The Wisdom of Solomon

"I think you should," Tony said. "Come, let's take a little walk."

Both men walked down to the nursery and stood in front of the viewing window. Tony pointed to the two Mason babies and the nurses picked them up and held them at the window.

"I think I see your concern," the doctor answered with one raised eyebrow. "Let's go back and include your wife in this conversation."

When they returned and sat down the doctor started. "Mr. Mason, Mrs. Mason, I can see why you're concerned. Your little girl doesn't look anything like you or her brother. Now let me tell you a little about fraternal twins. You probably know some of what I'm going to tell you but I need to lay everything out for you to understand your situation.

"Fraternal twins occur when two fertilized eggs implant in the uterine wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins occur. Some women have a predisposition for releasing multiple eggs during one ovulation cycle, you might be one of them Mrs. Mason. Fraternal twins, like all siblings, have an extremely small chance of having the same chromosome profile while identical twins will have exactly the same DNA profile. Like other siblings fraternal twins may look similar, however they may also look very different from one another. Another way of putting it is that fraternal twins are simply siblings who happen to be born at the same time. About 1 in 90 births result in twins and of that about 75 percent are fraternal twins.

"It's a common occurrence that one twin may have health issues while the other doesn't. As I said earlier, Dr. McCoy ordered a series of DNA tests on both children to see if there are any genetic abnormalities. I'm sure you know of one that we can test for before birth and that's Down's Syndrome. But there are others that we don't test for on a regular basis. There's a very rare one called Progeria that causes rapid aging and we'll be testing for that as well. But there are literally dozens of abnormalities to test for, anything that indicates a problem we will find.

"There's also another possibility but we won't know exactly if this is your case until we do the DNA mapping we talked about. It's possible that one of you has a recessive gene from a distant ancestor who was black and it chose this time to come out. The genetic material in each of you is the product of the hundreds of generations that came before you. Somewhere in your past there may have been an ancestor whose contribution to your DNA has now come out. It happens rarely but it does happen.

"I don't know if I answered your questions or just gave you more to worry about. I would recommend waiting until we have the entire DNA work up completed before doing anything. When you have answers you can make educated decisions. Right now you're just afraid and worried. We should know something definite in about a week."

Both Shari and Tony just sat and tried to absorb everything they heard. It was going to take a while to process everything. They thanked the doctor and he left. Again it was just the two of them in the room and they were afraid to say out loud what they were thinking.

Tony looked at his wife and said, "Shari, I don't want you to be blindsided here but before I knew all of this I asked Dr. McCoy to do a paternity test. I wasn't thinking straight and may have jumped to the wrong conclusion. I'm sure it will be okay too. I'm sorry."

"You did what? How could you even think such a thing? I can't believe..."

"Hey you two, congratulations," came the clamor as both families entered the room. Shari and Tony's conversation ended abruptly as everybody's attention went naturally to Shari. This gave Tony the opportunity to sneak out unnoticed.

When Tony got home he plopped down in his recliner chair with a beer. The phone began ringing. There must have already been twenty messages on the answering machine from Shari or her parents. This time they didn't leave a message. Tony just wanted to be alone to think. He understood everything that the doctor said, almost all of it, but that still left him with unanswered questions and a heart full of pain. He decided he needed to read more and totally understand everything before going off the deep end. He put down the beer and went into the den and started looking at websites that had anything to do with twins, DNA, genetic abnormalities, and recessive genetic traits.

About two hours into his investigation he remembered something that the doctor said about fraternal twins. He said that "fraternal twins occur when two fertilized eggs are implanted in the uterine wall at the same time. When two eggs are independently fertilized by two different sperm cells, fraternal twins occur." What he didn't say was that there might be the possibility that the two different sperm cells could come from two different donors. So Tony googled that and found a website that described something called Heteropaternal Superfecundation. These two five dollar words simply meant that when two or more of a woman's eggs are fertilized by different men in the same ovulation period twins can occur with each having the same mother but a different father. It's so rare that only a few cases have ever been documented in medical records. Tony just sat back and stared at the screen. The possibility never occurred to him that Shari could do something like that. She loved him and he loved her. How could she do something so awful as to cheat on him? He just sat and worried that he might have a bigger problem on his hands. At that moment his doorbell rang.

