The Ugly Truth

Langston Oxford was disturbed by what happened at Panera though he tried not to show it. He explained to Rowena that the Matheson's were an old family friend and she seemed satisfied with his explanation.

He finished his meal with his daughter and grandchildren and went home to his own empty condo. The thought of him actually having siblings never entered his mind. His father always seemed distant and consumed with his business. He never brought home a woman after his mother died and as far as he knew his father never dated.

Langston's own wife had been dead for years. In fact, she had died when Rowena was just twelve years old and she was now thirty five. Rowena was his only child just as he had been an only child…or so he thought. Could it be possible that the black woman…that Matheson woman's mother could be his sister? Could his father have had an affair with some black woman? Was that the real reason that his father was gone every other Christmas, to be with his mistress instead of spending Christmas with his only son? It was all very confusing.

Langston guessed that the woman that was possibly his sister was about his age. How ironic. He had to learn more. This was a side of his father that he couldn't comprehend. His father seemed totally unsypathetic towards blacks. Calling him prejudiced was not far from the truth. When Langston was young, he argued against the civil rights movement and black's voting rights. He called them low life coons when he was in the presence of his constituents, in fact. Still, he had never seen his father mistreat any black person that he'd employed and the younger Langston felt that it was all just political talk anyway. His father never said these things otherwise and they always rang false to him when he did say them.

Langston didn't share his father's beliefs. He was a young man when blacks were marching for their rights and he sympathized with them. Somehow it just didn't seem fair to him the way that they had been treated. He often debated this with his father when he a teenager and his father was still alive. Since his father was a Senator, he thought his father was in a position to instigate some change, but his father didn't want to even consider doing anything to help black people. He was too concerned about making his constituents angry and most of them was against it. The elder Langston was always concerned about "appearances".

The younger Langston thought that his father's speeches against intergration were all a bunch of hogwash and that his father was just another politician playing the game. The younger Langston wanted to be a public servant in order to make some changes in the system. His father had laughed in his face when he told him that, but he had the last laugh when he was elected. He used to always say to his son that everyone goes in with greal ideals, but things will change once you're actually elected.  Young Langston didn't believe that for a minute! Too bad that his father was already deceased by the time he became a Senator himself.

Surely that red headed Matheson woman must be mistaken. He and his father were never that close. In fact, he was always pawning Langston off to a relative so that he could work. Could this affair be the work his father was talking about? Did he keep it a secret because she was black? Was his father really that much of a hypocrite? Could he have gone around saying racist things about blacks to his constituents while all the time he was sleeping with one?

Langston quickly entered his condo and went up to his bed room and searched through the dresser for the keys to their family home. He had to know. The house was shut up and he did go there from time to time. It was only about a few hours drive away in Northern Virginia. If there were any answers to be found, he felt that he could find some there.

He quickly got in the car and drove to his birthplace wondering if his search through his father's things would turn up anything. He still remembered the terrified look on the black woman's face. What was that all about? Was she afraid of his father? Did he threaten her and her mother if they exposed his father's affair. Could it be that her seeing him caused it all to come flooding back in her mind? Langston didn't know the truth but he made up his mind that he had to find out!

Matheson and Val followed Emily and Mavis to the car after they left Panera. They looked around to make sure that Langston Oxford didn't follow them outside and was relieved that he did not. Val needed some time to sort all this out in her head.

"We'll follow you home Grandma" Val insisted. "This has been a hectic day and to top it all off seeing that man must have been quite stressful!'

"Nonsense!" Mavis protested. "I'm fine. That may just caught me completely off guard. I wasn't expecting to see him, that's all."

"I will see that she gets some tea and get right into bed" Emily insisted. "Your father will follow me. You two go on. We'll be fine."

"I don't know…" Val said reluctantly.

"I'm fine, really" Mavis insisted. "I guess I overreacted a bit."

"You couldn't help it thinking you were coming face to face with your mother's rapist!" Emily insisted.

"I can see why you were upset. Perhaps you're right. Just let the past be the past." Matheson said patting her hand.

"He must have thought I was a nut case" Mavis replied getting into the car.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks" Emily said shutting the door.

