“Don’t forget, you are their father. Just remember that.”
“Thanks, Frank. Don’t know what I would do without you.”
Frank grinned at him. “Wait ‘til you get my fee, see how you feel then.”
* * *
Leanne was not going to tell the children that young Jay was not their father’s child, not their half-brother; she would let Don do that. She could only hope that the innocent child, in effect now parentless, would receive their consideration and empathy.
Leanne Matthews was an innately positive person, and she had put a positive spin on her expectations for the day. Of course she expected some initial tensions when the family gathered for the first time in months. But she prayed that would be short-lived.
To save time and conserve her energy, Leanne had a cleaning service to come in and clean the house. The windows sparkled, the furniture gleamed, the rugs were spotless. The house had a fresh, airy, comfortable feel to it.
By late morning, she had already set the table with her best china, silverware and glassware. Arrays of fall flowers were in the center of the table. The precooked turkey, which came with mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, had been delivered that morning at eleven. All she had to do was pop it into the oven for an hour or so just before serving it.
Everything was set, but she still gladly accepted Don’s offer to come over an hour early to help her. He also said he would be bringing the wine.
“Would you mind carving the turkey?” she asked him.
“Be happy to do it,” he said, inwardly wincing as he recalled the many times he had performed that task for his family. But he was determined to put the best possible face on whatever happened that day.
When Leanne opened the front door for Don and Jay, the baby bounced gleefully, obviously recognizing her.
“He knows you!” Don exclaimed.
“Give him to me! How are you doing, big boy?” She kissed his forehead. It was obvious Jay was happy to see her.
“You know, Don, he is a very smart child.”
“Seems to be.”
“Do you think he’ll be okay in the playpen for now? Have to be in the kitchen doing a few things, and you’ll want to get started on the turkey. We can move the playpen into the kitchen.”
“Sure smells good in here,” Don observed. He opened some of the pots, checked the rice, greens, a pot of gravy simmering on a back burner.
“Got sweet potatoes?” he asked and grinned at her.
Laughing, she teased him, “Now what do you think? That I would forget one of your favorites?”
“I know one thing for sure, wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without your candied sweet potatoes.”
“Don…”
Still standing in front of the stove, he turned to look at her. She had been tossing a large bowl of salad greens with silver forks.
“Yes, Leanne?”
“It’s good to have you here. I don’t know what kind of future we might have, but for me it’s almost as if you’ve been away on a long trip and you’ve come home. I don’t really know…except I’m glad you are…back.”
He did not miss the sober look on her face.
“Leanne,” he began moving the few steps from the stove to the table. Facing her, he placed his hand on her right shoulder. It was the first time he had touched her. She welcomed the warmth of his hand.
“Leanne,” he said, “I, too, don’t know what’s ahead for us, but I want you to know how much I appreciate your understanding and support.”
“You are most welcome here anytime. By the way, Don, I haven’t told the children about the nature of your relationship with Jay. I think you should be the one to explain it?”
“Right. I just hope Curtis and Jane will understand.”
“They are sensible children. They will understand, I’m sure. Would you take the turkey out of the oven? Needs to cool down a bit before you carve it.”
“No problem,” he said, wishing that the rest of this day would have “no problems.”
CHAPTER 35
They had placed Jay’s playpen in the corner of the kitchen near the door to the dining room. From where he stood near the table, Don could see that the child had turned over and was asleep.
“Look, he’s out like a light. Must be the soothing warmth of the kitchen.”
“There’s a light afghan in the living room. Let me get it to cover him.” She returned with a colorful coverlet that she laid over the sleeping baby.
She handed Don a white chef’s apron to put on over his gray slacks and blue turtleneck shirt.
“Still hung on to this, huh?”
“Never know, do you, when certain items may come in handy.”
He picked up the electric knife and started carving the turkey.
“Curtis will pick Jane up at Simmons College and they will be coming together,” she told him. “And I think, from what Jane said on the phone, she might be bringing a special somebody named Sam Adams. Curtis’s roommate, Bob, is coming, too. He’s a real nice young man…came with Curt for dinner a couple of times.”
“I’m anxious to see the kids…been too long. I’ve really missed them,” Don said as he bent over his task.
Leanne handed him a large serving platter, and he began to arrange turkey slices on it.
“I should leave the drumsticks whole, shouldn’t I? Remember how much Curtis always liked them.”
“I think you’d better. We sure don’t need any extra friction.”
“Right.”
With all the chores completed, they went into the living room to wait for the guests to arrive.
“Leanne,” Don said as he took a seat in a wing chair across from the sofa where Leanne sat. “As we’ve said before, we don’t know what our future holds, but I want you to know that I am filing for a no-fault divorce. Alisha is adamant that she does not want to be a single mother. She does not want custody rights, and has agreed to the baby’s adoption.”
“I’m sorry that things didn’t turn out better for you, Don.”
“It’s been a costly affair for me, actually for all of us, and I’m to blame! I wish I knew how to right a wrong that can’t be undone.”
