Isabelle
I wiped the tears off my face. Mom and I were right. Grandma Plum died of a heart attack during a transport accident. The medical examiner said her heart showed damage before the accident. She had a heart attack before the impact. Technically, I won the bet. However, the coroner argued grandma would have survived if the accident had never occurred.
My mom held my hand as we entered the church for the wake. Why would Helen Plum have a mass? Was it a last attempt at redemption? I doubted that her soul could be saved. Grandma Plum had committed many sins and crimes. Most of which were against my mother. I refused to forgive grandma for taking me away from my mom. She robbed me of getting raised by a loving woman. Valerie loved her children with my biological father more than me. I was merely a means to an end.
During our talk last night, my mom said I should learn to forgive my grandmother. She got driven by her greed. I wasn't ready to forgive grandma Plum. It would take time for that to happen. The trial had opened my eyes. Tio Lester and Tia Jeanelle told me everything. Mom got upset, but they argued that the kids at school would inform me if they didn't. I had no idea my grandmother had orchestrated the event leading to my conception and birth. It was the worst thing a mother could do to her daughter. Mom squeezed my hand. I smiled when she caught my eye and winked.
The priest talked about forgiveness and the atonement of sins. He said grandma Plum was a respected woman in the community, and it was a shame her life had tragically ended. I could hear my mom rolling her eyes. Mom passed me a tissue. I pressed it against my eyes and mouth to hide my amusement. Dad - Carlos - raised an eyebrow. I shook my head. It was rude to laugh at a funeral. His lip twitched as he read the expression off my face. My mom buried her face into his shoulder. To the untrained ear, it would sound like she was crying. I knew she was laughing. A few well placed snuffles had everyone look at my mom with sympathy.
"It's a shame they couldn't make amends," a woman behind us said. Lester muttered something about amending his boot to someone's ass. My mom snorted, but she passed it off as blowing her nose by wiping it with a tissue. I had to cover my mouth to prevent the laugh from escaping.
Across the aisle, my sisters, Angie and Mary Alice, sat with their mother. Aunt Valerie cried as she attempted to console Angie. Mary Alice slid from the pew unnoticed by my aunt. She slipped into the spot between mom and me. Well, not exactly. Mary Alice pushed herself into the space. Valerie was too busy holding Angie to notice where Mary Alice had gone.
"Are you my new uncle?" Mary Alice whispered to Carlos. He nodded. "I'm Mary Alice."
"Carlos," he quietly replied. I smiled when my mom reached for Mary Alice's hand. My sister grinned as she held on to her forbidden aunt. I was shocked because Mary Alice was typically shy around people she didn't know. Maybe she trusted my mom because I was beside her. Mary Alice leaned her head on my mom's shoulder. Mom and I wrapped our arms behind Mary Alice's back, comforting her from losing her grandma. I knew she preferred grandma Morelli since grandma Plum kept getting annoyed with her unrestrained behaviour. In my eyes, Mary Alice was perfect.
Mary Alice surprised me by whispering, "I like you, Aunt Stephie. Grandma said I'm just like you." Instead of taking it as the insult grandma had intended, Mary Alice took it as a compliment. She sighed contently and cuddled into my mom. I smiled at Mary Alice. How was Aunt Valerie going to react? I looked at her to see if she noticed Mary Alice was gone. Hey! When did nonno get here? Nonno caught my eye and motioned to the front of the church.
"Mom, grandpa's here," I whispered in Spanish. She quickly glanced over Mary Alice's head. Mary Alice didn't miss a trick. I was surprised she understood me. My sister moved to sit on my mom's lap. She listened as my dad - Carlos - whispered in her ear. Mary Alice nodded. She kissed my mom's cheek, then his, before hugging me. Mary Alice returned to her seat beside Angie.
"I said the mass was almost over, and she should return to her mother before getting in trouble," he explained. I appreciated that he was concerned about her. It wouldn't surprise me if one of the Burg bitches tattled on Mary Alice. Aunt Valerie would spank Mary Alice and send her to bed without dinner.
