Are You My Husband? Pt. 03

This is Part 03 of a completed 3-part story. It will not make sense without reading Parts 01 & 02.

__________

Chapter 5 - DISCOVERY

Wade and Kathleen used a portion of their 401Ks and investments to help Scott and Ramon pull together the finances to buy out Stennis. Everyone maxed out their home equity loans, also. It still required a sizeable business loan from the bank. That new loan made Scott's earlier business loans for the heavy equipment look small. He had faith that they would be able to combine the two businesses and pay off those loans, eventually, but any major hiccup, like another court trial or bad publicity, and they could be hurting, badly.

Stennis didn't want to sell, but he didn't really have a choice. His attorney and financial advisor ran several different projections going forward on what would happen with his business and finances if he went to prison even with a plea-deal-reduced sentence. It was not good, so he decided to liquidate and get what he could. He did have some money hidden away from business profits and from when he went through his divorce, but he wouldn't be able to access that until he got out of prison, lest he wants to bring another criminal charge for tax evasion.

His plea deal was fifteen years at the moment. If he could provide new evidence against the politicians that were indicted, he might get it lower, but even with a better plea and good behavior, he was going to jail for at least 3-5 years and potentially much longer.

Another problem he had was that some of his commercial assets, like a couple of his greenhouses, extended onto his residential property. It was going to make separating the two very difficult. His best hope was to find a buyer for both. Otherwise, he would take a loss on some of his commercial assets or lower the value of his home. He was not in a great spot, so he planned to accept the bid that was offered to him through an attorney. The people's names behind the deal were not disclosed, and he couldn't really afford to care anyway.

________

Dina began preparing her special dishes again to ensure that Scott and Kathleen were eating well prior to conception.

Kathleen had stopped taking her birth control pills immediately.

Those next few days, she, Scott, and Janie talked a lot, about the trial, the business, Kathleen's visions, Scott's parents, and Dina.

A few days after the trial while in bed, Kathleen said, "Can I ask you guys a serious question?"

The others replied, "Of course."

"Do you think I'm being selfish to have a child to minimize the hallucinations? I mean, if the benefit is only three or four years, then at some point in time, I'm just going to have to deal with them or hope some doctor figures it out one day."

Janie was the first one to reply. "No, Sis. I remember seeing you having been abused in that crappy room with that redneck in Nashville. I don't ever want to take a chance on your going back there."

Kathleen chuckled, "No need to worry about that. When I had the first hallucination, I was with that asshole Robert. Now, I have Franklin and you guys to prevent that from happening. I was just thinking, I don't think it would be right for me to have my sixth or seventh baby at fifty-eight just to give me a little comfort. The risk to the baby would be too high, way before then."

Scott asked, "When you were growing up, or at any point in time before your visions started, did you ever think about how many kids you would like? There were two of you growing up. Did you think that was the right number? More? Less?"

"I never really put a fixed number on it. I always thought two or three."

He said, "Then stick with that. This next one will be number two, and if you want a third, we'll have it when you are ready or before you feel like you are entering the danger zone. I mean, you're only twenty-nine, you have time."

"You'd be willing to have another one with me after this? This one makes five, and one more would be six for you."

"Well, I never really expected to have both of you, either, but there are three of us working. Dina runs the house and looks after the kids. Eva will be in school this fall. There are plenty of two-parent homes that have five or six kids. Not as often as in the past, but it still happens. We have three parents plus Dina. Somehow, I think we can manage it. I wouldn't be upset if you wanted to have two more after this next one. Our bigger issue going forward is transportation. We're going to have more car seats and will probably need another big vehicle or one of those vans just to carry all of them around. I hope that tells you where my mind is at."

Kathleen was bursting with joy after that statement. "I love you, Scott Parker. You are so good to me. I really don't think my life could be any better than here with you two."

Scott smiled and shrugged, "I feel the same way. Does that mean that in your mind it's the three of us, forever and ever?"