"Hi Mom, Dad, come on in. What brings you guy here?"

"We were worried about you, the way you disappeared like that," his mother said. "And you haven't been answering the phone. What's the matter with you? We brought you up better than that."

"Mom, you saw the babies. There's something wrong with Bria. She doesn't look like either Shari or me. I don't know what's going on. The doctors are going to run all the tests they can to see if there is some kind of a genetic problem but I don't think they'll find anything. I have my suspicions what the problem is but I can't talk about it right now. I just have to wait until the blood tests are done."

Mom gave him her usual kind and sympathetic look as she said, "Tony, I don't know anything about these things but I do know you and Shari. You're good people and love each other more than any couple I've ever met, so whatever problem there is I'm sure you will find a way to fix it. Just let us know if there's anything we can do to help?"

"Yeah Mom, I might need a place to live when Shari gets home with the babies. I'll let you know."

Both Mom and Dad sat there with their mouths hanging open worrying that the problem may be bigger than they ever imagined.

Day 3

The next morning Tony showed up at Shari's room ready to take his family home. Her parents were with her and she wouldn't talk to him. She wouldn't even look at him. Her father had to tell Tony what was going on.

"Tony, we're coming home with you. We want to help and have decided that we can stay until things are settled. Shari told us what you said and we can't believe you would accuse her of such a thing. She would never cheat on you. She loves you too much to do anything that stupid. She's a good girl and she loves you."

"She said I accused her of cheating on me? Bullshit! I never said such a thing. I hardly said anything to her. You know, I think you better come home and stay with your precious daughter for a while. I'm not sure what's going on and I don't want to say or do anything to make things worse. Besides, how much worse can it get?"

Tony packed up the car and drove home alone with only the bags for company. Shari's mom and dad followed along behind with their daughter and the two little ones.

For the next few days everything was quiet but tense. Whenever Shari and Tony were in the same room her mother or father would circle around them like referees in a boxing match. Shari's parents slept in the spare bedroom and Tony slept on the couch. Sleeping on the couch didn't do anything to brighten his disposition either.

One night when everybody was asleep Tony snuck into the nursery and just stood there looking at the two newborns. He felt awful taking out his bad mood on them. They were innocent. They didn't do anything wrong. He didn't hate them. He just had misgivings whenever he looked at Bria. He wanted to hold them. He wanted to love them. But there was no way he could until he understood what was going on and everything was back to normal. For now the only thing he could do was look at them as they slept. He turned and crept quietly back to his couch.

Day 10

It had been a week since the twins came home. Everybody was at home and the daily routine was set but everything was not normal. Tony still slept on the couch and Shari would only talk to him through her parents. Even her parents were getting tired of things the way they were.

"Tony, it's Dr. McCoy's office," Shari's mom said poking her head out from the kitchen.

"Mr. Mason, Dr. McCoy would like to see you and Mrs. Mason in his office to go over the results of Brian and Bria's tests. Can you come in at one o'clock?"

"I'll be there," was all he said.

At noon Tony got in his car and started down the driveway. Suddenly Shari jumped in front of the car and stood there with her hands on her hips. The expression on her face could have frightened a demon.

"And where do you think you're going?" she shouted.

Tony stuck his head out the window and said, "The doctor's office called and they have the test results back."

"And you didn't think to ask me if I wanted to go?"

"Shari, you haven't said two words to me since you got home. Hell you won't even look at me. I'll go get the test results and bring them home and give them to your parents. You can look at them later."

"Hell no! I'm going with you. You're not the only one worried here and I have as much right to be there as you do. Now open the door and let me in."

