Truth Behind the Lies

Okay, here we go. Fair warning: This chapter will have a few things happening--some good, some bad, some expected, and some not.

Review Responses:
violetstorm: Thank you so much for your great review. Yeah, James fooled us all. You know when I made up this story's title, I was mainly hinting at Shay's situation but I think with the way this story is unfolding, it's safe to say it applies to each of the characters.

Bookworm51485: I've always enjoyed reading your reviews. You're absolutely wonderful. Larry will be beneficial to Bry's healing process but to say whether they will be together or not I don't know yet. It would be nice if Larry could do something nice for him, like recreate important points of the past. You are such a mind reader, cause their was a reason for the flashbacks. ;-) The talk Richie has with his kids is in this chapter as promised and hopefully I didn't disappoint in my delivery.

bambi4real: Thanks for the review! As for Larry being incongruous, it really goes along with what the story is mainly about. Nothing or no one are as they seem. I guess it could be the story's subtitle. Larry, James, and even Aunt Corrine have 'flipped the script' character wise, along with other small happenings. As for Shay being over protective, well.....i guess he just can't help it. As a teen, he had to keep the house functioning--make sure his mother took his medicine, raised his son, kept food on the table, try to keep his mother under control when he'd have his fits--and that mentality never went away. He always had to take care of Bryant when his illness began to get worse and like any child--i think--they'd want to try to protect them and keep them happy much like they did for them. However, I still agree with you though cause he's eventually going to have to 'let go' as his parents try to find a middle ground again.

MikuyuSado: Well, hello! SO glad you're back! And so glad you're still reading this!

Lina: Haha, don't worry, all will fall into place for everyone in the end. I promise you that. ;-)

womo: Haha! Thanks for the review! I take it you're not a Larry fan. Lol!

MisterVix: I understand. College can occupy anyone's time. So glad you enjoy reading this.

inumoon3: All you questions will get answered in this chapter......well all except Bry and Larry. They're not in this chapter. The next one, they will be. :-)

Ari90: No Bry and Larry in this chapter but they will be in the next one. As for Bry's happiness.........he'll ahhhhhhh he'll be okay in the end. :-P

Wiggle: You're a lovely person. Thank you for the kind review. You've been added to the list and I promise not to stop this story until it's finished.

Rachel: Thanks for the kind words. And I did enjoy my weekend, I had a great time at the beach. ;-)


Chapter Twenty five

Same time, different place

“So how was dinner? Good?” Richie asked his children as they sat around the dinner table, eating a meatlover’s pizza from Pizza Hut he picked up after leaving James’ apartment. Sabi quickly nodded, her face covered in pizza sauce and both small hands holding pepperoni she’d pulled off her slice and took small nibbles from. Richie smiled at his youngest child and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “I know you enjoyed it, Sabi, honey.”

Katie sat back in her chair, holding her small protruding belly. “I’m full. I can’t eat anymore…” She suddenly hiccupped then belched. Embarrassed, she quickly covered her mouth as Richie chuckled.

“Whoa. Yeah, I think you’ve had enough, sweetie.”

SO over all the lovey dovey ‘family time’, Tristan stood from his chair, holding his clean plate. “I’m finished, can I go in my room now?”

“Hold on a minute, I wanted to talk to you guys about somethin’.”

Tristan sighed and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “Can’t it wait until later or somethin’?”

This boy is pushin’ my nerves. “No it can’t.”

“But I don’t feel like talkin’—“

Richie interrupted, pointing to the 9 year old. “I don’t care what you feel like, Tristan.” He then pointed his finger to the chair his son had stood away from. “Sit down.” Rolling his eyes, the boy sat back down in his chair, folded his arms on the dinner table, and rested his chin on top.

Sighing deeply to calm himself once again, Richie spoke to his children. “Listen, I know this arrangement your daddy and me have for you is no fun. Every week, you’re packin’ bags and changin’ locations. It sucks and I’m sorry. I know you really hate it, bein’ that you don’t really know why you’re havin’ to do it…”

“We’re not stupid, mama,” Tristan spoke up. “We know why.”

“Oh really? So why is it, then?”

“Because you got mad at daddy one night and you threw him out as punishment instead of tryin’ to make up.”

“That’s not the whole story.”

“Yes it is. You’re bein’ harsh, mama.”

Richie frowned. “Where’d you learn a word like, ‘harsh’?”

“…………daddy told me.”

“Your daddy told you I was bein’ too harsh on him?” Tristan nodded. That son of a bitch. “What else did he tell you?”

“He said you had had a little too much to drink that night and you were actin’ out—blamin’ him for things he didn’t do. And when he tried to calm you down, you threw him out the house.”

Shock came over Richie and he looked to his oldest daughter. “He tell you that too?” Katie nodded.

“Is it true, mama?” She asked solemnly.

