Lois and Carolyn, thanks for the beta...you’re the greatest!
I would also like to thank everyone who previewed the chapters for me.
Author’s Comments: I have a feeling that you’ve been waiting for this chapter…more to come…
Chapter 16 – Tempers Flare
Friday Morning…(Day 61)
It had been a long time since Michael had spent the night in this house. He was now a grown man with a home and children of his own. He really didn’t think that he needed his mother. Yet, there had been something comforting about sleeping back in here last night. In a lot of ways, this house still felt like home.
Michael lay there listening to the sounds of the house. Things seemed relatively quiet, so he guessed that everyone was already downstairs. He slowly rolled out of bed to take a shower.
Standing under the steady stream of the water, Michael reflected on his life. He was definitely at a place that he didn’t want to be. So much in his life just wasn’t working out. The biggest problem was that he was alone, and he missed Ben.
Michael had hoped that Brian would fix things with Ben, so that he and Ben could get back together. Now…he just didn’t know what to do.
As Michael stepped out of the shower, he realized that he had other matters to take care of before he could think about what he could do about Ben. He first had to deal with his mother and her lifetime of lies.
It had been quite a while since Michael had seen Debbie. He’d been angry with her for being so happy and supportive of Brian and Justin’s new legal status, at a time when he felt so betrayed. But after talking with Brian, it was obvious that if he wanted any answers to the questions that were plaguing him about his own history, he was going to have to end his silent treatment of Debbie and finally talk to her.
Michael finally managed to get dressed. He took a deep breath and headed downstairs. His day was about to begin.
***
Carl and Debbie were already at the breakfast table when Michael finally came down to join them.
“Michael!” Debbie gushed on seeing her son. Carl told me that you spent the night. How did you sleep?” she casually asked.
At that moment she had such mixed feelings. She was glad to finally see her son after two weeks, after all he was still “her baby”, and no mother wanted to think of her child in pain. And yet, Debbie knew that events had already been set in motion that were bound to make matters worse before they got better…if they ever did.
“I guess that I was really tired. I haven’t been sleeping very well,” Michael mindlessly answered.
“It’s good to have you here,” Debbie whispered quietly as she poured him a glass of juice and handed it to him.
Michael simply said, “Thanks.”
“I heard that Carl shared his pajamas with you,” Debbie teased, hoping to keep the conversation light, at least until everyone had coffee and the caffeine had a chance to kick in.
“Yes he did. Flannel…Carl?” Michael teased with a laugh. “I can’t believe it!”
“You thought I was Brian, and you were going to get designer silk pajamas to sleep in? Think again!” Carl teased back
Everyone shared a laugh. It relieved a little bit of tension.
“What would you like for breakfast?” Debbie cautiously asked. “Carl and I are eating heated Cinnamon rolls. I was also going to scramble some eggs, would you like some?”
“Sure,” Michael finally agreed.
Debbie turned around and started preparing the food. “Lindsay called last night. It seems that she and Mel are coming in tonight,” she added, as she was breaking the eggs.
“It seems like they were just here. But at least I’ll get to spend time with my little Honeybunch,” Michael gushed. “There was so much going on the last time that they visited here. I hardly got a chance to see my daughter all,” he complained.
Debbie was about to ask him whose fault that was, but she held her tongue and merely continued preparing breakfast. She removed the heated Cinnamon rolls from the oven.
When the eggs were done, she added them to everyone’s plate. Next she made sure that everyone had everything they needed, including a full cup of coffee. Then she was able to sit down and joined Carl and Michael at the breakfast table.
Everyone began to eat in silence.
Carl knew that Michael had something pressing on his mind; after all he had arrived completely unannounced last night. And from the look on his face then, Carl knew that Michael was on a mission, and he knew that patience was not one of Michael’s strong suits.
Debbie also wondered what was on Michael’s mind. They didn’t have to wait very long to find out.
“Ma, I guess Carl told you that I came here to talk to you last night,” Michael began.
Debbie looked at her son, thinking it was pretty obvious that he arrived last night for some reason. She started to wonder what her son was thinking, but once again, she held her tongue.
Instead she innocently answered, “Yes, he did. He said it was quite late.”
“I would have come earlier, but it appears that you had company for the evening,” Michael accused.
“Yes,” Carl answered, “Jennifer came over for dinner.”
“Jennifer! Why in the world was she here?” Michael challenged. He immediately thought of Justin and wondered would he EVER be able to escape the reminders of Brian and Justin as a legal couple.
