The Descending of Jessica Ch. 17

"Tennessee."

"How did she get there? The last we heard her husband was based in California. We, my brother and I, we looked for her there, and every military town on the west coast. How is her husband? Rick was his name, I think. We were never told."

"Ricardo. Uh, he died years ago. After the first Gulf War."

"Oh my god," Robert said as he broke down in tears.

All I heard was his weeping for a good two or three minutes. Finally, through his blubbering, he asked "Is Gail there?"

"No, she's... Well, she's had some mental health issues. She's physically good, and doing well they say, but right now she's in a convalescence center. I saw her Sunday and she's really doing well. She, well, I think she's wondered where you and your brother are and, well, why you haven't talked to her or whether she could talk... Well, none of that matters. Honestly, I can't be sure what she is thinking. But she mentioned you and your brother and that was the first time I ever knew you existed."

"You must think we're horrible people, but I assure you, promise you, that as soon as I got to college and when Tim followed me... Once we got out of the house, we started looking for her. But, by then, she had been gone four or five years. The military couldn't help us. We even called our congressman but the military's position was their whereabouts were private information and couldn't be released except by them."

"I, well, I understand. I'm not sure what Brent will think, though. Or Gail, but I suspect she, well, I know she would love to talk to you," I said, winging it.

"I'll do better than that. Is this 'Brent' there?"

"No, he's in class. We're both in college."

"Listen," he said abruptly, "can I call you back at this number in a half hour or forty-five minutes?"

"Uh, okay. Brent might be here by then. I'm waiting for him to get out of class."

"Thanks, I've got your number as..." and he read it off to me.

"Yes, that's right."

"Thanks for calling, Jessica. Wait, Anderson? That wasn't Gail's husband's name."

"No. After he died, well, several years later, Gail had her major breakdown."

"Schizophrenia?"

"Yes, why?"

"It runs in our family. I think it is why my mother hated your father-in-law. She passed away a few years ago but had a breakdown, too. Never really recovered."

"Brent told me it's not genetic. That's what the doctors said."

"It's not, but it does tend to cluster in families. Don't worry about it. I have two kids and my brother has three. We're all fine. You guys have kids yet?"

"No we, well, we just got married a couple weeks ago. On New Year's Eve."

"How old is Brent?"

"19."

"That's young to get married."

"It's young to take care of a mother that's ill, a fiance that nearly died and a younger foster sister and brother, too, while being a full time student but he does great," I replied, my anger showing in my tone.

"Oh! No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I, well, forgive me. So, why Anderson? What happened? How did you nearly die?"

"It's, I guess, I'm a little nervous. I'm just very defensive and, er, protective, when it comes to Brent. Well, Gail had her breakdown and Brent, he was probably twelve or so the last time, he went into foster care. That's where we met. We both were taken in by a wonderful couple named Anderson. Gail signed for them to adopt Brent a few years ago but he still takes care of her. It gave him a continuous home even when she would get out of the mental hospital and into the home. He always stayed at a fixed place that way. My family is a different story. I was never adopted so I didn't become an Anderson until a couple weeks ago. I was in a wreck last fall and badly injured. I nearly died three or four times, so as soon as I got out we got married. We had dated, well, a while. Life's too short."

"I really am sorry for my words earlier. I would love to meet Brent. He sounds like an outstanding young man."

"He really is. When I saw your picture on your company website I knew you must be his uncle, and, uh, call back in a half hour or so like you said. He should be here. I'll see if he wants to talk."

"Thanks. Thank you so much."

We hung up and I was speechless. I might have gone too far in sharing information, but, well, it seemed like the right thing to do. I know Brent would have a lot of anger pent up and I guess rightfully so. But I also know that if what Robert had said was true then he had done all he could as a young person, no older than we were now, to find Gail. And, of course, back then the internet was not available to help.

Amid all this nervousness and angst, it dawned on me that Andy still wasn't there and I suspected he wouldn't show. Just call it intuition, but I was unfortunately right. Each time the door opened, I looked to see him but he was never there. A few minutes passed and Brent arrived with Carolyn. She saw me at our now usual table by myself and became white as a ghost.

As I watched them, I thought about what to tell Brent and realized it had to be the truth. I was smiling at him, because I always do, and he was smiling back. Just as they were almost there, my focus was interrupted.

