Music City (25 page)

“I love your Daddy, Noel. He is a kind and good man, one of the best men I’ve ever met. I only wish I would have found him sooner.” Shelly said with some sadness in her voice.

Noel straightened, “No regrets. You’ve been here when it really counted and that is all that matters. What are your plans, are you going back to Nashville tonight?”

Shelly shook her head, “No, I have nothing pressing going on there for a couple of days. I figured after we go back and spend as much time as they’ll let us with your Daddy, I’d go to the hotel, maybe catch a movie, then come back to the hospital tomorrow morning. Honestly, as crazy as my life has been lately, it’s really nice to be away from there.”

“Hotel, nonsense, come stay at the house with me, we can watch a movie together and tomorrow you can go to church with me before we come to the hospital.” Noel decided.

“I don’t want to put you out, Noel. I’ll be fine at the hotel, remember even though we had the tour bus, I’ve spent a large part of my life in hotels, they’re like a second home to me.” Shelly laughed.

Noel wasn’t going to have it, “The kids are with their dad’s parents for a couple of weeks, it’s part of the custody arrangement we have. They get their time with them just like he does. I really don’t want to rattle around the house all by myself, I get lonely.”

When Noel put it that way, Shelly agreed and was glad she did. They spent the evening watching movies, talking and baking
Snickerdoodle cookies. Shelly felt like they were having a slumber party and she thoroughly enjoyed it. Shelly felt close to Noel... though she had her family, Shelly did not have many of what she would call close friends and she enjoyed the time with Noel. The following morning, they made French toast together, then dressed and headed to Noel’s church.

The service began with some congregational songs, then a woman stepped forward, she spoke briefly about the song she was about to sing and how it had touched her heart. When the woman began to sing, Shelly was captivated, the voice was wonderful, the woman sounded so familiar but she just couldn’t place the voice. She didn’t think that she had ever heard the woman sing before, but she couldn’t be sure. She had listened to a lot of hopefuls over the years. No, she would have remembered this voice.

She whispered to Noel, “Who is that?”

Noel smiled, “Her name is Lori Dobbins. Her husband is a Colonel over at Maxwell
Air Force Base. They’ve been here about a year. She’s a music teacher, but hasn’t been able to find a teaching job since they transferred here.”

“I want to meet her.” Shelly whispered back.

Noel nodded at Shelly and mouthed the words, “After the service.”

After the service, Noel had several people waiting to talk to her, she leaned over and whispered to Shelly, “I’m never this popular, must be the company I keep.”

Shelly laughed, and shook hands with the folks as Noel introduced her, all of them were very kind to her, and most didn’t mention the fact that they already knew who she was, they simply answered, “Nice to meet you Shelly,” or “glad you joined us today, don’t be a stranger.” It was a very good experience and Shelly was glad she had come.

Finally, the crowd thinned out and Shelly noticed that the lady who sang so beautifully was standing off to the side with who Shelly assumed to be her husband. Noel was telling someone about her father, so rather than wait for Noel, Shelly approached the couple herself, hand extended.

“Hi, I’m Noel’s friend, Shelly, and I have to tell you, I really, really enjoyed your song this morning. You sing beautifully.”

Lori Dobbins blushed brightly, her husband took Shelly’s hand and shook it, “Ms. Shepard, coming from you, that is a huge compliment. I’m Mike Dobbins, this is my wife Lori.”

“It’s so nice to meet both of you. I enjoyed your song so much, I have to tell you, your voice sounded so familiar to me, we haven’t met before, have we?” Shelly asked.

Lori Dobbins seemed to have finally found her voice, “No Ma’am, we’ve never met, but I am honored to meet you today. I’ve always loved your music.” Lori smiled brightly at Shelly and Shelly realized as she looked at Lori that she was staring into eyes that were mirror images of her own. It was then that the realization hit her. The voice sounded so familiar because it sounded very much like her own voice.

