Journals of the Secret Keeper (19 page)

Andrik found an old bookcase in the storage
house and dusted it off. He dragged it onto the back
porch and sat it up in an unused corner. Everyone
except Mr. Ricky and Martha helped unload the
journals and place them neatly on the shelves. The
last ones to be shelved were William Thompson's
journals. They were still hidden underneath the
cover in the trunk. Andrik dug them out and
brought them in.

"I hope yall know what you doing," Martha
said disapprovingly. "Them journals been buried
for almost a hundred years. It don't seem right to sit
them out on no shelf."

Before Willetta could answer, Chance slid
up to her and said, "Grandma said somebody on the
phone for you."

Willetta smiled down into his eyes and he
smiled back. She realized she was staring into a
male version of her very own smile and impulsively
threw her arms around him.

"You are so sweet," she whispered into his
ear. Then she let him go after sensing his
embarrassment and headed to the kitchen. She
picked up the phone with a questioning frown
creasing her brow.

"Willetta, this is Aunt Olivia," her voice was
crackly with age.
"Hey, Aunt Olivia. How are you," Willetta
asked.
"Old and weak, baby. I'm just calling about
the screen with the red-haired woman on it. Did
Andrik tell you why I wanted it," she asked.
"Yes ma'am, he did. There has been so
much going on it slipped my mind. I'll bring it to
you. We're planning another visit out that way in a
few days," she said.
"Oh, good. I thought you wouldn't ever
come back out here after what happened," Aunt
Olivia said.
"No. I'm fine now. We're bringing someone
special to meet you," she said.
"Yall come on then. I love surprises," she
said.
Willetta hung up after the day and time of
the visit had been settled.
CHAPTER 48
Willetta received another phone call the day
they were supposed to go to Aunt Olivia's.
"Willetta," the cold feminine voice said,
"this is Olivia. Aunt Olivia doesn't think today
would be a good day for you guys to come out."
"Why is that," Willetta asked.
"We've had an unexpected visitor and we do
not want a repeat of the histrionics you displayed
the last time you were here," she said suggestively.
Willetta remained silent. Her hand shook
and she almost dropped the phone.
"Are you there," Olivia asked impatiently.
"Yes, I'm here," Willetta said as calmly as
she could. "There will be no more fainting. This is
not about me, Olivia. We will be there as planned."
She hung up the phone without saying
goodbye or giving Olivia another chance to say
something hateful. So, Orlando was home. Samuel
said he was due to be released soon. This was
obviously sooner than any of them expected.
"Who was that," Andrik asked from the
foyer.
Willetta looked up into his darkly handsome
face. His size no longer overwhelmed her.
Although huge and muscular, he was gentle as a
lamb.
She'd been watching how well he and
Chance got along. Chance was good for Andrik.
They talked and talked.
It was a shady area as to
who the talks were helping the most, Andrik or
Chance. Vivica had given the child so much
freedom of speech that he had no qualms about
discussing anything and the deeper the conversation
the more animated he'd become. He was precocious
and Willetta was proud of him.
She was also proud of Andrik. When she'd
first met him, he had been closed off and arrogant.
He'd carried himself as if he could make it in the
world on his own. But he'd been brave through this
whole ordeal and in the end had made some real
connections, not just with her, but with everyone.
His attitude toward Mr. Ricky had even softened.
He wasn't eager to converse with the old man, but
he was kind and courteous to him. Willetta had
great hopes that before Mr. Ricky died, he and
Andrik would have a real breakthrough and find
some resolution to the painful issues of the past.
As for herself, she'd grown too. All the pent
up emotion she'd hidden since seeing her mother
cough up blood when she was eight was finding its
proper place within her mind and heart. She'd never
talked about how afraid she'd been and how much
she'd really known. It was safer and easier to
believe her mother had just abandoned her. She
was ready to start at the beginning and let it all out
now. She would write her own journals and she
would talk to Andrik. She knew Andrik had no idea
how deeply wounded she'd been over the course of
her life and she hoped he was ready to deal with
what he was signing on to.
But first things first, she had to face Orlando
and she would. After today, she would no longer be
afraid of anything ever again in her life. She could
almost feel Mama Jean's eyes on her and she knew
what she had to do. People always talked about
leaving the past behind and moving forward.
"Well that's just mad science, because there
is no future without the past," she whispered.
"So, that's who was on the phone," Andrik
said.
