Love and Lies by Jeanne Moon Farmer

Author:Jeanne Moon Farmer [Farmer, Jeanne Moon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FIC044000 FICTION / Women
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2023-05-23T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fifteen

Long shadows fell across the back yard as day turned to night. The sun was finally setting on an unusual day and Adalyn was relieved it was ending. She had been brooding and pensive since her mother’s lunch-time confession and needed time to let it all soak in. The sea oats blowing across the dunes caught her eye and she began to sway in time with them.

That’s what life is like. We just blow with the wind, waiting in between the stillness and the storms. Out of fear, she never allowed her reflections to go too deep. She could maintain control of her life if she lived on the surface. Fighting her way up in the entertainment world and two marriages ending in divorce had taught her that lesson the hard way. Yet, tonight, she was having trouble remaining on the surface.

It was hard for her to imagine the truth of her mother’s story. Callie wasn’t a saint, but she had held her place on a high pedestal as long as Adalyn could remember. Besides, children rarely question their mother’s virginity, in fact, most can’t believe their parents ever had sex. For her to imagine passion between her parents was so far-fetched she almost laughed out loud.

But, today, Callie confessed she had struggled to resist temptation even though she had an aching desire for Charlie. Then she admitted that passion had overruled her logic and she had surrendered.

That part of the story altered the way Adalyn looked at her parents. Not in a judgmental way, but in a human way. My parents are real people after all.

The other part of the story caused her to look below the surface at who she had always believed she was. As the first born, she had enjoyed using that position to manipulate her siblings, and she felt it gave her special status with her parents. Today that had changed. Would the family look at her differently? Would her role as the older sister be diminished by the fact that she had an older sister?

And who was the usurper, this mysterious new member of the family? Where did she live? How had she functioned in the world? What did she do? Would they ever know her?

Adalyn was uncomfortable with her feelings and her questions. She didn’t want any of it to be real. Leaning back in the chair, she realized her whole body was responding with exhaustion, but she was too tired to get up and go inside. The sun had set, the night air was cool, and if she closed her eyes, sleep might produce memory loss. Sleeping on the back porch was not ideal but going inside might mean conversation or interaction with a family member.

Later, as the night air became damper, going inside became the better option. Quietly, she opened the back door and gently walked through the kitchen to the stairs. No one else was around. Everyone, like her, had sought solitude.

****

“Where have you been hiding, sis? I’ve been waiting to talk to you.

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