Secrets and Revelations (Bellingwood #4)

by Diane Greenwood Muir

  "Good!" Then Rachel stopped. "It's not good for them, but it's great for us. I can't wait to tell Billy that he doesn't have to worry anymore."

  "And your mom," Polly chuckled.

  "Yeah. Mom, too. Eliseo is going to take me riding today. He said that it would be okay."

  "Don't you have anything you want to do downtown? It's the last big day of the fair!"

  "Not as much as I want to learn how to ride Daisy!" the girl exclaimed. "I can't wait. I keep thinking that someday I could have my own horse and we could ride far away all by ourselves. I could pack a lunch and find some grass somewhere and she would stand under a tree while I eat lunch and dream about my future. Just the two of us."

  Polly nodded and smiled. "Then I think a riding lesson would be a good idea today. Until you have your own, you and Jason and Eliseo can ride these horses and give them lots of exercise."

  Rachel jumped up. "I'd better get busy if I'm going to earn my way. Eliseo says I have to build up my upper body strength, so he wants me to help bring down hay from upstairs. Those things are heavy!"

  "Yes, they are. But, a few weeks of lifting those bales will have you strong enough to do almost anything!" Polly agreed.

  Eliseo came in from outside. "Are you ready to throw some hay, Rachel?" he asked. "Good morning, Polly! You had a big day yesterday. I heard the band last night. You were great!"

  "You came up? I didn't see you!"

  "I was in the back, but the band sounded terrific. It was nice to see you up on stage. You should do that more often."

  "I was terrified out of my mind, but I don't think Jeff will let me get out of it, so I will definitely do it more often."

  "Come on Rachel," he said. "Let's get going. Oh, and Polly? We've got this today. I know you've got a full schedule."

  "Thanks, Eliseo." Polly stepped into Demi's stall, where Jason was scooping up the muck. "How are you getting up to the competition?"

  "Mom was going to text you and ask if I could take a shower at your apartment and ride up with you."

  Polly pulled out her phone. Sure enough, she had missed a couple of texts.

  "You sure can. I'm leaving at ten fifteen, so meet me in my office, okay?"

  "I'll be on time. I promise," he said.

  She responded to Sylvie that she and Jason had it all figured out and then checked the second text. It was from Henry, telling her that he was having breakfast at Joe's Diner with Nate Mikkels and then they were taking their cars over to the elementary school parking lot for the car show. He would try to get away for the Literacy Competition, but couldn't guarantee anything.

  Polly texted him back not to worry about trying to show up. He'd been so good to her the last few days she would have given him the moon. He was having so much fun talking about cars with Joss' husband, she couldn't imagine asking him to do anything else. She walked in the side door, said hello to several people who were looking at the quilts hanging on the walls and went upstairs to her apartment. After feeding the animals and taking a quick shower, she went back to her office downstairs. Jeff was in the conference room with people she didn't recognize, so she woke up her computer and checked email.

  When she saw that there was one from Ruth Ann Marshall, she nearly deleted it, but took a deep breath and opened it.

  "Dear Polly,

  I am so sorry that you left the other day with such a poor impression of me. I'm sure you will never allow me to change what you believe to be true about me and that saddens me. You look like your father and I must admit that I miss your parents in my life.

  I've done what I could to make contact with you and though it didn't turn out as I had hoped it might, at least it is done.

  If you would ever like to reach out, I will always be available to you.

  Sincerely,

  Ruth Ann Marshall"

  Polly rolled her eyes. Not a true apology or single admittance of responsibility in any of it. The woman had managed to turn it all back on to Polly, as if she had done something to hurt the crazy lady. She stuck it into a folder that she had for weird things in her life and hoped that it never cropped up again, but was certain that life would somehow bring this all around at least one more time.

  Then Polly pulled out her phone and dialed. When the man answered, she said, "Uncle Clyde, this is Polly. Do you have a minute?"

  "Good morning, Polly. How can I help you?" His voice was cool, but she pressed on.

  "Well, I just heard from a woman who claimed to be my birth mother and wondered if you could tell me anything about her."