"I'm pretty sure I was thinking that before Franklin was born. I know we just finished a trial where we almost got in trouble for that, but that's how I feel. I wouldn't recommend it for everybody, but our situation is a little unusual, so I'm good with it."

Scott leaned in to gently kiss her, "I love you too, Kathleen Parker. I doubt I'll ever say that outside of this bedroom but in my mind, you're as much a part of me as Janie. I know she's okay with that, so I think I can finally say it."

Janie's eyes were watering upon hearing that because that was what she had wanted since the day that she and Kathleen discussed her and Scott having a baby in the psychiatrist's office. She was feeling very, very satisfied. She felt like lighting a cigar and saying, "I love it when a plan comes together."

Janie said, "I doubt this is how our parents would have expected things to work out, but I think they would be pleased with this outcome. Scott, I cannot get over how your Mamma and Daddy are okay with it."

"Maybe it's because I'm with two exceptional ladies who are each very special to me and them." He paused a moment before saying, "Or maybe it's just the grandbabies. I think they're kind of happy about those, too."

That lightened the mood, and they all agreed that grandparents love grandbabies.

Kathleen said, "I agree. Outside of this room, we have to be smart, but in this room, I'm the other Mrs. Scott Parker."

They all agreed.

Janie chuckled, "If you have your last one six or seven years from now, Eva will be old enough to babysit."

They heard Kathleen chuckle at that, too. For several minutes they lay together basking in their togetherness.

A few moments later they heard Kathleen gasp, and then she began trembling.

Scott asked, "Kat, What's wrong?"

She shook her head because she couldn't answer, but she didn't stop her trembling and she began to cry.

Janie crawled over so that Kathleen was in the middle, and she tried to soothe her sister. "Shhhhh. It's okay, Sis. You can tell us."

"Oh, God. I'm such a horrid, wretched person. I cannot have more children. I don't deserve them."

Scott asked, "What? Where did this come from? You couldn't be more wrong."

Through her sniffles, she said, "What if Franklin and any other children we have, feel about my condition the way I felt about Mother's? I don't want them to resent me the way I did her. And what does that say about ME! I resented my own mother, who was one of the most wonderful women ever. God, I'm such a piece of shit."

Janie knew that this one probably wasn't going to get solved tonight. Kathleen was finally opening the covers on the past that were going to be painful to her. Janie had hoped that she had already resolved all of those feelings after returning from Nashville, but clearly, she hadn't.

Janie said, "Kat, you loved Mother. I know you did. I also know that you hated her illness. There isn't anything wrong with that. She tried to shelter us from it as much as she could, so it wouldn't bother us. We all did the best we could."

Kathleen replied, "I don't think you understand what my feelings were. Do you know how many fights I either had or came close to having because of Mother? You were in college when I pushed one girl hard enough for her to fall backwards and hit the back of her head on a lunchroom table. We were both sent home for the rest of the day. The next morning at school she had a big knot on the back of her head. I'm surprised I wasn't suspended."

Scott said, "Kat, you were what, fifteen, sixteen? No one blames you for feeling the way you did. You were still immature."

"But don't you see. I can't stand the thought of my children feeling that way about ME. And if I'm worried about that now that I'm a mother, what does that say about ME and how I felt about my mother? It must have hurt her terribly if she knew what I was thinking at that time. What a vile person I was."

Having some knowledge of Kathleen's self-loathing, Janie wanted to stop Kathleen from digging her own hole deeper. "Kat, it's only been a few days since your last hallucination. Why don't we wait and see how long until the next one before we start picking out an asylum for you? The doctor and I have told you before, that your condition isn't anywhere near as severe as Mother's was. I'm not saying that your fear isn't rational. I just wish it were in some way proportional. You are NOT going to lose your mind. You are not going to be in a trance like Mother was for dozens of minutes at a time. Try to stay calm. You have all of us that are here for you."

While reassuring to Kathleen, she was not completely assured. "I think it may be smarter for me to wait a little before we start trying to have another baby. Maybe I need to go see Dr. Foster again to talk through some of these thoughts in my head. I need to be in a better place regarding myself and how our children will think of me before I have any more."

