Chapter 49

Marie took a deep breath as she slowly opened the door to the upstairs bedroom of the trailer. Marie was quite nervous, as she had never had a conversation alone with her mother before. Even though she was biologically related to Tabby and lived in the same residence as her for all of her life, she felt as if she was a complete stranger. Although she had had conversations with Tabby, little did she know that they were never as intimate as the one she was walking into right now.

Marie opened the bedroom door, causing it to squeak audibly. She peered to the far side of her room to see her mother leaning on the wall next to the small window. She held a cigarette between her index and middle finger of her right hand. She had just taken a draw and was currently blowing the exhaust out of the open window. Tabby was wearing bedroom slippers, plaid pajama bottoms just as Marie was, and a white t-shirt that was meant to advertise "Reardons Bait and Tackle"; she was however using it as her bed time shirt. Lastly, her long red curly hair was styled up in a bun-like style, as she always did when she was preparing herself for bed.

"Mom?" asked Marie quietly as she entered the bedroom closing the door behind her. Tabby turned around and looked into her daughters eyes.

"Annemarie." said Tabby quietly. Her voice contained the same Mid Western United States inflections as Lee. Out of all of her daughters, her speech patterns resembled Marie the most, however the pitch of her voice fell somewhere between Marie and Mays.

"Please come sit down on the bed," said Tabby as she walked over to the bed and took a seat on the edge, still holding her cigarette in her right hand. Marie reluctantly walked over towards her mother and took a seat next to her. Both women obviously felt awkward and both were staring at the wall on the far side of the room.

"Annemarie, I overheard you and Annalee arguing downstairs," said Tabby, "You and Edd are having some problems aren't you?"

Marie was shocked that her mother was sitting directly next to her discussing the subject at hand. Tabby looked into her daughter's face, who nodded her head up and down as if to say yes. Marie was trying to hold back tears at the sound of his name.

"And if I heard right, whatever it was that happened to you wasn't his fault. It was just a misunderstanding, right?" asked Tabby.

Marie was astonished that her mother had hit the nail on the head. She was quite aggravated as well, and due to her stubborn nature, she once again refused to face the truth.

"Well even if it wasn't his fault!" Marie blurted out, "He's still a jerk for letting…"

"Annemarie," said Tabby cutting her daughter off, "Listen to yourself, you're not even giving him a chance! You're just trying to keep making excuses to avoid facing him again."

Tabby took a draw of her cigarette and exhaled the smoke shortly after, during which time both women were silent.

"Annemarie," said Tabby, "Let me tell you a little story about myself that might help you out with what you're going through right now."

Tabby paused and looked into her daughters teary eyes.

"But before I do, I'll tell you the real story of how you three girls came to be. I think you are finally mature enough to understand" said Tabby.

Marie stared into hear mothers blue-eyed freckled face in a state of shock. She had heard the stories of her and Lee conceptions and births in a nut shell from both Tabby and her Poppy before. However, the stories were in fact modified and shortened as to not include any major details. She was intrigued by her mother's suggestion, as she had longed to hear the full story of how she came to be born. Even more intriguing to Marie was the fact that she had said "all three girls". This would mean that she would hopefully include May. Tabby had never even told of anything about May's conception and birth, and her origins were thus shrouded in mystery to Marie. Marie had even asked May if Tabby or Rod had told her anything about her birth; May in fact was just as clueless as Marie was.

"The summer had just ended when we were kicked off of our land here in Peach Creek." said Tabby, breaking Marie from her thoughts as she began her story, "I can remember watching Poppy pack all of our things into the back of the U-Haul truck that morning, and feeling sad that we were gonna have to start a new life. During the whole car ride into the city, I began to get scared, as I saw the beautiful grass turn into asphalt and pavement. The wide open fields that I was used to seeing suddenly became rows upon rows of decrepit and unkempt houses. When we finally got to the new apartment, me and Aunt Kate were surprised by how small our new home was. There was no big foyer, where we could dance our days away like we could back here in Peach Creek, and me and Aunt Kate were forced to share a bedroom."

