A Mother Always Knows

"Well, let's see," she giggled knowingly, "After I graduated from college and got my Master's, I started teaching music at our old elementary school after Caitlyn was old enough."

"Tell me about Caitlyn," I smiled, "I never knew you got married, Liv."

"I didn't," she replied, almost despondently, "I had Caitlyn right after I got my Master's degree."

"But what about her father, I mean, where is...."

"I want to tell you something Michael," she gently interrupted me, looking directly into my eyes, "But you have to promise me that you won't think badly of me once I'm finished."

"Liv," I said, gently taking her hand, "I could never think badly of you; you know that."

"Okay then, here it is," she began, "My last year in college I met this guy at a Rolling Stones concert. Afterwards he asked me if I wanted to go to a party, and like a dumbass, I agreed. So, I followed him in my car back to his apartment with a few other people. I've never been much of a drinker, but wanting to fit in with everyone else; I began drinking Margaritas. The last thing I remembered after the third or forth one, was being carried to his bedroom by him and another guy."

"Liv, honey," I said, disturbed by what I was hearing, "You don't have to do this."

"Let me finish, Michael," she firmly replied, "When I woke up I was naked and laying between these two passed-out assholes, with cum and blood running from between my legs. I got up as quietly as I could, and after gathering up my clothes, I dressed and left, never looking back. After I missed my second period, I went to the doctor who told me I was pregnant, which I pretty much knew already. I had enough credits, and my professors liked my thesis so, I ended up receiving my Master's Degree almost a month early. Caitlyn Marie Sanders was born two weeks later."

"Aw, Liv," I said, coming around to her side of the table and wrapping my arms around her, making her stand up to hug me, "I'm so very sorry that those assholes did what they did to you. You pressed charges, didn't you?"

"No," she cried into my chest, "I would've had to face them in court, and I never wanted to see them again."

"You at least told your folks, didn't you?" I asked, hurting inside because of what she'd been through.

"Yes," she sniffed, "I told them everything, and they've been very supportive of me and Caitlyn."

"I'll bet your Mom went gaga when she first saw Caitlyn," I chuckled, remembering how Olivia's mother had been with me when I was little.

"Oh, that was nothing," she laughed, leaning away from me, wiping her face with the back of her hand, "Dad was the one who went absolutely insane. It was so cute, and he's been stupid over his grand daughter ever since."

"I'm just glad you're alright," I replied, suddenly pulling her back into my arms and holding her even more tightly to me.

"Thank you, Michael," she softly replied, while tenderly kissing my cheek near my lips, "It makes me feel good to hear you say that."

~~~~~~

The next day I awoke to Leah shaking my shoulder, saying, "Uncle Mike, wake up, you've got a telephone call."

"I'm awake," I groaned, "Now get out of here and let me get dressed."

"Okay, but hurry up," she giggled, as she left the room.

~~~~~~

"Hello?" I said, into the telephone receiver.

"Good morning, Michael," said Liv's voice, on the other end, "Did I wake you up?"

"No," I lied, "I've been up for about thirty minutes now."

"You are such a liar," she giggled, "Leah already told me that she was going to wake you up before I could stop her."

"Okay," I laughed, "I'm awake now so, what can I do for you?"

"Caitlyn and I were going to go to the beach today," she chirped, "And we were wondering if you might want to come with us."

Before I could respond, I heard Caitlyn in the background yelling, "Please, Mister Fallon."

"Okay," I laughed, "I think I'd like that very much."

"Good," cooed Liv, "We'll be there in half an hour to pick you up and be sure to bring a swim suit."

"I'll see you in a little while then," I said, right before we hung up.

~~~~~~

"I'm glad you're coming with us today, Mister Fallon," Caitlyn happily chirped, as I got into Liv's truck.

"You can call me Mike," I smiled, "Would that be okay, Miss Caitlyn?"

"Is it alright, Mommy?" Caitlyn hopefully asked her mother.

"Of course it is, baby," giggled Liv, winking at me.

"Last night Mommy played some of the music you wrote on her CD player," Caitlyn told me.

"She did," I replied grinning, "Did you like it?"

"I thought it was so pretty," Caitlyn cooed, "Did you know that Mommy is teaching me how to play the piano?"

"She is," I replied, "You know that you have to practice every day, don't you?"

"You sound just like Mommy," Caitlyn giggled, "She tells me that all the time, too."

~~~~~~

As I was helping Liv get everything set up, Caitlyn looked at me and asked, "Are you a good swimmer, Mike?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good," I grinned, "I live on the beach in California."

