Chapter Three

Chapter 3

            Cattys was located on the top floor of a building that had probably been around since the civil war. It was one of the few building that was not pushed up against the next one and its’ entrance was the small alley that void created. Only locals really knew that it was there, so very few tourists visited the establishment. To make the alley way safer the city fought to have the street lights extend into the alley so Cassidy did not worry she would have to use her pepper spray if anyone tried to sneak up on her.

            The entrance was only marked with faded red letters on the door that was located at the end of the alley. There was only one entrance to the alley the other end being blocked off by a tall wooden fence. University property was located on the other side of the fence. The University put the fence in so that there was no direct entrance to the bar or the alley from University grounds.

            There was only a small line leading to the door, which was surprising this being Friday night. She could not remember the University holding any athletic games or any other events. That was the only time the streets were bare on a Friday night, as this was a University town. The community was big on supporting any activity at the school.

            The bouncer located just inside the door was not an especially big guy, he was also very young. He was only a couple of inches taller than her, but the spikey red hair gave him the illusion of being a couple of inches taller than he really was. She showed her ID to the guy who looked to be barely 21.  He must be a relative of the owner to get a job as bouncer with his size and age.

            The music was loud and energetic, light low and intimate, and very few people graced the dance floor located in the middle of the club. Small round tables surrounded the dance floor and the larger booths lined two of the walls. The other two walls held the bar and the DJ booth. After the patrons filled themselves up with cheap beer and liquor the dance floor would start to see more action.

            She found David sitting alone in one of the booths. He had a half full bud in front of him along with a tan folder. His elbows were resting on the scarred surface of the oak table and he looked deep in thought, and lonely. He always seemed to look lonely, no matter the amount of people around him. In her books Texans were normally the loners, but this was not a book, and it was definitely not a romance.

            She made her way to the bar before approaching David.  Liquid courage was needed for this confrontation.  She ordered a Liquid Marijuana, which despite its name held none of the drug itself. She took a cautious sip after paying the nearly five dollars for the small drink. She could never afford to be a heavy drinker. While beer was significantly cheaper her taste buds could not stand the bitter taste of it.

            She stood at the bar and searched the room for anyone she might know. It might do to have someone know she was here tonight. She found no familiar faces. She looked over to where David was sitting and watched him for a few minutes. Several women approached him and after a few minutes of them speaking they walked away.  That confused her even more. It was after eight so he probably thought she was longer coming, if he was the creep she thought he was; why was he turning down these other women?

            She walked over to the booth, when he saw her he jolted in surprise. She scooted in the bench on the other side of the table and just looked at him with a raised eyebrow. She was here and she wanted answers.

            “I figured it was a lost cause for you coming tonight.” He said, obviously relieved she was there.

            “Curiosity has always gotten the best of me.” She did not want to give the impression she believed him. “I also think you have the wrong person, or someone is playing a prank on you.”

            “This is no prank, not for either one of us. “ He shook his head solemnly. “I know you are who I am here for. Beyond any doubt.”

            There was a tense silence as he looked down at the folder in front of him. She had a feeling whatever he wanted from her was in that folder. It was the white elephant in the room and her gut was telling her she wanted no part of it.

            Your name is Cassidy Marie Beauchamp.” He looked her straight in the eye as he started listing her vitals. “You were born July 4^th 1990 in Nashville, Tennessee you were born 3 weeks premature and your mother’s name is Caroline Beauchamp, her maiden name is Anderson. Her parents, Louis and Alfred Anderson both died in a car accident in 1985.” Cassidy got the picture.

            “That information can be easily found in a Google search.” She pointed out. “Does not prove anything.” She shrugged the feelings of doubt away.

            “Your mother is originally from the Austin area. She moved to Tennessee shortly after conceiving you and that is when she met your dad.” He was staring at her, daring her to argue with him.

            “That would mean he is not my father, and I assure you he is.” Her dad loved her. They might not always agree on everything, but she knew that her dad adored her.” This proves you have the wrong person, or whoever has sent you gave you wrong information.”

            He was looking at her with pity. Looking at her like a doctor would right before he gave a family some tragic news about a loved one. She fidgeted in the booth wanting to escape the look in his eyes. She could not force herself to leave. She had to know where he was going with this. She braced herself for the tragedy she was sure was coming.