Shelly felt faint.

Mike Dobbins laughed, “Believe it or not, most people usually tell Lori she sounds like you when she sings.”

Noel joined them just then, she and Lori exchanged hugs, “How’s your dad doing, Noel? I heard about the stroke, I’m so sorry.”

Noel sighed, “Not very well, we’re not sure what’s going to happen right now. The doctors are doing everything they can. We’re headed over after we leave here.”

“I’m so sorry Noel.” Lori hugged her again. “After you leave the hospital, why don’t you come by and have Sunday dinner with us, it will give you a little bit of a break and we’d love to have you. I made Apple Crumb Pie last night, it smelled delicious.”

Noel looked at Shelly, “I’d love to, but I’m not sure what Shelly’s plans are.”

Shelly had recovered and turned on her brightest smile, “I would love to have Sunday dinner with Lori and Mike, if you would Noel, apple pie of any kind is my favorite!”

There was no change in Thomas Bradshaw when they went back to the hospital. He was still sleeping, and after the tests they ran that morning, the nurse thought he would probably sleep until well into the evening hours. She assured them that sleep was the best thing for Thomas right now.

They left the hospital and drove to Mike and Lori Dobbins home, a cute cape cod near his base. Mike met them at the door and ushered them into the beautifully decorated living room. A wonderful aroma was wafting through the house and Shelly’s stomach growled at the thought of food. Mike smiled and motioned for them to take seats, “Please, make yourselves at home, Lori will be here in just a minute, she’s checking on the roast.”

Shelly sat on the plush loveseat to her right, Noel chose a wing back chair, while Mike sat on the arm of the sofa. Shelly looked around, “Your home is beautiful,” she complimented, “and it smells really good too.” She laughed.

Mike laughed, “Lori makes it a home, no matter where we are, she always manages to make our house feel like we’ve lived there for twenty years. Not an easy feat since we’ve moved so often.”

“Oh, really?” asked Shelly. “What is that like, moving all of the time?”

“It’s not for everyone. It’s tough, especially on families, which is why we chose not to have kids.” Mike said.

He continued, “We met in 1985 when I was doing residency at East Tennessee State. We fell in love and married within a year of meeting. Our first assignment was to Nebraska, then the Philippines, then Texas, then Kentucky, then off to Korea for three years, Massachusetts for a year, Texas for a year, Germany for two years, back to Texas twice, two different bases, then to Honduras, back to Texas again, then Mississippi and now here. Here is where I hope I get to stay, until I retire. But, as you can see, that is a lot of moving in twenty-five years, almost impossible for adults to adjust to, there is no way we would have asked kids to.”

Shelly nodded, “I see your point.”

Mike continued, “My parents are gone and Lori’s parents only had her and her sister, so it was an adventure for them to come visit us in far-away places, well, until her sister died, then for a while, they didn’t want to travel, luckily we transferred back to the States shortly after her death.”

“Oh no, I’m sorry.” Shelly said.

Just then Lori entered the room, “Mike, what are you making our poor guests sorry for?” She laughed, “Sometimes he forgets to leave the Colonel on base when he comes home.”

Mike shook his head, “I was being good, I was just talking about your folks and your sister’s death. Ms. Shepard was just saying she was sorry for your loss.”

Lori smiled, “Oh, thank you, it was six years ago—I still miss her, don’t get me wrong, but I’m at the point now where I can just remember the good times without the sadness.”

As they were sitting and enjoying the meal that Lori had prepared, the talk came back to siblings. Noel and Mike were both only children.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” Lori asked Shelly.

Shelly shrugged, “That seems to be the question of my life, lately. It’s very complicated. I left home when I was very young because I had an abusive mother. I’m not sure if you know this story?” Shelly said, as she looked at Noel.

Noel shook her head, “I’ve not told a soul.”

Shelly
told them the entire story about her childhood, her mother, taking care of the younger children, and then about the night her mother came home and bashed her over the head with the frying pan.

