Okay, you're here and I've got ten minutes. It's all yours. But before we start, who are you, really?"
"I'm your sister, Jack."
CHAPTER 3: WHAT'S GOING ON?
"You're what?"
"I'm your sister."
"There's a small problem here, Ms… Cramer is it? I'm an only child. I don't have a sister."
"I guess more precisely I'm your half sister."
Jack was dumbfounded. What's this woman talking about? I bet dad got one of those women pregnant. This is gonna be good, I just know it, he thought.
"Okay, Ms. Cramer. You have my attention. What is it you want and who are you?"
"All I want is to talk with you, Jack. I am your sister. I'm your mother's child."
My mother? My mother's daughter? When? Who? My mind was filled with a hundred questions at once. What was I supposed to say to this?
"What am I supposed to say to that?" He said out loud.
"Supposed to say? I have no idea. If it helps, I was surprised to hear I had a brother. Even more surprised a couple weeks ago when I found out it was you."
"Okay, let's start at the beginning," Jack said, motioning Maureen to take a seat. "Can I get you something, coffee, a soft drink, juice?" he asked trying his best to appear cool, calm and collected.
"No, let's get to it, shall we. We haven't got a lot of time." Maureen said, sensing that the advantage was now all hers.
Having no idea what she was talking about, Jack simply let his "sister" continue.
"When I was about sixteen, my father died. Mom sat me down after the funeral and told me she'd been married before she met Dad. I couldn't believe she'd never told me. I'd known she was a lot older than most mothers of my classmates. I thought she just hadn't found the right man until my dad." Maureen smiled softly as she recalled her father. "They were perfect together, Jack. I wish you could have seen them." Jack winced as he contemplated the possible truth of Maureen's story.
"Anyway, Mom told me about her life before she met Dad. The story came in bits and pieces. I know it was hard for her. In the first weeks after Dad's death she started to tell me things about her old life, her first marriage, how unhappy it was. Later on she told me she had a son. She'd always avoid telling me your name; I think she was afraid I'd look for you. I didn't push, she seemed so sad. Whenever she'd mention you, she'd start crying."
She ought to cry. God knows I shed enough tears over that woman, Jack thought, wondering exactly where this story was going.
"I know she regrets leaving you, Jack. I think it's haunted her for years."
"Really? Could've fooled me," he stated coldly. "I have to admit, this is an interesting walk down memory lane, Ms. Cramer, but what is it you want?"
"Okay, right to the point. I can do that. The point is, Mom's dying. All she wants is to see you and talk with you before she dies. She wants to make amends."
Jack's first instinct was to scream his fury at this woman who had the audacity to walk in here and dredge up feelings and memories he'd tried so hard to bury over the years. Fortunately years of training had helped him control his first impulses and he called on all of that training now to keep from blasting Maureen away with his rage.
"Ms. Cramer, for many years I wanted to see my mother, needed to see my mother. This isn't one of those years. It's too late for this. Please leave now." Jack was operating in full military mode. Shields were up and no one, especially Maureen Cramer was getting through those carefully constructed walls.
Maureen knew better than to push any further right now. "I'll leave numbers where you can reach me if you change your mind, General. I hope to hear from you soon. We don't have much time."
As Maureen calmly left his office, Jack stood numbly behind his massive desk, holding a paper with phone numbers in his hand. Attached to that paper was a small envelope addressed to him. He recognized the handwriting immediately. It was his mother's.
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