CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

 

They drove to Flower Hill the next day in silence. Diana told Robert that Tara would be meeting them in the town square but he just nodded. The journey was vastly different from the first time they had started out—the tension in the vehicle was heavy. They passed through the little township, which consisted of a few shops, a bakery, a hardware store, and a wholesale warehouse that had the words 'Flower Hill Flour' painted on the door.

Further up the hill was a church that overlooked the village. The white tombstones could be seen from the road.

“We…I used to go to that church with my siblings,” Diana said, pointing. “I remember here now. Further down the road is where we…I...used to live with Mama before McTaggert kicked us out.”

“You can say ‘we’; I won’t jump down your throat. Do you want us to park and walk around while we wait for Tara?” Robert’s voice was hoarse.

Diana nodded and he stopped at what looked like the postal agency. The postmistress was just opening for the day. She was a top-heavy woman with a curious gaze. She looked at Diana and then her eyes traveled over to Robert.

“Anthony McTaggert,” she said huffily. “I have a mind to throw out the package for you that has been sitting here for weeks.”

Robert looked at her curiously and walked up the steps. “Excuse me, did you just call me Anthony McTaggert?”

“Oh, Lawd have mercy,” the woman exclaimed. “You look so much like Anthony.”

“His name is Robert Cassidy,” Diana said behind him. He hadn’t even heard her coming up the stairs.

“That man,” the postmistress mumbled, “his offspring can’t hide, whatever they call themselves.”

“What man?” Robert asked, just to be sure.

“McTaggert,” the postmistress snorted. “Your father, I am sure. You could pass as Anthony’s twin.”

“Actually, we are going to see McTaggert,” Diana said, standing beside Robert.

The postmistress shrugged. “Okay.”

“Where does he live?” Robert asked. His world was really crashing around him. He was really Diana’s brother. She had stiffened when the lady had called him Anthony. He wished he could turn back the hands of time to the day he saw her at the airport sitting alone, her big brown eyes bright with promise. He had felt like he knew her. He had felt a strong connection, and now he knew why. He was her brother, the missing sibling, the elusive Flynn. His worst nightmare was happening right now.

“I know where he lives,” Diana said, smiling at the woman. “Thanks though.”

She started walking, and Robert had to run to catch up to her. She was crying; her face was scrunched and miserable. “I should never have come to Jamaica. My grandmother said I shouldn’t have. She said I would get hurt. She said I shouldn’t try to find you guys.”

Robert hugged her tightly and cradled her head to his chest; they stood at the corner of the road for a long while.

“It seems as if I am the one who is finding out about my past,” Robert said with a sigh and looked into her eyes. “After today, I don’t think we can see each other. Maybe in a couple of years, probably twenty or so, when I am over you as a lover, we can begin some form of sibling relationship.” He smiled sadly. “But I don’t feel the least bit brotherly toward you, I still want to marry you and have children with you. What am I going to do, Diana? Heck, you could even be pregnant right now. That possibility is always at the forefront of my mind.”

They sat in the van, lost in thought, and staring blankly as the little town got busier. When the dashboard clock said 9:55, there was a knock on Diana’s window and she jumped, startled at the sound. It was Tara. She was dressed in a lovely black, green, and gold crochet dress that hugged her curves. Diana stepped out of the van, hugged her, and started crying again. Robert looked at Diana miserably and gave Tara a little smile. He then closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

“Okay now,” Tara said, hugging her sister. She waited until Diana’s tears abated before she climbed into the van, sitting in the middle seat behind them.

“Well, this is awkward,” Tara said, clearing her throat. “Did you hear anything?” She looked at Robert, whose eyes looked red and raw.

“No,” Robert said. “The postmistress just mixed me up with one Anthony McTaggert and mumbled that McTaggert’s offspring cannot be hidden. And then both of us came in here to sit and assume the worst.”

Tara stared at him in dismay. “Gosh. I don’t know what to say. Maybe we should go to the old place and see if anything jogs your memory.”

Diana sniffled.

“It's the three of us again,” she said, her voice hoarse, “except in highly unusual circumstances.”

Robert started the vehicle. “Point me to the old place because God knows I have no idea where it is, or could be.”

Tara sighed and hugged Diana. “Girl, it's not the end of the world. Look at the bright side.”