"Hi! Its Panhellenic Spring Rush this week. Have you considered a sorority?"

"It can help with adjusting to college life, grades, building friendships, even finding the right guy!"

Two perky to the point of irritation blonds were at the table and didn't seem to care that I had been studying or that I was watching Brent as he came over.

"Oh, hi! We're looking for Big Brothers, too!" Perky blonde number one said to Brent as he smiled and pulled out a chair.

"Uh, thanks, but I already have the right guy. Sorry." I smiled as I held up my left hand to show them what was probably the largest rock either had seen.

"And he's already her big brother," Carolyn giggled as Brent leaned over to give me my welcome kiss. Or his welcome kiss. Whatever.

The bimbettes left their flyers, extended an invite to Carolyn, who mentioned she was already in a sorority she didn't attend any longer, and left.

"So, Andy?" Carolyn asked.

"Haven't seen him. I'm sorry," I said and I meant it.

"It's for the best. I haven't told you about last night," Carolyn said.

"Should I leave?" Brent asked politely.

"Oh no! Nothing like that. We went out after he got off work last night. He told me he wanted to show me off to his friends and..."

"Well, that's creepy but nice, I guess," I said.

"Yeah, except his friends are all the wait staff at Hooters."

"Oh. Dear," I said. I'm not a prude. In fact, Ron had in the past brought their wings home and they were great but at the same time that was just wildly inappropriate for Carolyn given that they had just started dating.

"Did you get into it with him?"

"No, just the opposite. We both went silent. Well, I did anyway and after we ate we left. He drove me home and that was that. We didn't talk on the way at all. He probably thinks I'm a bitch."

"Well, you probably think he's disrespectful," I said.

"And you're right. Geez, why not just take you to a strip club?" Brent said.

"Hey! Don't get any ideas, big boy." I smiled as we kissed again.

"Ugh. You two." Carolyn rolled her eyes.

As much as I wanted to talk to Carolyn, Robert was due to call back any second and I needed to tell Brent. So it was time to either be more subtle at controlling a conversation than I am or be blunt. I had to go with the latter.

"Carolyn, I know you're hurting, and we need to talk, but I have to tell Brent something before it's any later."

"Oh My God! You're pregnant!" She gasped.

"What? No! Geez! Why does everyone think I want to get preggo?"

Brent let out a grand sigh of relief.

"It's just the way you were talking I guess, plus, you two, you know. You love each other so much. And, well Allison said something to Donna about it when you were trying on dresses." Carolyn said.

"No! We're not having kids until we've graduated and established ourselves. Geez. No, Brent, remember when you said Sunday I could try to find Gail's brothers?"

He nodded.

"Well, I did. Robert is supposed to call in a few minutes. I, well, I think he's okay. He said as soon as he got out of your grandmother's house he and Tim looked for your mom in California but the military wouldn't help. I told him I didn't know if you would want to talk or not but..."

Brent stared at me, then said, "But you think I should?"

"It's up to you. I'll support and agree with you either way. I can understand why you wouldn't but, well, yes, I think you should try."

"Not here. Let's go home. Before he calls."

"Okay. Carolyn, we can talk at home, okay?" I smiled as I grabbed up my books.

"Sure, but I'm fine. I can't believe Brent is going to meet his family, that's..."

"Awesome?" Brent asked, showing no emotion.

"Let's hope so!" Carolyn smiled.

We had no sooner gotten in the house, put down our book bags and purses, and let Damita into the backyard when my phone rang. Brent was still down the hall letting Damita out.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hello, have I got everybody here?" Robert's voice said.

"Yes, yes, I'm here," another voice said. "Is this Jessica?"

"Yes, who is..."

"Tim is on the line, too, Jessica. I hope you don't mind. As soon as we hung up I called Tim. It took a few minutes to reach him but I guessed he would want to conference in, and well, here we are."

"So, you're, uh, Gail's daughter-in-law?" Tim asked.

"Yes."

"And she's in Tennessee? How far from Nashville?" Robert interrupted.

"Uh, maybe 30 to 45 minutes I guess. We go there, Brent and I, and Brent's adoptive and my foster family, all the time.

"I tried to explain to Tim the relationship but I probably messed it up," Robert said.

