Chapter Two #2
“The deal I made with your grandmother was we would never tell them. Everything was arranged outside of Birdlane, and as I said, only my personal attorney was involved.”
“But… why…”
“Your grandmother was unable to have children of her own. She had what they called ovulation disorders. We tried many times and finally went to top specialists in Augusta who confirmed her situation, even confirming with some top New York City doctors.
“Both of us were disappointed, but I didn’t want her to think it had any effect on our relationship.
My attorney suggested adoption to me, and for weeks I kept the concept under lock and key, and then one night I brought it up as gently as I could.
She didn’t hesitate; in fact, she was going to try the idea out on me but was equally afraid.
“And then, as if designed by fate, something happened, and we were able to take advantage of it. Your grandmother put out the word that she was pregnant just before we were to take a prolonged winter holiday. People accepted and believed. Word came to me from sources I had alerted that there was a terrible accident, and a woman pregnant with twins was in a coma. The babies were removed, healthy and alive. We were there. Your grandmother went away to ‘give birth.’ We always took a long winter vacation from which I’d return myself to do business.
For her to return with a child, in this case two, seemed normal to everyone.
No one has ever questioned it. Or, maybe, dared to.
They were twins, and your grandmother thought they made us the perfect family, a boy and a girl. ”
He slowly took the papers back, reinserted them in the envelope, and put it back into his inside pocket.
“These are the real birth certificates.”
“So you are saying that my father and Aunt Frances still don’t know.”
“There were many times when I was tempted to tell them, but your grandmother would have been devastated, and I doubted that in the end it would change them much.”
“But now Daddy and Aunt Frances are certainly old enough to know this,” I said.
“As I said, it wouldn’t change anything, only make them both more defensive, even angry.
They’d certainly have more reason to go after each other, which practically became a necessity as they grew up and challenged each other for your grandmother’s and my attention and affection.
I was never properly good at the affection aspect as it was. ”
“But they look so different. Aunt Frances is so tall and thin, with a narrow face and that slightly darker complexion.”
He smiled and leaned toward me. “Maybe she has more Wabanaki blood than Melville.” He laughed, but I didn’t.
“Seriously, there is a way of explaining it. Twins who don’t look alike are called fraternal twins because they develop from two separate eggs fertilized by two different sperm, meaning they share only about fifty percent of their DNA, similar to any other siblings, and can have distinct appearances, unlike identical twins, who share the same genetic makeup and usually look very similar. ”
I let it all digest for a moment. He sat quietly, watching me think.
“So, technically, I’m not really your granddaughter,” I said.
His face stiffened, grayed, any hint of a smile and glee gone.
“You are more my granddaughter than ever. I know you’re closer to me than you are to your father, and I’m closer to you than to him.
Don’t ever think otherwise. I love few people, with your mother and you being the top two.
Grandmother Harriet wouldn’t tolerate any other thought. Look what I’ve shared with you.”
“Not even my mother knows this?”
“No. I told you who were the only two. Now there are three who do.”
“What about their birth certificates showing that you and Grandmother were their parents?”
He smiled. “You’re a smart one all right. We had friends in high places who got your grandmother and me what we needed.”
He thought a moment.
“And as I told you,” he said, patting his pocket, “I have their real birth certificates with these papers. Their authenticity is easily checked if necessary. You know it all now, and I am sure you’ll keep it locked away unless it’s ever necessary to release.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about his confidence.
The shock of knowing was one thing, but having it locked in my heart, carrying the burden of the secrecy, was another.
Would I ever look at Daddy and Aunt Frances the same way, and would they ever look at me and realize what I knew?
And what if they did find out and discovered I had been given their secret before them?
“I don’t know, Grandfather. I think I wish you never told me.”
“I wouldn’t have if I didn’t believe in my heart that you’ll need to know this. I am as confident of that as of anything, and you’ll thank me for this.”
“Daddy is so proud of being a Baxter.”
“And right he should be. He’s always had my family name. Earning it is a different thing, but that’s another discussion.”
“But why did you say I would need to know later?”
“Knowledge is power, Lisa. Leave it at that for now.”
