An Unforeseen Turn of Events

Chapter Thirty-Four

Trudy tried in vain to study at her desk. As soon as she finished reading a paragraph of The Grapes of Wrath for English, she had forgotten what she just read when attempting to read more. She inwardly cursed her teacher for having the audacity to assign a term paper towards the end of senior year. Trudy thought the last quarter of high school should be about having fun rather than serious study.

Not that she was having fun. Her father's leukemia diagnosis effectively ended her care-free easygoing life. Without the help of a counselor and good friends, Trudy doubted whether she could have handled the news. And of course, her mother and brother were there, suffering along with her. Her overwhelming sorrow threatened to engulf her. Her father was so dedicated to the family that she often forgot he adopted them—he was as real a father as there ever was. Worrying about his health even overrode her anxieties about getting into BC and the future. She prayed he would get well.

Trudy glanced at her cell phone. She had tried phoning her mom but she must have turned off her cell phone. She wondered how her grandparents were taking the news tonight.

She jumped in her chair at the knock on her bedroom door.

Before Trudy recovered and had a chance to speak, Tim walked in.

"I can't concentrate on a damned thing," he said, sitting on her bed.

"You and me both," she admitted.

"God! Why did this have to happen! Everything was fine enough until now. And Dad's such a good guy. Why did this have to happen to him?" He sat on her bed and held his head in his hands.

"Eternal question because it's unanswerable. Grandma always said "Y" is a crooked letter," Trudy replied grimly. "The question is how to handle it."

"And it happened at the very worst time. Just when we're about to go to college. We can work, but how much can we make now without skills? Mom's gotta shoulder the whole thing."

"Believe me, I know."

"I hope we don't have to sell this house. I don't want to live anywhere else. "

Trudy never considered that. She shuddered at the thought of the family being forced to live on charity. Her friend Amy had to do that when her father died of brain cancer. It was only temporary until the family could get back on their feet again, but Trudy remembered Amy withdrawing from her circle of friends and not meeting anyone's eyes whenever she saw someone she knew. Her friends' attempts to reach out to her were always politely rebuffed.

Are we going to have to go through that too?

"Yeah, everything was fine until this happened," she moaned, staring at the floor, shaking her head.

"I wonder where our real father is. If he could help us out."

"Don't you ever let Mom hear you say that?" Trudy looked up at him, aghast. "He's a good-for-nothing!"

Tim sighed and met her stare. "To tell you the truth, we don't know anything about him, Trudy. It may be time to really question Mom about him. He's done nothing to support us. He owes us."

Trudy saw her brother's resolve and sought to head it off at the pass. "Don't even go there, Tim. Not yet. I don't think Mom can deal with that right now."

"I've tried for years to find out about him. Talking to Grandma and Grandpa. They immediately change the subject like it's none of my business. There's a wall preventing us from finding out about him." He looked at his sister. "Aren't you even the least bit curious about him?"

"Of course I am. The only thing Mom told me is that he's not a rapist or a murderer."

"I know it'll be hard for Mom, but the time may have come that she's got to come clean about him. We've got a right to know who our biological father is." He slammed his fist into his hand. "Every time I've asked her she changes the subject too."

"Yeah, telling us just be happy we have the father we have now," Trudy mimicked her mother, rolling her eyes. "We just have to find the right moment. But one thing I do know is now is not the right moment."

Tim opened his mouth to respond, but they heard the front door open downstairs.

"Tim? Trudy?"

They rushed downstairs upon hearing their mother's voice.

"Did Dad come home yet?" she asked.

Tim and Trudy shook their heads.

"How was supper?" asked Tim.

"It was as relaxing as it could be under the circumstances." She stared at her children's tired eyes and wrinkled foreheads. "I should have brought you two with me. You're going through this too."

"Nah, we had homework," Tim waved his hand.

"But it wasn't like we got anything done. Oh Mom, what's going to happen?" Trudy hugged herself and appeared like she was about to cry.

Christine realized then it was better she dined alone.

"Unfortunately, I have no answers." You know by now that parents don't have all the answers," Christine said quietly, looking down.

"This uncertainty is killing me!" Trudy wailed.

"Shut up, Trudy! How do you think this is for Mom?" Tim snapped.

"You can put up your brave macho front, but you're just as scared as I am! We don't know what's going to happen to Dad and our feet are firmly planted in the air!" Tears falling down her cheeks, she ran out of the room sobbing.

"I appreciate you staying strong for me, Tim, but your sister has to get her feelings out," Christine told her son. She spoke with her eyes closed and dark circles underneath them.

It was at the top of Tim's tongue. It took him tremendous effort not to ask his mother the burning question. It had always been at the back of his mind, but now he needed to know: "Mom, we're going to need a lot of money. You don't have it, both grandparents don't have it. There is only so much Uncle Seth can help us. What about our natural father? We could actually use his help now!

That question died in his throat but remained burning in his chest. His mother looked so small, tired, and fragile that he couldn't bring it up now.

Trudy began sobbing loudly in her bedroom.

"I'm going to talk to her," Christine said, clutching the railing while she dragged her body up the stairs.

Tim said nothing. He turned around and returned to his bedroom. He opened the novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, the book he had to read for school.

Tim laughed mirthlessly to himself. "How apropo."