Tabby stepped off of the bed and walked over to the bedroom dresser, on which her prized music box sat. She picked up the music box and brought it over to the bed, sitting down next to her daughter once again. Tabby opened the box and let the tune play for while before closing it once again.

"The worst part of it all is that somehow we managed to forget this in our rush to leave the house." said Tabby, "This box meant so much to me as a little girl, and even more so now because it was engraved especially to me from Poppy. I was sure that it have been stolen or destroyed. But thanks to you and Edd, I have it back, and I am so glad that it is in my arms once again."

Tabby took a puff of her cigarette and placed the music box next to her on the bed, as she continued her story.

"After only a week of getting used to the city, I was forced to start fourth grade at the city public school." said Tabby, "The first thing I learned was that the city school was much different than Peach Creek Elementary. Me and Aunt Kate were quite shy girls, and that being said, we were prime targets for bullying."

Tabby paused.

"We had everything you can imagine done to us. We were shoved into lockers, punched around, and hit in the back of the head with rocks as we walked down the street."

Tabby stared up into the ceiling.

"The worst physical thing that ever happened was when we were walking home from school for Thanksgiving break. As we turned the corner, we saw a group of boys and girls staring at us. To this day, I am still haunted by those creepy stares that we received. They called our names to come over to them, but we didn't listen and began running down the street the opposite way. Of course, they chased us and managed to corner us in one of the alley ways."

Tabby paused and looked into her daughter's eyes.

"One of the girls had a pair of scissors. Long story short, me and Aunt Kate walked home missing our once long red curls."

Marie was in shock. Although she had been bullied throughout her whole school life, most of her bullying took the form of mental and verbal abuse. She was surprised that her mother could talk about such an upsetting issue so calmly.

"Mom…." said Marie quietly, "They cut your hair off?"

Tabby closed her eyes as she looked towards the far side of the room once again, and shook her head up and down

"Poppy was furious," said Tabby, "He called the school to try to get the boys disciplined for what they did."

Tabby puffed her cigarette.

"In the end, they received a slap on the wrist, and were dealt a one day in school suspension."

Marie had no idea what to say and remained silent, allowing her mother to continue her story.

"As horrible as that sounds," said Tabby, "The worst thing that I had to deal with was the verbal abuse. It only got worse as we got older. The girls of the school would call me things like "fat pig", while the boys would call me "connect the dots" referring to all of the freckles that I have on my face. There was however one boy, whose words still plague me to this day even more than when they snipped off my hair."

Tabby paused.

"One day, while I was walking into high school, I passed a group of boys, who were hanging on the corner. As I passed, I heard them make remarks about my body, and whistle, it was really uncomfortable. Then one of the boys said the words. 'Damn baby, you got a bangin body. But your face is ugly as sin!' I never saw that boy again, but his words hurt me so much that I still remember that exact moment today. None of the physical stuff nearly hurt as much as being called ugly directly to my face."

Marie, still speechless continued listening to Tabby's story while looking into her mother's face.

"My grades began going down, and I wound up dropping out of school When I was finally 18, I decided to drop out. Poppy didn't want me to do it and he was really disappointed, but I couldn't be in that environment any longer."

Tabby drew her cigarette once again, after which she shook the ashes on the end into the ash tray sitting on the night stand.

"The horrible words I received from the boys in high school made me think that we were too ugly to have any kind of steady boyfriend. I felt worthless, and began dealing with it by sleeping with any man that was willing to be with me, thinking of myself as nothing more than a lay toy. Compounding it was the fact that Aunt Kate eventually wound up turning to drugs, as I told you before. Needless to say, because of those drugs, you were never able to meet your aunt."

Tabby paused.

"As for me, I stayed away from drugs, well except for these cancer sticks." said Tabby as she held her cigarette up, "Even though I wasn't doing any kind of drug, I can only thank the lord that I did not catch any kind of disease from sleeping with as many men as I did."

Tabby stood up off of the bed and walked over towards the window as she continued telling her story. "

When I was 21 I met Lee's father Butch for the first time. It's pretty sad, but I really don't remember what he looked like. I only knew him for a few weeks. He was probably the closest thing that I had to a boyfriend at that point, as I went over his house almost every night to...you know.."

Tabby began pacing across the room as Marie's eyes tracked her motions.

