Chapter 1
"For the
last time Kenny, I am your mother and I said no! Your father ran out on me, ran out on us when
I told him I was pregnant. I didn't even
know he was married until after you were born.
He never wanted you, never wanted anything to do with you. He wanted me to have an abortion for
Christ's sake! Why do
you keep on and on about this?"
Kennedy Johnson pinched the
bridge of her nose in frustration. She
and her mother had been having this conversation, or
one like it since she was in kindergarten and realized other kids had daddies
at home. When she was a teenager, she
had left it alone for awhile, but now that she was 25 and ready to settle down
and start a family, she wanted the information.
Hell, if nothing else, his medical history would have been nice.
"Mama, I know it's been hard for you. I appreciate the fact that you raised me alone and made sacrifices but don't you think I should at least know my roots? Half of my family, half of me is missing because of your stubbornness and broken heart. I don't even know my grandparents!"
"Your grandparents are dead and your father was nothing more than a sperm donor." Angela's terse reply was flat and emotionless. "I refuse to discuss this any further. As far as I'm concerned your father might as well be dead too. I've always been here, if he'd wanted to find me, he could have. He doesn't deserve you." She turned back to the sink and busied herself drying dishes, slamming them into the cabinets with a bit more force than was warranted.
Kennedy took a deep breath. This was going to be harder than she had thought. She hated to do this, but if she didn't her mother would never tell her about her father.
"I know about the money Mom," she said quietly.
Angela continued drying dishes, the sudden tension in her spine the only sign that she had even heard her daughter.
Kenny continued, walking towards her mother. "I know that someone has been depositing money in the bank every month since I was a baby. I know that money has come from a bank in Connecticut. When you put my name on the account while I was in college, I checked the balance online if I needed money. I saw the deposits and ordered copies of the statements. The only thing I couldn't find out was who was behind the deposits."
With every sentence, Angela visibly winced, as if avoiding a blow. When Kennedy reached her mother, she touched Angela's shoulder. Angela jumped, then spun around, her face a mask of anger and pain.
"How could you? How could you do this to me? I…I didn't know you could do that…I never imagined you'd go behind my back. You ungrateful little wretch, after all I've done for you, all I've sacrificed to see you raised well and be happy…You have no idea what I've…" Her voice trailed off, choked by the tears streaming freely down her face. Angela shoved her daughter to the side and ran for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
Kennedy stood gaping in shock. Her mother was always the picture of decorum and good manners, cool and unruffled in the direst of circumstances. What now?