Significant Others

by Baron, Marilyn

  Maybe a leopard could change its spots.

  “Hannah, what did you do with your Mom’s communications toys?”

  “Marc, they’re not toys,” I insisted.

  “They’re in my purse,” Hannah replied, handing them to Marc.

  “Now be a good girl and go in and get your dad a nice big glass of something, a soft drink, water, whatever.”

  Hannah sprinted into the kitchen.

  Marc was definitely up to something. He could scarcely contain his smile.

  Hannah came back with a tall glass of Diet Coke.

  Marc held the BlackBerry gingerly with two fingers and with a gleam in his eye, balanced it over the glass.

  “Marc, no!” I screamed, when I realized what he had in mind. “You wouldn’t dare drown my BlackBerry.” I grabbed it from his hands.

  “That’s one way to get rid of it. Do you think you can leave it home for one night?” Marc asked.

  I frowned and agreed, managing to look mildly repentant while he confiscated the device.

  “And hey, Honey, why don’t you go and change. Put on something flashy!”

  Surprised, I walked into my room to find the mildew dress. No time like the present to see how much my husband had really changed. When I returned to the living room, Marc whistled.

  “You look great in that dress,” he said. “Why haven’t you ever worn that before?”

  I rolled my eyes.

  Hannah took Marc’s hand and Marc took mine. We walked out the door, our little family intact, at least for the time being.

  Chapter Fifteen: Reunions

  Donny and I were arguing in whispers about the advisability of barging into the bedroom to talk to his mother when she finally opened the door. Her face was tear-stained, her eyes swollen, her pallor ashen. I noticed she was wearing a tiny diamond chip on a gold band on her wedding-ring finger. That was a milestone, I knew, parting with her husband’s ring. I took a closer look at the ring she was wearing. It was the promise ring I had sent her while I was overseas. She was wearing my ring. That must mean something. It was a reason to hope.

  “Daniel,” she said, looking up at me, blinking away the tears. Something was definitely wrong. “I’ve got something to tell you.” Then she noticed Donny. “And you too, Donny.”

  “Dorothy,” I said, calling her by the name I used to know her by. She looked surprised.

  “I took your letters,” she said.

  “They’re your letters.”

  “Then you know?”

  “When did you first know?”

  “When I saw you walking toward me at the dance,” Dee Dee said. “You really haven’t changed much. And I thought you’d figure it out when we danced together, and then when we...but you didn’t.”

  “I knew there was something special about you,” I said. “I was drawn to you from the beginning.”

  “Mom?” Donny asked, concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Oh, Donny,” she sighed. “I’m sorry if I worried you and your sister.”

  He held out the sheaf of letters.

  “You read the letters?” she asked.

  “Are these my father’s letters?” he asked, turning to me. “Is this man my father?”

  Dee Dee looked at her son and her face seemed like her heart would break. She couldn’t say the words, but she nodded. Her tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

  Donny’s eyes remained locked on mine. Neither of us knew what to do next.

  Then I reached out and embraced my son.

  “Donny,” I said, tears pooling in my eyes. “My son, oh, my son. Are you really my son?”

  “D-Dad?” Donny managed, choking on the words he’d been holding back, words he’d wanted to say for so long.

  Neither of us could speak for a long time after that. We just hung on to each other, tried to grasp the miracle.

  “I want to hear all about your life,” I began. “I can fill in the blanks for you about mine. I have so much to tell you, but I don’t know what to say, how to start. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you. I’m so happy to have you now. This place, this tribute you assembled, it’s pretty special. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, son.”

  ****

  I watched the two of them begin to bond, get to know each other for the first time, poring over those infernal World War II books. They were so much alike. Like carbon copies. Of course I had seen that over the years, watching Donny grow up. But now, to see the two of them together, in the same room… Well, it was amazing, sort of like those pictures they show on the sports channel, of famous people who have an uncanny resemblance in the “Separated at Birth” segments. It was like I knew all along something was missing from my life but I never knew what that something was and suddenly, when I had it, all the pieces fit. And all my questions were answered.