"After about the third week, I began noticing that my body was acting differently. Missing my monthly "woman thing" when I usually got it combined with the fact that Butch refused to use protection gave me a pretty good idea of what had happened. With a quick home test, I was assured that I was in fact pregnant."

Marie was amazed that her mother was comfortable enough to discuss things like this with her so openly. Although the subject's being discussed were quite sorrowful, Marie was happy that her mother was finally letting her in on details of her life, and being completely honest with her.

"Now as I have told you before, Butch was not happy about the news that he was going to be a dad," said Tabby, "After I was sure that I was pregnant, I went over to his apartment to tell him. I climbed the stairs up to his door and rang the doorbell. I was so scared to tell him Annemarie, but I knew that it was only right for him to know. When he answered I broke the news to him. Do you know what the first thing that he said to me was?"

"What?" asked a curious Marie. "His first words were 'You're gonna take care of it right?'" said Tabby, "I asked him what he meant by that statement"

Tabby paused while looking up towards the ceiling once again.

"He grabbed me tightly, and pulled me into his face. He then said, 'If you're not gonna take care of it, I'll take care of it for ya'. After he said that, he threw me down the concrete stairs, in an attempt to cause me to miscarry."

"Oh my god," said Marie shocked by her mother's story.

"Well thankfully I didn't miscarry, but I did need stitches on my elbow, as well as my forehead." said Tabby as she pushed her hair back slightly, revealing a scar, "That is where I got this from."

"What happened after that?" asked Marie,

"He left me there at the bottom of the stairs to deal with my injuries alone. He then ran into his apartment slamming the door, but not before he spit down at me and called me a 'fucking whore.'"

Tabby put her cigarette out in the ash tray, and turned towards her daughter.

"That was the last time that I ever saw Butch," said Tabby, "And in all honesty I'm glad it was. I pretty much stopped hitting the bar scene after that, and of course stopped sleeping around as well. I picked up a job waitressing at a restaurant while I pregnant. The months flew by, and before I knew it, I was a single mother with a baby girl that I named Annalee. Thankfully, Mom Mom was able to help me with taking care of Annalee while I worked to support her, and I did my best to spend my time with her."

Tabby took a breath.

"A few months went by, and things were going quite well. I had made an attempt to rid myself of the partying life style that I had created for myself, as I now had a child, and she was much more important than anything else in the world to me. When Lee was around four months old, I began seeing your father Bubba. He was a regular patron at the restaurant, and at first glance, he seemed like a pretty decent man. We used to take long rides on his motorcycle together, and things were going great until I brought him home. I learned real quick that he was an alcoholic, and I wanted nothing to do with any of that as I was really trying to be responsible. As I have told you before, he hated Lee, and hated the fact that she needed so much of my attention. Because of that, I told him it was over. If he couldn't accept the fact that I had a daughter and she had to come first, he would just have to get out. And that's what happened."

"Good for you," said Marie, "But I know that's not the end of your story with him, because you didn't mention anything about me."

Marie chuckled slightly trying to bring some fun into the deep conversation she was having with her mother. Surprisingly Tabby chuckled back.

"It just so happened that, a little bit before I broke it off with him, one our encounters happened to line up perfectly with my cycle. I failed to take responsibility and be sure we were protected once again. Needless to say another home test assured me that I was once again pregnant with my second daughter."

Tabby drew her cigarette and closed her eyes as she did so.

"He wanted nothing to do with you," said Tabby, "Especially if you were going to be a little pain in the ass like Annalee, as he described it"

Marie was slightly hurt that her biological father was so adamant about not wanting anything to do with her, but quickly shook it off when she realized that she had a much better man who, for all intents and purposes, was her father.

"After you were born my stress level really picked up. I was now in a situation that I really was not prepared for. I had to care for two infant daughters, as well as figure out how to put food in you and Lee's mouths while I did so."

Tabby caught her breath.

"Aside from thinking about how I was going to raise you two girls properly, I began wondering if it was ever possible for me to find a man that truly loved me. Not only did I never feel beautiful, but I felt used up. No guy would ever want a girl that has had the horrible past that I had."

