Troublemaker - 22. Chapter Twenty-two

Barrett

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it and tapped the green call button.

“Hello?”

“Barrett! I have amazing news,” Cynthia said with elation. “You have to sit down for this!”

“D-Does it have to do with my mom?” I asked, hope erupting from my heart.

“YAS!”

I took Cynthia’s advice and sat down on the bench I was using to lift weights at the gym. I didn’t expect to get the news so soon and when I was in the middle of doing a set of barbell lifts. But I didn’t want to get ahead of myself until Cynthia explained what the news was.

“All right. I’m sitting down.”

“Great! So, you know those posters that were posted by your friend?”

“Yup.”

“Well, the woman I told you about who took one of those posters just gave me a call a few minutes ago asking about you.”

“Really?”

“Yes… I believe the woman who called me is your mother!” Cynthia screamed.

I didn’t mind the ringing in my ear from Cnythia’s excitement since the news that my mother finally found and reached out to me was all I cared about right then and there.

“Isn’t this amazing!” Cynthia asked.

“Heck yeah, it is. Cynthia, I don’t know what to say other than thank you.”

“You’re so welcome! I can give you her address to her home. She wants to talk to you in person. You can meet her today if you’re not busy with work or anything.”

“Yeah, other than working out, I have nothing else going on today. So, yeah, give me that address.”

“Excellent! I’ll text it to you right now! And let me know how it went.”

“Of course!”

I received the text message in less than ten seconds, and I smiled upon seeing the address was in the same city. I didn’t bother finishing my barbell workout and hurryingly wiped down the bench before going to the locker room to take a quick shower.

Not even five minutes later, I was out of the shower stall and towel drying myself so fast before sliding into fresh clothes and leaving the gym. The anticipation of finally seeing the person who could be my mother pumped through me as I got into my car and started driving to the address that Cynthia texted me.

Placing my phone in the holder, I tapped the screen a few times and I was calling Andrea.

“Hi, honey!” Andrea greeted me.

“Hey, Andrea! You won’t believe what I just found out.”

“Oh! What is it?”

“I believe I found my mother!” I exclaimed. “I’m actually driving to her address right this second.”

“Really! I’m so happy for you, Barrett! Make sure to take lots of pictures of your reunion.”

“I will! I’ll call you later and fill you in on everything that happened.”

“You better!”

I chuckled, so high with happiness.

The call then ended, and I was already thinking about calling Anthony, Sabrina, and also Todd about the news. But I needed to focus on driving since the last thing I wanted was to get into a car accident or get pulled over by the police. So, I just turned on the car radio and tapped my fingers to the beat of a pop song as I drove almost forty-five minutes until I reached a small, quaint neighborhood in the outskirts of the city.

I opened the GPS app on my phone and tapped the exact address. The virtual assistant stated that the location was the third house on the left, and then I stopped in front of a small, first-story house with white paneling and a dark-gray roof. The place looked friendly enough with even a small bike and a few other toys scattered on the front lawn. My mind quickly went to wondering if I had siblings or nieces and nephews.

I bit my bottom lip, suddenly nervous about meeting the person who could be my mother. Rubbing my face, I gathered my courage and turned off my car’s engine and stepped outside. I slowly walked up on the paved driveway and the next-door neighbor waved at me as she watered her garden. I smiled and waved back before continuing my venture to the front door.

I stopped at the front porch, the windchimes singing and calming some of my nerves as I reached my hand towards the doorbell. Taking another deep breath, I pressed it.

The barking of a small dog followed by a child’s laughter were heard behind the door. The curtains behind the door’s small window were then pulled back that revealed a pair of eyes, and then a woman yelled out to not open the door. The curtains closed again along with the child’s voice being heard.

With my hands in my jean pockets, I waited for what felt like forever until the curtains were drawn back again and a different pair of eyes looked at me. I gave a half wave, and the eyes widened before they disappeared in the background.

The door then unlocked and opened a couple of inches, the security chain stopping the door from opening all the way.

“Hello?” the woman said as she looked nervously at me.

“H-Hi… I’m Barrett Jones… I was told to come to this address because I was hoping to find my, uh, mother.”