Willetta burst out laughing, "No, it was
Olivia. She wanted to make sure we were coming."
"Darn skippy, we coming.
We gotta get all
this mess done so we can get on with our lives,"
Andrik said.
"I totally agree," Willetta said. "I'm going to
get dressed. Tell everybody to start getting ready."
Andrik watched her climb the stairs two at a
time.
He'd seen the kaleidoscope of emotions
crossing her face. He would have paid money to
know what she'd been thinking.
#
Willetta made a couple of important phone
calls before leaving. She'd been in marketing too
long to miss this golden opportunity. It was
remarkable how once a person's fears were allayed
the mind became a power machine.
She'd told
Olivia that today was not about her, but in a way it
was. This was her opportunity to be all the things
she needed to be. She needed to be a strong woman
grappling with a past victimization, she needed to
be a mother, she needed to be a daughter, she
needed to be worthy of being someone's future wife,
and she needed to finally and most importantly be
judge and jury.
She felt strong as Samuel's suburban headed
out the gates of Thompson Estate.
Her comfortable
faded blue jeans, black t-shirt and dirty tennis shoes
screamed self-confidence. Her long hair was pulled
back in a pony tail and she knew she looked about
eighteen. The only cosmetic she wore was lipstick.
If anyone felt she was dressed oddly, they didn't say
so.
The suburban was loaded down with all
eight of them. Gwenneth sat in the front and
Samuel drove. Mr. Ricky, Chance, and Martha sat
in the middle seat. Vivica, Andrik, and Willetta sat
in the back seat. Samuel made the decision that
everyone should go. He was acting mysteriously
again, which only added to Willetta's anticipation.
#
"This is beautiful," Gwenneth said as they
drove through the dense Magnolia trees.
"I guess she rich as they said she was," Mr.
Ricky said. He looked from one side of the massive
yard to the other.
"Why is there a Fox News truck in the
yard," Andrik asked.
Everyone craned their necks to see what was
going on. There was a whole crew gathered on the
lower level of Aunt Olivia's porch. Samuel parked
the suburban and unlocked the doors. His face
turned up in a frown.
"I invited them," Willetta said cheerfully.
"Now let's get out. Open the door, Chance and help
your grandmother out."
Everyone started asking questions at once.
Willetta ignored them and after everyone was out of
the suburban she made her way over to the man
with the microphone. Everyone followed her.
"This is my family, Mr. Nelson. We are
glad to give you first dubs on this amazing story.
Mr. Orlando Jr., is in the house. He was just
released from prison for raping another woman, but
this will be his first time seeing me since he raped
me eleven years ago. I was fifteen when it
happened. This is Chance. He's my son, but his
grandmother has raised him. I think it's safe to say
that Mr. Orlando is interested in adopting Chance,
but we're not having that and I think you know why.
So, if you'll just follow us to the door, we can get
some really good documentation of this first
meeting. Oh, by the way, this is Samuel Gray, our
attorney."
Willetta's conscience bothered her for a split
second when she saw how outdone everyone was.
The looks on their faces ranged from
embarrassment on Vivica's to anger on Andrik's.
She didn't care at the moment, because she knew
exactly what she was doing.
CHAPTER 49
The door opened and Olivia stepped out.
"What is going on," she asked haughtily.
"We're here to see Orlando," Willetta said
boldly.
Olivia's eyes narrowed and she walked
towards Willetta, "I don't know what you think
you're doing, but my ninety-two-year-old
grandmother lives in this house and she doesn't
need this drama."
Willetta turned to Mr. Nelson whose eyes
eagerly flit from her to Olivia, "This is Mr.
Orlando's sister. She was one of the first people to
see me when I came out of the bushes with my
clothes torn after Orlando raped me. She also is the
one who gave the young Mr. Orlando money to help
me run away." Willetta looked away from Mr.
Nelson and turned to Chance. "Chance, come meet
your aunt. This is Olivia."
Olivia hung back. Her yellow skin was
mottled with anger and the freckles across her nose
stood out like neon signs. Chance moved closer to
Vivica and she wrapped her arms around him
protectively.
"Vivica, how could you let her do this to
us," Olivia said accusingly.
"I didn't know about any of this. I am just as
surprised as you. By the way, how are you," Vivica
asked mildly, but her eyes shifted disapprovingly to
Willetta.
"Olivia, get Orlando. Tell him that if he
doesn't get out here and sign away his parental
rights this thing is going to get more embarrassing.
That's all I want from him and then the cameras will
go away," Willetta said.
"You didn't have to humiliate yourself and
everyone else to get that, Willetta. I'm sure he