            “I am going about this the wrong way.” He looked out towards the dance floor. More people were dancing now. Cotton eyed Joe was playing through the speakers and that was a favorite of any bar patron. Line dancing was not just a southern past time. A waiter came to the table, they both had finished their drinks and David ordered another one for them both.

            “Maybe you should start at the beginning.” She suggested. They both remained quiet while their drinks were served. She wrapped her hands around the glass. Not quite sure she would not choke on the drink along with the lump in her throat. She took a cautious sip. It was hard to swallow but both the liquid and the lump disappeared down her throat. He was the one to clear his throat.

            “My father’s name is Jonas Jamison. He was married to my mother for 32 years before she died of Breast Cancer 5 years ago. I have two other brothers. I am the middle brother. We had a good childhood, we grew up on the ranch we work at and since our father has been sick we have been running it. It is our legacy.” He had a sad look on his face. His father must be really sick.

            “Sorry about your dad.” She laid her hand on his forearm in comfort. He stared down at his arm. When he looked back up at her he had a thoughtful expression on his face.

            “He has been sick for the past year. Lung infections, bronchitis, you name it. Doctors think it might be lung cancer. He has been a smoker for as long I can remember. Our mother could never get him to quit.”

            “It must be hard taking on his responsibilities.” She told him. She really did feel for him. She could not imagine her parents getting that sick. They led a very healthy lifestyle. Cassidy got caught smoking in the shed behind their house once, every teenager experiments, her  mother read her the riot act and grounded her for two weeks. Even went so far as take her to the hospitals cancer wing. She has never picked up another cigarette in her life.

            “We love it, nothing we would rather be doing. “He shrugged and she could tell me meant what he said. “Anyways, about 6 months ago our father called a family meeting. Of course we were worried he was going to tell us he was dying.  When we all met at the main house he had his lawyer sitting beside him. We were sure that he was dying at this point.”

            Cassidy’s eyes filled with tears. Losing a parent could not have been easy. No matter your age. While her heart broke for him, she still did not see how this was any relation to her. She was mulling over the information he had given her so far. He had a lot of facts right, but there was one major fact that she could not explain, except that it was wrong. She did not want to rush him, especially with him getting a little emotional, but she wanted to get back to that one piece of information he shared about her conception.

            “He did not tell us he was dying, but what he did tell could not have shocked us more.” He was looking straight at me as he said this. “He told us we have a sister.”

            She said nothing. What could she say? Realization was setting in. No way was he talking about her. Her parents would have told her. She was not his sister.  Caroling and Edward Beauchamp were both her birth parents. She stared at the folder. She needed to see inside that folder.

            “You have three brothers.” He continued as if had not just tilted her world. “Aaron is the oldest he is 31, Eric is 26, and then there is me. I am 28.”

            He stopped and seemed to judging her reaction. She had no reaction. She sat there, afraid to move, afraid to make a sound; Afraid that her life was about to be turned upside down. In her world things like this did not happen, this was a fairytale created by unhappy children. Children who wished they had been adopted. She never had such a wish. No matter the tension between them she loved her parents.

            “Do you think I am your sister?” Of course he did, she thought. Why would he be telling her this story otherwise? No one could be this cruel to play such a joke on someone.

            “Evidence points to that.” He sat stone still. Afraid if he moved she would strike. It must have been the shell shocked look on her face. Or the fact her hands were now balled into fist on the table. White from the grip she had on them.

            “Just because someone told you I was does not make your sister.” She was quiet as she spoke. She could not bring herself to raise her voice. “What proof do you have?”

            She demanded him to tell her, demanded him to tell her it was all speculation and that her parents have not lied to her her whole life. She was not this man’s sister. She was a Beauchamp by blood. He pushed the folder to her side of the table. She did not touch or look at it. She wanted no part of what it might hold.

            “There are pictures of you growing up in that folder. Dad kept track of you through the years.”

            “Then why is just now telling you? Why am I just now finding out?”  Tears were in her voice. She was sure they were in her eyes as well.

            “He was married when he met your mother. “ He shrugged like it was nothing. She was infuriated. How dare he think it was nothing! Her mother would never sleep with a married man. She preached on the sanctity of marriage for God’s sake!

