6 - Pages of Sin

I said, “I was going through this set of books and found some important documents you all might want to keep in a safer place.”
    Approaching Marjorie, I handed her the first batch. “I believe this birth certificate and these adoption papers are yours.”
    Before she could say a word, I turned to Elaine and handed her the letter. “This is yours, unless you’d like me to give it to Byron.”
    They both frowned at me, then stared at the envelopes I’d given them. Finally I held up the faded photographs we’d found. “And there are some old snapshots of a pretty little girl named Elizabeth. Who might they belong to?”
    There was a startled intake of breath; then Byron stepped forward. He took the picture and gazed at it, smiling fondly. “Look, honey. It’s Lizzie on her First Communion.”
    Marjorie took a step closer and peered at the photo. “I wondered where I put those.”
    Elaine moved to Byron’s other side and studied the snapshot. With an impish grin, she glanced at the other two and said, “What a little angel she was back then.”
    Byron put his arms around both women. “Just like all you girls were at that age.”
    “Oh, stop.” Marjorie gave his chest a playful slap. “We were all little devils, don’t you dare deny it.”
    He laughed and squeezed them tighter. “I wouldn’t have had it any other way.”
     
     
    Three hours later, Mom, Dad and I sat around the kitchen table, shaking our heads in befuddlement.
    “So they all knew about little Lizzie,” I said, still baffled by the reactions we’d received from revealing the incriminating documents and photo. “I guess the only real secret one of them had been hiding was Wanda’s illness.”
    “And the fact that she was the true creative force in that family,” Mom added.
    Dad mulled that over for a few long seconds. “So the person who was forced to exist behind those high, stone walls ended up living the richest, fullest life of them all.”
    “There’s a lesson to be learned,” Mom murmured.
    Guru Bob had made certain that everyone in attendance learned that lesson during Wanda’s memorial service. His words were beautiful and meaningful, and judging by the number of sniffles heard and tissues scrunched, most people had gotten the message. I know I had. I could only hope that Wanda’s husband and sisters had received it, too. It was hard to tell. The last we saw of them, they were sitting in a corner of the town hall drinking champagne, toasting to the glory of Wanda, and plotting their next bestseller.
    Earlier, before we left Guru Bob’s house, we’d managed to cajole them into piecing together the rest of the story. Byron had been fooling around with Marjorie while dating Elaine. When Marjorie ended up pregnant, she’d gone to Texas to have the baby, then gave it up for adoption. It wasn’t that she’d hidden her pregnancy from the rest of her family; she just didn’t want to deal with the gossipy reactions of the local citizenry. She had also wanted to protect her sisters from suffering through the same gossip. After all, if people knew Marjorie had given birth to Byron’s child, what would they think of Elaine, who had been dating Byron, or Wanda, who eventually married him?
    Once Elaine left for Africa and Marjorie left for Texas, Byron naturally took up with Wanda. It seemed he had been in love with all the sisters at various times while growing up next door to them. Once the other two were away, he decided that Wanda was the prettiest of them all, so he married her. Then Marjorie came back to town and he was conflicted again. Then Elaine returned. Poor Byron couldn’t seem to stay away from any of them. And vice versa.
    Nobody outside the sisters’ family had ever understood the love the sisters all felt for Byron. Evidently, it had taken root during their childhood when they all lived next door to one another. The girls’ parents had had a tempestuous relationship and Byron had been their refuge while growing up.
    When Elaine returned from Africa and confronted Wanda and Byron, they also confessed to her that Marjorie had had a baby. Elaine was overwhelmed by this brand new betrayal, but as soon as she saw the baby, she fell in love and forgave them all their foibles, as long as she was given permission to visit little Elizabeth whenever she wanted to. Since Marjorie had insisted on an open adoption, this was never a problem.
    It was Elizabeth who originally had provided the inspiration for