Here’s a story that’ll make ya think…
I’m watching one of my favorite TV shows the other night and I get a call that comes up PRIVATE on my caller ID. This could have been my best friend from Littlehood (we’ll call her Jane) or it could be the gorgeous a-hole with whom I was idiot enough to live 15 years ago, and no longer wish to have any contact with. I hesitate to answer, mainly because of the TV show, but pick it up before it goes to voicemail out of guilt.
It’s my best friend from Littlehood, Jane. She sounds a little ‘off’. Suddenly she starts bawling like a baby! I have known this girl (we’re still ‘girls’ in my head) since we were 9 years old. We were neighbors. By the time we were in our early teens she was hiding at my house half the time because her parents were assholes. Her mother was wimpy and mean, and her dad was a religious zealot. You get the picture. She has a sister, 10 years older, and even when we were little, she seemed 100 years old. In essence, it wasn’t like having a sister, just another weird, wimpy, and mean mother. My dad (Pop) loved my friend. We entertained Pop by dancing to ‘Tequila’ and putting on stupid little plays for him. By the time we were teenagers her parents hated me for no apparent reason, except that Jane liked me, and I was fun to be around. When Jane would disappear and end up at our house, Pop always covered for her. Probably a dumb thing to do, but she never stayed late, and I have no idea WHAT she told her parents.
So she’s crying so hard I can hardly understand her. Finally she slows down and tells me she has just found out that her father wasn’t her father. The funny thing here (funny weird, not funny ha ha) is the weekend before, Jane and I had been on the phone for 90 minutes and one of the MANY things we talked about AGAIN (having discussed this before at intervals) was how she must have been adopted because she has never looked like either her father or her mother (both, by the way, are now deceased). I told her I thought she looked KINDA like her mother, who at least had darker skin than her father who was a pasty white with freckles. Jane is dark enough to be half Mexican or Italian and the only one of us who was ever able to get a great tan in summer! Well, guess she was KINDA right about the adoption part.
Turns out that after having Jane’s sister her parents could not conceive another child and somehow determined it was dad that was faulty in that regard. During this period of time they lived in the outskirts of San Diego where they had some very nice neighbors. They became (quite evidently) extremely good friends with these folks. Somewhere along the line, they all decided that Jane’s mom could sleep with this handy neighbor and quite possibly conceive a second child, and she did. Jane. This would not be quite the shock if Jane’s father hadn’t been a religious zealot, but then perhaps he became a religious zealot after this occurred….who knows. Two years later, the extremely good neighbors had a son.
After the birth of the neighbor’s son, Jane’s parents decided it might be a good idea to move away from these wonderful and extremely helpful folks. They kept in touch for a few years but then the close ties faded. Imagine that?
Jane’s mom died of cancer in 1992, in Jane’s house. Yes, Jane cared for her until her dying day. Jane’s dad moved to Arkansas after that, but returned to Jane’s for a grandson’s wedding in 1998. He died of a massive stroke in Jane’s dining room the morning of the wedding. They must have hoped that Jane would never discover their little secret.
Jane’s half-brother called her last weekend. He had been searching for her since his mother died in 1994 at the age of 93. At her deathbed, she had revealed the long-held secret to her only son.
When Jane finally stopped crying, and we talked for an hour, she realized this was a blessing in disguise. She has a brother, and a whole new set of nieces and nephews, etc. She’d always wanted a brother. We compared pictures of them and it is uncanny how much they look alike. I think now she’s crying for happy, not shock.
My guess is that stuff like this has always gone on. It’s likely rare it gets discovered.
I’m watching one of my favorite TV shows the other night and I get a call that comes up PRIVATE on my caller ID. This could have been my best friend from Littlehood (we’ll call her Jane) or it could be the gorgeous a-hole with whom I was idiot enough to live 15 years ago, and no longer wish to have any contact with. I hesitate to answer, mainly because of the TV show, but pick it up before it goes to voicemail out of guilt.
It’s my best friend from Littlehood, Jane. She sounds a little ‘off’. Suddenly she starts bawling like a baby! I have known this girl (we’re still ‘girls’ in my head) since we were 9 years old. We were neighbors. By the time we were in our early teens she was hiding at my house half the time because her parents were assholes. Her mother was wimpy and mean, and her dad was a religious zealot. You get the picture. She has a sister, 10 years older, and even when we were little, she seemed 100 years old. In essence, it wasn’t like having a sister, just another weird, wimpy, and mean mother. My dad (Pop) loved my friend. We entertained Pop by dancing to ‘Tequila’ and putting on stupid little plays for him. By the time we were teenagers her parents hated me for no apparent reason, except that Jane liked me, and I was fun to be around. When Jane would disappear and end up at our house, Pop always covered for her. Probably a dumb thing to do, but she never stayed late, and I have no idea WHAT she told her parents.
So she’s crying so hard I can hardly understand her. Finally she slows down and tells me she has just found out that her father wasn’t her father. The funny thing here (funny weird, not funny ha ha) is the weekend before, Jane and I had been on the phone for 90 minutes and one of the MANY things we talked about AGAIN (having discussed this before at intervals) was how she must have been adopted because she has never looked like either her father or her mother (both, by the way, are now deceased). I told her I thought she looked KINDA like her mother, who at least had darker skin than her father who was a pasty white with freckles. Jane is dark enough to be half Mexican or Italian and the only one of us who was ever able to get a great tan in summer! Well, guess she was KINDA right about the adoption part.
Turns out that after having Jane’s sister her parents could not conceive another child and somehow determined it was dad that was faulty in that regard. During this period of time they lived in the outskirts of San Diego where they had some very nice neighbors. They became (quite evidently) extremely good friends with these folks. Somewhere along the line, they all decided that Jane’s mom could sleep with this handy neighbor and quite possibly conceive a second child, and she did. Jane. This would not be quite the shock if Jane’s father hadn’t been a religious zealot, but then perhaps he became a religious zealot after this occurred….who knows. Two years later, the extremely good neighbors had a son.
After the birth of the neighbor’s son, Jane’s parents decided it might be a good idea to move away from these wonderful and extremely helpful folks. They kept in touch for a few years but then the close ties faded. Imagine that?
Jane’s mom died of cancer in 1992, in Jane’s house. Yes, Jane cared for her until her dying day. Jane’s dad moved to Arkansas after that, but returned to Jane’s for a grandson’s wedding in 1998. He died of a massive stroke in Jane’s dining room the morning of the wedding. They must have hoped that Jane would never discover their little secret.
Jane’s half-brother called her last weekend. He had been searching for her since his mother died in 1994 at the age of 93. At her deathbed, she had revealed the long-held secret to her only son.
When Jane finally stopped crying, and we talked for an hour, she realized this was a blessing in disguise. She has a brother, and a whole new set of nieces and nephews, etc. She’d always wanted a brother. We compared pictures of them and it is uncanny how much they look alike. I think now she’s crying for happy, not shock.
My guess is that stuff like this has always gone on. It’s likely rare it gets discovered.
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2 comments:
That is the craziest story I have ever hear...well not ever...but WOW! That is truly nuts. I am, SO, at a loss for words.
How wonderful of her to be optimistic and see the good that could come from finding out the truth. Also? I love how close to the two of you are...so Ya Ya you know? I hope to have life long friends like that...but truth be told, I know no one from my childhood, just High School....But I guess that will do!
Thanks for sharing this amazing story...it made for a very good read.
Harmony - thanks so much!
Yeah, it is cool to have such a longtime friend. We have been through some stuff, but I do believe this one takes the cake! I was impressed that she was able to share such incredible news with me, not so sure I would be so inclined, ya know?
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