We chatted for a few minutes about our little people and spouses -- the usual small talk stuff. After an uncomfortable pause, he said that there was something he wanted to run by me.
He managed to spit out, "A year and a half ago, Ann (his then fiancee, now wife) and Ashley (our cousin by way of our mother's older/oldest sister) were talking one night over a few beers. Our cousin told Ann that our mother had a baby when she was around 16 and gave it up for adoption. Well, this is what Ashley's mother told her. Do you think that this could possibly be true?"
He managed to spit out, "A year and a half ago, Ann (his then fiancee, now wife) and Ashley (our cousin by way of our mother's older/oldest sister) were talking one night over a few beers. Our cousin told Ann that our mother had a baby when she was around 16 and gave it up for adoption. Well, this is what Ashley's mother told her. Do you think that this could possibly be true?"
What ran through my head and (mostly) came out of my mouth was, "Wait, what? No, that can't be true. Our aunt had to be lying. How awful. Why would she say that? Oh, mom's going to be pissed. Why the heck did it take my brother a year and a half to tell me?! Holy shit. What? No, that's not true. It had to be a different person. Ashley has another aunt by the same name. It's got to be her. Dude, you've got to talk to Ashley today and find out more about the conversation that her mother had with her. What do you mean, our mom? No way. Can't be true. Just, no way."
When we hung up, my head was reeling. Our mother couldn't possibly have made that choice -- it just didn't make sense. I mean, she's told us every secret ever about everyone in the family, usually while asking for prayers for this or that person. She's said that families shouldn't keep secrets. She's said that we have the right to know everything, good and bad. If she meant that, how could this be true? Why wouldn't she have told us about this baby? Her baby?
I wanted my brother to call Ashley as soon as possible to confirm the story before we spoke to our mom or aunt about it. I mean, I was the umpteenth person in the banana phone chain. Details might have been changed and exaggerations could have been made, right? We needed to find out if, in fact, our mother was the woman in the story, and why the hell my aunt thought it was okay to tell her daughter when my mother's own children didn't even know. Who does that?
Jeff refused to call Ashley that night because he didn't feel the urgency that I did to figure things out -- he did, after all sit on this information for more than a year, what's another day or two, or twelve? (How exactly can one sit on this kind of thing for a year and a half anyway?)
I remember being frustrated because I wanted to get to the truth, but I felt uncomfortable to be the one to make the phone calls since I wasn't told anything directly. But, heck yes, I wanted to know. Ya know?
I wanted my brother to call Ashley as soon as possible to confirm the story before we spoke to our mom or aunt about it. I mean, I was the umpteenth person in the banana phone chain. Details might have been changed and exaggerations could have been made, right? We needed to find out if, in fact, our mother was the woman in the story, and why the hell my aunt thought it was okay to tell her daughter when my mother's own children didn't even know. Who does that?
Jeff refused to call Ashley that night because he didn't feel the urgency that I did to figure things out -- he did, after all sit on this information for more than a year, what's another day or two, or twelve? (How exactly can one sit on this kind of thing for a year and a half anyway?)
I remember being frustrated because I wanted to get to the truth, but I felt uncomfortable to be the one to make the phone calls since I wasn't told anything directly. But, heck yes, I wanted to know. Ya know?
When I did manage to call Ashley that evening, she was in class and couldn't pick up. At the urging of my husband, I called one of her sisters who I assumed would know what Ashley knew.
And she did.
deep breath. and post.
And she did.
deep breath. and post.
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