Imogene looked at Linden, then stepped up to Tanya. She put her arms around Tanya. "Why don't we start that catchup that is so long overdue?"
Imogene turned to Linden, then to Eric. "Denny, Eric why dont you see about the children. Can you handle that?" She asked giving both of them a stern look.
"Denny?" I thought only Grandpa Will is allowed to call you that."
Linden looked after the gorgeous woman who was not only his best friend but his partner in every sense of the word. "She can call me anything."
"I should go see about Tanya." Eric said.
"Nay, leave her for now with Imo. Trust me Aya, it is for the best right now."
Linden turned to his children. "Meana, make yourself at home ... you are in charge. See about your brothers and sisters, I need to talk to your uncle Eric. Yea?" Linden told his daughter.
Just like Imogene did with Tanya, Linden placed his arm around Eric's shoulder and led him through the house to an outside deck. "What the fuck just happened in there?" He asked.
Eric just looked at his uncle. He didn't know what to say.
"I thought we agreed that you would tell Tanya that the tests revealed that the kid is your sister. She seemed in shock to see Stephanie, and to see that she looked like your mother."
"I know, I just can't come to grips with all that shit. I am having a hard time making myself believe that, how in hell am I going to make Tanya believe it? She is going to think I am fucking lying."
"Then you show her the test results that the kid is not your daughter. I know Stephanie is still a mystery in many ways ... to all of us, but what other explanation do we have? She is not your daughter so don't lie to yourself and fall on the sword and say that she is just to avoid the scary fucking truth. The child is here and she is real as you and me."
"Is she though? Is she real as you and me?"
Linden knitted his brows in frustration. "She is not a ghost Eric. She is flesh and blood just like us."
"Just like us you say? Are you sure about that? For heavens sake Uncle Linden, you know nothing about this kid and you are raising her with your own kids. Think man."
"I did this for you. Remember?"
"Yes I do, but we know now that she is not mine."
Linden looked at Eric and he knew what Eric was thinking. "What the fuck are you getting at? I love you and you know that I would do just about anything for you ... but we are not doing that son. We just have to convince your wife that the kid is your sister and we dont know that she is not."
"And we don't know that she is either."
"True, but we know that she is related to you somehow. We just don't know how. She is a scientific miracle and I think it's best if we keep her close to us. The time comes when she becomes a demon like Sahita, we deal with it then. Seen?"
Eric nodded yes. "Wait until Dad sees her. He is going to have a fucking cow, knowing that she is not his child."
"You know we should have done a better job convincing Rick to do the paternity test. The fucker could be her father, although he swore to eat bible leaf that he has not touched Sahita in years."
"I dont believe it, they always sleep in the same bed when his ass was home." Eric said.
"I dont fucking believe that shit either, knowing that woman if they share the same bed, she would ride him even in his sleep." Linden added.
"I have not said anything to him about what we think. I told him the kid is Sahita's child. Of course he doesn't believe it, but I guess he will once he sees her tonight. I kinda think she is going to be the center of attraction, exactly what I didn't want." Linden continued.
************
Imogene and Tanya entered the powder room and sat down. Imogene ensured that the lock was on the door before she spoke. "Go ahead, talk to me Tanya. I know you have questions." She said in her very unique accent which was a mixture of African, Carribbean and British.
Imogene pulled a tissue and gave it to Tanya. She wiped her eyes. "I dont know what to say." She began. "He told me that Stephanie was not his child, but that Mila was her mother ... he is lying. How would Mila's child look like him and his mother if he is not her father? I don't get it."
"I can say that nothing is as it seems, as it relates to Stephanie. When we took her in, we thought that she was Eric's child and so did he. He didn't think his mother was, how should I put it? a good candidate to raise her. He thought that she would use the child vindictively to hurt you. Despite how things appear, he seems to be always thinking of you and what might hurt you or make you happy. We learn later that the child was not his."
"So you believe that child out there, who looks exactly like Eric and his mother is not Eric's?"
"Yes I do believe that. The test results don't lie Tanya. I have no reason to think that they are wrong."
"Then why do you still have her? Why isn't she with Mila and whoever is her real father and ? Wait ... Is Linden her real father?" A light bulb went off in Tanya's head.
"No my dear, Linden is NOT her biological father. To be honest, I wonder if Mila is really her mother ... a beautiful little girl and Mila wants nothing to do with Stephanie. Denny and I are now the only parents she knows... the only family she has because Eric too has washed his hands of her. He almost seems afraid of the child."
Tanya paused in thought for a moment. 'What is it they are hiding from me? Something doesn't make sense here.' "How weird is all of this? She looks exactly like that witch, but Eric is not her father? I still dont get it."
