Eddie
P. S. I realize that this letter may create a schism in the family. That cannot be helped, although I pray that it will be temporary. I would not be a man of faith if I failed to stand up for what I believe and I believe that I was wrong in my treatment of you and, especially, of Suzanne.
By the time she finished the letter, Kate was sitting on her sofa, a tear in her left eye. She looked at her watch. Although Lizzie was still at work she would speak to her. She dialed.
Lizzie told Kate that Eddie contacted her out of the blue about a month earlier. They had spoken several times since. It was all very hush-hush, although Lizzie’s husband, Phil, knew about it. She thought Edward was sincere. That he, too, was coming around to thinking there was something wrong at the core of a religion that denied the humanity of a person whose orientation or whose body fell outside the standard male-female. In the end, he had a married niece—Suzanne—and he hated the thought of never seeing her again, or his own sister, and of never meeting his niece’s wife and his niece’s children.
Edward had two children and as far as he knew they, a son and a daughter, were straight. He realized that if they were not, neither would share that with him; they and all of the family in their generation understood what happened to their cousin. He would not allow his kids to be as lost to him as Suzanne was lost to William, as William had just thrown away his own daughter and, with it, his wife and his son. He knew how miserable William was, resigned to living the “right” life and carrying on, wandering around his otherwise empty five-bedroom in Mill Valley. Drinking too much when he came to the Pughs for holidays because he had nowhere else to go and had no one else who cared the slightest bit about him as a father or a brother.
He also knew that his children, even if straight, could, in the end, resent his role in the ostracization of Suzanne and their Aunt Kate.
Leaving California
“If you go to New York, think twice about whether you’re coming home.”
“You’re such a drama queen. I’m just going to see my sister and, I hope, my niece.”
“You know it’s more than that. You are endorsing what Suzanne did and what Kate did. You’re saying it is okay, and we both know it is not.”
“Keep it down or the kids will hear.”
“You don’t think they already know about all of this? Good thing they’re not like Suzanne.”
Both he and Jennie knew they wished their kids had half the sweetness and kindness and smarts of Suzanne but that was not what she was talking about and they both knew that too. Edward let it pass.
“Deciding to do this wasn’t easy.”
“Of course it was ‘easy.’ But having faith isn’t supposed to be easy. It is supposed to be hard. You think saints let themselves be burned at the stake because it was the ‘easy’ thing to—”
“Enough. You can continue to ostracize Kate and Suzanne. But I have news for you. I know from Lizzie. They. Do. Not. Care. They have a new life there. They are happy there. We’re not having this conversation again. I will call you when I get there.”
Edward got in the car with a wave to his wife and headed to SFO for the trip to New York, trying to clear his head of yet another uncomfortable conversation with his wife and his siblings and his parents, a “Judas” reference never far from the surface.
JFK
“What’s he like?”
Kerry was driving with Suzanne to get Kate. They would then head to JFK to pick up Uncle Eddie. Both girls endorsed Kate’s decision to say “yes” to his coming when she ran it by them.
“He’s a couple of years younger than my Mother and was more relaxed than Devlin, my other uncle, or my non-Lizzie Aunt, Debbie. Not as much as Lizzie, but if anyone would break from the fold about me it would be him.”
“What about your grandparents?”
“Not in a million years.”
Suzanne showed Kerry a picture of Edward before they left the house. He had a full head of dark-brown hair and looked to be in good shape. With a ready smile. She called Kate as they neared her apartment. She was coming out of the building when they pulled up. Kate sat in back and Kerry headed to the Triboro Bridge and then to the airport. They had plenty of time and Kate told Kerry about her brother. Edward’s flight was due in a bit after five and there was little traffic.
When Edward came into the arrivals terminal, Kerry stayed back as the other two went to him. After they hugged, he was introduced to her. She shook his hand but he broke off and gave her a hug and, stepping away, an “I’m very happy to meet you. Finally.” The quartet headed to short-term parking and headed into the City. Edward would stay in Eric’s room in the apartment.
They were in front of Kate’s building within the hour and Kerry found a place to park while the other three went inside. Nothing of substance was said on the drive and everyone felt somewhat uncomfortable. Kerry took the role as tour guide to ease the tension. When they were in the apartment, Edward put his luggage in Eric’s room. He changed while Kate got coffee. She and Suzanne were on the sofa when he entered the living room. Kate offered to leave the other two alone, but both the others insisted she stay. Edward looked to his niece.