Scott and Janie both started to protest, but Kathleen cut them off. "I know you both mean well, but let's let it rest for a little while, okay? I love you both, and I know you love me. That's enough for tonight."

None of them slept very well that night.

_________

Dina seemed to be getting back to her old self, and she was getting a lot of hugs from all the Parkers. They wanted her to know how much they appreciated and loved her. Beverly was hanging around because Wade was supposed to come down to sign some papers for the new business they were setting up.

They made a mostly fair offer for Stennis' combined commercial and residential property. Since he needed some fast cash to pay his quickly mounting legal bills, he accepted. Even if he pled out, reducing his lawyer fees, it would be unlikely he would be able to start over in Gwinnett County. Currently sixty-four years of age, he would not be a young man when he left prison. He would try to start over somewhere else, or just use his money from the sale of his assets, his hidden money, and his social security to retire.

The attorneys should bless the business deal within the week, and then Scott and his family would be the owners of one of the largest landscaping companies in the area.

Whereas Winter and Son's Landscaping was 100% owned by Janie, Scott, Kathleen, and Ramon. The new company would also include Scott's parents. They would work out the final details and percentages at a later date. What they needed was to have the cash and loans ready so that the attorney could get Stennis to agree, quickly, which he did.

They convinced most of Stennis' employees to stick around, though Scott and Ramon suspected that they would probably let some go because Ramon found them either incompetent or too loyal to Stennis to be effective for the new company.

With Wade and Beverly now having an ownership stake in the business, Wade decided to retire. He would focus on the nursery aspect of Stennis' business. He had half a dozen large greenhouses that he needed to learn about and six acres of planted bushes, trees, and ornamentals that needed management. He had no background in horticulture, but he inherited a couple of seasoned employees from Stennis' operation that worked at the nursery. He hoped they would be good to work with. Even with them, he'd be drinking from a firehose to get caught up and learn what needed to be done to run the nursery business.

The six acres was on a total of forty acres which included Stennis' old residence, which was now his and Beverly's new residence. They had their home in Chattanooga for sale. Beverly was thrilled with the arrangement, which meant she could spend more time with her grandbabies.

It would probably take several months to consolidate, but Scott and Ramon thought that Stennis' office building was better for them than their old office. Since it sat on the same property as Beverly and Wade's new home, though on the opposite side of the acreage, they could make plans for the children, including Ramon and Emilia's, to spend the day there with Dina and Beverly playing, learning, and exploring the property and the greenhouses. Beverly would convert a room or two into nurseries for the new ones she was hoping Kathleen would have and the one Emilia was currently expecting.

She made sure that she complimented Kathleen on how good a mother she was and how much all the children loved her. It helped Kathleen, but she wasn't ready to commit to having another one yet.

Kathleen was also too busy at the moment to have another child. With the combined business, she was even busier than she was previously. She, along with Scott, spent the first several weeks visiting the largest of Stennis' clients or prospects that were still in the design phase so Kathleen could take pictures and prepare visualizations of the completed project for the client and for the installation crews.

She loved the interaction and the work, but she barely had time to come up for air. Many late nights she would be working while sitting on the couch near Janie and Scott, while they were snuggling. She didn't have time to create some of the beautiful drawings of her earlier work, she had to focus more on getting a visual that everyone would refer to as THE document for the project installation.

During several weeks of buying Stennis' old business and getting Wade and Beverly moved to their new home, Kathleen and Janie received a formal-looking card in the mail addressed to them from a name they didn't recognize. Inside an invitation was included which read.

Mrs. Constance Jackson requests the pleasure of your company for an afternoon tea at her residence.

The date and time provided were a few weeks out. The address was also in Gwinnett County. It was requested that they RSVP by phone or mail using the enclosed envelope.

While Scott had told them about the conversation with Brother Leo, they were all still a little surprised to receive it. Trusting their pastor, they replied by phone and made plans for a Friday afternoon, not too far away.

