Chapter Thirty Eight
Natala ate her cereal quietly, studying the pretty pale yellow kitchen. The tiles were dark gold and white, the walls pale yellow, the windows white, and the curtains over the window and glass door were barely cream colored. The dark, warm honey stained cabinets complemented the sunny room and matched the table at which she now sat.
Brian's home was nice, she decided--if a bit empty. Even with his various nieces and nephews visiting, there was no young spirit of its own. His books lined the walls of the den, with a big screen tv and stereo system. There was plenty of artwork on the walls, mostly from various family members, including Di, his sister –in- law and Helen, his mother. Some were childish blobs from nieces and nephews, a few showed true potential.
Natala felt comforted to know her creative streak wasn't singled out in this family. She and Brian hadn't had much time to talk but he was taking the next few days off so they could so spend some time together, paint her room and pick out furniture for her. Natala felt weird living with him, but she knew right now she had no skills that would earn her a decent job, no job history and no way to make it on her own except turning tricks, and she didn't want to go back to that lifestyle. Brian was offering her the first real home she’d ever had and she was going to take it.
The room she had been sleeping in was full of the boxes, bags and dress bags from her shopping expedition with the cousins. They would be leaving in a couple days to continue their jaunt around the country. Natala was bothered by the shadows she had seen in Aralyn's tarot reading but knew she couldn't stop what was meant to be. Aralyn would be all right, and it might very well be the event to bring her back towards the handsome young man she had met at the mall. Somehow, those two would end up together, Natala was sure of that. It might take a while, with Aralyn’s stubbornness, but it would happen.
Tiffany’s reading was almost more disturbing; she didn’t have quite the strength that Aralyn did.
Dinner with Aralyn’s family had been interesting. The twins were entertaining, but it was little Sean that really caught her attention. The boy was brilliantly talented, especially in art. She sensed much more to him, but with siblings like the twins, he was content to retreat to his own world.
A knock at the kitchen door startled her and she peeked out from behind the curtain, startled by the pretty, older face staring back at her. “Moms” Belden. She and Brian were to have dinner with the Belden grandparents tonight.
Natala opened the door, fumbling with the lock in her nervousness.
"Hi," she managed.
Helen Belden swept into the kitchen, caring a basket that she set on the table, and turned to face her newfound granddaughter. The china blue eyes swept over the thin girl and without warning, Helen engulfed her in a large, tight hug and burst into tears.
"Oh, my sweet girl," Helen wept. "I'm so sorry we didn't know about you!"
Natala felt hot tears prick eyes as she basked in the warmth of Helen’s embrace. This was what she had been dreading, one on one time with a grandmother who clearly adored her children and grandchildren. Natala had been afraid Helen would glare at her, call her a hussy and a gold digger, to show up after all these years.
Awkwardly, Natala hugged her back. She was quite a bit taller than Helen, but Helen glowed with warmth that lit up the room. Her figure was still trim for being in her seventies, and her curly hair, blonde and gray, was trimmed and curled neatly.
Finally Helen pulled back and wiped her eyes.
"Forgive an old woman's foolishness," she sniffled. “I’ve longed for the day my Brian would give me a grandchild.”
Natala smiled shyly. "Of course, Moms," she managed. Helen had insisted the other night that Natala call her Moms, like all of the other grandchildren.
Helen took the girl by her hand and they sat at the table, where Natala resumed eating her cereal. "Is that your breakfast?" Helen demanded.
Natala nodded and Helen jumped to her feet.
"That won't do at all! You're too skinny, my dear, so I'm going to make you a real breakfast and we'll get you fattened up!" Helen knew her way around any kitchen that belonged to a family member and within minutes, Natala's mouth was watering as the scent of frying bacon filled the room. Brian had admitted he wasn’t the most accomplished cook.
As she cooked, Helen told her new granddaughter bits about the family, but mostly she talked about Brian and his achievements and youth.
Setting a plate heaped with eggs and bacon in front of Natala, Helen plucked several fresh, homemade biscuits out of the basket she had set on the table. Adding those to Natala’s plate, she brought out the butter and crabapple jelly, placing them in front of her granddaughter.
