Page 13 of Loyalty, Lust, Love
“This isn’t on you. It was one hundred percent the responsibility of my fa—our father to make sure I knew you existed.”
“I know, and I tried to convince him often, but he was adamant about you not knowing. I’m sorry.”
“You have no reason to apologize. Meeting under these circumstances sucks, but this isn’t your fault. It’s nice to meet you.”
“You too. Umm, my mother wanted me to make a few things clear on her behalf. In case you two ever meet, she doesn’t want you to hate her or think she’s a homewrecker.”
He shrugged. “I’m listening.”
“I’m the product of a one-night stand. They weren’t in a relationship before or after I was conceived. He used to frequent the bar where she was a waitress. One night, he drank too much, and she offered to give him a ride home. They had sex in her car, and she didn’t see him again for a few months.”
“Were you born in August?”
“Yeah, how’d you guess?”
“My mother had cancer and took a turn for the worse in December. We were told she didn’t have much time. I was only eleven at the time, but I remember that day like it was yesterday. He left and didn’t come back until very late… much later than usual. I mean, they had been having marital problems for years, well before my mother got sick, but he always came home at a decent time.”
“Do you think that was the night I was conceived?”
“Had to be that night or sometime around the same timeframe.”
“My mother said he didn’t tell her he was married or that your mother was sick until after she told him she was pregnant. Had she known any of that, I wouldn’t be here. She was pissed, but neither of them wanted to have me aborted. When I was about ten, he came to pick me up, and I overheard them talking about you. I asked to meet you, but he downright refused. After what you shared, I think I understand a bit more about why he didn’t want you to know about me.”
“He cheated on my mother when she was on her deathbed. I don’t know if he could’ve ever told me that shit without me wanting to knock his damn head off. He knew that and didn’t want to face me. What a fucking coward.”
“Yeah, that was very cowardly.”
“When did you find out he had cancer?”
“About four months ago. I think he only told me because he had to tell someone. He told me not to tell my mother, but I couldn’t carry that kinda secret alone.”
“As you should have. I can’t believe he chose to tell his eighteen-year-old daughter instead of his twenty-nine-year-old son. That makes sense,” he said sarcastically.
“My mother asked him why he didn’t want to tell you. He said he didn’t want you to have to choose between your life in DC and coming to Chicago to watch him die. You’d already gone through it with your mother.”
While he appreciated his father protecting his feelings, he still believed his actions were that of a coward.
It had beentwo weeks since Lynx lost his father and a little less than that since he found out he had a younger sister. He’d been overwhelmed with the planning of the funeral while processing what he’d learned about his father. His emotions spanned from sadness to anger and everything in between. There had even been moments when he’d felt numb.
He was grateful for his friends’ support, especially Fateema’s. Even though she’d been adhering to the boundaries she’d set after the night they spent together, she still helped him plan every detail of his father’s funeral.
Lynx wanted to introduce his friends to his sister privately, so he asked them to meet him at his father’s house before the funeral. Everyone had arrived, including Frasier, Fateema’s father.
“I wanted to meet with all of you before the funeral to thank you for your support during this time. I’ve known you for most of my life, so you’re my family, and I wouldn’t have made it through these past two weeks without y’all.”
“We’re here for whatever you need, bruh,” Adam offered.
“Always,” Joaquin agreed.
Lynx took a few deep breaths before continuing. “It’s taken me several days to process this, but I found out last week that I have a younger sister. Her name is Kena. She’s eighteen and was conceived not long before my mother died.” He paused, allowing them to react exactly how he expected, shocked. “My parents’ marriage wasn’t perfect, and they were struggling to keep it together before my mother got sick. I imagine the stress her illness caused made things worse, but I never would’ve thought he would cheat on my mother at her lowest point.”
“Damn, man. I know this is hard, especially with him not being here to explain himself,” Joaquin said.
“That definitely makes it worse. Kena gave me a letter from him, but he requested that I don’t read it until after the funeral.”
“And I had to take it from him to make sure he honored Mr. Keno’s request,” Fateema said.
“This is a lot to process, Lynx. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this on top of losing him and planning his funeral. I hope whatever he says in the letter gives you some understanding,” Meaghan said.