The drive to the doctor's office was very quiet. Once they were sitting across from the elderly doctor he started talking.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I've got all the test results back and have good news to report. Neither Bria nor Brian has any health problems. Everything checked out okay. They're fine, healthy little babies. You met the geneticist when you were here and he told you about doing a DNA mapping to see if there was a recessive genetic trait showing up in Bria. Well, the preliminary results don't show anything in your DNA that would cause Bria to have black skin and features."

He stopped talking and just stared at the two of them.

"What," Shari asked. "What else is there? Tell us."

The doctor gave out a heavy sigh and looked first at Tony and then Shari. "Mr. and Mrs. Mason, I do have one test left to report on and I'm afraid it isn't going to be good news. The paternity test shows that Mr. Mason is the father of Brian but not the father of Bria. I'm sorry, but we double checked the results and they agree. Each child has a different father."

"WHAT?" Shari screamed loud enough to be heard in the waiting room. "THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THAT'S ABSURD! THAT'S ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT! Tony's their father. I'm their mother. That's that! You're lying. You don't know what you're doing. I'll get a lawyer and sue your ass."

All Tony could do was sit and watch as she stormed out of the office, screaming all the way down the hall.

"I'm sorry Mr. Mason. Here's a copy of everything for you to take with you in case you need them for, well, anything else. I hope everything works out for all of you."

As Tony walked into the waiting room he half expected to see Shari sitting there. She wasn't. He looked in the hall and in the lobby and she wasn't there either. She was gone. The security guard said a woman ran out of the building screaming and crying and he tried to catch up with her but she disappeared in the park across the street. He didn't know where she went after that. Tony drove around the park and the surrounding neighborhood for a while before giving up and going home. If she wanted to she would come home when she was good and ready he thought. But he wasn't going to hold his breath.

Once at home he gave her parents the good and bad news. They were stunned. They couldn't believe that something like this was even possible let alone that their sweet daughter would do something to cause it. Tony just got a six pack and went into the den and closed the door. He stayed there for the rest of the day and night.

Day 11

Tony awoke around noon the next day to find the computer keyboard smashed and laying on the floor. He didn't remember what he did but from the condition of the room it didn't look pleasant. He slept sitting on the desk chair with his head on the desk. His head hurt from the beer and from lying on the hard oak top but he got up anyway and ventured into the living room only to find Shari's mom sitting on the couch with Brian and Bria. After a muffled hello he stumbled into the bathroom to do his morning business and then into kitchen to have a piece of toast for breakfast. The beer he had been drinking lately had done a number on his stomach. He could barely keep the toast down. Shari's father came in with a concerned look on his face.

"Son, do you have any idea where she might be? I drove home this morning to see if she was at our place and there was no sign of her. I called her old girlfriends and they hadn't seen her either. I even drove by her work and the security guard checked and she hadn't been there either. I don't know where else to look."

Tony looked up from his breakfast and said, "I haven't a clue. There seems to be a lot I haven't a clue about. Right now I don't really care." He walked out to front porch, plopped down in the old wicker chair and started pouting.

Around two o'clock a taxi pulled up out front and a little old African American woman got out. She was thin and frail looking and walked slightly stooped over. She looked to be as old as dirt. The cane she used to hobble from the street to the porch looked to be even older that she was. The black dress she wore looked like her Sunday go to meeting best but it too appeared to be about as old as she was. The trip from the street to the porch took several minutes and Tony didn't move at all waiting for her to arrive. When she did he stood up.

Tony greeted the little old lady with, "Hello. Can I help you?"

She looked up at him with old eyes that held a sparkle of life experience that anyone would envy. Her body may have been ancient and worn-out but her eyes showed that her mind was anything but.

"Good afternoon, are you Tony?" she said very slowly with a slight southern drawl.

"Yes I am. What can I do for you?"

"My name is Violet Solomon. You don't know me but I know a great deal about you. Can I come up and sit down so we can talk?"

"I don't mean to be impolite ma'am but what about?"

"Shari."

