Paul and Nora: Part 6

Paul still knew the way to the Henry's home.  He had visited it many times when he had been dating Jessie.  It was his ex-in-law's house after all.  He wondered if it was still decorated the same or had they changed it in the last 17 years.

He parked the car in front of the house.  Nora got out.  Paul sat still for a moment and took a few deep breaths before he got out.  When he did get out of the car, Nora was waiting for him.  She took him by the hand and squeezed it.  "You ready?" she asked.

"I think so," Paul answered.

"It's going to be fine," she said.  She squeezed his hand again and they walked to the front door.  Paul knocked.

A man opened the door, "Paul, welcome," he said holding out his hand.

Paul shook his hand, "Mr. Henry, it's nice to see you again."

"Anthony, please."  Anthony Henry opened the door wider for Paul and Nora to step in.  He led them into the living room where an older woman and a teenage girl stood.  Anthony turned to Nora, "I'm Anthony Henry," he shook her hand.

"I'm Nora Wright."

"How do you do?  This is my wife, Sandra and our grand-daughter, Alexa."

Paul and Nora looked at the nervous teen for a second before Paul stepped forward.  "Hello, Alexa," he held out his hand.

Alexa took it and they shook.  "It's nice to meet you,"

Alexa, Nora, and Sandra took turns shaking hands and greeting each other.  After everyone had said hello, there was an awkward moment of silence.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Anthony stepped forward.

"Thank you," Nora answered, "A glass of water, please."

"Certainly, sit down and make yourself comfortable.  Paul, can I get you anything?"  Anthony asked.

"Nothing right now, thank you," Paul answered.  He sat down next to Nora.  Alexa sat down too.  She and Paul were looking each other over.

"Your home is lovely," Nora said to Sandra.

"Thank you," Sandra replied.  Anthony arrived with Nora's glass of water.

They sat awkwardly for a few moments.

Nora spoke up first, "Well, Alexa, are you getting settled in here?"

"I am, thank you."

"Are you in school?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, I'm a senior at Newman High School," Alexa answered.

"At Newman? Our oldest son goes there," Nora gestured at Paul and herself.  "He's a freshman, though.  Are you involved in any activities?  Band, sports, or anything?"

"I'm in choir."

"Oh, that's very nice.  Tristan, our son, he is in the band.  I don't guess your path's cross much." Nora said.

"No, probably not." Alexa replied.

Paul was grateful for Nora's conversation with Alexa.  It gave him time to study her and decide what he wanted to say.

"I was sorry to hear about your mom, Alexa," Paul said.

"Thank you," Alexa turned to face him.  "It was quite a shock."

"May I ask how it happened?" Paul asked.

"A car wreck.  Someone hit her," Alexa answered.  It was still a fresh wound for her.

"I'm so sorry." Paul hung his head for a moment.  "This is all very strange and I don't want to pretend to ignore the situation any longer.  We need to be adult and talk."

Everyone nodded their heads.  Anthony and Sandra sat down next to Alexa. 

"First of all, I need some straight answers from you guys," Paul looked into the faces of his ex-in-laws.  Seventeen years ago, he was intimidated by them and he couldn't have been so straight forward, but many years and many experiences had passed.  "Why did Jessie leave me and why did you never tell me she had a daughter?  All these times I've seen you over the years, and you never said anything.  Why not?"

"Paul," Sandra leaned in towards him, "we are sorry about the way things worked out.  Jessie didn't want us to tell you.  We respected her wishes.  We thought it was wrong for her not to let you know about your child and we told her so, but she didn't want to."

"Can you tell me now?" Paul asked.  His voice was pleading, not angry.

"We never quite understood why Jessie did what she did.  She never gave us a good explanation.  All she ever told us was she realized she didn't want to be married.  We don't think it had anything to do with you, Paul, it was Jessie, completely.

She knew this would upset you, so when she decided she no longer wanted to be married, she severed all contact.  Then, when she realized she was pregnant, she made the decision to not let you know.  This would only have forced contact with you that she did not want to have. You would have wanted to be involved in the baby's life.  She would have been forced to face you and she didn't want to do that."

"So I never got to be involved in Alexa's life or even know she existed just so Jessie could be spared an uncomfortable confrontation?"  Paul was upset.  Nora took his hand and squeezed it.

"Paul, we agree with the way you feel.  We told Jessie that, but she had made up her mind.  She was an adult, we could not force her to do anything.  It was not our place to interfere," Anthony explained.

"Paul, if it makes any difference, Jessie never told Alexa either, about you, that is," Sandra said.

Nora looked at Alexa.  She was looking very uncomfortable.

"Yes," Paul went on, "but Alexa knew she had a father, even if she didn't know who he was.  I, on the other hand, never knew I had a daughter.  I had no idea.  This doesn't just effect me, either, it also effects my wife and my children.  What she did was wrong."

Alexa jumped up, "My mom was a good mom!" she yelled.  "She loved me and now she's gone."  Alexa ran out of the room.

