Chapter 80

The next day, Janet got up from bed early. She and Marcus had stayed in her childhood room. Joan had moved into the room so that her son, Mark would stay in her own room, but when Janet came, she had to sleep in the same room as her son.

Janet's room was next to that room so when Janet came out to go get coffee downstairs, Joan heard it. Janet had been giving her and their mother and attitude and she wanted to clear the air and address the elephant in the room before she and Marcus leave.

Janet was just about to pour herself a cup of the brewed coffee when she heard someone said, "Make it two cups please". She almost dropped cup from shock but when she realized who it was, she took her own cup and walked out saying, "I think you can manage doing things without me"

She walked to the living room, took the remote and turned on the TV, she noticed that they had gotten cable. The cable was obviously bought from her money—the ones she always sent back home every month. She noticed that the entire house had changed, she would have made a comment about it yesterday but she was too pissed to say anything to her mother or Joan. The couches in the living room were a nice beige color, the new religious ceramic ornaments matched the furniture colors, giving the room an almost intercontinental tone.

She tuned in to the news channel and just sipped her coffee quietly. Joan got her own coffee and came to sit on the couch adjacent to the one Janet sat on. She cleared her throat a few times because she could not muster the courage to say anything to Janet yet.

Janet knew how hard it was for her sister to be put in the position she was in at the moment but she was more hurt to be concerned about her sister's feelings. She was mad at her and their mother and she would not contact any of them when she leaves this morning. She knew that Joan knew that, which is why she was trying to make peace—it was just for the monetary benefits.

Janet took the last gulp of her coffee and was about to stand up and walk away when Joan finally said, "Janet, I really did not mean to hide him away from you"

Janet paused. So, that was it? That was what she had been coughing this whole time about? She was not sorry for hiding her child from her sister, she was just feeling that way because Janet eventually found out.

"That's interesting Joan, good to know." Janet walked off to the kitchen.

Joan followed her behind and said, "You don't understand, I could tell you because I was ashamed of myself, I had just done the worst thing ever"

"The worst thing? You think of your son as the worst thing? He's your flesh and blood! You're his mother! Where is his father?"

Joan cowered and said "I don't know"

Janet put down the cup in the sink and turned to face her sister fully."What do you mean by that?"

"He didn't want the child when I told him about it and so I didn't bother to talk to him about Mark anymore"

"And so you decided to hide him in here?"

"Janet, I'm trying to give myself another chance at life"

Janet could not believe what she was hearing. "I don't even know what that means"

"It means that I want to start my life afresh. You have no idea what it's like to be a single mother in this town. Nobody would want you anymore. You would be like a single nun. I want a shot at the good things life can give me without people running away because I got a kid myself. Look, I made a mistake having him, and I regret it everyday but—"

"Did mum make you do this?"

"No. I made up my mind not to tell you or let anyone tell you. Look, that child is the reason I'm stuck in some community college, I was going to have a good life and work my way out of this state but look at me"

"Joan, it's not your baby's fault! You decided to have sex with a man without any protection, he's a result of that. It's not his fault that he is here."

"It's easy for you to say, you don't have a child. You have a loving boyfriend that will take full responsibility if anything happens while you're dating. I didn't have the luxury of that. You should have seen the way he bolted immediately he found out that I've been put in the family way. I had to find myself. I started going to church and getting great friends from the fellowship—"

"And none of them advised you to be a better mother?"

"None of them know that I'm a mother. I have someone that likes me and is interested in me, I'm not going to jeopardize that by admitting that I have a child. Janet, you don't know what happens to single mums in this town. I have seen first hand how people treat them. And a town this small, the least of my worries should be being the talk of everyone."

Janet just starred at her sister. She did not know what to say, she was so focussed on her life with Marcus and school, she did not know something like this was going on in her family. She thought she could just help them by lessening their financial burden but there were more things that money could not fix and those were more important. As she watched Joan, she realized how she had already made up her mind towards her child and there was nothing Janet could say or do that will change the way things were being ran around here. It seemed like they had found a system and it was working for them. Janet did not want to be that unsupportive sibling who'd ruin things for them and she most certainly did not want them to think that she was not sensitive to Joan's feeling or her experiences.

"So, what will you do when he needs to go to school?"

Joan facial expression changed to that of pleading. She looked like she was going to ask Janet for a favour but was wondering if Janet was going to accept her offer.

"Well... You see...we planned to...um... I don't want you to take this the wrong way but... That's why I said that I didn't mean to hide Mark away from you...I was going to formally ask you—"

"Janet, I hope you're not about to say what I think you want to say"

"Look, you don't stay here so you don't have anything to worry about. Nobody will say or do anything to.maje you feel any type of way."

"Joan, you cannot tell people that I'm the mother of your child. What if he grows up to hate me!"

"We will make sure he doesn't."

Janet frowned, "Oh my God, Joan!"

"Please Janet. I already have a good thing going on with me and this guy that I like but he has told me that he doesn't think he could ever be with a single mother. He's one of the very very few good guys in this town."

"So, you're gonna lie to the guy you like?"

"It's not a lie. Mark is my blood, as he is yours. Just saying you're his mother is the tiny detail I'm changing."

