Chapter 51
As always, I don't own any part of STFBE! No copyright infringement is intended. This is just for fun! Sorry for the delay, but still trying to get over being sick, working, and daily life… I need 4 more hours in a day and at least 2 more days in a week! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I love hearing from everyone.
The week had flown by. The weather was beginning to prove itself to be late fall in the Mid-Atlantic States. Flurries had been seen, although every person you asked about it was in denial. No one was ready for the predicted cold, wet, snowy winter ahead. The trees were now bare, and had no defense against the bitter blustery winds that managed to gust through their open branches. Every time Sue walked out of her apartment she was chilled to the bone.
Saturday morning Sue brought over some cinnamon rolls from the bakery and some chocolate milk for the younger children. She arranged for them to go to the circus with a group from Sue's church while Sue stole some time away with Anita to go meet her father.
The church van picked up the kids, Sue handed Vinnie some money and told him to have fun. Anita kissed each of the kids and told them to behave. She told Vinnie to watch them with a warning look.
"It's under control." He said. She smiled and waved as they pulled away from the curb.
She took a nervous breath. Her hands were shaking, panic began to overtake her.
"What is it?" Sue asked.
"I- I don't know how to act! I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do." She said fast.
"Take a breath." She did as Sue instructed. "Good." Sue put her arm on Anita's shoulder and walked with her to the couch. "You'll know when the time comes. And if you don't, I'll be there to help."
"It's raining and nasty cold out there today… do you think it's OK if he comes here? Or should we make it a restaurant or something?" She asked.
"He already knows where you live, your location isn't a secret. You will have to set the rules if you don't want anything to do with him or if you don't want the younger kids to know him." Sue said.
"I can do that?" She asked. "Wow… I've been running this house for a year now, and never really looked at it like I was the boss. We're a team, that's how I've always seen it- everyone's equal." She said, her voice fading.
"While that's a good way to see things, you're the team leader. You're the one they've all looked to for guidance and strength. You're their role model. And, considering what they've had up to now, you're a great one!" Sue said smiling.
"OK. Umm, can you ask him to meet here?" She nervously asked.
"Sure." Sue took out her Black Berry and texted Mitch. Mitch responded within a few minutes saying that would be no problem, he remembered the way.
Anita began sweeping the hardwood floor in the hall. She then took a towel and window cleaner and washed the massive bay window that overlooked the street. Sue watched, silently. She lit a couple of candles that sat on the table, and wiped the kitchen table down with a wet cloth. When she was done with that, she took a load of laundry from the dryer and began to fold.
Sue laughed in spite of herself. "What are you doing?"
"Folding towels." She simply stated.
"Do you realize you've made me exhausted just watching you over the past half hour? Come, sit, relax." Sue said taking the towel from her hand.
"This is what I do when I'm nervous. Please…" She pleaded. Sue relented, letting her take the towel. She took the basket to the hall linen closet and put things away. She then put the empty basket on the washing machine. Just as she was walking into the living room, the bell rang. She froze. Her eyes got big. Levi pawed at Sue.
"Do you want to get it?" She asked.
"No. I'm too nervous, can you?" She asked softly. Sue smiled at her and nodded.
As Sue opened the door, she saw a young man standing before her, dressed in civilian clothes this time. He was tall, and looked confident, but noticed a bead of sweat at his hair line. He was as nervous as Anita was.
"Ms. Thomas- Sue." He greeted her with a smile.
"Hi. How are you?" She asked.
"Nervous as hell, ma'am." His eyes flashed into big circles. "Sorry." Sue smiled.
"Ready?" She asked, opening the door to the house. He nodded.
The pair walked into the house together. Anita sat on the edge of the couch cushion, hands folded nervously in her lap. She was biting her bottom lip. The man before her flashed her back to an easier time, a happier time. She hadn't known anything bad existed in the world when her father was in her life. Yet, she didn't want to like him. She wanted to hate him for what he'd put their family through. She did hate him.
"Anita?" He asked looking at the woman who sat before him. Anita nodded. He looked at her, hesitant. He stood, not saying a word. Anita looked at Sue curiously, she too, unsure of her actions.
"Mitch, would you like to sit down?" Sue asked.
"Yes. Thank you." He said, sitting at the chair across from her.
"Drink?" She asked. Anita blushed and got up to get some water bottles.
"Thanks." He said as she handed him a bottle. He took a sip of the water, welcoming its coldness. There was a long pause. "Umm, Anita, I- I don't know about you… but I'm pretty nervous. I- I don't know what to say to you." He breathed deep. "Umm, do you want to ask me anything?"
She shrugged. "Why'd you leave?"