"Alexa!" Sandra yelled after her grand-daughter.  Everyone had jumped up after Alexa ran out of the room.  Sandra went after Alexa.  Paul sighed and sat back down.  He put his head into his hands.

Sandra walked back in.  "She's locked her door."

"I'm so sorry," Paul said. "Maybe we should leave."

Nora laid her hand on Paul's shoulder.  "No, you need to talk this out.  You all have had seventeen years worth of questions and pain.  You need to work through it.  You talk, I'll go see if I can talk to Alexa."

Nora didn't wait for an answer.  She left Paul, Anthony and Sandra and went down the hall.  One door was shut and Nora could hear a muffled crying on the other side.  She gently knocked on the door.

"Please go away!" Alexa cried from the other side of the door.

"Alexa, it's Nora.  Can we talk?" Nora asked.

Nora expected Alexa to yell 'no' from the other side of the door, but to her surprise the door was unlocked and opened.  Nora walked in.  The room was cream colored and plain, except for the deep purple bed spread and pictures Alexa had hung on the walls.

"Hey," Nora said and she sat down on the bed next to Alexa.  "I'm sorry things got out of hand back there."  Nora nodded her head towards the door.  "It wasn't very nice of them.  But, you have to understand, Paul loved your mother very much and his heart was broken when she left him.  He has had many long years of unanswered questions and wondering why.  He needs to work out those issues with your grandparents.  I hope you'll forgive him, because he really is a nice guy.  Had he known about you, he would have loved to have been a part of your life."

Alexa nodded and blew her nose into some tissue.  Nora looked at the photos on Alexa's dresser.

"Is this your mom?"  Nora reached over and pointed at a photo.

Alexa nodded again and picked the photo up off the dresser.  "Yes," she said.

"She looks like a lovely lady.  What kind of work did she do?  She is dressed very professionally."

"She was an accountant for a department store," Alexa answered.

"I see.  And are these pictures of your friends?"  Nora was trying to get Alexa to relax and open up a bit. 

"Yeah.  They're my friends from school.  That's Mia and Lindsay and my boyfriend, Rob."

"It must be hard to move away during your senior year," Nora said.

Alexa sighed, "Yeah, it is.  I miss them all so much.  I miss my friends, I miss my home, my room and my mom."  Alexa wiped away the fresh tears that had appeared in her eyes.

Nora reached over and put her arm around Alexa's shoulders.  She gently squeezed her.  "It was very brave of you to contact Paul.  I imagine it was scary to do that," Nora said.

"I was worried.  If mom never told me about him, I thought perhaps he was dangerous, but after mom died, Grandma and Grandpa told me about him.  They said he was kind and respectable.  They told me he had a good family and that they had always liked him.  After they told me all of that, I decided I wanted to meet him.  I'm almost an adult and I think I'm old enough to meet my father and decide for myself if I want to continue contact."

"That is a very adult thing to do.  You are mature for your age and capable of making good choices," Nora said.  She honestly felt that way about this young lady.  "Alexa, I know that we've only just met, but I want to tell you, I'm a friend and if you ever need to talk to someone, that isn't your grandma, I'm available."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wright."

"Call me Nora."

There was a knock on Alexa's door.  "Alexa, dear, it's Grandma.  Dinner's ready."

"Coming Grandma," Alexa said to the door.  She and Nora stood up.  They went out and into the dining room.  Paul and the Henry's stood around the table.  When Alexa walked in, Paul went to her.

"Alexa, I'm so sorry for my behavior and making you upset.  I hope you'll forgive me."

Alexa smiled and held out her hand.  "Of course I will," she said.

Paul took her hand shook it for a moment and then held it tenderly in his, "Thank you," he said.

Everyone sat down at the table.  Sandra and Anthony began to pass the food around.  Conversation was still a little strained, but it flowed more easily than before.  Alexa asked Paul and Nora about their work and their children.

Nora chuckled as she sat next to Paul and across from Alexa.  While it was obvious that Alexa had been born to and raised by someone else, once in a while she would see a mannerism or characteristic of Paul's in the young girl.

"What are you chuckling at?" Paul asked her.

"It's really remarkable, your eyes, Alexa.  They are so much like Paul's.  Once in a while, you'll make a face that is just like one Paul will make or our son Isaac," Nora said.

Paul and Alexa chuckled an identical laugh.

"So, your sons, Tristan, Blake and Isaac, they are my step-brothers?"

"Half-brothers," Paul corrected her.  "Yes, you've got three little brothers now."

"And I'm your wicked step-mother," Nora smiled, but twisting her hands in a melodramatically evil way.

Alexa laughed again.  "I don't think you're wicked.  I think you are very nice.  Thank you for coming to meet me."

"It's my pleasure," Nora smiled.

Alexa and Sandra cleared the dinner plates and brought out dessert, cheesecake.

"I'm a big fan of cheesecake," Paul said.

"I know," said Alexa, "Grandma told me."

"You remembered?" Paul asked, looking up at Sandra.

Sandra smiled and blushed slightly.  "How could I forget?  You and Jessie had me bake a dozen different kinds of cheesecakes so you could pick the perfect one for the wedding."

