I thought about what Maggie had said the other day when Trey and I saw her the first time about Preston vomiting every time she finished nursing from Maggie.
I recalled how resistant and reluctant Preston had been when we got her back to nurse from me. Suddenly I was filled with fear at the possibility that if Maggie was being poisoned Preston may have ingested some of whatever poison it was through Maggie's breast milk.
I needed to stay calm at the moment. I would discuss this with Trey as soon as Preston finished to see if he thought she should have blood testing done. The problem was we didn't know what we would be looking for as far as a specific poison.
Trey returned to our room a little while later lifting a sleeping Preston from my arms to put her in her crib. I pulled my sweater on and went out to the kitchen. Trey joined me momentarily.
Over lunch I discussed my concern about having Preston tested in case Maggie had been poisoned during the period of time that Preston was with her.
"Christ," he said shaking his head, "How in the hell do we explain
that
to her pediatrician? I suppose it's worth putting a call in to see if anything can be done when nothing is conclusive on Maggie's assertion at this point."
He looked over at my worried face and took my hand into his.
"I really think the baby is fine though, sweetie."
"I know Trey but it would put my mind at ease knowing that some slow-acting poison hasn't infiltrated one of her organs."
"I suppose you want me to make the call to the doctor right?"
"Please Trey? I'm too embarrassed. Apparently there's some bayou trash amongst my mother's siblings it would seem. I'm too emotionally drained at the moment."
"Alright Tylar," he said, "But there is a call that I think you need to make yourself."
"What call?"
"The call to Judge Tylar. I happen to have his cell phone number. He left all of his contact information when he phoned me at my office last week."
I was reluctant to make that call. What would I say? What if he didn’t like the message? What if he rejected me like a lot of others had in the course of my life? I couldn't take a rejection like that. What if he didn't believe me?
"Tylar," Trey said, watching me toss around the 'what ifs' in my mind.
"I know Trey. I know that it is my call to make. What do I say to him?"
"How about: Congratulations Your Honor; it's a girl?"
CHAPTER 35
It was 7:30 p.m. Monday evening. I had cleaned the kitchen up after dinner; bathed and dressed Preston for bed; showered and put on clean pajamas. Trey was playing with Preston in the living room before Monday night football. I had no reason to put off making the phone call to Judge Tylar.
I took my Blackberry to our bedroom and sat down on the bed. I took a deep breath and pressed the keys for the cell phone number that Judge Tylar had given Trey. I recognized his voice when he answered his phone.
"Judge Tylar - this is Trey Sinclair's wife. We ran into each other at the courthouse last week in Baton Rouge?"
"Yes Mrs. Sinclair I remember. What can I do for you?"
(Holy shit, here goes nothing.)
"Your Honor I recently learned that my birth name was Tylar Jamie Renaud. I was raised as Tylar Jamie Preston around Louisville, Kentucky. I was born in Louisiana on July 14, 1991. My mother's name was Marla Renaud. I was told by my aunt who just passed away that you are my father."
There was dead silence on the other end of the phone for several moments. I had probably shocked the hell out of him.
"Hello? Judge are you still there?"
"I knew it. I knew it the moment I saw you that you were Marley's daughter. My God, you are the picture of her. Every bit as beautiful as my sweet Marley," he said. The emotion was evident in his voice.
"I do have the same amber colored eyes as you though," I said, putting it out there.
"I was told that my mother had green eyes."
"What do you mean 'you were told'? Where is your mother? Where is Marley?"
(Oh God. He had no clue about any of this.)
"I don't remember my mother Judge; she died before I was a year old."
"Dead? How is that possible? She would only be what 39 or 40 years old now?"
I explained to him what Maggie had told Trey and I about Matthew Renaud and the night he presented my mother to the judge at his bachelor party in New Orleans. It was the night that I was conceived. I mentioned the part about the pearl necklace and earrings and my mother telling Maggie that the judge had told her that he loved her. He listened intently, never interrupting to confirm or deny. I ended the story with her death though I wasn't sure of the exact date.
"It’s all true," he admitted not hiding the sadness and regret in his voice.
"Marley was a virgin when I took her that night. I was drunk and enjoying the last of my bachelor life. I am ashamed to say this but I thought she was like the other girls that were there that night to service the men. I swear I felt horrible after what I had done."
I wanted him to tell me about my mother. I wanted to hear about her from someone that had cared about her.
"Can you tell me anything about her?" I asked my voice cracking.
"She was beautiful - like you are. She was feisty which of course made her that much more desirable. I romanced her that evening. I listened to her talk about her hopes and dreams for the future. She had distinct plans for her life. She didn't care for New Orleans. She wanted to move back home to Mississippi and get a job to put herself through college. I remember her saying she didn't care to continue living with her sister and brother now that she had turned eighteen a couple of months previously."
He stopped for a moment and sighed.
"I asked her if she wanted to go upstairs where we could talk more privately as the party was getting fairly lively downstairs. We had rented two floors of the hotel for that weekend. She agreed. I took her to my suite and we sat on the bed sipping champagne and sharing bits and pieces of our lives with each other. I still was under the impression that she was . . . well uh . . ."
