Kate Educates Jacob #53

A Shocking Day!

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Once everyone left and Alicia was safely out of the way, Kate spat fire, and I couldn’t blame her. I was angry, too.

“I don’t think we should hold any more meetings here, Jacob. It’s our home, and that man was so fucking unpleasant.”

“Harry is a particularly disgusting guy, and yeah, I agree that our home is sacred. It was a one-off and done out of necessity. The sooner your office annex is built at Granger Hall, the better.”

We’d just finished a very fractious meeting where our new public relations girl, Isabelle, was harassed in the most despicable way. The man responsible was gone, but it would take everyone time to forget his behavior in our home.

“Did you drop Isabelle at her boyfriend’s house?”

“Yes.”

“Was she okay?”

“She’s fine, and I invited them both to dinner tonight.”

“I hope they come because I really like her. Hannah’s right; she’s a great addition to her team.”

“We’ll see if my British theme night is a success or not.”

“Roast beef carved by Jacob should produce a mile-long line at our front door. Can you tell me before I google, what is Spotted Dick?”

“It’s not what you might think. The spots are dried fruit, and Dick is an old English term for Pudding, in this case, made from suet.”

“Oh, dear Jacob. I don’t know how I could live without you. We’re having Yorkshire pudding for a main course with roast beef and dick pudding for dessert.”

“Please Kate… I beg you to call it a fruit pudding. I’m going for a walk to clear my head, darling.”

“Okay, sweetheart.”

As I walked away, my fiancee chuckled. We’d had hours of fun comparing English to American variants, getting stuck for hours of laughter on the word, fanny. 

The day after a PTSD-provoked nightmare always felt better when I talked it through with Sierra. I felt happier the moment I strolled into the stables, nodding and kissing my sister’s cheek on the way.

“Can we talk about Dad after you visit Sierra, Jacob?”

“Of course, but there’s no pressure coming from him.”

When I approached her, I saw Sierra’s front hooves impatiently tap the straw-strewn concrete floor. She seemed happy to see me inasmuch as my rudimentary horse body language translation could tell by her ears pointed forwards and a head tossing, with her whinnying as though laughing at me.

“Hello, darling.”

I stroked above her nose, instantly relaxed by the majestic beast’s attentive, loving enjoyment of my fingernails scratching. I smiled, then chuckled inadvertently, unable to contain my pleasure at visiting my horse, even though I still couldn’t ride her.

My sister joined me at Sierra’s stall, balancing her chin on forearms held aloft by a broom handle.

“Did you have a bad dream last night, brother?”

“Yes, but they come less frequently these days.”

“Are you soothed by Sierra’s companionship?”

“Yes, but my improved mental health is mostly because of Kate. She is the lighthouse in my stormy ocean, calling me to safety.”

“Do you still think about Natalia and exhuming the mass graves?”

“If I ever forget her, that little girl vanishes from history. There were no family survivors.”

“You can’t carry it around forever, Jacob. You must let go of that emotional baggage. What does Kate say?”

“She’s made it a lot easier to deal with. Kate wants us to visit the grave site and find out what happened after I left. It would be good to know whether they caught those responsible.”

“She’s a great girlfriend who understands you.”

“I love her very much, sis.”

“I hope so, Jacob, because you’re getting married in a few weeks.”

“We are completely compatible.”

“I know. I’ve heard one of your early morning thrashings when I returned from a run.”

“Ahh.”

I felt mildly embarrassed, but there had never been secrets between my sisters and me. In our youth, we’d made an inviolate pact that helped Sarah after she came out and until she could bear no more.

“There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a spanking from the woman you love, Jacob. There was never anything wrong with me wanting to love a girl. You taught me that.”

“I think of Sarah often, Carrie.”

“Me too, dear brother. Was she the cause of your bad dream last night?”

“I saw her lying in the morgue on the day I identified her body.”

Carrie dropped her broom and walked over, hugging me tightly. I felt her sobbing and joined in, unable to control the tears rolling down both cheeks. Sierra barged in, wet nose first, snorting hot air in our faces, and I laughed at the horse who tried to soothe our pain.

“Let’s take a walk outside, brother. Tell me what Dad said.”

“He wants to see you. Dad’s worried about you.”

“Why didn’t you bring him here right away?”

“He’s leaving Mom… sorry, he’s already left her.”

“Do you mean a divorce?”

“It sounded that way. I can’t say I blame him, but Mom won’t let go quite so easily as he thinks.”

“Which means she’ll come after him, then me.”

“She can’t leave people alone, Carrie. I wanted you to be prepared and decide what to do.”

“I want to see our Dad. He was always supportive; even just before I left to come here, there were arguments, and he backed me all the way. The bigotry was all Mom.”

“She’ll track him down, then you. Are you prepared for that?”

“I’m ready, Jacob. I have you on my side as well.”

“You also have our dad, Kate, and her family. This time, Mom will not prevail and destroy another life.”

“Why is Mom so mean?”

“She needs therapy for a raging anger, sis.”

“You always make excuses for people. Maybe she’s just cruel and vile by nature.”

