Secrets Uncovered

by Shelia M. Goss

  The next few hours were a blur. Cousin Betty insisted on having therepast at her mom’s house. People Kem didn’t know but who’d known her mother made it a point of stopping by. Kem tried to laugh at the jokes she didn’t find funny. She tried to be sociable but didn’t feel like it. She’d had as much as she could take of being around people.

  “I’m going to lie down,” Kem said out loud.

  “Do you need us to do anything?” Charlotte asked.

  “You being here is enough.” Kem hugged Charlotte and then Mona.

  “We’ll stay and help Brent clean up,” Mona said.

  “Thank you,” Kem responded. She looked for Brent and noticed him talking to their husbands. She asked Charlotte, “Can you tell Brent where I’m at when he comes looking for me?”

  “Go lie down. We’ll take care of everything,” Charlotte assured her.

  Kem snuck away to be by herself and went to her mom’s bedroom. She curled up in the bed. She didn’t go to sleep. She just wanted to be around her mom’s personal items so she could feel closer to her.

  “Mom, why did you have to leave me? I wasn’t ready for you to go,” Kem said out loud as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

  She squeezed her mom’s robe and inhaled her scent. It smelled like the rosemary bath soap her mom always used.

  Kem drifted off to sleep and dreamed of happier times with her mom. She didn’t know if she was asleep or awake when she noticed the bed move. She opened her eyes and saw a bright aura surrounding her mom who was dressed in all white. Her mom smiled.

  Kem reached for her and then the image disappeared.

  “I love you.” The voice sounded like her mom.

  Kem woke out of her sleep.

  Brent went to check on Kem several times. Each time he peeped his head through the door, she appeared to be sleeping so he didn’t want to disturb her.

  Mona, Charlotte and their spouses, along with Aunt Edna and Betty stayed after everyone left and helped to clean up.

  After the last of the trash had been taken out, Brent returned inside. “On behalf of Kem and myself, I want to thank you all for your help. Kem’s going to need her friends to rally around her. You know she can be stubborn so even if she tells you nothing is wrong, don’t let her get away with wallowing.”

  “Of course. She’s like a sister to us,” Mona said.

  “Exactly. She’s family. In fact, you guys are all the family I have.” Charlotte squeezed Sean’s hand.

  Aunt Edna said, “You girls be there for her, but also give her space. She’s going to have to find her new norm. So be patient.”

  “Yes ma’am,” Mona responded.

  Shortly thereafter, everyone left and Brent locked the doors. He turned around and saw Kem standing in the doorway between the hall and living room.

  “You just missed everyone,” Brent said.

  “I know. I looked out the window and saw them when they left.” Kem walked closer. “I just wanted to be alone.”

  “You’re never alone. You have me,” Brent said.

  “That’s good to know.” They were now standing directly in front of each other. Kem wrapped her arms around Brent’s waist.

  She laid her head on his shoulder and cried. Brent didn’t know what to say so he held her and rocked her until she was all cried out.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The following day, Kem took on the task of going through her mother’s things. She could have waited but knew if she returned to Los Angeles without doing this, she might not ever have the strength to come back there.

  Wearing a pair of jeans and an LSU T-shirt, Kem rummaged through her mother’s closet and placed the clothes on the bed.

  The doorbell rang. “Brent, can you get the door?” she yelled.

  “I got it,” he responded.

  A few minutes later, he entered her mom’s bedroom. She sat on the edge of the bed rummaging through the clothes. She had been deciding on what she wanted to keep and what she wanted to donate.

  “Your cousin Betty is here.”

  “Tell her to come back here. I need her help anyway. She may want some of mama’s things.”

  Brent didn’t move. “She’s not by herself. There’s someone she wants you to meet.”

  “I don’t feel like meeting another stranger. Please handle it for me.”

  “It’s your mom’s attorney. He says he has something your mom wanted you to have.”

  Kem thought back to one of the last things her mom said. “The letter. It must be the letter my mom was talking about. Give me a minute and I’ll be out.”

  “Okay. I’ll let them know.”

  Brent left the room. Kem brushed her hair back with her mom’s brush and placed it in a ponytail. She tucked her T-shirt inside her jeans and went to the living room.

  Everyone was seated but when she entered, they all stood. A tall man with blond hair and pretty blue eyes extended his hand.

  “I’m Reliford, your mom’s attorney.”

  Kem shook his hand. “She mentioned you.”

  “Let’s all have a seat,” Betty said.

  “Come sit here,” Brent said. He motioned for her to sit next to him.

  They were now all seated. Kem gave Reliford her undivided attention.

  “I was at the funeral, but you may not remember seeing me.”

  “I don’t. I saw so many people that everyone’s face is just a blur in my memory bank right now,” Kem admitted.

  “Your mom was a good woman. She left everything to you. There’s this house and she also had some stocks and bonds that you can either cash out or have transferred over to your name.”

  Kem noticed the folder sitting on the coffee table in front of Reliford.

  “I’m not sure what I want to do right now.”