Janet could not believe her ears. She gave it a little thought and it was not really a bad idea, her nephew was a handsome lad, and she was not going to stay in this town so nothing anyone here would say could bother her, but that would also mean she could not come too frequently to the town even if she wanted.

Should I ask this? Should I help Joan? I mean, it's not like this is a big deal for me but is this a good thing for the relationship she's about to go into? If this man she just talked about likes her and decided to be with her, will it be right knowing that she lied about everything? Honestly, I think when that time comes, we will sort it out. For now, I will work on being a great mum to my new son. He needs someone who will not deny being his mother. This is actually very exciting for me! I'm a mum! Oh my! I am a mum! What do mums do? Janet thought to herself but she said, "Fine, you can say I am his mother, I stand by your decision but bear in mind that I do not support this deceit, especially for your love interest"

Joan smiled and hugged Janet tightly to the point that Janet could not breathe properly. Joan could not believe that Janet will accept her offer, she had been thinking of ways to tell Janet, but nothing came to her mind. She just wanted to start a new life and just be free to go out in public with Mark without people asking her weird questions. A close look at Mark and he looked like her, but another person that he looked like was Janet. Growing up, Janet and Joan had always been mistaken for each other because of the way they looked like each other. Most people even thought they were twins. So, this lie will sell out and her son will soon start going out with the other kids and having friends that were not his aunt or grandmother.

"Jo...Joan, you...You can let go now before you squeeze all the life out of me"

Joan let go and was smiling so deeply, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's okay."

"I'll rinse the cups. You know, you and Marcus look so good together"

"Thank you." Suddenly, something crossed Janet's mind and she decided to ask her sister, "Joan, I need to know though, if and when Mark's father decides to come back to the picture, what will you do or say to him."

"That bastard—forgive me Lord—will never come back into my life or Mark's life. He does not like kids and people like that never change."

Janet did not say anything else, she hopped that Joan knew what she was doing because she did not want her to be caught up in the tangles of her web of lies.

As they were talking, their mother walks in. She sees them and tries to read the room, to see if Joan had told Janet of what they had talked about.

"Hey Mum" Joan said immediately she saw their mother.

She looked at Janet and back at Joan and then said, "Hey kids"

Joan understood the look so she said, "It's okay mum, I already told her and she's down with it."

Their mother was shocked, she had to sit down on one of the chairs in the kitchen and said, "Really?" To Janet, she said, "You accepted to be officially known as Mark's birth mother?"

Janet shrugged and said, "Of course. My nephew deserves the best mother and let's not forget who can successfully wear that crown—just to make sure nobody is confused, it's me. You know, the one who raised Joan and Jolene"

They all laughed. The tension was definitely gone after everything got sorted out.

"Ouu, I can't wait for Mark to start daycare" their mother said. "I was worried about combining church and work and homeschooling him, now he can go to school and socialize with the other kids"

Joan was done with the cups, she put them out for them to dry and said, "That's exactly what I was just telling Janet here"

Janet watched her mum and her sister go on and on about how relieved they were that they could finally bring Mark out in public. As they spoke, her mum told her how much she liked Marcus for her. 

"He looks as responsible as you described him. I can see why you really like him. He's a keeper and you have my full support if you decide to end up with him"

"Of course she'd end up with him, have you seen that man? Have you seen the way he looks at her and the way he treats her? He's a good man and I know she'll be loved and treated right" Joan responded.

"I know I've asked you before but—that was over the phone, I just wanna hear you say it in real life—do you love Marcus?"

Janet smiled. Talking about him was all she wanted to do because of how she felt about him. "Of course. I love him so much that I'm willing to do anything for him"

"That's adorable. By anything, you mean, anything the Lord wants right?" Her mother said.

"It has to be something the Lord will accept" Joan added

Janet frown and said, "You two are the last people on earth to bring up the Lord to me—not after what we talked about some minutes ago. Anyone on earth can, but the two of you." Joan and her mum looked away in shame because they knew that she was right but what had to be done, had to be done.

"Anyways, I really love Marcus, he makes me happy and I don't think there's ever a time I'm in doubt of his feelings for me. I don't even have to ask him for reassurance, I just know that he loves me."

"That's lovely honey. Look at the time, why don't we get breakfast started." Her mum suggested.

"What about Mark, what does he eat?"

Joan and her mum were confused at this question but Janet clarified and said, "I meant, if he is on any special food"

"Oh, he's not."

Janet nodded and then picked up a some grapes in the bowl on the kitchen counter and went to rinse it in the sink while Joan and her mum started breakfast.

She finished with that and then went to sit on the chair and started eating the grapes. "I will need to know the things he likes, the kind of games he's interested in, so that I'll send money for them or just buy them."

"Janet, you don't really have to do that" Joan started.

"But I wanna do it. I am going to spoil him silly." She replied and munched on her grapes smiling.

Jolene and Mark came downstairs immediately the smell of bacon filled the house. Soon, Marcus joined them after he woke up. The dining table was full and everyone seemed very happy and chatty. Marcus noticed that whatever they had been upset about the previous night had been settled and he was happy about that.