Authors: Ruth Ann Hixson
When she came back down Alison was nosing around the kitchen munching on potato chips from the bag that was on the table. "What did you do with my things?"
"They're upstairs in the room that used to be mine. I'm going to change clothes. I put your blazer in the closet upstairs."
"I'm going to change, too, as soon as I get my suitcase from the car." Alison headed for the garage.
She wasn't in a hurry to go back to her mother so she took the time to make a fire in the fireplace. She knew Mark wouldn't be satisfied with the way things were and neither would she. It would work temporarily.
Once the kindling was burning good, she put wood on it and went back to the kitchen where she got a pie tin from the kitchen cabinet and dumped some chips in it. "I don't have any dishes since you broke them all. Maybe I can stop at the thrift store on Wednesday. I have to think about it."
She set about making coffee since she hadn't made any that morning. She liked the permanent filter in the new coffeemaker Mark purchased. "Do you want to make supper?"
"What do you want?"
"I laid a pound of ground beef out in the fridge. Use your imagination." Sherry sat down at the table to nibble on her chips. "Mom, who's my father?"
Chapter 27
Alison was looking through the pantry to see what else she could find. "You really don't want to know that."
Sherry stood up. "Yes, I do. I'm nineteen. Don't you think it's time you leveled with me? I have a right to know."
"Take my word for it. You won't like it one bit."
"It's not a matter of if I like it. It's time you start treating me like an adult."
"All right. But don't say I didn't warn you. Your father is Frank Blakely."
"You're lying!"
"I am not lying."
"He was already married to Jan..."
"So. The only reason he married her was he got her pregnant before me."
"No!" Sherry cried. "That can't be true. Frank would never cheat on his wife."
"He did exactly that. Mark Blakely is your half-brother."
"Nooo! That can't be." Sherry was backing away toward the bathroom door. "You're lying."
"I told you that you really didn't want to know."
Sherry darted into the bathroom, slammed the door and locked it. Alison could hear her throwing up. Then all she heard was sobbing inside. "That takes care of Mark Blakely," she said with a satisfied smirk. She turned on the radio so she couldn't hear her daughter and began to make a meatloaf for supper. She put it in the oven with two potatoes. "A salad," she said to herself. "A perfect meal."
When the potatoes were tender and the meatloaf done she knocked on the bathroom door. "Sherry, supper's ready."
Not a sound came from within. "Sherry?" She knocked louder. "Sherry!"
No answer. She looked at the clock. It was six-thirty. Sherry had been in the bathroom for more than three hours. She would give her until seven o'clock. If she didn't come out by then she would...what? Call Frank?
****
The Blakeys had just sat down to supper when Frank's cell phone rang. He got up to answer it.
"No cell phones at the table," Jan reminded him.
He unplugged the phone from the charger. "Sherry." He put the phone up to his ear. "What's up, Sherry?"
He listened a couple of seconds. "Oh, it's you."
"Alison?" Jan asked.
He nodded. "Why?" A look of anger came over his face. "You did
what?
" Another pause. "You stupid bitch! I'll be right over."
Mark was on his feet. "What's wrong?"
"Sherry locked herself in the bathroom and won't come out."
"Why?"
Frank headed for the door, grabbing his truck keys on the way. "Alison told her I'm her father."
"Are you?" Jan asked but he was already out the door with Mark close on his heels.
Frank beat Mark to the truck and climbed in the driver's side. Mark ran around to the passenger's side. Frank already had the truck moving backwards as Mark flung himself inside. Frank stabbed the truck in drive and slung gravel from the tires as he shoved the accelerator to the floor.
"Are you?" Mark asked.
"Am I what?"
"Sherry's Father."
"Hell no! Do you think I'd have let you sleep with her if she was your sister? There isn't even the remotest chance. I never had sex with Alison. I've never been that hard up."
Frank hadn't even shifted to park when Mark jumped out of the truck and ran for the breezeway door. Alison opened the kitchen door and he ran past her without even looking at her. Frank paused to say, "I'll deal with you later. Sherry first."
Mark pounded on the bathroom door. "Sherry! Sherry, unlock the door. Sherry! If you don't unlock this door I'm going to break it down." He slammed his shoulder against the door but it didn't budge. "It looks easier on TV."