Richie shook his head. “No, baby. That’s not true.”

“Then what is the truth?”

Richie was silent for a few moments, unsure if he should say what he was about to say. Sure, James had plugged false shit in their children’s head which gave him every right to tell them what an asshole their daddy is, but the reality was—he was about to downgrade their father, causing who knows what kind of damage to James and the children’s relationship. Should I tell them? He thought to himself. He soon got his answer when he remembered James had no problem turning him into the bad parent, so why should he?

“You remember Jack?” Katie nodded, Tristan sat still, his eyes focused on his mother.

“Daddy said he was our brother.” Katie stated.

“Yes, he is.”

“But how is that? You were never pregnant, mama.”

Tristan spoke up. “That’s because daddy made somebody else pregnant.”

Richie nodded. “That’s right. While I was pregnant with your sister, your daddy was……..was spendin’ time with someone else.”

Katie gasped then shoved at her brother’s shoulder. “We played with Jack and everythin’, Tristan!”

“Now wait, wait. Don’t go hatin’ Jack. Jack didn’t ask for this to happen. And neither did his mother. His mother knew nothin’ about James bein’ married to me just like I knew nothin’ of him and his son. They’re not to blame. Your daddy did a bad thing. A very bad thing. And for two years, he thought he’d get away with it. Until your cousin Randy started datin’ Jack’s mother. That’s how I found out what was happenin’ and that’s what you saw we were arguin’ about that night, Tristan.” Tristan shook his head. He couldn’t believe it. He refused to believe it.

“That’s not true. Daddy would never do that.” He almost whispered.

“It’s the truth. Every word. He lied to you just like he lied to me. I wasn’t drunk like your father told you, mijo. And neither did I blame him for things he didn’t do, because he did do them.”

“Daddy loves us! He wouldn’t hurt our family like this!” Tristan yelled, his voice starting to crack.

“Tristan, I don’t deny your daddy loves you. I know he does without any doubt in my mind. But your daddy doesn’t respect me anymore. The feelin’s that he had for me, he gave to someone else. And my love for him has changed because of that. I threw your daddy out the house because he hurt me. And to hurt me even further, he tells you lies to make you hate me. You kids are my life. I’d do anythin’ for you, you understand?” Katie nodded, Tristan ducked his head down into his folded arms. “That’s why it kills me to see my own son despises me. To know he doesn’t want to spend time with me. I can barely get one minute of conversation out of you on the phone, Tristan. Why?” The boy was silent, his head still down. “I can handle the problems that your daddy and I are goin’ through. I’m strong enough to handle that. But what I can’t handle is my only son not wantin’ to be around me. Especially when I didn’t deserve it.” Richie waited for some type of response from his son. He didn’t get one. But the shuddering sobs and sniffles were enough answer for him. “Come’ere, Tristan.”

Slowly, the boy lifted his head and his young, tan, face was flushed and covered in tears. Embarrassed, he kept his head lowered as he got up, walked around the table, and stood before his mother. Richie touched his arms gently. “Now you know the real truth. You can keep lovin’ your daddy if you want to, it’s fine with me, I don’t really care. You can even continue to hate me and give me the cold shoulder, but I’d rather you feel that way knowin’ the truth than the lies your daddy told you.”

Tristan opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were sobs. He wiped at his watery eyes repeatedly and gasped between words. “I’m sa—I’m sorry! I…….I don’t ha—hate you, mama! I didn’t mean it!” Unable to say anymore, Tristan broke down, crying into his hands. Richie pulled his son to his lap and held him. Sighing, he closed his eyes tight, a tear or two slipping down his own face.

“Please don’t hate me.” The boy whispered after a few minutes.

“I could never hate you, Tristan. You’re my baby boy.” He kissed the top of the boy’s head then looked at Katie who sat as silent as a mouse. “Come here, mija, and bring your sister with you.” Katie hopped out her chair and walked to her sister’s high chair. She unlatched the front table part and helped her climb down it. Although, Sabrina had become a pro at climbing in and out of the chair so she really didn’t need any help.

Sabrina climbed on to her brother’s lap and Katie sat on Richie’s other leg. He wrapped his arms around all his children. “I love you kids. Always. You’re my reason for getting’ up everyday, you hear me?” The kids nodded. And it was the truth. Finding out your husband of a substantial amount of years cheated on you and fathered another baby would be a major blow to anybody. Had it not been for his kids, Richie would be a big ball of depression by now.

He kissed the tops of his kids heads then chuckled. “You know, we can’t keep doin’ this for too much longer. You kids are gettin’ too heavy for group cuddlin’.”

Katie, much the little actress, gasped. “You hear that, Sabi? You’re gettin’ too heavy. It’s time to cut back on the mid-day snacks you get everyday.” They laughed when the two year old folded her arms and stuck out her tongue.

