It had been a nerve wracking day for Ann. First her parents would be staying with her, then their was an issue with work, plus she still needed to finish Christmas shopping for Jackie and Stephanie. All of these things had the 47 year old woman frazzled to the point she needed to drive to relax. That seemed to work, until she came home.
As Ann parked her car, she immediately noticed several cars in the driveway, immediate realizing Stephanie had invited all her friends over. Ann wasn't thrilled about this, her thoughts swirling as she thought her daughter was throwing a spur of the moment party with her parents in the house. As illogical as it seemed, that was where Ann's mind went, not to mention it would also mean leaving Stephanie's gifts in the car. As she opened the front door, ready to ask Stephanie what was going on, she froze in confusion.
Ann could do little more than gawk at the skinny 17 year old boy and the nearly 16 year old girl on her living room. She had heard the screaming of this girl from driveway, wondering who Stephanie invited over. Instead, she stared at two teenagers who seemed awfully familiar. It took a moment but she eventually put two and two together. Those were her parents.
"What," Ann sputtered, Stephanie's friends finally noticing her presence. "And how? And what? Bu...shou...What!"
"Mom when did you get home," Stephanie gasped in alarm." Ann sputtered, her eyes wide as she desperately tried to put her thoughts into words. "Awhile," she finally exclaimed, her body seemingly forcing the words through her mouth. Gazing at her teenage parents, she found herself still unable to put her thoughts into words instead sputtering out fragments. "Annie are you okay," Martin asked softly. "You look pale."
"She probably hasn't eaten anything Martin," Marilyn answered. "You know how that girl is, she eats like a bird. How many times have I told her to eat something so she doesn't get woozy." Marilyn's comment seemed to jar Ann from her mental block. The middle aged woman now scowled at her teenager mother, her cheeks flushing with anger. "Hey you don't get to talk like that," she growled. "Especially when you, A: look old enough to be my daughter and B: keep a secret from me my entire life!" Martin and Marilyn now turned to face eachother, blushing in embarrassment before sheepishly turning back to Ann. "How much did you hear?"
"Everything," Ann exclaimed. "How daddy bought liquid courage from Merlin and then how he was drafted into Viet freaking Nam!" Ann's breathing now came in ragged gulps, the woman shuddering in shock and anger. "Okay," Martin said softly. "You're right. That's alot to take in. Why don't you come sit with me Annie, I'll tell you all about it." Martin now gently took his daughters arm, guiding her towards the couch. Amazingly, she didn't fight back, her body numb as her eyes simply gazed off into the distance. "You look upset Ann," Marilyn said sadly. "Why don't I make you a sandwich? Peanut butter and fluff, you're favorite."
"Mom really not the time for food!"
"Non sense," Marilyn scoffed. "I know when my daughter's need comfort food and right now you look like you could use some comforting." Marilyn now offered her daughter a motherly smile, patting her hand as she made her way towards the kitchen. Thr entire sequence leaving Ann befuddled. "Mom? Daddy? How did this even happen?"
"We've been trying to figure that out ourselves," Marilyn replied, fishing a jar of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff from the pantry. "According to your daughter's friends they can't figure it out either." Marilyn now returned, handing the sandwich to Ann before offering a warm smile. "Here eat up I already know this will help you feel better."
Ann frowned, taking a small bite as she furrowed her brow at her teenage mother. It was proving impossible to see her as anything other than a teenage girl right now. "Yeah right mom," she said between bites. "Like you know everything."
Marilyn raised an eyebrow, a sly smirk cracking across her teenage face as Martin simply shook his head. "Oh really," she replied with a grin. "So I wouldn't know about the time you covered for Lisa when she was 13 and smoking pot by spraying Lysol? Or how about the time when Kellie was 22 and you were 16 and she got you drunk on vodka. Oh and let's not forget the classic where Kellie came home wasted on her 21st birthday and you and Lisa carried her to the bathroom where she puked her guts out. Do you have any idea how loud you were at 15 or how scared a 12 year old Lisa sounded?"
"Um no," Ann replied sheepishly, taking another bite of her sandwich. "But how come you didn't say anything?"