"Oh, that's right, we did."  Paul laughed.  "How could I have forgotten that?  You were so good to do it, too.  Your cheesecakes really were the best.  You know, the whole wedding cheesecake thing was my idea.  I just wanted to be able to eat your amazing cheesecakes."  Paul took a bite and smiled, "Oh Sandra, you haven't lost your touch.  This is amazing."

Everyone took a bit of their cheesecakes and 'mmmed' and 'ooohed' over it.  Nora had to agree with Paul.  It was the best cheesecake she had ever eaten.

After several bites, Alexa turned to Paul, "What do I call you?"

Paul looked at her, slightly surprised.  "Hmm, well, you can call me Dad or Paul.  Whatever you feel comfortable with."

"Well, then, I guess I'll try out both names to see how they work," Alexa smiled.  "Tonight, may I call you Paul?"

"Of course you can."

Paul and Alexa smiled at each other.  There was really no way of knowing how things would work out with Alexa, but Nora was happy to see them having gotten past the evening's previous misunderstanding.  Nora liked Alexa.  She and Paul had always hoped for a little girl, but pregnancy with Isaac had been difficult and after he was born, they had decided there would be no more babies.  She and Paul loved their sons and Nora was especially proud at how all the boys looked so much like Paul.  But still, they had been a little sad at never getting a daughter.  But now, they had Alexa.  She was half Paul and Nora liked her a lot.

As they were leaving, Nora pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled some phone numbers on them.  She handed the paper to Alexa.  "Here is the home phone number and my cell phone.  Feel free to call anytime."

"Thank you Nora," Alexa said.

"And you must come to have dinner with us sometime.  I know the boys want to meet you."

Alexa smiled, "I look forward to meeting them." 

She and Nora gave each other a hug.  They all said their goodbyes and Paul and Nora went down the driveway to their car.  The door behind them shut.  Nora took Paul's hand in hers.

Paul unlocked the door and held it open for Nora as she got in.  He closed the door, went to the driver's side and got in.

"That was a lovely evening.  How do you think it went?" Nora asked.

"Well the beginning was a little tough, but that was my fault.  Thanks for your help with Alexa."

"It was no problem," Nora replied.  "I like Alexa.  She seems to be an intelligent, sweet girl.  She's very pretty, too.  And the Henry's were very nice."

"Yes, they are nice people," Paul agreed.  "I always did like them."

"And what about Alexa?"

"Well, she is, like you said, pretty and smart.  I see a lot of Jessie in her, but she is her own person."

"Funny," Nora said, "I see a lot of you in her."

Paul and Nora: Part 5

Once everyone was sitting at dinner, their plates full and starting in on their food, Paul cleared his throat.  Nora looked up at him and smiled encouragingly.

"Kids, I need to talk to you," he started.

Tristan's head popped up.  "Dad, my grades are good.  I got an A on my test yesterday."

"I'm glad to hear it," Paul chuckled, "but grades aren't what I was going to talk to you about."

Tristan smiled sheepishly.

"I don't know if you all knew this, but I was married to someone else before I married Mom."

"What?" Tristan asked. "Is this bigamy?"

"Of course not!" Paul shouted.  "I was divorced by the time I met your mom.  Please, let me finish."  Paul took a deep breath.  "My first wife, her name was Jessie, and I weren't married very long.  When we did get divorced, she was pregnant, but I didn't know that.  I found out today that I have a seventeen year old daughter."

The room was silent for a moment.  The boys sat, staring at their father, forks of food suspended in the air.

"You have a daughter?" Tristan finally asked.

Paul nodded.  "She is your half-sister."

"I have a sister?"  Isaac asked.  Paul nodded again.

"Where does she live?" Blake asked.

"Well, she was living with her mom, but her mom just recently died, so she has moved in with her grandparents.  They live here, in this city," Paul explained.

Paul looked at Nora.  She smiled.  Despite the tricky subject, he was handling it well.   The boys were too, but then Nora figured their calmness about the situation could be due to shock.

"Will we get to meet her?" Blake asked.

"Sometime, yes.  Mom and I are going to meet her on Friday."

Isaac started to bounce in his seat.  "Do we get to go too?"  he asked.

"Not this first time," Nora spoke up, "but we will tell her all about you and you can meet her the next time."

"Oh boy!" Isaac cried out, "I've got a sister and I'm going to meet her."  Isaac seemed to take the idea very well.  Perhaps he didn't really understand what it all meant, but it didn't matter.  He had taken his new sister into his heart and accepted her immediately.

Blake and Tristan ate for a few minutes in silence.  They seemed to be considering what this all meant and how their lives would change.

Isaac rambled on about meeting his sister in between bites of food.  He was in the middle of a sentence about how he was going to take her to all his soccer games when he stopped and asked Paul, "What's her name?"

"Alexa," Paul answered.

"What happened?"  Tristan asked. "Why did you leave your first wife?"

Paul was surprised by Tristan's questions.  He didn't like talking about this part of his past.  He had spent years trying to bury that part of his life away.  He felt angry by Tristan's accusation and wanted to tell Tristan to mind his own business.  But then he realized this was Tristan's business.  He, Blake and Isaac had every right to know.

