You're intelligent. I assumed you were further into your education," Lory stated in confusion. I understood Angie's plight. Helen didn't let me skip grades either.
"Meh," Angie said, letting the comment roll off her. "There's nothing we can do about it now."
"Humour me, write the practice GED test," Curt offered. "I bet you'll ace the exam."
After washing dishes and exchanging gifts, Curt ran to his room to grab his laptop. He opened the online GED practice exam for Angie to write. Once she finished writing the exam, she pushed the laptop back towards Curt. He pressed a few keys before asking, "Where's the HP printer?"
"My office down the hall," I replied. He tore down the hall to grab the printout.
"Read," he demanded as he gave the paper to Vince.
"Angie, your timeline has been moved up," Vince stated. "If you write the real exam, you could start college in September."
"I'll help with your applications," Lory offered.
Angie was both excited and scared. Celia recognized her trepidation and quickly put her at ease. "Angie, I'm proud of you. Vince and I will cover your college expenses," she quietly said.
"Are you sure? I want to attend Stanford," she replied. "Living in the dorm is expensive."
Sophia quickly spoke up, "Angie, I work at Stanford. If you're accepted, you can live with me."
"Why? You don't even know me," Angie felt exasperated.
"She didn't know Curt and me either. Sophia is an amazing cook," Lory stated.
Lory and Curt dragged Angie away to apply for college. Stanford's application deadline was a few days into the new year.
"We just got here," Mary Alice said as a tear streamed down her cheek.
Celia kneeled in front of Mary Alice and held her hand. "Sweetie, you're not going anywhere. We need to let Angie make her own decisions," Celia gently said.
"I know, but she's abandoning me too," Mary Alice said after snuffling.
Angie heard Mary Alice's comment. She pulled Mary Alice to her feet and squeezed her tight. "I'm not going away for college next year. When I do leave for school, it's to further my education, not abandoning you. I love you. You're my sister. I will always be here for you," Angie reassured Mary Alice.
"Thank you, Angie," Mary Alice mumbled.
"Celia, Vince, as much as I want to go to college next September, I think it would be best to stay here. I need time to heal before life becomes more hectic. Curt and Lory, thank you for having faith in me," Angie wisely stated.
"You're not leaving next year?" Mary Alice asked.
"No. Would you like to help me find a college when it's time?" Angie asked.
"Sure. I'd love to," Mary Alice replied as Angie grabbed her hand to drag her upstairs.
I laughed when Celia mumbled, "My baby's all grown up."
"Your baby was already grown up when she arrived," I joked.
"Semantics," she replied, waving her arms.
"Angie always followed the rules," grandma Mazur stated. "I'm surprised she didn't jump at the chance to attend college early."
"Mary Alice still needs her older sister. Angie anticipated her reaction. When she's ready, Angie will write her GED and apply for college," Vince inserted.
"The girls need more time to mourn their loss. Their lives turned upside down when Valerie died. If we push either one too fast, they'll break," I reasoned.
"I wonder if they miss Lisa," dad added.
"They do miss her," Celia stated. "I hear them talking about silly things Lisa did. Being around Jace and Liv eases their pain."
"Our children aren't a substitute for their younger sibling. I hope Albert would permit them to visit occasionally. Lisa's probably missing her sisters too," Michael stated.
"I've been curious for a while. Whatever happened to Valerie's second husband, Howard?" I asked grandma.
She started cackling, "Arrested for bigamy."
"He was already married?" Michael asked.
"Yup. He was a putz," grandma stated. "She wasn't much better with the clown she married next."
Someone knocked on our front door. "Excuse me for a minute," I politely said. A high-pitched scream sounded before I opened the door. "Hi, um, who are you?"
"Sorry, I'm Albert Kloughn, my daughter, Lisa. Are you Celia?" he asked.
"Celia!" I called over my shoulder. "Please come in."
Albert followed me into the house. "I'm sorry for dropping by unannounced, but Lisa's been asking for her sisters," he stammered as Celia approached.
"Hi, I'm Celia Manero. Who is this beautiful little girl?" she asked.
"Her name is Lisa. You're Angie and Mary Alice's guardian?" he asked.
"My husband, Vince and I are their guardians," she corrected.
"Um. I was wondering, would you like to adopt Lisa?"
"Why?" Celia asked as she squinted her eyes.
"I was wrong to keep the girls separated. They need each other. It breaks my heart to give up Lisa, but I really can't afford to raise her how she deserves," he trailed off.
Vince came up behind us and wrapped his arms around Celia. "If you want us to adopt Lisa, we'd be honoured. I have one caveat," Vince stated.
"Which is?" Albert asked.
"You maintain contact with Lisa and the girls. Lisa deserves to know her biological father," Vince explained.
"Deal," Albert stated. "I started the paperwork."
Albert cried as he signed over his rights. "Are you sure?" Celia asked before signing her name.
"Positive. Lisa will be happier with her sisters," Albert insisted.
Celia quickly signed her name and reached for Lisa. She nuzzled her face into Celia's neck. "Having Lisa here will help Angie and Mary Alice heal," Celia whispered.
"Once Lisa's asleep, she stays asleep. There's no need to tiptoe around her," Albert stated. "How are Angie and Mary Alice?"
"Adjusting. It took a while for the girls to realize we wanted them here," I replied.
