The Right Kind of Wrong (19 page)

"What happened to Charlie? Why did he leave?"

Grandma sighs. "Right before your grandfather went to war, I realized how stupid and careless I was being. I told Charlie we needed to end it but by that time I was wrapped up in everything and didn't know how to stop. He was the right kind of wrong, if that makes sense. I knew he wasn't what I wanted and yet—I felt free when I was with him. He made me feel alive in a way Wesley couldn't. I felt so young and carefree when I was around him. It was intoxicating. It was only a matter of time before Charlie and I were careless enough to get caught by James." She closes her eyes, like it is all unfolding again in real time.

"Sometime after your grandfather left for war, James came out here and confronted me about the affair. I tried to deny it but then Charlie showed up, which only set James off more. Charlie said he was tired of holding in the secret. He loved me and wanted us to run away together. But that's the thing—I couldn't. I couldn’t run away with him. I loved him, but I loved Wesley more. I loved them... differently. It's very hard to explain. James told Charlie if he didn't leave Everson immediately, he would find his own way to get rid of him. I think Charlie would've fought him on that, but it's what James said he would do to me that made Charlie leave."

"What's that?" I prod.

"He said that if Charlie didn't leave—and if I ever told anyone about the affair—that he'd find a way to get rid of me. Permanently."

"But he couldn't do that! That would be murder." I say, even though our conversation with the Corrigan's leads me to believe this was a reality.

Grandma shakes her head, "James was very cruel. He had this entire community in his back pocket. He could have gotten away with it. Charlie knew he was serious."

"Why was James so adamant about hiding things? Why not expose you two?"

"The only thing worse than having an adulterous daughter-in-law is allowing the entire community to know about it. James knew what it would do to Wesley. I can't explain it but the only soft spot that man had was Wesley. Even though he was all about appearances, he truly did loved Wesley."

"But not Charlie? What kind of father is that?"

Grandma rubs her finger over the address on the envelopes. "I don't know. That's why I felt so bad for Charlie. Why I wanted to protect him somehow. Make up for what he never received from his father."

"So that's it then? Charlie leaves because James threatens you?"

"It all seems so simple now, but it wasn't. Not then. Not when something like this would scandalize the entire family. Charlie and I could've destroyed the entire Pierce name with our indiscretion."

"What about these letters?"

Grandma's head falls. "I received a letter from him shortly after he left. He'd set up a postal box at the train station in Rosterville. I went there and checked for his letters when I went to town. After his first letter, I was so afraid James would find out I was communicating with him, I almost never sent one back.”
 

"When was the last time you talked to him?" I ask.

 
"I stopped answering his letters after his third one. I couldn't do it. I knew it wasn't fair to either of them. I had to choose. And I did. I chose Wesley."

"So that's it? You just let him out of your life and expected everything to be okay? How could you hurt Grandpa like that? I can't even—"

Grandma looks at her lap and cries harder. "There's more."

"What?"

"After Charlie left, I found out I was pregnant." She can barely talk. "Kara, I was pregnant with your father."

I don't understand. But I zero in on the word father and it hits me like a shot to the heart. I shake my head. "Oh my God."

C
HAPTER
T
WENTY
-S
IX

I look at Vince to steady myself. When he comes into focus, I don't know what to do except run.
 

So I do.
 

I run out of the house and through the backyard. I know I'll reach the creek and have to search for the stupid rock path to get over it but I don't care. I have to get away, leave what I just heard behind. But I won't be able to forget it because it changes things. No, it changes
everything.
 

After I jump rock to rock over the creek and make it to the other side, I collapse on the same rock I spent so much time sitting on during high school. I'd come here to think. The exact opposite of what I want to do now. But it feels like home, so I sit.

 
I try to slow my breathing, which is hard because I can't stop the sobs.

I slam my fist down on the rock, and it hurts. I like it. "Fuck!" I do it again. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I want to rub the hurt out of my fist but at the same time, I don't because it helps me avoid thinking about how much of a lie my life has been. How much of a lie my grandfather lived through. I squeeze my eyes shut, willing the tears to subside.
 

