by Savana Jade
“Nothing.” He says resting his hand on hers. I look over to her and she winks. I mouth a thank you and she slightly nods.
As some of the servers take away the dinner plates. Beth, Drew’s mother, announces that she’s made three different types of pies for desert. Gabe’s excitement grows when she mentions coconut cream first. The other two are banana cream and chocolate.
“Mmmm… My favorites.” He says resting his arm over my chair making circles on my shoulder with his fingertips. Slowly, he leans into my ear. “I sure do plan on you eating desert since you didn’t eat but two bites of your dinner.” Immediately, I turn to look at him to argue and he kisses me swiftly. Raising an eyebrow, he continues. “You promised. Remember?”
I smile sweetly, but respond sourly. “How can I forget? My appetite has been the hot topic for the past hour?” He frowns in return but doesn’t say anything. I pat the inside of his leg before apologizing. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for.”
“It’s ok Angel, we just worry about you. I don’t think you realize how much weight you’ve lost lately is all.” He kisses me again as a server places a desert plate in front of me. Gabe waves his hand away refusing him to place one on his setting. “We’ll share a plate. Thank you.” He smiles with a wink.
My eyes widen when he scoops three slices of each pie on my or our plate. “You know you’re eating all of this yourself? Right?” I test the waters with my eating habits. “I don’t even like coconut cream pie.”
“That slice is for me.” He digs his fork into the chocolate one. “And believe me when I say, I know what you do and don’t like.”
“Ugh!” Matt cries from across the table trying to get Danika to eat. “You two make me sick.”
“Don’t hate Matt.” Gabe says as he serves the first bite to me. I try to take half of the forkful, but he insists I take the full bite. My eyes narrow in as I force my mouth to open fully. His does the same to spite me. The chocolate cream pie is to die for.
“Not hating bro. I just didn’t think it would be so… blah.”
“Blah!” Danika says repeating him just before she pats his head with one hand and tries to smack the spoonful of pie out of the other. We all laugh at her, which she thinks is encouraging and she does it again, but this time succeeds with splattering chocolate cream on the table. “Shit!” Matt says backing away so he doesn’t get hit.
“Chit!” she repeats.
“Dani no!” he scolds, but she doesn’t listen.
“Chit chit chit!” she continues. I have to turn my face away from him before he scolds me for laughing.
“Not funny guys!” He cries.
“Did I miss something?” Robert says walking into the dining room. Immediately my eyes rise to meet Gabe’s before looking across the table to see the anger in Brennan’s face.
“Um, I think I’m going to take Danika for her bath.” Ashley stands quickly and lifts her up from her high chair. She has the look of sorrow when she looks around the room. “Just holler if you need me.” She places a hand on Brennan’s shoulder in support before taking Dani out.
“Robert, hello.” Patty says nervously. He nods at her before making his way to the table.
“Looks like I missed dinner.”
“More like ten years of dinners.” My hand that was once resting nicely on Gabe’s thigh is now using his hand as a vice as Brennan replies to dad.
“Good to see you too, son.” Dad says.
Explain
Jenna
“Good to see you too?” Brennan snaps. “That’s all you have to say for being gone without notice for a decade?” I squeeze Gabe’s hand and make eye contact with Drew.
The room is so silent, you can hear a pin drop. Beth and Andrew make eye contact with each other. They aren’t sure if they should stay or leave. Patty stands and mentions maybe taking the conversation into the great room would be best for everyone.
“Maybe we should leave you alone.” Beth mentions.
“Or maybe he should just leave.” Brennan snaps. “That’s something he’s excellent at. Go ahead dad… Show them what you can do. Leave!”
“Beth, let’s get these pies in the kitchen. Bob, will you help with the plates?” Patty takes charge. “Brennan, maybe taking your conversation to the great room will be best?” She says. Before he has a chance to answer, dad drapes his coat over the back of the dining room chair and undoes his tie as he walks toward the great room. Brennan stands and follows him, so does Matt.
“Jenna.” Drew says. I don’t know what to do. He looks toward his dad who’s decided to come and sit beside me.