Tabby looked down into Maries eyes.

"When you were three months old, one of my bosses had taken notice that I did well with customer relations at the restaurant and offered me a catering job at a local United States Armed Forces veteran's hall. The salary was solid, and I would no longer have to rely on tips to get by. Naturally I took the job, after which things really started to look up."

Tabby paused and looked towards the floor.

"And things only got better," said Tabby . "One night, I...was called in to help prepare a surprise homecoming party for a U.S. Marine named Roderick Lonergan." said Tabby.

At the sound of Rods name, Marie knew that she was about to hear the story of May's birth, a story that she had longed to hear since the first time her mother had ever spoke of the circumstances of her daughters births.

"It was an ordinary night, just like any other. I brought all of the food out to the table, heated it up, and waited patiently for the guest of honor to arrive."

Tabby looked into Marie's eyes with a bright expression.

"And let me tell you, I can surely remember the first time that he walked through those doors. He was wearing his uniform, and even from where I was standing I could see his beautiful blue eyes." said Tabby.

At this point, Marie took notice that Tabby was speaking in a different tone of voice as she talked about her first time seeing Rod. It was the same tone of voice that May used when she talked about Ed, and Marie had a feeling of what Tabby was about to say next.

"I couldn't take my eyes off of him, my god did he really look handsome." said Tabby, "The DJ announced that the buffet was open, and I began serving food to all of the members of his family. After a few minutes, he finally reached my station. I can remember glancing up into his blue eyes for the first time and never wanting that moment to end. He must have stood there for around five seconds before I finally spooned the lasagna onto his plate. He continued staring into my eyes as he proceeded onto the next station. And to make things even more special, he was the only person that said thank you to me that entire night."

Tabby paused.

"I really wanted to talk to him, and get to know him, but I was too scared to do it. I didn't know what he would think of me if he knew of the past that I had. The funny thing is that I didn't have to approach him, because after the party, while I was standing outside getting fresh air, he walked up to me and started a conversation. We really hit it off, although I was nervous to no end, and he asked me out to dinner that next night. That amazing dinner was followed by a few more, and each one was more romantic and exciting than the one before it."

Tabby twirled her thumbs while smiling before continuing her story.

"Even though I was nervous about doing so, I knew that I had to be completely honest with Daddy, even if it meant that he wouldn't want to see me anymore. I told him that I had two daughters, and I also told him about the circumstances of your births. I was really expecting him to think less of me, and break off our relationship. But do you know what he said Annemarie?"

"What?" asked a curious Marie.

"He said he didn't know how any man could want to treat such a beautiful woman inside and out so horribly. He had my heart at that moment, I knew I could trust him. He made me feel special and he truly liked me for who I was, not for who I appeared to be."

At this point Marie was beginning to draw some connections. Her mother's relationship with her father seemed to parallel her relationship with Double Dee. Before Marie met Double Dee, she had never felt beautiful or special in any way, and she had certainly never thought she could ever receive love from a man. Marie inadvertently spoke her mind.

"I know how you felt," said Marie, "Edd makes me feel that way all of the time."

Tabby smiled at her daughter, as Marie blushed, not realizing she had spoken her mind.

"So what happened next?" asked Marie, attempting to avoid the awkward moment.

"I decided to finally bring him home, and introduce him to you two girls. Daddy fell in love with you girls instantly. I was amazed that he was so willing to spend time with you. He helped me feed you, change you and do anything else that needed to be done for your well being. On top of that, Poppy loved him, because he was so gentlemanly, and being a Marine just like Poppy didn't hurt either."

Tabby winked at Marie, at which point she chuckled.

"Daddy came to my work almost every day after my shift and walked me around the park. Even though we just talked about any old thing, the moments we shared were amazing. Every word he spoke just made me feel like I was melting inside. I'm sure you know the feeling I'm talking about Annemarie."

Marie blushed, and she looked away from her mother.

"Oh come on Annemarie" said Tabby, "I could tell from the moment you looked him in the eye on Sunday that you were infatuated with him."

Marie looked up into her mother's eyes and smiled, although she was still blushing. Tabby cracked a smile of her own.

"So Mom," said Marie, "How did May wind up being born?"