"I didn't leave her.  I loved her.  She left me and I don't know why.  I thought we were happy and in love, but one day, I came home to a letter from her.  She only said she didn't want to be married anymore.  I never saw her again,"  Paul sighed.

"Mom," Blake asked tentatively, "are you going to leave Dad now?"

"Of course not!" Nora said.  "I love him and I'm happy with him.  I would never leave him."

"Listen kids," Paul said.  All eyes turned to him.  "I know this is strange.  It's strange for me too, to learn that I have a daughter, but no matter what, you are my sons and I love you.  We love you," he pointed to Nora.  "We will never leave you and never stop loving you.  Things are going to change now, but generally, our lives will go on as normal.  We'll still go to soccer games and band concerts.  We'll still go to see movies, have five mile runs, and all of our normal activities.  I'm not exactly sure how adding Alexa to the family will change our lives, but we will carry on as normally as possible."

"Is she going to live with us?" Isaac asked.

"No dear," Nora answered, "she will live with her grandparents."

Blake and Tristan nodded.  They were fairly quiet through the rest of the meal.  Isaac, however, was not.  He spent the rest of the meal talking about how he and his best friend at school were plotting to scare the girls at recess and his soccer game on Saturday.

That night, Nora went to check on her sons before they went to bed.  She did this most nights, but felt tonight was especially important that she visit with them.  She couldn't imagine what they were feeling and how much of everything they truly understood.  She went to Tristan first.

"Are you OK, Tristan? You've been very quiet this evening."

"It's so weird, Mom," Tristan said.  "I've got a big sister.  I've always been the oldest and now I'm not."

Nora sat down on the edge of his bed.  "I know it's odd.  But, you are my oldest.  You will always be my oldest and I'm guessing Dad will always thing of you like that, too.  Don't worry, you are always the oldest in our family and you are Dad's oldest son.  You've not lost your place."

"Do you think she goes to my school?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know.  I suppose she might.  I'm guessing, though, that she is a senior.  So, even if she is at your school, you aren't likely to run into her," Nora answered.

"That would be really weird," Tristan said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Nora agreed, "I suppose that would be very strange."  Nora looked at her son.  He had Paul's dark curly hair.  She stuck her fingers into his hair and ruffled it.  "Night Tris," she said.
"Night Mom,"

Nora left and closed his door behind her.  She checked on Blake.  He was sitting on his bed drawing.  Nora looked over the pad of paper at the picture.  It was a lovely landscape that he had been working on for several days.  He was working on a new part of the picture.  It was a lone pine tree set apart from the other trees.

"Is this the art you are going to enter in the contest?"  Nora asked him.

"No," Blake answered, "but it is an idea I might go with.   I've got several concepts in mind.  I'll show them to Mr. McDonald tomorrow and see what he says about the pictures."

"Well, I'm no expert on art, but I like this one a lot.  You do amazing work."

"Thanks," Blake said.  He flipped the pencil in his hand around and began erasing a part of the lone tree he had just drawn in.  He flipped the pencil around again and began to redraw the part he had just erased.  Nora couldn't see a difference, but Blake seemed happier with the newly drawn bit.  He defiantly had an eye for detail.

"OK, well, night Blake."  Nora backed up to the door.

"Night," Blake answered, but never took his eyes off the paper.

"Not too much longer, OK?" Nora said.  "Lights out soon."

"K," Blake answered.

Nora shut the door and went to Isaac's room.  It was empty.  Nora sighed.  She knew where he was and it was going to be hard to get him to bed.  She went back to the living room.  Paul and Isaac were sitting together on the couch watching sports.

"What are you doing up?"

"Mom, it's the highlights," Isaac answered.

Paul and Isaac were following a major worldwide soccer tournament in South America.  Every evening the scores and highlights were featured on the sports channel and they were watching that day's features.

"Paul, not too much longer, OK?"  Nora said.

"Yeah, Nora," he answered.

Nora smiled and went back to her chair with the murder mystery on the table next to the chair.  She picked up the book and settled back down into the soft chair.  Maybe now she could do some reading.

PART 6

Untitled: Part 4

If you are just joining, please begin with PART 1.

Synopsis: Paul and Nora have been happily married for fifteen years. They have a nice home, good jobs and three sons. But one day, more than seventeen years after his first marriage ended, Paul discovers that his first wife and him have a daughter. She is a girl on the verge of high school graduation and womanhood. Paul and Nora must come to terms with this new addition to the family.

Nora slid the pan of pork chops into the oven and closed the door.  She turned back to the kitchen table, where her youngest son Isaac was sitting.  Well, sitting was hardly what he was doing, his head was on the table and he was wallowing in self-pity. His head was resting right on top of his homework paper.

"Come on Isaac, sit up and do the work," Nora encouraged him.

"But Mom, it's too hard," Isaac whined.

Nora hated this nightly battle with Isaac.  She sat down next to him and pulled the paper out from under his head.  She looked over the math sheet.  "You did the last two perfectly," she said.  "Come on, let's do the next on."

