Collective Identity, page 18
part #4 of Commitment Series
Jen picked the kids up from school that afternoon and headed straight for the airport. All five children stood with their faces against the chain-link fence, fascinated by the size of the jumbo jets that taxied across the tarmac. Skylar spent most of the time with her hands over her ears to block out the sound of the jet engines. Soon, Jen pointed out Cat and Billie's flight as it made its final approach.
"Cat, honey, look," Billie said. She pressed herself back into her seat so Cat could lean over her to look out the window. "Look, the kids are over there, by the fence," she said, as they both spotted the children jumping up and down and waving as the plane approached the gate. “Stevie and Karissa are with them too!”
The race was on as the kids ran into the terminal to greet their moms at the arrival gate.
Billie was first to enter the terminal. Skylar threw herself into Billie's arms as soon as she saw her. After a hug and a kiss, Billie passed her on to Cat as she opened her arms to Tara and Seth, who wrapped themselves around their mother. After an appropriate amount of cuddling, they moved on to Cat, as Billie turned her attention to Jen. Jen walked into Billie's arms for a warm embrace. "Thank you, Jen, for taking care of the kids, and for being there for us when we needed you again!" she exclaimed with a smile.
"You're welcome, big guy," Jen said. "How was your visit?" she asked both women as Cat approached them and threw her arm around Jen's waist for a hug as the kids ran off to collect the luggage.
Billie looked at the curly-haired blonde. "She's alive, Jen. Alex's child was not stillborn. We found the birth certificate in Lancaster, where she actually gave birth," she explained.
"So now you know that your mother is out there somewhere," Jen concluded, looking at Billie as they walked toward the exit door of the terminal.
Billie looked at Cat. Remembering the conversation they had had the previous night during dinner, she answered Jen as optimistically as she could.
"Jen, we don't know yet that this child is my mother. The only thing we know is that Alex's child was not stillborn. The only real evidence we have to go on is my resemblance to Alex, which I have to admit, is pretty strong. But to know for sure, we have to find her daughter then probably do DNA testing to establish a link between the two of us… that is, if there is a link, and if she's willing to do the testing," Billie finished.
Jen nodded as the trio of friends was interrupted by the sounds of the children running toward them. "We found them!" Tara and Karissa chimed together. "Seth and Stevie are coming with the luggage. They found them on that merry-go-round over there," Tara said, pointing in the direction of the luggage carousel, where Skylar was sitting between two large suitcases, happily riding around and around.
"Skylar Jean Charland, what in the world are you doing?" Cat yelled as she rushed forward to retrieve her daughter from the revolving belt before she disappeared behind the rubber strips separating the luggage claim from the unloading area. "Goodness gracious child, I'll have gray hairs soon enough without you rushing them!" she scolded.
Billie thought the whole picture was quite funny, and struggled to keep the grin off her face. She lowered her head to Cat's ear. "You sound like Alex, love...goodness gracious!"
Cat swatted Billie's arm for teasing, as she set Skylar on the floor, where she immediately ran to join the other children.
Soon the eight passenger minivan was filled to capacity with five children and three adults, heading for home.
* * *
Billie arrived bright and early at work the next morning. As she passed Art's office, she saw that he wasn't in yet, so she continued on to her own. She put her briefcase down in her chair then set the coffee machine up to brew. Back in her office, she laid her briefcase on top of her desk and unlatched the clasps. Inside, there was a single long-stemmed red rose with a piece of paper rolled up and tied to its stem by a pink ribbon.
She smiled broadly, her eyes misting over, as she brought the rose to her face and inhaled its aromatic essence. She gently pulled on one ribbon tendril until the paper fell loose into her hand. She laid the rose down on the table and unrolled the paper. It read:
FROM THE ARMS OF PERFECTION
From the arms of perfection
Does Sunshine spew forth
A thing of beauty none greater
Than that I see
When I rise in the morn
And look into your face
***
From the arms of perfection
Does a Rose blossom deep
Blood red crimson
Compared in beauty
Only to the hue
That colors your cheeks
***
From the arms of perfection
Does a Pearl gently form
In the depths
Of oceans so blue
They are rivaled only
By the color of your eyes
***
From the arms of perfection
Does my love for you grow
Greater than the Sunshine
And the Rose
And the Pearl
And the Oceans so blue
***
From the arms of perfection
Does our love spring eternal
It will endure
And we will be two
Stronger than one
From the arms of perfection
***
PS. Know that I love you Billie, and that I will always be here for you. Think of us and our perfect love when you look at this rose. Its beauty is rivaled only by the love I have for you in my heart. I'll see you tonight. I love you, Fred.
Billie looked at the signature and saw that it was signed "Ginger"…an old joke between her and Cat that had its beginnings in their aerobics class days. Billie lowered herself into her chair and broke down into joyful sobs.
Art chose that moment to arrive. He stopped short when he saw her crying then rushed to her side.
"Billie, what is it?" he asked worriedly.
Billie looked up at him and smiled then handed him the poem.