“She…was…invited,” Debbie insisted, desperately trying to figure out where this conversation was going. “She told me that Brian and Justin were in town, more or less, but then I already knew that. Sunshine can’t resist my lemon squares,” she gushed.
“There seem to be a lot of things that Justin can’t resist,” Michael shot back.
“And what is that supposed to mean?” Debbie asked, glaring at him.
“Never mind,” Michael responded. “It’s not important.”
“I wish you would remember that Sunshine is your business partner. You wouldn’t have the comic book without him,” Debbie reminded Michael.
“How could I ever forget?” Michael answered sarcastically.
“What’s your problem, Michael? Something appears to have crawled up your ass and is gnawing away. Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?” Debbie asked.
“How can you ask me something like that?” Michael challenged, dropping his fork with a thud onto his plate. He then looked directly at Debbie, making it clear that he wanted answers even if the questions were unasked at this point.
Then Michael realized that Carl was still in the room, and he hesitated. “I’m sorry, Carl. This is between Ma and me, so I guess this can wait until you leave for work,” he added.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Michael. I’m planning on staying right here to find out, with Debbie, what’s bothering you. That’s what you do when you’re family.”
“Family…sure!” Michael quipped.
“Okay Michael! Out with it! It’s obvious that no one will get to enjoy breakfast until you tell us what’s on your mind. So, you little asshole, start talking!” Debbie demanded.
“Ma, I know that John Michael Novotny isn’t my father,” Michael immediately proclaimed.
Debbie and Carl both froze at this proclamation. Then Debbie quickly recovered.
“Where in the world did that come from?” she asked with total surprise. “What do you mean that he isn’t your father?”
“The government released military records going back to before the Revolutionary War or something. Anyway, they’re now loaded on the Internet at the Ancestry.com. Hunter and I checked out at the website.” Michael revealed.
“So?” Debbie said, not getting Michael‘s point and wondering where this conversation was going.
Before Michael could explain, Carl interrupted with a smile.
“So that’s why Hunter was asking about my military service and about Carl, Jr.’s service too. He never said anything about what he found,” Carl commented with a smile. “What did he see?”
“He found your records and your son’s too. But we also found the records for John Michael Novotny, my father.”
“Oh?” she asked.
“You were right, Ma, he was a bona fide war hero. There was an account of his being awarded the Purple Heart. It matched practically word for word with what you’ve told me all my life,” Michael said harshly.
“Then, what’s the problem?” Debbie asked.
“The problem, Ma, is that there’s nothing in the military records of John Michael Novotny to show that he was married or had any children!” Michael shouted. “Now!” he pouted, “What do you have to say to that?”
“C’mon Michael, sometimes in a time of war, records don’t always get updated,” Carl pointed out. “You know that!”
“I took that possibility into account,” Michael acknowledged. “But the records also said that he had been serving in Vietnam for more than a year before I was born. There were no records of him being on leave or anything,” he added, looking to Debbie for answers.
“I see,” Debbie said, taking a sip of her juice to steady herself, for she knew this was about to get ugly.
“Yes, Mother. So if he served in Vietnam for that amount of time without leave… he couldn’t possibly be my father. But I’m sure that you have an explanation!” he shouted.
“Michael….” Debbie said softly, a rare tone for her to use.
“What happened, Mother, was it too hard to wait for your husband to return from the war. Did you get lonely at night? Couldn’t you wait for your husband to simply die in the war?” Michael asked accusatorily.
“Michael, that’s enough!” Carl insisted, but Michael wasn’t finished.
“So what did you do, pass me off has as your husband’s son when really I was the bastard son of your midnight lover?” Michael continued to accuse.
“Michael, I’m not going to tell you again!” Carl insisted even more strongly, standing this time to make his point.
“And why was he in the war in the first place. Why wasn’t he home with you instead of in some jungle battlefield? From the stories that I’ve heard, getting married was enough to give you a draft deferment back in those days. So why was he fighting in the first place. Why didn’t he come home once he found out he had a son?” Michael continued to challenge.
“Michael, you’re young…you just don’t know a lot about war,” Carl pointed out. “War isn’t the way it’s described in the comic books that you read.”
“I know that, Carl!” Michael responded to Carl and then immediately returned his attention back to his mother. “What happened, Mother? Did John Novotny re-enlist in the war to get away from you?” he practically spat out the accusation.
Carl had heard enough. No matter what Debbie had done, she didn’t deserve to be talked to in this manner by her son.
