Part 17 (1/2)
Driving away, I pondered what on earth I'd say to Destiny. I knew about three of her mothers so far, two more than most of us were burdened with. What more could go wrong? I shouldn't have asked. The possibilities were endless.
Chapter 16.
Without my usual careful thought, which was probably just as well, I drove straight to Marie Kenwood's home. All the way across town, I seethed. I couldn't believe she hadn't had the decency to tell me Destiny was adopted. I was mad as h.e.l.l and ready to confront her.
I screeched into her driveway and sc.r.a.ped a sculpted bush. Just as well. I hated sculpted bushes. I burst from my car and marched up the sidewalk.
Foregoing the bell, I banged on her door. Soon, I heard shuffling, saw the curtain move, and at last felt the door open.
In my fury, I wasn't prepared for ho w glad she would be to see me. All of her brusqueness from our earlier visits was gone. She greeted me like I was a long-lost friend.
”Kristin, what a surprise! How nice it is to see you!”
”h.e.l.lo, Mrs. Kenwood,” I said gruffly.
”What's wrong, dear, you don't look good.”
”I don't feel good. May I come in?”
”Certainly. I was getting ready to make myself a bite to eat, but that can wait. How are you, young lady?”
”I just came from Lydia Barton's.”
Marie Kenwood brightened visibly.
”How nice for you. Did you enjoy your time with her?” She led me into the living room, sat down on the couch, and gestured for me to join her.
I ignored her question and remained standing.
”Let's cut the niceties, Mrs. Kenwood. Lydia told me Destiny was adopted. Peter and Barbara weren't her real parents, and you're not her grandmother.”
If I'd slapped her as hard as I could, it couldn't have hurt her more. Her face turned ashen white. She began fumbling with her knitting which sat next to her on the couch.
”I was going to tell you....” she stammered.
”When?” I barked. '
”As soon as I could. I tried to tell you the night you were both here, but I didn't have the heart. It was such an enjoyable evening. I'd missed Destiny so much. I didn't want anything to interfere with our time together.”
”What about before? Why didn't you tell me the first time I met you? You didn't have anything to lose then?”
”When you called me on the phone, I thought you knew. You said you'd been to see Benjamin Greaves. I presumed he told you. When you came to see me, I thought you'd bring it up if you wanted to talk about it. When you didn't, I didn't. Only much later did I realize you didn't know.”
”You should have told me then.”
By that point, she'd had enough of my anger. She lashed back at me with years worth of her own.
”Wasn't there enough tragedy already? How dare you judge me! Barbara may not have given birth to Destiny and it's true my son wasn't her 'real' father, but she is my granddaughter. She's all the family I have.”
As quickly as her anger had come, it turned to tears.
Now what was I going to do?
”I'm sorry, Mrs. Kenwood. Truly, I'm sorry for your losses. I shouldn't have come today.” I turned to leave.
She raised her head and again gestured for me to sit down.
”Excuse my emotion, young lady. It's not becoming.”
”Can I sit over there by you?” I startled myself and her with the question.
”Yes, I suppose so. Make yourself comfortable.” She pushed her things aside, and I sat down next to her.
”I was angry earlier a” at myself mostlya”for not finding this out sooner,” I explained as she daintily blew her nose. ”I was mad because I'm the one who has to tell Destiny, and how on earth Will I ever do it? What shattering news! She was just beginning to get used to the idea of having a grandmother, of having a piece of her past and her family back.”
”I'm still her grandmother,” she said haughtily.
”Of course you are,” I rea.s.sured her. ”But somewhere out there, there's another mother and father. I'm not sure how much more of this she can take. Or I can take, for that matter.”
”Perhaps you shouldn't tell her just now.”
”Oh no!” I shook my head vehemently. ”I care for her too much to do that. She's the best friend I've ever had. Plus, she'd kill me if she knew I wasn't truthful with her.”
”She always was quite stubborn, so I suppose you're right.”
”I am right,” I said glumly.
”It wasn't fair,” Mrs. Kenwood said.
”It certainly wasn't,” I agreed, unable to figure out how I was going to tell Destiny the full extent of her life's injustices.
”Peter and Barbara were so in love. It wasn't fair they couldn't have children. Barbara was crushed when they found out. And Peter, well my Peter tried to hide it, but you could see the disappointment in his eyes every time he saw a child. Then came the news from the church that a baby girl was available, and you should have seen the two of them. They were positively giddy. No two people could have loved a child more than they loved Destiny.”
”How old was she when they got her?”
”A little over a week old. When I held her, I thought she'd melt in my arms.” Happiness radiated in the older woman's eyes as she remembered that moment.
”Who handled the adoption?”
”St. Peter's, of course. They took care of her both times.”
”Do you know anything about the mother a” or father a” who gave her up?”
Her eyes turned cold in an instant.
”No, I don't, and what does it matter? After all these years, what does it matter? How can it rightly compare to the years of love we gave that child? She was ours! Make no mistake of that!” she snapped.