Finding Home (The Affair Series Book 3)

Worried

"You think mama is ok out there? Maybe I should go check on her." Frankie asked as her, Lena, Debbie and Jude finished cleaning up the dinner and the young girl was looking very worried out the window. It was safe to say that both Jude and Frankie were protective of Stef but Frankie was even more if that was at all possible. She felt horrible about what happened at the table and wanted more then anything to go outside and give the most important person in her life a hug.

"I think they are ok honey. They really need to talk. Come sit sweetheat I promise she is in good hands with Aunt Fran." Lena said ushering her to the couch as both Deb and Jude took a seat as well. "Debbie can I offer you tea or anything. I have dessert as well if you like."

"Oh I'm ok. Thank you Lena. That is very kind of you."

"Of course and if you change your mind please don't hesitate to ask."

"I won't."

"Why is mom so made at her aunt?" Jude asked as Lena glanced to Debbie not sure of what to say. What could she really say and how could she really answer that as the older woman soon spoke up seeing the confliction on Lena's face. Of course it wasn't just a question with a simple answer and it had many layers. Many of which Deb didn't know the answers to. Most however she did.

"Well it's a long story sweetheart. But um Aunt Fran and I use to take care of your mom when she was very little. She lived with us from time to time and we were going to adopt her."

"Really? Because her mother was so horrible." Frankie asked.

"Yes. Fran and your mom were very close. Extremely. She was her mother very much so but Sharon was able to get custody of Stef and she moved her so many times that we lost track."

"And Sharon told mama you both were dead?"

"Yes."

"So mom is mad because Fran didn't find her?" Jude asked and it was now Lena who spoke up.

"In some sense yes she's upset about that. However it's more than that Your mom lost decades with the only well the only two people that loved her like a daughter. That's not easy or an easy pill to swallow especially when you find out those two people were living."

"Poor mom. Did she ever get a break?" Jude asked as Frankie let out a sigh.

"She has at times. I think now she is sweethearts." Lena said.

"Not with my sister. Mom deserves to be happy. I just want that for her."

"Me too." Frankie said as tears started to fall from her eyes and Lena hugged them both warmly.

"I know you both do and she is happy with you all. Life isn't easy but she has us to make it easier. Remember that. And hopefully she opens herself up to her aunt and to you Debbie because you were her mother too."

"I loved her very much and I still do. I still see that little girl in her eyes and deep inside of her. She's very much still the same." Wiping her own tears Lena handed her a tissue. "Thank you."

"You are welcome."

"She's the same? What she a good kid?" Frankie asked.

"Oh she was. She was very, very sweet. Affectionate, wanted to hold your hand all the time. You could not pry her off of Fran's lap. Not for anything. She was curious, very opinionated and she wanted to do the best. She was protective of me and her aunt. Very much so. And she didn't like making mistakes or getting in trouble. She wanted love from us and alot of it and we gave it to her. As much as we could and during that time we couldn't be out about our relationship. Fran and I."

"Oh right. So no one knew you were gay?" Frankie asked.

"Well not really. We would not have been able to adopt Stef as a couple because back then it wasn't legal. Only Fran could and she had to hide who she was. From that and from work. So on paper we were just two women living together. But in reality we were more than that. It was the times and Michigan was far more strict than California but we would have moved to protect our little girl."

"How did Sharon get her back?"

"She lied. She filed a restraining order against me and Fran claiming we were dangerous to her and influenced her. There were many false accusations that had no basis but we had no protection then. None at all. And Sharon enforced and had it in writing that we would never be able to have Stef in our care again."

"That's terrible why was she such a horrible person?"

"Some people just are baby." Lena said gently holding the young girls hand as Frankie shook her head.

"I just don't get it. Why would she tell mama she loved her all those years when she was dying."

"What?" Deb asked.

"When she was dying like on her deathbed she told mama she loved her. That she always loved her. So if that's true why was she so horrible to her. I don't get it."

"Well sweetheart some people can love you but they just can't show it in the way you need. Maybe that was the case with her."

"I don't know Lena. I never saw any love in Sharon when it came to Stef. Even when she was a little baby she rarely held her, she had her sleeping in a laundry basket. She let her stay in soaked diapers for hours to the point that when Fran and I took her the diaper rash was so bad we had to take her to ER. She had blisters. The bruises she had at times were heartbreaking. The rotten teeth, the lice, just the level of neglect she inflicted on her. I never saw love. Not once." Tears could only fall down the faces of everyone in that room as Frankie soon walked over to the window seeing both Fran and Stef walking down the trailer path.

She too felt pain, her mother's pain of what she had gone through as a kid. How had she made it? How was she so strong? How could she still show so much love to everyone she wondered as Jude stood beside her holding her hand.

"Callie needs to come around and stop being stubborn. I'll talk to her." Frankie said rather adamantly.

-------

Oh Frankie is going to talk to Callie. That should be interesting.