"They have breakaway doors. Maybe both of us..."
"Just stand right where you are." Mark put his hand on his father's shoulder for balance and pulled his knee up to his chest. He put all his power and weight into it as he slammed his foot against the door right beside the knob. With the sound of splintering wood the door swung open and Mark brought up against the sink.
He turned to where Sherry sat on the floor in the corner, her eyes closed. He dropped to his knees in front of her. "Sherry. Sweetheart." He patted her face.
She opened her tear swollen eyelids. "Hello, brother."
"I'm not your brother."
"Mom told me."
"I don't give a damn what she told you. She lied."
Frank put his hand on Mark's shoulder. "Let me."
Mark got up and stepped aside. Frank knelt before Sherry.
"Hi, Dad" Her voice was thick from the tears she'd shed.
"I'm not your dad. I don't care what your mother told you; it isn't even possible. Listen, honey. I've never had sex with your mother. I've never thought about having sex with your mother. I don't even like your mother."
Sherry gazed at him like she didn't comprehend what he was telling her.
"It's all right, sweetheart. You didn't commit incest."
"Incest!" Alison eyes widened as she met Mark's gaze. "You were sleeping together? I swear I didn't know."
Frank helped Sherry to her feet and guided her to the kitchen where he turned her over to Mark who enfolded her in a comforting embrace.
Frank walked over to confront Alison. "Time to pay the fiddler. Who is Sherry's father?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Yeah. And you're going to tell me."
"Oh, no! You can't make me."
She tried to get around him but he grabbed her arm. "Who's Sherry's father?"
She shook her head. Frank got right in her face with his nose almost touching hers. "Is it Sam Sturgis?"
Alison was plainly scared of him. She gave the briefest of nods.
He whirled around to the door and stomped out. He passed Jan on her way in without any indication he saw her. He got in his truck, backed out of the driveway and headed toward town.
"Where's Dad going?" Jan asked as she entered the kitchen.
"He didn't say," Mark answered, "but I would guess he's going to talk to Sam Sturgis about Sherry."
Jan turned her attention to Alison. "How dare you falsely accuse my husband of fathering your child?" She drew back her fist and punched Alison squarely on the mouth.
"I'll have you arrested for assault." Alison wiped blood from her lip.
"In that case, I'm going to get my money's worth." Jan drew back her fist again.
"Mom, stop!" Mark yelled and ran forward to grab her wrist. "Just calm down. Don't you have something to do at home, like rescuing supper?"
He turned her toward the door and walked her outside. "Just go on home. I'll send Dad over as soon as he gets back."
When Mark went back inside Sherry stood in front of her mother with her hand raised, her thumb and index finger about a quarter of an inch apart. "I was this close to slitting my wrists, Mom." Her voice was hoarse from all the crying she'd done. "I thought I'd had sex with my brother. Can you imagine how I felt? You stepped over the line. I have half a notion to let them take you back to jail."
"Please, baby, I didn't know you were sleeping together."
"You're missing the point, Mom. You shouldn't have lied. I don't blame Jan for punching you. I feel like doing that myself."
"Easy, Sherry. Alison, I'm going to take care of Sherry since you don't seem to give a darn as long as you get what you want. So you can just get used to my being around. And I'll be sleeping with her. You got that?"
"I got it."
He pulled Sherry into his arms. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
"Yes. I'm hungry. I hardly ate anything today and what I did eat I brought back up when I thought we'd committed incest."
"I've been keeping supper warm for you." Alison opened the oven door and took out the meatloaf and potato. "The salad's in the fridge. Did you have supper yet, Mark?"
"No. Your phone call interrupted that."
"There's only one potato."
"There's potato salad in the fridge from Saturday night," Sherry said.
"Suits me. Let's eat."
Sherry got out two pie tins and the tableware. "What can I use for the salad?" She started looking through the cabinets. She gave Mark her smallest saucepan. For herself, she got the little casserole. She made up two salads and set them on the table with the Ranch dressing while Alison filled the tin plates with meatloaf and a baked potato for Sherry and the potato salad for Mark.
"I really am sorry, baby."
"Mom, how often must I tell you not to call me 'baby'. I'm a grown woman."
