I wrinkle my nose. “I hadn’t even considered that anyone who might have known her would still be around … but I guess it hasn’t been that long.” I wonder if Mrs. Harden remembers my mother. I should ask. She’d been kind of cryptic when I talked to her earlier today, warning me to watch myself. It makes me think maybe she’s seen an awful lot in her years at Rosehaven. I never really thought about how much student drama teachers and staff must observe year after year. I bet they have some good stories. Maybe even know some secrets they keep. I tuck that thought into the back of my head when Aunt Liz responds.
“I’m sure there is probably more than one teacher still there who taught back then. Seventeen years really isn’t very long. Lots of teachers teach for thirty or more years, especially at a cushy job like that.”
I bite my lip, wondering what sort of info Aunt Liz will tell me if I ask. Mom had always been very tight-lipped about her high school years, and I guess it never occurred to me to ask why. I mean, duh, she had me the fall after she graduated, so I can make certain assumptions—but beyond that, I’m kind of clueless.
If only I knew the whole truth surrounding my mother’s time here. I’m seriously starting to wonder what her experience at Rosehaven had really been like. I hem and haw about it for a few minutes, and decide it’s best not to rock the boat too much right now. Maybe I can ask for more details sometime soon.
My phone buzzes against the hardwood of the dining room table just as we finish up with dinner.
“Go ahead, sweetheart. You’ve made some friends, obviously?”
I nod with a smile as I swipe to open the message.
Unknown Number:Do you know who your mother secretly dated in high school?
My brow furrows. It’s coming from the same number the text about my scholarship had come from. Someone is clearly happy to continue fucking with me. I blow out a breath.
Aunt Liz excitedly gabs about a vacation they’re planning for next summer. Sounds like they are going to Aruba. I don’t want to ruin her good mood.
Besides, it’s not like I haven’t asked myself a million times over who my dad is. But is this person saying they know? Or that the two are somehow connected? I bite my lip.
Me:Maybe you should just tell me.
Unknown Number:That’d be too easy.
Right.What a fun little game this person is playing. I guess talking to Aunt Liz “soon” is going to be right now.
I look up from my phone and pin my eyes on her. “What was Mom like when she was my age? No bullshit, please.”
Uncle David’s brows fly to his hairline, and he coughs, choking a little on his steak. “Wow. Liz, I’m going to let you field that one.” He shakes his head.
Cool as a cucumber, Aunt Liz asks, “Why do you think I’d bullshit you, Scar?”
I shrug. “I feel like I only have a partial story. I thought I knew Mom, but the more I think about it, the longer I’m at her school, the closer I get to the age she was when she had me, I’m pretty sure I’ve been kept in the dark way more than I realized. Or maybe my head’s been in the sand? I mean, she was my mother, so I only want to think the best of her.”
She sighs. “You know, I was quite a lot younger, so I only know what little she told me. She had a rough time at Rosehaven for a long time, though. I do know that.”
Sounds familiar.
“She was a bit of a wallflower, just like you always knew her to be, and didn’t really develop a lot of friendships until much later in life. She was at Rosehaven on an academic scholarship.” Her teeth rake over her lip. “She was lonely, I think.” She stabs a few green beans and brings them to her mouth, though it’s obvious she’s really thinking about what I asked. “It wasn’t until the first half of her senior year that she actually seemed happier for a while.”
I perk up at that. “Oh yeah?”
“I can only assume it had something to do with your father, but I can’t say for sure. She didn’t share that much with me. I was just her bratty little sister, you know?” She flinches a bit, lowering her eyes to her plate. “The honest truth? Your mom was a mess the second half of that year. It wasn’t until summer that I understood she was pregnant and trying to hide it. You were due in early November—obviously. So she’d have gotten pregnant sometime in the middle of February.”
“And she never said who this guy was?”
“Never.” She shakes her head definitively. “She never so much as breathed his name to me. She kept telling our parents that she thought they’d been in love, and the boy hadn’t felt the same once he found out she was pregnant.”
I frown, blinking back tears. “But he knew about me, right? The one time I asked, all she said was she’d been young, and young people make mistakes sometimes.” My fingers quickly swipe under my eyes as a few rogue tears sneak out.
“Yes, according to her, he knew. But sherefusedto give you up. You were wanted, even if things didn’t happen in a conventional manner.”
“Why didn’tyouattend Rosehaven? I don’t think I’ve ever specifically asked you that.”
Aunt Liz blows out a steady stream of air. “Some ugly rumors got started—not that I ever heard most of them. I was pretty sheltered from everything that happened by our parents. The major one I know of was that she slept around. I know for a fact that wasn’t true. She didn’t have it in her to do that. I believe with my whole heart that she was genuinely in love.” She shakes her head, staring off into space.
My chest tightens, and I’m kicking myself for making her relive this because it’s obviously upsetting—to both of us. I swipe more tears from my cheeks as I wait for her to be able to finish. She looks a little lost thinking back to that time.