Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest!
I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Author’s Comment: There is a reference in this chapter to the comic “Owly”. Here is how Google describes the comic: This Eisner award winning series (think the Oscars of comics) delves into the story of Owly, a likeable owl who has many adventures with his friends. The great thing about this series of graphic novels is that they actually have no words…just symbols and pictures that help tell the story. This is a great way to help kids use their imaginations to tell stories and to encourage them to come up with their own meaning of the story. This is a great series for beginner readers to get comfortable with books, storytelling, and will be a great lead in to reading. Michael, because of his vast experience with comics and storytelling, used this to created a slightly different experience for Jenny Rebecca.
Chapter 26 – Comics & Conversations
Saturday…(Day 62)
“Michael!” Carl called out as he entered the comic book store. “Michael, are you here?”
Michael came out of the backroom. “Sure Carl, I’m right here,” he answered as he immediately reached for Jenny, and she reached out her arms to him in response.
“I was going to tell you that I had a special delivery for you, but obviously you two have already found each other,” Carl added with a laugh, “It’s easy to see that I’m not needed here, so I guess I’ll be on my way,” he added.
“Thanks for dropping JR off. This way, at least, I can avoid an unpleasant scene with my mother,” Michael suggested.
“Listen Michael, I know that you’re upset. You probably have every right to be angry. And I really don’t even know what to say to help because I can only begin to understand how you must feel about what happened.”
“Thanks for that, Carl,” Michael responded.
“But Debbie is still your mother, and we both know that she loves you very much,” Carl pointed out. He didn’t want to take sides in this conflict between mother and son. Debbie had told Michael the whole truth about his father. Carl had to wonder how long Michael would carry a grudge about the past.
“The good news is that Daniel stopped by yesterday,” Michael quickly revealed. “So he and I had our first chance to talk.”
“That’s great. How did it go?” Carl asked with renewed curiosity. “I must say that I really like Daniel. I too am looking forward to getting to know him better,” he added.
“He’s going to be around, so I’ll all get a chance to know him better,” Michael relayed with a smile. “He and I are going to take it slow. We’ll start off at ‘Daniel’ and work our way to ‘dad’,” he added. Then he looked at Jenny and kissed her. “At least my daughter won’t have to go through this. At least JR knows who I am.”
Michael hugged his daughter and she giggled.
“Yes, she does, and she loves you very much,” Carl added. “Just look at that smile.”
Carl took a minute to take in the scene of father and daughter; then he said, “I have to go. Duty calls! You’ll be at dinner tomorrow, won’t you?”
“I…I don’t know. The way things are between me and Ma. I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”
“I know that things may not be perfect…but Brian and the girls are in town too. You can’t cut yourself off from everyone. You need your family around you too,” Carl quietly suggested. “Just ask JR, I’m sure that she’ll agree with me. In fact, we were discussing this over Cheerios this morning,” he added with a laugh.
“You and JR were discussing me and the family dinner over Cheerios?” Michael asked with some hesitation and disbelief. Somehow the image made him smile.
“See what you missed?” Carl teased. “You have no idea the things that JR and I discuss,” he continued. “Well, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later. Bye, Michael.”
“I’ll see you later, Carl,” Michael said, shaking his head as he thought about what Carl had just said.
And with that Carl was gone, leaving Michael and Jenny alone in the store together.
Jenny merely waved goodbye to Carl, and then she focused totally on her father.
“Okay, JR,” Michael said, making her comfortable on a quilt near the register. “You’re getting quite big. I think it’s time that you had your first lesson in the superheroes,” he explained, joining her on the floor.
Michael reached behind him for a comic and began his first lesson about superheroes for a two-year-old, making sure that Jenny enjoyed the brightly colored pictures.
The two of them were absorbed in a comic when Hunter entered the store. All he saw was Michael reading a comic to Jenny, and he immediately thought of his own first experience reading a comic in the store.
“Oh no! Michael, what are you doing?” he immediately protested, now rushing into the store.
“I’m fulfilling my fatherly duties and giving my daughter her first superheroes’ lesson. Why do you ask?” Michael explained, wondering what on earth had set off Hunter.
“What, Justice League, Superman? The kid is going to have nightmares! Melanie and Lindsay are going to kill you! You aren’t reading the latest copy of Rage to her, are you?” Hunter continued to protest, becoming more protective of JR as the conversation progressed.