  But of course this was just the beginning of Donny’s questions and his wonder at finding his real father. Not that Stan wasn’t the best father in the world to Donny. He had proved that in so many ways. That was why I married him, although it was clear now that Daniel was back in my life that the love I’d felt for Stan was a different kind of love. And for Donny, Daniel was salve on all that bottled-up raw longing, the salve that would finally start the healing process. The two of them had so much to catch up on, so much time to make up for.

  Donny wasn’t thinking straight now, but he would come to resent me for not telling him about Daniel. Especially when I told them that I knew Daniel was looking for me. I knew he was alive the night before my marriage to Stan. And I did nothing. And I was prepared to face up to that. But when I did, it would be the end of this beautiful dream.

  I was determined to return to Atlanta and see the merger through. I couldn’t disappoint Honey and Donny. I just couldn’t. I knew that. As for Daniel and me, what did we really have? A memory so many years ago. Was that enough to light a spark and reignite a full-blown relationship? I wasn’t sure about anything. Did I love Daniel for what he was and what he once meant to me or for the man he’d become? Or did I love him because I was drowning in loneliness? Maybe a little of both. We were two different people now, who had gone off on two different paths. We’d always be connected by Donny, but I knew I was fooling myself if I thought there could be anything more between us. If he would even want there to be. And Daniel’s ties were here. His dream was to start his own detective agency right here in Millennium Gardens. And the people here needed him. He could do so much good. So why would he want to follow me to Atlanta?

  It had been a trying day for all of us. A lifetime of questions was not going to be resolved in one afternoon. I was exhausted and weak and I couldn’t face any more conflict right now. It took some convincing for Daniel to leave. He agreed under one condition. I had to promise to meet with him and Donny together later tonight after I was rested, to sort things out and decide where we would go from there. The whole situation was a big, complicated mess.

  Daniel walked out the door, followed by Donny, muttering something about wanting his son to see his uniform.

  I needed to get out of there, too. I grabbed a light sweater, ran a brush through my hair, rinsed my face, and put on some lipstick. I was sure my eyes were still bloodshot from all the crying. But since I’d met Daniel, I’d actually started to pay attention to my appearance again. I was finally back among the living. And it felt good. Although I didn’t know how Daniel and Donny would feel toward me after we had our talk. Both would blame all those wasted years on me, years that Donny could have known his real father. But I didn’t see them as a waste. I was very happy with Stanley, and he was a wonderful father to my son. And if it weren’t for Stan, I wouldn’t have had Honey. She was the light of my life.

  I wanted to wish Max a Bon Voyage. He had been so sweet and shy when he’d withdrawn his invitation to the cruise. It sounded like he’d memorized a script when he called me on the phone. Yes, he’d definitely been practicing. He hadn’t wanted to hurt my feelings, I knew. I had been expecting it and I had
pretty much decided not to go with him anyway. I was delighted when Birdie came along to take my place.

  I opened my front door, and when I turned around to lock it, I noticed a fresh red Seniors Against Sin flyer taped to the outside. Irritated, I tore it off the door, balled it up in my fist, and stuffed it into the pocket of my slacks. I’d discard it in the trash on my way back home from Max’s. I walked down the breezeway to the end of the hall. I got to Max’s apartment and knocked on the door. There was another red flyer taped to his door. Would these people ever stop? Were they kooks or were they dangerous? I was almost glad I wasn’t going to stay in Millennium Gardens long enough to find out. Max would be troubled by the flyer, so I removed it and stuffed it into my other pocket.

  It took Max a long time to answer the door.

  “Dee Dee,” he exclaimed. “What a wonderful surprise.” He hugged me.

  “Are you all packed?” I asked.

  “Yes, my bags are in the spare bedroom. Birdie and I are so excited.” Max hesitated. “I mean I’m sure you and I would have had a wonderful time together on the cruise.”

