Chapter Four
Kate soon learned that Jasper was an exquisite storyteller. He stitched the simple facts together with the thread of his memories and personal opinions, creating a genuine masterpiece. Years of experience in journalism and an obvious love and concern for the history and people of this town were evident in his words.
Kate knew that she had come to the right person. His honesty and passion was touching and she was immediately transfixed, barely able to breathe for fear that she would miss something. Each word was important to her, this was her history, her past, and possibly the key to her future.
His raspy voice echoed as he began to speak, "When your mother arrived in this small fishing village many years ago she created quite a stir. The men were immediately smitten with her sophisticated elegance and poise. The women, well," he chuckled, "they were jealous at first, but they soon found out she was just as beautiful on the inside."
"Your mother had many suitors but one in particular caught her eye, a young Sailor named Billy Perkins," he paused clearing his throat. "The man you would call your father." There was something in his voice as he said those words that sent a chill up Kate's spine.
Jasper continued, "In almost every aspect of their personality Selena and Billy were at opposite ends of the poles. For every ounce of kindness Selena had Billy had just as much bitterness. I guess opposites attract as they say because those two were certainly opposites. I will never understand what Selena saw in that man!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth a sincere look of regret crept into Jasper's face, "Kate, I'm sorry, Billy was your father, I shouldn't speak of him that way."
Kate looked him straight in the eye, "It's okay. My father was a good for nothing drunk. I know that better than anyone. I want you to be completely honest with me. Please don't try to spare my feelings, I want the truth.
He nodded solemnly and quickly picked up the story once again, "They were married only a year after Selena arrived and the honeymoon certainly didn't last long. A few months into their marriage it was obvious they were already having problems."
"I can't be certain but I believe Billy was abusing her, both physically and emotionally." As the words sunk in Kate felt the hair on her neck stand up. She hated her father with every fiber of her being and hearing that he had also abused her mother was almost too much to bear. Tears began to stream down her face. She was sad, yet intensely angry and the tears were the product of mixing these two emotions.
When Jasper saw that she was crying he stopped until Kate motioned for him to continue. He handed her a Kleenex and she dabbed her eyes as he began to speak, "Selena became very timid and her eyes lost that vivacious intensity that used to light up her whole face. Eventually she quit spending time with her friends and distanced herself from everyone. At the same time your father was spending more and more time at the local pub. To make matters worse he was gone, out on the ocean, for weeks, even months, at a time leaving her all alone." Jasper hesitated, then added, "Or so he thought."
That last comment echoed through her mind and Kate looked intently at Jasper pleading for him to continue, "Rumors spread quickly in a small town and just a few weeks after the handsome European man arrived "affair" was on the lips of every gossip in town. The man moved in next door to Selena and they began spending a lot of time together when Billy was out at sea."
"When you father arrived home after one of his trips Selena surprised him with good news, he was going to be a father. Oh, he was so happy, it had been a long time since I'd seen a smile like that on his face. He ran all over town, telling anyone that would listen about his new baby that was on the way. I truly thought this might be just what your parents needed to turn their marriage around. Children usually bring a couple closer together but not in this case." The corners of his eyes drooped with sadness as he slowly shook his head.
"It wasn't long before your Father caught wind of the rumor that Selena was having an affair. There was no proof of her indiscretion but deep down I think he always knew the truth. He tried to ignore it, laughed it off but it was eating him up inside. He drank more and more and often became violent, getting into one barroom brawl after another."
"Meanwhile your mother was carrying you and trying to deal with a drunk, jealous husband. I was very worried that she might lose her baby from all the emotional distress she was going through but nine months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl." He looked up at her and smiled, "and still just as lovely I might add." Kate blushed slightly but she couldn't help but grin.
"After you were born, that's when things got ugly. Selena was a mother, she had someone else to look after, and she was no longer going to put up with a man who didn't deserve a wife and daughter. That's when she decided to leave your father and be with her lover. Yes it was true, she was having an affair and had been for many months. I was shocked but I couldn't find it in my heart to blame her. She'd put up with a lot of abuse from your father over the years, physical and emotional."
Jasper looked away deep in thought, "Kate, what I am about to tell you...it's going to be very painful. I am sorry you have to hear this but I know you want the truth." He took a shaky breath, "Kate, your mother's lover turned up dead just days after she left your father. Then Billy packed up and left town...taking you with him."