Tabby paused before she continued her story.

"Me and Daddy didn't just spend our time lollygagging around talking," said Tabby jokingly, "We spent a pretty good share of our time in the bedroom as well. Thats all I have to say about that."

Tabby chuckled at her joke as Marie did as well.

"So what happened after that?" asked Marie.

"When I began to suspect that I was pregnant, I told Daddy. He already knew that there was a possibility that that had happened, and was prepared when I had told him that we had managed to produce a new life together. Daddy looked me in the eyes, and told me that he would be there for me and our baby no matter what."

Tabby took a puff of her cigarette before turning to Marie.

"Then and there, he looked me in the eyes and said for the first time "I love you Tabitha Kanker."

There was only one thing I could think of saying back, and those words were "I love you too."

Marie was absolutely speechless at this point. She had no idea that her mother had such an intimate connection with her father. Marie was sure that he was just yet another one of her mother's boyfriends who she would "have fun" with and May was yet another product of those said encounters.

A few days later, I received a phone call from my girlfriend that worked with me at the hall to come in for a surprise party that evening. I had thought that Daddy was away with his family, and thankfully Poppy was off and able to watch you and Annalee. As I prepared to get ready to go to work, Poppy decided that he was going to run a few errands and took you and Annalee with him. It seemed quite suspicious but nevertheless I finished getting dressed and headed off towards the hall."

Tabby took a deep breath and cleared her throat before continuing.

"When I got there, I opened the doors and was surprised by what I saw. Mom Mom and Poppy were standing directly in front of me, holding you and Annalee respectively. As I looked around the hall, I saw Granny and Grampa Lonergan...his sisters and various other family members sitting around the tables. Daddy suddenly walked up to me and took my hand. He led me out into the middle of the wooden dance floor, and kneeled down on one knee in front of me. He pulled out a small box with a ring, and politely said, 'Tabitha Jane Kanker, will you marry me?' "

"Well don't keep me in suspense, what did ya say!" said an excited Marie.

Tabitha gazed down at her daughter, giggling.

"I didn't say anything," said Tabby, "I jumped into his arms and kissed him like I never kissed him before. I think he had my answer."

Marie and Tabby both shared a chuckle. The tense feelings that characterized the beginning of their conversation had slowly drifted away, and the mother and daughter were feeling much more comfortable around each other.

"After we got engaged, Daddy bought the house that he lives in now, and moved all of us in with him. Things couldn't have been any better. While I was pregnant with Annamae, I took a leave of absence from work to get my GED from the community college. Once we were married, Daddy was going to attempt to take the city fire fighter test and pursue his dream that he had to be a fireman since he was a little boy. With the extra money he would be making as a fireman, he promised he would help me pay to earn a degree to become an X-Ray technician."

Marie could not believe what she was hearing. It sounded as if her father and mother were set for a perfect life together. Marie begged an answer to a question that she felt her mother would struggle with. She had always questioned her mother's story that her and her father broke up because she caught him cheating with a prostitute. An act like that just didn't fit his personality. Marie had to know the truth.

"So what happened, why did you never get married?" asked Marie.

Tabby froze as her face filled with an expression of melancholy.

"Remember how I told you that I had a story that may help you out with your problems with Edd?" asked Tabby, "Well listen good to what I'm about to say."

Marie nodded her head as she began listening to the rest of Tabby's story.

"Things went well even after Annamae was born. Even though May was his biological daughter, Daddy treated all three of you like you were his own. He loved you and really cared for you, and I am amazed that he is so much of a man that he still includes you in his plans, even though he's no longer with me. That is why I raised you and Annalee to call him your father, because as far as I'm concerned, he is."

Tabby paused, sighing snd pondering deeply as she did so.

"We...well..." said Tabby stumbling over her words for a few moments. After a few moments, she finally regained her composure, continuing her story.