  "Oh, Polly," he sighed. "I was afraid this was going to come up some day. Your father made a terrible mistake when he let that woman into his home. She was a predator and hooked your mother into something that I thought would destroy us all."

  "So it's true."

  She heard him breathing heavily on the other end of the call. "Yes, it's true. Your parents were devastated when they couldn't conceive. And then the doctor told your mother she would never be able to have children. All she could think about was providing your father with a child. That terrible woman came into their lives and convinced them that she could help them out. Your father gave her too much money and when she showed up at the bank with a letter he had supposedly signed granting her access to all of his accounts, he finally figured it out."

  "Uncle Clyde, is this what made you so angry at him for so long?"

  "Your father was an excellent businessman, Polly. He made good decisions about money and invested everything so that you would be well taken care of. But, that woman tapped into a part of him that was vulnerable. She made him believe that she was the answer to all of their problems and that by giving them a child, his life would be perfect. She nearly talked them into having another child, but I put a stop to that. It was too much money to spend again so fast. If he was going to buy another kid, I told him to wait until you were a little older."

  "Buy another kid? Uncle Clyde, is that what you think of me?"

  "I suppose so."

  "Oh, Uncle Clyde," she sighed.

  "I'm sorry, Polly. Your father had no business letting that woman in. She did everything to disrupt all of our lives. She tried to get him to sell the farm. I didn't have the money then to buy it from him. Fortunately, your mother stopped that. She was beginning to see that her friend was pulling a con and even though she'd been willing to spend nine months being pregnant with you, she was waiting for a big payout."

  "You think I'm just like her, don't you?"

  "You look so much like her, it made me mad every time I saw you. And then when your father decided to retire early, I had to come up with the money to pay him for his portion of the farm. He wanted to make sure you were taken care of. Yes, I think you have the potential to be a lot like her."

  "I never asked Dad for any of that, just so you know."

  "I suppose you'd say that."

  "Uncle Clyde, if I'd wanted Dad's money, I would have come home when he died. And I haven't thrown any of that money away. We're building a business here."

  "I hope you do well, Polly, but you have that woman's genes in you just as much as you have your dad’s and between him being a soft touch and her a conniving con artist, I don't hold out much hope."

  "Okay, I see. Well, this isn't very helpful. I had hoped for more from you, but thank you for taking my call."

  "I'm sorry that I can't see past her, Polly. Good luck with what you're doing."

  Polly hung up. She wished she hadn't made the call. Finding out that her uncle believed the worst about her was rough. But, somehow, since he had never acted like he cared for her, it didn't sting as badly as she thought it should. She wasn't panicking or trying to run. She just felt really sad. Money did awful things to people. You can't live without it, but for some people it seemed like the more they had, the more paranoid they became. A sad smile touched her lips. Even after he had been hurt so badly by Ruth Ann, her father continued to be generous and taught Polly the value of kindness. She didn't
know why he was so different from his brother, but she was glad he'd been the one to raise her.

  She thought about calling Henry to talk to him, but figured he didn't need to listen to her complain about one more thing regarding her twisted up family stuff, so instead she closed down her computer and left the office. Jason was upstairs taking a shower and getting ready. She'd seen him dart past her office and there were fifteen more minutes before it was time to leave.

  Her phone buzzed as she sat down on a step of the main stairway. Sylvie sent her a picture of Andrew, all dressed up in his suit. He looked like such a young man. Polly texted back, "Pretty proud! Jason is showering and we'll be there in a bit. Give him a hug for me." She leaned back and shut her eyes, waiting for Jason to come downstairs.

  "I'm ready!" he called, running down the steps. "Have you been waiting a long time for me?"

  "No. I just didn't want to sit in my office any longer."

  He was wearing his new boots, and had a nice dress shirt tucked into his jeans.

  "You look great!" she said.

  Jason tapped the heel of his right foot against the toe of his left. "I love these boots. They look so cool!"

  "I'm glad," she said. Polly placed her hand on his back as they walked through the kitchen to the garage.