doesn't want the responsibility of raising a child,"
Olivia said incredulously.
"Get him now," Willetta said between
clenched teeth.
As she talked, Samuel nearly skipped back
to the truck. He opened the trunk and fished around
in his files until he found what he was looking for.
He was about to shut the trunk when he thought
better of it and rummaged around some more until
he found an ink pen.
Olivia went inside and came back out. "He
refuses to come out here. He said you and your
attorney can step inside without the cameras."
Andrik stepped forward and put his hand on
Willetta's arm. "Will you be okay," he asked. He'd
finally caught on to what she was doing and was
caught between being amazed and downright giddy
with pride.
"I'll be just fine," Willetta said as she
stepped up onto the porch and pushed the doors
open with more force than necessary. Samuel was
right on her heels with his pen and paper.
Orlando stood in the foyer waiting. Willetta
stopped abruptly and Samuel ran into the back of
her. She didn't even notice nor did she hear him
murmur his apology. She had eyes only for
Orlando.
"What's up cuz," he said.
He'd obviously spent most of his time in
prison working out. His arms were huge and he
flaunted them disgustingly with a sleeveless rayon
shirt that was plastered to his chiseled abs. His
arms hung down on either side of him like a
monkey, but Willetta knew he was trying to pose.
To an unsuspecting girl, he would be attractive, but
Willetta knew first hand what he was and it took all
she had not to slap his face and spit at his feet.
"Sign the paper," she said coldly.
"What, I don't get no hello, how you doin or
nothing," he said. "And what you doing with the
cameras, Willetta? I'm supposed to be shame or
something?"
"Sign the paper," she repeated.
"I don't like women who go for bad," he
whispered. "I'm not signing nothin until you
apologize for trying to shame me."
"Sign that paper, Orlando," Aunt Octavia
said from the doorway.
"I thought I told you and Nanna to stay in
the office til I said you could come out," he yelled
angrily.
Aunt Octavia jumped and looked afraid.
"You had your opportunity, Orlando,"
Willetta said and turned to go back out the front
door.
Orlando moved quickly. He pushed Samuel
into the wall and grabbed Willetta by her hair.
Pictures fell off the wall as Samuel landed against
them. He tried to keep from falling all the way
down and only managed to rake more pictures off
the wall. The sound of breaking glass must have
made its way outside because within seconds the
doors slammed wide open and Andrik made his
entrance with the camera crew hot on his trail.
"Let her go," Andrik growled.
Orlando instantly pushed Willetta away
from him and put his hands in the air. "I was just
playing with her man. You know how chicks are
when they go for bad," he said nervously.
"Are you okay," Andrik asked without
taking his eyes off Orlando.
Willetta said yes and took the paper and pen
from Samuel who had finally regained his balance.
Everyone crowded into the foyer and watched as
she approached Orlando with the paper and pen.
Without even looking in Chance's direction he
snatched them out of her hand and scribbled his
signature.
"Now get the hell out of my house," he said.
"All of you get out," he screamed.
"Orlando," came a frail voice from behind
the wall. "I'm an old woman and I don't have many
more days. I can't have you screaming at me or
your momma. She's old too. You and Olivia need
to pack your bags and go find somewhere else to
stay," Aunt Olivia said.
Aunt Olivia watched with steely eyes as
they left the foyer like too naughty children. Except
in truth they were dangerously self-centered adults
who could make a lot of trouble and most likely
would continue making trouble for someone.
"Come here, Willetta," Aunt Olivia she said.
"Did you bring the picture?"
"I did, but according to the journals the
picture was here before Etta started stealing babies,"
she said.
"That's disappointing to hear. I guess I
won't find out who my momma was before I die,"
she said sadly.
Willetta patted her on the back and said, "I
brought you and Aunt Octavia another surprise
though. Aunt Olivia and Aunt Octavia, I would like
you to meet Chance. I think at this point you know
exactly who he is."
"I see he got those freckles," Aunt Octavia
said. "Come here baby and give us old women
some sugar."
Chance rushed over and let himself be
gathered up in hugs and kisses from Aunt Olivia
and Aunt Octavia. Mr. Nelson's camera crew kept
filming throughout all the introductions and
reunions. Aunt Octavia and Vivica hugged one
another tearfully and Aunt Octavia summed it up
eloquently when she quoted a scripture and said, "
Better is the end of a thing than the beginning
thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the
proud in spirit."
Everyone in the foyer including the
cameramen nodded or either quietly said, "Amen."
CHAPTER 50