"Just after Annamae's third birthday, Daddy happened to be driving home from work one day. At a red light, he noticed that one of my female co-workers was stumbling down the street at night drunk beyond comprehension. He recognized her and being the kind hearted person he was, decided to drive her home knowing what kind of dangers a small drunk woman could face on the streets of the city at night. It just so happened that I was on my way back from a walk to the grocery store. Poppy had you girls back at the house. I waited at the cross walk for the traffic to stop and began walking across the street when I noticed Daddy was stopped at the same street I was crossing. I walked over to his truck and found my friend sitting in his passenger seat. All's I have to say, is that I blew the whole thing out of proportion."

Tabby was attempting to hold back tears once again.

"I ran home, and got you girls dressed and ready to move out. I was so steamed thinking that Daddy was cheating on me with another woman that I couldn't even think straight. As I was leaving, Daddy pulled up in his truck and attempted to explain the whole thing to me. I didn't want to hear it, and I stormed off with you girls. He explained the whole thing to Poppy, who tried to convince me to talk to him, but I was too damn stubborn to even give him chance. "

Tears began streaming down Tabby's face once again.

"He came back every night for about a week, asking me to please talk to him, telling me that he loved me and you girls, and how he wanted us to be a family like we had planned. Finally, I went outside and threw my engagement ring out the door directly at him and told him that it was over. After I said it, I wanted to take it back so bad," said Tabby,

"I looked at his face and I could tell he was heartbroken when I threw the ring out the door. I still remember the last words he said to me that night:

"Alright, if that's what you want, I can't change your mind. But I'm gonna be there for Annamae, Annalee, and Annemarie no matter what!"

"I could tell that I really hurt Daddy's feelings, as he walked away." said Tabby, "We have spoken since the incident of course as you know, but talking to him has felt awkward every time."

Tabby busted out in tears once again.

"I had the perfect man, the perfect life and everything I ever wanted." said Tabby, "And I blew it over my pride and my stubborn attitude."

Tabby turned to Marie.

"If I just would have talked to him, we would still be together as a family today." said Tabby,

"I loved him, and I still really do love him. Do you know how hard it is to look into his eyes whenever he comes to drop money off for you girls?" Yelled Tabby

Tabby buried her face in her hand as Marie watched helplessly as her mother displayed long overdue emotions that she had been keeping bottled up inside for years. Marie was now sure of the reason Tabby had told her about her long requited secret; Tabby's relationship and breakup with her father mirrored her and Double Dees predicament.

"Ever since Daddy left, I've been sitting around a shell of the person I was, so much so that I neglected you girl's upbringing. I didn't give you the attention you deserved and I never talked to you about anything. I have three beautiful girls with so much potential. I see what you girls are truly capable of, and I wish that you had the chance to live out a better childhood. I convinced you all that men were evil, and started you on the same horrible downhill path that I went on after I quit high school. I failed you as a mother, that's all there is to it."

"Mom!" yelled Marie, "Given all that you have been through, I think that you did the best possible job you could being a mother. Don't you ever even think that you failed us!"

Tabby paused, before she let out a few words.

"I failed Annalee..." Said Tabby as she sobbed uncontrollably. Marie knew exactly what Tabby was speaking about, but was at a loss as to how to respond.

Tabby regained her composure and looked into her daughters tearing eyes. At that moment Tabby leaned into her daughters face and grabbed her shoulders.

"Promise me!" yelled Tabby as tears streamed down her face, "Promise me right now that you'll go talk to Edd tomorrow! I don't want you to spend the rest of your life thinking about what it could have been, or should have been like I do every day! Promise me Annemarie!"

Marie looked at her mother's blue eyes. Tabby's pleas were completely heartfelt, as she did not want to see her daughter follow the same fate as she did. Tabby's story had really hit home with Marie, and made her think about her actions. Eventually, Double Dee would be forced to forget about her if she kept acting the way she did. The thought of loosing Double Dee was too much for her to bear, Marie finally broke out in tears of her own.

"Mom, I love him, I don't want to lose him!" yelled Marie as she continued crying, Tabby reached out her arms and hugged her daughter.

"You won't Annemarie, I promise." said Tabby, "First thing tomorrow in school, talk to him and work things out. Everything's gonna be alright Annemarie."

The mother and daughter sat in an embrace for a few more minutes, after which Marie had been able to calm down.