There was a long pause before Tony spoke again. "I'm afraid I don't have anything to say about her. She disappeared yesterday and I haven't heard from her since. I don't want to talk about her. So if you don't mind I'll just say good day to you."

He sank down in the wicker chair and continued pouting. The little old lady just shrugged her shoulders and turned and spent the next few minutes walking to the curb. On the way she took out a cell phone and made a call then sat on the curb to wait. Fifteen minutes later a police car pulled up and the cop got out and started talking to her. He helped her into the back seat of the cruiser and then hiked up his gun belt as he walked to the porch.

"Excuse me, are you Mr. Mason?" The cop asked with a deep baritone voice.

Tony looked up from his chair and saw the tallest, baddest looking cop that he ever had the occasion to meet. He was standing there with one foot on the porch steps and his hand on his pistol. He was an imposing figure.

"What can I do for you officer?" Tony replied.

"How long has my grandma been sitting on the curb out there? She's got bad arthritis and sitting on the damp ground is only going to make her knees and ankles hurt. She said you wouldn't talk to her. She wants to talk to you about your wife. Why don't you want to talk to her? Is there some problem that you and I need to discuss?" The threat was veiled but understood.

Tony stood up and walked over to the officer and almost came face to face with him even though he was standing two steps down on the sidewalk.

"Anything between my wife and I is just that, between my wife and I. I don't want some stranger coming into my house and getting into my personal business. I don't care if you do have a gun strapped to your hip; you still have no business interfering with me and my wife."

"Mr. Mason, sir, I appreciate your situation but I don't like your attitude. My grandma came all the way over here to talk to you about something she thinks is very important and I think you could at least listen to what she has to say. She may be doing you a big favor. The least you can do is be polite enough to hear her out. Or would you rather I do the talking for her?"

Tony just looked at the officer and figured that anything he said wouldn't make any difference anyway. He might as well listen and then let them go on their way.

"Okay, I'll hear her out. Ask her to come up here on the porch and we can talk. I have to make a phone call. I'll be right back."

"Who's that outside?" Shari's mom asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"I don't know, someone that wants to talk about Shari. Why don't you join us? You might be interested to hear what they have to say."

Tony made a phone call and then got seven bottles of water out of the refrigerator. When he got back out to the porch he saw the little old lady, Violet, and the police officer sitting at the picnic table. Shari's dad was sitting on one side of the glider and her mom following behind Tony.

"The kids are down for their nap," Shari's mom said. "I've brought the baby monitor so I can hear when they wake up." She sat on the glider next to her husband and everybody looked at Tony holding the bottles of water.

"Drinks anyone?" he quipped as he passed out the water.

At exactly that moment Tony's parents drove up and got out. They found a couple folding chairs and joined the group on the porch.

"Okay, it seems like everybody's here, all except one person that is," Tony mocked. "And Miss Solomon here is going to tell us all about her. Ma'am, you have the floor."

The little old lady may have been frail looking but the stare she gave Tony would have knocked over any man, even the cop sitting next to her. Tony just retreated quietly to his chair.

The slow drawl began. "Mr. Mason, Tony, I've come here today to tell you a story, a story about your wife, something you don't know but you need to know. Now I understand that you and your wife are having a bit of difficulty at the moment, and your pride is hurt, but I hope my story will shed some light on the situation and make things a little better for the two of you. Maybe you feel that you're justified in feeling the way you do, but I don't think so. After you hear what I have to say you have some decisions to make. I hope for your sake you make the right ones.

"I will start my story by telling you that I have two grandsons that I raised from infants, after their mother died. Clarence here became a fine law enforcement officer and Denzel was a sergeant in the Army. Long before Shari met you she and Denzel were a couple. I don't know if she told you about her old boyfriends but they were together for a couple years. I got to know her pretty well. We spent many an hour in my back yard talking about just about everything. She even came over and spent a couple days with me when I got out of the hospital after a bout with pneumonia. She was always kind to me.