"Ha! Its easy to do. I have two mothers-in-law, and two mothers. My mothers are best friends. I married my brother, whom I'm not related to except as my husband, and we have a little sister and brother who mean the world to us that aren't biological kin, either. Oh, and Gail is one of my mothers-in-law. It's easier for Brent. He just has two mothers and one mother-in-law. But sometimes his other mother is also his mother-in-law." I laughed.

Brent came into the room and stared at me with his puppy dog eyes. Carolyn sat quietly on the couch.

"So, our nephew; have you talked to him?" Robert asked.

"Yes, he's right here. I, well you understand he grew up alone. This is something of a shock to him and well, he probably has a lot of questions for his uncles. But he's the bravest, most wonderful man ever." I handed the phone to Brent with tears in my eyes as I choked up and sat beside Carolyn.

"Hello," Brent said, then sniffled.

"Uh huh, yes, yes," we would hear him say. Brent turned his back to us and stood looking down the hallway so we wouldn't see his tears, I suppose. Carolyn looked at me and as usual knew just what to do.

"Why don't we give them some space?" she said as she rose and offered her hand to me. I stood and we went into the kitchen. As I passed Brent, I kissed him softly behind his ear, just so he would know he was loved and not alone.

On checking the fridge, Carolyn found our tea was almost gone and, I assure you, this is a dread social faux pas in any southern home and suggested she make some while I let Damita in. I went out the other kitchen door, which went to the dining room, then turned into the hall to let in our little pup.

Damita was quite over this cold weather and trotted in with great pride.

Down the hall, I heard Brent talking and listening and even laughing some. I knew it would be alright now so went back to the kitchen, puppy at my feet, to rejoin Carolyn.

"I can't believe that douche took you there."

"Oh, I used to go there with Steven a lot. It's not that I'm a prude. If anything the whole place is kind of silly. It's just the whole time we were there his mind was on someone else."

"One of the waitresses?"

"Yeah. She used to work with him. I think I was just there to make her jealous. She goes to school here. I've seen her around campus. So! You're being invited to rush! Aren't you the popular one?"

"Hardly, and besides, what's the big deal? I mean, I'm not joining, I have no need to."

"I only joined because I didn't know anyone. Greek life is great for college towns when you get there and have no social support network, but now I do. But most girls ask to join, not many do they go out of their way to recruit."

"They must have found out I'm Allison's daughter."

"Or they think you're really hot and they don't want anyone else to get you and take their guys away. It's a pretty sophomoric life sometimes. They thrive on drama."

"I'm out!" I giggled. "Now stop changing the subject. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really!" she pleaded. As she said this her phone rang with Trish wondering where we were and why we weren't at the deli where we were to meet her. Carolyn explained and, a few minutes later, Trish joined us.

"I worry about you. I can't believe that jerk. You can stay here tonight. We can have a slumber party," I suggested without thinking about it.

"Uh... I think that might upset your husband, Jessie." She giggled.

"Oh. I didn't mean..."

"Relax, Jessie! I'm fine! But, thanks. It's good to know you have my back. Besides, I already live here. Remember? Next door?" She laughed.

We talked in the kitchen for an hour or so while Brent talked in the living room. When Trish knocked I went to let her in, giving my red faced teary eyed hubby another kiss and hug on the way through. His conversation seemed to be going well and he was grinning like I had rarely seen him before.

Trish joined us in the kitchen and agreed that Andy was a jerk and we had a hen party at his expense. If we had a voodoo doll we would have all been stabbing pins into it. The only exception to men being a bunch of assholes was Brent, which we all agreed upon.

At one point, Brent opened the door to the kitchen, my phone still to his ear, his face red and eyes glassy and bloodshot, and handed me his phone, which was ringing.

The caller ID said "Sarah" so I answered it, "Hey bratface!"

"Hey! Why don't you answer? I've been calling you for an hour!" she cried. I knew she had just gotten out of school so this was an exaggeration.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Brent is using my phone. I'm glad you called his. Is anything wrong?"

"Ugh! Yes! I have some math and Alex is, well he has his own homework! I need your help. Can you come get me?"

"Now, you know Momma Allison wouldn't want me to do that. Tell you what, Carolyn and Trish are right here. I'm going to put you on speaker and we'll walk you through it."

