Moments of Clarity (18 page)

Dominique pointed to an area where there was a small stable. “They're down there tending to the horses. It's the twins' responsibility to feed them, but since they're at his mother's house, Benjamin is doing it. Here they come now.”

Sasha found herself carefully examining the look on Sexton's face. She had deliberately left out the detail that Desiree's husband was white. If Sexton was taken by surprise he hid it well.

Benjamin wiped his hands off with a cloth and held his hand out to Sexton. “Nice to meet you. I've seen you play ball on television. You have a good hustle.”

“Thanks, man,” Sexton said.

Desiree walked over to Tyler and slid her arm around his waist. “This is my husband, Tyler.”

Tyler reached out his hand and shook Sexton's saying, “Nice to meet you.”

“Same here,” Sexton replied affably. “Man, where are you from? West Virginia?”

“I sure am. Born and bred.”

“I picked up on the accent right away. My college roommate was from there.”

“No matter how old I get or how many bowls of New England clam chowder I eat, I can't seem to lose my accent.”

“Why try at all? The twang that people from West Virginia have can't be duplicated by anyone else. There's nothing wrong with standing out in a crowd.”

“You're right,” Tyler answered with a chuckle.

“Let's go inside. I'm starving because I didn't want to spoil my meal by snacking,” Dominique declared.

Inside, Dominique had produced quite a spread for lunch. Honey baked ham, potato salad, cole slaw, chicken fingers and rolls were only a part of the sumptuous repast.

Conversation went smoothly from one topic to another as Sasha sat back and let her sisters grille Sexton.

“How old are you?” Dominique asked in her straightforward manner.

“Old enough,” Sexton replied smoothly.

Benjamin and Tyler laughed out loud and Benjamin gave his wife an indulgent look before he said, “Serves you right.”

She clicked her tongue in mock irritation. “You look like a baby.”

“I'm everything but,” Sexton answered.

Tyler stopped laughing long enough to tell Sexton, “You wouldn't believe the hard time she gave me when Desiree and I announced our engagement.”

“Why did she give you such a hard time?”

“Because I'm white,” Tyler answered without rancor.

“You're white?” Sexton responded in mock surprise. “I assumed you were an albino like Larry Bird.”

Everyone at the table broke into laughter.

Dominique explained, “That's not why I gave you a hard time. It was because Desiree kept your relationship a secret for so long.”

Desiree gave Dominique a stern look. “You know why I did that. I didn't want you in my business. And I certainly didn't want you to scare him off.”

“Like I could,” she replied dryly as she intercepted the look of love that passed between Desiree and her husband. “Well, I was wrong. I can admit when I've made a mistake. Tyler is the best thing that has ever happened to you,” Dominique declared with satisfaction. Then she turned a strict eye on Sasha and nodded in her and Sexton's general direction. “Now if I can get Sasha settled, my sisterly duties will be finished.”

Sasha declared emphatically, “Sasha doesn't need you to get her settled. She's doing quite nicely on her own. Isn't that right, babe?” Sasha eyed Sexton.

“That's right.” He reached over and clasped her hand with his.

Benjamin and Tyler gave each other man looks that spoke volumes.

* * *

On the way home, Sasha looked at Sexton in the dark interior of the car. “They like you. You did well.”

“So did they,” he responded quietly.

Sasha gave him an inquiring look. “What do you mean by that?”

“I was also checking them out. My mom told me if you marry a woman who connects well with her family you'll get yourself a good wife and mother.”

When Sasha heard the word wife, she turned her head and looked out the window to conceal her expression of hopefulness.

Chapter 14

Sexton walked over to the intercom system on the wall by the double front doors. “Yes, Rudy?”

“Good morning, Mr. Johnson. You have a visitor.”

“Who is it?” he asked, glancing at the clock on the wall.

“He said that he's your brother, Kendall.” Sexton knew the doubtful tone in Rudy's voice was because Kendall had never visited him there.

“Okay, send him on up.” Sexton glanced at Sasha as she sat at the breakfast bar. She was dressed, as usual, in one of Sexton's shirts.

Correctly interpreting his look she said, “I'll go and put something on.” She slid off the bar stool. When she returned she was dressed in a pair of khaki shorts and a navy tee shirt. She watched Sexton open the door and shake the man's hand. He beckoned him inside.

Turning towards Sasha he said, “Kendall, this is my girl, Sasha. Sasha, this is my brother Kendall.”

Kendall gave her a brief nod, “Nice to meet you.”

To which Sasha responded with a smile, “Same here.”

Sexton had told Sasha that Kendall was only three years older than him, but he had lines of worry on his forehead that could not be erased by a good night's sleep. He was tall, and except for a small beer gut, thin.

