A/N: I want to thank everyone for your comments and curiosity about the future of Sharon's character. I promise that in time, it will become clearer where her story is heading. In the meantime, here is the next chapter. I hope you will like it. Also, I would like to thank blossom-of-snow for her help editing this story.
Since promises meant a lot to Sharon, she rarely broke her word. When Rainie first came to live with her, when their relationship demanded established trust, Sharon promised Rainie that she would never lie to her. Even when she twisted the truth a little, she always gave her daughter the essence of truth in everything she said, no matter how difficult the topic. Now, as she sat in the orange chair across from her daughter, she felt like her promise may have been too impossible to honor.
"Come on, what's the big secret?" Rainie said, almost amused by her mother's nervousness.
Sharon swallowed hard. "Andy and I saw a house we liked."
"Does this one have black mold and dead bodies in the pool, too?" Rainie teased.
Rainie's good mood made it harder for Sharon to reveal who the house belonged to. After seeing the house with Andy and taking a look at the photos on the mantle, it was easy to put two and two together. The owner was Rainie's maternal grandmother, as Andy said.
"No, it's a very nice, well-maintained house. The pool is beautiful, and there's a lot of light and room for all of us."
"And yet you don't look too happy about it," Rainie replied, cheerfulness engulfing her words.
"The house is perfect," Sharon said. "But there's something you should know about it."
"Is it far from UCLA or something?" Rainie asked.
"No, it's not that," Sharon said. "The person who owns the house is called Mrs. Simone Beck, and Andy and I have a strong suspicion that you are related."
"Just because we have the same last name?" Rainie asked in dismissal. "Come on, Mom. Beck is a common surname."
"That's what I thought too, but this woman has some family photos on the mantle, and your mother is in them."
Rainie paused, the first sign of her resigned acceptance. "So, you think this woman is my mom's mother?"
"Did your mother ever talk about her parents?"
"All she said was they were strict, and they kicked her out when she got pregnant," Rainie said. "Mom, if you really want this house, I'd like to meet the owner first."
"Are you sure?"
Rainie nodded.
"Okay, I'll try to arrange that," Sharon said.
Shaking her head, Rainie rose from the couch and held out her hand to Sharon. "Let's grab Andy and go to dinner like we planned. I'm not going to let this ruin our evening."
The next morning, Andy reached out to the realtor and requested to meet Mrs. Beck in her home. The realtor reluctantly agreed, saying this type of meeting was usually arranged by the house owner rather than the potential buyers. The meeting was set for Saturday morning and Sharon, Andy, and Rainie would go in together. Sharon wasn't sure what Rainie expected from this meeting, but ever since her daughter decided to cut her ties with Sharon Beck, the idea and definition of family became a constant conversation topic between them. Initially, Rainie was sure of her decision to end all contact with her birth mother, but Sharon could see cracks in her daughter's resolve as she struggled with the choice she made.
As Sharon and Andy ate breakfast, Rainie whirled like a tornado between the bathroom and her bedroom, slamming doors, cabinets, and drawers a bit too forcefully for Sharon's liking.
As Sharon went to the kitchen for a refill of her coffee, Rainie emerged from the hall. "How do I look?" she asked nervously. She'd matched a light pink knee-length dress with a pair of white Mary Janes. Her copper curls were tamed into two French braids, and her makeup was gentle and fresh.
"Adorable," Andy said before Sharon could speak.
Rainie wrinkled her nose at Andy's description and turned to Sharon. "Is it appropriate?"
Sharon nodded. She wasn't entirely sure if there was an appropriate attire for a girl who was meeting her grandmother for the first time, but the outfit Rainie chose would make a great first impression on anyone.
"Do you wanna eat breakfast before we leave?" Sharon suggested.
"No, I'm too nervous to eat. I'm ready to leave if you are."
Andy grabbed his jacket that was draped on the back of his chair and tightened his pink tie which matched Rainie's dress and Sharon's blouse. "You're going to be okay," Andy said and gently squeezed Rainie's shoulder.
Sharon watched the interaction between her boyfriend and her daughter with a wistful smile. The relationship between them had improved significantly, and Sharon was proud of both of them for the effort they put into not only getting along but also developing trust and a familial bond that was important to all of them.
Less than an hour later, they were sitting in Mrs. Beck's living room.
Sharon started the conversation. "We wanted to meet you in person because while we visited the house with the realtor, we noticed those photos on the mantle. The young woman in them –"
"Is my daughter, Sharon," Mrs. Beck cut her off.
"We know Sharon very well," Andy said.
Mrs. Beck arched her eyebrows.
"Sharon is my birth mother," Sharon could hear the insecurity in Rainie's voice.
Mrs. Beck stood up and motioned for Rainie to do the same. She walked towards the girl, who shook like a leaf, and inspected her features closely. "You have her eyes," she said. "That red hair, though. That's from me." Mrs. Beck grabbed Rainie's arm and pulled her towards the mantle. She took one of the photos and handed it to Rainie. "That's me when I was young."
"She was so young here," Rainie said and picked up one of the photos of her mother as a young girl.
"Is she still alive?" Mrs. Beck asked.
"She is. She's pregnant again," Rainie said, and Sharon saw her clenching her fist. "But she and I don't speak anymore."
Rainie sat down on the couch between Sharon and Andy again, seeking the security of familiarity.