  “Of course. Give it some time. I’m going to leave the papers here for you to look at.”

  “Thanks. What about the letter my mom said you were to give me?” Kem asked.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white sealed envelope. “This is it. I haven’t read it, but she mentioned if anything ever happened to her that I was to make sure I handed this letter directly to you and not to anyone else.”

  Reliford placed the letter in Kem’s hand.

  Kem stared at the envelope with her name written on it. She held on to it.

  “Do you have any questions?” Reliford asked.

  Kem shook her head. “Not right now.”

  “If you think of anything, don’t hesitate to call me. My card is in this folder, along with the other information you need. Just let me know what you decide so I can get everything transferred over to you.”

  “Thanks.”

  Reliford stood and shook her hand. Brent walked him to the door.

  Betty moved and now sat next to Kem. “Child, what are you waiting on? Open it. I think I already know what it says.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, but it’s not for me to say.”

  “Why couldn’t she have just told me? Why did she have to write it in a letter?”

  “Suzette had to tell you in her own way. I’m going to leave now. But I’ll be back so we can talk after you read the letter.” Betty squeezed her hand, stood and walked out the front door.

  Brent sat down next to her. She handed the envelope to him. “Open this. I can’t bring myself to.”

  “Baby, this may be something real personal between you and your mom. Are you sure you want me to read it?”

  “Yes. I’ll let you determine whether or not I’m ready to read it now.”

  Kem trusted Brent’s judgment.

  Brent opened the envelope and removed the two-page letter. He looked at Kem. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  Brent read the letter. He
was surprised at some of her mom’s revelations. He had conflicting emotions on whether Kem should read it now or later, but then he recalled her father being at the funeral.

  Brent wished he had a father still living, so if he could help bridge the gap with Kem and her father, he would. He loved Kem. She’d lost her mother, but maybe she could regain her father.

  “So what do you think?” Kem asked.

  “Kem, you should read it.” Brent placed it in Kem’s hand.

  Kem held it but shook her head. “I can’t. It’s too soon.”

  “Baby, you should. It’ll clear up a lot of things.”

  “I can’t read it but if you read it to me, I’ll listen.”

  Kem handed the letter back to Brent. Brent swallowed. “‘My dearest Kem. My baby girl. My heart. My whole reason for living. If you’ve received this letter, it means I’ve gone on to glory. But no tears. I had a good life. I hope after you read this letter, you will be able to remember the good times. I hope after you read this, that you won’t think too badly of me. Know that everything I’ve done, I did because I loved you.’”

  “What does she mean?” Kem asked.

  “I can let you finish reading from here,” Brent responded.

  “No, continue.”

  Brent reached for Kem’s hand and held it. Brent held the letter in the other hand and continued to read to Kem.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Kem couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Brent must have been reading the letter wrong. Kem continued to listen to Brent without interrupting.

  Brent was talking but Kem imagined it was her mom telling her these things. “‘Kyle loved you. Kyle didn’t leave you. I kicked him out after he did what he did. He would have stayed because he loved you so much but I wanted him to hurt as much as I hurt. See, I was in love with Kyle’s best friend, Sam. Sam and I were going to run away together but I ended up getting pregnant with you. Sam couldn’t have kids so I knew you were Kyle’s. I could have left you with Kyle, but there was no way I was leaving my beautiful baby girl behind. See, I loved you more than Sam or Kyle.”

  Tears streamed down Kem’s face. “Do you need me to stop?” Brent asked.

  “No, continue. I want to hear everything.”

  Brent continued. “The affair went on for years. I was in so deep that I got careless. Kyle found out and confronted Sam. I tried to convince Sam we could still be together—that I would leave Kyle, but Sam didn’t want anything more to do with me. Kyle stayed around after discovering the affair because of you, but we weren’t intimate any more. Sam moved on and married some other woman. That broke my heart. I snapped. I kicked Kyle out and threatened to tell everyone he was abusing you if he ever tried to see you or me again. He tried over the years to change my mind, but I couldn’t. He was the reason why I lost Sam. When I’d gotten older and matured, there were times I wanted to tell you, but too much time had passed. I couldn’t live if you didn’t forgive me so I remained silent. Now that I’m gone, you need someone. Please give Kyle the chance to be the father I wouldn’t let him be to you when you were growing up. Please forgive me for being selfish. For wanting you all to myself. Please forgive your father, Kyle.’ It’s signed, ‘Love, Mom.’”

  Brent placed the letter on the coffee table in front of them.

  Brent wiped the tears streaming down Kem’s face.

  “I don’t know what to say…what to do.” Kem’s voice shook as she spoke.

  Brent placed his arm around Kem. “You don’t have to do anything right now. Just let the information digest.”

  “You read the letter. My dad loved me. But my mom…if she loved me as much as she says, how could she keep me from my father?”

  “Sometimes people do things out of anger. She was angry with your dad. She lashed out the only way she knew how.”