Kendall was holding a grey fireproof box in his hands and Sexton eyed it with a questioning look. Kendall said, “I need to talk to you, Sexton.” He shot Sasha a look of apology and said hesitantly, “Privately.” His voice was gruff but his eyes were gentle and Sasha felt warmth from him despite his words.

Immediately Sasha turned to mutter her excuses and leave, but Sexton stopped her. “I have no secrets from her. She can hear whatever it is that you have to tell me.”

Sexton motioned for him and Sasha to follow him into the den. Sexton sat on the couch with Sasha close to him.

Kendall sat in the leather recliner in front of them and began to talk without the preliminary niceties of catching up on each other's everyday life. “I bought our old house,” he said in a solemn tone. “You know, the one we lived in while in foster care.”

Surprise immediately registered on Sexton's face and noting this, Kendall said flatly, “I know. It's not as if we had so many good times there that I cherished the place. After our foster mom died the other year, some distant relative of hers inherited it. The girl who inherited it didn't keep up the taxes and I saw it on a list of foreclosures. I bought it because I needed a bigger house for my wife and kids and I thought that even though the place hadn't been kept up, it would still be a pretty good fixer-upper. It was being sold below market value and it has a good floor plan with enough room for us to grow.”

“Helen,” he looked at Sasha, “my wife, wanted a large playroom for the kids so we were knocking down one of the walls and found what appeared to be a opening. This was inside.” Kendall tapped the lid of the box that now lay on his lap. Watching Sexton closely he said, “It's adoption papers.”

Sexton's jaw clenched and he just stared hard at the box. For what seemed like a long time, no one said anything and Sasha slid even closer to Sexton, as if her proximity could ward off any bad news.

“At first I was shocked, and then I went through them. Do you want me to tell you what they say or just let you read them for yourself?”

Sexton bent his head and stared at the carpet as if he was looking for something.

Sasha knew that he was doing this in order to hide his thoughts.

“They said that they didn't have any information about us,” Sexton said.

“They lied,” Kendall stated flatly.

“I kind of wish that you hadn't found that stuff. I closed the door on the idea of ever finding my parents a long time ago.”

Sasha was fearful of the tone in Sexton's voice. Gone was the strong and confident sounding man that she was so used to and, even though she knew he was trying to maintain his composure, his body language gave away his nervousness.

“I know what you mean.” Kendall stared off into space before his eyes were drawn back to Sexton. He looked at him as if he had never seen him before. “There's good and bad news, depending on how you look at it.”

Sexton laughed harshly. “Give me the good news first.”

Kendall opened the box and withdrew some papers. “Here are our birth certificates. We were born in New Jersey.”

“Were we born in the same hospital?”

Kendall handed him one of the papers in his hand. “The last name on my birth certificate is Sexton. They even have my baby footprints.”

Sexton's body jerked in shock. There was an indecipherable look on Kendall's face and he shrugged his shoulders. “It appears that we have the same mother, but no dads are listed. I'm guessing because of our appearance that we are only half-brothers.” He rubbed the palm of his hand across his forehead in a frustrated gesture. “I have no idea why the Davenports did what they did.”

Finally, Sexton said tersely, “They could have told us. I can't believe they left this earth without telling us.” Raw emotion clouded his words and he looked at Kendall. “What's my first name on my birth certificate?”

“There isn't one. It just lists Sexton as a last name.” Kendall waited for Sexton to digest this information before he dropped the next bomb. “But what your birth certificate does list is that you have a twin.” Kendall extended the other paper in his hand out toward Sexton, who slowly took it.

Sexton said nothing, but sat shaking his head as he read the birth certificate over and over again. “Shit. How the hell am I ever going to find him?”

“Do you want to find him?” Kendall asked.

A series of emotions crossed Sexton's face. “I don't know,” he mumbled.

Sasha sat dumbfounded. She felt if she should not interrupt this emotional scene with questions because she knew that the two men in front of her were at a loss as to how they really felt now that they knew they were blood and not just foster brothers.

Sasha remained on the couch in order to let Kendall and Sexton say their good-byes in private. She heard them talking quietly before the door was shut with a decisive click.

After Kendall left, Sexton returned to the den, grabbed the remote control and surfed the channels. Sasha knew that he wasn't really looking for a show to watch, was instead just trying to process what he had learned.

She went into the kitchen and began washing dishes and busying herself with other tasks. When she couldn't stand it anymore she walked back into the den. Without saying a word, she took the remote from him and shut off the television. “Now you have a blood brother. That can be a good thing.”

“Long ago I accepted that I would never find my roots. I tried to view it as a clean slate that would let me map out my destiny. All this does is dredge up things that I'd put behind me.”