“A day at a time, Don. One day at a time,” she urged sincerely, wanting to ease his mind.
Don was again wearing his navy blue blazer. Leanne saw and felt his tension and nervousness. She had never seen him this way. He was still a handsome man, even with the silver streaks in his close-cropped hair. He was strumming the fingers of his left hand on the armrest of the wing chair and frequently glanced at his watch.
“What time did you say the kids will be here?”
“What’s the time now?”
He looked at his watch.
“It’s one-thirty.”
“I told them two o’clock. I thought we could visit a while, sit down to the table at three.”
“I know you are apprehensive about seeing the kids, Don. I am, too, but I hope we can present a united front.”
A palpable silence fell between the couple. After all, twenty-five years of married life meant that they were all aware of the thoughts and vibes of each other.
Leanne broke the silence.
“I think Boston College and Holy Cross are playing football…”
“That’s right! Let’s check it out.”
He picked up the remote from the coffee table and located the game. It had just started.
“Keep it low, Don. Don’t want to wake the baby,” Leanne cautioned.
He turned the volume down, and she went to see if Jay had been disturbed, came back with an “okay” symbol.
She was just about to sit down when she heard a car in the driveway.
“Don, they’re here.”
Quickly turning off the television, he said, “Let me open the door.”
When Donovan Matthews opened the door and saw his son standing there, he instinctively reached for him, grasping his hand and pulling him over the threshold.
“Curt
is! Son, it’s great to see you! How are you?”
“Hi, Dad. I’m fine, good to see you, too.”
Jane came up right behind her brother. Her grin when she saw her father brought tears to his eyes.
“Janey, baby, I’m so glad to see you!”
Jane hugged her father back because, despite all that had happened, she was glad to see him. She turned to greet her mother, who had joined them in the front hall.
“Dad, Mother, I want you to meet my friend, Sam. Sam, these are my parents, Dr. Matthews and my mom, Mrs. Matthews.”
Sam extended his hand to Leanne, who gave him a warm smile, shook his hand. “Welcome, Sam Adams.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Then he extended his hand to Don. “Dr. Matthews, my pleasure, sir.”
“The pleasure is mine, Sam.”
Coats, scarves, and caps were hung on the clothes tree in the front hall.
Curtis introduced Bob to his father, saying, “Dad, this is my roomie at law school, Bob Sato.”
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Bob said, shaking Don’s hand.
“So, you’re the guy who is hitting the law books with my son. I’m very happy to meet you.”
“This first year is really keeping us up nights, I can tell you that.”
“You have a beautiful home, Mrs. Matthews,” Sam remarked.
“Thank you, Sam. I like it.”
Just then Jane asked, “Sam, would you mind bringing in the dessert that I made? It’s on the floor of the front passenger seat.”
“No problem,” Sam said, and a few moments later returned with a large glass bowl covered with a plastic wrap.
“Look, Mom, it’s a chocolate dessert that I made.”
“Honey, that was so thoughtful. You know how much I love chocolate,” she said, eyeing the layers of whipped cream, devil food’s cake, chocolate pudding and crushed candy bars. “This is elegant. I’ll put it in the fridge.”
“No, I’ll do it. You sit down.”
Jane left the living room, proceeded through the dining room into the kitchen.
“Mom, there’s a baby in here!”
She put the trifle on the counter as everyone rushed into the kitchen.
“He’s mine,” Don said as he scooped the now wide-awake child up in his arms.
“Yours?” Curtis and Jane spoke in unison.
The baby started to cry, unaccustomed to the strangers surrounding him.
Leanne spoke to Don. “Give him to me, Don. He needs to be changed.”
“Thanks, Leanne.”
They all moved back into the living room, Curtis and Jane forming a united front as they sat on the sofa, staring intensely at their father across the coffee table.
Curtis could barely contain himself.
“You mean that kid is our half-brother?”
Don heard the anger and dismay in his son’s voice and saw the cold disbelief in his eyes.
“Believe it or not, up to a month ago I thought he was.”
“What do you mean, thought he was? You married that…that woman who said you got her pregnant, didn’t you?”
No one noticed that Bob and Sam had quietly retreated into the kitchen, Bob having motioned to Sam as soon as they realized that a family confrontation was under way.
“Their parents are divorced,” Bob confided to Sam. “Not sure, but from what Curt has said, a younger woman was involved…and a baby.”
“Jane told me a little, too. I think both she and her brother have been really angry at their father, but something tells me the parents might get back together. Don’t really know, but why else this Thanksgiving dinner?” Sam wondered.
“Who knows?” Bob said.
Donovan Matthews, M.D., recognized that facing his children at this moment demanded that he summon every bit of courage and sincerity that he could possibly manage.
He could not remember ever being in a more difficult situation. How to make Curtis and Jane understand? These two were his children, blood of his blood, bone of his bone, and half of their genes were from him. He had to make them see him as the father who loved them always, despite his weaknesses.
Curtis glared at him, as if daring him to explain. Jane was twisting a curl of her dark brown hair, something she had always done when upset.
