I had just started up the road with Judy when Jeremy called. “Hey, kiddo,” I answered as I circled directly back up on the porch.
“Is this is a good time to talk?”
“Sure. I was just going for a walk, but I’d rather sit here in the shade and talk with you.”
“I read your notes, but I haven’t shared them with Maggie Lennon.”
“What’s your reservation?”
“Not sure of my role in all this. I’m not sure if it’s right to ‘out’ Karen O’Connor to her natural granddaughter, especially if that leads her to believe you’re really her long lost grandpa...”
I could hear the anxiety in his voice, and decided he needed to talk more than he needed to listen to me. The silence dragged on a bit, and then, “Dad?”
“I’m here. And I can only tell you that I’m not her grandpa...”
“But the DNA?”
“That’s baffling to me, too.”
“I’ve known you all my life, and never known you to deny anything you’d done, even when I could see how much pain the memories might be causing. You never covered up with me, but how can I expect that woman who’s never known you to believe ...”
“I hear your dilemma, Jay, but I don’t have any answer for you. If you want me to call her, I’ll do it. I’m not doubting your supposition, and I can’t begin to guess what her reaction would be.”
Jeremy’s voice changed, “I’ve been reading about people hung up on searching for their birth parents, and as often as not the answers don’t bring them any satisfaction. I can’t know if this information will give her relief or cause more pain. Sara says we shouldn’t base our decision on how she might react, but that we should do the right thing for the right reason.”
“Sounds like your sister; how much of this have you shared with her?”
“Not great detail; hell, I don’t have a lot of detail, but I trust her instincts when it comes to how women think, so I called her.” He seemed to have run out of gas, and I let him stew until he picked up the thread. “She thinks everyone has the right to know their genealogy; how they react to that knowledge isn’t for us to judge.”
“Your sister is a savvy woman.”
“So you think...”
“It’s out of my depth as what to think, son. If you decide not to tell her, I’ll abide by that; if you tell her, I’m okay with that, too. But let’s give me a day or so to chase another angle that has just come to me, okay?”
“What angle is that?”
“I’ll let you know when I have it figured out.”
We shared notes on the rest of his life, and when he was off my phone, I went up to my desk and started searching the Internet.