“We can’t give up on her, Carrie. She’s our Mom. We can’t let her beat us down, but we can’t abandon her either.”

“You sound like a plan is forming in your mind, Jacob.”

“I’d like her to see a therapist, perhaps get a medical diagnosis and treatment.”

“And how will you lever her into that?”

“I’ll meet Mom when she arrives; perhaps you and Dad will choose to come as well, and if she blows her lid, I’ll give her an ultimatum.”

“Therapy or no family?”

“There is no way I would expose Alicia to Mom in her current fucked up state.”

“Oh, that little gem is a true delight. I already love her. I pray she might call me Aunt Carrie one day.”

“Kate and I intend to let her grow up exploring the world on her terms. Mom can’t be part of that unless she’s well.”

“Do you believe Mom’s sick, Jacob?”

“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but there is a deep psychosis that fires off when something she doesn’t like happens. Mom goes completely off the rails. She wasn’t like that when I was younger.”

“What are you suggesting then?”

“I want Dad to tell Mom where he is and suggest meeting at a city hotel. We’ll take it from there.”

“I’d have liked to see him tonight at dinner.”

I kissed my sister on the cheek and strolled back to the house while she headed for the stables. Inside the front door, I kicked off my shoes, walked inside, and caught Alicia, who sprinted and dove into my arms, wrapping both legs around my waist and kissing my cheeks.

“What’s this for?”

 “I didn’t see you all day. I thought we normally had breakfast together.”

“Okay… that’s my bad. We do have breakfast together.”

Alicia had been in our care less than a week and was already tying up slots of our time to be a family. She was right, and I felt bad, staring at Kate, who sat at the breakfast bar, enjoying a fragrant cup of Masala Chai.

“I was already chastised, Jacob.”

“It won’t happen again.”

I lifted my daughter onto a knee when I’d settled on a kitchen stool opposite Kate. She smiled wryly at Alicia, who grinned back.

“Ask him, Kate.”

“I already know I’m right, sweetheart.”

“Ask him, though.”

I was confused by their secrecy and tickled Alicia, who soon gave up their subversion.

“I asked Kate where you were; she guessed and told me, and now I want to know if she was right.”

“Where did Kate say I was?”

“Visiting Sierra.”

“Kate would be correct.”

I spent most of the day taking account of our new home, checking the wine cellar and other basement rooms. I found tools, machinery for the swimming pool and grounds maintenance, bike spare parts, and fishing gear.

Alicia accompanied me, checking things off and taking notes until Henry arrived, and a discussion about her education required my attendance. Lizzie delivered a pitcher of homemade lemonade to the group table outside the front door, and we convened a meeting.

“I can cover maths and physics, probably top Alicia up on most other subjects, but I can’t help with languages. How many hours of homework per day after normal school is reasonable, Kate?”

“That’s up to Alicia.”

We all stared at my daughter, and she shrunk back, afraid of making the decision. She shuffled along the bench closer to Kate. I had some thoughts but didn’t want to charge in until she needed help.

“Do you want to learn a musical instrument, Alicia?”

“Yes, please. I also want to ride Sierra, walk our puppies, swim, and maybe cycle with you and Kate.”

“That’s a lot to fit in every week.”

“I know.”

It was a problem worthy of the silent consideration we gave it. Hours of tutoring and extracurricular activities could become an unwelcome chore. Kate cleared her throat and rolled open a sheet of paper that looked like a schedule she’d printed.

“I did this as a suggestion. It allocates one hour every evening for homework, three one-hour sessions weekly for primary subjects with Henry, and two hours early Saturday morning for languages.”

I poured over it with Alicia and Henry. Our daughter seemed pleased, running her finger along and down the schedule, noting each activity marked in green. Kate seemed reluctant to push an agenda, a cautionary approach to a fundamental and sensitive matter.

Alicia spotted something on the schedule and pointed at it.

“What are the blue spaces for, Kate?”

“Anything you want, sweetheart. Horse riding, ice skating, music lessons… you choose. Jacob and I will make sure we are free to be with you, watching or participating.”

“I’d like to learn the electric guitar.”

I thought it was a strange choice, expecting the violin or flute, but Alicia knew her mind and what she wanted. Something occurred to me, and I grinned, nodding my head.

“Carrie plays the electric guitar. Shall I ask if she’d teach you?”

“I already did, Jacob. She said she’d love to.”

I thought so.

Kate and I had worried about the meeting because we were inexperienced parents handling the delicate needs of a special child on our hands. It seemed we’d arrived at a solution far more simply than expected, and that was just in time for me to disappear on my next chore.

I kissed my girlfriend and daughter, enjoying being a father and pleased at not having messed up the first challenge.

“I must find Carrie. See you later.”

“Oh, hold on, Jacob. I need to mention something.”

Kate chased after me, linking her arm through mine and walking briskly. I heard distant chopper blades so hurried, almost dragging my fiancee along with me.

“I had a chat with Carrie, Jacob.”

“Oh, right. She never mentioned it.”

“She wants to stay with us here.”