Art scanned the poem quickly, swallowing hard when he reached the end of the PS. He put the note on the desk and looked around awkwardly while he blinked rapidly, his right hand on his hip, holding his suit jacket open. His other hand rubbed the back of his head. He looked everywhere but at Billie. He cleared his throat and swabbed the corner of his eye.
"Ah, damn, I have something in my eye. I'll be right back," he said before hurriedly leaving the room.
Billie grabbed a tissue from the box on her desk, then leaned back in her chair, smiling broadly while dabbing at her eyes. "Art, you are a bigger baby than I am!" she said under her breath.
She picked up the rose and inhaled its fragrance one more time then closed her eyes. What a great way to start the day. I love you too, Ginger.
* * *
Art threw a document on the table in front of Billie. "Okay, here's what we've got," he said.
Billie looked up from the case she was working on. "What it is?" she asked.
"It's South Carolina's adoption laws."
Billie frowned. "That's an awfully thick document, Art," she commented.
"Yes it is, and it looks like pretty dry reading too. Have fun with it!" he grinned and turned to leave.
"Whaaaa... Art, I thought," she stammered.
"You thought I would do the honors for you?" he asked.
"Well, yes," Billie replied.
"Yeah, well, that's just what I planned to do, but the senior partners have seen fit to assign me to prosecute an international drug case. Looks like I've got to fly to Honduras in the morning. Sorry," he said.
Billie sat back in her chair and looked at the imposing document sitting on her desk. "I think I'd rather brave the killer mosquitoes in Honduras than deal with that monstrosity!" she exclaimed.
Art leaned down over her desk and kissed Billie on the forehead. "Why do you think I'm not complaining?" he said wickedly. He backed away just beyond her reach before Billie had a chance to swat him.
"You're getting slow, Charland!" he joked as he turned and left her office, leaving her there to stare at the document in dreaded anticipation.
* * *
"Billie!" a voice rang out across the tops of the cubicles.
Billie turned to see Jimmy's head pop up over the chin-height panel. "Hey, Jimmy. What have you got for me?" she asked. Her mouth was suddenly dry with nervous emotion.
Jimmy motioned her over to join him. "Actually, I need a little more information," he said.
"Did you have any luck with the search I called you about from Charleston?" she asked.
"The search?" Jimmy asked, momentary confusion on his face. Suddenly, he remembered. "Oh, the search. Yes. That's been done for a while now. However, I..." he started.
"It's done? Where is it?" Billie asked incredulously, irritated that Jimmy hadn't notified her when it was finished.
"Right here," Jimmy said, pointing to the report on his desk. He slapped Billie's hand away as she attempted to grab for the document.
"Now you just hold your horses there, young lady. Give a person a chance to explain, will you? Sit!" He pointed to the chair by his desk.
Billie reluctantly sat down, a look of anger and impatience on her face.
"You can wipe that look off your face too. I'm too old and much too impatient to put up with emotional nonsense from the likes of you or anyone else. Do you understand?" he asked.
Billie was shocked into silence, shocked not only by Jimmy's boldness, but by her own rude manner in dealing with the elderly gentleman. It was she who went to him for help, after all. She had no right to treat him so disrespectfully.
She sat there looking down at the hands in her lap for long moments. Finally, she raised her head. "I'm sorry, Jimmy. I had no right to treat you like that. Please forgive me," she said.
Jimmy was a little uncomfortable with her apology and brushed it off. "Never mind that," he said. "Now, I need more information," he said.
"What kind of information?" she asked.
"Well, I've done a search on all the fifty-five year old women in the country that are looking for birth mothers. I excluded obvious things from the search, like certain nationalities and skin colors, and have been able to narrow down the list to about four hundred women," he said.
"Four hundred!" Billie exclaimed in a raised voice, visibly agitated. "Do you know how long it will take to locate and contact four hundred women?" she said.
"Calm down there, Missy," Jimmy warned again, waiting for her to control herself once more before he continued. "All right, now. If your mother is out there looking for her own birth mother, then it makes sense to me that she might be looking for you as well," reasoned Jimmy.
Billie perked up, amazed at the older man's logic. "That makes sense," she said.
"Yes it does. Now, what I need is your birth date so I can write a macro that will narrow the search field a little more," he explained.
"That's easy," Billie said. "March thirtieth, nineteen eighty."
"March thirtieth, nineteen eighty, it is," Jimmy repeated as he wrote the date down on a scratch pad. "Now, go away and let me work. I'll let you know when I have something."
Billie smiled at the abrupt way she was dismissed. Suddenly a thought came to her that made her chuckle. If Josephine Wycliffe was straight, she would surely give this man a run for his money!
She got up from the chair by Jimmy's desk with a big grin on her face – a grin that was missed by the older man, who was already deeply absorbed in his work.
Chapter 19
"Josie, Darlin', are we almost there?" Alex asked nervously.
"For crying out loud Al, you're worse than a child. Even Ida wasn't this bad when she was little," Jo complained.
Alex looked at her hands in her lap, clasped together to keep them from shaking. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just so nervous, is all. Josie, what if we don't find anything?" she asked.
"Between us all, we'll find something, Al. If we don't, I'm sure Billie will. She has access to all those newfangled computers and the Internet, and besides, we have that letter Billie gave us. All we need to do is find the owner," Jo explained.
