by Mia Villano
The day of the funeral was dismal for everyone. The warm weather they had the past few days, gave way to snow and wind.
Steven arrived early and helped Michael get ready.
Jeannie had a challenging morning. To know what lay in front of her became overwhelming. This was the second funeral in two years and the thought of it being her beautiful daughter didn’t hit her till that morning.
Marsha was walking around in her bra and underwear trying to get ready. “Jeannie, here. Take this.”
“I don’t want anything to numb me, Marsha.”
“Shush and take the pill. It’s an herbal valium like the one I gave you before. Very low. The herbs will help you stay calm. You will need the whole bottle spending the day with the troll of a mother alone. Here, let me zip you up in the back. You look beautiful by the way.”
Jeannie could have cared less. She had no makeup on and barely was able to put on her clothes.
Jeannie swallowed the pill with no water and let her best friend zip up her funeral dress. The black simple sheath was the same one she wore to bury her husband, and she would wear the same dress again to bury her beautiful daughter.
“The food will be delivered and set up when we leave. It’s handled. With as popular as Lydia was, we will have a big crowd.”
She didn’t care what happened after the ceremony. She had to get through the funeral, and the day. Nothing else mattered to her. Jeannie felt like she was in a dream as she put on her heels and tried to comb her hair. Once again, Marsha took over and styled her hair, and put a little makeup on her pale face.
The funeral mass was seen to by Father Dave. Hooty spoke about Lydia and the special feeling she had being in her presence. There wasn’t an empty chair; filled up with Lydia’s friends and classmates. The entire school was there, along with the nurses and doctors that treated her the short time she was in the hospital. Jeannie held herself together pretty well with the help of the valium. The worst part was when they played Lydia’s favorite music. It was a little too much for her, and she started to cry. Victoria was embarrassed at her daughters state, and tried to settle her down without making too much of a scene. Marsha was right there by her side as she always was to hold her up and keep her strong. When Marsha felt Jeannie’s legs give out, she was there to keep her steady.
After the service everyone stopped over to Marsha and John’s house. The entire group of Lydia’s friends came and stayed very late. Steven wouldn’t come. He snuck out of the funeral before anyone. With the commotion, Jeannie needed to be left alone after the funeral. She left to lie down for a while. Victoria’s flight was early the next morning, so she said her goodbyes and headed back to her hotel room. Marsha had John take her to the hotel and Jeannie could not be more relieved when she saw the car pull out with her sitting in the passenger side. Michael was having a good time with his friends from church, but Jeannie had enough. The long mournful day was finally over. After the last guest left and a friend asked for Michael to spend the night, Jeannie asked Marsha to take her to the cemetery. When darkness approached her mournful thoughts took over. Suddenly, she remembered her baby was lying in a coffin outside in the rain. The panic and despair hit her like a lightning bolt when she realized her Lydia was alone in the dark. Marsha didn’t know what to do with her other than load her into the car and drive her to the cemetery. Jeannie brought a blanket, music, a book, and a flashlight. Thankfully, the cemetery was only a couple of miles from the house, but the rain was coming down hard. The drive proved to be a nightmare as Jeannie cried and screamed and begged Marsha to drive faster. All she thought about was her baby out in the cold and dark, scared and crying for her mom.
“Hurry, Marsha. I’m not with her and I know its cold outside. I have to cover her up.” When they pulled up to the gate, the cemetery was dark. Jeannie took out her flashlight and walked to her daughter’s grave crying and saying her name repeatedly. She was oblivious to the pouring rain soaking her.
“I’m coming, Lydia. Mom’s here.” Once she walked to the new mound of dirt she put a blanket down and threw herself on top of the mud. She was covered in mud as the rain soaked her and Marsha.
Marsha had an umbrella and tried to hold it over her head. The umbrella didn’t help. Jeannie was not sitting still. The mud was caked on her as she cried and screamed for her daughter.
“Jeannie, it’s okay. Please, baby. This isn’t good for anyone. You have to hold on, Jeannie.”