“Ahh, okay.”

“She wants to work here, at the stables. The equine master has agreed she can become the permanent groom. I told Carrie it was your decision.”

“She’ll need a work permit.”

“I can sponsor that if you want her to run the stables.”

“Can we discuss it later, Kate, please? I can’t deal with more than one problem at a time. Carrie’s all over the place emotionally, and it’s not a good idea for her to make big decisions right now.”

“Okay, honey. I wanted to leave it with you and say the door is open to whatever you decide. I need to get ready for dinner. I’ll see you in our bedroom. Good luck with your visitor.”

Kate kissed me and peeled off, heading back toward our home while I ran to the stables, dragging my sister out to the grass-covered helicopter landing site behind. When she saw our father step off the aircraft, Carrie ran and leaped into his arms.

I followed my sister at a more relaxed pace, hugging Dad, whose hands shook when he wrapped one around my shoulder.

“You never said anything about this earlier, Jacob.”

“You wanted Dad to be here for dinner. Kate made the arrangements.”

I left father and daughter to get reacquainted at Carrie’s cabin, where Dad would stay. He looked relieved to see her, and now was not the time to discuss Mom, so I joined Kate, showering and enjoying a rest, lying on the bed before dinner.

“How’s your Dad?”

“He seems fine.”

“Fine? What’s wrong, Jacob? You never say fine.”

“I’m feeling at odds with the world like somehow my mojo got a kicking. Harry the asshat this morning, Dad and problems with Mom, also Carrie, and I was worrying about Alicia’s schooling.”

“I feel the same, Jacob.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but then I got to thinking, what a haven this home has already become. People are arriving randomly, feeling sad. Then, after a few days here, with us, they are rejuvenated. Our home is doing that.”

“Do you think it’s because of us as well, Kate?”

“I hope so, darling. We have so many new friends and family around us. I feel exhilarated by it all, but mostly because of Alicia.”

I thought about what Kate said and realized she was right. It buoyed me somewhat as I thought about our recent victories rather than tedious challenges.

Lizzie arranged pre-dinner drinks for thirteen people while our chef put the finishing touches to the table. At the main lounge kitchen island, Kate wrapped her arm around my waist and leaned in close while I poured sparkling water with ice and a slice of lemon, joining her in pregnancy solidarity.

“Is everyone here, Jacob?”

“Umm, let’s see. Hannah, Claude, Tiffany, Isabelle, Karl, Alicia, Dad, your Mom, Carrie and Henry. I think that’s everyone.”

We mixed with family and friends, all celebrating one another, hungrily eyeing the Aberdeen Angus Striploin chef slow-roasted for four hours when it was set on the table to rest.

“Are you going to explain what Yorkshire Puddings are, Jacob?”

“Once devoured, never forgotten, Kate.”

I tapped my crystal glass with a silver spoon, and slowly, everyone quietened down for Kate and I to formally welcome them. A minor disturbance at the front door grabbed everyone’s attention, and Claude rushed over to meet a security guard, urgently beckoning him.

He nodded to the guard, who waited while Claude headed over to Kate and me.

“There is a woman at the front gate in a rental car insisting on meeting Jacob. She’s highly excited but not any threat.”

“Who is it, buddy? Does she have a name?”

“She won’t tell anyone and is begging to meet you.”

“It must be my mother.”

“The guard says she’s in her early twenties.”

“Definitely not my mother. Let her in, please, Claude. Let’s meet her and see what this is about.”

Kate’s hand gripped mine, and she looked quizzically at me, shrugging her shoulders.

“Too old to be an illegitimate child, Jacob.”

“Oh… that’s funny, Kate.”

We walked toward the front door as car headlights lit up the parking lot. Our guests had returned to their drinks and gossiping with one eye on us. I felt curious and believed I had nothing to hide.

When a tall, beautiful woman walked in through the front door, beaming at me as though she’d known me forever, I felt distressingly confused, having no idea who she was.

She hugged me like a long-lost family member, adding to my bewilderment.

“I’m sorry, but do we know each other?”

“Are you Jacob Singleton?”

“Yes.”

“I’ve been searching for you for more than a year.”

“Who are you?”

“Suzanna. I’m Natalia’s older sister.”

I choked, incapable of speaking, while my knees gave way. Tears streamed down my cheeks even before I slumped hard onto the wooden floor, hurting my knees. Kate held on to me, clasping my head to her stomach as I lost control, almost falling into unconsciousness.

While her arms wrapped me in a bear hug, Kate’s voice held me, coaxing my befuddled brain back to reality. I stared at her, kneeling in front, wiping tears from my eyes with gentle thumbs.

“It’s okay, Jacob.”

“I can’t do this.”

“You don’t have to do anything sweetheart. It’s Natalia’s sister.”

“Natalia has a sister?”

“So it seems.”

I looked at the young woman as she wept, clasping both hands over her mouth, choking. She dropped carefully to her knees, touching her forehead with mine and Kate’s, placing an arm around each of us.

“I came to thank you for caring about my sister and carrying her out of that dreadful mine.”

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