Chapter 28
"Hello, Alison," Sam Sturgis said as they entered the kitchen. "It's been a long time."
She looked around from doing the dishes. "Hello, Sam. This wasn't my idea."
"No," he agreed. "It's better than your idea. What possessed you to lie to Sherry like that? Where is she?"
"She and Mark went over to the living room or the den. I figured I should just leave them alone."
"That's the first smart thing I've heard come out of your mouth since we left Lewistown this afternoon," Frank observed. "Who hit you?"
"Jan."
"Good for her. You should know better than to mess with her. Didn't you learn anything fourteen years ago?"
Steve sauntered in. "So where's this sister of mine?"
"Follow me." Frank led the way through the dining room.
"She doesn't have much furniture," Sam said as he looked around.
"She's been trying. Alison just set her back a couple of months and Sherry can't go back to work or draw her unemployment because her doctor won't sign off on her. They must be in the den." Frank walked over and opened the door.
Mark sat on the brown chair with Sherry on his lap. Their arms were entwined around each other, their mouths locked in an ardent kiss. At the sound of the door, Sherry scrambled to her feet, her face turning red. Mark stood up behind her, his hands on her shoulders.
"Sherry this is your father, Sam Sturgis. The other guy's your half-brother, Steve."
Sherry gave her father a tentative smile. "Hi." She looked him over. He was a couple inches shorter than Mark with gray hair thinning on top. His eyes were hazel behind wire-framed glasses. In his fifties, he had the physique of someone who ate too much and didn't get enough exercise. But she didn't care about that. He was her father.
She walked over to him and threw her arms around his middle. "I used to dream about meeting you. I can finally give a face to that man."
Sam looked a little uneasy but he put his arms around her. "I've got a lot to make up for. Give me a little time to get used to it."
She stepped back wiping tears from her face with her hand. "Me, too. We'll work at it together. Okay?"
"Sure."
"Why don't you sit down and get acquainted?" Frank asked. "I'm going to give Alison a piece of my mind and then I'm going home for supper. Hope Jan could save some of it."
"Dad, don't leave without me. I need to go over for my truck and my briefcase. I have some work to do before class tomorrow."
Steve stepped in front of Mark. "About Elena. I'm sorry I ever got mixed up with her. That woman's only hitting on three cylinders."
"Tell me about it," Sherry said. "She's just plain crazy. I saw that close up and personal."
Steve looked at his newly found sister. "She called me. Wanted me to cut the brake lines on your car. I told her to go to hell. Then I went and told Scotty about it."
"When was this?"Mark asked.
"Last week." He frowned as he thought about it. "Wednesday night."
"My car was parked in the garage." Sherry said. "Mark was here."
"She said she has a key to your house."
"The cops said they got that from her." Sherry wasn't pleased with that.
"Maybe she got a copy made before they took the one they have," Sam suggested.
"I gotta go before Dad leaves without me." Mark trotted off to the kitchen where he found his father standing in front of Alison with a grim look on his face, his finger pointed at her. "It's darn time you get it together and start behaving like a mother. Sherry got you out of jail and you lied to her about something like that."
Alison couldn't meet his gaze but looked at the floor. "I know. I'll try to do better."
"Trying isn't good enough. You have to do it. I'm going home. I'm hungry." He stomped out the door.
Mark pointed at his father. "What he said. I'll be back in a bit. Then
I
want to talk to you."
Frank and Mark walked into the kitchen together. Jan came from across the hall where she'd been watching television. Mark went on past her to go upstairs.
"Could you save anything from supper? I'm hungry." Frank asked.
"I'll heat it up." Jan went about getting his supper ready. "We need to talk, Frank. About how much you're involved in Sherry's life. I'm your wife. I'm not satisfied with 'I promised not to tell; trust me.' I want to know what's going on."
"I guess it's time. It doesn't matter at this point. Sherry's got Mark and Sam and Steve to look out for her now. A couple days before Violet died, I was in town so I stopped by the nursing home to see her. She was all upset about leaving her 'little girl' behind. I wanted to ease her mind so I promised to look out for Sherry. She told me not to tell anyone because Sherry's so independent. I don't make promises lightly, Jan."