Anna reappeared before I could press him further.
“You two could have eaten more,” she complained.
Grandfather didn’t respond. I looked away, and I know she sensed a sensitive moment was at hand. She cleared away the dishes and left.
“Is this why you don’t invite us to live here, Grandfather?”
“No. Partly. I see enough of Melville at work.”
“But it has to be so lonely for you, in so big a house.”
“Your room is always there for you.”
“But I wouldn’t like leaving Mommy, even for a weekend, and she wouldn’t leave Daddy, despite how they argue at times. He’d resent it and make things harder for her, maybe for us both.”
“Well, it’s agreed you’ll have your seventeenth birthday party here. Your mother’s done all the planning, and besides…” He leaned toward me. “You can invite your poor fisherman boy.”
He had a wry, teasing smile on his face. I knew how he liked to poke Daddy sometimes. “You can make it some sort of sleepover for some girlfriends if you like. I know you kids do those things now.”
“Everyone invited is excited about seeing the Crest.”
“Don’t show them the skeletons in the closet,” he kidded. “Let’s take a walk around the property,” he said, rising. “When you look at it from every angle, every detail, you make it part of yourself.” I rose to join him.
Lately Grandfather had been telling me more and more about the Crest, his voice carrying a weight I hadn’t noticed before.
Sometimes he sounded more like a real estate agent trying to sell it than the owner.
It was as if he was trying to convince himself it was still worth something, that it was still strong despite the years.
Today he showed me small cracks in the foundation and some gutters that needed replacement.
He said the issues were nothing serious.
He had a very good house manager who oversaw any repairs and the landscaping, Brad Lester, who always gave me a big hello and a smile.
He was a man in his fifties who had been born and raised on Birdlane.
People like that did seem to take more pride in their property.
I knew Daddy had always been jealous of Grandfather’s house.
He neglected so much about our own, which usually meant Mommy had to see to things.
Because of what Grandfather had shown me, it was difficult to think of Daddy the same way.
Could I keep that from him? Would it feel like he was more of a stranger?
I didn’t want to ask any more questions.
Truthfully, I didn’t want to know any more.
I always feared my face was a windowpane: one look from either Daddy or Aunt Frances, and all the secrets could be seen.
I didn’t know what made Grandfather so confident about me, but he did say lack of self-confidence would lead to failure. I wasn’t going to disappoint him.
Afterward, Arthur, the family driver, took me home. When we arrived on Slope Street, I saw Jamie waiting for me in front of my house. He looked like he had been pacing.
As soon as Arthur stopped in the driveway, I got out and Jamie came over. We watched Arthur back out and drive off.
“What’s happening?” I asked. He looked so serious.
“I think I got your father enraged at me.”
“How?”
“I just rang your doorbell. I guess your mother isn’t home.
He might have been deep in some business work, and when he opened the door, he practically ripped it off its hinges.
I thought he was just going to slam it shut when he saw it was me.
I apologized and said I was just looking for you to give you a birthday present. ”
“But it’s not until next weekend.”
“I know, but I want to be the first to give you a present this time. I know your sixteenth birthday was special, but you’re going to be seventeen, and soon you’ll…”
“What?”
“You’ll make big decisions in your life for yourself. I mean, you could do most anything without your parents’ permission.”
I stared at him a moment and then took a deep breath.
How much dramatic and earth-shattering news could I stand without just screaming?
The world I knew was changing by the minute.
This wasn’t the time for anything more serious, but how could I say that to Jamie without his asking what was wrong? Who could read me better than he could?
“Is everything all right?” he asked at my silence.
“Yes, yes. My grandfather is showing his age, but it’s all right. You could really wait on the gift.”
“I’d rather not. Okay?”
“Okay,” I said, gazing at the front door. By now Daddy was surely peeking through a window. Where was Mommy? “Let’s go inside,” I said.
“Your house? But…”
I just started for the front door, and he hurried to catch up. The moment we stepped in, Daddy appeared.
“What’s this?” he asked.
I could count on the fingers of one hand how many times Jamie had been here. He never was without Mommy present.