Vanessa walked through the lobby, trying to keep a happy face as she mingled with the cast and audience members. Everyone was supportive, offering congratulations and praise for her work, but she still couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling of disappointment that her parents and her sister didn't support her.
She was headed for the bar to order a drink, when Lawrence and Eileen approached.
"Lawrence. Hello," Vanessa greeted him warmly. "I thought I saw you in the audience during the curtain call. How did you like the show?"
"I enjoyed it. I was just coming over to congratulate you. You were very good."
"Thank you. I'm glad you came." She looked at Eileen and smiled. "Hi, I'm Vanessa."
"Eileen," she replied. She knew Vanessa looked familiar on stage, but only now could she place where she'd seen her before. At the hotel restaurant, she had seen Vanessa and Lawrence having dinner together while she was on a date with someone else. "How do you and Lawrence know each other?"
"I was married to Lawrence's uncle," Vanessa replied, giving the short version of the story. "Would either of you like a drink? I was just about to order something for myself."
"Yes, thank you," Eileen asked.
"I'll be back in second."
As he saw Vanessa walk away, Justin took the opportunity to approach Lawrence. "Excuse me. I hope I'm not interrupting. I'm not sure if you remember me. I'm Justin Jordan."
"Of course, you're Audrey's brother," Lawrence answered. Not noticing Eileen's look of alarm he asked. "How are you? Have you heard from Audrey since she left?"
"No, I haven't . . . I'd like to apologize to you on her behalf. I know she thought highly of you and was sorry she had to leave so suddenly. I don't think she knew herself that she was leaving until a few hours before. I hope there are no hard feelings."
"No, not at all . . ." Lawrence's voice trailed off as he watched Eileen slip away from the group and walk quickly out of the room. When he called out her name she didn't look up or stop.
"Excuse me," Lawrence said to Justin and followed after Eileen.
"Where are they off to?" Vanessa asked as she walked towards Justin. "I just ordered drinks."
"I don't know."
Vanessa looked at the empty doorway and then turned back to Justin. She smiled warmly. "I don't think we've met. I'm Vanessa Summers."
Reese looked at Elyse, confused. "If you aren't my mother, then why do the orphanage records say you are?"Elyse sighed. Retelling this story was something she had hoped she would never have to do again. "I told them to put our names down as your parents instead of your biological parents when I took you to the orphanage. We decided it was the best way to protect you."
"Protect me from what?" Reese asked. When Elyse seemed to hesitate, Reese pressed her to answer. "Please, I need to know the whole story. I've been searching my entire life for my past and so far you have been the only one who has been able to tell me anything. Who were my parents? Did you know them? Why did they give me up? I need to know."
Elyse closed her eyes for a moment as she collected her thoughts. "I want to help you, but what happened back then isn't easy for me to talk about and I don't think it will be easy for you to hear. What happened was awful and. . . are you really sure you want to know?"
"Yes, I do," Reese insisted. "Whatever it is, I can take it. I need to know."
"Fine." Elyse sighed and began the story. "Your mother's name was Lydia-"
"Lydia Flemming?" Blaine interrupted. He exchanged a look with Reese who looked too shocked to speak.
"Well, yes," Elyse answered, a bit taken aback herself. "How did you know?"
Blaine shrugged. "We must have come across the name when we were looking at records. I'm sorry, go on."
"Well, um, Lydia and I were best friends. We met when my husband, Philip, and I moved into our first house together and she lived with her family next door. Even though she was a few years younger than me, we became friends right away. She was so bright, funny, and spunky. She practically lived at our house, especially after things got uncomfortable for her at home. But we enjoyed having her over."
"Uncomfortable? How?" Reese asked.
Elyse paused, wondering if she had said too much. "Lydia . . . was a very beautiful girl and some of her brother's friends who spent a lot of time at their house were starting to take notice of her and she wasn't comfortable with that . . . it turned out rightly so . . ."
"How? What happened?" Reese asked with an increasing sense of dread.
"One night, we all went to the carnival except for Lydia, who wasn't feeling well . . . and one of her brother's friends . . . We thought it was odd that he was missing, but didn't think much of it at the time. He was something of a loner. Anyway, we found out later that while we were out, he went back to the house knowing Lydia would be alone and . . . forced himself on her."
Elyse cast a quick glance at Reese. Seeing the look of horror on the younger woman's face, she quickly looked away and continued with her story. "She didn't tell anyone what happened, including me, but I knew something had happened. After that, she practically moved in with me and Philip. She was terrified to be alone."
"A few months later, the whole story came out. It had to, she was pregnant and couldn't hide it.
"When her parents confronted her, she told them the whole story, but they didn't believe her. When he, her attacker, denied the story and told her parents that they had planned to meet that night and that he intended to marry Lydia, her parents took his side. They insisted that they do the 'right thing' and get married.
"Lydia was determined to get out of it. She didn't want to marry a man she despised or carry his child and said she'd rather die than be tied to him in any way. Everyone accused her of being over dramatic, but I knew better. Philip and I were determined to help her get out of this mess.
"Her family and her husband-to-be watched her like a hawk and didn't give her a chance to . . . to do anything. She was forced to marry him and did everything she could to keep herself together, hoping to get away . . ."
Elyse trailed off, momentarily overcome by the past. She shook her head and tried to focus. "I was there when you were born. As soon as you came into the world, Lydia had me take you to the orphanage before her husband could see you. When he asked about the baby, she said that you died. I didn't think he would come looking for you, but I didn't give them Lydia's name at the orphanage, just in case."
"Then what happened?" Reese asked weakly. She was almost afraid to ask. "Was she able to leave him? Is she still alive?"
"No," Elyse said grimly.
"What - what about . . . my father is he still alive?"
"As far as I know. He's spending what's left of his life in prison. Though I think he deserves much worse."
"They gave him a life sentence for rape?" Reese asked.
"No, for murder . . ." Elyse replied. She hesitated to tell the rest of the story, but she knew there was no stopping now. "When Lydia told him that you died, he blamed her. He thought she was deliberately responsible for losing their baby and he took out his rage on her." Elyse paused a moment trying to compose herself.
Blaine leaned close to Reese and held her hand. "Are you alright?"
Reese nodded, barely feeling his touch as she stared forward blankly.
"I'm sorry," Elyse continued. "I wish I had a better story to tell you about your past, but, sadly, that's what happened. I used to torture myself wondering if there was more that I could have done, but I couldn't have changed anything. I still think about her all the time and I've wondered about you . . . I'm glad we finally met and I can see for myself that you're well. I'm glad you escaped at least."
"Reese has done very well for herself. She's a lawyer," Blaine offered. After a moment of awkward silence, he turned to Reese and suggested, "We should go. Thank you for your time, Mrs. Hudson."
"Before you go, I have something for you," Elyse said as Blaine and Reese walked towards the door. She went into the other room for a moment and returned with a small picture frame. "It's a picture of your mother. I think you should have it."
Reese only glanced at the photo as she reluctantly accepted the gift from Elyse. "Thank you," she whispered and let Blaine lead her out to the car.
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