Kate felt the tears flowing again she choked and sobbed quietly, trying very hard to pull herself together. After several deep breaths she was finally able to speak, "There's something more isn't there?"
Jasper nodded, his eyes were misty and he struggled to find the right words, "Your mom, she uh, she completely broke down. She had lost everything in a matter of days. She had been such a strong woman but years of abuse from your father had tarnished her spirit. Not many people were surprised when she tried to kill herself."
"Oh god," Kate whispered, she could feel the bile rise in her throat and she fought to keep it down.
"She didn't succeed, someone found her and took her to the hospital. She never got out Kate. She was mentally unstable, she was a danger to herself and she spent the rest of her life in the mental ward. It was so sad to see her fall apart like that, it broke everyone's heart." He stopped and pounded his fist on the desk in frustration. Kate jumped at the thud, "I'm sorry dear, I just didn't realize how hard it would be to tell you all this. There is one more thing too."
Kate felt her stomach lurch, "What more could have happened, how could this story get any worse?"
"I don't know how to tell you this but Billy Perkins was not your father Kate and he knew it. He took you away from your mother and it was never proven but everyone knows he killed Selena's lover, your real father."
"No. He knew all along that I wasn't even his child. How could he... How could anyone be so cruel? That bastard..." The room was spinning and Kate gripped the arm of the chair until her knuckles were white. "Tell me my father's name Jasper, what was my Daddy's name?" Kate sobbed.
He closed his eyes and placed a hand on his head, "Everyone called him Charlie..." Jasper balled his hands in to a fist as he struggled to remember. Finally he snapped a finger, "It was DiMera...Corrado DiMera.
Kate slowly stood up on shaky legs, "Did you say Di...DiMe...", she couldn't even say it.
He looked at her curiously, "Yes." He said slowly, "Corrado DiMera."
"No, it can't be..." Kate whispered. She ran for the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before she started heaving. Her head was pounding, the room was spinning and it was just too much for Kate to bear. Jasper found her minutes later passed out in a heap on the bathroom floor.
Kate soon learned that Jasper was an exquisite storyteller. He stitched the simple facts together with the thread of his memories and personal opinions, creating a genuine masterpiece. Years of experience in journalism and an obvious love and concern for the history and people of this town were evident in his words.
Kate knew that she had come to the right person. His honesty and passion was touching and she was immediately transfixed, barely able to breathe for fear that she would miss something. Each word was important to her, this was her history, her past, and possibly the key to her future.
His raspy voice echoed as he began to speak, "When your mother arrived in this small fishing village many years ago she created quite a stir. The men were immediately smitten with her sophisticated elegance and poise. The women, well," he chuckled, "they were jealous at first, but they soon found out she was just as beautiful on the inside."
"Your mother had many suitors but one in particular caught her eye, a young Sailor named Billy Perkins," he paused clearing his throat. "The man you would call your father." There was something in his voice as he said those words that sent a chill up Kate's spine.
Jasper continued, "In almost every aspect of their personality Selena and Billy were at opposite ends of the poles. For every ounce of kindness Selena had Billy had just as much bitterness. I guess opposites attract as they say because those two were certainly opposites. I will never understand what Selena saw in that man!"
As soon as the words were out of his mouth a sincere look of regret crept into Jasper's face, "Kate, I'm sorry, Billy was your father, I shouldn't speak of him that way."
Kate looked him straight in the eye, "It's okay. My father was a good for nothing drunk. I know that better than anyone. I want you to be completely honest with me. Please don't try to spare my feelings, I want the truth.
He nodded solemnly and quickly picked up the story once again, "They were married only a year after Selena arrived and the honeymoon certainly didn't last long. A few months into their marriage it was obvious they were already having problems."
"I can't be certain but I believe Billy was abusing her, both physically and emotionally." As the words sunk in Kate felt the hair on her neck stand up. She hated her father with every fiber of her being and hearing that he had also abused her mother was almost too much to bear. Tears began to stream down her face. She was sad, yet intensely angry and the tears were the product of mixing these two emotions.
