The Lassiters Ch. 16 Family Setback

Melora and John had just attended their first counseling session. Melora would only meet him at the marriage counselor's office, resisting John's push to visit her at their home. She knew how persuasive John could be and didn't want to give him any advantage at this point. He persisted, of course, saying he wanted to discuss something with her before the next session and so she gave in and said he could come over one afternoon. She was beginning to get the hang of living single and didn't want him to upset her equilibrium. 

It felt rather strange to Melora for John to be in their home again. For him it was comforting to at last have a toe in the door, though. He couldn't get enough of seeing familiar things and even the smell of his home. A combination of cinnamon from the kitchen and the vanilla candles Melora kept around laced with the smell of wood floors and fresh flowers. He hadn't realize how very much he'd missed it. Melora felt stiff and uncomfortable and asked him to get on with whatever he'd come to discuss. There was a feeling of dread in her heart but she didn't know why. John now had to come to the terrible moment when he had to tell her about his newest child being on the way or maybe even already born. He had no idea that Lalique had given birth to twins yet.
 

He fumbled his words and for a moment only talked about non essential matters then he finally had to come to the point.

"Okay, according to my source," he referred to Glenn of course, but did not specify that, "The woman I was involved with has moved to Bluewater but also is expecting a child--any moment--or has already given birth. I have not seen her, as I've told you before."

Melora felt blindsided and was unable to even speak for a moment, then she collected herself,

"How irresponsible and selfish of the two of you. Unbelievable."

John winced but then went on to say he wanted to be able to acknowledge the child, once he confronted the mother--but did not want to endanger the reunion he hoped to have with Melora.

Stunned and now furious that John had put her in this position, she tried to think of the ramifications. If John involved himself in this child's life he would, of necessity, have to be around the woman. So now, finally, she demanded to know her name. Who was it that had been willing to tear about a marriage and family? The shock of finding out it was Lalique Flynn, the once little girl next door that John had carelessly fathered a child with really set her off. She told him that he had now placed her in an unsupportable position. If she insisted that John not see his child, that made her a selfish witch. She had no desire to punish a baby by depriving it of it's father just because of what the poor thing's selfish parents have done. But if she told him it was all right for him to do it he would be around Lalique every time. And she simply could not trust him, it would be torture for her if they reunited and he was still seeing Lalique even if supposedly he would not become romantically involved.

"So, if that's what you want to do; see your baby and be involved to some degree in the baby's life, I can see how you would want that. But this definitely ends any chance for a reconciliation."

John insisted if that's how she felt he wouldn't see the baby, but, Melora said she would not do that. He had a responsibility, financially if no other, to the child.

Thoroughly angry, Melora yelled,

"I need you to leave now, John. Immediately."

Once he was gone and Melora thought of having her children over as before to inform them of John's latest news she knew it was more than she could stand. She decided to call her oldest child, Grace, and tell her and then ask her to pass it on to her siblings. Feeling like a coward, Melora nevertheless made to the call to Grace. Some things were too much to bear.

By now Grace and Devon had completed the addition of a 2nd story to their new house that would have two bedrooms and two baths and Grace had delivered a baby girl they named Sherrilyn. In fact, Grace had called Melora and asked her to visit her new granddaughter for the first time only a few days ago.

Master bedroom

 Master bath

 Nursery and baby's bathroom

Melora hated to call Grace with this news now but it had to be done and she was too heartsore and humiliated to tell her in person.

Grace had always suffered from over-aggrandizement of her father, and had resisted recognizing his infidelity at first. This time, though, she was furious. Especially now that she knew the woman in question was Lalique.

Her opinion of her father and his supposedly former paramour had sunk to a new low. She didn't understand why her mother would even consider agreeing that he see Lalique and his child.

Grace was about to call her brother, David.  She didn't look forward to it, but Melora had asked her to do it this way. David had been livid when he'd learned of his father's indiscretion; he'd always been closer to his mother than to John and was protective. Always a friendly and amiable man, David did have a hair-trigger temper though and Grace definitely did not look forward to being the bearer of bad tidings.

Since his and Barbara's wedding they had been doing a little redecorating, mostly it was Barbara. She was bound and determined to make her ultra feminine old fashioned bedroom, kitchen, and the master bathroom into something she thought was more befitting a man or at least a couple.

In the bedroom she still had a vanity at one end and her sewing equipment took up much of the other end of the large bedroom, but the colors and style went from French blue and white romantic and antique to a masculine toast and heather green with a lot of natural wood in the furnishings. She felt this reflected David more accurately and she set up a desk for him to work at when he wanted to write. 

Barbara's former bedroom decor

The revised bedroom:

The kitchen was transformed from a retro style in pink and green to a more updated style in warm tones with all new granite counters.

Former kitchen on left, new version on right


She redid the master bath with ultra modern fixtures, but the colors reflected a relaxing beach atmosphere. David no longer had to take a bath surrounded by delicate pink floral touches.

Barbara's former pink and white Victorian bathroom

The updated master bath

They had only been married a couple months and were still exploring and enjoying each other; still acting like honeymooners. Grace  hated to intrude on their newlywed happiness with this distressing news but she had to do so.

As expected David did not take it well and after talking with Grace he planned on calling his kid brother, Trey.

Trey and Chelsea had recently taken in a beautiful Birman cat from the shelter and they'd named her Minger. They were enjoying training, loving and playing with the sweet cat, who seemed grateful as most shelter cats are. Chelsea was the one who first wanted a pet and dragged Trey to the shelter, but he had since become really attached to the cat who seemed to be charmed by him as well.

They were still holding off on having children for a while. Chelsea's florist shop was doing a brisk business and last spring Trey had purchased the Galaxy Arcade from Bob Blackford who was retiring due to health problems. It had always a traditional hangout with teens and young adults and Trey wanted to keep the name as it was.

He added a few things like a room just for Mahjong and Don't Wake the Llama, but other than that he planned on keeping the traditional layout as well.

Their life was quiet and happy, but David was anxious to tell Trey what their father had done and get his reaction. He knew Trey was much more laid back than he was, his temperament more like their father John, and he respected his opinion. David's view on this issue was mostly not printable. Trey took the news in stride; he was concerned but calm. Again he had not heard his father's side on this and wanted to do that before he made any shoot-from-the-hip comments.

Now Trey had a more imperative problem; he had to be the one who called his bipolar twin sister, Lori, to tell her that, due to their father's impetuous behavior they now had a new sibling and Lori was no longer the baby of the family...

Next blog update: Harvey and Lori Ferguson Ch. 18 The Good and the Bad