Free Mary Jane's Grave by Stacy Dittrich Page B

remembered seeing their names on the tombstone.
    Several articles confirmed that Mary Jane had also been an herbalist. After Mary Jane’s death, Madeline went to live with her aunt Sophia and had died in 1948 at age seventy-six.
    Madeline’s obituary read that she was preceded in death by her father, mother and infant brother. I couldn’t find anything on the brother. That was the only time I ever saw him mentioned.
    Madeline also had a daughter, Maryanne, who’d been born in 1899. I lost track from there. There was no mention of a husband of Madeline; her obituary said “Hendrickson” only.
    Who was Maryanne’s father? I made a note to go to the county health department the next day to get the whole family’s birth and death certificates. And I was curious to learn more about this new character, the mysterious baby Maryanne.

C HAPTER T EN
    I had gone long past the hour that I’d promised to be home, and I couldn’t wait to get there. I needed to be with Michael and the kids. Unfortunately, they’d had a long day and, according to Michael, were pooped. He’d put them all to bed shortly before I came home, and then we’d talked for almost half an hour before climbing the stairs to bed.
    As I passed Sean’s room, I was surprised to find him awake and sitting up in bed in the dark.
    I walked into his room and sat down beside him on the bed. “Sean? What’s wrong, buddy?”
    At first, he just looked at me with his huge green eyes—his father’s. I noticed that his chubby little cheeks were puffing in and out, and I realized he was about to start crying.
    “Honey, what is it?” I patted his leg reassuringly. “CeeCee’s here. Tell me what’s going on.”
    And then he did, and what he told me sent shock waves rippling throughout every part of my body. He said he wanted to ask me a question since he’d arrived here, but he’d been too scared.
    Apparently, before Michael had picked him up to bring him here, Sean’s mother had told him that she and his daddy were getting back together. She knew that Michael would be moving back in soon and that Sean wouldn’t be coming here anymore.
    As his tears began to fall, Sean moved into my arms, the saddest little guy I’d ever seen. My heart broke as I listened helplessly to his sobs.
    “I won’t ever see Selina or Isabelle or you again, will I?” he asked me, wiping his eyes.
    I pulled Sean closer, and then I felt another presence behind me. Michael was standing in the doorway, and he looked as shocked as I felt.
    “Sean, what exactly did Mommy tell you the other day?” he asked, sitting down on the other side of the bed.
    I wasn’t only confused and shaken—I was fuming. Maybe Michael had had enough of my conflicting feelings about Eric and had begun seeing Vanessa, his ex-wife, behind my back. This can’t be happening, I thought. I refuse to go through all this again!
    Sean rubbed his eyes. “Mommy said that you’re leaving CeeCee because you don’t love her anymore, and that you still love Mommy, and that we’re gonna be a family again.” He sniffed and grabbed my hand. “But, Daddy, I don’t want to leave CeeCee!”
    I stood, trying to sort out my feelings. There have been very few people in my life whom I’ve allowed myself to trust, and Michael was one of them. It had taken me a long time to begin to heal after Eric’s betrayal.
    I had to admit that I was probably jumping to conclusions, but the thought of reliving another four- way relationship nightmare hammered my sense of logic. I felt a lump in my throat begin to swell, and the tears reached the corners of my eyes. Michael saw my distress, but he stayed focused on Sean.
    “Sean, remember when we talked earlier about Mommy? Honey, I think this has something to do with that. Mommy and I are not getting back together, and I am not leaving CeeCee, okay? Mommy might want that, but I don’t.”
    Still unsure where Sean’s announcement had come from, I gave him a kiss good night and walked