“I want my baby. She’s alone out here.”
“No, she isn’t. Vince is right beside her. See?” Marsha pointed the flashlight at the headstone next to Lydia’s. And as if she realized how crazy she acted, Jeannie seemed to snap out of her hysterics. She looked into Marsha’s face and something happened.
“I’m so sorry, Marsha. I’m so sorry,” she cried. Jeannie grabbed her in her arms. There was mud everywhere.
“It’s going to be okay. I’m here.” They held each other in the pouring rain as Jeannie relaxed into her arms and realized she needed to go home.
The first few days after the funeral were a blur to Jeannie. After the night at the cemetery, she focused on Michael and being there for him as much as possible. Michael was unable to go to school because he was so unhappy the first couple weeks. Jeannie called the school and discussed the situation with his principal. Since he was such a good student, and because of the circumstances, he was able to bring his work home. The hospital bed and the equipment from hospice planned to be taken away one day while Jeannie was out. Michael slept upstairs again, so Jeannie was left alone downstairs. The loneliness and quietness bothered her. Jeannie wasn’t ready to let go of so much at one time. The pain of losing two people she loved hit her hard when she was alone. That night she cried herself to sleep in the darkness.
One Saturday afternoon while Jeannie was resting, Vince’s cell phone rang again. Jeannie caught it in time and answered the phone on the first ring.
“Hello,” she sleepily said.
“Hello,” a quiet voice spoke up on the other line. Jeannie sat up in bed.
“Who is this?” Jeannie asked. The voice sounded like a younger girl. All sorts of scenarios went through her mind while she sat there and waited for an answer. Was she a girlfriend? Was she some girl that stalked him? Could she just have the same number?
“Is this Vince Franklin’s phone?”
“Is this a joke?” Jeannie asked. “I’m not finding the humor in this in any way.”
“No. This is his number. I’ve called this number a hundred times,” said the girl on the other end.
“This was his number. Vince has been dead for two years. Please tell me whose calling?” asked Jeannie.
The person on the other end hung up. Jeannie had enough of the secrets, so she called the number back.
This time the girl hesitated again and didn’t say anything. .
“Who are you?” asked Jeannie.
After a long silence the girl answered her.
“Carmen, I’m Vince Franklin’s daughter. I’m sorry I called. I had no idea someone…that someone would answer.”
Chapter 13
“You must have the wrong Vince Franklin,” said Jeannie, confused by the conversation.
“Is this the Vince Franklin from Cooke College in the 90’s and died in a motorcycle accident two years ago?” asked the voice on the other line.
“Hello? Are you still there?” asked the girl on the other line.
“Yes, it’s the same Vince. What is it that you want?” asked Jeannie. This conversation had her perplexed to say the least.
“My mom was Katherine. You may remember her as Katherine Foster from college?” said Carmen.
This was the girl Vince was seeing when they met. Her mother was Katherine.
“Can I meet you somewhere? You must know I have a lot of questions to ask. How old are you?” asked Jeannie.
“I’m twenty, and yes, I want to meet you. Are you Jeannie?”
“How do you know my name?�
�� asked Jeannie.
“I guess we can talk when we meet. It’s a long story. I saw you at his funeral,” said Carmen. Jeannie was speechless.
Surprisingly, Carmen lived an hour away. They decided to meet later that afternoon, halfway.
Jeannie hung up Vince’s phone in complete shock. This was the first she’d heard of anything about another daughter from Vince, ever. She lay there in the bed for an hour going over everything in her mind. A daughter? She’s twenty years old. This is why they never heard from Katherine again.
She heard Marsha rummaging around upstairs. Was it necessary to tell her what happened? Not now, she would wait till after this so-called meeting. Who knows if this was a daughter or maybe an old girlfriend he had coming out to surprise her.
Apprehensively, she made her way to the restaurant later that afternoon. They were meeting at the Black Kettle diner. She ate there before with Marsha when they went flea marketing. Carmen said she would be driving an older blue Honda and sure enough, the car was in the parking lot when Jeannie pulled up. Jeannie walked inside and saw a girl sitting alone with her back to the door.
