Unintended Consequences - By Marti Green Page 0,103
Pittsburgh International Airport to Sharpsburg. The overhead signs warned them of construction two miles ahead. Sunny had barely spoken a word on the flight, and she was no more talkative now. Dani fiddled with the radio dial, found a classic rock station and settled in for the ride.
They were a half-hour late by the time they arrived at George’s home. A small woman leaning on a cane, her gray hair falling softly to her chin, greeted them at the door. The smell of freshly baked pie wafted from the kitchen.
“I’m Margaret,” the woman said, “George’s mother.” She took Sunny’s hands in her own and squeezed them. “They’re in the living room, dear,” she said as she pointed to the right. “They’ve been so nervous waiting for you.” She looked Sunny up and down. “My, my, you’ve become such a beautiful woman. I never thought I’d see this day. Go, go ahead inside.”
Sunny’s eyes were glued to the ground. She felt a wave of fear. She remained rooted in place, and Dani took her hand and brought her into the living room. It was a small space that looked as if it hadn’t been redecorated in forty years, yet it had a hominess that reminded Sunny of her childhood home in Byron. Even with her eyes fixed on the floor, she could see two pairs of feet, George’s and Sallie’s, side by side.
“Hello, Sunny,” Sallie said.
At the sound of her voice, Sunny looked up. Sallie, a wide smile on her face, wore a summery frock. Her hair looked freshly washed and her cheeks were pink. With Sunny’s first glimpse of the man and woman standing across the room, a spark of recognition flashed before her. They looked different, older, more worn, but snippets of images returned to her. She saw her mother combing Sunny’s long, blond hair, telling her how pretty she was. More pictures. Of her and her mother planting marigolds in the garden, Sunny covered with dirt. Of her father sneaking her a cookie and warning her to not tell her mother. And then she remembered sitting on the bench in the strange hospital, too terrified to cry, hearing her parents tell her how much they loved her, how much they would always love her, begging her forgiveness and then walking away. Sunny strode to her parents and embraced them.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said. “Please, let’s sit down. There’s so much I want to ask you. I know you must want to learn about me, too.”
“Just let us look at you first,” George said, his voice choked. “We have plenty of time for talking. We didn’t think we would, but now we have all the time in the world.”
Sunny sat between George and Sallie on the couch and held hands with both of them. She wasn’t an orphan anymore. She had a mother and father.
—The End—
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My thanks must begin with my husband, Lenny, my sons, Jason and Andy, and my daughters-in-law, Jackie and Amanda, whose love and support mean so much to me.
I have benefitted enormously from the guidance of editors Caroline Tolley and Doug Wagner. I am also grateful for those readers who willingly gave their time and constructive advice to early drafts: MaryLouise Wilson, Frank Ridge, Erika Callahan, Alice and Henri Gaudette, Dave Barnes and last, but certainly not least, my sister, Judith Greenfield. In addition, members of the Creative Writing Group of the Villages gave me continuous feedback as the story took shape for which I’m very appreciative. Julian Schreibman helped me avoid some legal mistakes, and those that remain are solely my doing. Thanks also to Derek Murphy for his fantastic cover design. Finally, I wish to thank the people at The Editorial Department who helped make the publication of this book a reality: Morgana Gallaway, Beth Jusino, Chris Fisher and Jane Ryder.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Epilogue