That night, we announced we were going to cook and Mom should relax on the porch with a drink. Now Mom wasn’t a big booze drinker but she liked Caribbean sweet drinks. I had found a recipe for a pina colada and we had purchased the makings at the store. I made the drink with a lot of rum double what the recipe ordered. Mom had one and than another remarking how great they tasted after a long day in the sun.
“It brings back such wonderful memories” she said, already feeling the effects of the alcohol.
By the time we served dinner she was drunk as hell no only from the drinks but from the two bottles of wine we drank. I should say she drank, because Dania and I barely had any on purpose.
We were sitting in the great room with Mom sprawled on the couch. She was still drinking her wine when we broached the topic again.
“We were talking about how great your and Dad’s story is and how you were so sensitive to how we were together. How come?”
Through her drunken haze she answered
“I have a brother that I love so much that I would do anything for him. And I did!” That was the first that either of us knew she had a brother.
“Where is he now? Who is he? How come we have never met him?”
“Oh, you know him all right” she said and passed out on the couch. We just stared at each other in total amazement.
“I guess we overdid it a little” I said.
“Hopefully she won’t remember too much tomorrow” said Dania. We covered her with a blanket and went outside to talk.
“She spoke as if we know him and that he is still alive and very much part of her life” said Dania. “Who could that be?”
As I was thinking about it I suddenly had an idea. I went into the house and got Mom’s wallet. I remember she had pictures in it and I thought maybe she would have one of her brother.
“Maybe there’s a clue in here.” We went through the entire wallet, but the only pictures were of us and Dad. Then I noticed something hidden under a picture. It was a California driver’s license with Mom’s picture.
“When were you guys in California?” I asked.
“It must have been before I was born. Check the dates.”
Indeed it was issued before we were born. I commented,
“That’s funny, Dad was from the same town. I wonder if they knew each other back there?”
‘Well they are the same age they must have gone to high school together! How big a town could it be? ”
“How weird! There is definitely something more.”
And then I saw it, a picture with the edges torn and frayed attached to the back of another picture. What I saw startled me.
“Look at this. It looks like a picture of Mom and Dad as teenagers!” Dania came over and stared.
“My God, it is. How come they are together? Where was this taken? When was this taken?” We didn’t what to think. It appeared that they had lied to us about something so silly as knowing each other in California. Then Dania started to cry.
“What?”
“I wonder if Dad is “the brother”?” was all she could get out before she started to sob. I grabbed hold of her and held her tightly. She was sobbing and crying and shaking uncontrollably. I stroked her hair and her back and held her face to my chest. I could feel her tears being absorbed by my shirt. It was all she could do to stay standing. My mind was reeling with the thought that somehow Mom and Dad were related and that they were having the same relationship that Dania and I were having.
After a time, Dania calmed down. We sat down on the steps to the beach and held each other saying nothing. Then Dania broke the silence
“Do you think that maybe what we have is genetic? I mean, if Mom and Dad are really sister and brother, their love affair is just like ours. Is that possible?”
“I really don’t know what to think” I said “but it sure looks that way. Think about how she instinctively knew that there might be something more between us.”
Then I suddenly remembered the wallet. I had left it out on the porch with everything spread out on the table.
“Shit” I said and jumped up and started back toward the cabin – Dania right behind me. I stopped at the steps. There was Mom standing by the table with the papers in her hand and crying.
“Oh no .. oh no” she was wailing “How could I have been so stupid to think they wouldn’t find out?”
We came up on the porch and put our arms around her trying to comfort her.
“Nooooo ” she wailed “don’t. We have been so selfish about wanting happiness that we didn’t consider anything else- even you two. Can you ever forgive us for deceiving you?” and she sank into a chair crying. Dania and I looked at each other in stunned silence.
Mom looked up at us through her tears and then seemed to get hold of herself.
“Sit down you two, I have something to tell you to explain to you. You must keep this a secret between us. If Dad even finds out you know it will destroy him. He has never been so happy and I don’t want this to be the thing to change that. We made a promise to each other. I am hoping you will understand because I know how you two are and what you are up to. You aren’t kidding me about what you guys do all day at the island. I recognize the signs and the change in your relationship. The intimacy is unmistakable. I just couldn’t confront it because of what you now appear to know. It would be a little hypocritical. We’ll discuss that later. Right now you need to know how and why about Dad and me. So, let me start at the beginning.”