Secrets and Revelations... the Truth at Last
Mommy knew exactly where she was going, and eventually we arrived at a house that seemed somehow familiar, though I knew I had never been there before. She knocked on the door, and not long after, the door slowly swung open. A woman's face peered out at us.
"Grandma!" Mommy cried, throwing her arms around the woman's neck.
"Stacey? My how you've grown. And who is this lovely young woman?"
"This is Morgan, my daughter."
"Where is your other daughter, and your son?"
I turned to Mommy. I never knew she had a son.
"Can we come inside. I've decided to tell Morgan everything, and I might
need your help."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm going to start at the beginning." Mommy said.
"When your grandmother turned 18, she and her twin sister, June, had to
choose between a life on land for three years, or a life where they never get to visit
our world. Obviously, they choose to live on land.
"They were almost immediately separated. When they left the cove, Aunt
June was found by a family who took her in, and taught her English. My Mother was found by Chris, my father, your grandfather. They fell in love, and had twins. My sister Madeline and I.
"When they turned 21, they had to choose, stay on land forever, or come
back here. My Mom chose to come live down here again, and she brought Madeline with her. Mom and Dad thought it best that way. I stayed on land with my father, never knowing the truth, never knowing I had a sister."
Mommy paused, and took a deep, shaky breath. She blinked slowly then
went back to her story.
"When she was 12, Madeline ran away, and was put in an orphanage
because she couldn't find my Dad and I. We had moved to Missouri, and she didn't know that. But, when I was almost 16, Daddy moved us back here.
"On my 16th birthday, I felt something pulling me here. I left in the middle
of the night, and found my way here. Mom told me my story, and told me I was to live with her until I was 18. I also found out I was betrothed to someone named Derek. I had already fallen in love with your father, and I didn't want to lose him.
"Your father found out my secret, and I was able to convince my Mother
to make a deal with me. I'd come here every weekend, if I could stay on land and go to school. That night, I became pregnant, though I didn't know it yet. Your father asked me to marry him, and because we were engaged, I was no longer betrothed to Derek.
"When Derek turned 18, he made the choice to live on land, and he stayed
with me. By that time, we had already found Madeline, and she was living with us.
Aunt Phoebe fell in love with Derek, and he was in love with her as well, but he still clung stubbornly to his love for me."
She sighed, and Great-Grandma Carolyn patted her hand. She smiled at
me. "You should know this is very hard for your Mom to admit. It's something that's been locked away for a very long time."
Mommy continued with her story. "At some point, the law stating that at
the age of 21 you had to choose permanently was changed, and Mom came to live
with us. I finally felt like I was part of a family again. Then, late one night, Derek
came into my room. He was obviously very drunk, and he raped me. I was terrified, and I didn't tell my parents. I was afraid to. The next night, he was killed during the hurricane.
"Grandma had told me I was going to have triplets, a boy, and two girls,
but I believe fate had other plans. One day while at work, I started bleeding, and I
was rushed to the hospital. The doctor told me he thought it was a miscarriage, but
miraculously, the babies were unharmed. I was happy, because more than anything,
I wanted my babies to be born.
"I went through the rest of my pregnancy with no further complications,
but when I went into labor, I found out I'd only had twins. I knew that I'd had a miscarriage, because I did not have my boy.
"On the way to the hospital, my sister was killed, so, in retrospect, it was
as if there were two deaths that day. But, I had you an your sister to take care of, so I had to be strong."
As she stopped, and looked at me, I let it all sink in. A lifetime of secrets,
things I never had expected, had been revealed. It was so amazing. I could finally
understand some of the things I had wondered about all my life. I only wish Jesse
could have been here to hear it all with me. No way could she possibly believe any
of this, coming from me.
I hugged my Mom, and hugged Great-grandma Carolyn. She was weeping,
because she hadn't known some of the things Mommy had just revealed.
"I'm so sorry Stacey. I never knew. I haven't gotten a visit from any family in almost thirteen years."
"I'm so sorry Grandma. I really did mean to bring them sooner, but I never wanted to force myself to face my past. It was so painful, it was just easier to
pretend it never happened."
"I know exactly what you mean. But, for Eutop's sake child, thirteen years
is a long time to keep your Grandmother in the dark."
"Eutop?" I asked, puzzled.
"I forgot to mention that. Eutop is like... a magical land. There, anything
can happen, and does. You asked your father if dragons exist. Well, in Eutop they
do. So do faeries, unicorns, centaurs, and all sorts of other neat creatures." Mommy told me, beaming at me.
"You've been there?" I asked, amazed.
"A few times. Your Daddy has too."
"Can we go sometime?"
"Well, we can probably go today."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Well, we have some extra time."
"Mommy, I don't eve want to leave this place. My dreams are finally
coming true."
Great-grandma Carolyn cleared her throat and smiled. "I have a
suggestion."
Mommy looked at her. "What's that?"
"She can stay with me."
"Can I really?" I looked at Mommy expectantly.