Isaac lifted his head and Nora put the paper back in front of him.  Isaac huffed at the paper and he began to work.  Nora sat next to him and watched him work.  He was doing everything correctly.  When he had finished the problem, he looked up at his mother.

Nora nodded, "You got it right, keep going."

Isaac huffed again and went back to his work.  Nora chuckled to herself.  Isaac, who was eight, was her youngest.  Despite the whining and fighting he put up each night, he was very smart and never really needed her help.  But, he preferred sports and playing outside over homework.  He was small in size, but his wiry body was full of energy.  There was always a ball at his feet and even as he sat at the table, doing homework, his feet were twirling around a basketball under the table.  He would go on five mile runs with Paul periodically.  Of the three children, he looked like Paul the most.  The truth was, all the boys looked like Paul, but Isaac was the only one to have Paul's blue eyes.  The other two boys, Tristan and Blake, had Nora's light brown eyes.

Tristan, who was fourteen, was well rounded in his interests and activities.  Along with sports, Tristan also played in the school band, enjoyed reading and hanging out with friends.  He was social and had an easy going personality that made him popular among his friends.

Blake was twelve and often seemed to have his head in the clouds.  He was a dreamer and an artist.  He loved the outdoors and often spent nice days outside in a cluster of trees behind their home.  He would sit there and draw and dream.  He had camped out there on his own many times during the summers.  He didn't play sports like his dad and his brothers, but he enjoyed watching them and could be found with the other men in the house on the weekends, watching their favorite sports teams play.

Nora watched Isaac to his homework.  He was getting it all correct.  She stood up from the table, "Keep it up, you're doing it right," she said.  "Only a few more problems to go and you are done."

Isaac groaned, but he went back to his work.  In less than five minutes he had finished the math sheet and sprinted from the table to the back door.   Nora went back to preparing dinner.  Her mind wandered back to the events of the afternoon.  She couldn't stop thinking about Alexa.  What was she like.  She wondered if Alexa was a tomboy or a girly girl.  Did she like school, sports, music? Was she fashion conscious or did she have a style all her own?  Was she a reader?  Was she quiet and shy or outgoing and popular?

"Mom?"

Nora jumped, her thoughts abruptly cut off.  "Oh, Blake.  You startled me."

"Sorry, Mom," Blake said.

"That's alright.  Now, what can I do for you?"  she asked.

Blake held out a paper.  "There's an art contest at school.  I'm going to enter, but my teacher has asked a couple of us to come to an afterschool group so she can work with us on our entries and technique.  I need you to sign the form."

Nora took the paper and looked over it.  "Sounds like fun," she said.  "You'll stay after school on Tuesdays and Wednesdays?"

"Yep."

Nora glaced over to the calendar.  It wasn't hanging on the wall.  Nora remembered she had given it to Paul earlier.

"That should be fine," Nora signed the paper and gave it back to Blake.

"Thanks Mom," he said.  "When's dinner?"

"Half an hour.  Have you finished your homework?"

"Yep," Blake answered again.  He left and went back to his room.

Nora went to the office to retrieve the calendar.  Paul was at his lap top.  She walked to him and kissed the top of his head, then she reached over his shoulder and picked up the calendar. 

"She wrote back," Paul said, swiveling his chair around to face her.

"Who wrote back?  Alexa?" Nora asked.

"Yeah.  She is inviting us over for dinner at her grandparent's house on Friday evening."

Nora glanced at the calendar.  Paul had already written the dinner onto the calendar.  "Good, that should be fine.  Are you alright?"  Nora kissed his head again.

"Yeah, fine," Paul answered, but his voice waivered, giving away the nerves he was feeling.

"It will be OK," Nora said.  "Dinner's in thirty."

When Paul didn't answer, she left and went back to the kitchen.  She hung the calendar back up on the wall.  Dinner on Friday with her husband's daughter and ex-in-laws.  What an evening to look forward too.

PART 5

Untitled: Part 3

If you are just joining the story, please begin with PART 1.

Synopsis: Paul and Nora have been happily married for fifteen years. They have a nice home, good jobs and three sons. But one day, more than seventeen years after his first marriage ended, Paul discovers that his first wife and him have a daughter. She is a girl on the verge of high school graduation and womanhood. Paul and Nora must come to terms with this new addition to the family.

Nora wrapped her arms around Paul and held him close.  Paul hugged her back.  He was lucky and he knew it.  Nora was an amazing woman.  She could have been angry with him.  He had a daughter with another woman, but Nora's arms were wrapped around him, and he knew that she loved him.

"Paul," Nora said. "Alexa says it is your name on the birth certificate, so she has probably begun forming an emotional bond of some sort with you even before meeting you.  And I know that you were legally married to Jessie for a short time, so there is really not much reason to doubt, but how sure can we be that Alexa is actually your daughter?  I mean, we really don't know what Jessie might have done after the divorce.  Is it possible that Alexa isn't your daughter?"

