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“If you don’t mind my saying it, I think God is pointing you in this direction. It gave me goosebumps when Chandra recognized you. What are the odds of something like that happening? A college friend of mine remembering you from childhood? That was a God moment.”
“It is pretty astounding. Maybe God is nudging me in the right direction. No matter what happens or what I find out, I won’t let it break me. I’m stronger than that.”
“You are strong, Caleb. Your past has allowed you to be resilient. I’ll be with you every step of the way. If you’ll let me,” Addie said. She meant it. She wanted to be with Caleb to support him as he delved into his past with his biological mother. And if he fell, she would be there to catch him.
“Of course I’ll let you, Addie. Don’t you know that you make me a better man? Your support means everything to me.” His head lowered and he placed his lips on hers. He kissed her with a tenderness that made her soul ache. She felt his hand on the back of her head. His lips tasted like the sweet tang of the lemonade they’d been drinking.
She had no idea where this romance with Caleb was headed, but in her heart she hoped it was for keeps.
**
Caleb was grateful to Addie for pushing him in the direction of his birth mother. He didn’t have any expectations for their meeting, but he knew it had to happen so he could move forward. He needed clarity. He needed to brush away all the cobwebs from his early years. Rayna Johnson was the only one who could provide answers to the questions that plagued him.
Although he’d told Addie to reach out to Chandra about meeting Rayna face to face, there was one thing he needed to do first. He needed to speak to his parents and let them know what he was about to do.
Caleb headed over to the Donahue house after attending Sunday service with Addie. They had prayed together over his meeting with Rayna and his impending conversation with his folks. They had decided it was best he speak to Jude and Penelope on his own.
As he let himself in to the house, he called out to them. It gave him a feeling of comfort to know that things hadn’t gotten so bad between his parents that they couldn’t still share a home. He prayed they were finding their way back to one another, one day at a time.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Penelope answered. Caleb headed down the hallway toward the sound of his mother’s voice. He sniffed the air. As usual, there was something heavenly wafting in the air. As soon as he crossed the threshold, his parents turned toward him with effusive greetings. His mother reached his side in seconds. She took his face between her pot-holder encased hands and placed a kiss on his chee
k. His father came over and gave him a hearty clap on the back.
“Hey, Caleb. Thanks for stopping by. We know how busy you are.”
“Our son the restaurant owner,” Penelope said, beaming at him. “You’re a regular chip off the old block.”
“Come sit down. We just made some clam chowder and baked bread.” Jude winked at him. “It’s pretty good if I do say so myself.”
Sunday was a day of worship and cooking for his parents. It always had been. Although the Silver Spoon was open for business, neither one ever went in to work on a Sunday.
He sank down into a chair as his parents bustled around getting bowls and plates. Before he knew it, there was a steaming hot bowl of clam chowder sitting in front of him. Seconds later, there was a huge slice of his favorite bread laid out before him. His parents both sat down on either side of him at the table with their own bowls and slices of bread.
Jude reached out and grabbed Caleb’s hand. “Let’s pray over the food.” Caleb reached out for his mother’s hand and closed his eyes. “Thank you, Lord, for blessing us with this food and our wonderful Donahue family. May we never lose sight of Your continued blessings.”
“Amen,” Caleb said, lifting his head up and reaching for his bread before taking a huge bite.
Both of his parents chuckled. “You haven’t changed a bit since you were a kid. Do you know that?” Jude asked. “From the moment we brought you home, you had the appetite of a lion. It tickled us beyond measure. Here you were this little tyke with the appetite of a grown man. It was very reassuring.”
“And you were always so curious about the ins and outs of the kitchen,” Penelope added. “You used to love to come to the Silver Spoon so you could watch what went down in the kitchen. All of your siblings wanted to eat cheeseburgers, but you wanted to discover how to make them.”
Caleb grinned. He had fond memories of those days. His parents had shown him how to make food. In the process, they had given him a vocation. He would always be grateful to them for it, along with a million other things.
He began to eat his chowder before it cooled off too much. There was nothing in this world like steaming, fresh clam chowder. He had been introduced to it as a child during one of their family visits to their Donahue cousins in Cape Cod. Ever since that visit, Caleb had been a huge fan of the fish soup.
“So, you said you had something to discuss with us,” Penelope said, her voice laced with curiosity. “I have to admit, I’m dying of curiosity.”
Caleb darted a glance between his parents. He didn’t want to place them under any additional stress, but he needed to talk to them about his plans. He owed them that much after a lifetime of love and care.
“I’ve made a decision about something. I didn’t tell you when it happened, but I recently ran into someone who knew me from my early childhood.” He swallowed past the huge lump in his throat. For a moment he looked down, not wanting to see the expressions on their faces when he dropped his bomb. A startled sound crept out of Penelope’s mouth.
“My birth mother—Rayna Johnson—is still living in Tampa where I grew up. I know it might shock you to hear it, but I want to meet her.” He shook his head. “I need to meet her.”
When he finally looked up, Caleb let out a sigh of relief. All he saw in his parents’ eyes was love and understanding. Penelope reached out and clasped his hand. “Of course you should, Caleb. It’s the most natural thing in the world to want to know where you came from. We’ve always been limited with regards to the information passed down to us about your origins. I’ve always felt so helpless. And we told ourselves that if you ever came to us wanting those answers, we would move heaven and earth to get them for you.”
“That hasn’t changed one bit, son,” Jude said in a raspy, emotion-filled voice.
“I-I’ve blocked out a lot of things. The fire. My early life. But I need to know what happened to me. God blessed me by placing me in your hands. I couldn’t have asked for a better, more loving family unit. But if I don’t get these answers, it might get in the way of my future.”
