A Fantasy Comes True Chapter 3 Part 2 of 3

A Fantasy Comes True
Chapter 3 Part 2 of 3

She handed him an envelope and waited. Mr. Young opened it and looked inside. "What the fuck? Where did you get this?"

"Sandra."

"How the fuck did she get this?"

"Don't know and don't care. She gave this to me just in case you tried to harm Frankie. Now, mind you, those are just photocopies."

Mr. Young shoved the materials back into the envelope and asked,

"Where are the originals?"

Frankie's mom smiled. "Now Mr. Young, do I really look that stupid?"

"What do you want?" asked Mr. Young.

"I want you to leave my son alone. This is his house now. If you really want it, I'm sure Frankie will be willing to sell it for double the current market value."

"DOUBLE?!?"

"Be happy I didn't say triple."

"I would have," mumbled Frankie.

"So, let's say I do leave Frankie boy here alone? What then? Where is my guarantee you will not use this later?"

"You're just going to have to trust me," she said. "But know this, if I don't make a phone call in," she checked her watch, "ten minutes, it won't matter."

Mr. Young looked at the envelope in his hands. "What will it cost me to get the originals?"

"I don't want your money, Mr. Young. I want you to leave my son alone. Come near him one more time, threaten him, try to enter this house without his permission, and I'm sure you know what will happen."

"Yeah," sighed Mr. Young. "I see Sandra got her revenge after all."

"This isn't revenged Mr. Young, it's justice."

Frankie looked at his mom, then Mr. Young. Mr. Young looked at

Frankie said, "Be happy you never crossed my ex-wife boy, she could be a real bitch. You folks have a nice day."

Mr. Young walked away, climbed into his car, and drove off. Frankie took a deep breath and said, "What was in the envelope?"

"Evidence that Mr. Young wasn't always a Boy Scout. The less you know son, the better."

"Don't you need to make a call?"

"No, that was just me playing poker," she said with a smile.

"Remind me to never play poker with you."

They laughed and walked into the house. Frankie poured his mom a glass of lemonade and said, "Mom, there's something I've got to tell you about me and Mrs. Young."

"No, you don't Frankie," she said taking the glass. "I already know."

"What? How?"

"Frankie, I lied in court when I said I didn't know about Sandra's condition. The day she gave me the real contents of that envelope she told me about her brain tumor and your affair."

Frankie's face went pale. He swallowed hard. "Mom I–"

"Don't," she interrupted. "Whatever you had with Sandra is between you two. I will tell you that she did love you and wanted you to be happy."

"When did she tell you?"

"Two days before she died. She knew her time was up, and she wanted to clear her conscience. It was the only time we had lunch together. She asked me how you were doing in school and if I had a girlfriend and other stuff. To be honest, when she handed me the real envelope, I threw it in my safe and did not look at it. I was angry and hurt by her. So, you can imagine how hard it was to find her two days later, dead. I was so focused on my anger that I did not realize that she was dying. I mean, really dying. I knew when I called 911 it was pointless, but I also knew that no one knew about her condition. I am sorry I did not tell you sooner Frankie, but... Sandra was my only friend when your father left us. Remember when I told you about the mac and cheese?"

"Yeah, I remember that."

"What I didn't tell you was the first time you had it was shortly after your father left us. You were so little and as to why your father left, I cannot really say. I will admit we were fighting, a lot. Money was tight for us. I had gotten pregnant with you sooner than we had intended, and even healthy babies cost money. I don't wish to speak ill of him, but since neither of us has seen nor heard from him since you were about three or four, I don't have too many nice things about him."

"I understand Mom."

"I was having a rough time of it. I had just started at my job and was barely making enough to pay the bills, let alone keep food on the table. I came home from a difficult day at work, and you knew it. You tried to do what you always did, hug me so I would feel better, but I pushed you away and told you to leave me alone. You went outside and cried hard. I felt like shit and just could not face you, so I hid in my room and buried my face in a pillow. I have no idea how long I was there when I felt her hand on my shoulder."

"Her?"

"Sandra. She was holding you and telling me to get up. After a few minutes, I did. She took us to her house and fixed us dinner. You ate a big bowl of mac and cheese with a glass of lemonade while we ate steak and shared a bottle of wine. For the next week, she fixed us dinner and I was sure she'd never make mac and cheese ever again after that."

"Why?"

"That was all you would eat. But she did not falter. Then, one night you asked for pizza instead. I thought poor Sandra was going to cry, but instead, she smiled big and asked you what kind. She helped me through a dark time and gave me the strength to continue. From then on, whenever you asked for the mac and cheese, I would call her, and the next night, a big bowl was ready for us to enjoy. It is why learning what you two did just before her death hurt me so much. She was my friend and treated you like a son for so long, that it never occurred to me that she saw you grow into a man, while I still saw you as my little boy."

Tears fell down Frankie's cheeks. Hearing his mom share this story weighed heavily on his heart. "I remember holding you when you'd cry, but I don't remember us ever coming here for dinner."

"No, I didn't think you would. As I said, you were maybe four at the time."

"Why didn't we continue?"

"Sandra wanted you to think I was making the mac and cheese. She wanted you to think I was Super Mom."

"Well, it worked, because I do think you are Super Mom."

Frankie and his mom hugged for several minutes and shed many tears. They never spoke again about Mr. Young, his dad, or the affair between him and Sandra Young.