“Jenna.” He says. “Honey, look at me.” After a few tearful blinks, I turn my attention to Andrew. “Take a deep breath.” I do as he says and he smiles and takes my hand in his. “Now, I’m not speaking to you as a Pastor, I’m speaking to you as my son’s best friend okay?” I nod, dropping another tear from my eye and squeezing Gabe’s hand, making sure he’s still here. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but I also know that you are an extremely strong and powerful woman. You are surrounded by love sweetheart. You know that right?” The knot in my throat refuses to let me speak so I nod again. “Good. You also know that Drew has told me about your past and your family right?”
“Ye.. Yes.” I say after clearing my throat.
“Now, I do want you to know that I don’t think what your father did was right, but since we have been here for a few weeks now, that I did have a chance to speak to him. And as his pastor, we have had a lot of conversations that I cannot share. But I want you to know that no matter what happens. I will be here to support you in every way possible.”
I look at Drew, then back to Andrew and ask. “Will you please go in there with me?” By this time, all the parents are surrounding us. “All of you?” I look up to Patty. “Aunt Patty and Uncle Bob, you’ve been here for us as our parents for longer than I can remember. Will you please help?”
“Oh of course we will dear.” Patty steps around and embraces me in a hug.
“Can you give us a minute?” I ask. Drew’s parents and Matt’s parents both stand and leave the three of us alone. Gabe pulls me into his arms. “Don’t let it get out of hand please?” I plead.
“Never Jems.” Drew says with sorrow. “I’ll make sure of it.”
“I promise you, I won’t let anything happen Angel.” Gabe replies. I nod and take their hands before walking to the great room.
“There’s not a word you can say that will change my mind about you.” Brennan says sitting on the chair. His body is shaking. My breath hitches when I see the pain on his face. I drop Drew and Gabe’s hands and make my way to him. I sit on the arm of the chair before resting my hands on his shoulders to calm both him and me. He rests his arm on my legs. “The only reason I’m here is to follow the rules that mom had written in her will so I can have some of my life back.”
“Son, just give me a chance to explain.” Dad pleads looking at the both of us. “It’s not what you think.”
“No?” Brennan snaps. “Then enlighten us dad. Enlighten all of us and explain to us why after mom leaves, ten years later you do the exact same fucking thing. Leaving me, who barely knew how to take care of myself no less, to raise a teenager on my own.” He chuckles with rage. “They don’t fucking come with an owner’s manual you know.”
“You don’t have to tell me how hard it is to raise a child. I raised you.”
“Bullshit.” I said surprising everyone with my outburst.
“Watch your language young lady.” I stand and walk toward him until I’m toe to toe with him.
“I said. Bullshit!” He takes a step back. “Like I said before, you lost the right to speak to me like your child a long time ago.”
“You are my child. And you will listen to what I have to say.” He snaps. “You both will.”
“And you think we will listen?” Brennan stand directly behind me, his hands rest on my shoulders, slowly pulling me back from dad. “Do you
have any idea what you did to us dad? When mom left, we had no clue what we did wrong. But we adapted. We learned to live without her. We were young enough to make a change. But when you left?” Dad drops his face and stares at the ground. “You broke us dad! She wouldn’t talk for months. MONTHS! Will finally got her talking. She thought she was the one that pushed you and mom away. Do you even realize what I had to do to keep her? Yes I was eighteen, but I was still a kid. The courts almost took her away from me.”
“I… I didn’t know.” Dad’s voice is filled with sorrow.
“Of course you didn’t know. You weren’t there!” Brennan yells. “No one was.”
“I had to do what was best.”
“No! You did what you wanted. What was best was to stay where you were to help raise your daughter and son.”
“Oh come on Brennan, you were already taking care of Jenna.” Dad argues. Brennan pushes me aside before charging dad.
“Because you left me no choice.” Matt and Drew take him and pull him back. “You were just a body of a man.” He points to Patty and Bob. “They acted more like our parents than you ever did.”
“Why do you think that is Brennan, huh?” Dad snaps back. “Do you think it was simply because they did it out of the kindness of their own hearts?”
“That’s not fair Robert.” Patty says.