"That's a complicated question." He began.
"Please… spare me the bullshit, ok?" She said, her pain seething through her words.
"OK. No b.s. then. Fair enough, but will you do something for me?" She looked at him. "Will you at least give me a fair shot?" He asked.
"OK." Anita agreed.
"I left because I was trying to find a way to take care of my family. Jacob was just a baby. I'd lost my job, I was coming to the end of my unemployment benefits, and I couldn't find anything. I knew carpentry, a little machine work, I could tinker with a car… I was willing to do anything. Anything. I applied everywhere. Stores, burger joints… no one was hiring. If you had a job, you hung onto it for dear life." He took a deep breath. "I saw a sign for the military… I really liked the guy from the Navy. I talked to Annabelle about it, about me joining. I told her it was a way for me to provide. She refused to hear it. She told me she would leave me, keep you kids from me… if I joined up."
"And you still thought it was the best thing?" She asked spitefully.
"It was the only thing I could see. I tried. I did. She even took a job flipping burgers for minimum wage, but they wouldn't hire me because we were married." He sighed. "I never thought she'd go through with it." He paused. "I just wanted to provide for you guys."
"So you signed up?" She asked.
"Yes." He nodded. I went to basic, started training. I was finally getting an education. I learned how to fix airplanes. I loved doing it. But, while I was in training, she cut all ties."
"Who did?" Anita asked confused.
"Your mother, Annabelle."
"No, she said you just walked away from us, left us for dead. You ran as fast and as far as you could, the first chance you got."
"No, honey, I didn't. I went Illinois for my training, and while I was there, I got a lawyer's letter saying she filed for divorce on grounds of abandonment, and she had filed for custody of you and your brothers." He watched her reaction.
"I petitioned the Navy for a release to go home and take care of things, but they said no. I didn't want to screw up what I had just started, and foolishly thought it would hold for another three weeks. I came home, but she got a restraining order on me. I wasn't allowed to see you guys, come to the house, nothing." He explained. Anita just stared at him, mouth open.
"I wanted so badly to see you… but I couldn't. I got a cheap lawyer because it's all I could afford. He stunk. He just let her lawyer walk all over us. I asked for visitation rights, she had my parental rights terminated."
"She what?!" Anita exclaimed.
Mitch shook his head.
"I wrote to you guys all the time. I sent you birthday cards, Christmas, Easter… every event I could think of. I never got a response. I put my cell number, base number, address… anything I could think of in those letters. No one ever called or wrote." He explained.
"I didn't know about them. We never saw them, never." Anita said in disbelief.
"I put checks in there too, they never got cashed, never came back. I assumed you, well, someone just ripped them up or burned them."
They sat quietly. Mitch let his oldest daughter take in everything.
"Where have you been? Why didn't I know about any of this?" Anita asked.
"I've been in the Navy, up until about a year ago I was deployed. I have spent the last eight years out to sea, fixing airplanes." He explained. "I had a no contact restraint against me."
"Why didn't you get arrested for sending cards and letters?" She asked.
"I sent them to Daisy. I put them in her name. I didn't have a no contact for the dog… no one could argue that." He said with a chuckle. Anita laughed.
"Do you still have her? Daisy?" He asked.
"No. I had to give her up a little while ago. I couldn't afford food for her anymore."
"I'm so sorry." He said.
"Me too."
They were silent for a long time. Mitch got up and stretched. He looked around the house.
"Did your mother do this?" He asked.
"What?" She asked.
"Fix it up this way, the house?" He asked.
"No, I did. Well, me and the kids. Lanie was going for a princess theme, but it was just too much pink for me." They laughed. Sue nodded her head toward the kitchen.
"Want a tour?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure." He said jumping up. His legs were stiff under him.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Sorry. I get stiff if I sit too long." He said walking forward. Anita watched his limp.
"What did you do to your leg?" She asked.
"Ehh… little accident while I was deployed." He said.
"What kind?" She asked. "Where were you deployed?" she asked.
"Middle East. I got into an argument with an IED. I guess you could say I lost." He joked.
Anita's face went white.
"I'm OK. I lost my foot, lower part of my leg, but I'm OK. I have a prosthetic. I'm getting pretty good on it too. Please, don't let it freak you out." He begged.
"Uhh… umm, OK." She mumbled, staring at his foot.
"This always happens. I meet someone, and they find out about the foot, and suddenly the foot is the center of attention." He teased. She snapped her head up to look at him. It was a full second before she noticed his smile.
Anita took him on a tour. Sue followed.
"Anita, why aren't there any pictures of you guys? I would love to see what the boys look like." He said.