I hear cracking twigs and sloshing water. "Kara?" I don't say anything. "Kara, I know you're around here, I followed you."

"I'm over here."
 

A minute later, I see Vince wading through the creek, most of him soaked. He has leaves in his hair and a terrified look on his face. I can't help but smile at how absurd the sight is.

He seems relieved when he sees me. I move over to share my rock.
 

"How'd you get through without getting wet?"

"Hidden path."

He nods. "Of course." He takes the sleeve of his jacket and wipes the tears from my cheeks.
 

"Pretty rough stuff, huh?"

"That's an understatement." He pulls me close and I rest my head on his shoulder. I try to calm myself
. Breathe in. Breathe out
. With Vince's arms around me, my muscles become limp and lifeless. I indulge in the warmth his skin provides me and I count the seconds between my heartbeats until I can pull away from him, my breaths steady.

"What do I do now?" I whisper.

He runs his hands through my hair and kisses my forehead. "I can't answer that."

I clench my fist. "I'm so angry right now, I can't think straight."

"I know it's none of my business—"
 

"You're right, it's not."
 

"Dammit, Kara. I was going to say that it's none of my business but whatever you want to do, we'll do. We've come this far to find the truth though, there's only one thing left to do."

I breathe in and let out a loud sigh. "We need to find Charlie, don't we?"

He nods. "I think so."

"And say what? Hey, Charlie, you know that time you slept with your brother's wife? Well she ended up knocked up with your kid. And I'm your granddaughter. Surprise!"

"Well, not in those words exactly, but yeah," Vince says.

"We don't even know if he's alive."

"It can't hurt to try and find him. Don't you think he deserves to know the truth too? The guy's been walking around almost his entire life without knowing he has a kid."

"You know what I don't get? How my grandmother could stand beside a man who risked his life for her freedom and know the entire time what she'd done to him."

"I'm not trying to say what your grandmother did was right but I think she was trying to protect your grandfather and ultimately, your father."

His words ripple through me. My father. He had no idea. I look at Vince; the tears threaten again. "Shit. My father. I can't tell him. I
won't
tell him."

Vince doesn't say anything.
 

"You think I should tell him?".

"I didn't say anything."

"You didn't have to. But you don't know anything about my father. He's like James—he only cares about money and himself."

"I think you're being a little dramatic. I think he's probably going to take this as hard as you. I mean, we're talking about his real father here."

I stand up and move away from him. I can't do this. Not if he's on my father's side. He can't bat for both teams.

"Kara, stop. You are feeling really emotional right now, let's just talk." He tries to grab my arm but I move out of reach.
 

"I'm done talking, Vince." I turn and run. I run until I'm back in the house. I hear Grandma call my name. I ignore her, climb the stairs and lock myself in the bedroom. I crawl in bed and pull the covers around me, letting them cocoon me in their warmth.
 

The tears fall freely again. I cry for my grandfather who loved a woman so much it blinded him. I cry for Charlie, who was completely in the wrong, but never knew he was a father or a grandfather. I even let a few tears fall for my father because even though he hasn't been the kind of father he should have been, his entire life has been a lie, too. Just like mine.

When there's not a tear that can possibly be squeezed out, I slide out from the covers. I don't know what I'm looking for but when I see Vince's handheld camera on the dresser, I know what I want to do.

I unscrew the cap, open the lens, and when I position it just right, I push the record button. I sit on the bed and look at it blankly for a few minutes before I start talking.

"My name is Kara Pierce and I came back to Everson to research my grandfather's service in WWII. What I found instead was his missing twin, their evil father and a forbidden love affair. My entire life, I knew Wesley Pierce as my grandfather, the man who fought in World War II, saved countless lives and then came home to save mine. But the truth is—Wesley isn't my real grandfather. I don't even know my real grandfather. I do know that he loved my grandmother enough to betray his brother. I know that he might still be alive—waiting. Waiting to know the truth? That's what I'm going to find out. I’m going to find him and bring him home. I want to hear his side of the story. I want him to know he's a father. A grandfather. A person who deserves to come home, no matter what his own father said or did."