"You will when you talk to Eric, but for now take my word. Eric is NOT her biological father. I will leave that for him to explain further to you. But for now dry your eyes and fix your makeup. You have a party to host. Don't let Sahita or anyone like her steal your joy."
'If not Eric, then who? Luke? ... and Mila? No can't be, not possible.'
Imogene and Tanya were on their way out to meet the other guests when they heard a commotion in the hall. They were just in time to see Meana pulling Ericka off of Stephanie.
Imogene picked up the crying Steph from the floor... her pretty dress all torn "What happened?" Imogene asked Meana. "Where is your father?"
"I am not sure where Daddy went, well Steph started it."
"What did you do?" Tanya asked Ericka.
"She pushed me." Ericka told her mother.
Just then Eric and Linden walked into the room.
"Steph why did you hit her? You know the rules about hitting." Imogene scolded the crying child.
Steph pointed at Ericka. "She hit me first." She cried.
"When did she hit you?"
"Yesterday," she cried.
All the adults looked at each other knowing that couldn't be possible. But Eric was flabbergasted. 'Yesterday?' He recalled Ericka did hit her months ago at the mall when they ran into Sahita and Mila. That had to be more than a year ago, he thought. He couldn't believe that was what the child still remembered. He wondered that if she remembered that, what else did she remember? Did she remember Sahita and all that she taught her? Did she remember the brainwashing from Sahita that he was her father? Does she really think that I am her father. I need to have a word with Sunday.'
Eric and Linden looked at each other, passing a silent message between them
Stephanie reached out for Eric. He could not take the child. That was not a sight he wanted Tanya to see ... him holding Steph in his arms. He quickly elbowed his uncle and Linden sprung into action .
Linden took Steph from Imogene. "Hush, you will live." He told the crying child. She wrapped her tiny arms around Linden's neck and hid her face.
Imogene shook her head. "I told you to see about the kids Denny. Where were you?" She scolded Linden.
"Let's take her upstairs and get her cleaned up. And Imogene can you tell Eric to mind his daughter while we are gone?" Tanya said.
Imogene looked from Eric to Tanya to Eric. It was obvious that Tanya wanted nothing to do with her husband. "I am sure you heard what your wife said and Linden... " She said staring him down.
Linden looked at Imogene. "Woman go about your business, I got this."
Imogene calling him Linden and giving him that look, made it clear that he too was in trouble.
"Come Steph we will fix your hair and your dress. You will be as good as new." Imogene said.
**********
Linden looked at Meana. "I asked you to watch your brothers and sisters."
"I was, I did, but it happened so fast Daddy. The minute Steph saw Ericka, she pulled away from me and ran over and pushed her. And Ericka was not having that. Ericka pushed her to the floor and stomped on her. I have never seen a little girl fight like that. She fight like a boy. I wonder who taught her to fight like that?" Meana said.
Linden looked at Eric, who had a smirk on his face. "Well I don't have to wonder. She is her father's daughter."
Meana looked from her father to her Uncle Eric. "You taught her how to fight Uncle Eric?"
Linden and Meana waited for the answer.
Ericka looked up at her father. "Daddy I did it just like I did to Kyle, but Kyle is my fend now. He never bite me anymore." She proudly told her father as if she was proud of what she did to Steph.
"Remember you don't hit Kyle or anyone first. Okay?"
Ericka nodded yes. "I don't Daddy. Kyle is my fend." She said meaning friend.
"Do you think you and Steph can be friends now?" Linden asked Ericka.
Ericka shook her head no. "I don't want her to be my fend. She is very bad... not nice."
"Meana why dont you take the kids and go get something to drink. Your Aunt Sunday is in the kitchen ... go with them Ericka."
Linden looked after the little girl as if he was pondering what she just said. "I see what you mean now about Ericka." Linden said.
"What?" Eric asked.
"She is not a boy, but she is the future of Willbrooks and Willbrooks. She is a tough little girl and very wise beyond her age. She is you through and through. She reminds me of you at that age."
Eric smiled at hearing that from his uncle. He couldn't help but remember how his mother tried to make him believe that Ericka was not his daughter, even when she knew the truth with that paternity test she had done without his knowledge.
"You trained her to wup some little baby in nursery school?"
"That little baby is going to be a man someday and she is going to be a woman in a man's world. I have to teach her how to think like a man and protect herself Aya."
Linden continued to stare at Eric.
"Well why are you looking at me like that for? I only taught her what you taught me and I was not much older than her when you did."
"Point well taken Aya."
"Well well, look who just walk in."
Eric turned and there was his father walking toward them and in the other direction, Imogene, Tanya and Stephanie was walking down the stairs toward them as well."
****************