Rita didn’t wait for an explanation from me and said, “We just recently met at a house party.” She gave me a look that said, ‘Don’t say anymore.‘
Mom continued with the introductions anyway. “Jack. Rita is your first cousin on your dad’s side. His older sister, your Aunt Judy, is Rita’s mother.” She looked to Rita and said, “How is your mother, Rita? I don’t think I’ve seen her in thirty plus years.”
Rita replied, “She fine. She retired from teaching a few years ago. Dad died ten years ago from liver cancer. She’s lonely without work to take up her time.” Mom expressed her condolences and then asked Rita if she’d ever heard from my Dad, John. Rita’s expression turned somber and she said, “When John left you and the kids, he just disappeared. To my knowledge, no one in the family ever heard from him again. Rumors were that he was in with some bad people doing some bad stuff. Grammy and Grampa think he was killed. We don’t know, but it makes sense.” Mom’s face turned somber with this news. I didn’t know the guy so I just listened without emotion. Everyone was quiet as the conversation petered out. Mom got herself back together and asked what everyone wanted to drink. I asked for a beer and asked Mom, “Where’s Janet?”
Mom laughed and said, “She’s next door at a party. We were bringing in our luggage and a young guy came through the woods and helped us. He was a very nice young man and he invited us both to a party he was having at his house next door. I obviously couldn’t go but you know Janet; she wanted to.”
Rita and Frank looked at each other and Frank muttered under his breath, “AHH-OHHH.” Mom picked up on the expressions on their faces and said, “What’s wrong?” I wanted to know too.
Rita explained that my grandparents had owned all the land on this point. They had the land subdivided into four lots, which were gifted to daughter, Judy and son, James, Sr. Aunt Judy had no intention of living out here in the boonies so she gave her share of the lots to Rita and Frank. James, Sr. and his wife Mary were killed in a car accident and their shares was willed to their son James, Jr. Rita, Frank and James, Jr. decided to sell two of the four lots, this one and the still vacant lot next door. They split the money and each built a home on their remaining two lots. Then the bombshell went off.
Rita said, “Jack. You met James Jr., or Jimmy and Rachel at the party at our house before we knew we were related. He’s my nephew.” The color must have drained from my face because Mom looked at me with a quizzical expression.
Mom said, “So what’s the problem? The young man who helped us with our bags is a first cousin. What’s the problem? Janet doesn’t even know. Does he?”
Rita responded, “I doubt it. It’s unlikely that they’ve ever met before today.” The conversation was getting difficult to continue without laying out the potential problem for Mom and that would mean that we would have to clue Mom in on how Rita and I had met. Rita stood up and asked to speak to me on the deck. Now Mom was really confused and got angry that we weren’t telling her everything. Rita and I went out on the deck.
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