Paul looked hurt for a moment, but then his face softened. "I suppose you could be right.  However, in the email,  Alexa attached a photo of herself with Jessie."  Paul pulled out another folded paper from his pocket.  He handed it to Nora.

She unfolded it and looked at the picture of the two women.  One was older, with red hair and wearing a business suit. The other woman was a young, obviously a teenager.  She was wearing a school uniform and was laughing about something.  Nora looked closely at the teenage girl.  Alexa.  Her husband's daughter.  She gasped lightly.  "She has your eyes, Paul, and your curly hair."  Alexa's eyes were the same shade of bright blue as Paul's.  And her hair looked just like Paul's, but longer.  It was dark brown and full of curls.  "She looks so much like you," Nora said.

Paul took the picture back from Nora.  He looked at it and chuckled.  "Jessie must have dyed her hair.  She wasn't a red head."  He folded the paper and stuck it back into his pocket.  He stood there, in the middle of the room.  His eyes were unfocused as he thought about all the memories and feelings that were flooding back to him.  He thought of Jessie.  She had been so sweet and was such a beautiful bride.  They had been so happy and often talked about their future together.  Their honeymoon had been perfect and when Paul went back to work that first morning, he had no reason to believe that she would not be there waiting for him when he got home.  They had snuggled together the night before and chatted over breakfast.  Passionate kisses had been exchanged and they lamented being apart from each other for the entire day while Paul would be at work.  When he got to work, he was greeted by a stack of papers that needed to be taken care of.  He had been very busy all day long, but during his lunch hour, he had tried to call her.  She hadn't answered and Paul had figured that she must have gone to the store to stock their bare pantry.

He had no idea that she had left.  She had given him no warning.  They had been as happy as could be, or so he had thought.  But she had left and now, he realized, that she was pregnant when she left.  She couldn't have known.  Paul wondered if it would have made a difference to her if she had known before leaving him.  Probably not, Paul decided.  But, he would have like to have known and had  the chance to be  a part of his daughter's life.  He had been angry with Jessie when she left him, but he had forgiven her and moved on.  It had taken time to reach complete peace and forgiveness. Several years, if he was honest with himself.  But now, with the revelation of a teen daughter, all the hurt came back.  He was angry with Jessie all over again.  It wasn't about him and Jessie this time.  It now involved Alexa, Nora and his three sons with Nora.

"Nora, our sons," he turned around and looked into her eyes.  "How do we tell them about this?"

Nora slid her arms around his waist and squeezed him.  "Well, we tell them the truth.  They are old enough to know and understand.  They deserve the truth.  They have a sister now."

"A sister."  The revelation of a daughter was coming at him like a storm.  He felt lost and helpless.  It was so much to take on.  He pulled out of the hug that Nora had on him.  He looked at her and smiled, "That means you are a step-mom now."

Nora frowned and playfully shoved him.  "I never thought I'd be one of those.  I shall do my best to be very evil."

Paul hugged her.  "I'd better go email Alexa," he said.  "What's our schedule like?"  Nora took the calendar off the wall and handed it to him.  He looked at it for a moment.  "Where do I suggest we meet?"

Nora thought for a moment.  "Well, she could come here for dinner, although it might be difficult to talk openly with her on that first meeting with the other kids around.  We could meet at her grandparent's home.  It would be more comfortable for her and you could talk to your ex-in-laws.  Or we could meet at a restaurant.  It would be a neutral place."

Paul nodded at her suggestion, then he turned and left for the office.

Nora sat down on the sofa again.  A daughter had suddenly joined the family.  How would it changed the family dynamics?  Nora tried to think of the young lady who had just lost her mother, moved to a new city to live with her grandparents and then discovered the truth about her father.  As shocked as Nora and Paul were over this, no doubt Alexa was going through an even more difficult time.

Nora checked the clock.  She still had just under an hour before the kids got home from schoo.  Nora peeked into the office. Paul was typing at an email.  Nora went back to her comfy chair.  The tea was cold.  She sat down and picked up her book.  She found her spot in the book and where she had been and started to read again.

Ten minutes later, Nora realized she was still on the same paragraph.  She wasn't really reading.  Her mind kept wandering and she had read the same few lines over and over.  There was no way she could read right now.  Not when so many thoughts were going through her mind.  She closed the book and put it down.  For a while she just sat there, thinking.  Finally she got up and went back to the office.  Paul was sitting back in his chair, looking at the picture of Jessie and Alexa.

Nora walked quietly to Paul and placed a hand on his shoulder.  "Do you miss her?" she asked.

"Jessie?  No.  I don't miss her, but having this picture of her, seeing her for the first time in seventeen years, it is very strange.  Her face is a familiar stranger.  I know her and that she was once my wife, but at the same time, she never really was.  It was all a lifetime ago."

Nora squeezed Paul's shoulder.  He reached up and took her hand, pulling her around from behind him.  He pulled her down and sat her on his lap.  Nora put her arms around his neck and kissed him.  He held her around her waist.  He kissed her back.  His kisses wandered around her face and then onto her neck for a few moments until she giggled and squirmed away from the tickling.

