Page 28 of Echoes of Eternity

“I don’t know. I’m still in shock. What I do know is I need to talk to my mother.”

CHAPTER 7

Sleep evaded Ryan’s grasp throughout the night. Rising early, just before five o’clock that morning, he went into the kitchen. Seeing the back porch light on, he went over to the sliding glass door and looked out. His mother was back and sitting out on the patio.

He jerked open the sliding glass door, and she jumped.

“Mom?”

Wiping her eyes of tears, she shook her head. “Shouldn’t you be asleep, Ryan?”

Walking out, he shut the door behind him. “What’s going on? Why are you back randomly in the middle of the night?”

“The red eye flight was cheaper.”

“I met Linda yesterday.” He studied his mother carefully.

“Who? What on earth are you talking about?” His mother’s tone edged up, anger evident.

“Linda. She acted like she knew you. Called you Roni and told me you’d fill me in on the details between her and Dad?”

His mother’s face softened and a pain flickered in her brown eyes. “I try to not think of that woman. You must’ve found the transfers.”

Irritation grew inside him. She knew about the money. “Who is she, Mom? What on earth is going on? You knew about the money?”

She sighed. “Your father wasn’t the perfect man he made himself out to be to you kids, the church, or Cedarwood Creek.”

“So. Who is she?”

“She was his mistress years ago.”

Ryan was quiet. His feet carried him to a chair on the patio. He sat down, raking a hand through his hair. “So, they just had an ongoing affair and you just stayed with him the whole time?”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’d never put up with that. That was fifteen years ago, Son.”

Ryan touched his temple, confusion swirling in his thoughts. “Then why was he sending her money?”

Her gaze stared off in the distance. “That’s none of your business. Did you stop the transfers?”

“They were manual, so they stopped after he passed.”

“Good. I tried to convince him for years that it was time to cut her off, and he never did. I was so mad at him. Now, it’s done, finally.” His mother sighed with relief and stood, walking to the edge of the patio. She peered out at the streams of sunlight showing themselves on the horizon, signaling the first light of the approaching day.

Ryan walked up and stood beside his mother. After a long moment, she finally spoke.

“Your father was a pillar in this community, in our family. And he’s gone now. Don’t ruin his legacy by digging any deeper in this matter. The transfers are done and he’s gone.”

“I just want to know why he was sending her this money every month if they weren’t seeing each other.”

His mother turned to him, pausing as she appeared to search his eyes for worthiness of what she was about to say. “You won’t let this go, I can tell. Listen, he had a child with her.”

“A child?” Ryan fell a few steps backward. “No. No. This can’t be true.”

“It is.”

Ryan stopped and looked at his mother in a new way. She had been carrying this secret for his father for years. She stood by his side and protected him. Her cynical, overbearing, and often out of control jealousy were suddenly seen in a new light to Ryan. Moving closer to her, he wrapped his arms around his mother in a loving hug.

“I’m so sorry, Mom. I had no idea . . .”