Chapter 9: And ... funny, but who is the true mother? (A reflection by Sarah)

We had lived together for ten years; we were an ANR pair with all its benefits. Yes we were happy and healthy. The ANR sex gave us more possibility for a healthy life. Not only the sex or deep intimacy near to each other, but also the healthy part of the ANR assisted us to live a whole life. Jenny and I were closer as the years passed. Jenny and Brian had two kids, the first a boy, named David and then a girl called Pam. I had grandchildren in the far parts of the States and they were teenagers now. I met them occasionally when we went to visit their parents or when my children came to us. However they lived far from me, so the only children who treated me as a Grandmother were Jenny's kids. Frank's other children whose children were older were teenagers too. I was regarded as a friendly "Aunt" for them. Yes I liked them too, but they were really only my husband's grandchildren. They also visited their grandmother Susan.

Jenny had not visited her mother since that event at all, when Susan had disclosed who her biological father was. So my husband was the only grandparent for her kids. I knew Jenny decided she would never visit her mother, but she did not talk about her last meeting with her mother.

Brian was a super dad and Jenny was lucky to get the right man to suit her. Brian understood the difficult situation, because of his family background. He had a very good stepfather, who married Brian's divorced mother. We met his mom and his stepfather several times. Liz and Tom were very friendly people and Frank and I liked them. I regarded Jenny like my fourth child, but I did not tell anybody especially Jenny. David and Pam decided I would become their grandmother, because they began to call me grandma. I was happy to be the grandma for the kids of Brian and Jenny. First Jenny and then later Brian also calling me simply grandma and I thought I became a true grandma.

I worked as the owner's duty at the beauty salon, when I received a phone call from the ambulance in January, transporting my husband to hospital with a broken leg, because he slipped on the ice. Immediately the circumstances reminded me of my first husband's death and I panicked. I left my job quickly and I arrived at the hospital, but Jenny was already there and ran to me. I could not come sooner!

She hugged me and she told me first, "MOM, do not be afraid! You won't lose my Daddy! The embolism is rare at fracture."

I began to cry from the joy about the news regarding my husband, he was in good state and first time that Jenny called me MOM! Jenny's kids, my grand kids ran to us and they shouted loudly.

"Grandma, Grandpa is in the surgery."

Jenny already told them.

"Kids don't shout we're in the Hospital! You need to be quiet!"

Jenny and I smiled at each other. We went to the emergency surgery's waiting room until my husband was brought out from the surgery and taken to plaster room.

The surgeons told us, "Mr. Blair's ankle is broken; we secured the fibula with two screws."

I asked the main surgeon. "Doc, when could I take my husband home?"

"Mrs. Blair the temporary fixing screw must be removed before Mr. Blair could get gypsum cast for walking. Now he's getting a cast for bed in the hospital ward. He'll only get a gypsum cast for walking after positive X-ray result of the healed fracture. Then he could go home using crutches to aid his mobility."

"How long will my husband be in the Hospital?"

"It may be a maximum of two weeks only. He has to come to physiotherapy after the removal of the walking cast and the safety screw must be removed a year later. The walking cast could be removed after newer X-ray investigation in about one month"

He went away; I stopped in front of the gypsum room with Jenny and my grand kids waiting for my husband. Jenny told me.

"When my Daddy comes home I could come to your house to "Daddy-sit" with the kids and you can go to work."

I thanked Jenny.

Frank was taken to his ward and we sat beside his bed. He was glad for company. Jenny went home with the kids later. The older children phoned and they asked information about their dad. Saying they would visit their Dad tomorrow. I wanted to go home, when the door opened and Susan came into the ward. Frank and I looked at each other shocked.

We knew she had lived alone since the death of her second husband. She had nursed her ill husband with exemplary care. My husband told me he did not hate her since the death of her second husband, because she was close to her cancerous second husband. But he could never forget her betrayal and he did not like her at all. We met her and her second husband at some family events, but we avoided each other.

I stood up waiting to greet her. Susan greeted us and then she came to hug me telling us, "I know, you do not want me here, but I felt like I must come. I heard from Mark and Julie, that Frank's ankle was broken."

She looked older, than us.

"Frank is doing well, he'll go home in two weeks," I responded.

Frank joined the discussion, "I fell down on an ice patch, when I was getting out of my car. I was simply unlucky. Mark is my manager at work, so he'll manage the business while I'm recovering, but I've my laptop here so I can help him."