Walking up she was in shock at what she saw. There, sitting in front of her was Vince’s face, his eyes, his mouth, and his dark hair. She looked like Vince and Lydia put together. Carmen, dressed like a model with a designer handbag and designer clothes, looked classy and stunning.
“You must be Jeannie,” she said, smiling a nervous smile at her.
“You must be Carmen,” Jeannie said back to her. Carmen stood up and hugged her. Jeannie was taken back by her forwardness. She was so much like Vince when he met someone new. No one was a stranger to him. Jeannie slid into the booth opposite from her, gazing into eyes that were the same as her daughters. Fighting back tears, she ordered a cup of coffee from the waitress and tried to look away. Carmen ordered a burger, fries and a chocolate shake, exactly what Lydia would have ordered.
“I’m sorry this didn’t happen sooner. I worried about meeting you. I had no idea if you even knew I existed.”
Her long, manicured nails were styled in a French manicure. Jeannie noticed she was wearing a simple gold Cartier bracelet and gold ring on her right hand. Tall like her father and sister, she looked stunning.
“No, I did not know anything. Please, I’m sorry I keep staring it’s just, you look like my daughter that passed away. You have no idea how much you two look alike.”
“Wow, I’ve didn’t get to meet my sister. Do you have a picture? I saw her from a distance at the funeral and a boy too,” she asked.
“And you have a brother. I have a son named, Michael. Please tell me about yourself.” Jeannie dug through her purse to find a pictures. She had one of Lydia standing in the driveway before a track meet in her uniform, smiling. Her hair was up in her usual ponytail and she was giving the peace sign.
Jeannie tried not to look at the picture of her daughter. “Here she is before she became sick.” Her hands shook as she reached across the table to hand Carmen the picture.
“Wow, we do look alike. What happened to her?”
Jeannie swallowed back tears. “She died of a brain tumor. Her death was fast and sudden.”
“First my dad, and your daughter, it must have been hard on you.” said Carmen, looking Jeannie right in the eyes.
“It’s been a nightmare, to say the least,” she said.
“Well, I didn’t know Vince was my father until he passed away. To be fair to him, my mom said he didn’t know about me. My mom was pregnant with me and said that he broke up with her the night she planned on telling him. She was so angry, she decided keep me a secret. She married my step father, Kane, and he raised me like he was my father. It wasn’t until the paper came out and said Vince died, that my mom told me the true story. I was extremely pissed to say the least. I mean who does something like that? My mother passed away last year as well and left me with my stepfather. I looked up Vince’s company in the paper and that’s how I found his phone number. I used to call to listen to his voice on the voice mail. I’m sorry I did this to you with everything you’ve been going through recently. I just wanted to hear his voice. I hope I didn’t hurt you.” There were tears in her eyes while she was talking to Jeannie.
Jeannie reached over and touched her hand. If she learned anything from Lydia’s death, it was to not sweat the small things in life, to live and be good to people. This was one of those times.
“Please, it’s okay. I’m sorry this has happened to you too. I had no idea, and I know Vince didn’t either. If he knew he would have had you in his life, no matter what. He was a good and honorable man.”
Carmen’s food came, coffees were refilled, and she ate her sandwich as fast as the waitress put it down in front of her.
“Tell me about my brother and sister,” said Carmen.
“Well, your sister passed away six months ago with a brain tumor. She was sixteen. Your brother is going to be thirteen, and he is becoming a handful. The death of his sister was hard on him. They were close, and became closer when I had to go back to work. Lydia looked after him every day, made dinner, helped him with his homework, and managed to keep her grades up. How did your mom pass away?” Jeannie asked, sipping her coffee. Jeannie was stunned that Katherine died. She was so beautiful, young, and full of life when she met her.