The two sat in the bedroom for a little while longer, while Marie opened up and told Tabby some stories of her own, most notably the story of how she entered a relationship with Double Dee, his synthesis of crankshaft #5 and his dance with her in his house.

"Wow," said Tabby, "He really is a gentleman."

"Yeah," said Marie, "He's always there for me. He's a great guy."

"I'm glad to hear," said Tabby, "Not only that, but he scored major brownie points with me by finding my box."

Marie and Tabby laughed at her joke after which Tabby placed her arm on Maries' shoulder.

"Listen, Annemarie," said Tabby, "I know that we didn't really talk a lot throughout your life, but I'd really like to get to know you girls and start spending more time with you. And don't be afraid to ask me if you need any advice about anything with your relationship or anything else. I'm here for you."

Marie smiled at her mother and hugged her once again.

"Thanks mom," said Marie as her eyes teared up. "If you didn't pull up here, I probably would have made the stupidest mistake I ever did in my life."

"No need to thank me." said Tabby, "Just go to school tomorrow and get back your man!"

Tabby smiled as she hugged her daughter once again. She released the embrace, and Marie began walking towards the door.

"Annemarie," said Tabby, "When you go down, please send Annalee up to me. I really need to talk to her about something as well."

Marie knew exactly what her mother had wanted to talk to Lee about, She stood in the doorway thinking about the situation, at which point Tabby took notice.

"She's discussed it with you girls huh?" said Tabby.

"Yeah she told us about it," said Marie, "It makes me sick just thinking about it."

"Yeah, I get stomach knots thinking about what that creep did to her," said Tabby, "I can't believe I let that asshole stay in my house. I knew he had a gambling problem, but I never expected something as horrible as that to happen"

Tabby paused.

"I can't believe that I let something like that happen to my daughter right under my nose," said Tabby in a very distraught voice, "I wish I would have known earlier. Now she's filled with so much anger and hatred for the world. She is so smart Annemarie, and such a beautiful girl inside. I only wish I could help her with the demons she has to face."

Marie walked over to Tabby.

"It's not too late mom," said Marie, "I want to help Lee too, and so does May."

"Let me talk to Lee alone tonight," said Tabby, "We can all get together on Sunday and talk about this together, and I'll finally tell May about how she was conceived. After all, I think she deserves to know the most."

Tabby giggled, as did Marie. Marie began opening the door, when she felt her mother's arms wrap around her once again.

"I love you Annemarie," said Tabby as she held her daughter.

"I love you too Mom." said Marie, as a tear began streaming down her eye.

"Now go get some shut eye, you got a big day tomorrow!" said Tabby as she winked at her daughter.

Marie smiled and exited the room, closing the door behind her. She descended the stairs to find May and Lee staring at her as she entered the living room.

"What was that about?" whispered Lee.

"We just talked about things," said Marie, "She wants to talk to you now."

"Me?" asked Lee. Marie put her hand on her shoulder, "Trust me go up there and talk to her, she has a lot to say." said Marie.

Lee glanced up the staircase and began climbing it. Marie heard the door squeak and latch, indicating that Lee had entered the bedroom and shut the door behind her.

"What did she say?" asked May.

"She told me everything, her life, her childhood, and the truth to how we were all born." said Marie, "She said that she is going to tell you personally about your birth and her relationship with Daddy on Sunday. I want her to be the one to tell you."

The girls paused before Marie began speaking once again.

"But what I can say is that she opened my eyes to how stupid I was acting." said Marie.

"You mean…." asked May.

"Yep," said Marie, "Tomorrow morning, I'm getting Double Dee back!"

May wrapped her arms around her sister in a fit of excitement. The girls giggled with each other as they talked about how they were going to go about doing it. While Marie and May continued developing their sisterly bond, powerful words were being spoken upstairs in the bedroom between Lee and Tabby, and long overdue emotions were finally surfacing.

Marie went to sleep that night with a nervous feeling in her stomach. She hoped that Double Dee still loved her and would forgive her for blowing him off this afternoon. Although she was happy that her mother had finally bonded with her, she was quite saddened by her mother's story. Nevertheless there was one thing Marie was sure of. Tomorrow morning, she would keep her promise she had made to her mother; she was going to work things out with her "Oven Mitt."