When Jasper saw that she was crying he stopped until Kate motioned for him to continue. He handed her a Kleenex and she dabbed her eyes as he began to speak, "Selena became very timid and her eyes lost that vivacious intensity that used to light up her whole face. Eventually she quit spending time with her friends and distanced herself from everyone. At the same time your father was spending more and more time at the local pub. To make matters worse he was gone, out on the ocean, for weeks, even months, at a time leaving her all alone." Jasper hesitated, then added, "Or so he thought."
That last comment echoed through her mind and Kate looked intently at Jasper pleading for him to continue, "Rumors spread quickly in a small town and just a few weeks after the handsome European man arrived "affair" was on the lips of every gossip in town. The man moved in next door to Selena and they began spending a lot of time together when Billy was out at sea."
"When you father arrived home after one of his trips Selena surprised him with good news, he was going to be a father. Oh, he was so happy, it had been a long time since I'd seen a smile like that on his face. He ran all over town, telling anyone that would listen about his new baby that was on the way. I truly thought this might be just what your parents needed to turn their marriage around. Children usually bring a couple closer together but not in this case." The corners of his eyes drooped with sadness as he slowly shook his head.
"It wasn't long before your Father caught wind of the rumor that Selena was having an affair. There was no proof of her indiscretion but deep down I think he always knew the truth. He tried to ignore it, laughed it off but it was eating him up inside. He drank more and more and often became violent, getting into one barroom brawl after another."
"Meanwhile your mother was carrying you and trying to deal with a drunk, jealous husband. I was very worried that she might lose her baby from all the emotional distress she was going through but nine months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl." He looked up at her and smiled, "and still just as lovely I might add." Kate blushed slightly but she couldn't help but grin.
"After you were born, that's when things got ugly. Selena was a mother, she had someone else to look after, and she was no longer going to put up with a man who didn't deserve a wife and daughter. That's when she decided to leave your father and be with her lover. Yes it was true, she was having an affair and had been for many months. I was shocked but I couldn't find it in my heart to blame her. She'd put up with a lot of abuse from your father over the years, physical and emotional."
Jasper looked away deep in thought, "Kate, what I am about to tell you...it's going to be very painful. I am sorry you have to hear this but I know you want the truth." He took a shaky breath, "Kate, your mother's lover turned up dead just days after she left your father. Then Billy packed up and left town...taking you with him."
Kate felt the tears flowing again she choked and sobbed quietly, trying very hard to pull herself together. After several deep breaths she was finally able to speak, "There's something more isn't there?"
Jasper nodded, his eyes were misty and he struggled to find the right words, "Your mom, she uh, she completely broke down. She had lost everything in a matter of days. She had been such a strong woman but years of abuse from your father had tarnished her spirit. Not many people were surprised when she tried to kill herself."
"Oh god," Kate whispered, she could feel the bile rise in her throat and she fought to keep it down.
"She didn't succeed, someone found her and took her to the hospital. She never got out Kate. She was mentally unstable, she was a danger to herself and she spent the rest of her life in the mental ward. It was so sad to see her fall apart like that, it broke everyone's heart." He stopped and pounded his fist on the desk in frustration. Kate jumped at the thud, "I'm sorry dear, I just didn't realize how hard it would be to tell you all this. There is one more thing too."
Kate felt her stomach lurch, "What more could have happened, how could this story get any worse?"
"I don't know how to tell you this but Billy Perkins was not your father Kate and he knew it. He took you away from your mother and it was never proven but everyone knows he killed Selena's lover, your real father."
"No. He knew all along that I wasn't even his child. How could he... How could anyone be so cruel? That bastard..." The room was spinning and Kate gripped the arm of the chair until her knuckles were white. "Tell me my father's name Jasper, what was my Daddy's name?" Kate sobbed.
He closed his eyes and placed a hand on his head, "Everyone called him Charlie..." Jasper balled his hands in to a fist as he struggled to remember. Finally he snapped a finger, "It was DiMera...Corrado DiMera.
Kate slowly stood up on shaky legs, "Did you say Di...DiMe...", she couldn't even say it.
He looked at her curiously, "Yes." He said slowly, "Corrado DiMera."
"No, it can't be..." Kate whispered. She ran for the bathroom and barely made it to the toilet before she started heaving. Her head was pounding, the room was spinning and it was just too much for Kate to bear. Jasper found her minutes later passed out in a heap on the bathroom floor.