She handed him an envelope and waited. Mr. Young opened it and looked inside. "What the fuck? Where did you get this?"

"Sandra."

"How the fuck did she get this?"

"Don't know and don't care. She gave this to me just in case you tried to harm Frankie. Now, mind you, those are just photocopies."

Mr. Young shoved the materials back into the envelope and asked,

"Where are the originals?"

Frankie's mom smiled. "Now Mr. Young, do I really look that stupid?"

"What do you want?" asked Mr. Young.

"I want you to leave my son alone. This is his house now. If you really want it, I'm sure Frankie will be willing to sell it for double the current market value."

"DOUBLE?!?"

"Be happy I didn't say triple."

"I would have," mumbled Frankie.

"So, let's say I do leave Frankie boy here alone? What then? Where is my guarantee you will not use this later?"

"You're just going to have to trust me," she said. "But know this, if I don't make a phone call in," she checked her watch, "ten minutes, it won't matter."

Mr. Young looked at the envelope in his hands. "What will it cost me to get the originals?"

"I don't want your money, Mr. Young. I want you to leave my son alone. Come near him one more time, threaten him, try to enter this house without his permission, and I'm sure you know what will happen."

"Yeah," sighed Mr. Young. "I see Sandra got her revenge after all."

"This isn't revenged Mr. Young, it's justice."

Frankie looked at his mom, then Mr. Young. Mr. Young looked at

Frankie and said, "Be happy you never crossed my ex-wife boy, she could be a real bitch. You folks have a nice day."

Mr. Young walked away, climbed into his car, and drove off. Frankie took a deep breath and said, "What was in the envelope?"

"Evidence that Mr. Young wasn't always a Boy Scout. The less you know son, the better."

"Don't you need to make a call?"

"No, that was just me playing poker," she said with a smile.

"Remind me to never play poker with you."

They laughed and walked into the house. Frankie poured his mom a glass of lemonade and said, "Mom, there's something I've got to tell you about me and Mrs. Young."

"No, you don't Frankie," she said taking the glass. "I already know."

"What? How?"

"Frankie, I lied in court when I said I didn't know about Sandra's condition. The day she gave me the real contents of that envelope she told me about her brain tumor and your affair."

Frankie's face went pale. He swallowed hard. "Mom I–"

"Don't," she interrupted. "Whatever you had with Sandra is between you two. I will tell you that she did love you and wanted you to be happy."

"When did she tell you?"

"Two days before she died. She knew her time was up, and she wanted to clear her conscience. It was the only time we had lunch together. She asked me how you were doing in school and if I had a girlfriend and other stuff. To be honest, when she handed me the real envelope, I threw it in my safe and did not look at it. I was angry and hurt by her. So, you can imagine how hard it was to find her two days later, dead. I was so focused on my anger that I did not realize that she was dying. I mean, really dying. I knew when I called 911 it was pointless, but I also knew that no one knew about her condition. I am sorry I did not tell you sooner Frankie, but... Sandra was my only friend when your father left us. Remember when I told you about the mac and cheese?"

"Yeah, I remember that."

"What I didn't tell you was the first time you had it was shortly after your father left us. You were so little and as to why your father left, I cannot really say. I will admit we were fighting, a lot. Money was tight for us. I had gotten pregnant with you sooner than we had intended, and even healthy babies cost money. I don't wish to speak ill of him, but since neither of us has seen nor heard from him since you were about three or four, I don't have too many nice things about him."

"I understand Mom."

"I was having a rough time of it. I had just started at my job and was barely making enough to pay the bills, let alone keep food on the table. I came home from a difficult day at work, and you knew it. You tried to do what you always did, hug me so I would feel better, but I pushed you away and told you to leave me alone. You went outside and cried hard. I felt like shit and just could not face you, so I hid in my room and buried my face in a pillow. I have no idea how long I was there when I felt her hand on my shoulder."

"Her?"

"Sandra. She was holding you and telling me to get up. After a few minutes, I did. She took us to her house and fixed us dinner. You ate a big bowl of mac and cheese with a glass of lemonade while we ate steak and shared a bottle of wine. For the next week, she fixed us dinner and I was sure she'd never make mac and cheese ever again after that."

"Why?"

"That was all you would eat. But she did not falter. Then, one night you asked for pizza instead. I thought poor Sandra was going to cry, but instead, she smiled big and asked you what kind. She helped me through a dark time and gave me the strength to continue. From then on, whenever you asked for the mac and cheese, I would call her, and the next night, a big bowl was ready for us to enjoy. It is why learning what you two did just before her death hurt me so much. She was my friend and treated you like a son for so long, that it never occurred to me that she saw you grow into a man, while I still saw you as my little boy."

Tears fell down Frankie's cheeks. Hearing his mom share this story weighed heavily on his heart. "I remember holding you when you'd cry, but I don't remember us ever coming here for dinner."

"No, I didn't think you would. As I said, you were maybe four at the time."

"Why didn't we continue?"

"Sandra wanted you to think I was making the mac and cheese. She wanted you to think I was Super Mom."

"Well, it worked, because I do think you are Super Mom."

Frankie and his mom hugged for several minutes and shed many tears. They never spoke again about Mr. Young, his dad, or the affair between him and Sandra Young.

To be continued