Natala stared at the plate. The last few days she had eaten more than she had in weeks. She had learned to exist on small amounts of food when she could find them; there were plenty of nights she had gone without all together.
"Here I go on about your Daddy," Helen patted her granddaughters hand as she sat back down with a cup of coffee, setting a big glass of milk in front of Natala. "When I really want to know about you."
"What would you like to know?" Natala asked shyly. A wave of dread rolled over her. This bright, sunny woman would not enjoy hearing about the darker aspecs of Natala’s life-which was most of it.
"Everything. What you like, dislike, what you do for fun, how you've been living, your favorite color—start anywhere," Helen smiled warmly. "And take your time, I'm in no rush."
Natala took a bite of eggs, thinking about how she could whitewash her story. She didn’t want Moms to know the truth. She didn’t want any of them to know the truth. "I like to paint," she said finally.
Helen beamed. "Wonderful! Any particular medium?"
"No, just whatever I can use at the time. I like to paint nature scenes mostly. I'm not real good but I love the woods and the animals, so that's what I like to paint."
Helen held back another flood of tears. This girl looked so much like her Brian, with eyes so blue they could almost be the Johnson eyes. Her dark hair was thick and black like Brian’s, but completely straight. The delicate features were a combination of the girl’s mother, Helen guessed, and Brian’s, but when she smiled, it was all Brian.
"I love all colors," Natala continued, once again not realizing how steadily she ate, "but to wear I like reds and pinks. To paint, I like blues and greens and browns."
"Do you like to read?" Helen asked gently. Natala almost choked. Had Brian told her?
“Not really. I prefer movies. About supernatural creatures,” she said hesitantly, but Helen didn't blink an eye, "but I'm a very slow reader. I'm good with numbers in my head though," she added. No one needed to know about her reading issues just yet.
Helen nodded encouragingly, filing every detail away in her mind.
“And jewelry?” Helen poured herself more coffee and easily slipped more another biscuit in front of her granddaughter. Natala didn’t seem to notice but she picked it up and buttered it.
"I like jewelry. I prefer gold because I feel it channels my energy—" she stopped, afraid she had said too much.
"Go on, dear," Helen urged softly.
"Metals can help contain and redirect energy," she finished. "Gold works well for me. Silver, not so much."
Helen nodded, a knowing look in her eye.
"Aralyn mentioned you read tarot cards?" Helen asked.
Natala nodded, wondering if her grandmother was going to ask for a reading and began to consider a no-family reading policy. She didn’t want it to become parlor trick, or what she was known for.
“There’s quite a bit of intuition in this family,” Helen said smoothly, nibbling on a biscuit. Natala felt herself tense. “Trixie, your aunt, always had a flair for knowing exactly who or what was behind a mystery. Of course, getting the proof she needed was another story and led to quite a few harrowing escapades.” Helen absently patted her hair, and Natala knew she was thinking about her gray hair. “But it was quite an asset to her when she was a U.S. Marshal.” Helen's eyes looked dreamy for a minute and Natala's heart leapt. Helen knew. Her gift wasn’t so rare after all!
“The twins, Leif and Logan that is, are quite good at knowing exactly how to alter the mood of a room. They always know which jokes to bring out. Mabon seems especially sensitive to moods, but that might be from growing up with the twins and Miles. Sean is one of the most empathic of your cousins."
“And Brian of course…there are several reasons he’s one of the top pediatricians in the state, if not the country. Aside from a wonderful bedside manner, his skills as a diagnostician are superb. He always seems to be on the right path to a diagnosis. So you see my dear, you and your intuition with the tarot fit right in.”
Natala nodded slowly. It wasn’t exactly the same thing but maybe it would help her fit in.
"You're not the only one in this family with a few intuitive gifts, honey," Helen smiled. "I’m not surprised, that you’re so adept at reading people. I’ve seen enough to tv to realize when someone is reading people, and I was watching you the other night.”
Natala blushed.
“Don’t fret, dear, something tells me in your life, you’ve learned to rely on it. I daresay you’ve been reading me this whole time but I won’t ask what you’ve learned.” Helen patted her hand. “We have lots of time to get to know each other.”
Natala nodded shyly.