The woman continued to look at me, seemingly confused, like I just spoke a foreign language and was about to repeat myself when the small head of a child appeared lower down.

“Who are you?” the boy asked.

“Uh–”

“Kyle! Get back inside,” the woman said before closing the door.

I heard her scolding the boy that soon faded into the background, and I wondered if I was at the right house, checking my phone and seeing if it was indeed the right location.

The front door opened again, wide open this time, and I got a good reveal of the woman who was hiding from me only a moment ago. She had dark hair with gray streaks and a face that looked weathered from time, but also looked kind.

“I’m so sorry about that. Um… I’m Patricia. Patricia Gold.”

Patricia extended her hand, and I shook it.

Taking a deep breath, Patricia looked at me for a long moment before saying, “So. It’s really you.”

“...Are you my…mother?” I asked, my nerves tight.

“No, I’m not. But Elaine is. She was my sister.”

A dimming light of hope suddenly shined again, but then I asked, “Was? What do you mean?”

Patricia looked down. “I didn’t want to reveal this piece of info to Cynthia. I was afraid that would stop you from visiting…” Rubbing her shoulder, she said, “Your mother, Elaine Gold-Jones, p-passed away two years ago.”

I took a step back, the shining beacon of hope that was always at a distance then was covered in darkness. “She’s dead.”

Patricia nodded once. “Elaine always had a problem with alcohol; her alcoholism got worse after Rhett, your father, passed away after a car accident with a drunk driver. Ironic, really… Then one day I found her on the living-room floor…she had already passed away before I called an ambulance.”

“She’s…dead.”

“I’m sorry, Barrett.”

“And my dad…he’s dead too.”

Nodding, Patricia leaned her body on the doorframe. “He died a couple months before your mother sent you to an orphanage. She knew she wasn’t capable of taking care of you anymore. I was in college at the time, so I didn’t have the time or money to take care of a child, and we weren’t close to our family anymore. She believed you would have a better life if she gave you up…”

I buried my hands in my pockets as I stared at my feet.

“I…I can take you to the place where your parents are resting now… If you want to, of course.”

I looked up at Patricia who appeared just as saddened as me, though the cloud over my head was a raging hurricane in the middle of the ocean, drowning me.

But I didn’t let it show completely as I nodded and said, “I…I’d like that if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not. It’s only a five-minute drive from here. We can take my car.” Patricia pulled her car key from a hook on the wall and called out, “Kyle, I’ll be gone for a moment. You better behave yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Kyle said back.

I stepped back as Patricia closed the front door and motioned her hand for me to follow her. I then got inside her gray sedan, and Patricia turned on her car and started driving at a moderate speed.

The car radio was silent, and I lowered the side window halfway, gratefully for the sound of the passing wind to sweep away the noise in my head, of knowing that both my mother and father were long gone from this world and the feeling of defeat sinking further into my heart.

True to Patricia’s word, the drive only took five minutes, and she parked her car in an empty lot. I looked through the windshield at the green expanse gridded with gravestones and flowers. I gritted my teeth at the knowledge that this place was the only way I could see my parents from then on.

But I swallowed my hesitation and got out of the car, following Patricia through the quiet cemetery.

There were a couple other people standing in front of a distant gravestone, but other than that, the place was empty and calm. I read the names of passing gravestones and saw flowers, toys, and other gifts resting by them.

We soon stopped, and I looked at two light-gray plaques that were positioned side by side, one of them reading my father’s name and the other my mother’s. I took a deep breath upon seeing my parents’ final resting place, and this sight felt like the final nail that buried all hope of seeing either of them alive.

Patricia crouched and adjusted a small vase of flowers by my mother’s plaque, and I looked at the small photograph of my mother smiling and realized it was the small picture inside my locket. I clenched the gold heart in my hand and tried my damndest not to lose it right then.

I opened my locket and stared at the image of my mother along with the one on the gravestone.

“For a moment, I thought I was seeing your father when you appeared at my house; you two look very similar,” Patrcia noted.

I redirected my gaze to my father’s gravestone and the photo of him, and it was true. We did look very alike in appearance aside from his clean-shaven face and shorter hair.