“She had a heart attack. She was in complete physical shape and ran every day. One morning she went for a run and dropped dead. I was in college and Kane, my dad, was out of town. He’s a congressman and just flew out that morning to Washington, D.C. when my mom collapsed. Police came to the school to get me.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, Carmen. Were you close?”
“Yes, we were. My dad took my mom’s death pretty bad. He knows I’m meeting you today, and worried how our lunch would turn out. Dad offered to come with me.”
“I’m sure he’s worried. You’re meeting a complete stranger, married to the man that’s your father you didn’t know existed. This sounds like a soap opera or a bad country song.” They both laughed.
They talked for another hour about Vince, Lydia, and her mother. Carmen called and spoke to her father, Kane, and he told her to invite Jeannie and Michael over next week. Jeannie agreed, but figured she would get out of going somehow. She wasn’t in the mood to meet the man married to Katherine Foster. He may be angry, upset, or too snobby for Jeannie. Jeannie gave Carmen the pictures she had of Michael and Lydia and they said goodbye in the parking lot between more hugs and a few tears.
Jeannie drove home with a sense of peace and so many questions. Why had Katherine kept this from Vince? Was she a cold hearted woman that wanted revenge? Her heart broke for Carmen losing her mother at such a young age and not knowing her real father.
She had so much to talk to Marsha about. When she got home, Marsha waited for her on the back patio wondering where she had been.
“You did what?” she yelled.
“I didn’t want a crowd. I knew she was harmless,” said Jeannie.
“This could have been a well-constructed plan to murder you. There are people who do this on purpose and stalk and kill you.”
“Marsha, you are not peace and love anymore. What’s happening to you? I knew she was harmless. She looks like Lydia,” said Jeannie, a tear come to her eye.
“Please, please, next time tell me so I at least know where you are at,” she begged, and Jeannie ignored her.
As promised Carmen called Jeannie later that week and asked her to come over for dinner. Jeannie was going to get out of going. She had a change of heart when she heard the excitement in Carmen’s voice over meeting her brother. Michael wasn’t as excited.
“Why do I have to go and meet these stupid people?” yelled Michael, kicking the coffee table with his shoe.
“Because she is your half-sister. I explained this to you. Don’t argue, get ready to go,” said Jeannie. Michael was being so difficult. Jeannie tried to explain to him about Carmen. He didn’t understand or he just didn�
��t want to. Since Lydia died he has been so angry and the last thing Jeannie wanted to do was confuse him more. She thought about this a long time and came to the conclusion going to their house might do him some good. She decided to tell Marsha a few minutes before they left.
“I want an address in case you don’t come back,” said Marsha.
“Shut up, crazy. She was the sweetest thing ever. I will have them over here if this turns out well. Remember, I’m a grown woman and I can handle this.”
“If you live to tell about it. I told you, they are a couple of psychos that read about you in the paper and now are going in for the kill,” said Marsha.
“You are losing it,” said Jeannie, laughing at Marsha’s craziness.
“I have to look out for you. Not everyone is like me. There are real crazies out there Jeannie, waiting to pounce,” she said, cracking herself up with her comments.
“I’ll be fine. It’s Michael who should concern you right now. He’s planning to kill me in my sleep,” said Jeannie, putting on makeup for the first time since Lydia died.
“I will have John spend tomorrow with him. He’s confused and angry, Jeannie. Now he has this new person in his life that appeared just to confuse him more,” said Marsha. She was staring at Jeannie.
“Why are you staring at me?” she asked, applying mascara.
“You look so beautiful. Who knew this beauty queen lived in there? What a little mascara does for you is incredible,” she said.
“Please, I want to make a good first impression.”
“I’m glad you do, but what if this father is a serial killer? I’m thinking about following you when you leave.”
Chapter 14
The second she pulled in the driveway, she fell in love with their house. It was a huge farm house resembling an updated version of the Walton’s. A huge weeping willow was out front, a barn sat in the back, and four beautiful brown horses grazed out in the field. Carmen and her father, were standing on the porch when Jeannie arrived. Before she even turned the car off, she had strict instructions to text Marsha.
