AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nothing, and I don’t ask. She’s going through a lot right now, and probing her about Judith won’t help that. Hurting her to make me feel better just doesn’t feel right,” Buzz admitted. She longed to know things, but the younger girl wasn’t ready to be asked yet. Maybe in time.
“What do you want to know?”
“Just stuff.”
“Like what?” Harper pulled her feet under her, getting comfortable.
“Like, why did she leave? I don’t remember her leaving. Did she say goodbye? Did she take one last look at us before she left? In my heart, I always thought she didn’t want to go but was forced to. That there were things beyond her control that made her leave us behind—for our safety or something. Like a movie.” Buzz smiled at the thought, except after meeting the woman, she knew that it was just selfishness that made her leave.
“I think she just got what she wanted and walked away. A month before she left, she got her doctorate. I remember Dad celebrating it; we had a cake and everything,” Harper said. All these years, she had known, but Buzz had never asked, afraid of the answer. “I think she used Dad for a free education. She was here for around ten years, just about the right amount of time for it. I don’t know if Dad realized.
“I had always thought that if we ran into each other, she would hug me and tell me why she left, then apologize for what she did to me and to everyone. But when she knew it was me, she told me to leave. She didn’t care that it was me and wanted me out of her life again.” It had hurt at the time, and it still stung.
“She didn’t say goodbye; she just walked out the door and never came home. She didn’t love anyone, Buzzy. Not even Lou got her real love. She just used her to get what she wanted. George had money, and Judith wanted that. I don’t even know if Louisa is his. Seems convenient that she got pregnant,” Harper mused.
“You don’t know that. You’re just making it up.”
“I am, but it’s the only way I can explain why she stayed. If there hadn’t been money, she would have walked away from Louisa years ago. It seemed after she found George, she wasn’t able to shake Frankie. I wonder if she ever thought to drop her off here. We would have taken her in. I mean, it’s not like we were all Bradford’s anyway,” Harper stated as she shrugged.
“Who’s not Dad’s?” Buzz asked, sitting up. It was something nobody ever brought up, but it was always there.
“Agatha for sure,” Harper said, and then tapped her fingers on Buzz’s stomach for a while, like she was thinking. “And others maybe.”
“Me, right? You don’t think I am Dad’s?” Buzz demanded in anger, swatting her hand away from her stomach. Why would it be obvious that she wasn’t Bradford’s? Red hair was a recessive gene that would show up anywhere, anywhere!
Harper got defensive right away. “I did not say that. I said others. Others could be anyone.”
“You?” she questioned her oldest sister.
Harper used her “know it all” voice to explain. “Well, I am the first born, historically called the one that was surely his.”
“Historically, my ass. Maybe he just took you in when Mom came. Ever think about that? That he married her, knowing that you were not his and decided to raise you anyway?” Buzz pointed out.
“Um, no. That’s not true.” Harper shook her head in denial.
“No, no, this makes sense. You’re named after an adult fiction writer, then Lucy a youth, and Maby is a youth illustrator, then me, another youth,” She pointed to herself. “And Agatha is back to adult. Pattern says you and Agatha are the ones not his.”
“Except he was not a children’s lit professor; he was adult, making Agatha and me the sure bets.” Harper pointed out with a smugness only she could pull off during this discussion.
“Except you pointed out Agatha was not, so your theory is flawed,” Buzz argued.
“What theory?” Agatha asked from the door. “The one that involves me.”
“Nothing, Agatha. I just said you are not,” Harper hissed at her sister, causing Agatha to come further into the room.
“Paternity, who can claim Dad,” Buzz said, and Harper slapped Buzz’s hip.
“Oh, that. That’s easy,” Agatha said and turned to leave.
“Stop and tell us then!” Harper jumped up, grabbed her, and pulled her back into the room.
“Only two of us can claim that they share a father,” Agatha stated with confidence. Like everyone should know the information.
Harper sat up straight and demanded, “Did Mom tell you that? How do you even know?”
Agatha smiled. “Because I have spent my life with you people. I know you better than you know yourself.”
“So, me and you then, Agatha? My theory stands. Sisters forever!” Harper shot her hands in the air, proclaiming victory.