"That's what Miss Andie said," Caitlyn excited replied, "She said you live in Mollyboot, on the Specific Ocean."

Liv and I howled with laughter as I picked Caitlyn up into my arms and tossed her into the air, making her squeal when I caught her. "I live in Malibu," I laughed, "And it's on the Pacific Ocean, baby-girl."

After Caitlyn had settled down from being tossed into the air, she looked at her mother and asked, "Can I tell him now, Mommy?"

"I suppose so," Liv giggled, "I didn't think you would be able to keep it secret much longer."

"What're you two talking about?" I suspiciously asked.

"We have a surprise for you, Mike," smiled Liv.

"Oh yes," Caitlyn giggled excitedly, "A real big surprise, too."

At of a sudden, Liv unlocked and raised the cover on the bed of her truck to reveal a rather large picnic basket, and a surf board. However, upon closer examination of the surfboard, I realized it was my old surfboard, the one bought when I was fourteen, which I'd left behind when I went to college. I remember coming home the summer of my junior year and not being able to find it so; thinking I'd lost it, I' bought a new one, the one I own now......so what if I tend to hang on to things for a long time.

"Where on earth did you find this?" I gasped, "I thought I'd lost it years ago."

"You almost did," Liv giggled, "I was visiting your Mom about a year ago, and your Dad had been cleaning out the attic above the garage. She and I had been sitting on the back patio drinking iced tea when your Dad came out back with this board all covered with dust, and God knows what else, in his hands. He looked at your Mom and said, 'Amanda, honey, what do you want to do with Mikey's old surfboard? I say we throw it away. Hell, I'm sure he's got another one out there in California.' Your Mom was gonna let him do it until I asked if I could have it."

"Why, Liv," I softly asked, "Why would you want to keep that old thing?"

"I kept it for a reason, Michael," she tenderly replied, her gentle smile beginning to make my heart beat a little faster than normal, "I kept it because I hoped that one day you might come home looking for it."

"Mommy," Caitlyn giggled, temporarily snapping me out of, but not breaking the spell that I was now falling under, "Can we go swimming now?"

"I think that's a great idea," Liv knowingly smirked at me, "I think Michael could use a cool dip in the water right about now anyway."

Olivia and Caitlyn began to remove their outer clothing to reveal their swimming suits underneath. Caitlyn wore a pink Little Mermaid one piece that looked absolutely adorable on her. However Liv wore a bikini that was not cut to be sexy, but revealed enough of her that it caught my immediate attention, causing her giggle and say, "Close your mouth, Michael, you'll draw flies."

"Oh hush," I laughed, glancing at the surfboard in the bed of the truck. And because I was wearing cut-offs and a tee shirt with tennis shoes, I took of my shirt and shoes, then picked up the surfboard and announced, "Last one in is a rotten egg," then took off toward the surf.

I couldn't remember ever having as good of a time as I had at the beach that day with Olivia and Caitlyn. I took Caitlyn out on the board with me several times before her mother waved us in to eat lunch.

~~~~~~

"Did you like surfing with me, Caitlyn?" I asked her, as we ate the delicious lunch that Liv had prepared for us.

"I sure did," Caitlyn replied, while eating a piece of fried chicken, "I had so much fun. Can we do it again after lunch?"

"No, young lady, you're going to have a little nap and rest for a while before you get back in that water," Liv answered, smiling at me, "And don't talk with food in your mouth, Caitlyn."

"Yes ma'am," Caitlyn grumbled, making me chuckle.

~~~~~~

"I can tell that Caitlyn likes you," smiled Liv, her daughter asleep beneath the umbrella atop the big quilt we'd laid out on the sand when we first got to beach, "I had the hardest time getting her to go to sleep last night when I told her I was going to invite you to come with us today."

"She sure is a little sweetie," I smiled, "You've done a great job with her, and you should be very proud, Liv."

"I didn't do it all by myself," she quietly laughed, "I had a lot of help from Mom and Daddy, not to mention your Mom and Andie."

"How are your parents these days?" I asked, smiling at the memories of their kindness and how they had been like having two sets of parents, "I need to go see them while I'm here."

"It just so happens that Caitlyn and I are going over there for dinner tonight if you'd like to come with us," she wistfully asked, "Oh Michael, they would love to see you; and I would really like it if you came," and then she giggled, "Besides, you know that Mom always cooks enough to feed an army."

Some things never change, because Olivia was giving me the same look she used to give me when she really wanted me to do something so, I smiled and said, "As long as I have enough time to clean up and make myself presentable."