Carolyn smiled for the first time that afternoon at the thought of helping her favorite student. Her problems weren't hard and it was clear she understood them already. So in less than half an hour we had them all worked. It was clear that this had been an excuse to call, but I was okay with that. I know, she'll probably turn into a juvenile delinquent because of me, but I can't help it. I adore my twerp little sis.

Our call winded up at about the same time Brent's did, his mostly because the battery in my phone was almost dead. He and his uncles had connected and they were both coming down to see Gail the following weekend, if her doctors permitted it. There was some concern by all that seeing them after all these years might well shock Gail back to the dark side of crazy. Brent was going to check with her doctors the next day to make sure. Phone numbers had been swapped all around and to some extent they had caught up in each other's lives. Robert was an accountant while Tim owned a couple of fast food joints. Both had done well after leaving home. Brent's grandparents were both deceased and while it would be cruel to say that was just as well, they never would have had any use for my husband anyway.

Tim and Robert were ecstatic at finding Gail and had tons of questions about her care but agreed to not call the center until Brent had talked to the doctors. All in all, it went about as well as could be expected.

Brent now had the challenge of telling Allison and Ron about it but they exuded nothing but happiness for Brent. I guess, by now, they knew they were irreplaceable to us and no one would ever take away for the adoration we felt for them and that they were always first in our hearts.

While all this was going on, since she was done with Sarah's homework, Carolyn and Trish began plotting a road trip for the weekend to go see her family. Mainly I think it was so Trish and Amber could see her brothers, but Carolyn's spirits were lightened nonetheless. When romance is sad, it's good to have family around.

Alex, of course, wanted to talk with Brent and they chatted until his phone was almost dead, too. Fortunately, mine had been on the charger so when it dropped we called back. Since Brat had requested it, I mentioned the kids coming up for the weekend but we all agreed that was a bad idea for Alex. He needed to stay home so he would get a feeling for where home is. Sarah heard at least half this conversation and protested that she could go but Allison wisely pointed out that home isn't just a place, it's the people that are there.

"Why doesn't Sissy and Brent and Carolyn come here then?" I heard her ask, and thought, "Well, that's not such a bad idea." After a few minutes of discussion though this became problematic as Brent's uncles were coming in Saturday, if only to meet Brent, and we had a dog to care for that Allison was allergic to. I figured we could take Damita to the groomers to scrub the dander off but I wasn't going to leave Brent to meet his family on his own.

"Why don't we go up Friday then?" Brent asked. "Their flight probably won't arrive until noon."

And so it was decided.

That night, both phones safely being charged, we snuggled and studied until bed time. Brent was distracted with elation and often stopped his focus to ask a question about family relations to Carolyn and Trish, since they were the only ones of us that had uncles, cousins, or anything else before that afternoon. They were thankfully reassuring that they, cousins and uncles, were a great augmentation to one's central family, but would never take the place of mothers, fathers, and siblings, even in our adoptive and foster statuses. It probably seems silly to most, but having never had any relations outside our immediate ones, neither Brent nor I had any idea what to do with his new uncles, aunts and cousins. Carolyn and Trish kept us calm and elated at the same time.

Trish also had plenty of advice for Carolyn in the romance department but Carolyn waived it off. Pretending to be okay about it wasn't fooling any of us but she made it clear she didn't want to talk about it.

That night in bed, we snuggled and talked until one of us, probably me, fell asleep. Brent got me teary eyed when he talked about all the shitty nights at the group home, wondering why his family didn't care only to find out now that they did and had no idea where he and his mother were. I really despised his grandparents, even if they were dead already. The pain they let happen was just unforgivable to me.

The rest of the week was a blur. The doctors were quite happy for Gail's brothers to visit and, after class the next day, we dropped by to see her briefly. Then it was by my now stepfather's practice for a follow exam where he pronounced me reasonably fit but still not all back. Dr. Riley was quite pleased with my running distances and times and gave us, Brent and I, a new set of goals. Friday after class, Brent took Damita to the groomers and dropped her off while I packed for our overnight and saw Carolyn, Amber and Trish off for Ohio. The weather was good for their trip up but a front was to move in late Sunday that they would need to keep an eye on. There was snow on the ground where they were going, about 3 hours away, but the roads were clear and no more was called for until at least Sunday evening.