The Way We Are
Part 21
By Amy
The house was empty. He knew it would be. He knew that Michelle’s shift at the hospital would not be over until sometime late in the evening. He was glad for the solitude. It would give him an opportunity to digest what he’d just read, if that was even possible.
He threw his jacket, which contained the letter and the photo, onto the sofa, and made his way to his desk. He knew what he was doing. He was putting off dealing with the trauma of this discovery.
He dialed the number of "The Journal" and waited for an answer at the other end. He hadn’t checked in yet this morning, and he wanted to make sure that everything was alright at work. For all the upheaval he was about to go through, he needed to know that there were some things in his life were solid. He believed with his whole heart that his marriage could survive and weather any storm, and knowing that Michelle would be there for him during and after this struggle gave him hope. "The Journal" gave him purpose, a professional ambition of which he could be proud, and his fondness of his newspaper went beyond simple career aspirations. He had managed to separate his marriage and his job from the Santos curse, and he wanted to make sure that this latest bomb didn’t blow up in the middle of his happiness.
After being assured that things were running smoothly at "The Journal", he mindlessly sifted through the pile of paper that his fax machine had produced. He made up his mind that later that day, before Michelle returned from the hospital, he would go into work, and earmark the stories that he wanted to included in the paper for the following day. Michelle was right when she said that amid all the chaos, they needed a dose of normalcy.
He sat down on the sofa and reached in his jacket pocket. His hands began to shake once more as he held the evidence that Carmen had wanted so desperately to hide. He read the letter again, and stared into the photograph. For all his efforts, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the man in the picture was his father. He didn’t even know this man.
He didn’t have the slightest idea who he was and what he was all about. He vaguely recognized the name, but he didn’t know anything about this man, this man who was his father. Danny had always felt different from the rest of his family. He was aware that Carmen had always showered him with attention, much more so than Mick, yet he had somehow always felt like an outsider looking in. He never truly understood the reasons for his feelings, until now. There was a bond, a connection that had been denied him.
After his breakfast meeting with Carmen, Sean had even more evidence recorded that would guarantee that she paid for her crimes. Their meeting wrapped up with a tender kiss between the two of them, and Sean’s promise to call her later that night. It was a bittersweet parting for Sean, because he knew that the phone call he’d promised would never take place. He knew that he had to turn the recordings over to Richard and the authorities, and after that he would leave the island, and blend back into normal society.
He knew that Carmen would be devastated by his betrayal and that she would spend many years even more lonely than she was know, and he couldn’t help but feel sorry for Carmen and whatever circumstances turned her into such a hardened woman.
Danny returned home from "The Journal", just before Michelle arrived home from the hospital. They walked to their bedroom, hand in hand, as if nothing were out of the ordinary. No words were exchanged as they undressed each other and fell into bed. No words were needed as they made love to each other, and escaped the cold harsh realities of the world. And as they held each other afterwards, the only audible sounds came from their beating hearts.
After a long while, Danny sat up in bed and said, "I need to show you something."
"What is it Danny?" Michelle asked.
He reached into the night stand drawer and found the photograph. He handed it to Michelle and asked, "Do you know who this man is?"
Michelle looked at the photo and could hardly believe her eyes. She recognized the man, though his features in the picture were much younger than she remembered him.
"You know who he is, don’t you?" Danny asked. "I can tell by the look on your face."
"Yes, I know him," Michelle answered. "But he left Springfield years ago. Was Carmen involved with him, Danny? Is that what this picture proves?"
"Yes, at one time she was," Danny said, as he handed Michelle the letter. "This letter says it all."
Michelle read the letter carefully, and Danny watched tears form in her eyes. He had yet to ask her anything about the man who he now knew was his father, because he had seen the expression on her face when she saw the photo.
Michelle looked up at him after finishing the letter and said, "I’m so sorry Danny." She meant those words from the bottom of her heart, because she knew what it felt like to find out that a parent whom you loved and adored was not really your parent. Luckily no one had conspired to keep the truth from her for her entire life, but the hurt was still the same. "I can’t believe that Carmen kept this from you."
"That man," Danny struggled with the words, "my father, who is he?"
"I don’t even know where to begin, Danny," Michelle said. "I can’t even bring myself to believe that Roger Thorpe is your father."