"Don't be silly," she teased, then tenderly kissed my cheek, "Thank you, Michael, Mom is gonna have a fit when she sees you."

~~~~~~

Chapter Three

"Oh my God," Marie Sanders happily cried when she saw me, "Look who's here. Michael, baby boy, come in here and gimme a big ol' hug, darlin."

"Hi, Ms. Marie," I smiled, hugging her tightly, "It's so good to see you."

"What the hell is going on in here?" Floyd Sanders gruffly replied, over the commotion he'd heard while in the back of the house. When his eyes landed on me however, his demeanor completely changed into the kind and gentle face I remembered seeing as a boy. And trying desperately to hold back the happy tears that were beginning to fill his eyes, Floyd grinned from ear-to-ear and then loudly and gleefully announced, "Holy shit, the prodigal son has returned. We better start breaking out our winter clothes; because Hell is gonna start freezing over any minute now."

"Daddy," Olivia scolded, "Watch your language in front of your grand daughter."

"Come to Grand-daddy, baby girl," Floyd beckoned to Caitlyn, scooping her up into his arms as soon as she was within reach, "Did you have a good time at the beach today, darlin?"

"I sure did, Grand-daddy," Caitlyn replied grinning, "Mike took me surfing, and I got to ride with him on the board."

"You did," Floyd said, winking at me, "I'll bet that was a lot of fun, huh?"

"It sure was," she cooed, "Can you take me surfing, Grand-daddy?"

"Grand-daddy is too old to go surfing, honey," giggled Marie, taking Caitlyn from her husband's arms and into hers, "Besides; his old butt is too big to be on a surfboard anyway."

"The same rule applies to the mouthy broad I'm married to," Floyd laughed, smacking his wife on the butt, as he spoke, much to the shock of both Olivia and her mother. However, I could tell that he'd pissed Marie off, not only by of the look on her face, but because of past experiences I'd witnessed as a boy.

After gently setting Caitlyn on the floor, Marie put her hands on her hips and while glaring fiercely at her husband, sweetly replied, "You'd better be careful about who you call a broad, you silly old bastard."

"Now wait just a damn minute," argued Floyd, "I was just teasing your silly ass, shit fire woman."

"Hey, hey, you guys," Olivia scolded, "Please watch your language in front of my daughter."

"You guys are so silly," Caitlyn pointedly told her mother, "You talked a whole lot worse than that when you dropped that can of tomatoes on your foot yesterday, Mommy."

I had been trying and succeeding, through much difficulty, to contain my laughter up to this point, but when Caitlyn chimed in with what she'd said; I began to howl, only making it worse when, driving the point home, she giggled and added, "See Mommy; I told you that you guys were silly. See? Mike thinks so, too."

Don't laugh at her, Michael," scolded Liv, who was herself, trying to suppress a smile, "It only makes her worse."

~~~~~~

"Mikey," Floyd said, wrapping his arms around and hugging me once all the laughter had died down, "It's so good to see you, son."

"It's good to see you, too, sir," I grinned, hugging the man who had been like second father to me when I was a boy.

"Olivia tells us that you're conducting the Spring Cantata this year," Marie cooed, "I'm so proud of you, baby, and I know that your mother would be, too."

"Thank you, Ms. Marie," I smiled, kissing her on the cheek, "That's awfully nice of you to say that."

"Don't give it another thought, sweetie," Marie laughed, "Besides, you're the only son I'll ever have."

"And you'll always be my other Mom, too," I smiled, hugging her again and kissing her on the cheek.

~~~~~~

Ms. Marie had cut up and fried two whole chickens, made mashed potatoes with an electric hand-mixer, as well as some chicken gravy to go with them. There were also turnip greens, macaroni salad, and pinto beans, but when she put the jalapeno corn bread on the table next to the gravy bowl; I could almost taste everything just from the sights and smells alone.

"This sure looks good," I smiled, after the blessing had been asked, "I haven't had a good home-cooked meal like this in a very long time."

"Welcome home then, Michael," Olivia smirked, "Now, eat, before it gets cold."

"Yes mother," I teased, eliciting a giggle from Caitlyn as she sat across the table next to her grandfather, "Can I stay up late tonight, too? There's no school tomorrow."

"Oh hush," Olivia giggled, "You're such a smart ass."

"Ooo, Nana," Caitlyn said to her grandmother, "Mommy's talking ugly again," causing me to laugh even harder.

~~~~~~

That night as Olivia drove me home, we were alone as she reached across the seat of her truck. Then gently taking my hand and interlacing our fingers, she smiled and cooed, "I can't begin to tell you what it meant to my parents to have you there for dinner tonight. Thanks for doing that for me, Michael."

