It seems that I have come across a very strange part of my families history while shifting through some old letters that were left by my deceased Mother. While cleaning out the papers in her desk I ran across what looked like old love letters. As my eyes shifted across the creased paper sickened yet intrigued by the hard to read words on each page, I realized that these were not old love letters to boyfriends past but a crude makeshift diary of my Motherâs life. I was excited to read them, I had never known who my father was, and maybe these pages would reveal the name of the man that got my Mother pregnant.
It started out as any girlâs diary, with dreams of what kind of life sheâd live, how rich she would be, how handsome her husband but towards the middle the years jumped. It had gone from the innocent dreams of a young girl to the desires of a young woman. The entries jumped from her 12th birthday to her 18th and there was the secret that she had been hiding from me all those years.
âHello itâs me again. My 18th birthday was yesterday and I got a present that I will not soon forget. He came into my room while I lay there trying to sleep. He sat on my bed and brushed the hair out of my face, smiling all the while. Then suddenly he brought his lips to mine and kissed me with such passion that I jumped back. He hushed me, told me to be calm, as his hands began to explore my breasts over my sheer nightgown. I was so scared but it felt so good that I couldnât tell him to stop. He quickly pushed my gown up, revealing my body to him; again he smiled before bringing his lips to my nipples. He sucked gently, taking his head back and forth between the both of them as he moved, positioning himself on top of me. Before I knew it I felt his maleness invading the dark recesses of my womanhood. I cried out in both pleasure and pain as he entered so deep into me. I felt a desire, like a ball of fire in my belly begin to rise, sending me over the edge of complete passion before he emptied his seed into meâŚâ
I sat back, taking all of this in, who was the âheâ she was referring to? Could it be my Father? My mother had never married; I was born out of wedlock, which had brought some type of shame to the family. I could see it in my Motherâs eyes when sheâd look at me though she tried to hide it. I sat back up and continued reading.
âIt has been three weeks and everything is still pretty much the same. He comes into my room almost every night and takes me. Iâve tried to tell him to stop but my own lust gets in the way and I cannot control myself. I now have another problem, on the nights that he doesnât come in Kevin does. Kevin has confessed his love for me and seeing him sit there so sincere I couldnât refuse him either. Kevin is much gentler with me, taking the time to make sure that I enjoy it just as much as he does. The other night he went from kissing my neck and breasts all the way down to my pussy and there began to kiss and lick it. I thought that I was truly going to die of pleasure. His tongue working slowly on me bringing me to an orgasm that I canât describe sends chills through my body now thinking about it. Iâm so confused now, I canât refuse either one of them though I know how wrong it isâŚ.â
I lifted my eyes from the pages again. I only knew of one Kevin and that was my Uncle. Surely she couldnât have been making love to her own brother. I thought back to all the times that I had seen the two of them together and there were never any guilty or loving glances from them so it just had to be someone else. I sat confused, there were two possible people that could be my father, the âheâ that she hadnât yet named and this Kevin. I hoped that reading further would give me the truth on which my father was.
âI am so ashamed! Iâve been sent to the sick room, locked inside this room with no windows and only a cot for a bed is driving me insane. The stale smell of this room makes me sick to my stomach but I guess that is what I get, my punishment on earth for getting pregnant. I sit wondering whoâs it is my Fatherâs or my Brotherâs and I also fear this child. Will it come out looking hideous, or will it be normal, I just donât know! Iâm surely condemned to hell for this! Iâve taken to putting my ear to the floor at night and there I can hear my Father and Brother in the library arguing. Kevin has confessed that he is possibly the father though my Father has not said anything about his part in this too. They argue about the baby inside of me, Daddy wanting to get rid of it as soon as itâs born and Kevin telling him that I will have the baby no matter what and I will keep it. He thinks itâs the only way that I will keep my sanity, but Iâm not sure of that either. How I wish Mamma was still a live, then maybe none of this would have happened or if it had then she could tell me what to do. I have decided that when Kevin brings up my supper tonight that I will tell him that he is not the only possible father. I hope that he understandsâŚ.â
My mouth gaped open as I read this entry. The baby she was talking about was I; I was the product of incest. Tears came to my eyes, a mixture of pity, anger, and disgust for my Mother. My hands shook, my stomach tightened, and I felt as if I was going to be sick from reading all of this. No wonder why when Iâd bring up anything about my Father she would turn pale and wave her hand at me, telling me that it wasnât important, to just be glad that I had her and that I was safe and healthy. I had to fight with myself to read on part of me wanted to get up and run from these pages but another part wanted to see what else was on them. The curious side won.