Mommy knew exactly where she was going, and eventually we arrived at a house that seemed somehow familiar, though I knew I had never been there before. She knocked on the door, and not long after, the door slowly swung open. A woman's face peered out at us.
"Grandma!" Mommy cried, throwing her arms around the woman's neck.
"Stacey? My how you've grown. And who is this lovely young woman?"
"This is Morgan, my daughter."
"Where is your other daughter, and your son?"
I turned to Mommy. I never knew she had a son.
"Can we come inside. I've decided to tell Morgan everything, and I might
need your help."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I'm going to start at the beginning." Mommy said.
"When your grandmother turned 18, she and her twin sister, June, had to
choose between a life on land for three years, or a life where they never get to visit
our world. Obviously, they choose to live on land.
"They were almost immediately separated. When they left the cove, Aunt
June was found by a family who took her in, and taught her English. My Mother was found by Chris, my father, your grandfather. They fell in love, and had twins. My sister Madeline and I.
"When they turned 21, they had to choose, stay on land forever, or come
back here. My Mom chose to come live down here again, and she brought Madeline with her. Mom and Dad thought it best that way. I stayed on land with my father, never knowing the truth, never knowing I had a sister."
Mommy paused, and took a deep, shaky breath. She blinked slowly then
went back to her story.
"When she was 12, Madeline ran away, and was put in an orphanage
because she couldn't find my Dad and I. We had moved to Missouri, and she didn't know that. But, when I was almost 16, Daddy moved us back here.
"On my 16th birthday, I felt something pulling me here. I left in the middle
of the night, and found my way here. Mom told me my story, and told me I was to live with her until I was 18. I also found out I was betrothed to someone named Derek. I had already fallen in love with your father, and I didn't want to lose him.
"Your father found out my secret, and I was able to convince my Mother
to make a deal with me. I'd come here every weekend, if I could stay on land and go to school. That night, I became pregnant, though I didn't know it yet. Your father asked me to marry him, and because we were engaged, I was no longer betrothed to Derek.
"When Derek turned 18, he made the choice to live on land, and he stayed
with me. By that time, we had already found Madeline, and she was living with us.
Aunt Phoebe fell in love with Derek, and he was in love with her as well, but he still clung stubbornly to his love for me."
She sighed, and Great-Grandma Carolyn patted her hand. She smiled at
me. "You should know this is very hard for your Mom to admit. It's something that's been locked away for a very long time."
Mommy continued with her story. "At some point, the law stating that at
the age of 21 you had to choose permanently was changed, and Mom came to live
with us. I finally felt like I was part of a family again. Then, late one night, Derek
came into my room. He was obviously very drunk, and he raped me. I was terrified, and I didn't tell my parents. I was afraid to. The next night, he was killed during the hurricane.
"Grandma had told me I was going to have triplets, a boy, and two girls,
but I believe fate had other plans. One day while at work, I started bleeding, and I
was rushed to the hospital. The doctor told me he thought it was a miscarriage, but
miraculously, the babies were unharmed. I was happy, because more than anything,
I wanted my babies to be born.
"I went through the rest of my pregnancy with no further complications,
but when I went into labor, I found out I'd only had twins. I knew that I'd had a miscarriage, because I did not have my boy.
"On the way to the hospital, my sister was killed, so, in retrospect, it was
as if there were two deaths that day. But, I had you an your sister to take care of, so I had to be strong."
As she stopped, and looked at me, I let it all sink in. A lifetime of secrets,
things I never had expected, had been revealed. It was so amazing. I could finally
understand some of the things I had wondered about all my life. I only wish Jesse
could have been here to hear it all with me. No way could she possibly believe any
of this, coming from me.
I hugged my Mom, and hugged Great-grandma Carolyn. She was weeping,
because she hadn't known some of the things Mommy had just revealed.
"I'm so sorry Stacey. I never knew. I haven't gotten a visit from any family in almost thirteen years."
"I'm so sorry Grandma. I really did mean to bring them sooner, but I never wanted to force myself to face my past. It was so painful, it was just easier to
pretend it never happened."
"I know exactly what you mean. But, for Eutop's sake child, thirteen years
is a long time to keep your Grandmother in the dark."
"Eutop?" I asked, puzzled.
"I forgot to mention that. Eutop is like... a magical land. There, anything
can happen, and does. You asked your father if dragons exist. Well, in Eutop they
do. So do faeries, unicorns, centaurs, and all sorts of other neat creatures." Mommy told me, beaming at me.
"You've been there?" I asked, amazed.
"A few times. Your Daddy has too."
"Can we go sometime?"
"Well, we can probably go today."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Well, we have some extra time."
"Mommy, I don't eve want to leave this place. My dreams are finally
coming true."
Great-grandma Carolyn cleared her throat and smiled. "I have a
suggestion."
Mommy looked at her. "What's that?"
"She can stay with me."
"Can I really?" I looked at Mommy expectantly.