Page 183 of La Dolce Vita

"Because Cutter told them all what I did. And that church, the good people of Apple Grove told Grandaddy. That's what gave him the heart attack. When he found me and Cutter fighting. That's what killed him. The truth!"

"Stop it!" Marietta insisted.

"I had an abortion!" Mirabella shouted. "Okay? I admit it! You hear that, Minnie! You win. I admit it!"

Marietta blinked. Mirabella put her face in her hands. "I didn't know what I was doing. I was scared. I was confused. I was ashamed. I thought... I was afraid if I told Giovanni he'd never trust me. He's Catholic. He'll never forgive me.”

“But you told him. Didn’t you?” Marietta sat next to her. She turned her to hug her. “You told him.”

“I did. I just hate it was the last thing that granddaddy knew about me. I tried so hard to make it up.”

Marietta went to the floor and hugged her sister.

"Stop, please stop."

"That's why I left here. That's why I can't come here. They know. They all know what I did. And she's lying on Granddaddy. He wouldn't do that. He would never!"

"Listen to me." Marietta grabbed her sister by the face. "You were young, and you made a bad choice. It happened. It's over. It's not who you are. You are a good mother."

"I killed my baby."

"Please, Mira, listen to me. I love you. You made a mistake; you don't have to punish yourself anymore for it. Giovanni isn’t. I’m not punishing you. And God forgave you. Okay? And as for Granddaddy, he was human. A man of flesh and bone."

"He wouldn’t do that to Me-Ma."

"He was human! He's no more perfect than any of us. It's time for you to accept that."

Mirabella nodded. Marietta hugged her to her heart. She held her tightly against her chest. She stroked her hair and rocked with her in her arms. Minnie and her daughters didn't speak. They watched them until Mirabella stopped crying. Marietta gave her sister dignity. She got up and got napkins and a cup of water. She cleared her face and made her drink. The others looked anywhere but at Mirabella. And Marietta knew. The town chased her away. They let her carry the guilt. Scorned her because of the abortion. And Minnie and all of them were guilty. But what they didn't count on was her. Marietta would not let her sister suffer another ounce of indignity. Never.

"Bessie-Mae was Lisa's mother?" Marietta asked.

"Yes," Minnie said. "And when Mary found out it broke her spirit. Bessie-Mae had hurt her beyond words. Abel, your grandfather, would have been kicked out of his church. Ruined. I think they had some kind of family meeting. Clyde doesn't tell the story completely. It hurts him too badly. All I know is Bessie-Mae was sent away to stay with Abel’s family in Georgia. That must have been hard. But she did it for her sister. And Mary left soon after. When the sisters returned, your grandmother Mary stood before the church and said the baby was hers. That she found out when she went after Bessie-Mae to nurse her back to health. Bessie-Mae gave Lisa to your mother privately. Let the town think whatever they wanted. And the secret kept for many years. Until Bessie-Mae, after drinking heavily one night, couldn't stand the guilt. She loved your mother. She played the role of Aunt and let her sister present your mother as her own. Your mother had more respect and love from the people in the town than Bessie-Mae's other bastard children. And she could sing. Far better than Bessie-Mae. Sing her heart out. Bessie-Mae knew that voice was directly from her. And when she was drunk enough one night she cornered your mother in this house and told her the truth."

"Oh no," Marietta said.

"So that's it. That's the reason Mama ran away. The reason why she stayed away."

"The entire family was devastated by what Bessie-Mae had done. Mary said she hated her. That she never wanted to see her again. And the drinking got worse. Without Mary to lean on, and her children blaming her for causing more misery for them Bessie-Mae's depression turned horribly bad. One day she picked up her gun, put it in her mouth, and pulled the trigger."

Mirabella’s tear stained face lifted from her hands. She looked at Minnie with horror.

"Broke Clyde's heart. He was the one that found the body. The rest of her children couldn't take it. Some moved away. Those that stayed hated your grandfather and Lisa. When she come back here, people were so nasty to her. She had no one on her side. I'm sorry, Mia. I'm sorry for the scorn you felt and didn't know why. I'm sorry for the town using your pain and guilt against you."

"What about Granddaddy? How did he live with it? Sleeping with two sisters. Breaking his wife's heart. How?" Marietta asked.

"He buried it. When your mother ran away, he took every picture down. Every single one. They were in boxes upstairs. I think Mary made those books out of them and hid them away. Maybe she thought he'd grab the boxes one day and burn away her memories of her sister and her daughter. And I ain't finished. Let me tell you about Lisa. When she returned. He stood in the pulpit and called her a drug addict in front of the whole town. Shamed her. But she held her head high and took communion." Minnie smiled at Mirabella. "Your mother was healthy. She was clean of drugs when she was here. I know that for a fact! And she loved you. Loved you hard. I remember when you took your first steps, Mia. It was right out there on that porch. You walked to your mother. And she cried and swore she would love you for the rest of her life. I think the grief of losing you, Marietta, is what made her leave. She came to me one night. I was newly married to Clyde. His other wife couldn't take his crazy ways. Lisa told me she had to leave and go to Chicago. I asked her why. I was afraid it was for drugs. But she was smiling. Happy. She said she had the biggest surprise for everyone. That she’d gotten a job, and could move to Norfolk. So she had to go get someone special she left behind. She didn't tell me it was another baby. That's not a secret I would keep. Hell no! She only asked that I look out for you, Mia. That if she doesn't come back she wanted me to take you from her parents. Raise you away from your grandfather."

"I don't understand this," Mirabella said.

"I couldn't keep that promise. Clyde, no one would stand up to your grandfather and tell the truth of the affair. And for all his faults he did love you, Mia. He loved you, and he paid for his mistakes. He lost your grandmother, and it broke what little strength he had in him. The guilt ate away at him until there was barely enough left to give a Sunday sermon. He paid."

Marietta put her arm around Mirabella's shoulder. "Can you leave now, Minnie? It's been a long night. I think we’ve heard enough."

Minnie nodded, and her daughters got up. Each came over to kiss Marbella on the cheek and smile for her before they left. Minnie was the last one. She forced Mirabella to stand and come into her arms. She hugged her. "I know you live in Italy. I know you got a big fancy life and all of that jazz. But we are family. Okay? Let's be family again. Always."

Mirabella hugged Minnie one last time before Marietta showed her to the door. "I'll be right back," Marietta said and went outside with Minnie.

She walked Minnie to the car. "Thank you for this. For telling us the truth."

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