Read Online A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Connie Archer
Ads: Link
narrative now that she was willing to talk.
“When I went home that night, I mentioned it to my mother. I thought it was kinda creepy, ’cause I remembered seeing the same man in the market and the same man walking down my street, outside my house.”
“I remember.”
“I told you my mom had a realweird reaction. I could understand if she were concerned some stalker was around, but it wasn’t that at all. She started yelling, like she was blaming me for something. Like I caused it. That’s the best way I can put it. I was mad at her after that, so I just hid out in my room.” Janie took a sip of her tea. “Later, my mother came to the door and said she was sorry, she didn’t mean to get so upset,but she just had a lot on her mind. I was still kinda mad at her, so I pretended to be asleep.”
Janie took a deep shaky breath. “The next evening, my mom was at a neighbor’s for a little bit.” Janie looked over the edge of her mug at Lucky. Her expression seemed slightly sheepish. “There was something about him—the man I mean. Something like . . . like I’d seen him before, before all this,or . . . something about him seemed familiar, I guess. I opened my mom’s jewelry box. It has a secret compartment. She didn’t know I knew about it, but I’ve seen her open it before and take out an old photograph. I never let on I knew. So . . .” Janie took another sip of tea.
Lucky was silent, listening. This was the best thing that could happen. Janie was finally ready to open up.
“Ipulled out the old photo she kept in there.” Janie took a deep shaky breath. “Lucky, it was the same man! A lot younger, but I’m sure it was the same man. Then I heard my mom come home. The front door slammed, and I heard her coming up the stairs. I should have just put the photograph back in the secret slot, but I didn’t. I wanted to know what was going on.
“She came into the room, and shesaw me holding the old photo. Her face turned all white. I thought she was going to faint. But I was still mad at her from the night before. I held it out, and I . . . I was yelling. I didn’t mean to, but I was so . . . confused, I guess, upset and all.” Janie fell silent for so long Lucky wondered if she would continue. “That’s when she told me.”
“What did she say?” Lucky whispered.
“That man is my father. My real father,” Janie wailed. Her hands started to shake so badly, Lucky reached over and took the mug from her, placing it safely on the table. Janie burst into angry tears. “I started screaming at her. ‘You’re a liar!I have a father. You’re a liar,’ I said.”
Lucky could imagine the shock Janie must have felt. She couldn’t think what to say to calm the girl. She hadbeen so attached to her father—the man she knew to be her father. His death had been very hard on her and surely difficult for her mother. But to learn that the man she loved was not truly her father . . . Lucky shook her head in disbelief.
“She tried to explain, but I guess I was yelling at her. She said this man was someone she had loved when she was young, but they were torn apart. At leastI think that’s what she was trying to say. She was crying by then, and I was yelling at her, and it was just awful. I freaked out. She was trying to tell me stuff, but I just covered my ears and ran out of the house.” Janie reached over for a tissue, wiped her nose and eyes, and looked over at Lucky. “What does this mean? Was I an accident, Lucky? Was I an illegitimate child? What?” Janie demanded.
Lucky reached over and held Janie’s hand. “I don’t know. Obviously, there’s a lot more to this story you just weren’t ready to hear. It doesn’t sound like you were an accident or illegitimate, whatever that means. It sounds like you were conceived because two people were very much in love. The fact that something happened to them, that they couldn’t be together . . . well, that must have beenout of their
“When I went home that night, I mentioned it to my mother. I thought it was kinda creepy, ’cause I remembered seeing the same man in the market and the same man walking down my street, outside my house.”
“I remember.”
“I told you my mom had a realweird reaction. I could understand if she were concerned some stalker was around, but it wasn’t that at all. She started yelling, like she was blaming me for something. Like I caused it. That’s the best way I can put it. I was mad at her after that, so I just hid out in my room.” Janie took a sip of her tea. “Later, my mother came to the door and said she was sorry, she didn’t mean to get so upset,but she just had a lot on her mind. I was still kinda mad at her, so I pretended to be asleep.”
Janie took a deep shaky breath. “The next evening, my mom was at a neighbor’s for a little bit.” Janie looked over the edge of her mug at Lucky. Her expression seemed slightly sheepish. “There was something about him—the man I mean. Something like . . . like I’d seen him before, before all this,or . . . something about him seemed familiar, I guess. I opened my mom’s jewelry box. It has a secret compartment. She didn’t know I knew about it, but I’ve seen her open it before and take out an old photograph. I never let on I knew. So . . .” Janie took another sip of tea.
Lucky was silent, listening. This was the best thing that could happen. Janie was finally ready to open up.
“Ipulled out the old photo she kept in there.” Janie took a deep shaky breath. “Lucky, it was the same man! A lot younger, but I’m sure it was the same man. Then I heard my mom come home. The front door slammed, and I heard her coming up the stairs. I should have just put the photograph back in the secret slot, but I didn’t. I wanted to know what was going on.
“She came into the room, and shesaw me holding the old photo. Her face turned all white. I thought she was going to faint. But I was still mad at her from the night before. I held it out, and I . . . I was yelling. I didn’t mean to, but I was so . . . confused, I guess, upset and all.” Janie fell silent for so long Lucky wondered if she would continue. “That’s when she told me.”
“What did she say?” Lucky whispered.
“That man is my father. My real father,” Janie wailed. Her hands started to shake so badly, Lucky reached over and took the mug from her, placing it safely on the table. Janie burst into angry tears. “I started screaming at her. ‘You’re a liar!I have a father. You’re a liar,’ I said.”
Lucky could imagine the shock Janie must have felt. She couldn’t think what to say to calm the girl. She hadbeen so attached to her father—the man she knew to be her father. His death had been very hard on her and surely difficult for her mother. But to learn that the man she loved was not truly her father . . . Lucky shook her head in disbelief.
“She tried to explain, but I guess I was yelling at her. She said this man was someone she had loved when she was young, but they were torn apart. At leastI think that’s what she was trying to say. She was crying by then, and I was yelling at her, and it was just awful. I freaked out. She was trying to tell me stuff, but I just covered my ears and ran out of the house.” Janie reached over for a tissue, wiped her nose and eyes, and looked over at Lucky. “What does this mean? Was I an accident, Lucky? Was I an illegitimate child? What?” Janie demanded.
Lucky reached over and held Janie’s hand. “I don’t know. Obviously, there’s a lot more to this story you just weren’t ready to hear. It doesn’t sound like you were an accident or illegitimate, whatever that means. It sounds like you were conceived because two people were very much in love. The fact that something happened to them, that they couldn’t be together . . . well, that must have beenout of their
Similar Books