"How much longer until the kids get home?" he asked.

Nora glanced at the clock on the screen of Paul's laptop.  "Half an hour," she breathed as he kissed her neck again.

"Perfect," Paul said.  He stood up, which forced Nora to stand up too.  He took her by the hand, led her out of the office and into their bedroom.  He shut the door and locked it.

PART 4

Untitled: part 2

If you are just joining the story, start at the beginning with PART 1.

Synopsis: Paul and Nora have been happily married for fifteen years. They have a nice home, good jobs and three sons. But one day, more than seventeen years after his first marriage ended, Paul discovers that his first wife and him have a daughter. She is a girl on the verge of high school graduation and womanhood. Paul and Nora must come to terms with this new addition to the family.

"You know I was married for a short time before I met you," Paul said.  It wasn't a question because he knew that she knew the answer.

"Yes," Nora said.  She was surprised.  Paul almost never spoke about his first wife.  Nora tried to remain calm, but she could feel her breathing getting quicker.  A panic was starting to rise in her.  He his first wife contacted him?  Was e leaving her?  Maybe she should have worked harder on those last 20 pounds.

"We got married, went on our honeymoon and on my first day back at work after the honeymoon, she left.  I came home expecting to be greeted by my wife and instead I came home to a letter saying she had decided she didn't want to be married after all.  A couple of weeks later, I got the annulment papers to sign.  No explanation, no phone call, nothing.  We never spoke again.  I tried, but Jessie had moved and changed all of her contact information."

"Yes, you've told me all of this.  It still makes me sad to think she hurt you like that," Nora said.  It was true.  She was glad, for her sake, that his first wife had left him, leaving him free to meet and marry her, but she didn't like to think that someone had broken his heart like that.  Nora sighed an internal sigh of relief.  Maybe he wasn't leaving her after all.

"It did hurt, but it turned out for the best," Paul smiled and looked at Nora's face.  "I met you."  He learned over and kissed her.

"I've always appreciated your honesty to me about your first marriage," Nora said.  She was starting to relax, but she wondered where Paul was going with all of this.

"Well, it seems that Jessie wasn't very honest with me about several things." Paul took another deep breath and let out a big sigh.  "Nora, I have a daughter."

"What?" Nora felt like she just got the wind knocked out of her.  "You have a daughter?"

"Honeymoon baby," Paul lightly chuckled.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know until today."  Paul was hurt.  He never would have held information of this caliber from his dear Nora. 

"So what's changed?" Nora asked.  "Why now, after all these years, is Jessie finally telling you this?"

"Jessie didn't contact me.  Alexa did," Paul replied.

The name his Nora like another punch in the stomach.  "Alexa is your daughter's name?"

Paul nodded.

"How old is she?" Nora asked.

"Seventeen.  From Alexa's email, I've learned that Jessie died a month ago."

Nora inhaled sharply, "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that."

"Why?" Paul asked. "You didn't know her at all.  Why are you sorry?"

"I'm sorry for Alexa," Nora explained.  "It can't be easy for a young girl to lose her mother."

"I suppose so," Paul thought for a moment.  "Anyway, it seems that Jessie never told Alexa who her father was.  Alexa's grandparents had a folder of important papers, should Jessie ever die.  It contained her will and Alex's birth certificate.  It was the first time Alexa had seen her birth certificate and the name of her father that is listed on it.  She found my email and contacted me today."  Paul pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it.  He handed it to Nora. 

It was a copy of the email from Alexa.  Nora read the letter out loud. "Dear Mr. Wright.  My name is Alexa Henry.  My mother is Jessie Henry, who, as I understand, was married to you for a short time seventeen years ago.  I wanted to let you know that my mother passed away a month ago.  My grandparents, who are my only family, have invited me to live with them.  We were going through some of Mom's important papers and I found my birth certificate.  There is no easy way to say this, so I guess just coming right out and saying it is the best way.  You are listed on my birth certificate as my father.  Mom would never tell me who my father was, even though I had asked her on several occasions during my childhood.  I asked my grandparents if they knew you.  They told me what they knew about your marriage to Mom.  Because of Mom's death, I've have moved in with my grandparents.  I understand they live in the same city as you.  I would like to meet you.  I know that this is awkward and I do not expect anything from you, but I would like to meet you.  I hope to hear from you soon."

Nora looked into Paul's face.  She couldn't quite tell what he was thinking.  "Poor girl," Nora finally said.  "This has got to be tough on her."

Paul nodded his head.

"Have you replied?" she asked him.

"Not yet, but I need to soon."  Paul took the letter back and read over it again.  He couldn't believe this was happening.  Seventeen years and he never knew.  He had seen his ex-in-laws over the years.  It was a problem with living in the same city as them.  For a long time after the divorce, he had tried to get information from them about Jessie, but they would never answer him.  The finally told him that Jessie had asked them not to tell Paul anything.  Paul gave up hope at that point to ever find out what had happened to Jessie.  By that time, however, he had bet and fallen in love with Nora and it didn't matter anymore.  Still, he couldn't believe they didn't tell him about Jessie being pregnant.  Obviously Jessie hadn't wanted Paul involved, but to no even tell him he had a daughter was just wrong.