She told them about the ride with Thomas
Bradshaw, his kindness, working at the diner, meeting Trent. She left nothing out. When she was finished, Lori Dobbins came around to her side of the table and hugged her.

“Bless your heart. I can’t imagine going through something like that at such a young age. Were you from somewhere here in Alabama?”

Shelly laughed, “Oh, heavens no, I lived outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.”

Lori was already back in her seat, “Well now, what a small world, that’s where my sister was born.”

Mike laughed, “Hey Lori, maybe you were always right about your sister after all!”

Lori laughed along with him, “Now wouldn’t that be a hoot!”

Shelly asked, “What would be a hoot?”

Lori laughed, “I loved my sister, don’t get me wrong, but we weren’t close at all. We were so different,
literally, as different as night and day. I always secretly thought that mom and dad brought the wrong baby home, we were that different. I even asked my mother about it when I was a teenager. She swore she brought the right baby home, but I always had my doubts. I could never figure out how two people, siblings, raised by the same people could be so very different.”

Mike added, “Add to that, that your sister didn’t resemble anyone in your family at all.”

Shelly sighed, in her heart, she had just been given the answer she was searching for, “I’ve always told my children that people come into our lives for a reason. Noel’s Daddy came into my life once when I needed him, and now, I think he’s done it again. Were it not for Thomas, I would have never come here, I would have never visited your church, and I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I think this might be classified as ‘divine intervention’.”

Over dessert, Shelly told them about her life with Maye,
then she brought them up to date on the most recent happenings in her life. How she came to find Dorothy, and the revelation from Maye that her own child, Shelly, was switched at birth with a baby born to a couple passing through to keep the child’s natural father from finding her.

Lori listened quietly, “Shelly, if you and my sister were the switched babies, it would explain so much. My sister wasn’t a pleasant person. It seemed no matter what we did, it was never enough. She started drinking and I would guess, using drugs, when she was in
junior high school and didn’t stop until she ran her car into a tree one night. She couldn’t hold a job, wasn’t a very good person, and caused my parents a lot of grief.”

Shelly said, “I’m so sorry to blurt all of this out like this, but, when I looked into your eyes, it was like I was looking into a mirror.”

Mike spoke up, “I think it’s a logical conclusion to come to. We’ll have to get DNA testing done to know for sure.”

Shelly nodded, “That’s how we found out my sister Dorothy wasn’t my sister.”

Lori asked, “What would we have to do?”

Mike inte
rjected, “It’s a simple test. Blood would give the best match, but just a swab of saliva will work. We can run the test at the base, unless you’d rather use your people, Shelly?”

Shelly looked at the clock, it was getting late, none of them realized how much time had passed.

“I know my daughter and friends would be more comfortable having the tests done in Nashville. Y’all could fly back with me tomorrow if you like. It’s only an hour flight, and you can either stay with me a few days, or you can come right back after the tests, that is entirely up to you. If you can’t come with me, I can always send my people down here to collect the sample.”

Lori looked at Mike, “I’ll do whatever is easiest
for you, Shelly. This is like a dream to me, after all the years of believing my sister wasn’t my sister, to find out that there is a good possibility she wasn’t—not only that, but that my
real
sister is a kind and good person like you… well, I am just completely overwhelmed, and I agree.  It’s divine intervention.”  She paused and  took a deep breath, “do you really think that we could be sisters?”

Shelly nodded,
more than a bit shocked herself. “I think it is a very real possibility.”

Noel smiled, “I don’t think it could happen to two nicer people. Daddy would be so happy for both of you.”

Shelly smiled and squeezed Noel’s hand. “It’s all because you wanted me to go to church with you. Speaking of your Daddy, I want to go see him again before I go back. Mike, Lori, we’ll leave you two alone, here’s my card, it has my cell on it. Just give me a call in the morning, and let me know how you want to proceed.”