How could he explain his behavior that had so disrupted their lives? Despite endless soul-searching and self-analysis, he himself could not understand it.
He sat looking at their silent accusing faces. Before he could try to explain, Leanne came back into the living room with the changed, smiling, happy baby in her arms.
Curtis felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched his mother interacting with Jay. What is she doing with a baby? My mother!
Leanne saw her son’s look of disapproval, but chose not to acknowledge it. Instead she spoke to Don.
“I’m going to feed him now so that he will be comfortable when we all sit down to eat.”
“Thanks, Leanne, that would be great.”
When she left, he launched right into what amounted to a confession. “I lost a wonderful woman when I betrayed your mother. I was stupid, selfish, and flattered by the attention of a young woman. And I will live with that regret until the day I die. But I do need to explain what happened. Anyway, Alisha told me…believe me,” he shook his head, “this is hard. When she told me she was pregnant with my child, I did not believe her, not at all! I thought I had been careful, but…well, you know what happened.
“When Jay was born, Alisha rejected him at first, and I thought that was strange and troublesome. The next day she seemed to accept him. However, I was concerned because he did not look at all like you kids. I expected some difference, but I also expected some similarities, too. She said the differences were probably due to an Asian relative in her family, but still I was suspicious. Finally I had a DNA test done which proved I am not the father…”
“But, Dad,” Jane interrupted, “who is?”
Don was reluctant to be more specific, but knew he had no choice.
“I don’t know. She confessed to using a sperm donor…”
Curtis jumped up. “Bob, Bob, get in here! You have to hear this!”
Bob and Sam rushed in.
“What is it?” Bob asked.
“Dad has been telling us about Jay. His mother used a sperm donor and lied, told Dad the baby was his! DNA test said ‘no way’!”
Curtis turned to his father, barely able to contain his excitement.”Dad! Bob has been a sperm donor, paid for his college…”
“You, Bob?”
“Yes, sir, I did, and I have to tell you something. When I first saw Jay, I was shocked because he looked so much like my younger brother, Morris. I couldn’t believe it! Here, wait a minute, I have a picture in my wallet.”
He pulled out a snapshot of three boys, ages perhaps four, six and eight. He showed the picture to Don. “That’s me, with Caleb on my left and Morris in front of us.”
“I’ll be damned!” Don said, “There is a strong resemblance!”
He called to Leanne, “Leanne, you’ve got to see this.”
He showed her the photo. “Do you see a resemblance between Jay and Bob?”
She looked at the photograph of the three Sato brothers, looked again at Bob, who was smiling the same smile that Jay had. “They look very much alike, all of them. Almost as if from the same family.”
“You are right. Leanne, Bob is a sperm donor and Jay was conceived by a sperm donation. What are the odds that Jay could be Bob’s son?”
* * *
Excitement over the possibility of Jay’s being Bob’s son had the effect of releasing tension for everyone.
Bob asked Leanne, “May I hold him for a minute?”
Everyone laughed when the baby went to Bob. “It’s almost like he knows you,” Leanne said.
“Dr. Matthews, would a DNA test prove that he is my son?” Bob asked.
“Well, DNA was what proved I was not the father.”
�
��I want to do it. Can you help me?”
“Can you meet me at my office tomorrow?”
“Sure can! Thanksgiving holiday, you know…no classes.”
“Come any time and we’ll start the ball rolling.”
* * *
When they sat down to eat, Don insisted on saying grace, in which he thanked God for “all blessings.” There was an echo of “Amen” from everyone.
Leanne looked around her Thanksgiving table with the profound hope that her family would flourish and find happiness once again.
An innocent baby was the catalyst. Who knew?
CHAPTER 36
The test came back. Bob picked up the envelope, along with the rest of the mail, both his and Curtis’s. He made himself sit down at his desk in his room, sort his mail from his roommate’s, and then turn the envelope around several times, almost afraid to open it. He wanted to share the moment with someone, but it was his life that would be most affected by the truth inside the envelope. What if he were Jay’s father? How would his folks react to finding out they had a grandson?
At that fateful Thanksgiving dinner Dr. Matthews had said that it was his intention to allow Jay to be adopted, that he was in the process of getting a divorce, and at his age he did not believe he could care for Jay.
Bob wondered what legalities he would face as a single parent himself if he tried to adopt the child. He could bear the suspense no longer. He reached for a letter opener and was about to slide it through the envelope flap when he heard Curtis’s footsteps on the back stairs of their apartment.
When Curtis opened the door, Bob came rushing out from his room, waving the brown envelope.
“You are just in time, my man! In this envelope lies my future.”
“You got the results? Yes or no?”
“About to find out now.”
He pulled a white sheet of paper out and read silently while Curtis watched Bob’s face. When he realized that Bob’s eyes were becoming wider and wider as he came to the conclusion at the bottom of the page, Curtis said, “Well, tell me!”
Bob grinned.
“Jay is my son.”
Overcome with emotion, he sat down at the kitchen table. “I need to call your father. Think that would be all right?”
The Doctor's Wife Page 15
