The Truth is in the Wine

by Curtis Bunn

  “Dad, it can’t be that serious? Is anyone dying?”

  “No, no one’s dying, Helena.”

  “Then tell me now. I don’t want to wait.”

  Paul looked around the car for a consensus and everyone shook their heads “no.”

  “Baby, come home this weekend so we can sit down as a family.”

  “Dad, what is it? That I’m adopted?”

  Paul nearly veered off the road. “What?”

  “Dad, come on. I’m eighteen. You told me this two years ago.”

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  He looked around the car and was greeted by puzzled faces.

  “Daddy, you and I stayed home one weekend when Mommy went on that bus trip with Grandma Madeline to Savannah,” Helena said. “You and I cooked dinner and then I went to the movies with my friends. You said you were going to stay home and drink some wine that you ordered. Malbec, I think it was.

  “When I got home that night, you were watching TV and I asked you how the wine was. You said it was so good you were into the second bottle. I didn’t think that was a lot at the time, so I sat down with you and you just told me.”

  “I…I can’t believe this. What did I say?”

  “You said you and Mommy love me very much and that you had to tell me something very important and that I had to listen really carefully. You said, ‘You are your mom’s and my daughter. We raised you from the first days you were born. But you did not come out of your mother’s stomach. We adopted you.’

  “I didn’t say anything. Then you said, ‘Listen, you are our child.’

  “I asked you whose stomach I came out of and you said, ‘Her name is Rita.’ You said if I wanted to meet her and the man who got her pregnant—you were so cute; you wouldn’t call him my ‘dad’ or ‘father’—that you and Mommy would make it happen. I said, ‘No. You are my parents.’

  “I was trying to let it go but that wine had taken over. You said, ‘They are probably good people but they did some bad things, so they are in prison.’ You told me their story. Then you started crying, Dad. You said you were sorry that you made Mommy not tell me before then. I said it was ‘OK because we are a family and I love you both, no matter what a birth certificate says.’ ”

  Ginger wept, again. “Did I say anything else? I can’t believe this,” Paul said.

  “You said, ‘Your mother and I love you with everything we have.’ And we hugged and you passed out. And I just laid there in your arms and fell asleep, too.”

  “Oh, my God,” Paul said. “Why didn’t you say anything after that?”

  “Because it didn’t matter,” she said. “You are my parents.”

  “I’m so sorry we didn’t tell you the right way,” Ginger said.

  “Mom, it’s OK, it’s fine,” Helena said. “I love you.”

  “Still,” Ginger said, “we want you to come home so we can talk about it together.”

  “OK,” Helena said. “What are the other two things?”

  Paul was so emotional he couldn’t talk. Ginger wiped her face and said, “Well, your daddy told me something last night that was shocking.”

  “That he hit the lottery?” Helena said.

  “What? How could you know that?” Ginger said. “Did you tell her, Paul?’

  “No,” he said.

  “Daddy didn’t tell me,” Helena said. “Grandpa did.”

  “That damn James,” Brenda said. “He knew?”

  “Yeah, I told Dad about a month ago,” Paul said.

  “You told him but not me?” Brenda asked.

  Paul said, “I told him because I knew—or I thought—he could keep a secret. I know you can’t, Ma.”

  “Well, I’ll be damned. What secret haven’t I told?” Brenda inquired.

  “Do I really need to list them, Ma?” Paul said.

  Brenda thought about it and said, “Never mind.”

  “So you know about the money? Why did he tell you?” Ginger said.

  “Well, I call Grandpa probably every two weeks,” Helena said. “We had our ‘pop’ call — that’s what he calls it. And I asked him: ‘So, Grandpa, what’s really going on with the family?’ And he said, ‘You’re my little angel and I cannot lie to you.’ And he told me. He said you would tell me when the time was right and to not say anything until he said it was OK. Last night he said it was OK.”

  “So how do you feel about it?” Madeline asked.

  “I feel good because now I can finish college without my parents having to spend all their money,” she said. “I felt kinda guilty about that.”

  “What a sweetheart you are, Helena,” Brenda said.

  “My goodness,” Paul said. “OK, so we have that to talk about to and how we’re going to manage it and not let it manage us.”

  “OK,” Helena said. “So I guess that means the third thing to talk about is the baby.”