***

Six months later, Tuesday afternoon…

“Ughhhhh…” Shay laid stretched on the bed, holding his double pregnant belly. The closer he got to his due date, the sicker he became. Not that it occurred everyday, but when it happened, it would leave him completely confined. And Tuesday was one of those days. “Oh God, you two have got to stop movin’.” Shay told his unborn children as he turned to his side, placing a large pillow under his stomach. The door to the bedroom opened and his blonde first-born walked in, standing in front of his face.

“We pay, mama?” He held up two toy Tonka trucks.

“Ugh, not today, baby. Mama’s not feelin’ too well.”

“You no feel good?”

“No. Your brother and sister are tryin’ to figure out if they want to come out or not and they are makin’ my tummy hurt.”

Jack nodded, dropped his toys on the floor, then climbed on the bed, stretching out beside his mother. Shay wrapped his arms around him and Jack held fast to Shay’s neck. Shay sighed. “You’re such a sweetheart, pookie. I feel better already.”

***

Now at home full time from the clinic after taking leave for Shay’s pregnancy, Randy started soaping his next plate in the sink. The brunette woke up that morning feeling horrible, so he sent his young lover back to bed and decided to clean house while he rested. Randy had started in the living room—dusting, polishing, and fluffing pillows, then moved to the kitchen to wash the dishes. His next destination was the family room.

As he rinsed the plate under the water and set it on a drying rack, Randy heard the phone ring. Grabbing the phone, he checked the caller ID and saw Roy Dodson. Aunt Corrine? “Hello?”

“Hi, Randy.”

“Auntie. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you. You’ve had me worried. Are you okay?”

There was a pause. “Um, yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” She said in a strained voice that sounded very skeptical to the blonde. “I’ve just been doin’ a lot of thinkin’ is all.”

Randy’s eyebrows rose. “Oh yeah? What about?”

“Well………that’s um actually what I was callin’ about. I wanna talk to you about some things, Randy, hon. About some changes that have occurred within me. But I’d prefer to speak to you in person……..is that alright with you?”

“Sure, of course it’s alright. Do you think you could come here? Shay’s in his last weeks and I’d like to not leave him alone. Just in case.”

“Of course. I’ll be there in 30 minutes.”

“Okay, auntie. I’ll see you then.” Hanging up the phone and placing it on the counter, couldn’t help the smile that came to his face. Has Aunt Corrine finally accepted me starting a life with Shay? That has to be it……..what else could it be?

***

Same time, different place…

Corrine slowly placed her phone down beside her on the couch. She was anxious to get over to the lakehouse and say what she needed to say to Randy but she also dreaded it. At first when she called, Randy sounded uncertain about why she had called, especially since he had blatantly told her that he and Shay were an item and Shay had a few words of his own to say to her. But somehow when he found out she had been thinking things over and wanted to talk to him face to face, Randy seemed to suspect that this was a good thing. That she wanted to change the rift that had previously grown between them.

In a way he was right. Corrine did want to change the rift that was between them. However, her solution and his were not one in the same. She was driving over to the lakehouse to tell her only nephew that she was going to disassociate herself with him. You see, over the time between her talk with Shay and now, Corrine had gotten bombarded with questions, lies, and gossip about Randy being with Shay.

“Is your nephew seein’ Shay Gibson, Corrine?”

“You know, I saw Randy and that Gibson boy walkin’ in the park together just the other day. Are they an item?”

“Don’t your nephew know what type of reputation that boy has in Plumsfield?”

“Why would he want to be seen with a boy who’s got a son and doesn’t even know who the daddy is?”

“I hear Shay Gibson takes more after his mother than is considered good. I hear Shay tried to toss his little boy off a bridge in a looney fit.”

“The whole family is as off as two left shoes, Corrine. They all need to be put away. Why would your nephew want to be seen with the likes of them?”

And then when word got out that Shay was pregnant by the blonde, it put the town in an uproar. The topic was talked about in all the hair salons, grocery stores, restaurants, and church parking lots. The chatter mostly coming from the town’s women—the husbands were shamed to silence since a good number of them shared their bed and car backseat with the pregnant brunette.

The men weren’t the only ones that were ashamed. Her family were a well liked and well respected people in Plumsfield. Many of the families in the area lived in homes built by Roy’s construction company and Roy’s Corner was considered an unofficial town landmark. And now the good standing the Dodson family had with the town had dwindled because Randy let himself get caught up with the town’s most outcast family—the Gibsons.

She was so disappointed with him. Did he not listen to a word she said when she first told him about Shay and his family? And what about her? Did he not consider what she’d have to face when he started talking to Shay? All the gossip. All the lies. All the phone calls she gets constantly from her neighbors………she was sick of it and sick of the relationship Randy and Shay had together. Regardless of how either of them tried to tell her that what they shared was right, the fact was, the town didn’t approve and in the end that was all that mattered to the aging widow. Appearance was the key. How she and her family appeared to the people was paramount in her eyes. She hated being the topic of women’s conversations and felt that by cutting herself loose from Randy, it would get the old biddies off her back.

