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As the guys headed back to the NPD offices, the ladies were busy chattering about wedding plans. Whitney kept her eye on Ginny and knew there was something bothering her, maybe a question unanswered, or frustration building? While they talked about colors, lemon-yellow and turquoise, flowers, daisies and roses in lemon yellow, carnations in turquoise, lemon cake with the same colors, grammy's chocolate fudge cake for the grooms cake. Ginny & Tara would be her matron & maid of honor, and of course she'd let Ben choose his best man, most likely his brother or Sammy or both? She wanted Kaci and Neal for the ring boys of course, but who for the flower girl? maybe Paul's youngest daughter, at three years old she should be a delight!
They were just starting to talk about the menu for the reception when she saw tears start falling quietly from Ginny's eyes. Whitney put a hand on her mother's arm to stop her talking and nodded towards Ginny, who's eyes were closed and didn't seem aware of what was going on around her. Whitney and her mother moved simultaneously around the table and both were hugging Ginny when the silent tears turned to sobs, heart wrenching, soul wrecking sobs.
After ten minutes or so her tears seemed to have found an end, Whitney pulled her chair closer to Ginny while her mother got a cold soda from the frig and opened it into a glass for her. They let her take a few sips and let the last few tears escape with a few lingering sobs, before they dared to ask her any questions.
They didn't have a chance to ask questions though, Ginny asked the first question, "Why?, why was Mike taken from me, why when I'm just beginning to feel normal again does all this have to happen, and Ma, why did you lie to me about how old I am?"
Celia sputtered a little bit before she spoke "What do you mean?"
She was as gentle as possible, but she wanted the truth when she confronted Ceila, "Uh-uh, don't even try that, a long time ago you said I was 3 years old when I came to live with your family, but this afternoon, you said I was just a few days old? Which is it and why would you tell such different stories? Is any of what you told me true?"
Celia lowered her head and seemed to be fighting her own tears. When she answered, she was very quiet, "I'm so sorry Ginny, it's true, what I said this afternoon. You were just a few days old when you came to live with us, when your parents were murdered. I was just barely pregnant with Whitney. We thought by the time you were old enough to understand that you were 'adopted' into our family, it would be best to tell you that you were three years older, in case anyone ever came snooping around, looking for you or for information about you. You were a bigger baby than most little girls, born at 8.5 pounds and 21 inches, and smart as a whip. Your Da and I talked about it and thought it was a good idea at the time. You have to know, we never meant to hurt you, we only wanted to protect you. I'm so sorry Ginny girl!". And the sobs started all over again, this time with both Celia and Ginny participating. Whitney couldn't help herself, she started crying too.
Andrew came to the door to see if everything was ok, saw three females crying and decided it was safer to take the boys back into their bedroom and play more video games. Besides, the boys didn't need to be submitted to seeing their mother & grandmother crying.
After a few more minutes their tears subsided, again, they hugged each other, Whitney was the first to speak. "You know what, I don't think that's a major piece of information that affects our relationships with each other, but I do need to let Ben know before he interrogates Mr Clark. But Ginny you have to know, I love you, as far as I'm concerned you are my sister, and nothing and no one can change that, I know the same is true for Ma and Da, our brothers and Tara. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without you as part of our family!"
Ginny giggle a little bit, "Well for one thing, you'd probably starve to death!" and she reached over and hugged Whitney, "go call Sammy, We're going to be ok." Ginny reached over and put her hand on top the hand of the only woman she'd ever known as a mother and looked into her eys with kindness and forgiveness.
Whitney stepped out of the room and asked to borrow the guard's burner phone to call "the chief", then she stepped into her bedroom to call Ben.