“But you have your mother’s eyes, and I thought I was staring at her too,” Patricia added, standing back up.

“If you don’t mind, can you tell me about them? About who they were before they…passed?” I asked.

“I don’t mind at all… You’re mother and father met in high school and were high-school sweethearts. They married even before they graduated, and Elaine got pregnant with you soon after. They didn’t make a lot of money, your father being a truck driver and your mother working two other jobs. But they had the biggest hearts and loved each other through it all, and they cared and loved you dearly. They had big hopes for you, and despite Elaine’s struggle with alcohol and Rhett not being there because of his job, they still wanted what was best for you…” Patricia sniffled and looked up at the blue sky. “Then Rhett died and everything went downhill from there, and eventually Elaine told me she gave you up to the state, which she never really recovered from… She tried rehab and support groups over the years, which seemed to be helping, but soon she’d return to her old habits, and I was either too busy with grad school or my divorce to keep my eyes on her. She died holding a photo of you and your father…”

“I…see.”

Patricia placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, though nothing could tame the emotions ferociously attempting to be released.

We stood there for a few more minutes, with Patricia filling the silence with details about my mother’s and father’s life, which did little to settle my curiosity of knowing who they really were.

I then told Patricia that I was finished, and in silence, she drove us back to her home where a dog barked upon our return.

Back at her house, I got out of the car and felt lost on what to do next. The front door opened, and Kyle greeted Patricia who offered her a smile in return. I wished I had those childhood memories, of seeing my mother or father and having a smile on my face upon their return rather than years of going from foster home to foster home, worried about my world upturning every time I switched.

“I noticed your locket there.”

I turned to Patricia who was eyeing the locket that I was unconsciously twirling in my hand.

“Oh, yeah. It was…my mother’s.”

“I know. Rett, your father, gave that to her instead of a ring when he proposed to her. Another person would’ve been less than pleased, but Elaine cherished it immensely… It seems she wanted a part of her and your father to stay with you always.”

“...Yeah,” I said, dropping my hand from the locket.

“Mom! It’s dinnertime!” Kyle called out.

“Wait a moment!” Patricia called back. She then walked around the front of her car and patted my shoulder. “If you ever want to come by and visit, please do. I can tell you more about your parents and get to know who they were before…”
“Thanks. I appreciate that, Patricia. I just…need to process all this,” I admitted, looking up at the sky and wondered if anyone was looking down from beyond those clouds.

“I understand… Bye, Barrett.”

“Bye, Patricia.”

Offering one last smile, Patricia walked back to the front door of her house where a hopping Kyle was with a small Chihuahua in his arms.

After seeing the door close, I quickly went back to my own car and just sat there for a moment, wondering if today was just a bad dream like I often had about discovering a grim fate of my mother and father. I would then wake up and sigh in relief, hope still there, willing me to keep going forward to find my parents again.

But, no. I was awake, and this nightmare was real.

My phone started to buzz on the console, and I picked it up to see it was Todd calling. I answered him, and our short conversation was a blur that involved him wanting to talk and me asking him for some time apart.

I felt bad for ending the call so quickly, but I doubted Todd would want to hear me sob over the news that both my parents were dead, especially over the phone.

I started the car, and I drove to the one place that was the closest I could call home since I was in high school.

I eventually drove onto a gravel driveway of a house in a wooded neighborhood. Getting out of my car, I approached the front door and knocked before opening it slightly.

“Andrea!” I called out from the threshold.

“Oh, Barrett! Come inside! I’m in the living room,” Andrea said back.

I entered inside and crossed the small foyer to the living room where Lacy lay resting on a couch with Andrea sitting next to her. She had what looked like a large book in her hand that she quickly put away in the drawer of the coffee table.

“Barrett! Honey!” Andrea said, springing up and smiling. “How did it go? Did you take pictures?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Instead, a tear trailed down my cheek.

Andrea noticed and said, “Oh. Sweetheart.”

More tears came out, and Andrea quickly approached and hugged me.

She didn’t ask what happened, she just continued to hold me as I finally let my emotions collapse my inner soul along with my whole world.