“What’s the bright side?” Diana asked miserably.

“You are gorgeous even when you cry,” Tara said earnestly. “I have always dreamt about seeing you again, having my big sister with me, and now here we are together.”

Diana hugged her. “I came to Jamaica to see you and Flynn again. You were both my driving force to get here.”

They both looked at Robert, who had his head on the steering wheel.

“Let us walk. It's not far from here, as far as I can remember,” Tara said brightly.

They stepped out of the vehicle, but Robert did so reluctantly.

“This way,” Tara said as they walked toward a road that led to a hill.

Under ordinary circumstances, the walk would have had Diana gushing about the view and the flowers. Instead, she now viewed everything gloomily, as if she were in a nightmare. They entered a track where they had to walk single file. She almost tripped, but Robert caught her by the waist. Her nerve endings reacted to his touch, and she felt flushed and bothered until he pulled his hand away as if he too were affected. That did not bode well for future family meetings, Diana told herself.

They stopped in a clearing, where a weed-covered mango tree was valiantly trying to bear fruit despite the oppressive parasites that were clinging to its trunk and branches. Beside it was a one-room shack. The roof had collapsed in the middle and the boards were rotten. The place was abandoned but the yard was surprisingly well-kept. There was a track from the abandoned house which led around a corner and was obscured by bushes.

Diana inhaled sharply. “This is it.”

Tara nodded solemnly and repeated, “This is it.”

Robert coughed. “You guys grew up here?”

They both looked at him sharply and Diana walked around to the back where a makeshift kitchen had been. A cat sat in the spot, cleaning itself. It turned its gold eyes on Diana and then ignored her.

“It's tame,” Tara said beside her, “which means that there are people close by.”

They followed the track through the bushes, and happened upon another clearing. There were three modest-sized houses and a chicken coop. The houses all looked old but were neatly kept.

“I wonder who lives in them,” Diana whispered to Tara.

Robert was still standing looking at the old dilapidated house with a look of intense concentration on his face.

“Come on, Rob,” Tara said teasingly to him. “We can’t protect you if you hang behind.”

Robert scowled and followed them. “My memory was not jogged. I've never lived here.”

Diana shrugged and pointed. “If you pass this track and head downhill you will find the land with the pond. When we were small we could see it clearly from here.”

Tara laughed. “I can’t remember a thing. Even though I've lived in this part of the world, I was never allowed to come back to this area.”

They went around to the front of the first house, which had shutters that were painted an ugly blue. They stood there looking at the place and then at each other.

“Diana is older; she should do the calling,” Tara said softly.

Diana gave her a dirty look and then cleared her throat. “Hello.”

There was no response. Diana spun around. “Maybe if the two of you joined in, we would be heard.”

“I think we should try the second house,” Robert said, pointing to the other house, which was about a chain away.

They were walking away when the front door opened and a slim lady came through the door with a pot in her hand which she gingerly held with a cloth.

They paused as she came through the door. She saw them and then stopped.

She cocked her head quizzically. “May I help you people?”

Tara jabbed Diana and pushed her forward.

“Yes, we were just looking at that abandoned house at the front,” said Diana, “and we were wondering where is the family that used to live there?”

The lady placed the pot on the step and wiped her hand on her dress. She threw the cloth over her shoulder and stood with her arms akimbo.

“Well, I would have to know who you are first,” she said.

Tara and Diana drew closer to her. She looked at them curiously. “You are not from around here, judging from your accent.”

Tara smiled. "We were born in that abandoned house."

The woman sat down on the red-tiled front step abruptly and shook her head. “You are Maud’s daughter?”

Tara nodded and pointed to Diana. “She is Maud’s daughter, too.”

The lady got up suddenly. “What a blessed day. I was in the kitchen cooking some food for old Mr. Garrick. He lives across the hill. Been sick for days now, and I was wondering out of the blue where on this earth you could be.”

She squinted while staring at Tara. “You are Tara, so this must be Diana.”

They both nodded. “You are keeping us in suspense Miss…”

The lady shook her head “No, it's Aunt. I am your Aunt Catherine.”

Diana smiled. “Aunt Cat?”

The lady opened her arms and Diana and Tara hugged her hard.