Chapter 7

Bette’s head shot up fast, ” What did you just say, Are you trying to tell me, my father kept my mother away from me on purpose, he fabricated her death, when he knew all along she was alive? She asked in a raised voice.

What proof do you have of this? Who would tell you this? My mother? Our mother? How do I even know this woman you are talking about is my presumed dead mother? And where do you fit in, in all this? She asks.

As I look at Bette, I can see the pain radiating from her, she is starting to tremble, and is fighting hard to hold in her tears. I watched a tear slide down her cheek, as I walked closer to her. I reached up to brush it away, If only the answers I was about to give her, would help lessen her pain. But how could it, I was about to tell her that her father who was everything to her, in fact deceived her all of her life. I smiled gently at her, and asked her to please sit down, so I could try to explain as best I could.

“Bette your father did in fact know all along your mother was alive. In fact he paid all her bills, mortgage, utilities as long as she stayed far away from you and your sister Katie. It was an agreement that Marissa was not strong enough or had enough money to refuse. As long as Melvin Porter was alive, Marissa had to stay dead. After his death it would be her choice in revealing herself to you, if she felt she wanted to. With as many years that have passed, She didn’t know how to approach you. She knew your life from the age of nine to the present; She watched from afar, all your personal accomplishments, your confirmation, graduation with honors in High School. Attending prestigious Yale, your first gallery, Meeting and marrying the love of your life, one Ms Tina Kennard.

Bette, Marissa has photo albums of all these events, including pictures from the newspapers & magazines. Believe me, as you will see, she never stop loving you or wanting to be with you.” Why then did she? Bette whispered softly to me. If she loved me so much, why did she let my father control her? I don’t think she had a choice Bette, You see your father loved women, and it didn’t matter that he was married, Whenever he wanted to stray from his marriage, he felt he had the right too. Marissa loved him so much, One day she decided she wanted him to feel the same hurt & humiliation, she had felt through the years, It was a one time thing, but he caught her with his best friend, After that day he banished her from ever stepping foot in the house again or seeing you. He was a famous lawyer, and powerful man and he could make sure, that she could and would never be able to have any rights to you or his fortune. Marissa wasn’t strong enough to fight him, Maybe she gave up to easy, I am not making excuses for her, just telling you the facts and to tell you how much you were loved by her. Believe me, I have my own issues with Marissa, She is my mother too, and she walked out on me when I was only 6 and she never looked back. There are no photo albums or articles on me, It hurts me to come to terms with her never giving that a second thought.” I felt the tears, I was trying so hard to contain, slowly run down my face, I was losing it, and I needed to sit down and try to compose myself. As the tears racked my body, Bette silently had come to sit next to me, she gently put her arm around me, and whispered, ” It’s ok” just let it out. Let’s take a break here, Please drink your wine, we will just sit here and regroup. I can see we have so many things yet to discuss. Especially the part of you being my sister, I need to know the facts behind that.