"So, what do you want to do?" Nora asked.

Paul looked concerned.  He was watching Nora for her reaction.  He couldn't quite tell what she was thinking or if she was upset.

Nora noticed how Paul was studying her.  She smiled at him "Whatever you choose to do, I'll support you."

Paul relaxed.  "I want to meet her.  She is my daughter and she is still a minor.  I probably have a legal responsibility to her."

"Well, if that's what you want to do, then that's fine.  I'll be as involved as you want me to be.  If you want me with you, then I will and if you want to go at this alone, then I will understand."

Nora wrapped her arms around Paul and held him close.  Paul hugged her back.  He was lucky and he knew it.  Nora was an amazing woman.  She could have been angry with him.  He had a daughter with another woman, but Nora's arms were wrapped around him, and he knew that she loved him.

PART 3

Untitled: Part 1

Synopsis: Paul and Nora have been happily married for fifteen years. They have a nice home, good jobs and three sons. But one day, more than seventeen years after his first marriage ended, Paul discovers that his first wife and him have a daughter. She is a girl on the verge of high school graduation and womanhood. Paul and Nora must come to terms with this new addition to the family.

Paul read and re-read the email several times.  He pulled up the picture that was attached to the email.  He stared at the picture for several moments.  His mind was in a whirl.  He couldn't believe what he was reading.

Finally he printed the email and the picture, logged out of his account and shut down his computer.  Paul grabbed his coat and left work early.  He made up a poor excuse to his boss about his wife, Nora, being sick and needing him at home.

*******************

Nora was home, but she was not sick.  In fact, she was quite happy.  Her morning part-time job at the library had gone well.  A book she had put on hold had finally arrived.  The pork chops for that night's dinner was thawing, the last load of laundry was in the dryer and the dishes were loaded into the dish-washer.  She was ready to dive into her book.

Nora had two hours before the kids started getting home from school.  She fixed herself a cup of herbal tea, flipped on some quiet music and settled herself into her favorite chair.  The chair was old, over sized and extremely comfortable to sit in, although, it was hard to get out of.  The cushions were sinking in from years of use.  It was Nora's special place.  Paul had bought her the soft chair back when their first baby had been born.  She had spent many hours, sitting in that chair, nursing and snuggling all three of her children.

Nora took a sip of her tea, settled into the chair and opened her library book - a murder mystery.  It was her favorite author's latest novel.  She slowly sipped the tea as she read.  The characters were introduced, each of them seemed to have dark secrets.  The stage was set for the murder.

There was a click at the front door.  Nora's head popped up.  She heard the door open and then close.  Nobody was suppose to be coming home right now. She held completely still, listening.  Her heart was pounding

"Nora, I'm home!" Paul's voice called out to her from the front room.

Nora let out the breath she was holding.  She chuckled to herself.  The book had just gotten intense.  The murder was about to happen.  She was a little jumpy.

"Nora?" Paul called out.

"In here!" Nora struggled to get out of the soft chair.  She got up and went to the front room.  Paul was taking off his coat.  He hung it over a kitchen chair.  Nora walked up to Paul and kissed him, "Hello dear.  What brings your home so early?"  When he didn't answer right away, Nora looked into his face.  She could tell something was wrong.  "Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not."  Paul pulled her into a hug.

"What's wrong then? You seem upset."

Paul looked around the room.  "Are the kids home?" he asked.

"No.  Not for another hour and a half," Nora answered.  She was getting a little concerned.

Paul sat down on the couch with a sigh.  Nora sat down next to him, but turned herself to face him.  She put her hands on his knee.  "What's wrong?" she asked.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before answering her.  "Nora," he said, "you were so young when we married."

Nora chuckled nervously.  "Young?  Not that young.  I was twenty five."

"Much younger that me," Paul said.

"You know your age has never made a bit of difference to me," said Nora.  She gave his knee a light squeeze.  It was true.  Paul was nine years her senior.  He had been thirty four when they had married.  Her parents had worried that he was so much older and several friends had voiced their concerns, but it had never mattered to Nora.

Most of the time Nora felt much older than Paul.  He ran five miles every morning and was in perfect health and when he had turned 50 on his most recent birthday, Nora though he looked better than he did when they were married.  She, on the other hand, had not managed to stay in such great shape.  She had been pregnant and given birth three times.  During her last pregnancy, she had put on more weight than she had with the first two.  Now eight years later she had shed all but 20 pounds.  They were stubborn and they were not coming off.  Nora decided to accept the extra weight as a pregnancy battle wound, like her stretchmarks.  Really, Nora knew how blessed she was to have those extra pounds and stretchmarks due to pregnancy.  She had several friends who couldn't have children and wanted them.

Paul's sigh drew Nora back from her thoughts.  "I know you've never cared about our age difference and for that I'm thankful."  He paused.

Nora was watching his face with intensity.  He had something big on his mind.  She knew she just needed to be patient.  He would tell her whatever was on his mind in his own time.

PART 2