"Tell me about her?" Mrs. Beck asked.
"Well, she wasn't a good mother," Rainie said. "She became addicted to drugs when I was five, and things became very unstable for us."
"She was always a mess, that girl," Mrs. Beck said in a disappointed tone.
"She's clean now. I can show you a photo of what she looks like today." Rainie pulled her phone out. She found a photo of Sharon Beck and handed the phone to Mrs. Beck.
"She looks better than I expected," Mrs. Beck said. "When she left, we weren't sure she'd survive on her own. No education, heavily pregnant. We hoped that she'd be sensible enough to put you up for adoption and come back home, but we never heard from her again."
"Why didn't you go to the police?" Rainie asked.
Mrs. Beck pursed her thin lips. "We did. They never found her."
"She always told me that you kicked her out when she got pregnant."
Clenching her jaw to keep it from dropping, Mrs. Beck sat up straighter. "We wanted her to get an abortion, but we never told her to leave. We would have helped her go through it, whether she decided to have you or not. But one day we woke up and she was gone."
Rainie could have been spared so much suffering if Sharon Beck had done the sensible thing and gone back home to let her parents help her raise Rainie. Taking a few deep breaths, Sharon reminded herself that so little could be done about it right now.
"So tell me a little bit about yourself," Mrs. Beck said to her granddaughter. "You said that she'd been an unstable mother for most of your life, and I see that you have a new family. What happened?"
"Wow, that's quite a story," Rainie sighed.
Sharon took her daughter's hand and squeezed it.
"Umm, so basically, my mom and her boyfriend abandoned me when I was fourteen, and at first I was put in foster care, but I ran away because the foster parents in the first house were violent. And I was homeless for a couple of years until Sharon took me in. And when I turned eighteen, she adopted me." Rainie made it sound like a cheerful story with a happy ending, but by the look on Mrs. Beck's face, she knew there was more to it.
"That sounds like a difficult experience, living on your own so young," the old lady said. "How did you survive?"
Rainie glanced at Sharon.
"You don't have to –" Sharon whispered, but Rainie shook her head.
"I was a prostitute," Rainie said and lowered her eyes to the floor. "I know it sounds horrible, but it kept me fed and clothed, and sometimes it even enabled me to get a place to stay."
"Often when children fall out of the foster care system, they find themselves homeless and have to make impossible decisions for themselves," Sharon explained.
"And we are proud of Rainie because she's taken her personal experience and uses it to help troubled youth cope with challenges in their lives," Andy added.
"Really? What do you do?" Mrs. Beck asked.
"I volunteer at a community center that provides aid to at-risk youth. I started just doing general work at the center, but this year I'm also teaching them yoga. It keeps them off the streets, away from drugs and crime, and gives them a healthy alternative for dealing with difficulties they experience."
"You're a very inspiring young lady," Mrs. Beck said. "How about school?"
"I'm an art student at UCLA," Rainie replied. "I'm an illustrator."
"Do you think you'll be able to work in the field once you graduate?" Mrs. Beck asked.
"I have a comic strip that I'm trying to market. I hope to be able to make money off of it someday, but artists always struggle, don't they?" Rainie asked with a smile.
Mrs. Beck returned the smile. "It seems almost impossible for me to believe that all of this happened because of an open house." She looked at Sharon and Andy. "Thank you for giving my granddaughter such a loving family." She paused, studying her folded hands. "I think moving into this house would not be suitable for your family, and I would prefer that you don't bid on it," Mrs. Beck said as she stood up again. "It would feel wrong to sell this house to my granddaughter's adoptive family. Do you understand where I'm coming from?"
"Yes, we do," Andy said and also stood up, followed by Sharon and Rainie.
"That said, I would love to see you again, Rainie. Do you think you'll be interested in visiting me every once in a while?"
"I'd love that," Rainie replied.
"Maybe bring some of your art next time. I'd love to see it," Mrs. Beck added as she escorted them to the door.
"Thank you for meeting with us," Sharon stayed behind as Rainie and Andy made their way to the car. "I'm happy that Rainie had the chance to meet you."
"I have wondered about her for so many years. Until today I didn't even know if I had a grandson or a granddaughter, and if they were alive and well. Meeting her and seeing what an interesting young woman she is, thanks to your love and care, made my day. She may have had a rough life, but she's lucky to have you, Sharon." Mrs. Beck took Sharon's hand and squeezed it.
Sharon smiled and thanked Rainie's grandmother, who appeared to be a genuinely kind and loving woman herself.
"I'm so sorry about the house," Rainie said when all of them went into the car.
"Don't sweat it," Andy replied. "This house is great, but I don't think it's meant for us. What's important here is that you have a grandmother who really wants to get to know you, and she seems like a decent person."
"But you guys wanted that house," Rainie insisted.
"Honey, we'll find another house. Don't worry about it," Sharon said.
She could see Rainie suppressing a pout in the rearview mirror, but didn't feel the need to rehash the conversation.
"Thank you," Rainie said after a while. "I always thought that I didn't need grandparents, but Mrs. Beck seems nice, and she doesn't mind everything I've done."
Maybe this wasn't the house for them, but they were paving the road towards the perfect home stone by stone. For the time being, Sharon was going to kick back and enjoy the journey.
-TBC-