"The girls felt abandoned. That nobody wanted them," Celia added.
"I'm sorry to cause them undue stress and pain," he said, sadness evident in his tone. "My mom wouldn't let me bring them home."
"You could have rented your own home or apartment," grandma interjected.
"Then I would've been in the same predicament sooner," he confessed. "The outcome would remain the same."
"I'm sorry you had no other option," I sympathized. I decided to offer Albert some perspective based on my personal experiences. "I understand the financial demands of children. When I had Lory and Curt, I lived with my first husband's family. After their death, I had to find a place to raise my children alone. We were fortunate to pay minimal rent on a home owned by friends. It eased the financial burden significantly. If you're wondering why I didn't have money from my husband, he thought I died in the home fire that killed his parents. My friends and I spent many years proving my identity to receive the inheritance from my in-laws."
"That's a tough beginning for your children," Albert admitted. "I want my children to have a life full of happiness. My dad left when I was a child. I watched my mom change from a strong woman to a passive one. She gave up trying since he was paying alimony and support. My mom gave up her drive to succeed. I saw how easy she made everything seem, so I never bothered trying. I'm a lousy lawyer. I still rely heavily on my mother for financial support. Lisa, Angie and Mary Alice deserve more than I can offer."
"Vince and I will raise them right," Celia promised.
"What are you doing here? You're not going to take us away, are you?" Angie snarled. You could feel the contempt in her tone.
"Dropping off Lisa for Vince and Celia to adopt," he honestly replied.
"First, you didn't want Mary Alice and me. Now you're abandoning Lisa?" she nearly shouted.
"Angie," I gently stated. "Albert loves you and the other girls. He isn't able to support you financially. To provide you with the best future possible, he relinquished his rights."
"I love you girls more than I can find the words to say. Your happiness is more important than my own," Albert added.
"You don't hate us?" Mary Alice asked.
"Not one little bit. It's because I love you so much that I gave up my rights," Albert reiterated. "I want you girls to be happy and loved unconditionally."
Albert visited with the girls for a few hours before leaving. He promised to drop in every six months for a visit. I was concerned it would cause more damage to the girls, but Celia assured me, "Children are more resilient than you think. They could handle more than some adults I know. Mrs. Tucker, the girls' therapist, is good. She'll ensure they're adapting to their new life."
"I'm more afraid Lisa will forget Albert is her biological father once she's adopted. She's only a few months older than Jace. According to the law, you and Vince are her parents," I stated.
"Vince and I will ensure she knows her parentage. I don't want her forgetting Angie and Mary Alice are her sisters either. I'm playing by your rules. Michael adopted Lory and Curt, but they know about their biological father. They are the most mentally and emotionally grounded children I have ever met, given their circumstances," Celia explained.
"I had lots of help," I quickly dismissed her.
"Steph, everyone followed your lead. When you required extra help, you asked. I would love to have the same support you received while raising Lory and Curt," she redirected.
"That you will receive in spades," I stated.
"I would expect nothing less from you. We don't have a crib set up for Lisa. Could we stay here tonight?" Celia asked.
"You can stay with us," Tenessa replied. "We have an extra crib."
"Why do you have an extra crib, Carlos?" I said as I gave him the Burg glare.
"Always prepared, Babe," he replied.
Stupid Batman has to swing in and save the day again. When everyone started laughing, I realized I said those words out loud.
"Steph, we knew it was a possibility. Mateo expressed some concern when Lisa didn't have appropriate winter clothes," Tenessa stated. "We were waiting for Albert to bring her home."
"That makes perfect sense. You also have bedrooms for Angie and Mary Alice," I recalled.
"We do. The rooms were originally for Lory and Curt, but they're old enough to be on their own now," Tenessa added.
I grabbed some of Jace's clothes for Celia to borrow for Lisa. "These may be a little big on Lisa, but they'll work in a pinch," I said as I passed Celia the clothes.
"They're clean, so nothing else matters," Celia replied. "Thanks for the help."
"No problem. I'd do anything for family," I reminded her.
When everyone left for their respective homes, Curt approached me. "Mom, do you and dad have a few minutes?" he asked.
"Always," I automatically replied. "I need to put the babies to bed." My spidey sense was humming. I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was going to lead.
"I can wait," he stated.
Mallory helped me bathe then dress Jace and Livie. Michael and Curtis were quietly talking in the living room. "The babies are asleep," I announced as I took a seat next to Michael.
Curtis was hesitant. He seemed unsure how to begin the conversation. "Just spit it out, Curtis," Lory stated. "Rip off the bandaid, or I'll tell them."
Her threat seemed to get him to talk. "I leave for basic training on January 2nd," he announced.
"I'm proud of you, son," Michael immediately stated.
"Wow. That's sooner than I was expecting. If you're sure, then I'm proud of you," I said.
"You're not mad?" he asked.
"Not at all," I replied. "We already knew you joined the Army."
"I know, but you were expecting me to stick around until September."
"Why the urgency?" I asked.
"He has everything planned, mom," Lory replied. "When he finishes basic and his full 3-year term, Julie would be 18 years old."
"Old enough to get married, Curt?" Michael asked.
"Yes. Julie and I have been talking. Ranger knows we want to begin our lives together after I finish my first government contract. It was his suggestion," Curt explained.
"Julie already approves the plan," Lory added.