"I always thought privately that Brian’s desire to be a doctor was fueled by his empathy. He was the quiet one of the four, but I think he was much more sensitive than he let on. I believe Rayma plays with tarot for fun but doesn't really understand it; it’s a game to her."
Natala looked down to realize she was buttering another biscuit. Her stomach was full but they were so good. She slathered on more of the homemade jelly. "Then, everyone isn't going to freak out about me when they find out?" she asked.
Helen shook her head. "No, more than likely they'll think you're cool as anything. Leif and Logan, Aralyn's brothers, will probably pester you to no end with questions."
"That’s okay," Natala smiled and glanced down, surprised to realize she had eaten almost everything on the plate. "the novelty will wear off soon enough, I’m sure. I was always told to be very quiet about our gifts, that the mundane world isn't very accepting, even though I see more and more signs of New Age influence everywhere around us," she said.
Helen nodded and squeezed her granddaughter’s hand. "Call it what you want, there's a healthy bit of in our family tree."
Natala felt tears poking her again. Maybe she really was home, at last.
***
Brian sighed when he saw his mother's car in the driveway. He should have known. Helen had been chomping at the bit to get to know her granddaughter. He had asked her to wait a day or two, give the girl time to adjust.
When he walked in he heard the laughter from upstairs, and followed it.
In the room she had chosen for her bedroom, his mother and daughter stood, holding paint samples against the wall and talking. They made an interesting pair, Brian thought. Helen was short and curvy, Natala was tall and thin. Brian noticed they stood in exactly the same manner, and smiled to himself.
"Am I interrupting?" he asked dryly.
Helen turned with a smile, and hugged her oldest child happily. "I decided since you were at work, I would spend the day getting to know my granddaughter. We went and got some paint samples and did a bit of shopping and had some girl time."
Brian just smiled. Natala didn’t look as overwhelmed as she had yesterday, when the girls brought her back, laden with packages and ‘stuff’, as Tiffany had proclaimed. Of course, Helen wasn’t quite the whirlwind that Aralyn and Tiffany were.
***
That afternoon, after Helen left, Brian and Natala sat at the kitchen table, sipping coffee.
“You said you never went to school. How did you learn a few letters?”
Natala bit her lip in the same manner that Trixie always had, bringing a faint smile to Brian.
“I tried to teach myself. When I could get the tv in the morning, I’d watching Sesame Street as a kid. I can do math in my head, but I think it’s just intuition. I can’t really identify numbers, they move around too.” Then she sighed. She couldn’t keep hiding information from this man. “Mama said we moved too much and they asked too many questions for school. She taught me my letters but she wasn’t very good at reading either. Anything over three, maybe four letters and she didn’t even try. I don’t think she could.”
Brian nodded. “I knew she didn’t like to read, she never told me she couldn’t. I’ve already talked to Mart and Jim, about tutoring. You’ll be able to eventually get a GED, but that’s going to take some time,” he mused. “No driver’s license, I presume?”
Natala shook her head.
“I don’t know how to drive. The signs confuse me and well, we never set up residence legally anywhere.” And we weren’t allowed to learn, in case we wanted to steal and car and run away, she added silently, hoping Brian wouldn’t see the holes in her story.
“Well, I can teach you,” he smiled at her, “but first you have to learn to read. We need to at least get you an id, you just need your social security card.”
Natala bit her lip and Brian’s eyes widened slightly.
“You don’t have one, do you,” he murmured.
“No,” she whispered. “I only have my birth certificate. I don’t even know if I have a number.”
“Ok,” Brian said slowly, “So tomorrow morning we go to Social Security and get you a number, then we’ll work on an ID. Then we’ll see about tutoring and start working towards a GED.”
“Um, is there a test for that?” she asked.
Brian nodded.
“Like, uh, a written test?”
“Sure,” his eyes narrowed. “Of course it makes sense you wouldn’t be proficient at writing.”
Natala turned red. “I can sort of sign my name. I can mimic signatures though. I’m good at that.” She clamped her lips shut as he stared at her.
Brian felt his heart sink. Damn Talaitha! Not only had she denied him his daughter, but she had denied their daughter even the most basic education. The fact that she was good at forgery he dismissed. First things first.