"Oh I wanted to kill you three," Marilyn replied. "Thank your father. He was the one that told me that if you three were looking out for eachother that you would be okay." Ann now glanced at the skinny teenage boy beside her, watching him shrug. "I had a feeling you three could handle it," he smiled. "I just reminded your mother that you three needed to bond like sisters. If it got really bad, we would've stepped in." Ann blushed, realizing that all the things she and her sisters thought they had gotten away with as teenagers was an illusion. Their parents knew everything. That and her mother was right, the confort food was helping. Still, it didn't quite explain Martin's secret. "Daddy why didn't you say anything about being drafted?"
Martin and Marilyn paused, a sad expression forming on the teens faces. "Well I told you how your mother and I met," he said softly. "We started dating in 67 and by my Senior Prom in 68 we were completely in love."
"I was 16 and your father would be turning 18 in a few weeks," Marilyn sighed a small smile forming on her face. "Your father's prom was wonderful. We danced all night. It was there that I think I realized I wanted to marry him."
"Just one problem though," Martin added, a sad expression on his face. "Two days before I graduated high school, I was drafted into the Army." Marilyn now sat down next to her teenage husband, taking his hand and squeezing it tightly. "Graduation day all the sudden seemed like an execution. I received my diploma and the next day I was off to basic training. Marilyn was in tears but wished me luck. Hopefully within a year I'd be home."
"But luck wasn't on our side," Marilyn said softly. "February 1969. A week after Valentines Day. Martin's parents came to see me after school. They showed me a letter that said Martin had died."
"Wait what," Ann screamed. "But...but how?! Daddy it had to be a mistake right? I mean if you died then..."
"Yes Annie it was a mistake," Martin said softly, trying to soothe his daughter. Obviously thr idea that her father died in battle in the jungles of Vietnam was unsettling. Even if she knew he was okay now, it was devastating to hear. "There was another Martin O'Toole. Apparently he lived California but we had the same name, the same birth date, even the name of our hometown was the same. The Army mixed it up and sent my parents a letter saying I was killed in action."
"I didn't realize that though," Marilyn sniffed, her eyes glossing over with tears. "I thought the love of my life had died. For a month I went into mourning, I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep. It felt like I had a part of my soul ripped out."
"A month," Ann yelled. "How did the Army not realize daddy was alive for an entire month?!"
"That I'm not really sure of," Martin stated. "You see my unit was ambushed. We were in the process of retreating when I got caught in a mortar explosion." Martin now gestured towards his back, pointing towards where the wound was. "Piece of shrapnel caught me, messed up four of my disks, left me with nerve damage for life. Forced me to use a cane ever since. I remember laying in the bush, unable to move and then I passed out. I woke up about a month later in the hospital, the docs said they had found me on a routine patrol. They think I was a POW but I couldn't say for sure."
"I was just thankful to have Martin back," Marilyn sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "I remember driving home from school, still in a haze of pain. Then I look and see Martin on my front porch. I was so happy I ugly cried into his chest for 30 minutes."
"Pretty much ruined my shirt," Martin chuckled, Marilyn playfully slapping his chest. "But we were together again and we put the whole ugly situation behind us. Neither one of us ever wanted to think about it again. That's why we never said anything Annie. The whole thing was just too painful."
Ann nodded, completely lost for words. She could understand her parents desire to not speak of this yet, something didn't quite sit right with her. "Dad you say you were a POW for a month? Was the Army ever able to prove that?"
"They wouldn't because he was under my care."
Everyone jumped in surprise as their eyes settled on an attractive woman with short black hair. Somehow this mystery woman had followed Ann inside and had silently listening to Martin's story. Martin now cocked his head, studying the womans face carefully. "You look familiar," he said slowly. "Do we know eachother?"
The woman nodded, scanning the group of assembled teens before her eyes settled on Spark. "No way it can't be," Spark gasped. "What," Connor asked anxiously. "What is it?"
"Aloe'la," Spark said. "The spy master of the fae! What are you doing here?"
Aloe'la nodded, noting the obvious confusion on everyone's faces. "I was keeping tabs on you and your sister Spa'kalth," she said. "To determine your sister's interest in this human. I followed you to this home this evening and was surprised to see this boy who I haven't seen in over 50 years."
"Wait you know my husband," Marilyn exclaimed. "How?"
"I was the one who saved his life after he was hit by that mortar," she said. "My companions and I were the ones that nursed him back to health for a month." Everyone's collective jaws now dropped as they gazed at the disguised fairy. It appeared that yet another secret of Martin O'Toole would be shared this evening.