“Oh sure, Justin’s sexually explicit drawings are just what my two-year-old daughter needs,” Michael answered sarcastically. “No, I was thinking more in line with Owly, wasn’t I JR?” he pointed out, waving the comic at Hunter.
“That’s a relief,” Hunter finally said as the racy images vanished from his mind. “Wait a minute! How can you be reading Owly? Owly has no words!” he quickly pointed out as he finally settled down on one of the stools by the counter.
“Yeah, like JR can read!” Michael felt it necessary to point out. “I can fucking tell my daughter a story! You know that Ben isn’t the only storyteller in this family. Have you forgotten that I do actually write a comic?”
“Sorry, I guess I overreacted,” Hunter apologized.
“You thought I was reading her Rage?” Michael said with a laugh. “I really can tell the difference between my kids, you know,” he added sarcastically.
“Sorry, Michael…”
“No, I was making up a story to go with the pictures since this is JR’s first lesson in superheroes.”
“I’m still not sure Melanie’s going to be too happy. She’ll worry that JR will turn into…well you. So if Gus and JR get interested in comics…this obviously means that you and Justin are going to have to create a new comic for little kids like them,” Hunter said with a laugh. “Illustrating it should keep the bleached-blond occupied,” he added. “And I’m sure I can find some way of keeping Brian entertained.”
“When are you going to get over your thing for Brian?” Michael asked with a laugh.
“I guess that I could ask you the same question,” Hunter said quietly but clearly with usual attitude. “Brian’s weakening…can’t you tell? I think he likes me… I know that in time he’ll eventually give in. I’m young…I can wait,” Hunter teased. “It’s only a matter of time…”
Michael smiled, “You may be young…but even you don’t have that much time,” he quipped. “It’s pointless! Take it from one who knows…” Michael whispered.
“I’ll bear that in mind,” Hunter said quietly. “It’s good to see that you’re coming around,” he added.
Michael simply smiled, but he didn’t say anything.
Hunter watched Michael and JR for a few moments; then he announced, “I think I’ll go grab something at the Diner. Can I get you anything?”
“No, I’m fine, and JR already has snacks for later.”
“I also have a few errands to run…but I may be back, later,” Hunter announced.
“No problem,” Michael said, returning his attention back to his daughter.
***
Later in the day, Michael had a visitor at the store that he didn’t expect. ““Hello, Michael,” the visitor said quietly.
“Ben?” Michael said with some surprise. “What are you doing here? How are you?”
“I’m fine, Michael. But according to Hunter, a lot has been going on for you.”
“I see that, as usual, our son has a big mouth,” Michael said with a laugh.
“He didn’t mean to betray your confidences,” Ben tried to explain in Hunter’s defense. “He was just so excited, and he wanted someone to share the news with. He chose me.”
“So then you know…”
“Yes…”
“Just as we suspected several years ago…it turns out that Divina…Danny Devore is my father. Ma finally confirmed it. Now, the whole truth is out…and it seems that I have a father after all these years.”
“I’m happy for you, Michael. I know this is something that you’ve wanted for a very long time. How does it feel?”
Michael sighed deeply, “It’s all so new. It’s a bit late. My whole life has been a lie. I’ve wasted a lot of time…. There’s been so much lying. Everything about my life has been based on a lie,” Michael said sadly. “Maybe, if I’d known the truth, my life might have turned out so differently,” he added sadly.
“That’s easy to say, Michael. But you don’t know that for sure. At least now, you have a chance to build a relationship with your father. Be grateful that you have that chance. Stay focused on the present. Anything else would be pure speculation. You don’t know what would have happened if you had known all along. Take my advice and don’t torture yourself. Just try to live with what is.”
“Teachings from a Zen Master?” Michael asked and then waited patiently for a response from Ben.
“Life experiences, Michael. Nothing more.” Ben admitted softly, allowing his affection to show through. “Hunter said that Danny stopped by too. How did that go?”
“Danny prefers to be called Daniel now. He’s a lot like I remembered from a few years ago when I met him. He and Ma both have this sense of humor and this loud laugh. I can understand why they were drawn to each other when they were just kids.”
“Sort of like you and Brian, huh?” Ben added cautiously.
“Yeah. For a very long time, Brian was all that I had. We shared everything. We protected each other. But let’s face it, Brian and I aren’t anything alike.”