“What?” Brennan, Matt and I say at the same time.
“They were paid off.” Dad says.
“No, we weren’t.” Bob steps in. “We never cashed the checks she sent us. Not one check was cashed. And if it was, it was to help the children when they needed it the most.”
“Will someone explain what the hell is happening here?” I cry out. Within seconds, Gabe is at my side holding me from behind. “You were paid off?”
“No!” Aunt Patty cries, walking toward me, taking my hands in hers. “No sweetheart. Your mother tried to send us checks to help support you and your brother, but like Bob said. We never cashed them. They were all returned. Except one or two, and that was when we knew you two were struggling financially.”
“When did we not struggle?” Brennan asks. “For fucks sake. I had to sell drugs to keep us afloat.” He turns toward dad. “Do you think I was proud of that? And assuming you know everything about our lives, since Matt told us mom’s been keeping tabs on us since she left, that your daughter spent three months in rehab. Something that wouldn’t have happened if you wouldn’t have left.”
“Why didn’t you mention you needed help?” Dad asks.
“Are you shitting me?” Brennan charges dad. “When did we not need help?” He pushes dad. “Why weren’t you there when we needed you the most?” He begins to cry, the tears have been pouring from my eyes. “Where were you when the truck flipped three fucking times? Where were you when the doctors told me that there was a good chance that the drugs she used could have caused permanent damage to her brain? Where the hell were you when we had to bury our best friend? My brother?” His body shakes violently until he falls to his knees and sobs. Before my legs give out, Gabe sits me down. I slide myself down to hug Brennan from behind. “You were nowhere to be found dad. Matt and his parents were there. Gabe was there for both me and her. But you weren’t. Why dad? Why?”
He reaches his hand down and rests it on Brennan’s head. “I’m so sorry son. If I would have known, I would have been here.” He drops to his knees before us. He leans over the both of us and continues to apologize and cry. Brennan reaches out and wraps his arms around me and dad.
~~~
After what seems like forever, and the sobs subside, Brennan pulls me back with him to stand. Dad gets up and does the same and before he sits across from us, his gaze falls on Gabriel. Gabe stands behind me and rests his hand on my waist. Reflexively, I rest my hand on his, needing his touch more than anything right now. Dad notices this as well as the ring on my finger. His eyes narrow. Gabe reaches his hand out to him.
“Guess you’re wondering who I am? I’m Gabriel, Jenna’s…”
“Fiancé.” Brennan interrupts before Gabe has a chance to finish. Every head in the room turns toward him. “Gabe is Jenna’s fiancé. He more or less proposed to her this afternoon.”
“Brennan?” I ask carefully before turning to look at Gabe. His face is just as confused as mine. “Bren? Bro, are you okay man?” Gabe asks.
“Look, I know this isn’t the right time, but hey. I’m tired of fighting what I should have done after the accident.” He takes one of my hands, and reaches for Gabe’s. I’m not sure if he’s doing this to get a rise out of my dad or if he’s truly means what he says. “Gabe, you have shown me that you can take care of my sister almost as good as I can, if not better. I can only imagine how much love you have for her. But I also know that there’s nothing in this world that will stop you from protecting her. It was you that had her in your arms like a seatbelt when we flipped all those times, and she lived.” His eyes glance over us to Ashley who’s standing at the door with the baby monitor in one hand. The look she has on her face shows so much love and compassion for him. I have no doubt that they have a glimpse of what Gabe and I have. “Look, you guys know I’m shit at this. So I want you both to know…” He pauses looking between us both. “That you have my blessing. And I would be damn proud to officially call you my brother.” He pulls on both our hands and wraps his arms around both of us.
“I love you Brennan.” I say crying on his chest. “Love you too Jems.”
“Bren, no words…” Gabe chokes out.
“No words needed bro. Love you too man.” Brennan replies.
The sound of someone clearing his voice breaks us apart. Dad has his hand offered to Gabe. “I guess congratulations are in order?”
“Um, yes.” Gabe takes his hand in his, looking across to Brennan. “Gabriel Gonzales. And I am Jenna’s fiancé.” He states proudly, gesturing to his sister who is now standing by Brennan. “And that’s my older sister Ashley.” Brennan wraps his arm around her as she offers her hand to him.