  “Huh?” Paul shrieked. “This is crazy. Who told you about the baby?”

  “Grandma Madeline and Grandma Brenda called me this morning,” Helena said.

  Paul and Ginger turned around to look at their parents.

  “See what I mean, Ma?” Paul said.

  “I’m sorry,” they said in unison. “We were too excited. The girl needed to know she’s going to be a big sister. That’s a big thing. She has to prepare for that,” Madeline said.

  “I totally agree,” Brenda said, smiling.

  “But we talked about this last night,” Ginger said. “She should not have gotten the news from you.”

  “It’s OK, Mommy,” Helena said.

  “Soooo, how you feel about that, Helena?” Paul asked his daughter.

  “I’m so happy,” she said. “I can’t wait. I hope it’s a girl. Then I can dress her and show her the ropes. But then again, if it’s a boy I can teach him about girls and when he gets old enough he can beat up boys that get on my nerves.”

  “I can do that for you,” Paul said. “Gladly… Anyway, I guess that’s it. You’re all caught up.”

  “Nobody gonna mention that Grandma Brenda is in love?” Helena said.

  “Ah, what did you say?” Brenda said.

  “Mommy told me that you met your childhood sweetheart last night and you’re still in love with him,” she answered.

  Everyone looked at Ginger in astonishment.

  “Helena, we’re going to call you later, when we get home,” Ginger said.

  “OK, have a safe trip,” Helena said, laughing. “I love you all. And have a drink for me.”

  READER DISCUSSION GUIDE

  Questions to help facilitate a book club or group discussion (Don’t cheat and read these questions before reading the book. :-) ) :

  1. Have you experienced getting a loose tongue under the power of alcohol? What was the occasion(s)? What secret or truth did you reveal?

  2. Was it acceptable for Paul to keep his incredibly good news a secret from his wife until he learned that she wanted to make the marriage work?

  3. Considering Ginger’s emotional state at the time, do you understand her drastic decision she revealed in California that really upset Paul?

  4. What is your position on telling a child he/she is adopted? Should you reveal it or keep it concealed? Why?

  5. How would you accept learning your father had killed or contributed to someone’s death in protecting you?

  6. Would you, as Ginger did, have tried to make the marriage work after your husband (or wife) told you he/she wanted a divorce?

  7. What did you think of Paul’s jail experience?

  8. What did you think of the main characters telling funny stories that they had not shared with anyone?

  9. Were you surprised by the twist with Mitchell and Brenda? What did you think of it?

  10. How would a trip with you, your mother, mother-in-law and spouse turn out?

  THE CRAFT

  WRITING The Truth Is In The Wine

  I typed the final words of this book at exactly 1:59 p.m. on Friday, Fe
bruary 1, 2013. I let out a sigh of relief, closed my laptop and placed it on the hotel bed. I then retrieved a bottle of Fairview Mourvèdre, a red wine that traveled with me from Atlanta to Chesapeake, Virginia, where a book party was to be held for me that evening for my previous release, Homecoming Weekend.

  I saved the wine, purchased six months before in Cape Town, South Africa, just for this occasion. And it was good.

  In the past, I celebrated completing books by cooking, which is one of my favorite pastimes, along with golf and more golf and movies and making cocktails. In this case, considering the title of the work and the relief that came with finishing it, wine was the appropriate way to mark the occasion.

  It was appropriate the way you might need a libation at the end of a long day, to, at once, steady the nerves and to reward yourself for surviving the challenge. That’s how I felt: accomplished and like I had endured in the face of significant odds.

  The truth is, staring at an empty computer screen with the idea of filling it with eighty thousand words is quite a daunting thing. Even after having written five other novels, it remains intimidating. But it is an amazing thing when the characters you create grow and live inside you. You take their journey together, making it kind of strange when you are done and it is time to discard these “people” that have resided in you and become a part of you for so long.

  The good news is that Paul, Ginger, Madeline and Brenda will never leave me; they will hover in the recesses of my mind, and probably emerge again and demand that I write a sequel.

  They were fun characters because they were honest. They said things they wanted to say, things that were on their heart. Many times it was the influence of the wine that released those reservations, but at least they cleared their conscience. Some of us cannot say that.