"Are you sure you'll be alright, Grandma" Val asked worried. She leaned in the car window and gave Mavis a quick kiss.

"Baby, I'm fine" Mavis replied patting her hand.

"Alright then. I'll call you later" Val said looking at Matheson who put has arm around her as she backed away from the car.

She watched as Emily pulled out into traffic and then turned to Matheson. "Maybe we should follow them."

"It's up to you" he replied leading her back to his car.

Just then Val's phone went off and she looked at it. "It's Grandma!"

"I want you to go on home now" Mavis said as if reading her mind. "No need to follow me. I'm just fine."

Val laughed. "Yes ma'am."

She hung up the phone smiling. "She knows me too well."

"I haven't seen much of your lately." Matheson replied after they pulled into traffic. "Our schedules haven't been synching."

"I know. You've been working a lot" She looked at him sideways. "You are taking your meds right?"

"Of course" he replied. "I feel great."

He grinned at her giving her a pained look. "I do hurt in a certain area though…some parts of me are feeling neglected."

Val laughed. "Oh really? Well we'll have to see what we can do about that."

Matheson picked up speed at her reply.

"What are you doing?'" she asked laughing.

"Getting you to my apartment as quickly as possible!" he chuckled. "I don't want you changing your mind on me."

She reached over and caressed him through his pants making him instantly hard.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked putting his hand over hers.

"Rubbing it trying to make it feel better" she replied innocently.

"I'm sure you want to get to my apartment in one piece." he whispered "So you'd better behave yourself, Missy."

When they pulled into the lot of his complex she gave him another quick squeeze.

"You're going to pay for that" he threatened as she quickly exited the vehicle. She laughed as he tried to shift himself so that his erection wasn't so obvious.

"Promises, promises." she teased and ran up to his door. He quickly followd her and inserted the key into the lock and pushed her into the apartment.

"I've changed my mind" she stated trying to keep a straight face as she turned to face him.

"Like hell you have" he snapped grabbing her and kicking the door shut with his foot. She broke free from his grasp and walked across the room.

"A woman can change her mind if she wants to." she replied plopping down on the sofa and looking up at him. She watched as he began undressing wondering what he was going to do. In a few moments he stood before her completely naked. His eyes were on her as he stroked himself. He didn't say anything, but continued to stare at her his eyes an intense blue.

"It's been two weeks...you don't want me?" he whispered moving closer to her. By now his penis was inches from her face and she watched as the bead of precum formed on the head. She could smell his arousal and it made her wet. She looked up at him watching her intensely as he stroked himself.

"I'm a gentleman" he whispered. "I'd never try to force a lady. However it's been two weeks...surely you want some of this."

"Maybe" she replied staring at the perfectly shapped head. She reached out for him and he backed up.

"You don't want me, remember?" he teased. "I guess I'll just have to take care of this little problem myself while you watch."

"I changed my mind again." she whispered. "Come here. I've got something for you."

He moved closer and she quickly grabbed him and ran her tongue over the head making him shudder.

"Val-"

"I've missed this." she confessed cutting him off. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could. He groaned grabbing her hair. He loved the way she made him feel when she did oral. The suction of her mouth and the feel of her tongue was indescribable.

Matheson could feel himself being drawn to the end after several minutes of her talented tongue. Her hands were caressing his scrotum and her teasing tongue ran up and down his shaft. She would then suck hard on the head and then run her tongue over him again.

"Val-"

"I know" she whispered 'Come on, baby. I want you to."

"But I want-" he protested between gasps of pleasure. She watched as his legs quivered as he tried to remain in a standing position.

"I want this first one" she said licking the underside of his erection before sucking hard on him once again. "Come on give it to me. Don't hold back."

Matheson couldn't fight her. She seemed to be able to read him. Just as he came close she would stop and waited for his pending orgasm to subside prolonging his pleasure.

"Val, you're torturing me..."

She took him back into her mouth again at his protest. "It'll make it better in the end."

She watched as he seemed to quiver at her touch more and more. The power she had over him made her want him even more. Suddenly he lurched forward as his orgasm consumed him and she felt him filling her mouth. For a moment she wondered if she could handle it as it didn't seem as if it was going to end. He then collasped on the sofa beside her. His breathing was labored and his eyes closed.