"I don't have money for them. I have their pictures taken each time, but never have any money to buy them. I did take the baby to get hers done at three and six months, but I only got one print of each time. I figure we should at least have baby shots of her, right?" She asked.
"Yeah, sure." Mitch agreed. There was a sadness that over took him, tears filled his eyes. "Umm, the bathroom still down here?" He asked as he walked toward it.
"Yeah." She said looking at Sue.
"I think he's over whelmed by what's happening here. Give him a few minutes." Sue said.
A few minutes passed. Finally Mitch rejoined them.
"So…" Anita began. "What are your plans now?" She asked.
"How do you mean?"
"I mean… you're here, my mother's not… are you planning on coming back to see the boys at some point? They don't know anything about you." She said.
"I would love that. I would love to get to know you guys, all of you. I have to get a lawyer to help me out to see where I stand with this."
"My fiancé's a lawyer. He might be interested in helping you." Sue said.
"Really?" He asked hopeful.
"Sure. I can ask, right?" Sue said.
"That would be great." Mitch said. "Look, honey, please, don't say anything to your brother's just yet. I don't want to disappoint them if I can't be here with them. I have to do this legally."
"Wait! If you do that, they'll know about us being alone! No! Forget it! I won't risk my family!" She yelled.
"Anita, we'll figure it out." Sue said, trying to calm her.
"No! You can't guarantee that we'll stay together. Nope!" She said throwing her arms in the air. She left the room, slamming her bedroom door.
"Let me." Sue said. She tried to get Anita to come back out, but she wouldn't hear of it.
"Mitch, will you hold off for a day or so just until I can check into something?" Sue asked.
"Yeah, sure." He said. Mitch walked to Anita's door and knocked. There was no answer. "Honey, I won't tell anyone your mom's not here, ok? I promise. I want to see you again, but I can wait. Maybe we can 'accidentally' meet in the park, or at the arcade or something." He said.
"Library?" Sue suggested from behind the door.
"Sure. I can do that." He reassured her. Still the door didn't open. He looked to Sue and shrugged. "Sweetie, I'm going to go. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me today. I've missed you guys so much." He could hear sniffling from the other side of the door. He looked to Sue and ran his fingers down his face to indicate she was crying.
"K" Anita finally said before breaking into sobs.
"I'll talk to you soon." He said as he made his way to the front door. "Will you stay with her?" He asked Sue. Sue nodded. She watched him make his way down the drive way to his car.
"He's gone Anita." Sue said. Slowly the door to her room opened and she emerged. Her face red and wet, eyes swollen from crying.
"I'm sorry." She said wiping the residual tears that stained her face. "It's just so much… Suddenly I have a father, and I find out that everything I believed, everything I was told growing up is a lie… What do I do? I've taken care of this, of us, my family, for the better part of a year now, and now it might all go away? What do I do?" She asked, desperate.
Sue grabbed her Black Berry and texted Jack Anita's address and asked him to come now. He did.
"Jack's on his way over. He can help us with the legal stuff." Sue said. "In the meantime, let's relax for a few minutes. Coffee?" Sue asked.
Anita nodded. Sue made a pot of coffee. Just as it was beeping that it was finished the front door bell rang.
"Can I help you?" Anita asked opening the door.
"Hi. I'm Jack Hudson. My fiancé Sue called me, asked me to come over." He said.
"Come in, please." Anita said. Sue walked around the corner carrying two cups of steaming coffee.
"Jack! Hi! I'm glad you could come. Coffee?" He nodded yes and followed her into the kitchen.
"Sue? What's going on?" he asked.
"We need your help." She said.
"Mr. Hudson, I'm the one who needs your help. My mother ran out on me and my brothers and sisters almost a year ago. Since then I've been taking care of us. Sue just found my father. Turns out, he's not the monster my mother made him out to be." Anita explained.
"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" Jack asked.
"Yes, it is, but… My mother took out restraining orders on him, no contact orders, and had his parental rights terminated. My father wants to have a relationship with us, but he's afraid that he will be arrested if that happens- especially if my mother just shows back up." Anita explained.
"This is what I'm better off not knowing?" Jack asked Sue. Sue smiled a guilty grin.
"OK. First, I need to meet with your father, see the papers he was served. If your mother shows up, you need to call Sue as soon as you see her." Jack said.
"What do I do right now?" Anita asked.
"Wait. Have a very normal life for now. Don't tell the little ones, they'll just be confused." Sue offered.
"When we get more information, we'll know what other steps to take. Until then, we just play it by ear." Jack said. "I'm going to need information about the father. I need to contact him ASAP."