18 - Twenty-Fifth Year Anniversary - Draft

Juanita didn’t notice that the twenty fifth anniversary of Momma Henrietta’s death was upon them. It never occurred to her that the news outlets would cover the anniversary. She arrived at work like any other day. When she entered Darcy’s room, she was confused by the blank stare on her face.

“Good morning, Darcy!” she cheerfully said loudly to get her attention. She expected Darcy’s usual cheerful reply. Instead she turned to her with a look of horror, confusion and sadness before bursting into tears. Juanita ran to her and began trying to comfort her and asking her what happened. Darcy couldn’t reply so she turned her attention to what Darcy was watching.

“Although the specifics of Princess Darcy’s ordeal are unknown, we do have some idea through Her Majesty Queen Narcissus and those on the scene twenty five years ago when she was rescued. The Royal Nanny, Henrietta Dawes had been charged with the care of the princess since before she was born. Queen Narcissus had complete confidence in her and had no idea about the torture that her daughter had endured. Princess Darcy was thirteen by the time of her rescue shortly after the murder of Ms Dawes. Reports of sexual abuse by Henrietta Dawes and her lesbian lover, Frannie Updyke were reported during Ms Updyke’s custody battle with the state over Juanita Dawes, the child of Ms Dawes.”

The television drone on as it showed news clips of their family. Henrietta’s dead body, an emaciated Frannie walking into court, photos of their house. The three worst years of their lives condensed into a nonstop onslaught on the television screen. Juanita jumped up and unplugged the television.

Juanita wanted to scream, cry and break the television but she quickly put her emotions aside and composed herself to help Darcy. Darcy only saw a brief flash of what Juanita was feeling. She assumed that it was because Juanita was upset that the news was upsetting her. The truth was inconceivable at that time.

“I know, chica. I know. I’m so sorry that you had to see that. It’s okay. You’re safe now,” Juanita said as she stroked her hair and cradled her in her arms.

Darcy kept sobbing and mumbling that she didn’t understand. After a few moments, Juanita hit the call button. Another nurse came in with a look of utter confusion. Juanita always cared for Darcy and never required assistance.

“Get me a syringe of Valium. Stat!” was all that she uttered. The nurse came back almost immediately with the needle in hand. Juanita plunged it into Darcy’s arm while continuing to comfort her. She never even noticed the prick of the needle. She was soon fast asleep.

“Angela, what happened? Is everything okay?” the other nurses asked as Juanita walked towards the exit.

“She saw the news reports from twenty five years ago. She’s sleeping now. I’ll be back soon and stay with her to help her through the anniversary.”

Juanita kept walking as the nurses breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody cared to deal with the pain of that tragedy. As for Juanita, she had to mourn in private before dealing with Darcy again. She drove home on autopilot. She didn’t even remember seeing Geoffrey and collapsing in his arms. He cradled her in his arms as she sobbed violently.

Juanita awoke in Geoffrey’s arms an hour later. It wasn’t until this point that she could tell him what had happened. She knew that she had to be brave and return to her sister’s bedside. She dreaded the inevitable conversation that they must have.

They both agreed that Juanita shouldn’t reveal her true identity and only mention what the news had reported. She had to let Darcy remember on her own and make her own conclusions about what truly happened. They didn’t think that Darcy was strong enough to deal with this part of her life but she had no choice. The news decided for her.

Juanita returned to the hospital with a suitcase in hand. She was determined to stay there as long as she was needed. Darcy was thankfully still sedated. She readied herself and the room until Darcy awoke. Vials of Valium and syringes were placed at the ready, just in case. Healthy snacks and drinks were made convenient so that they could remain alone together. Outsiders would only make Darcy spiral further as would Juanita leaving, no matter how briefly.

Juanita had put on comfortable clothes and settled into a chair facing Darcy. She was the first thing that Darcy saw when she opened her eyes. Juanita bravely put a smile on her face and talked softly, sweetly and happily to her. She was no longer Juanita. She was a stranger named Angela who was simply taking care of a woman who had a shock. Her pain and emotions were pushed aside. Darcy was who mattered right now.

“How are you feeling, chica?” Angela said dripping with sunshine.

“A bit groggy but I’m happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you too. I love you, chica. Do you want anything?”

“Just you.”

“Well, you’ve got me. I’m going to stay here as long as you need me.”

“Thank you, darling.”

They sat in silence or talked about mundane things for some time. Angela waited for Darcy to bring up the subject in her own time and on her own terms. It started with a few brief questions that ended in long periods of silence after Angela answered them as briefly and unemotionally as possible. Angela was right there to comfort her whenever the need arose.

Soon Darcy insisted on seeing photos of the family that had abused her and the house where the abuse occurred. She was ready to confront this dark chapter of her life with Angela by her side.

Angela brought up news photos on her phone while trying desperately to remain emotionless. The first photo that Darcy requested was of Henrietta.

“This is the woman who abused me?” Darcy asked.

“That’s what the news reports say. She was your nanny.”

“I’m trying so hard to remember her. She seems familiar. But I’m not sure. What about the other woman?”

Angela showed her a photo of an emaciated Frannie without saying a word, stealing herself for the next blow from Darcy.

“I’m not sure.”

Darcy kept flipping between the two photos of their mothers trying desperately to recall them.

“It’s so faint of a memory. I seem to remember them but I don’t remember being abused at any point in my life. I don’t understand this.”

“It’s okay. Maybe you just aren’t ready to remember.”

“Maybe. But I want to try. Can I see more? Can you walk me through it all?”