  "Don't ever tell the runt I said this," Jason said, "but this is pretty cool. Do you think he'll ever be a famous author?"

  "Haven't you read his story?" Polly asked.

  "He wouldn't let me. He said I had to wait until after today."

  "I can't believe he didn't want you to read it. You're a big part of that story," she laughed. "I talked to Annabelle at the newspaper downtown. She's going to give the kids exposure in upcoming issues."

  "That will be so cool. Even if Andrew doesn't win this, maybe someone will see his story and want to publish it!"

  "We'll see. If he wants to write, there's no reason he shouldn't start now."

  "Kind of like me learning how to ride horses."

  "Exactly like that."

  She pulled into the parking lot of the church and they went in the front door. Polly didn't have any responsibilities today so she found a seat toward the front where she and Jason would be able to see the podium clearly. They saved a place for Sylvie and she texted Henry to find out if he planned to make it. When he told her that he wasn't going to, she relaxed and sat back.

  Each of the fifteen students was given five minutes to present their piece to the audience and the judges. Andrew had chosen the section of his story where slave-catchers looking for runaways confronted two young boys determined to be men. When he expressed the fear of the young protagonist of the story, his face told the story as much as his words did and when he expressed pride in the older brother's courage, his eyes flashed. Jason poked Polly in the side when Andrew told of the female characters coming down to deal with these two awful men brandishing a cast iron skillet and rolling pin. She smirked at him. Andrew had taken those characters directly from his mother and Polly. When the hired hand and Sheriff showed up to help the family, thereby protecting the hidden slaves, the entire room broke into applause.

  "He's a hit," Jason said.

  "Yes he is," Polly replied. "He knows how to tell a story as well as write it. That was great."

  Andrew took a deep bow and stepped down, then rushed toward the pew where Sylvie and Jason were seated with Polly. As soon as he relaxed, his face flushed. He bent over to wave at Polly and she winked at him. Four more presenters followed him and then Joss Mikkels stood up and announced a fifteen minute break so the judges could discuss their selection.

  Polly stood and looked around the crowd. Jeff Lyndsay was seated in the back and gave a little wave. She smiled at Eliseo who was standing by the back door. She bent back over to Sylvie who was seated with her arm around Andrew. "Did you see that Jeff and Eliseo were here?" she asked.

  "I have no idea who is here," Sylvie said. "I can't even think. I just want this to be over. I don't think I've ever been this nervous."

  "He's done an excellent job," Polly remarked.

  "But so has everyone else," Sylvie said. She was right. The kids who made it this far were well prepared and presented excellent pieces of literature. Polly was glad that she'd done her part and didn't have to make the final decision. She watched Joss, who hovered near the judges. Soon they handed her a sheet of paper and she walked back to the podium.

  "If you would please be seated," Joss said into the microphone, "I have the results of this year's Literary Competition."

  It took some time for everyone to find their way back to their seats. Polly sat back down beside Jason and in her nerves, took his hand. He squeezed hers and smiled up at her. "It's going to be fine whatever way it goes," he said. "Even if he doesn't win this year, he's only nine. Remember that."

  "Where did you get so much wisdom?" she asked, chuckling.

  "I've had to listen to him worry about this every single night for a month. He doesn't want to disappoint you and mom. I had to come up with something to shut him up."

  Polly took her hand out of his and wrapped it around his shoulder and squeezed him close to her. "You are such a great big brother."

  Joss went through the list of all the students who had participated and congratulated them on their fine performances. Polly watched Sylvie's face, a mixture of anticipation and fear for her son. She wondered if Sylvie knew how very practical her boys were, a trait she had taught them over the years. Andrew would be able to handle any decision the judges made.

  "The judges have told me they had a very difficult time choosing this year's winner. There were three top contenders for the prize and had they been able to give out that many first place finishes, they would have done so," Joss announced.

  "The third place winner this year is fifteen-year-old Maddy Horvath for her full-length novel 'Bearing Straight.' She is awarded a one hundred dollar cash award.

  The audience applauded and waited nervously.