“Well, don’t worry about it,” he smiled at her. “I’ll tutor you and so will some of the others. We’ll have you up to speed in no time.”
Natala’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry to be such a pain. I don’t want to disappoint you.”
“No, no,” Brian got up quickly and hugged her, “you’re not in any way. This is going to take some time for both of us, but we’ll get you on the right track, ok? Just have some faith in me, and yourself. You’re a bright girl, we’ll get it worked out.”
Natala nodded, her eyes shining.
***
After a harrowing experience at the Social Security Administration that left her dizzy from the circles they had to jump through, Brian took her for a soothing lunch where they shared coffee and sandwiches. Brian told her a little about his siblings, and their childhood. He didn’t want to overwhelm her with information, though she had suvived dinner with Trixie’s family the other night. Overwhelming was a good way to describe Leif and Logan, but she enjoyed their antics.
Brian wanted to ease her into the family. Tonight was Moms and Dad. Tomorrow was Mart’s place. Then Hallie and Jim’s, Dan and Daisy’s, and finally Luke and Honey’s. For some reason, even after all these years, and the fact Honey had her own children, he still felt odd about taking his daughter over to her place. Maybe because the girl had been conceived while Brian was healing his broken heart over Honey marrying Luke.
Brian drove them around, pointing out places of what he though might of interest to her. The movies, theatre, some museums, bookstores, coffee shops, art supplies.
They wandered for several hours in the art supply store, Brian encouraging her to buy what she needed and wanted to work with. Natala was hesitant, supplies were so expensive! Brian assured her money wasn’t the issue and he had a lot of birthdays and Christmas’ to make up for.
The car was packed full of bags as they headed home. Natala wanted a short nap before dinner. She wasn’t even tired, but the opportunity to sleep in a real bed, in a safe place, whenever she wanted, was too tempting to resist.
***
Crabapple Farm was a pretty white frame house nestled into a hollow outside of Sleepyside, about twenty minutes from White Plains.
Natala felt tears coming as soon as she stepped inside the cozy farmhouse. This was a home, filled with love and memories and laughter. Generations of Beldens had passed through these walls, and she could feel some still hanging around, family guardians, watching.
After being hugged by her grandparents, Peter showed her around, pointing out the children’s old bedrooms, pictures on the wall of the Bob-Whites over the years, weddings, and grandchildren.
“This must be Bobby,” Natala murmured, looking at a picture of a chubby boy with blond curls and big blue eyes.
“Yes,” Peter said softly, “we were hoping he’d get some time to come home but he’s convinced he’s onto a major find in Peru. We had a video conference with him through the internet on Christmas, right before you arrived.”
Natala reached for his picture, focusing on the young boy. In the distance she could hear chanting of a ritual, heat blasted her, and she could smell sweat and the jungle.
“Natala?” Peter was holding her anxiously.
“I’m all right,” she murmured. “And so is Bobby. He’ll be home soon.”
Peter’s dark eyes looked misty as he hugged his granddaughter. Helen had obviously told him about her intuition.
Dinner was much quieter without the Duke twins pranking everyone and Natala quickly realized this was a place she could love living in. This was her father’s childhood home.
Natala memorized as much as she could about her grandparents and the family history. Stories of the BWG’s as kids were plentiful, and Natala had to laugh as Brian admitted to being the quiet, ‘boring’ Bob-White.
“You weren’t boring, honey,” Moms smiled. “You were just trying to keep Trixie and Mart out of trouble. I think it exhausted you.”
“Didn’t do too good a job of it, did I,” Brian chuckled.
“Well, I was just happy we had one child turn out to not have a thrill seeking streak,” Moms said with a smile.
Peter nodded his agreement.
They left the house late, Natala tired but full of food and happiness. She knew she would be spending a lot of time here, and eventually, Moms and Grandpa were going to need someone to help them.
After her nomadic life, that kind of sounded like a grand plan.
Meet the cast in full & see the family tree!
Author’s Notes
- A huge yee-haa to the fabulous and lovely Ronda, for editing this and her suggestions which made it much better!
- Word Count, 3,350
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