Chapter 40

Reconciliation, communication, reunification, and a final goodbye.

Danni drove me to Mom’s mansion since my car was at my house. When we walked through the front doorway, I heard Mom in the kitchen, and Dad was sitting at the table, bouncing Cat on his knee.

Dad waved and yelled, “Marty! Danni.” Before Dad could say anything else, Mom flew around the corner and attacked me.

“Get out of my house. You killed her.” She was beating on my chest with her fists and crying. I took her hands with mine and hugged her.

“Calm down, Mom. I didn’t kill Liz; she shot herself. She left a note for me, and after you read it, many strange occurrences will make sense.”

She glared at me angrily, tears rolling down her cheeks, and her resolve weakened, but she still asked, “Don’t lie to me, Martin.”

“Never, Momma.”

“Give it to me.”

As I handed the note to mom, Danni took Cat from Dad and wrinkled her nose. Then, she turned and gave Cat to me, “Here. She’s your baby; you change her.”

So I took her into an upstairs bedroom, which Dad had made into a nursery, and changed my beautiful little girl’s diaper. She was still wearing my favorite yellow dress, so I washed her belly, arms, and legs with wet wipes, dried her off, and dressed her in a onesie from the dresser.

Carrying her back into the living room, Mom, Dad, and Danni were in a circle, hugging. Mom broke free and ran to me, sobbing and apologizing.

“My only baby boy and I slapped your face and treated you like a murderer. My God, how stupid could I be? Since Christmas, she’s been telling me you’ve been abusing her, and I couldn’t believe that you’d hit her, but she was so convincing and...”

“Mom, stop talking. I can guess where this is going, and it’s not your fault. Lizzy was a great manipulator and fooled me too many times to count.”

“Marty, please forgive me...”

“Stop, mom, nothing to forgive. You’re my only mom and Cat’s only grandmother, and we love you. Is it okay if we stay here tonight?”

Mom nodded, gave me another big hug, and then dashed into the kitchen. “I was warming up a bottle when you came in.”

I wandered out with her as she put hot water in a pan and set a bottle in it to warm. “Marty, I am so sorry...”

“Mom, stop saying how sorry you are. I’ve lost the love of my life, but it’s not your fault. We all watch too many true-crime TV shows where it’s the husband. That’s what the cops thought, especially when Liz had me arrested, claiming domestic violence. The police talked to all my neighbors, my sitter Mrs. Greenfield, my family, and my co-workers; everyone, including you, didn’t think I hit her. So the Lieutenant let me go early this morning. Two police officers drove me back home to speak to Liz, but Cat was screaming when we arrived. They searched the house while I cleaned my baby and found her locked in our bedroom. I was in jail when she died last night.”

She pulled the bottle out, squirted some on her wrist, and handed it to me. “Sleep in the bedroom next to Cat’s room, so you can hear if she cries tonight; now go feed your baby girl.” She turned away, but I saw the tears pouring down her cheeks as she tried to walk away. I took her hand and pulled her back, “Mom, let’s go feed your granddaughter.”

I pulled her into the living room and let her feed my baby. Then, I pulled Danni up for a hug and thanked her.

“Sis, again, you came through for me. Babe, I love you; now go home to Clifton, and I’ll call when I get the arrangements done. I think mom and I are okay now.”

The following morning I went to the funeral home my mom used for her parents. I covered everything with them, from buying a handsome oak casket, flowers, cemetery plots, visitation day, etc. I was numb most of the way, and I let them put half of the estimated bill on my Amex card. We set the dates for the following week, Friday, and Saturday, with the funeral service at my family’s church.

Before driving back home, I called Dianna.

“Hey, big sister.”

“Marty, I’m so sorry. Mom called me and said she committed suicide and you were innocent. Mom said she feels so guilty not believing you.”

“Yea, I guess we were all in the dark, but we made up and cried together. The real reason I’m calling you; well, I need a favor, and I...”

“She lives in North Carolina near her mother, and her address is...”

I wrote it down, and D also gave me her phone number. I told her the dates and the arrangements and finished with, “Sis, I know you are in San Diego and have four kids, well three, and a husband, and you’re expecting your fourth child soon. Is it a boy or girl?”

“Hey, kid. I resemble that remark.” That was Joe. “You didn’t know she had it on speaker, did you? We don’t want to know what sex the baby is.”

“Hi Joe, I heard you laughing in the background. Anyway, D, please don’t stress out and throw everyone in a van and let Mario Andretti drive across the country. I promise you, after the funeral, I’ll bring my little girl out and, if I’m lucky, bring two more girls with me. Got to run; love you, D, and you too, Joe. Same with the little superheroes. Bye.” Last Christmas, I gave their kids a different set of superhero pajamas, ‘Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Spiderman.’ Then I made the same call to Dixie. At the end of the conversation, she asked, “You’re going to get her, aren’t you?”

“Love you, Dixie babe; give Brad and the kids my best.”

My last call was to Lt. Collier at the police station, and he said I could have my house back. “Just show the officer there your ID, and he’ll give you your keys.”

“Thanks.”

I drove home, and I swear Liz was sitting next to me, smiling.

After the officer left, I wandered around, looking at the mess in her house. The kitchen sink was filled with dishes; glasses covered the dining room table, and fingerprint dust was on the walls, door knobs, and light switches. When I stood outside the bedroom, I shared with Liz; I felt like she would walk out of her closet any minute, screaming at me about something I didn’t do right. Walking around the bed, I stared at the dried blood on the carpet where she died, and I knew I would never spend another night in this house again. I packed as much as possible in three large suitcases for Cat and me, locked up, and went back to mom and dad’s house, where my baby was waiting for her Popa to return.

Cat and I left Greenville at 8:00 AM the following morning, and two hours later, with the aid of the OnStar system in Liz’s Cadillac, I parked in front of a house with the address D gave me. I unbuckled my baby girl, grabbed her bag, and walked up the driveway to the front door. After ringing the bell, I bounced around until the door opened, and she was standing in front of me, my first love. Little Lissa was peeping between Ruth’s legs, smiling because she remembered me.

“Marty! What are you doing here? Where’s Liz? Are you okay? You look like you’re going to cry, oh Marty. Honey. Don’t cry. Come in, come on in.”

I shuffled in, and Ruth took Cat from me.

“Well, hello, Cat. I’ve seen your picture, and now I’ve got you, pretty girl.”

“She’s gone, Ruth.”

I started to tell Ruth what happened when her mom burst into the house through the front door yelling, “Ruth, did you see the news? Marty and Liz are on all the...”

Anna stopped at the kitchen doorway, apologizing, “I’m sorry, Ruth, I didn’t know you had company,” then she gasped when she recognized me, “Oh my God, Marty. Oh, Marty, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

I nodded.

“Have you told Ruth yet?”

I shook my head no, “No, I started to, but I hurt, all alone now.”

“You’re not making sense; tell me what, Marty? Who’s gone? Is it someone in your family, your Mom or Dad?”