Angela complied. She showed her news footage, photos and articles while spelling out the timeline of events reported in the press. At first she only showed Darcy the news reports that were full of lies. This was easier on her since she could rely on her anger to control her emotions.

When Darcy wanted to see the news footage of Frannie during her custody battle, she started it before excusing herself to use the bathroom. She couldn’t listen to her mother pleading for her to be returned to her. She allowed herself to cry in the bathroom to release some of the sadness and anger that was consuming her before composing herself once more and return to Darcy.

Darcy had finished the video and was thinking of new questions for Angela.

“Ms Updyke seemed genuine in her grief. Some of the news reports seemed ridiculous. I just can’t believe that she was this horrible monster yet it seems like she was. Whatever happened to her daughter, Juanita?”

Angela made a polite excuse to leave the room yet again. She needed time and privacy to compose her answer. She ran to her car and called her mom for advice and comfort.

“Hello, darling,” Frannie cheerfully answered.

“Momma!” was all that she could get out before bursting into tears.

“Juanita, what’s wrong, baby? Are you okay? Are you at work? Is something wrong with Darcy? What do you need, darling?” Frannie asked each question with long pauses in hopes of a response. She understood through her sobs and incomprehensible words that something had happened between her daughters but didn’t know what. Suddenly a lightbulb went off in her head. They lost Henrietta just over twenty five years ago. The news always reported on their ordeal every year at first and then on the major anniversaries.

“Oh, baby. Is it the anniversary? Did Darcy find out? Does she remember? What has she said?”

More long pauses, tears and incomprehensible words flowed from Juanita. Frannie kept trying to console her from afar until finally she could talk. “I’ve been showing her the news reports. I was doing okay until she saw you talking to the press. She wants to know what happened to your daughter, Juanita. What do I say, Momma? What do I tell her?”

Frannie knew that she was still too nervous to reveal herself, especially after talking about what happened to them. Juanita was incredibly strong but this was unbearable. Frannie asked about Darcy’s mental state and how she responded to everything before giving her answer.

“Darcy seems mentally stable right now. Your mental health is more important right now. Simply go in there and tell her that you’ll try to find out what happened to Juanita. Make sure she’s comfortable and okay before telling her that you’re going home to rest and care for your family but will be back tomorrow. Hopefully you’ll have news then. Okay, darling? We’ll talk about what to do next after you’ve calmed down, okay? It’ll be okay, my love. It’ll be okay. Now calm yourself before going back in there. I love you, darling!”

Juanita did as her mother suggested. It was hard not to appear angry or emotional in front of Darcy but she did her best. For her part, Darcy couldn’t understand why Angela was so angry and seemed to be lying to her or not telling her the full story of why she was leaving. She took her word for it though and figured that Angela would tell her when and if she could.

Angela was true to her word. She arrived as usual the next morning. There was dread and sorrow in her eyes when she entered Darcy’s room. They greeted each other as if nothing had happened. Darcy waited for Angela to broach the subject.

“I found both Frannie and Juanita. They’re both willing to talk to you if you’d like. You certainly don’t have to talk to them. It’s understandable if you don’t. I just wanted to give you the option. What do you think?” Angela said while averting her eyes. She knew that if she saw Darcy’s reaction, she’d fall apart.

“I’m not sure. I couldn’t find anything where Juanita talked about her family or even a photo of her. I guess because she was so young.

Frannie seemed genuine. The press seemed to mainly vilify her for being a lesbian which is ridiculous. Love isn’t a crime. I didn’t find any evidence of anything else. I just don’t fully trust my instincts. You saw the news reports. What do you think? I trust you more than me.”

Juanita was still afraid of Darcy’s reaction when she found out her true identity. No amount of assurances from her mom or Darcy’s seemingly understanding words could break down that wall. She stuck to the plan though. “I think that you should talk to them.”

“Okay. I trust you. I’ll talk to them. Can you set up a meeting? Also, I’ll need you there, please. I don’t know if I could do it without you.”

“Yeah,” Angela said in a hushed tone as she choked back tears. After a long pause she excused herself to set up the meeting.

Frannie was waiting in the hallway and embraced Juanita as she exited the room. She had heard everything. Once Juanita was ready, they went out to her car to talk before confronting Darcy with the truth.

“It’ll be okay, darling,” Frannie began. “She’s still the sister that was ripped away from you twenty years ago. I know that she is. She loves and trusts you completely as Angela just as she did when you were little. Remember, Little Momma?” Frannie asked with a laugh.

This made Juanita smile and chuckle. Darcy was intelligent in so many ways but there were certain areas where she didn’t trust herself, social interactions were high on that list. Juanita knew even as a toddler that Darcy needed someone to look out for her when others were involved. She was so trusting and believed everything literally. This could cause problems for her.

Juanita was always beside Darcy in public making sure that nobody messed with her. If anyone hurt Darcy, she turned into a momma bear and went after anyone. When it came to Darcy, age, size, gender, strength, status, etc never gave her pause. She had gone after policemen among others before they were even six years old.

Many women in their neighborhood were so proud of Juanita and admired her dedication to her sister. If they were ever caught in Juanita’s path while protecting Darcy, they quickly demurred and apologized to both Darcy and her “Little Momma,” as they began calling her.

It was time. Juanita’s best friend and sister deserved to know the truth. Even if Darcy never wanted to see her again, she would understand. Her broken heart would remain permanently broken but at least she wouldn’t be lying to her anymore. Lying to Darcy crushed her very soul. You don’t lie to those you love. You tell the truth and hope that your love is strong enough to handle the blow. Love based on a lie isn’t love at all.