Where was my grandma Edna? Why wasn't she at her daughter's funeral? My mom pointed to the back corner. I looked in the direction indicated. Grandma Edna wore a bubblegum pink dress. The other parishioners moved away from her. She cackled and waited until the priest finished mass. The priest said a prayer over the casket. Mom covered her mouth to hide the laughter. Tears dripped down her cheeks. "The poor dear is heartbroken," the woman behind us said. I assumed she was talking about aunt Valerie until the woman added, "Don't worry, Steph. Your mother forgives you."
My mom turned in her seat faster than anyone had anticipated. "You don't know anything about my dear mother," mom sweetly replied. "I don't want or need her forgiveness because I did nothing wrong. Did you think the trial and verdict were just for show? Your behaviour disgusts me. I forgave my mother, not to save her soul, but for my mental health. Living with her vile words lets her win. I refuse to let her kill my spirit like she did to my sister." The woman sat back, shocked. She never anticipated my mother responding to her words.
Aunt Valerie gasped and stared at us in horror. She shook her head and pushed Angie and Mary Alice to her other side as if my mom would hurt my sisters. Mom was louder than I thought. She noticed people staring and turned to face the front. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Father," mom said. "It won't happen again."
"I was finished the mass portion, dear. We are continuing with the funeral. Do you have anything to add to your speech?" the priest asked. His lip twitched in amusement. My mom shook her head. "Anyone?"
Nobody stood to say a kind word about my grandma Plum. The priest concluded the funeral and waited for the pallbearers to move the casket to the hearse. I suppressed a laugh when I noticed they had to hire men to carry the coffin.
Uncle Paul approached aunt Valerie. She smiled in recognition. "What are you doing here?" Valerie asked.
"Delivering a letter for my colleague. You are the sole heir of Helen Mazur's estate," Paul replied. He gave Valerie the envelope.
"What does that mean? My mom didn't have any money," Valerie said. Paul pulled her aside to open the envelope. Grandma Edna grabbed Angie and Mary Alice to keep them from getting lost in the horde of people exiting the church. I watched aunt Valerie's hand shake as she read the amount.
"Marco added a letter outlining the amount bequeathed," mom explained. "If she draws an annuity, she could keep most of the money without paying taxes."
"Are you serious?" Valerie asked. She regained her composure to ask, "This isn't a scam?"
"Not a scam, Mrs. Morelli. I assure you this is above board. My colleague provided a list of approved financial advisors to assist," Paul explained.
Valerie narrowed her eyes. "Who do you work for?" she demanded. Yikes.
"Rangeman, ma'am. Your niece, Isabelle, asked us to take care of her sisters. Please, for your niece, the child you raised for ten years, don't make a scene. Use one of the approved advisors from the list. They will not scam money from your accounts. If not for Isabelle, do it for your other children and the baby you're carrying." Paul walked away after finishing his speech.
Aunt Valerie caught my eye. She waved me over. My mom squeezed my hand and gently pushed it against my back. "Your father and I will stay where we can see you," mom promised. She passed me the proof from nonno. "Give this to her."
"Thank you," Valerie said. She hugged me tightly. "I don't deserve your kindness after everything I've done."
"Aunt Val, you were as much of a victim as my mom and I were. You got forced to raise a child your husband had with another woman. Not just any woman, either. Your sister. I know we never saw eye to eye, and I don't blame you. However, there is something you have to know. It's a truth grandma kept from everyone," I said.
My aunt sat on the pew and pulled me down beside her. She knew it would be bad. "Rip off the bandaid, Belle."
"Okay. Nonno isn't your father," I quietly said. Aunt Valerie shook her head. "Here's the proof." Her hands shook as she read the paper. Tears dripped down her cheeks. She gasped when her eyes landed on her biological father's name.
"Uncle Jack was my dad? How?" aunt Valerie asked. "But that would mean my mom cheated on daddy. Why me?"
"It was never about you. I have to go. I'll see you around, okay?" My aunt nodded. I silently prayed my aunt would heed the advice from uncle Marco.
We didn't go to the cemetery to watch the internment. My mom said it wasn't something she cared to witness. I couldn't agree with her more. Our family returned to Rangeman.
