Read Online Lexington Connection by M. E. Logan - Free Book Online

arm. It was a familiar story, meeting at school, then running into her at the gay bar. They got to know each other and one thing led to another, they discovered over Christmas break they really missed each other and then the friendship went to a deeper level. Over spring break, they became intimate and it was glorious.
    “Then finals week, I got a call from home,” Jessie said slowly. “Julie and I had been planning on spending the next week together before we went home. My finals were finished before hers and I was waiting. Mom called, said that Dad had a heart attack, a bad one. I needed to come home right away. I couldn’t get hold of Julie, left her a message but I was on the road within twenty minutes, max. I couldn’t get home fast enough.” She stopped there, took out one of the ham sandwiches.
    “But your dad was all right, he made a recovery.”
    Jessie handed off a sandwich to Diana. “Yes, but everything else went to hell in a handbasket.” There was strain on her face that warned Diana to be patient. “It was a bad one; he had to take an early retirement. He needed care and before he was up and around, Mom got sick. There was Nicki to take care of, Dad to take care of. Mom was going to doctors all the time, in and out of the hospital as they tried to find out what was wrong with her. She was getting sicker. I was taking care of everyone. It’s hard being a caretaker.” She looked up at Diana. “No one understands what it’s like unless they’ve been there.”
    “It’s hard,” Diana agreed. “I’ve only been there part of the way, but enough to know it’s difficult.” There was a moment’s silence. “How old was Nicki?”
    “She was eight.” Jessie smiled as she spoke of her sister; there was real affection there, not just duty and responsibility, Diana realized. “My folks got teased that they couldn’t stand the empty nest so Mom got pregnant when I hit high school. She thought she was going through menopause but she was pregnant instead.”
    She sighed and continued. “I didn’t make it back to school. Mom got sicker, chemo, just went downhill so damn fast. Before we even had time to adjust, she was gone.”
    “I’m so sorry.” Diana reached out for Jessie but Jessie didn’t see it.
    “I never made it back to school. Dad still needed care; he couldn’t handle Nicki by himself. We were all shaken by the loss of Mom. I went from college student to full-time mother of Nicki, caretaker for Dad. When he recovered more, I was able to finish up my college credits here at UK.”
    “What happened to Julie?”
    “I tried, I really did. There just wasn’t enough time; there was so much that first year, Dad, Mom, Nicki. Julie was still in college, she had nothing but college. She couldn’t understand that my time wasn’t my own. I didn’t have time for her.”
    “Shit!” Diana sat up. “You probably didn’t have time for
you
. Good God, woman.”
    Jessie looked up at her as if confessing a grievous sin. “I abandoned her.”
    “
Abandoned?
” Diana’s jaw dropped. “Good God, Jessie. You took on a lot at an age when most of us are just learning how to manage our own lives. You took on a kid, two sick parents. And you think you abandoned her? My God, I’m more inclined to think she abandoned you.”
    “I loved her so much, she was so special.” Jessie’s eyes were filled with remorse and Diana realized she had never been able to grieve. Or let go.
    “Honey.” Diana sat up, moved close to Jessie. “Surely she understood.”
    Jessie shook her head, looking down into her lap.
    “But you talked to her, explained how things were.”
    “I tried, there just was never enough time. I couldn’t get away to spend any time with her. And once or twice when I did see her, I had to bring Nicki.”
    “Did she come see you?”
    Jessie shook her head.
    Diana was quickly forming her own opinion of Julie and it wasn’t a positive one. She knew better than to say anything negative.