"A whore?" I finished for him.
"Yes."
" May I call you 'Tylar'?"
"Yes of course," I replied stiffly.
"Tylar I don't want to go into any further detail about what happened after that. It was a private night between your mother and me. Suffice it to say that I realized very quickly that she was an innocent. She had been telling the truth when she tried to shove me off of her telling me that she was a virgin. I honestly thought that it was part of her 'routine' I guess. I felt horrible afterwards but she stayed with me the whole night. She didn't have to; I offered to have a limo dispatched to take her home."
At this point I heard the judge chuckle softly. What had he found funny about the apparent ravaging of my mother? I wanted to hate him but for some reason I couldn't.
"After she verbally berated me for my 'animalistic' behavior I think was what she called it, she claimed she wanted to wash my 'stench' off of her. She ordered me to draw her a bubble bath which I did. I was falling all over myself to make it up to her. She took a leisurely bath and then put the hotel robe on and climbed into bed. She instructed me not to get any ideas; she just wanted me to hold her in my arms while we slept. I did as ordered and we slept curled up in each other's arms all night. It was the best night's sleep that I had ever had; I've not had another night's rest quite like it since."
I felt the tears running down my face hearing his story. There must have been something about him that my mother trusted. The very brief interlude that they had with one another had somehow formed a connection.
That connection was me. Could my mother have suspected then that she had conceived?
"What happened after that?" I asked him.
"I drove her home the next morning still apologizing to her. I told her that I was to be married soon but that I needed to see her to be with her. I told her that I wanted to make love to her properly. She asked me if I was still going to be married. I said that I was. She told me that she didn't roll that way."
(Oh my God! She sounded so much like me!)
"The rest you already know Tylar. Your aunt's account of what happened over the next couple of weeks is all accurate. I did love my sweet Marley. I always have."
I needed to get off the phone. This was all too emotional for me.
"Does your phone have video capabilities?" I asked him.
"Yes it does."
"I would like to forward the video I recorded of my aunt's deathbed conversation. There are parts of it that you need to hear. Perhaps you can help with untangling some of this. I know that you are a busy man Judge Tylar."
"Please call me Preston."
"Uhh - I don't think that I can do that sir."
"Why not?"
"Because my baby daughter is named Preston."
"I see," he said.
I felt his smile over the phone.
"So it appears that I am a grandfather as well as a father?"
"Only if you believe what I am telling you is the truth," I answered.
"I believe it is the truth. I'm only sorry that Marley didn't let me know. It would have changed everything," he said with a sigh.
"Would you consider calling me 'Dad' or 'Father'?" he asked tentatively.
It was my turn to smile into the phone.
"I like 'dad' best," I replied.
"Then dad it is."
"Okay dad - I will send this video your way. I would appreciate any help you can provide in locating these people mentioned. If my mother was poisoned as my aunt alleges in this conversation than I need to seek justice on her behalf."
"Of course you have it," he promised.
"When can I see you and my grandbaby Tylar?"
"I don't know for certain. We'll work something out soon. Can I ask you something?"
"Certainly."
"How old are you?"
"I'm fifty," he replied.
"I'm ten years older than your mother."
(Just like with Trey and me.)
"Do I have any brothers or sisters?"
"I'm afraid not. My wife wasn't able to have children. She passed away last year."
"So you will watch the video and get back with me?"
"Yes I will. I will try and get some answers for you very quickly."
"Good-night Tylar."
"Good-night Dad."
Trey came into the bedroom looking for me. He had Preston in his arms.
"I wondered where you were," he said. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine Trey," I said entering my dad's number into my contact list on my Blackberry.
Once finished I forwarded the video to his phone.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"I just forwarded Maggie's conversation to Dad. He's going to assist in getting to the bottom of this."
"Dad?" he asked, his eyes widening.
"Well it's 'dad' for me. I think that you are still expected to address him as 'Your Honor'," I replied smiling.
"Seriously? You made the call?"
"Yes Trey, I did. He shared a lot with me about my mother. He believes I am his daughter and he wants to meet his grand-daughter who just happens to be his namesake."
"Baby that is fantastic," he said
"Did you hear that Preston? You officially have another grandpa. He's a federal judge too," Trey was telling her.
She didn't appear to be overly impressed. At the moment she was chewing viciously on her rubber banana. She was probably cutting more teeth by the looks of it.
"So baby, I'm going to change Preston's diaper and put her down for the night. She took a bottle while we were watching ESPN so how about you and I celebrate your good news?"
"Let me guess. We'll watch Monday Night Football together?"
"That's not even close to what I had in mind," he said giving me his dimpled grin.
CHAPTER 36
Gina and I were in the kitchen getting the bird out of the oven.
"That looks great Ty," she said eyeing the turkey.
"Can you mash the potatoes Gina?"
"Sure thing," she replied getting the hand mixer plugged in.
I went into the living room where both Trey and Tristan were sprawled out watching football.