  “Max, don’t be silly. I’m glad you’re going with Birdie. She’s a lovely woman. And I hear the Caribbean is beautiful this time of year. Well, that’s all I came to say. Have a wonderful time, and, well, I won’t be here when you get back, so I wanted to say goodbye and thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me.”

  “No, thank you for being there when I needed you,” Max said.

  “I guess we kept each other company,” I agreed.

  “Dee Dee, it was so wonderful knowing you. I hope you’ll come back to visit.”

  “I plan to, and it makes me happy to know you’re in good hands.”

  Max smiled and hugged me again and walked me to the door.

  Chapter Sixteen: My Son Has a Million Questions

  “Daniel, uh, Dad, thanks for letting me take these albums, and for letting me see your bomber jacket,” Donny said, opening the door to his mother’s condo. “I want to see all your pictures. I want to know everything about you for all those years we were separated. This will be a great start. I want to know the whole story about you and my mom, from the beginning. Anything you can tell me. Everything you can tell me.”

  Donny rambled on, “Oh, and I want you to meet my wife. Barbara’s great, and my kids...” He hesitated. “Your grandchildren. You’ve got three beautiful grandchildren.”

  I beamed. “I’ve already met your son. He’s the image of you. He’s great. I can’t wait to meet the rest of your family.”

  “And Dad, hey, you don’t mind if I call you Dad, do you?”

  “Mind? Of course not,” I said, then hesitated, testing the waters. “Son.”

  Donny looked at me and we both broke out in the biggest smiles. Then, tears threatened again as I looked at my boy. Well, not a boy anymore. A man.

  “I’ve got these books, about the war. Well, I guess you don’t need any books. You lived it. It must have been, well, tell me, how was it?”

  I smiled at my son. He had a million questions. I had missed that phase of his life, that part of his growing up, all the questions, but I thought his mother and I should answer them together.

  “Do you think we can disturb Dorothy—I mean, Dee Dee—I mean, your mother—and ask her to come out and join us?” I asked. “She could help me tell the story.”

  “Sure,” Donny said. “Let me go get her.”

  “Mom,” Donny whispered, rapping lightly on the partially unhinged door. “Mom, it’s Donny. Are you awake? Daniel’s here again. We’re both here. Could you come out?

  “Mom?” Donny called again.

  “She must be dead to the world.” Donny laughed. “She sleeps a lot, you know, since Dad, I mean since, well, you know.”

  “I spent a lot of time in my room too, after my wife died,” I explained. “And it’s okay to call him Dad around me. He was your father for all those years. I’ll always be grateful that he was there for you and your mother.”

  “I’m glad you understand,” Donny said, turning on the light. “Because Stanley Palladino was a hell of a father. A hell of a man.”

  “Mom,” Donny called out again, then peeked into the bedroom and found an empty, unmade bed. Puzzled, he turned back to Daniel. “She must be in the bathroom. She’s not in the bed.”

  Donny checked the bathroom, came out, and went straight into Honey’s room.

  “Bathroom’s empty. She’s not in Honey’s room either. That’s strange. She knew we were coming back to talk to her. Let me try calling some of her friends, or my aunt. She may be at Aunt Helene’s.”

  Donny went through his mother’s address book and after several phone calls still couldn’t locate her.

  “She’s disappeared,” Donny said sullenly.

  “You don’t think she left to avoid talking to us, do you?” I speculated.

  “Well, now that you mention it, I guess I wouldn’t want to face the two of us either. Maybe she just went for a walk to, you know, think about things. She spends a lot of time down by that tree. She calls it her Jesus tree. Maybe we should take a look down there.”

  I hadn’t heard anything about a tree, but I was willing to try anything. I desperately needed to find her.

  “I’m kind of worried about her. We’ve both been getting these flyers from some group known as Seniors Against Sin. They’re targeting me, your mother, and some other people in the complex.”

  “Why is this the first I’ve heard of it?” Donny snarled, turning to me.

  I reached into my pocket and handed the nearly destroyed flyer I’d retrieved from my door earlier that morning.