  "Second place this year goes to nine-year-old Andrew Donovan for his short story Hidden in the Trees. He will receive a five hundred dollar cash award. Andrew grinned like a fool at his mother and Jason. He flashed his hand open splaying his fingers out and said, "Five hundred dollars!"

  Sylvie sat back with relief written across her face. Polly knew that all she felt was thankfulness that the wait was over and that he'd done a terrific job. She hugged her son and gave Polly a large smile.

  "The first place prize goes to Tammy Sunamen, age sixteen, for her poem, 'A Winter's Moon.' The five thousand dollar scholarship as well as a five hundred dollar cash award is our way of congratulating her for a job well done. Tammy, could you come up here?"

  A pretty young girl shyly made her way through the crowd while her family stood and applauded for her. She accepted the proffered envelopes and then waved at the people she loved.

  "Thank you all for coming today and I look forward to seeing you at next year's competition. Kids, it's time to start writing again. Good luck!" Joss said and stepped away from the microphone, signaling an end to the day's event.

  "Mom, I won five hundred dollars!" Andrew exclaimed. "That will buy a lot of books!"

  "Yes it would," Sylvie smiled. "Don't you have someone to thank before you start spending all your money?"

  He scooted in front of her and Jason to get to Polly. His eyes were huge and he said, "Thank you, Polly. I couldn't have done this without you. I can't believe you listened to me when I told you about my dream."

  She hugged him tightly. "I'm proud of you, Andrew Donovan. You have a million more stories inside that little head of yours and I hope they come flowing out as fast as possible."

  Joss Mikkels made her way to them and handed Andrew an envelope. "Congratulations, Andrew. I hope you plan to write another story for next year's competition. They had a really difficult time choosing between you and Tammy for first place."

  He took the envelope from her and didn't seem to know what to say.

&nb
sp; "Start with 'thank you,'" his mother prodded.

  "Thank you, Mrs. Mikkels. I am ready to write another story as soon as I have another dream!"

  Joss looked at Sylvie in confusion and Polly interrupted. "This story was based on a dream he had while reading a book about the Underground Railroad."

  "Oh!" she said. "Well, maybe you ought to tell your mind that it can also have daydreams. Your daydreams might be just as creative as your sleeping dreams."

  Jason smirked, "Doubt it. He always has the weirdest stories in the mornings after he wakes up. I thought he made them up for attention. Maybe he is just that weird." He wrestled his brother into a strange type of hug and Sylvie put her hands on his shoulders to stop him.

  "Are you going up to the car show?" Joss asked Polly.

  "I sure am! I want to see what those boys find so fascinating about pieces of metal and rubber and chrome."

  Joss laughed. "Maybe I'll see you up there once I get everything taken care of here. Thanks for your help this year."

  Polly took her hand. "The best part was meeting you. I've loved that."

  "Me too!" Joss said, though she looked a little surprised at Polly's overt gesture. She moved away and Sylvie said, "I want to get Andrew home and changed into something a little more appropriate for the day. Are you going back to the carnival today?"

  "Probably. And then Henry and I are going downtown to the street dance tonight. I haven't been to one of those since I was in high school."

  "Can we go, mom?" Andrew asked.

  "We'll go up for a while and then you and Jason can go on some of the rides at the carnival."

  "Have fun today, boys," Polly said.

  "Thanks for everything, Polly," Sylvie hugged her across the boys. "If I don't see you again today, I'll be at Sycamore House early tomorrow morning to get ready for the ice cream social and pie contest. I'm going to be ready for Bellingwood Days to be over this year. I have never been this busy with it. I used to work a few shifts at the grocery store and go home. I don't feel like I've been home at all this year except to sleep."

  Polly followed them out of the church and watched the three walk toward home. She calculated the distance in her head from the church to the car show and decided she could just as easily walk as try to find a parking place any closer. She smiled and nodded hello to people as she walked past them on the sidewalks in front of the church, then crossed to the other side of the street. A shortcut through an alley and she found herself in front of the elementary school. Small towns were crazy. It just didn't take long to get anywhere on foot. After all those years of driving in Boston, this represented freedom to her.