So in one swift motion, Carl stood up again and reached over and grabbed Michael. He shook him a bit to get his attention. “Michael, you’re talking to your mother! Let’s not forget that! I understand that you’re upset, but I’m not going to put up with much more from you…do I make myself clear?” he said sternly, before finally releasing Michael.
“I’m sorry, Carl.” Michael finally said. “I guess I’m just angry. Ma, you had to know that the man, whose picture is on our mantel, was not my father. You’ve lied to me all these years!” he continued to accuse. “What happened, Mother? Don’t you know who my father really is?”
Debbie stood up and walked over to the sink, putting distance between her and Michael. At this point she too was ready to slap him too.
Instead, she turned to face him. “Listen to me, you ungrateful, little shit, I know exactly who your father is. Of course, I know!” she answered.
But Michael wasn’t finished yet. “How did you square a lover with your husband?” Michael accused, never letting up in his anger.
“It was war, Michael…” Carl said, trying to lower the temper flares in the room.
Carl’s comment had little effect on Michael.
Debbie finally took a deep breath.
She decided the charade had gone on long enough, so she finally said, “You know Michael, all that I wanted to do was give you a father that you could be proud of, a war hero who died in Vietnam. John Michael Novotny served as your father for the last 35 years. You lived all this time, knowing that your father loved you! Did you think about that?” she mindlessly added, trying to add calm reasoning to an explosive situation.
“I’m surprised that you even bothered to tell him about me…you know with the war and all,” Michael fired back.
“Your whole life you’ve believed that your father loved you,” she tried to add.
“Loved me? What did you tell him? I’m not even sure, he knew that I existed!” Michael challenged with re-ignited anger.
“He didn’t,” Debbie finally said softly. “John Michael Novotny never knew that you existed. Fuck, he never knew that I existed either, for that matter. As you once so accurately put it…he was simply a war hero,who happened to die in Vietnam, two weeks after you were born.”
“What are you saying?” Michael was now shouting.
“I never knew John Michael Novotny. I selected his name from the newspaper, from the list of the war dead. I found his picture. I purchased The Purple Heart at a pawnshop. I erected the shrine for a fallen hero on the mantel in the living room. I legally changed my name to Novotny. I added that name to your birth certificate.” Debbie said, almost as if by rote.
“What! How can this be? You’ve told me this…this story all these years!” Michael tried to challenge.
“It doesn’t matter what I’ve said in the past. I, just now, told you the absolute truth. Now, you know the secrets that I’ve carried for all these years,” Debbie quietly admitted.
“How could you have kept a secret like that?” Michael shouted. “You, who have always put so much stock in the truth?” he challenged.
“In the beginning, I had a small baby to protect. I had a son, who I dearly loved, and who I wanted more than anything in this world…I had a son to raise. I was 17 years old, Michael, and I was scared. Sometimes when you’re scared, you do things you wouldn’t do otherwise…consider that!” Debbie explained.
“How could you keep the secret so long? Why did you never tell me the truth?” Michael demanded to know. “You’re my mother. I never expected you to lie to me,” he added with tears, now streaming down his face. “You were the one person I thought I could trust!” he shouted.
Carl felt the need to step in here, “Michael, listen to me. When you’re young, you sometimes do foolish things. As you get older, you come to realize what you’ve done, but sometimes there is never a way to go back and correct things. Sometimes…you can’t just take it back,” he patiently explained.
“You knew about all this, didn’t you?” Michael asked, looking directly at Carl.
“Your mother told me everything,” Carl confidently admitted.
“And you’re still here?” Michael challenged, starting to stand up and walk around. “How could you? How could you accept this?”
“Of course, I‘m still here! Don’t be ridiculous! For me, this changes nothing!” Carl pointed out to him. “Your mother and I are committed to each other!”
“You’re a fool, Carl. No one honors commitments anymore. Look at Ben and me!” Michael exclaimed.
Carl quickly responded, “Your mother and I are committed to each other. I’m not going anywhere,” he reconfirmed in case Michael didn’t’ hear him the first time. “And, no matter what happened between you and Ben, commitment is a lesson that you still need to understand,” he added. “Now sit down and get yourself together! I know that you’re upset, but I’m only going to put up with so much from you! Your mother has loved you and taken care of you…since even before you were born. She has made sacrifices for you. I’m sure that once you have a chance to think things over, you’ll realize that. But in the meantime, pull yourself together and listen to her!” he demanded. “I’m not going to tell you this again!”
Michael had just been reprimanded.
He knew that he could push and demand with his mother, but Carl was an entirely different matter. So once again, he took his seat like a penitent child and waited for whatever was to happen next.