  Donny smoothed out the red sheet, read it and scowled.

  “What kind of crap is this? Who are these Seniors Against Sin? And what do they want with my mother? My mother is the most decent woman I know.”

  “I’m looking into it. But I think there might be reason to worry,” I said. “There was an elderly couple found dead in their bed right in your mother’s building the other day. An elderly couple, ‘living in sin.’ Now that may just be a coincidence. But I’ve sent one of these flyers over to a friend of mine at the Sheriff’s Office to dust for prints. It’s a long shot. Let’s not waste time speculating about that now. We need to find your mother.”

  We walked out of the condo together and took the elevator to the first floor. By now, it was dark outside. I was beginning to get a bad feeling, and I always trusted my hunches.

  “It’s this way,” Donny motioned.

  I followed, then sprinted past my son.

  “Mom?” Donny called out.

  “Dee Dee? Are you out here?” I echoed.

  No answer.

  “It’s so damn dark out here,” I brooded. “You can’t see a thing.”

  “Watch that you don’t trip,” Donny warned. “There are a lot of dead palm fronds and tree branches left over from the storm.”

  “Dee Dee?” I called out again.

  Suddenly, I saw a crumpled form lying on the ground under a tree. As I got closer, I realized it was Dorothy.

  “Dorothy!” Not daring to breathe, I pointed. “She must have tripped and fallen. She was all alone out here. We should never have left her.”

  “Mom?” Donny cried and ran to his mother. He started to lift her.

  “Don’t move her,” I cautioned. “Is she breathing?”

  “I don’t know,” Donny said.

  I swiftly moved him aside, lifted Dorothy’s hand, and felt for a pulse.

  “Barely,” I confirmed. “I think she’s lost consciousness. Who knows how long she’s been out here. She could have a concussion.”

  I cradled Dee Dee’s head in my lap and pulled out my cell phone. As I moved her I realized there was blood on my pants where her head had rested.

  “This is Detective Daniel Moore,” I said, shaking. “I need an ambulance at Millennium Gardens. I have an emergency here. Zinnia, Building G. Someone will be there to direct you.”


  “The police are on their way,” I told Donny. “Could you wait in front of the building and bring them back here?”

  Donny nodded.

  Dee Dee looked so pale in the moonlight, so beautiful. So frail. What if…?

  I looked at my son to steady myself. Usually cool and collected, I was about to lose control.

  “I can’t lose her, not now,” I said, choking back the tears. “Not again.” I leaned over, smoothed her hair out of her face, and kissed her on the lips, but she didn’t respond.

  “It’s okay, Dad, it will be okay,” Donny said, looking on helplessly. He turned toward the building and walked away to direct the ambulance.

  Dee Dee still hadn’t regained consciousness when the ambulance team took her vital signs and lifted her onto the stretcher.

  “I’ll go with your mother,” I said to Donny. “You find Honey and meet me at the hospital.”

  Chapter Seventeen: I’m No Prince Charming

  “You can go in now, Detective Moore,” the nurse said. “The doctor will have her discharge papers ready in a few minutes.”

  Dee Dee stirred in the hospital bed.

  “Detective Moore?” she said, narrowing her eyes.

  “I guess you’re awake then,” I replied sheepishly.

  “Are you supposed to be flashing that badge of yours around like that? I thought you were retired.”

  “I only impersonate an officer when I want to throw my weight around,” I pointed out. “When I need to interrogate suspects.”

  “Is it time for our talk?” she whispered, frowning, looking up at me. “Are you going to interrogate me? I don’t think this is a good time. My head, Daniel. It hurts so much. Can you get me some aspirin?”

  I reached over to the side table, poured her a glass of water, untwisted the cap, and handed her two pills. “The doctor said you could have these for the pain if you needed it.” She looked so damn vulnerable. “I’m not going to question you, for heaven’s sake. You’re in the hospital.”

  Dee Dee looked around the room. “What am I doing in a hospital? Did something happen to me?”