Susan began, "I'm glad the accident wasn't any more serious. I came, because I want honest conversation. I knew Julie and Mark would visit you tomorrow and I couldn't see Jenny's car in the parking lot, so I came to your ward to be alone with you both."

Frank and I looked at each other surprised.

"Yes, I came, because I wanted to be honest. You don't know how I had hated you both earlier," she said.

Frank took over the conversation, "Susan it doesn't matter, that is water under the bridge. If you want to confess your secrets, don't hesitate."

Susan carried on her idea, "When you left me to live with Sarah, I was an emotional wreck. I cried all day, I could hardly work. I thought you were unfair. You didn't believe me that I was faithful to you after James."

I was silent, but Frank said in calm voice, "You had a long time affair. You may have been faithful for nineteen years, but you were a cheater. You can't have a short time accidental tryst without any consequences."

I began to understand Frank's calm words. He told this fact without strong emotion to Susan.

She replayed, "I didn't think of this at that time. Kevin was a good mate, to help me to understand you. Strange but I understood you through my deceased husband."

She turned to me, "Sarah I'm Mrs. Wood now, you are Mrs. Blair. I'm so lonely without my Kevin now."

I told her, "I'm so sorry, you lost him."

She said, "Thank you Sarah for your sympathetic words, which are comforting from you. I was alone and after your wedding I hated you both so much. Although I agreed not to tell Jenny, who her biological father was, when you Frank announced the divorce."

Frank could not wait any longer and he interposed, "Jenny came to see us immediately on our arrival home after our Australian honeymoon and she told us you revealed the secret to her."

Susan carried on, "Frank, I wanted to destroy your good connection with Jenny, so I admitted the graduation present was from James. Jenny began to shout and she told me, that DNA thing meant nothing to her. Two most important things are in the World true love and fondness. You Frank her Dad stood on these disciplines and you showed by managing that graduation present."

She stopped a while and carried on, "That what I wanted to destroy, that connection she had with you, Frank. She was right! What I wanted was totally in the wrong. She again told me that the DNA is nothing to her and she would never visit me! I wouldn't be her mother although I gave birth to her. I wouldn't see her children at all and she left me forever. She has kept her word and I lost her forever."

Frank and I remained silent. We knew about Jenny's quarrel with her mother. She told us of the threats of never going to visit Susan. Words that were generally spoken in a heated exchange, but are really not meant. We did not need Susan telling us about Jenny's fondness for Frank meaning more to her than the DNA results that disinherited her from the man who raised her as his daughter.

Susan began to cry, "Frank ... you are the winner. I was behaving as a stupid cunt of a bitch ... I deserved."

We were silent and Susan turned to me, "Do you know that Jenny refers to you as Mom even when you aren't there? This has been occurring for over one year now. Julie admitted this."

I replied, "Today for the first time she has called me, as Mom and she told me in the Hospital."

Frank looked at me with interest, but he remained silent.

Susan looked at me, "Sarah, I want to say, a very important."

She went on weeping, "Sarah, I GAVE MY MOTHERING RIGHTS UP ON Jenny. She IS NOW YOUR DAUGHTER!"

She began crying again. I understood her. Her mistake or revenge plan had a boomerang effect and she wanted to close this in fact she wanted a closure with this confession.

We were silent and Susan carried on, "I decided that I must visit you at the Hospital to talk to you both, when I learned of Frank's situation. I want to thank you both, Frank and Sarah you were generous to me"

She started to cry again. Frank and I looked at each other and we knew she was expressing herself honesty.

Frank said, "I didn't tell the children the true extent of your long time cheating affair with James to save you some self respect. Did you ever consider that?"

Susan wiped her eyes with tears and responded, "I can thank my deceased husband Kevin and you, that I could rebuild my connection with Mark and Julie. I'm very grateful for this and I know this is the most important thing in my life now to thank you."

She moaned. "Jenny rushed to Julie and Mark telling them everything that she had guessed about my cheating on you. Mark and Julie phoned me to meet me to confirm the allegations. We met and they were astonished, how I had a child, Jenny, from cheating, and questioned how I could cheat on you. They were mad at me, but you helped me. With your explanation; this was a short affair and a work place sexual harassment by James. I honestly thought Jenny was conceived by you."