___________

While all this was going on, Kathleen provided an extra blood sample, which was in addition to the quarterly ones she submitted. All of the new things seen during her pregnancy had mostly disappeared from her bloodwork. She hoped they could identify something to help her.

While a little down because of Kathleen's concerns regarding having another child, the larger Parker clan was doing well. There was a lot of change going on in the business, but everyone was happy with the new opportunities.

On Saturdays, Scott, Kathleen, Ramon, and Wade generally worked together at Stennis' office to catch up on office work. At lunchtime, Dina and Beverly would have a big spread of food, usually outdoors under the beautiful pergola which was situated between the rear of the house and the large pool in the manicured backyard. Stennis had put a lot of time, money, and effort into his backyard, as a showcase, and it showed.

At the first summer block party, everyone congratulated Scott and Kathleen on escaping the clutches of false accusations. While everyone was indignant that they were even accused, those same people believed in what Scott and Janie had done for Kathleen. They all thought she was great and were extremely happy for her and the Parkers.

The Parkers promised that the next block party would be at their house where they would invite and thank everyone that had helped during the trial. They would have hosted the first block party, but they were swamped with trying to merge the two businesses together.

All during this time, Dina and Beverly worked to ensure that their households were operating smoothly so everyone else could focus on their work, and then enjoy time with their families.

Ramon and Emilia added a new addition, which stayed with Dina and Beverly during the day, too. They were doted on just like the Parker little ones. As Dina said, "keep them coming," because any child lucky enough to be looked after by those two women would grow up feeling loved. Ramon and Emilia were thrilled for their little Rodrigo and Isabella to be cared for by Dina and Beverly during the daytime.

At church, since Brother Leo had given them the heads up regarding the invitation, Janie and Kathleen asked him about it whenever they saw him, but he just put them off saying it would be better for them if he didn't say anything.

_______________

Finally, the Friday of the afternoon 'tea' arrived, and Janie drove herself and Kathleen to the provided address.

They steered through an older neighborhood of Lilburn, GA, which contained several stately, older homes with massive oak trees in the front yard and a variety of fencing surrounding each of the homes. As they pulled up to the address, the gates were open, and a large circular drive was where they parked. It was a large, two-story older home with dark red brick, white columns, and white trim. There was a large wraparound porch that encircled the entire front of the house, and it looked like it extended around the back, too.

Upon exiting their vehicle, a well-dressed Asian-American woman, perhaps in her late forties, wearing glasses, opened the door for them. "Good afternoon and welcome. We're so glad you could come." She shook their hands and escorted them inside. "Mother has arranged a tea and some petit fours for us in the drawing-room. Follow me, please."

She led them into the first room on the right, where a little-ol'-lady was waiting for them. She smiled upon seeing them enter, stood, and extended her hand in greeting.

"It's such a pleasure to see you again. I doubt you remember me. As you saw on the invitation, I'm Constance Jackson, but please call me Connie. The last time I saw each of you was at the funeral home when Amanda passed away. We lost her too soon."

Janie said, "Thank you. You were with all of those other women that came through and greeted us, weren't you?"

She nodded, "I was. There were several of us that were close to your mother, professionally, who came to pay our respects. I wouldn't say that she and I were friends, but I guess you could say that we were close colleagues, and those ladies, along with me, admired her greatly."

Motioning to the other woman, Connie said, "This is my daughter, Mrs. Amiee Miller. She's one of four that Winston and I were blessed to call our own. She's a curator downtown at the Atlanta High Museum of Art and has been there for nearly two decades."

Kathleen stated, "That's interesting. I'm guessing that means that at least one of you knew that our mother painted."

Janie thought there was something familiar about Aimee, but she couldn't place her.

Aimee said, "We did, and that's part of what today is about, but before we get into that. Let's enjoy the tea service and if you don't mind, would the two of you tell us a bit about yourselves and your business. We know a little about you through your mother, and more recently through the news."