Loose Ends

Chapter 54

"Don't cry for me, sweetheart. I've lived my life and if it's my time then it's my time. The only regret I had was not talking to you more so that's why I knew I needed to come and say goodbye face to face." She gave her daughter's hands a reassuring squeeze before turning to face Grace and Tom. "And I wanted to see my grandkids face to face for once," she told them with a sad smile. Grace rose from her seat and gave her grandmother a hug. She pulled back to look at her grandmother, her vision slightly fuzzy from tears.

"Hi grandma," she said with a smile. Her grandmother smiled back as Grace sat down.

"Hi, Gracie." Tom rose and hugged her next.

"Hi grandma," he said, parroting his sister.

"Hi, Tom," she said, also with a smile. Tom and Grace had another silent conversation and then stood up from the table.

"We'll let you two catch up for a bit," Grace explained. She and Tom gave their grandmother another smile and then headed upstairs. Once the sounds of their footsteps faded, Kathleen wiped away the tears that had fallen and just gazed at her mother. Their relationship had been on the rocks from the moment she announced she was marrying George. If she was being truly honest with herself, she had missed her mother more than she had been willing to admit to herself. And to find out that she might not have long to repair that relationship, or even a chance to rebuild it, felt like someone was twisting a knife into her heart. Sensing her daughter's internal struggle, and knowing the root cause of it, her mother rose and opened her arms. Kathleen walked into them without hesitation and promptly burst into tears. Her mother rubbed her back soothingly and let her cry out her pain and frustrations. When the tears subsided, her mother gently pulled back.

"I think this calls for some tea." Kathleen nodded and set to work collecting everything they'd need for tea, her mother helping out by filling the tea kettle with water and turning on the burner to heat it. They didn't speak as they worked and waited for the water to boil, each trying to get their thoughts in order.

Back at the Juergens house, the girls had dispersed to their rooms for a little while and Anne had taken Robbie upstairs to put him down for his nap, all so George and his mom could have some time to catch up. George sat on the couch uncomfortably, nervous about what his mother had to say about what had been happening with his family while she'd been away. Penny sensed this and jumped right in.

"So Anne divorced you when she found out." It wasn't a question but George nodded in response anyway. "Were you expecting anything less?" He shrugged and sighed.

"Sorta." His mother chuckled.

"And what does that mean?"

"It means I wanted her to forgive me and stay with me."

"Honey, did you honestly think that was a possibility?"

"I hoped it could be, even if you didn't."

"Say what?"

"You were angry with me when you caught me and you weren't my wife so I'd hoped Anne would be a little more forgiving than you." Penny sighed and looked at him squarely.

"George, do you remember how angry and betrayed you felt when Kathleen admitted she'd had an affair?" George nodded glumly, not liking to remember how his first marriage ended. "The reason I came down so hard on you was because you hadn't learnt anything from that whole experience." George lifted his head to look at his mother with surprise.

"Huh?"

"George, to know what it feels like to have someone you love and trust, your spouse, hurt and betray you that way and then to turn around and do that to someone else? Someone that was also the mother of my grandbabies?" George hung his head in shame.