âIt is now December and the baby has been born. Iâve named her Charlene and after close inspection have found no deformities in her at all. She is beautiful and already has some intelligence in her eyes. Daddy died in November from cancer and I was a little relieved from this for surely if he had lived I would not have my child now. Kevin has been bouncing around, happy to have âhis daughter.â I never had the heart to tell him that the child could have also been Daddyâs. My Father did make sure that before he died that it was known that I was pregnant. People had been asking why I had not been to any social events in town and he had told them that I had had an affair with a farm hand and that I was now pregnant with the manâs baby. This also ensures that I will never be married, I think he wanted it that way. No respectable man would take
me now.â
I didnât break this time and kept on reading.
âCharlene is only two months old and I have once again found myself in trouble. I couldnât hold back from Kevin and my lust
has made me pregnant once again. Weâve talked about it and decided that it would be no good to keep this child.â
That was it, there were no more entries. I sat back in my chair lighting a cigarette; I might have a brother or sister somewhere. I had to find out where my sibling might be and there was only one person that had the answer. I crushed my cigarette in the ashtray, grabbed the makeshift diary and my coat, and left.
I made the drive to my Uncleâs house. I knew heâd probably be asleep but I didnât care, he was going to provide my with the answers I needed.
I went to the door and knocked loudly, waited a minute for him to answer, when he didnât I began to ring the doorbell. Finally, I heard noise in the house and the foyer light come on. He opened the door and smiled when he saw me. He had to have been asleep for a while, his graying hair was disheveled and he squinted in the light.
âHey Kid! What are you doing here so late at night? Is everything okay?â
âNo Uncle Kevin everything isnât okay. I need to speak with you.â
He had a confused look on his face, which quickly turned to sadness. I knew he had to be thinking that I was missing my Mother too much to sleep, boy did I have a surprise for him.
âCome on in Honey, Iâll make some coffee.â
I shuddered as I thought about what I was about to do. How I was going to bring down the world of lies he had made for himself in trying to forget who I might really be. The thought that I might be his daughter or his sister made me sick.
I sat at the dining room table as he brought me a cup of coffee. I didnât know quite how to put what I was about to say to him and just blurted it out. âWhereâs my brother or sister?â
He choked on his coffee, âwhat?â
âYou heard me Uncle Kevin or should I call you Dad or maybe even brother? You didnât know that Mom had been with Grandpa too did you?â
His eyes opened wide and he got a look on his face like someone had punched him in the stomach. âYes I did she finally told me years later. Howâd you find out?â Anger now replaced the pained look on his face. I threw the pages of writing at him, âitâs all in there.â
I took a sip of my coffee and watched as he pushed the pages that I had thrown at him aside as if heâd catch his death if he touched them. His face turned a sickly pale as he stared at the papers then turned red with embarrassment as he realized that I had read the description of his and my Motherâs love making. He glanced up at me a couple of times as he tried to collect his thoughts, a vacant look in his eyes.
âI canât deny it now that youâve read it huh?â A small smile crossing his face.
I didnât find it funny, this was nothing to make light of, âNo Kevin, I think not.â
âLook Charlene, you can be mad at me if you want but we kept this from you for good reason. You couldnât have handled it when you were younger; you canât handle it now. Iâm sorry you even found out about it.â
âIâm not worried about myself Uncle. I want to know where my brother or sister is.â