kept talking to me like I was having an interview, and, well, I was so nervous and scared that I just went along with it, and I meant to tell you the next day, but then I got caught up in the job and in helping you, and the more time went on, the harder it became to tell youââ
âSilence!â
Christine blinked, then leaned back into the couch. âSorry . . . ,â she muttered.
Her grandmother shook her head sharply, as if she was trying to shake some sense out of what sheâd just heard. âAre you actually telling me that Lenore Blackstone, my only daughter, is your mother?â
Christine nodded.
âMy daughter is your mother?â she said it slowly this time, as if it were still sinking in.
âMy birth mother.â Christine added. She still thought of Marie Bradley as her real mother. Lenore was little more than a stranger to her. âMy parents adopted me at birth.â
âAnd that wouldâve been about twenty years ago?â Her grandmother seemed to be doing some math in her head. âThe same year she left home?â
âI guess so.â
Her grandmother sighed. âShe was pregnant with you when she left.â
âThatâs what Iâd heard.â
Suddenly her grandmother sat up straight and eagerly looked at Christine with what seemed like an almost childlike hope and expectancy. âSo, tell me, do you know anythingabout Lenore now? Do you know where she lives or whether sheâs married or has other children? Can you give me her address?â
Christine felt a lump growing in her throat. âIâmâIâm sorry,â she began, then choked on the words. âBut shâsheâs dead.â
Her grandmother sank back into her chair like sheâd been deflated. She leaned her head back, then closed her eyes and moaned as if she were in great pain.
Christine, worried for the old womanâs health, jumped up and went to her side. âAre you okay?â
âOh no. Oh no. Oh no,â she muttered in an almost incoherent way.
âShall I call someone?â Christine asked. âDo you need help?â
Her grandmother slowly shook her head, eyes still closed, still moaning. Christine wasnât sure what to do now. Was this turning into a medical emergency? Should she call Jimmy and Felicity? She put her hand on her grandmotherâs shoulder and silently prayed for help and guidance. She begged God to comfort this poor woman in the grief sheâd so carelessly poured upon her.
âIâm sorry to be the one to tell you about Lenore,â Christine said. âI thought you already knew, but then you wanted to look her up on the computer and I realizedââ
âWhen did she die?â her grandmother said suddenly. She sat up and looked at Christine. âAnd why wasnât I notified?â
âMy parents tried to find you, but they didnât know your name was Daniels back then. Apparently, they attempted to locate a Mr. and Mrs. Blackstone in this townbut couldnât. Lenore died nearly twenty years ago, just a month after I was born. She was hit by a car. Since my parents were unable to reach any of her relatives, they just handled the funeral arrangements and everything themselves. Theyâd been good friends to Lenore. Sheâd even been living with them for a while. Thatâs about all I know.â
âIs there a gravesite?â she asked in a hollow voice.
âYes, itâs in Larchwood, my hometown.â
âIâd like to see it.â
Christine nodded. âI know where it is. Iâve been there a few times, and my motherâs grave is nearby. I can take you there if you think youâre up to it.â
She shook her head. âNot today. I donât think I can handle much more today.â Then she looked at Christine and frowned. âYou were dishonest with me.â
âI know. And Iâm really sorry.â Christine sat back down
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