Joe
I heard my mother-in-law died during transport to prison. Luckily, my convoy didn't get involved in an accident. My lawyer attempted to get me a day pass to attend the funeral, but the judge refused to permit me. She claimed I was a flight risk. Whatever.
Helen dragged me into her scheme. I didn't belong in prison. Everything was her fault. She guaranteed that nobody would catch onto the plan. Helen said to trust her, that someone was working in the background to protect us. Where was our protector? Did that person even exist? Was it part of Helen's delusion of spending a wealth she claimed my daughter Isabelle inherited? I thought it was the truth until the trial happened. Conspiracy to murder. What the hell did I get involved in?
"Morelli, you have a visitor," the guard said. I raised an eyebrow. How was it possible? I just got here a few days ago. "Put your hands through the slot." I followed the guard's instructions. He cuffed my hands before asking me to put my feet together. Another guard cuffed my ankles. It would make it difficult to walk, but it was the procedure.
The guards guided me to the room where I could talk to my guest. My mother sat on the other side of the plexiglass in the adjoining room. "What are you doing here?" I asked when I picked up the receiver.
"Your divorce documents arrived. It took your lawyer a few weeks to deliver it to my house. Why did you do it, Joey?" my mom asked.
"I didn't do anything. It was Helen's fault," I quickly replied.
My mom sighed. "I wasn't talking about your trial. I'm asking why you signed away your parental rights. None of the family can visit your children. Isabelle got adopted by Stephanie's husband. Why did you give away your daughters?" she demanded.
"I didn't give away my girls. The judge removed my rights to Isabelle," I shouted.
Mom shook her head, then removed the document from her pocket. She unfolded, then pressed it against the plexiglass. "Is that your signature?" mom patiently asked. I scrutinized the document and nodded. I remembered signing it with the other paperwork. "Read the names halfway down the page."
"Shit! I didn't realize, mom. You and grandma Bella are forbidden to have contact with the girls. What am I supposed to do from here?" I asked.
"Joey, even without this document, you got recorded saying that you didn't want Angie and Mary Alice. I think Valerie's carrying another girl. Bella said she had a vision of another Morelli daughter. I'm disappointed in you, Joey. You ruined the Morelli name more than your father. For what? Was Gilman worth it? Did you focus on the dollar signs Helen dangled before your eyes? Were you so blinded by greed and sex that you ignored everything that mattered? You know what your father did to me," she replied.
"I'm sorry, mom," I said. I hung my head in remorse. How could I fix the relationship with my mother?
"You didn't just ruin your life, Joey. Your brother Anthony lost his job. Angelina moved away with the children. Cathy's husband divorced her and got custody of the children. Mooch is on the brink of bankruptcy. His clients dropped him. The Morelli's can't work in Trenton. Everything you did affect your family. Thank goodness my mortgage got paid. I don't know what I would do if I didn't own my home. You never answered my question," she said.
"What question?"
"Was Gilman worth it?" my mom asked again.
Seeing it from a new perspective changed my answer. "No," I replied. "She wasn't."
I watched as my mom removed another document from her pocket. "Valerie inherited money from Helen's estate. Unfortunately, you signed this form. It states you would not sue Valerie for any money she may inherit past the date listed on the divorce decree. You had initialled and dated that line. When you serve your term and get released, you'll be penniless. I changed my will to leave everything to Cathy and Anthony. I'm sorry, Joey," she said. A tear streaked down her face. I knew my mom wouldn't return to visit me. Though, I hoped to be proven wrong.
"Time," the guard announced.
"Will you return?" I asked.
"No. Goodbye, Joey. I thought I raised you better than this," my mom said. She replaced the receiver and followed the guard from her room. I hung my head. The guard called my name and said it was time to return to my cell. It was wise to follow their instructions.
I returned to my cell and met my cellmate. He was the size of a tank, reminding me of the man with that nickname in Trenton. "I'm Bubba," the man said. He leaned in and whispered, "Last name is Sherman." I gulped. Please, don't be related to Tank. "We're not going to have a problem. Are we, Cupcake?"
"Shit!"