Sasha sat down on the couch and gently said, “But you said that you always liked Kendall. He seems like a nice enough guy.”

Sexton stated flatly, “He's done reasonably well for himself, considering the circumstances, but this opens up a whole lot of questions that I don't want to deal with.” Sexton's voice was uneasy. “I mean, is our birth mother still alive? How about our fathers? Did they even know about us? And my God, I have a twin brother! Why did they separate us? Does the twin know, or even care to know, about me?” The eyes that Sexton turned towards Sasha were filled with anger and uncertainty. He stood and said abruptly, “I'm going to go and see Teddy.”

Sasha stood and smoothed down the front of her shorts in a nervous gesture. “I'm coming, too.”

The car ride to Brooklyn lacked the typical camaraderie that they usually shared when they went places. Sexton's countenance was somber, and she respected his unspoken wish that he didn't want to talk.

When he pulled to a stop in front of a large brick building that had a sign identifying it as The Boys and Girls Club Youth Center, Sasha got out before Sexton had the chance to walk around to her side of the car. For the first time in hours, he gave her a small smile. She slid her hand into his and clung to him as he climbed the stairs to the club entrance.

The inside of the youth center was brimming with activity. Summer leagues of basketball teams were playing and on the far side of the gym were ping-pong tables. Sexton surveyed the gym, obviously looking for his brother.

A short, rather balding man who was wearing a white shirt and navy blue gym shorts emerged from the office carrying a clipboard. Sexton pointed him out to Sasha and said, “That's my brother Teddy.”

Teddy saw himself being pointed at and a huge grin spread across his face. He began to cross the gym to where they stood, only momentarily stopping to give instructions to a group of teenagers who were sitting on top of a ping pong table.

“Sexton, it's great to see you! And who is this beauty?” he asked, smiling at Sasha.

“This is my girl, Sasha.” Sexton's words were clipped. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”

Teddy took in the agitated look on Sexton's face and said, “Sure, we'll go into my office.” Teddy turned around and led them back to the office he had just vacated.

Sexton motioned for Sasha to sit on the chair across from the desk while he stood next to it. “Did Mom and Dad ever tell you anything about my real parents?”

The harshness of Sexton's voice made Teddy ease back in the desk chair he had sat in once entering the room. “I don't think they ever knew anything about them. What's going on?”

Sexton recounted what had transpired that morning. When he was finished, Teddy stared at Sexton with a stunned look on his face.

“I never knew any of this, or even heard any gossip in the neighborhood. We just thought that you and Kendall were foster brothers.”

“That makes three of us,” Sexton replied dully.

“If Mom and Dad knew anything about this, they would've at least told me so that I would be able to tell you when the time was right.” He paused, “I don't know what to say, Sexton. Are you going to try and find your family?” Teddy's expression was anxious as he worried about what Sexton would find out.

“You are my family.” There was no emotion in Sexton's voice and his expression was unfathomable.

Teddy chided him gently. “You're not taking anything from our parents' memory if you choose to pursue this. Everyone deserves to know where they came from.”

“I just don't know if I feel like looking for people who didn't want me.”

“But how about your twin? I mean, he might be in the same boat you are.”

Sexton's answer was not to respond.

Teddy stood up. “Follow me out to my car for a minute.”

They walked in silence out the back door to a small parking lot. Teddy walked over to a silver Camry and, using the key ring in his hand, unlocked the door and opened it. He began turning the pages of a leather planner. Then he pulled a small business card out of its side pocket. Handing it to Sexton he said gently, “This is the name of a private investigator. The center has used him in the past. He's pretty damn good and he knows how to be discreet. If you decide that you want some information on this, call him.”

Silently Sexton took the card. “Thanks a lot, Teddy.” He held his fist out to his brother and their knuckles braised each other in an informal goodbye handshake. “I'll talk to you later. Sasha and I have to go.”

Teddy avowed decisively, “If you don't call me, I'll call you.” Then he said, “nice to have met you, Sasha.”

“Same here.” Her expression showed him that she obviously wished that they had met under different circumstances.

On the ride home, Sasha shot a look at Sexton's profile, which was still uncompromising, to say the least. Once they arrived back at his place, Sexton again picked up the remote and again started surfing the channels. She looked inquiringly at Sexton's morose countenance. “Are you going to call the private investigator?”

Sexton looked doubtful. “I don't know. I'm not ready for this to be shared with anyone other than family.”

Sasha cleared her throat, “Sexton, hospitals have archives. I can use my contacts to try to find some of the answers to these questions.”

Sexton didn't answer her. He just sat there, and the next time he turned his eyes towards her he spoke without emotion. “Leave it alone. Maybe I'll try to find out something later on, but right now I just want to let sleeping dogs lie.”