divorced,” she murmured.
“Thomas was hurt and never quite forgave Lyle. I forgave him. I knew my heart wouldn’t heal and be able to move forward if I didn’t forgive him. I guess that’s the Christian in me,” she told us.
“I don’t know if I could have been so forgiving. I truthfully didn’t know Daddy could be capable of anything so distasteful either. I guess in my eyes he was the hero, and nothing Irma could do was right. I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for Daddy and the miserable life he had with her.”
“Don’t be so hard on him, dear. It was so long ago.”
“When Irma and Lyle moved to California I was relieved. I wouldn’t have to see him, or her for that matter and…”
“And?” I asked after a long pause.
“And you.”
“Who is my mother?” I blurted out.
“I don’t know,” she said getting comfortable on the couch.
“Well, we have an old consensus sheet showing Irma with a child at the Mt. Saint Francis convent. You wouldn’t be that M. Brown, would you?” The investigative side of me asked.
“If you’re trying to connect me with her, don’t bother,” she said disgustedly. “I’m not related to her in any shape or form. The “M” you refer to is for Irma. Her real name was Mary Irma. Folks around here called her Irma.”
Stunned with the new information, I looked to Charles. “M. Brown also known as Irma. What about the P. Brown that was with her?” I asked.
“Well. I don’t know for certain, but I’m betting it was her little pain in the butt sister, Priscilla Inez. She was known as Inez around here.”
“When was the last time you saw Teresa?” I boldly asked.
“Oh, it’s been years. However, this is a small town, so back in the day, we’d run into each other every now and then. We didn’t hate each other; we just didn’t respect one another.”
“Oh, why is that?” I asked.
“Well, she always saw any woman that came into Lyle’s life as someone who had the potential to steal his love for her. She had some issues for sure. She was a bratty child, and from what I’ve been told, an even more hostile adult. Irma was the only one who could keep her in line. I think she was afraid of her.”
“I bet. I was scared of Irma too!” I exclaimed. “Teresa was mean to me. She’d slap me, push me down in the dirt, and pull my hair. I bet these were all learned traits, from Irma,” I added.
“Lyle did the best he could. But as you know, he was a man of few words. He probably gave up on her. But boy was he protective of you,” she revealed.
“We went out to the nursing home to see Teresa. She wasn’t very receptive to our visit. She told us to leave. I think we should make another visit out there. Maybe this time, I can get her to talk.”
“What more do you want to know?” Mary said cocking her head.
“I don’t know. I guess I’d like to ask her one more time if she knew who my real mother was.”
Shaking her head, she said, “You’ll just be setting yourself up for more heartbreak. Let sleeping dogs lie,” she added.
Changing the subject, I asked, “How did Thomas die?”
“That was such an awful time for me, and for Elaine. They’d only been married a year when the accident happened. He was on a ladder to get up on the roof of their new house. He was going to do some repair work. The ladder slipped and he fell 25 feet, hitting his head on a rock as he landed. He died instantly.”
I reached out and gently touched her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“He was my only child,” she quietly said.
I couldn’t imagine how it felt to lose a child. I had three lovely children, and each one was as precious as the next. It would tear my heart out to outlive any of them. “One last question, and then we’ll get out of your hair. Why has Louise been so secretive about things? What does she have to gain?” I asked.
“Louise always has been…well…strange. I think she’s lived in the country too long,” she added laughing.
I
“Thomas was hurt and never quite forgave Lyle. I forgave him. I knew my heart wouldn’t heal and be able to move forward if I didn’t forgive him. I guess that’s the Christian in me,” she told us.
“I don’t know if I could have been so forgiving. I truthfully didn’t know Daddy could be capable of anything so distasteful either. I guess in my eyes he was the hero, and nothing Irma could do was right. I’m not sure if I should feel sorry for Daddy and the miserable life he had with her.”
“Don’t be so hard on him, dear. It was so long ago.”
“When Irma and Lyle moved to California I was relieved. I wouldn’t have to see him, or her for that matter and…”
“And?” I asked after a long pause.
“And you.”
“Who is my mother?” I blurted out.
“I don’t know,” she said getting comfortable on the couch.
“Well, we have an old consensus sheet showing Irma with a child at the Mt. Saint Francis convent. You wouldn’t be that M. Brown, would you?” The investigative side of me asked.
“If you’re trying to connect me with her, don’t bother,” she said disgustedly. “I’m not related to her in any shape or form. The “M” you refer to is for Irma. Her real name was Mary Irma. Folks around here called her Irma.”
Stunned with the new information, I looked to Charles. “M. Brown also known as Irma. What about the P. Brown that was with her?” I asked.
“Well. I don’t know for certain, but I’m betting it was her little pain in the butt sister, Priscilla Inez. She was known as Inez around here.”
“When was the last time you saw Teresa?” I boldly asked.
“Oh, it’s been years. However, this is a small town, so back in the day, we’d run into each other every now and then. We didn’t hate each other; we just didn’t respect one another.”
“Oh, why is that?” I asked.
“Well, she always saw any woman that came into Lyle’s life as someone who had the potential to steal his love for her. She had some issues for sure. She was a bratty child, and from what I’ve been told, an even more hostile adult. Irma was the only one who could keep her in line. I think she was afraid of her.”
“I bet. I was scared of Irma too!” I exclaimed. “Teresa was mean to me. She’d slap me, push me down in the dirt, and pull my hair. I bet these were all learned traits, from Irma,” I added.
“Lyle did the best he could. But as you know, he was a man of few words. He probably gave up on her. But boy was he protective of you,” she revealed.
“We went out to the nursing home to see Teresa. She wasn’t very receptive to our visit. She told us to leave. I think we should make another visit out there. Maybe this time, I can get her to talk.”
“What more do you want to know?” Mary said cocking her head.
“I don’t know. I guess I’d like to ask her one more time if she knew who my real mother was.”
Shaking her head, she said, “You’ll just be setting yourself up for more heartbreak. Let sleeping dogs lie,” she added.
Changing the subject, I asked, “How did Thomas die?”
“That was such an awful time for me, and for Elaine. They’d only been married a year when the accident happened. He was on a ladder to get up on the roof of their new house. He was going to do some repair work. The ladder slipped and he fell 25 feet, hitting his head on a rock as he landed. He died instantly.”
I reached out and gently touched her hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“He was my only child,” she quietly said.
I couldn’t imagine how it felt to lose a child. I had three lovely children, and each one was as precious as the next. It would tear my heart out to outlive any of them. “One last question, and then we’ll get out of your hair. Why has Louise been so secretive about things? What does she have to gain?” I asked.
“Louise always has been…well…strange. I think she’s lived in the country too long,” she added laughing.
I
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