"I think I've died and gone to heaven" he muttered.

Val began kissing him starting at his forehead and working her way down. She ran her lips over his eyes planting light kisses all over his face. He didn't protest, but let her have her way. Matheson loved the feel of her lips as they traveled over his body. She ran her tongue over his lips and his chin. She nibbled on his ear lobe. He felt her tongue explore his nipples and then he shivered as she placed small kisses on his stomach.

He grabbed her and pulled her face up to his. He had never known a woman like his Val that was so giving...so loving...so much of a woman. His heart felt as if it would leap out of his chest. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for her.

"Do you know how much I love you?" he asked kissing her hard.

"I have an idea" she said smiling.

"Good" he replied sitting up. "Get undressed. It's my turn to show you."

Langston pulled into the driveway of his family home. The large white house with the large oak in the front yard looked the same as it always had. He paid to have it kept up and noticed that the lawn was perfectly manicured.

He got out of the car and walked in taking the alarm off. The house felt cold and empty. It was much too large for him and he often asked himself why he held onto it. He hadn't lived in it in years and only came here about twice a year.

Still, it was his family home and it would be Rowena's one day. He threw the keys on a nearby table and cut on the lights. The inside was dusty as he hadn't been there in several months.

He didn't have a lot of good memories in the house. His father was always sending him to his mother's sister when he was younger. The older Langston acted like he didn't know what to do with a small child. When he lived here he stayed in his room mostly. The house was always quiet since his father mostly stayed in his room or his office. They hardly ever had meals together and he had only the servants to talk to.

As he got older, his father communicated with him a little more, but still he was more into his work than he was into his son. The younger Langston vowed that he would not be that way and had to admit that he had spoiled Rowena rotten. Still, she was an overacheiver just like his father and he found that she'd rather work for what she wanted than to have it handed to her. He guessed that the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

He had left most of his father's things in the bedroom he had occupied when he was alive and the younger Langston rarely went into his father's bedroom. He had promised himself years ago that he would clean it out, but he kept procastinating. Now he was glad that he didn't as he had promised himself that he would search it thoroughly to see what he could find out about the secret life his father had led.

He went up the steps to the large bedroom and opened the door. The large poster bed stared back at him with the chenille bedspread. He walked over to the closet and opened the door. Most of his father's things were still there as if he had died recently rather than the forty years he knew had passed since his death.

He realized that his father stopped traveling to the Matheson's for Christmas by the time he was a teenager. It was then that it was discovered that he had heart problems and he hardly left the house accept to go to the doctor.

He pulled some boxes down from the top of the closet. Mostly the boxes contained receipts and some old documents. Nothing was there pertaining to his father's dealings with the Mathesons. He coughed and sneezed because of all the dust and put the boxes back and pondered for a moment.

His office! Langston had forgotten that his father had a small office off from the kitchen. He quickly went downstairs. The office was off from the kitchen pantry and was not that noticible which is why he had forgotten about it. He turned the knob and found it locked. He thought for a minute and ran back upstairs and opened the drawer on the nightstand beside the bed. He remembered a ring of keys being there. Finding them, he quickly returned to his task. There were about twelve keys on the ring and at about the eighth key he felt it turn in the lock.

The office was very dusty. No one had been in there in years. He walked around. The large mahogany desk was covered with papers. He looked around and saw several file cabinets and storage boxes. He didn't know where to begin to look. He sighed and cut on the light on the desk and began to rummage through the papers.

Several hours passed and he didn't find anything at all indicating that he was anything other than the father he knew. Perhaps that crazy red head was wrong. Maybe she was mistaken. He pushed himself back from the desk. He had gone through the file cabinets and the desk and hadn't found anything. Most of the storage boxes held more receipts, bank statements, tax forms and the like. Nothing out of the ordinary.

He got up and was about to walk out of the room when he noticed a picture hanging on the wall in the far corner. It was an odd place for a picture because the way it was hanging, no one would be able to really see it.