I look at my lap and wonder if I'm missing anything. If there's anything else I should say. I wonder why I'm telling this to a camera. Maybe it's for posterity. Or maybe it's so I can remember this moment when everything is done.
 

Now, it's time to find Charlie.

We join my grandmother at the dinner table. She sets a Tater Tot Casserole on a pair of hot pads. Leave it to Grandma to cook all my favorite meals while I’m here.
 

I lick my lips. "Yum. I haven't had Tater Tot Casserole in forever."
 

Grandma's face lights up. "That's why I made it."

Vince digs in, and from his expression, finds the meal as delicious as I do. He washes it down with sweet tea and then clears his throat. "Kara plans on taking me by the police station tomorrow, I didn't realize Everson was big enough to have a police department."

Grandma shakes her head. "We didn't always have one. I think it was when the coloreds moved in, we initiated the department."

"Grandma! We don't use the word coloreds anymore."

"Bah. It never used to mean what you guys think it means. Just a way to describe them, is all."
 

I shake my head. "I really hated when Grandpa used to say it. It's not right."
 

"Don't lecture me, girl." She looks at Vince. "Anyway, the police department wasn't always there. Turns out we never really needed it until Kara hit high school."

I roll my eyes. Vince looks intrigued. "Oh, yeah? Why's that?"
 

Grandma chuckles. "When she was in high school, she uncovered a scandal that sent the whole town aflutter. We always knew she was going to be a journalist with her thirst for truth. She made a few enemies out of that deal."

"What did you uncover?"
 

Grandma nods at me like I should tell him. "After old man Macy died, his wife couldn't keep the farm. Her daughter married some guy from New York and he bought the farm, thinking he could run it. All the other farmers hated him but it's not "Christian" to drive someone out, right? Well, a couple months in, his cattle started dying. He couldn't figure out why. It was weird that all of the sudden they were dying, so I decided to figure it out."

"So what did you find?" Vince asks.

"A couple of farmers were poisoning the cattle feed. The guy from New York had no idea the "neighborly farmers" providing the feed were out to get him."
 

Vince's mouth drops. "Holy shit. You uncovered that?"

"Yes, I did."
 

"The cops didn't believe her. They thought it was absurd. I was so sure she might be going crazy. You should've seen her stand up to them, though. She wasn't afraid. Not one bit. Kara has every bit of her grandfather in her." Grandma’s voice is full of pride.

"All I did was find out the truth."

"That takes more courage than you give yourself credit for," Vince says.

I eye him and shovel casserole in my mouth. We eat silently for a couple minutes.

"What did you two do all day?" Grandma breaks the silence.

"We went to the Historical Society and to Heritage Estates and I talked to Parker." I say brightly.

She eyes me with caution. "I suppose you went there to tell him what a lousy job I'm doing taking care of myself."

"We didn't talk about that at all."

Vince chimes in before Grandma can say anything more. "We did find some interesting information though, didn't we, Kara?"
 

Damn you Vince. You're going to force my hand.
 

"Oh, yeah? What's that?"
 

I clear my throat. "Grandma, we know Grandpa had a twin. Charlie? We know he disappeared right after Grandpa went to war. And we know Great-Grandpa James hated you. I think it's time for you to come clean."

Grandma's pained expression reveals more than whatever she might say next. She wipes her mouth and pushes her plate forward. "How did you find out?'

"Does it matter?"
 

"I suppose not. It's not as exciting as you think. You're right. James didn't like me. He hated that I married Wesley. But James was a very driven and strict man. Wesley fit into his mold of what a son should be. Charlie didn't. They fought all the time and when James started belittling him for not enlisting like Wesley, Charlie had had too much. So he left, without a word to any of us."