"The day they left for Kentucky I saw a different look in her eyes. She looked at me, smiling and waving. We, William and I, were at the Double C to see them off. I knew when they turned the corner they weren't coming back. I said nothing.
"Later that evening the phone rang. Torrential rains had made visibility zero. They didn't survive the car crash. Emmaline and I hugged for the first time and never let go. We were now best friends with a granddaughter to raise.
"A week later a uniformed officer knocked at our door. Billy had been killed in action and awarded the Purple Heart for bravery. After his funeral I decided to love you from a distance, lest something bad happen to you. I thought I was cursed. So I was Mrs. C, the friendly lady in town who liked to bake and talk to everyone. It helped me keep up on your achievements and growth.
"I put Rebecca's things and pictures away so you wouldn't see them and ask questions." Rachel took a deep breath.
Caitlin stared at her hands which were entwined and resting on her legs. She separated them, unaware of how tight she had clenched them. In the past twenty-four hours the missing pieces of her life's puzzle had been found and put into place. She now had a completed picture, yet it seemed surreal. Why now? Why after all of these years of living in silence and denial about the rest of her family, did the story unfold itself now?
"I'm a bit confused about something. I was told McAllister was my mother's maiden name."
"McAllister is my maiden name, your mother's middle name."
Caitlin looked at Mrs. Carrington still startled by the turn of events. So much happened that led her to finding the journals and now family. She squeezed the older woman's hand. "Are you glad I know?" she said, tears ready to fall.
The old woman cried. "You are a fresh bouquet, Caitlin. Yes, I watched you grow and achieve much. Now, it's time we do it together, as a family. Thank you for coming home." They stood and embraced. As they cried and laughed, the two danced around the kitchen. When they stopped, Rachel pulled back first and wiped her eyes. "I can't believe you are standing here as my granddaughter."
"What do I call you? Mrs. Carrington is too formal, and Rachel is impolite."
"How about grandma?"
Without hesitation Caitlin said, "I would be honored, Grandma." They cried more as they hugged and continued to dance. The tears dried and Caitlin gave her grandmother one more hug. "I'll be back soon. I promise." With a smile and a kiss on the cheek, Caitlin returned to Richmond with the moon and stars lighting her way. She needed time for this surprise turn of events to register in her mind and her heart. It still amazed her that after all of these years and a few months of believing she was an orphan, she had family. "I have got to be the luckiest woman alive. It's hard to imagine the sacrifice my grandma made, feeling she had to love me from a distance to keep me safe. How do I make it up to her?"