She couldn’t find the file she wanted in the first drawer, so she went to the next one.The file wasn’t in the second drawer either so she pulled the third one open looking for a name.She pulled a file out and sat down on a chair.Finally, she raised her gaze to look at King and handed the file to him.
Leeza and Renee came to the doorway and stared at Maudie.
She just sat there, with her head hanging down.
“What is all this, Maudie?”King finally asked as he looked up from the file.“Who is Sharon Langley?”
Renee gasped and took a step backward.
King raised his head and stared at her, then looked back at Maudie.“Talk to me, cher,” he urged.
Renee cleared her throat and spoke, “It’s okay Ms.Maudie, you can tell them.Maybe the truth needs to finally come out.”
Maudie shook her head.“No baby, I can’t tell them.I made a promise to your grandmother, never to tell anyone what I know.You can’t make that kind of promise then go back on your word.”
Renee nodded then said, “You may have promised but I never did.”
Maudie shook her head.“No child, sometimes family secrets need to be kept.”
Renee raised her head and stated fiercely, “And sometimes they don’t.What happened all that time ago needs to be understood, not brushed under the rug.It never should have happened.It was cruel and not her fault.”
King whistled and shook his head.“Just what are you two talking about?What needs to be told?Is this a Hogan family secret?”
Renee straightened her shoulders and sighed heavily.“No King, it ain’t a Hogan family secret.My grandmother was a haughty woman named Grace Langley before she married Jeb Hogan.She had a cousin named Sharon Langley.Sharon was a woman that the entire family tried to hide, for no other reason than that she was born pale.Paler than most people the whole family tried to make her disappear because back then people called her a freak of nature.But she wasn’t a freak, she was an albino.But everyone made her feel like she had to ask forgiveness for being alive.My grandmother brought her here to live with her but she treated her cousin like she was an outcast.She had her husband build her a place separate from her own and gave her food once a week.She told her own cousin not to make herself known to anyone else here.And Sharon never did.She kept to herself and no one was aware she was even there.Then Sharon found herself a boyfriend, who didn’t seem to mind that she was different.They fell in love.Then one time my mom went to see her and she found Sharon was pregnant.She couldn’t have that so after the baby was born and she looked like everyone else she had the boyfriend and the baby run out of the swamp.It was to hide the fact that she was even here.Sharon’s boyfriend didn’t want to leave but grandma didn’t give them much choice.He ended up taking the baby and leaving.”
Maudie nodded.“I helped her when her baby was born.She was a beautiful baby, screaming the moment she came out of her mother and Sharon was so happy.But Grace wasn’t happy at all.She said some awful words that night and I think it broke something in Sharon.”Shaking her head she added, “Sharon didn’t even object when her man packed up and took the baby to the city a few weeks later.She just stayed home and hardly left the little cottage Jed had built for her.She lived out there all on her own.That’s when Grace forbade me to ever mention Sharon or what she did.I forgot she was even part of this place.Life just moved on, you know?”
Renee looked angered.“Yeah and it did for my grandmother too.She never told anyone in the family about Sharon, not even on her death bed.She just forgot her and lived her life.”
King looked up and asked Renee, “How did you find out about Sharon?”
Renee looked down and tears ran down her cheeks.“When Grandpa Jed died.He took my hand and he told me everything.He said he didn’t speak up about something years ago about his wife and about Sharon and the baby Sharon had.He told me he’d sneak off sometimes and check on her without telling Grace about it.That was the only way he could settle it in his mind.He’d never go against his wife but he did check on her.He begged me to forgive him for his part of what happened and he told me that he did love his wife, he also told me that he tried to right her wrong but that in the end, it really didn’t put right what she had done.But he couldn’t go to the afterlife with that on his conscience.I’m not sure he ever told anyone else about Sharon and I don’t know why he ever told me about her either.”
Maudie nodded.“Ms.Grace made me swear not to tell anyone.She said the shame about Sharon not being married and having a baby would shame the entire Langley family.”Maudie paused then shook her head, “I don’t think it was shame about the baby though, I think Ms.Grace was more worried about having to claim Sharon as part of her family.Grace was always too proud and she disregarded the more important things in life.”
“So, you think dis Sharon is da ghost?”Leeza asked.
Both Maudie and Renee paused.
Renee shook her head.“I don’t think so.I don’t know what happened to her.I went to the military and was gone for a bit.”
Maudie stood from her chair.“I think we need to figure this out.Sharon was a timid woman but no one ever knew she was living here.I need to go check on her.”
“And it’s time the Hogan family knew the truth,” Renee added.“We have nothing to worry about.Grace and Jed passed away a long time ago.”
Maudie grabbed her medicinal bag and went to the front door.
Sonny and Teige saw everyone following Maudie to the door.
“Where is everyone going?”Teige asked.
Renee paused to answer him, “We need to check on someone.You, your brothers and my brothers need to be told something about the Hogan family that most do not know.So, you’d all best come over here tonight after supper.”
“Is it something bad, sis?”Sonny asked worriedly.
“It isn’t terrible...”she paused then sighed.“I thought it was when I was told about this, but we will talk about it tonight,” Renee assured them.Then she followed Maudie, King and Leeza out the door.