“I know. Somewhere along the line you grew up. I still remember the time when you stood up to Brian…I remember…when you didn’t want Justin to be all alone,” Ben reminded him.
“That seems like a long time ago.”
“Not to me…” Ben whispered. “Look, I just wanted to stop by to congratulate you on finding out the truth about your father. I’m sure that I don’t know all the details, but try not to be too hard on Debbie. We all do stupid things when we’re 17, and remember that she didn’t have Brian to bail her out,” he added with a smile.
“But Ben, she could have told me four years ago. The evidence was staring her in the face. Yet, both she and Daniel continued with the lie until now. Daniel said that he had commitments back then, so he couldn’t stay in town to work things out with me. He also felt he owed something to Ma, so he didn’t push for the truth either. But Ma was here. She could have just told me the truth then. I can almost understand the lie when I was a baby. I was too young to know. But four years ago, I was a mature adult. She could have told me the truth then. That’s the part that’s so hard to forgive. This time the lie was so deliberate.”
The sadness that Michael felt hung in the air. Ben felt compelled to respond and be the voice of reason.
“Michael, you’ve got to admit she must have been scared. You are now…and have always been…the most important thing in her life. She was probably afraid of losing you.”
“And yet that is precisely what she’s done. Somehow, the fact that she finally told me the truth doesn’t change the fact of the lie. I don’t know if I can ever trust her again. I just don’t know if I can ever forgive her.”
“Give it some time, Michael. But clearly this is your decision. But you have to decide what the cost is for YOU to hold on to all that anger. Debbie is going to go on with her life. You have to decide what you’re going to do.”
“That’s fine. She can go on with her life and let me lead mine. I have to find a way to live with the fact that the one person that I trusted in the world, lied to me my entire life. With that to deal with, all the rest about love and all, doesn’t matter because it’s all built on lies. I can never trust her again.”
“So what are you going to do?” Ben challenged.
“I’m not sure. I’m going to take some time to figure things out. At this moment, my life belongs only to me,” Michael professed with an amount of arrogance.
“You’re kidding yourself, Michael. Nobody’s life belongs only to them! There are too many other people involved…just because they love you,” Ben persisted. “Hunter and JR are involved too. Everyone’s life is interconnected, whether we want it to be or not,” he pointed out.
Michael still wasn’t ready to hear this argument.
“Well, thanks for stopping by,” Michael said with a smile, closing down any further discussion. “Maybe I’ll see you around,” he added.
Ben simply waved goodbye and started to leave, when he heard approaching tiny footsteps. He turned just in time to catch a running Jenny approaching him.
“Oh, it seems that someone has been waiting for you,” Michael said with laugh.
“So JR, how has life been treating you?” Ben asked.
Jenny responded by insisting that she be picked up and then nestling her head in Ben’s neck. Her giggles could be heard throughout the store.
“Why don’t you spend some time with her in the office? I was reading Owly to her earlier. I’m sure that you can tell her a much better story,” Michael suggested, as he watched the pair.
“So JR…Michael thinks that I should tell you a story…of course, you’ll be asleep like always…you and my publisher seem to share the same opinion of my stories,” Ben teased, “But let’s see what I can manage?” he said to her. Then he looked at Michael and said, “Are you sure that don’t mind…”
“No problem, Ben. She also has some snacks in the office, in case she gets hungry, in the middle of your story,” Michael suggested.
So Ben and JR moved into the office, and Michael got to watch his daughter and Ben playing together before they settled down for their moment of storytelling.
For a while, Jenny was engrossed in the story that Ben was telling.
Really what she enjoyed most was curling up in Ben’s arms and leaning against his strong chest. For Jenny, no one was as tall or as strong as Ben, and she had missed him over the weeks of their separation.
As expected, Jenny found Ben’s story just what she needed to put her to sleep. It always happened every time Ben tried to tell her a story.
Ben always thought that it was the plots to his stories. Hunter said it was simply the gentle quality to his voice. Whatever it was, Jenny was now asleep in his arms.
Ben gently laid her down and covered her with a quilt. He then kissed her goodbye.
Ben waved goodbye to Michael, as he was leaving the store, and he told Michael that he would talk to him later.
For once, Michael didn’t push for anything more. He was simply glad that Ben had come to see him.