            “He said she worked for his family, the Jamison’s, for a few years after her parents died. She was the ranch’s book keeper. Him and my mother were going through a rough patch that fall. He met your mother and thought himself in love. He was even going to leave my mother for yours.” He ran his hand through his hair, his eyes, which were the same color as hers, were closed in frustration.

            “Why did no one tell me? Why did no one tell you or your brothers? Did your mother know about the affair?” She was so lost and confused. Her emotions were all over the place; anger and confusion were battling within her.

            “My mother was pregnant; he ended things with your mother and went back to mine. He could not leave his wife. Family means everything to him. When your mother told him she was pregnant also he said told her he could not leave his wife, he could not start another family with her.”

            Anger was winning.

            “So he abandoned my mother when she was pregnant with her child? Abandoned me?” She was able to find her voice, not caring if any of the other people in the bar overheard her.

            “That does not speak of family loyalty to me. He did not take responsibility for his actions. He got another woman pregnant and instead of coming clean he left her alone and pregnant!”

            “He had a name to uphold, a legacy to protect. The scandal would have ruined the business. He had four other children to think about!”

            “Oh, I see. One more child would have just been too much. Who cares about blood, as long your name stayed clean!” She threw her hands up at him. She was tempted to throw her drink at him but he was the bad guy. He also was not very sympathetic to her feelings with this either.

            “My mother was not very strong; she could not have handled a divorce or public scandal. When he told her of the affair she lost the baby. By that time your mother had already left, when my father looked her up she was married to your dad and he was claiming you as his own.”

            “But why now? Why 24 years later?” She was shaking her head. She would be better off if she never knew. She needed to talk to her parents. She needed to go to Tennessee and confront her parents with this information. They would tell her that it was all a lie and her dad had always been her dad; that this was just someone trying to take advantage of her being in Boston without family. Why would they do that? What would they have to gain from her? A million thoughts and questions raced through her mind.

            “With him being Ill and us being grown he felt the need to repent for past sins? I don’t know. I don’t know why my father does half the things he does.” He was shrugging again. “He left it up to us boys to find you; he figured it was too late to have any kind of relationship with you. He wanted us to know our sister.”

            She chugged what was left her drink. No point in wasting it. Her stomach felt like lead. Her head was spinning, and not because of the drink. Her ears were buzzing and she just wanted to escape. She looked around the bar. People dancing, laughing, flirting, and all of them enjoying themselves. How she wished she was one of those people. How she wished that she could go home and wake up and this all be a dream.

“Here is my number.” He handed me a business car. Cassidy stared at, not really seeing it. “I have to head back home tomorrow. The address is on the card. When you decide to come to Texas you can find us there.”

            “Texas…” She murmured the word like it was a concept she had never heard of before. “I need to think, I need to go home and I need my parents. I cannot come to Texas.”

            “After you talk to your parents then.” He laid his hand on one her hands. Took note of her pale face and the tears in her eyes. “I probably could have done this better. We want to know you; we want to know the sister we never knew we had. You do not have to forgive our dad, but please don’t turn your backs on us.”

            “He is not my dad.” She exclaimed. “My dad is in Tennessee. My dad raised me, my dad held me when I was born and my dad would never abandon me or my mother!!”

            With that being said she ran out of the bar; tears streaming down her face. She did not care if she had to push people out of her way. She did not care when those people cursed her and told her to watch where she was going. They were all a blur. She ran all the way home. As soon as she was in her door she sat down leaning against the door and let the tears come. She cursed the Jamison’s for turning her life upside down; she cursed her parents for not telling her the truth. She cursed them all. When she threw her hands up to curse God papers went flying in every direction. She never even noticed when she picked the folder up and ran for her life with it clinging in her hands.

Reviews

[Hatter57]

Good development of the story here. Cassidy's reactions seem pretty realistic given David's revelations. The only thing that got me to thinking is that I find it surprising that of three brothers, they would elect to send the one with the least degree of people skills to drop such a bombshell. It made me wonder how much they really wanted that relationship with their half-sister.

[Amanda J Hopwood]

Exactly!! You will discover the motive in the chapter I am currently writing. I am introducing the "other" family in it.

[Amanda J Hopwood]

You are quickly becoming my new online best friend lol I will take time this evening after my kiddos are bed to read more of yours. I get spurts on the computer. They are out of school and to cold for outside so we are taking turns on it.