After psyching herself up, Corrine took a deep breath then walked to her front door, grabbing her car keys on the way out.

***

Later that day…

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” Randy asked as he sat next to Shay, placing a damp cloth over his forehead.

“……Ugggghhh…….Like shit. I didn’t feel…… this crappy when I was pregnant…….. with Jack.”

“Well all pregnancies are different. With you having twins, I’m sure that had something to do with it.” With one large hand, he started to rub the large belly in slow circles. “I’m ready for them to get here. To see them and hold them.”

Shay closed his eyes with a content smile. The gentle rubdown was almost lulling him to sleep. “So am I. It’s gonna get hectic when they do finally come, but I’ll take it any day to bein’ pregnant.” They both chuckled.

Randy ruffled Jack’s honey blonde hair. “How about you, big brother? You ready to see the babies?”

Jack nodded excitedly. “Yea.”

Shay smiled. “And he’s not kiddin’ either. For the past four days, he’s been askin’ me when am I gonna let the babies out to play.” They laughed again but soon stopped when Shay got a contraction.

“Is that another one?” Randy asked.

“Mmm……yeah. They’re not………They’re not too bad yet.” The brunette responded, his body tensing up at the slight ache.

“Are they any closer?”

“No, they’re…….still the same. My last one was…….was maybe over an hour ago.” His body finally relaxed once the pain dissipated.

“Aunt Corrine is making her way over here to talk with me about something. But if you need me to I can call her to come at another time and I could sit here with you.”

Shay shook his head. “No, no, I’m fine. Go talk to her about what you need to. I’ll be fine.”

Randy frowned. “You sure?”

“Yeah, baby, I’m sure.”

Randy loved it when Shay called him that. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed his soft lips. “Ok. Well, I’m going to head downstairs then and I’ma take Jack with me, so he can snack on a little something before he takes his nap.” Shay nodded, and Randy grabbed up Jack and walked downstairs. But just as he reached the bottom, the doorbell rang. Knowing who it was, he opened the door with a smile on his face.

“Hi, auntie. Come on in.” He never noticed the defeated and worn look on her face.

“No, that’s alright, Randy. I’d rather not impose on you…”

“Impose? Auntie, you this was your place, of course you wouldn’t be—“

She held up a hand. “Randy, please. I’d rather not come in because I want……I need to say what I have to say right now and if I don’t, I never will.”

He adjusted Jack in his arms and stood before his aunt, looking confused but attentive. “Okay.”

“I love you, Randy. I love you with all my heart. You’re like a son to me. And because I feel that way, I only want the best for you……..And because I love you so much, it makes what I’m about to say that much harder. What you’re doin’ is wrong. You nor I will find any peace while you’re playin’ ‘House’ with these Gibson folk. Neighbors are talkin’ about you. About your relationship with Shay knowin’ he’s crazy like his mama. Takin’ care of some other man’s baby. Now you’ve gotten him pregnant? What makes you think that baby won’t turn like his mama……..or his grandmother? People are starin’ and shakin’ their heads at you, Randy. You haven’t been here a year yet and they’ve already ostracized you. Women, who are my friends, are now tryin’ to do the same thing to me simply because you’re my nephew. I’ve tried to hold strong because I love you but I can’t do it anymore. You’re on your own, Randy. The hundreds of calls that I get from neighbors……..I’ll tell them I don’t know anythin’. I won’t have a clue to what they’re talkin’ about.” Randy watched as water welled up in her eyes. Her voice began to crack. “I’m…..I’m also goin’ to……to retire from Roy’s Corner. You……have free reign to do whatever…….whatever you wanna do……..I won’t say a word about it………Nor will I want to know. I’m……I’m done carin’, Randy.”

Randy couldn’t believe his ears. Corrine, his favorite aunt, the aunt that as a child he wished he had as a mother, wanted nothing to do with him. She’d rather distance herself from her family than have the neighborhood talk about her. How could a woman, who claims to love you so much, do that to you?

Randy opened his mouth to respond but he was interrupted by another voice. “Randy?” The blonde turned behind him and saw Shay standing in the middle of the stairs, one hand holding tightly to the railing and the other holding his large stomach. His breathing was ragged and his eyes were tense from obvious pain. “It’s time.”




Yes, the babies are coming! I hope you liked the chat Richie had with his kids. I rewrote that part over and over and over again, trying to get it to satisfactory status and I hope I did so. Anywho, more to come and like always if anyone wants to be a part of my Scribbles Update List--updates on when this story and any other story they're interested in gets updated--please let me know.