Page 20 of Storm Season

Jo smiled. She rarely heard her mother use Jo’s pet name for her grandmother.

“No, you’re right,” she said. “The summers here helped mold me and give me direction and purpose. I love it here, Mom, even if you don’t. But you’re also right that I kept holding on to what you said for way too long, and I never talked with you about it. And in the meantime, we just seemed to grow further apart and then that seemed to be normal. But it’s not normal, and I want normal again.”

“Do you?” asked SeaAnna. “Because I do too. You have no idea how I’ve missed you. It seemed you despised me for reasons I just didn’t understand.” SeaAnna shook her head. “Another communication breakdown. Seems it’s the season. But this is one we can fix and we can start now.”

She stopped and hugged Jo tightly. “It’s not going to be easy but we can try. Together. Would that work for you?”

Jo wiped the tear from her mom’s face and then did the same to her own. They both stood there in the morning sun crying and then laughing.

“What people must be thinking,” Jo laughed harder. “They don’t know they are witnessing the reconciliation of the century right here and now!” Then she paused for a minute and said, “Mom, at the risk of ruining this beautiful morning, I hope maybe you can try to make up with Gran too. I don’t know what has kept the two of you apart all these years. Maybe it’s time for you two to talk. I didn’t see her last night but I heard her crying. And she didn’t get up with me this morning like she always does. It seems to me that maybe you have blamed her for things over which she had no control, like your dad not being in the picture. I don’t know. It’s just a thought.”

SeaAnna slowly nodded in agreement. “That’s something else your dad and I talked about last night. She’s getting older. You may not see it but I do. And I realize time is going by and I haven’t had have any kind of relationship with my mother or my daughter. Something is very wrong with that picture. So, I’m trying to make it all better. Maybe not overnight, but in time. And whatever I think about Chris, whether or not he really is my dad, doesn’t matter. She loved him once and felt betrayed for all these years. I should be there for her.”

“So,” said Jo slowly. “What are you going to do?”

“I’m going over to see her this afternoon. Hopefully, she’ll let me in and we can have a good talk, a good cry, or both. And then I will tell her my decision.”

“What decision is that?” Jo asked, remembering that her dad had told her something about her mom having news to share.

“I’m going to get the DNA test,” said SeaAnna. “I wrestled with it all night but we’ll never know, will we? Unless you do it and I don’t think you should have to. I am the daughter and it’s my responsibility. We need to know. Then we can all move forward however we feel.” Looking out at sea for a few seconds, SeaAnna remained silent.

“Jo, I’m not going to tell you what to do or feel. You are an adult now. If you want to maintain communication with Chris, you can. And if the test comes back and we’re not related, well, you’ll have to just count him as a friend. But if he is my father and your grandfather, that’s different.”

“Are you going to meet him,” Jo asked.

“No, I don’t think so. Not now. I want to get the test results back. It gives me time. I need time.”

Jo wanted to disagree, but when she looked at SeaAnna, she saw a woman who was really struggling. Jo wasn’t going to argue the point. SeaAnna had more than enough on her plate. She decided to switch subjects for the moment. They turned and began walking back toward the motel, by now just a speck in the distance.

“Mom, I have to ask you, did you know where your name came from? That you were named after a boat?” Jo asked.

“Someone told me back in the day at school,” admitted SeaAnna. “So, I never had to ask Mom. I wasn’t sure what the connection was, but since it’s such a strange name, I figured it was true and I didn’t want details. As you well know since we just discussed this, teen years are hell. I wasn’t very nice to your gran, then or now.”

“But you’re going to see her and that’s great. I’m going to take Dad out to dinner later so we’ll be well out of the way. You take as long as you want or need. We’ll be fine.”

Jo glanced at her phone. They had walked for a long time and it was nearly noon.

“I’m going to let Lauren run the office this afternoon. I want to think about everything too. I’ve got a bathing suit at the office and I’m just going to soak up the sun out here on the beach. Haven’t had much time to truly enjoy this place lately and school is going to start again soon. I’m waiting on the official e-mail but I’m guessing it will be in ten days or so. And I’ll need time to get home and pack up.”

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they got to SeaAnna’s room, Jo spoke carefully. “Mom, I am so, so, so sorry for these years. We can’t get them back, but if you accept my apology, can we, um, be friends?”

SeaAnna smiled and Jo saw Chris all over her face. “I think we can be mother-daughter and I think that’s even better than friends. Go on and try to relax this afternoon. If I don’t see you later, we will see you tomorrow, for sure. We do have to leave. Your dad has to get back to the office. He has clients to meet and Zoom won’t cut it for this project.”

“And I have people coming into your room,” Jo added. “Hate to have to kick you out.”

They shared a laugh together, for the first time in a very long time. Jo felt good as she walked back to the office. Then she heard, and then saw, people on the roof. Her dad met her on the office porch.

“Did it go OK?” he asked cautiously.

“Yes, it did,” said Jo. “Fresh start time. But what is going on with the roof?”

“Funny thing,” said Mike. “I ran into Chris at breakfast. He said he had finished the work next door earlier than he expected and he’d get his guys on our place today. Once they got here and took a look, they said it’s mostly cosmetic and it won’t take long at all. Probably done tonight if not first thing tomorrow.” He smiled. “And he won’t let the motel pay. I couldn’t make him budge on that. Not sure of his reasons but I didn’t argue.”

“I guess that’s OK. Not sure what to tell Gran but that’s for another day,” Jo said.

“Just tell her the truth when she asks. She’s not going to go onto the roof and tear the new shingles off,” Mike said. “Chris will likely be well away by the time she’s back on the property, or at least he’ll be working somewhere else, so it will be, as you know I love to say, done and dusted.”

“Yes, you do love that saying,” laughed Jo. “So, I’m going to spend my day on the beach and Mom told me she’s going to talk to Gran. What will you do?”

---