"I didn't do it just for you, Liv," I grinned, "I've always loved your Mom and Dad very much, and I guess I didn't realize how much I've really missed you all until tonight."

"Really?" she wistfully asked, squeezing my hand a little firmer.

"How could I not miss you, Liv," I smiled, rubbing the back of her knuckles with my other hand, "You were my best friend."

"And you were mine," she smiled, a single tear falling slowly down her cheek, "I really missed you after we graduated and went our separate ways off to college, Michael. Then a few years later your Mom told me you got married, and a little part of me died that day."

When I saw that she was almost about to break down, I raised her hand to my lips, releasing the hold we had on one another, and then softly kissed the palm of her hand and said, "I'm so sorry, Liv, but did Mom tell you that I got a divorce?"

"Yes, she did," Liv replied, her eyes shining brightly once more as she began to giggle, "She and I even went out and had few drinks to celebrate it, too, but I promised your Mom that your Dad wouldn't ever find so, that little tidbit of information needs to stay between us, okay?"

"My lips are sealed," I laughed, "And even though I know that Dad wouldn't have cared, I promise not to ever tell him about it."

~~~~~~

Liv pulled her truck into the driveway and shut the engine off when we arrived at my family's house, leaving us to sit alone with one another in the dark. "I'm glad you came with us today, Michael. Caitlyn and I really enjoyed ourselves."

"I had a great time today," I replied smiling, "Thank you for inviting me."

"God, Michael," she happily cried, while unexpectedly hugging me tightly to her, "I can't tell you enough how good it is to see you." I simply held her tightly against me, saying nothing. And when we said our goodbyes that night, they were sweet hints full of promise.

~~~~~~

I opened my eyes the next morning feeling refreshed after getting plenty of sleep. And once I'd had a shower and got dressed, I went downstairs to find my sister-in-law, my sister, and my niece, all sitting around the kitchen table drinking coffee while quietly talking amongst their selves.

All conversation ceased when I walked into the kitchen and with conspiratorial grins on each of their pretty faces; Andie stood up and said, "Can I get you some coffee, Lover Boy?" Then all three of them fell into hysterical fits of cackling laughter which I thought sounded just like a hen house at that moment.

"Silly Assed Girls," I laughed, "And no, Andie, I'll get my own coffee, thank you."

"Oh, come on Mike," Andie giggled, smacking me on the butt, "You know we're only kidding. Jeez, quit your whining."

"I'm not whining, dear sister," I teased, as I poured my coffee, "So, all three of you can bite me."

"Uncle Mike," Leah gasped, once again feigning innocence, "That was mean."

"Oh, no you don't, young lady," I laughed, "You're Mom and your Aunt Dianna, are both veteran shit-starters and very well known disturbers of the peace so; don't try and play innocent with me, Missy."

"Don't call me, Missy," Leah angrily growled, "I hate that, you fucker." Now it was my turn to laugh, and that's exactly what I did.....like a fool, too. But before Andie had the chance to get in Leah's ass for her language, my niece finally got over herself and was in my arms, squealing, giggling and laughing like she's done since she was a baby, the little shit.

~~~~~~

Dad and Ben were gone when I woke up, but they came back around noon; and Ben wasted no time in giving me similar grief like my sister had earlier that morning. I understood that it was all in good fun, and after I politely told them all to 'kiss my ass', the issue was dropped.

The reason they had been gone for so long, was that Ben drove Dad to a town, about sixty miles from my hometown, that is well know for having some of the best beef brisket and cured venison in the whole country. They brought back all kinds of meat; beef, pork roasts, venison back-strap, sausage, holy shit, it was great.

While Dad and I unloaded the car, he pulled me aside and said, "You know that we're cooking outside tonight, yes?"

"With all of this meat, I kind if thought we might," I laughed, "Why?"

"I was wondering if maybe it would be alright if....um...if," Dad stammered.

"Just say it, Dad," I knowingly smiled, "You'll feel better once you do."

"Do you mind if I invite the Sanders over here to eat tonight, Mike?"

"Hell, Dad," I chuckled, "Why on earth would I mind...huh?"

~~~~~~

"Holy Cow, Mark," Floyd commented, as he and Dad stood by the barbecue pit, enjoying samples of the briskets etc. that were roasting over the fire, "This is some real tender meat. How the hell do you do that?"

And as proudly as always, Dad smiled, patting Floyd on the shoulder and said, "It's not really that difficult, the secret is to cook it real slow and try to keep the meat as wet as possible while you're cooking it, old buddy." It was true; my family had been friends with the Sanders for as far back as I could remember, hence the reason that Olivia and I had been so close at one time.