  Kem heard Brent’s explanation but she wasn’t so sure she was ready to come to that same conclusion. She couldn’t believe the extent her mom went through to keep her from her father. Kem could never get back the lost years, nor could the pain and anguish she’d experienced over the years thinking her father didn’t want her be erased.

  Kem balled up her fists. She stood, walked to the mantel over the fireplace and with one clean sweep of her arm, she knocked everything to the floor. Some of the items were glass figurines. She didn’t care. She needed to release her frustration.

  “Baby, don’t move. I don’t want you stepping on anything,” Brent said.

  Brent rushed out of the room and returned with a broom and a dustpan. He swept up the broken pieces of porcelain and glass around her.

  “I’m sorry. All this is just so much.” Kem stood in the middle of the broken items crying.

  “I know you’re upset, but baby, you have to calm down.”

  “She lied to me. My whole life’s been a lie.” Kem stood with clenched fists. She wanted to destroy something else. She knew doing so wouldn’t solve her problem, but it would make her feel better.

  “Let’s get out of the house. Maybe if we go for a ride, that would help.”

  “I’ve been running all my life. I started creating stories as a way to escape from my problems. At least in my created world, I had control.” Kem sighed.

  “Well, baby, whatever you want to do, we’ll do.”

  “I want to finish packing up this stuff so I can get back to L.A. I want to go home. L.A.’s my home now.”

  Brent knew he had to do something to help Kem. He found the card her father gave him after the funeral and called him. “Kyle, this is Brent.”

  “I’ve been waiting on you to call me,” Kyle responded from the other end of the phone.

  “I thought you would have been over here by now, but there’s no need for us to go back and forth. Kem needs you.”

  “Did she ask you to call me?”

  “No. She has no idea I’m on the phone talking to you,” Brent confessed. “I called because I love her and I know she needs you. If you two don’t talk now, I don’t know if you will ever get a chance to. Trust me on this.”

  “You really do care about my daughter, don’t you? I’m glad she has a man like you in her life. When will be a good time?”

  “She’s talking to her cousin right now. Say around six? You two can talk over dinner.”

  “I’ll see you both then. Thanks. I don’t know how I will ever be able to repay you.”

  “Do right by your daughter is all I ask.”

  Brent placed his cell phone in his pocket and went back to the living room where Betty and Kem were seated.

  “Did Aunt Edna make it back to L.A.?” Kem asked.

  Brent had lied about his reason for having to leave the room. “She decided to extend her trip to give her enough time to visit with family and old friends. She assured me she would be back to cook us a Christmas dinner neither one of us will ever forget.”

  Kem smiled. “That’s good. At least I have that to look forward to.”

  Betty said, “Dear, things will work out. You will see.”

  “But she lied to me, Cousin Betty. My whole life’s been a lie.”

  “Listen and listen good. Suzette didn’t go about handling the situation well. I told her that too. I told her not to keep that man from you but she was just as stubborn as you are. But I do know she loved you. So please don’t hold what she did against her. She loved you more than either one of those men.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m trying to understand her mindset but it still hurts to know I could have had my dad around and she’s the reason why he hasn’t been.”

  “Now that you know everything, what are your plans? I ran into him. He told me he tried to talk to you after the funeral but you didn’t want to have anything to do with him.”

  “I don’t know what to do. I’m confused.” Kem rubbed her head.

  Brent knew calling Kem’s fath
er had been the right thing. Kem needed closure and a new beginning and calling Kem’s dad was a step in that direction.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Kem walked through the boxes that now filled the hallway and into the bathroom. She ran some hot water in the tub. She picked up a bottle of rosemary bubble bath that belonged to her mother and poured several cups in the water until the bubbles almost overflowed over the tub.

  She undressed and got inside. She had a lot on her mind. She wished her mom were there to answer her questions. Betty tried her best to answer them but Kem still had more questions. The only other person who could fill in some of the blanks was her father. Kem wasn’t sure she was ready to see him. Even with this new revelation, she didn’t know how she felt about him. Maybe he should have fought harder and insisted on seeing her in spite of what her mom said or did.

  She heard a knock on the door. Brent walked in. “Dear, I was debating on whether or not to tell you, but under the circumstances, I don’t think you would be too happy if I surprised you.”

  Kem sat straight up. “What?”

  “I talked to your dad. I invited him over for dinner so you two can talk.”

  “I really wished you would have talked to me before you did that. I don’t know if I want to talk to him. I was just sitting here thinking about him and my mom and the whole screwed-up situation.”

  Brent sat on the edge of the tub. He removed a towel from the rack, soaked it in the soapy water and washed Kem.

  “I think it would be good for you to sit down and talk to him. Hear him out. Tell him what you think about him being absent in your life. I can’t say I know how you feel, but I know what I would say if I was in the same situation.”

  Kem relaxed as Brent washed her upper body and back. “What time should I expect him so I can prepare myself?” she asked.

  “Six.”

  “Six? It’s five now. I don’t know about this.”

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll be here to be the buffer if you need me.”