  To get to their place, I had go to Napa and indulge in the wine, take in the country, breathe the spirit of the place. And it was a wonderful experience. For someone who has gained a strong interest in wines, it was great research.

  Strange, but I find myself still “researching,” even though the book is done! That’s how much I enjoyed learning about wines and ingesting them. Now, wine is very much a part of my life.

  I sipped wine as I read back on this book, and I was reminded of the deadline pressure I put on myself. In the last forty-five days I had to write about fifty-five thousand words. I was doing more research (if you know what I mean) than writing.

  But in that last month and a half, the book took life, as I crafted storylines that challenged love and piqued curiosities. The characters became more clear to me—and more complex. The themes of the dilemmas strengthen as characters’ inhibitions weakened.

  For an author, it is a beautiful place to be—in command of your imagination and story, knowing where you are going and how you’re going to get there. I found myself writing wherever I was—the couch, bed, coffee shop, airplane, airport, dining room table. When you feel like you must write to feel good about yourself, well, that’s where you want to be.

  “Truth” was no more difficult or easy to write than any other book. But it is always a challenge to create interesting characters with interesting stories. It is in the complexities of each that make a book thought provoking. I had fun doing that.

  So I partook of the wine when I was done, and I have not failed to think of this book each time I have poured a glass since then. It’s like each sip represents a celebration of the work.

  CURTIS BUNN’S FAVORITE WINES

  I am hardly a wine connoisseur, but I have grown to really appreciate it, how it is made and cultivated. And I enjoy it. I make sure some wine is consumed on most days, especially reds because of the health benefits. (Wink, wink.) Here are my ten favorite wines. If you try any of them, I hope you enjoy.

  —Curtis

  REDS

  TOBIN JAMES FAT BOY ZINFANDEL 2008: “Sex in a bottle,” it was described to me by Frank Ski of Frank Ski Restaurant in Atlanta. And I get his point. 16.2 percent alcohol. Need I say more?

  THE PRISONER ZINFANDEL: “Subtle hints of berries and spice. The more you consume, the more you want.”

  FAIRVIEW PINOTAGE 2010 (SOUTH AFRICA): “Distinct flavor and taste. Perhaps my favorite wine of all. Good for celebrating.”

  PHEBUS (MENDOZA) MALBEC: “Spicy and flavorful. Good to drink while in bed watching a good movie.”

  STERLING 2007 RESERVE CABERNET SAUVIGNON: “Elegant wine that makes you want to close your eyes with every sip.”

  WHITES

  OYA RIESLING: “Flavorful and delicate. Delicious. My favorite white wine of all. Order it at www.oyawines.com.”

  ST. SUPERY CHARDONNAY 2009: “There’s a sexiness to this wine, first consumed at The Lamb’s Club in New York—or maybe it was just the woman drinking it…”

  STERLING VIOGNIER 2011: “First of all, it looks great in the glass—light and bright and ready to take in. It’s refreshing and fruity, but not too sweet.”

  ZOLO SAUVIGNON-BLANC: “Crisp and light, ideal for a summer day while wearing sunglasses, sitting out on a patio. Cool and refreshing.”

  VEUVE CLIQUOT PONSARDIN (champagne): “The ultimate celebratory drink. I’ll take this over any other champagne. It is refreshing with fruit flavors bursting in every sip. Just look for the orange label. Want to impress? This is the one for every toast.”

  Credit: Gwen Bunn

  Curtis Bunn is an Essence magazine #1 bestselling author of five novels, including Baggage Check, That Was Then, This Is Now, A Cold Piece of Work and Homecoming Weekend. He is the founder of the National Book Club Conference, an organization that hosts an annual literary event for African-American readers and authors. Visit the author at www.curtisbunn.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

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  ALSO BY CURTIS BUNN

  Homecoming Weekend

  A Cold Piece of Work

  Strebor Books

  P.O. Box 6505

  Largo, MD 20792

  http://www.streborbooks.com

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  © 2013 by Curtis Bunn

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means whatsoever. For information address Strebor Books, P.O. Box 6505, Largo, MD 20792.

  ISBN 978-1-59309-503-1

  ISBN 978-1-4767-1146-1 (ebook)

  LCCN 2013933667

  First Strebor Books trade paperback edition October 2013

  Cover design: www.mariondesigns.com

  Cover photograph: © Keith Saunders/Marion Designs

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