Page 69 of Big Britches

“That’s definitely a stereotype,” Pedro was compelled to say. But he couldn’t help but think how open and receptive Titus had been the day they’d met. It had caught him off guard, made him suspicious even, how childlike and overjoyed he had been. “I’m curious, though. How is it you ended up raising Barb?”

“She was a friend’s child,” Patricia said. “Agnes, her mother, and I were close when we were young. But, she–well, how do I put it?”

“She was a Deadhead,” Truman answered.

Pedro’s brow furrowed with confusion. “I beg your pardon?”

“She followed that band, the Grateful Dead. Ended up in San Francisco, pregnant. We talked her into coming home, which she did… long enough to have Barbara. Then she left, and we never saw her again.”

“She just abandoned her?” Pedro said, incredulously. He looked at Titus.

Titus raised his hands. “This is news to me. I mean, we grew up together. But I never knew the details.”

“How did you end up with her?” Pedro asked. “Why wasn’t she raised by family, grandparents?”

“Agnes’s parents were killed in a car accident in the late ’50s. She was raised by her own grandparents–James and Lila Hawthorne. They were much older, nowhere near prepared to take on a baby. I was already knee-deep in raising Titus, so I volunteered.”

“That’s–well, wow,” Pedro said, still processing. “That’s very generous of you, going from one baby to two. Overnight, I presume. I can’t imagine.”

“I loved it,” Patricia said, smiling. “Being a mother was one of the highlights of my life. And to duplicate it without all the grunt work of pregnancy? Why yes, I said, please and thank you. Of course, the context at the time was that it was only temporary. We all thought Agnes would eventually return, regretting her choices. But she never did.”

Pedro shook his head, baffled. “How on earth could someone abandon their child like that?”

“Counterculture,” Truman said, derisively. “Free your mind. Tune in and turn on. Break from the norm.”

“Drugs,” Patricia added, the one syllable summing things up neatly. She set her spoon down and pushed her bowl toward Titus. “Finish mine too, dear. I can’t eat anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” said Pedro. “I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

“No. I’m glad you did,” Titus said. “I had no idea.”

“Does Barb know all this?” Pedro asked.

“She knows she was abandoned,” Patricia said. “And that James and Lila were her real great grandparents. That’s how she wound up with the Hawthorne House. Barbara was their sole heir. I spared her the sordid details. By the time she was old enough for us to explain, she was completely our child. We’re her parents, Pedro.”

“I get that. I just–it explains a lot.” So much so that Pedro felt a bit overwhelmed. Suddenly, the two most important people in Spoon to him had a backstory, reasons why they were the adults he knew. “What about her father?”

“No idea who he is,” Truman said. “We suspect Agnes didn’t either. Hell, we don’t even know if she’s alive. Haven’t seen or heard from her since 1974. She’s dead as far as we’re concerned.”

Pedro noticed a slight shift in Patricia’s demeanor. He reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “What you did was selfless and exemplary. But, if you don’t mind my saying, I think there’s something unresolved. Barb needs help. I thought it was about money, but hearing this, it might go deeper.”

“She inherited a good bit from Lila,” Truman said. “Enough to support her and start that bed-and-breakfast. She also has a trust from us for schooling, which she hasn’t even touched. I can convert it if she needs the funds. No problem. Truth is, I think she still has her heart set on getting a degree.”

“That wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Pedro said.

“She was so eager to leave the nest, though. Like she was a burden once she knew we weren’t her actual parents. I told her if she ever needed anything, we were always there for her. But, like I said, she takes pride in her self-sufficiency. Always has.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Titus said. “I feel like I’m partially to blame. I got so wrapped up in Violet, I lost touch with everyone else. It’s time I made up for it.”

“Devotion,” Patricia said. “Compassion. Empathy. It’s traits like those that also made you a special little boy.”

“Traits of good humans,” Pedro said. “Not just good homosexuals.”

“I suppose you’re right, but Titus wears his emotions on his sleeve. Something I’m sure you already know. When he was joyous, it was often spontaneous, unfiltered, and brimming with enthusiasm.”

Unfiltered and spontaneous–two more words Pedro could easily use to describe that first day he met Titus.

“But when he got older–” Truman said, “–things began changing.”