What They Left Behind

They rode back to Los Angeles three days later. In just forty-eight hours, Gennie would pick Michele up from summer camp and she’d have to tell her. Then they would eventually break the news to their respective families. They decided they would visit the Davidson house soon and announce it in person. Gennie assumed if either Damien or Sherisse had a major problem with it, a child in their presence would tone their reaction down.

  Everything was so up in the air. It was driving Gennie crazy. As much as she dreaded telling people about their marriage and having to face their negative reaction, she was eager to get it out in the open. Then, everyone could get over it and she could get on with her life.

  Peter arranged a family dinner at the Davidson’s on August 14. He told Sherisse he had a special announcement to make.

  The two days flew by. It was time for Gennie to pick Michele up at summer camp. Even though she thought it was ridiculous, she dreaded telling her own daughter. It was silly because Michele adored Peter and would probably be delighted. During the nearly two hour drive to Angelus Oak, where the camp was located, Gennie thought perhaps she was worried because Michele might think she was trying to replace her father. She hoped her daughter would be happy hearing the news.

  Michele was waiting at the entrance, along with a line of other campers. When she spotted Gennie’s car, she came bounding toward it, her clothes poking out of both her backpack and duffel bag. Michele opened the door and jumped in the front passenger seat.

  “Hi, sweetie,” Gennie said. “How was your stay at summer camp?”

  “Great,” Michele replied. “I can’t wait to go back next year. Did you do anything you weren’t supposed to while I was gone?”

  Though Michele said it in jest, it made Gennie’s heart skip a beat.

  “Hmmm…maybe. We can talk about it when we get home. I want to hear everything you did at summer camp.”

  Michele didn’t seem to mind the evasiveness and went into a long description of her summer camp activities, her new friends and her favorite camp counselors. It sounded like a lot of fun to Gennie. She wished she could have gone to summer camp when she was a kid.

  “Hey, we’re home,” Gennie announced an hour and forty-five minutes later as they pulled into their driveway.

  “Can you tell me what happened to you now?” Michele asked.

  “Why don’t we go in the house first?”

  Michele groaned.

  “We’re not officially home until we’re both in the house.”

  Gennie unlocked the door and Michele entered the house with her belongings in record time.

  “Okay, now tell me.”

  “Let’s sit down first.”

  “Mom!”

  “I promise if you sit down, I’ll tell you.”

  Michele plunked down on one of the brown leather stools at the breakfast bar. Gennie sat next to her.

  “Well, while you were gone, Peter and I went to Las Vegas for a few days. We rode there on one of his motorcycles.”

  Michele’s eyes widened and she smiled. “Oh wow. Was it fun?”

  “It was a lot of fun. We had a great time.”

  “What did you do there?”

  “Well, we drove around looking at all the neon signs and we played a few games at the casinos.”

  “Like what?”

  “We did a couple of table games, like blackjack and craps. Then we played a few slot machines.”

  “Did you win anything?”

  “No, we came out empty handed, but we still enjoyed ourselves.”

  “Did you do anything else?”

  “We saw a couple of shows, like Wayne Newton and Siegfried and Roy.”

  “Anything else?”

  “We ate really well for a dollar ninety-nine and we did one really big thing.”

  “Like what?”

  “Um...actually it was one of the first things we did after getting a hotel room for the night. Peter and I went to a chapel and uh…we got married.”

  Michele didn’t respond. Her face was completely expressionless. Gennie was on the edge of panicking.

  “So, does that mean Peter is my dad now?”

  Uh oh…this is not going well, Gennie thought. “You know, he’ll never replace your father, but yeah, he will be sort like a dad to you. He’s your new step-father.”

  “And we get to keep Harley forever?”

  “Yes, Harley’s our dog now.”

  Michele’s face lit up, much to Gennie’s relief.

  “I was afraid Peter and Harley were going to leave us, so I’m super happy you guys got married. Actually, I was going to put it on my Christmas list.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Mom, for giving me my gift early.”

  Gennie gave her a hug. “No problem, hon. I’m so glad you’re happy.”

  Chapter 70: August 14