“Ashley, nice to meet you.” Dad says nicely. She remains quiet, but only nods. As dad takes a seat across from us, Patty sits beside him, followed by Bob. Brennan, Gabe, Ashley and I take our seat opposite them. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson decide to take a few chairs from the bar and sit alongside Drew and Matt who have opted to pull up a few chairs from the writing desk.
“Dad.” Brennan says as calmly as possible, taking my hand in his. “I’m warning you now. This is your only chance to explain yourself to Jenna and me. I’m not saying that you’re forgiven in any way. Because, frankly, after ten years of being gone and finding out you’ve been with mom all along.” He huffs, shaking his head. “Just tell us why?”
Dad’s aged well. Looking at him gives me a better vision of how Brennan will look when he gets older. However, I’m really not sure if Brennan will be willing to cut his hair anytime soon. Dad runs his hands up and down his face and through his hair, obviously trying to figure out what to say. His hands, the hands I use to memorize when I was a little girl when he would let me play with them while he rested on the couch look much different. The roughness of them are gone, but replaced with softer wrinkles. His hair is kept up and even though his face has aged, I can still see the worry in his eyes that was always there.
He leans onto his knees and looks down to his hands before looking up to us. “We were in trouble.” His softer, calmer voice comes out.
“Dad, you’re gonna have to give us more than that.” Brennan says.
“I know.” He rests his head in his hands. “I’m no good at this.”
“Why don’t you start from the beginning?” I suggest. He looks up to me with glossed over eyes.
“You know, every time I look at you, I see your mother.” A tear falls from his face. “Always have.”
“Is that why you left me?” I ask honestly. The tears I’ve been holding back are trying to make their way forward. “I just want to know what we could have done that was so bad that would cause both ou
r parents to leave us.”
“Oh Jenna. No princess. It wasn’t like that.” He shakes his head in defeat. “No.”
“Then what was it like? Because I would really like to know.” I ask letting a tear fall. Gabriel rests his arm over my shoulder, I lean into him while keeping my hand held tightly with Brennan’s.
“Your mom and I were financially in trouble. I was laid off and couldn’t find work. I searched and searched for a job, but there just wasn’t any.” He looks at Brennan. “Mom didn’t know what to do anymore, so she did what she thought she had to do to. She didn’t want you two to jump from house to house. That was one of the agreements we made before you were born.”
“I don’t understand why her leaving has anything to do with us?” Brennan questions.
“She sent a letter to your grandparents.” Dad admits.
“But.” Brennan interrupts. “I thought our grandparents were dead.”
“No son. That’s what we wanted you to think. You see,” He stands suddenly and begins to pace. This is obviously a Munson trait. Brennan does the same thing when he is nervous. “Mom’s parents despised me. They disowned her when she told them that we were engaged. But she didn’t care, we were in love.” His eyes travel to me and Gabe. Gabe squeezes my hand. “We were hell bent on doing things our way. So we moved away from one ocean to the other, but not before stopping in Vegas to get married. I found a good job, we used the money she had in her trust fund to put a nice down payment on the house. Shortly after, she became pregnant. With you.” He gestures to Brennan.
“She was so happy, your mom. She just knew you were going to be a boy.” He smiles at his memory. “I came home from work one day and she had painted your room blue. That was her way of telling me she was pregnant.” He looks over to me. “She did the same for you. You had the prettiest baby pink walls with butterflies painted all around.” My head drops as a tear falls from my face onto my lap. I don’t want him to see me crying.
“But then I got laid off. When I couldn’t find a job, she did what she thought she had to do to keep us from losing the house. She wrote to your grandparents. I had no clue she had done so.” He turns away from us before finishing. “Not until I got a letter from her. The day she left us.” He turns to look at Brennan. “I’m sure you remember that day?” He asks. Brennan hiccups and nods. “Your grandparents… Your grandparents had written her the day before. Told her that they would pay off the house and leave a substantial amount of money in the bank for us, if she left us and returned home.”