He walked over to the picture and it was a winter scene of people iceskating. Upon closer inspection Langston noticed that several of the people in the picture were holding presents and a couple was sitting on a bench holding hands. The female had a gift in her lap. It was obvious to him that it was Christmastime. His father hated Christmas!

Langston removed the picture from the wall and found a safe hidden there. He quickly retreived the keys that had let him into the room. He remembered the key chain that was on the ring of keys. Now it made sense. The keychain was an old plastic key chain from a car dealership. His father had scratched three numbers on the back of the keychain.

Langston remembered that his father always had a bad memory and perhaps the numbers were the combination to the safe. He quickly picked up the keys and held the under the light and saw 15-43-12 written on the back.

After several tries the safe popped open. Langston removed everything and brought it back over to the desk into the light. He discovered some money in an envelope, about five thousand dollars in cash. There were insurance policies on him that he knew were no longer valid. There were some stocks that he would check out later. Then there was a brown accordian file. He opened it and found a few pictures.

There were several of a black woman dressed with a rag tied around her head. She was standing with a white man and woman. It was obvious to Langston that she was a servant. Could this be his father's mistress? She was dark but had striking features...but not at all what he pictured in his head as a mistress. Maybe he was mistaken. He couldn't imagine the stuffy Langston Oxford, Jr. carrying on with a black servant!

There was another picture of the same woman with a baby. The baby looked white in the old black and white pictures but Langston couldn't be sure. Could this be the woman at Panera's? There were a few more pictures of the woman and the baby. Langston noted that the woman did not look happy. She didn't smile in any of the pictures. There were no pictures of his father with the woman, only the woman with baby and a white woman and man. Could this be the Mathesons?

He sat the pictures aside and looked to see what else was in the envelope and found an old letter. He could tell it was written by a woman. He glanced towards the bottom of the letter and saw that it was signed by Trudy Matheson.

Mr. Oxford:

I am writing this letter without the knowledge of my father. I am trusting you to least hear me out.

Lillie is not well. We do not expect her to last another six months. Mavis is only fourteen and has already told me that she is going to leave as soon as her mother passes. She is full of anger over her situation and I do not believe I can compel her to stay after that.

My pregnancy is not going well and I cannot bear to lose both her and Lilly. Even though you may not want to admit it, we all know that Mavis is your child conceived in our house and we feel responsible.

The least you can do is send me $500 as an incentive to get Mavis to stay with me. I will, of course be discrete and she will not know that it came from you because that would only make matters worse.

I am appealing to your sense of duty as a father and to any remaining decency you may possess, Mr. Oxford. Please do not disappoint me by showing yourself to be less of a man than I have already credited you to be.

Sincerely,

Trudy Matheson

Langston found a money order receipt for $500 made out to Trudy Matheson also in the envelope. The letter was dated June 15, 1959. The letter stated that the child was fourteen so that would make her about 65. That must have been the woman at Paneras! She was four years younger than Langston. It surprised him that with the tone of the letter that his father had actually sent the requested funds. He must have felt guilty about what he did to that woman!

He quickly put the information back in the envelope and stuffed everything back in the safe. He had to sit down a moment to think. He had a sister! She was black! He opened the desk drawer looking for the bottle of liquor he had seen there earlier. Maybe a drink could calm his nerves.

He opened the bottom drawer and found the bottle. A cloth patch was stuck to the bottom of the bottle as he lifted it from the drawer and he pulled it off and examined it. It was the type that should be sewn onto a uniform. It was white with blue writing that said "Klans of America." A white hand holding up a red torch was in the center of the patch.

Lanston dropped the patch feeling sick and then threw the liquor bottle in the trash. What kind of man was his father? How could he sanction the killing of black people and then lie down and make a baby with one of them? His head began to throb. He was flesh of his father's flesh and bone of his father's bone. Everyone told him as he was growing up that he looked just like him. Langston now wondered if deep down he had any of his father's tendencies? No wonder the black woman was so upset when she saw him. Her own father...his father was a Klan member!

Langston quickly cut off the lights and left the office, locking the door behind him. He needed some answers and he knew he had to find Emily Matheson Hendricks and her mother Mavis in order to obtain them.