"I hope so. I just want this over with, Josie. I want to find my baby and hold her in my arms and tell her I love her," Alex said.
Jo looked at Alex with sincere concern. "Al, sweetheart, it may not be that simple. Your daughter may not even know that she was taken from you against your will. She might think that you gave her away. You have to be prepared to deal with that possibility," Jo explained.
"Josie, I will deal with whatever comes my way in this matter. I have never felt so strongly about anything in my life, except maybe my love for you, and for Ida," Alex said.
Jo reached across the seat and took Alex's hand in hers. She kissed her knuckles while focusing on the road ahead of them.
"Al," she said, "you have my full support. You know that, don't you?" She looked at Alex for affirmation. "Good, we are definitely in this together. But promise me one thing. No matter what happens, sweetheart, we can't lose us. We can't lose who we are, okay?"
Alex waited for Jo to park the car in the lot of the Lancaster city offices before replying. Jo pulled the car in between the lines designated for visitors and shut off the ignition. Both women turned in their seats to face each other.
Alex touched Jo's cheek. "Josie, darlin’, nothing in this world can make me stop lovin' you. After fifty years of me dealing with your ornery ways, you should know that by now. What I feel for you is stronger than anything I know. You are my soul, Josie. I can't live without you. I promise not to lose us in the process of finding we," Alex said.
Jo smiled and took Alex's hand in her own. "Alex, sweetheart, let's go find our daughter."
* * *
Alex and Jo approached the receptionist's desk in the clerk's office and asked for help. Jo leaned forward to read the woman's nametag. "Ah, Miss Slattery, my name is Doctor Josephine Wycliffe, and this lovely lady here is Alexandra Spirakis."
Alex stood there, very ladylike, not particularly fond of being under a microscope, but willing to bear the scrutiny for the sake of their mission.
"We are here looking for information on an adoption that may have taken place in this town fifty-five years ago," Jo continued. "This woman's daughter was illegally and forcefully taken from her after the birth. She has not seen her since. Can you help us find the records?" Jo finished.
Miss Slattery smiled smugly.
I don't think I like this woman, Jo thought to herself.
"I'm so sorry, Miss Spirakis," the clerk said, addressing Alex for the first time. "I'm afraid I can't help you. Adoption records in this state are sealed," she said.
Alex grasped the counter to prevent herself from fainting into a heap on the floor. Jo placed a hand on her back to steady her and to give assurance that she was there to support her.
"What do you mean, they're sealed?" Jo asked.
"What don't you understand about that Ms. Wycliffe? Sealed means sealed. They are inaccessible to the birth parents, adoptive parents, and even to the adoptee without a court order," the woman answered sarcastically. “It’s the law.”
"Look, Miss Slattery," Jo said, trying very hard to hold back her intense desire to call the woman a bitch and strangle her half to death. "Our granddaughter came in her just two days ago and found the birth certificate for the child, and you tell us, that even with this information, we cannot see her adoption records?”
"That's exactly what I'm saying, Ms. Wycliffe. The records are sealed. You'll have to take it to the state supreme court to convince them to give you access, if that's what you really want," the clerk finished. "I don’t make the laws, I just enforce them. Now, I am a very busy woman. Please excuse me," she said.
Alex was crying by the time they returned to the car. Jo took her hand and led her to a bench nearby and sat with her arm around Alex's shoulders. She pulled Alex's head down onto her shoulder and whispered against her hair, "We're not done yet, Al. We've just begun to fight. Come on. Let's go find a decent room. It looks like we may be here for a day or two."
* * *
It was mid-afternoon by the time Jo and Alex found a suitable hotel room and settled in. The disappointment resulting from their visit to the clerk's office made Alex lethargic. She sat on the edge of the bed wearily, a deep sigh escaping her. "Where do we go from here, Josie?" she asked.
"You are going to take a nap. I am going to do some research," Jo replied.
"Josephine Wycliffe, if you think for one moment that you are going to rush out and do this without me, you've got another thing coming!" exclaimed Alex.
"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Alex," Jo retorted. "All I'm going to do is find out where one Jonathan J. Simpson lives," she said, reading the name off the envelope Billie had given them before going home. "I promise I won't introduce myself to him without you, okay?" she compromised.
"You promise?" Alex asked.
"I promise. Now lie down and get some sleep. I want you fresh for tonight. I've got big plans for you," Jo said wickedly.
"Ms. Wycliffe, you are incorrigible!" exclaimed Alex.
"What?" asked Jo innocently. "Can't I make dinner plans for my best girl?" she asked.
"That depends on what you're planning on eatin' out," replied Alex coyly.
Jo looked at her with a mock expression of shock. "Now who’s being incorrigible?"
"Well, anyway, you'd better get outta here now while you still can," Alex teased, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
Jo walked to Alex and stood very close to the seated woman. She took Alex's chin in her hand, and kissed her long and hard, causing Alex to lean back and grasp the bedspread with both hands, crumpling it up into a ball in each fist. Finally, Jo released her and stepped back.
