TimsFunPlace

One Saturday afternoon we were all sitting down at the table for lunch when the door bell rang.  Since I was just toying with my food, I was up before I even knew it.  I walked towards the door, opened it and .....

 My mind went blank.  It ignored the evidence before its very eyes.  This couldn’t be … no way.  I closed my eyes, opened them again, checking to see if the conclusion my brain had come to was right.  I could feel my legs start to give way, my breathing became flat and, before I knew it or could say anything, I dropped to the ground.  I could hear someone say my name though … “Nick!!!!”

 [For obvious reason the next section is narrated by David]

 Nick had gone to open the door.  The conversation turned immediately to him and how we could get him out of his current mood … and, of course, how to do more to find Francis.  But that had been a topic for quite some time in e-mails and phone calls that had been going back and forth as well.  No one had any new ideas.

A Moment later, though, the door bell rang again.  I thought I heard someone say Nick’s name.  What was going on?  Before I knew it, most of us were standing up and running towards the front door.  I was one of the first to arrive and I ran into the vestibule.  There I found Nick lying on the ground and a woman kneeling beside him.

“Nick!!  Nick!!” I said.  The women looked up towards us now.  I stopped and felt someone behind bumped into me.   I ...  I ... wanted to say something … but words were not good enough.  I got closer to Nick and knelt down.  

“What did you do to him?” I said, sounding very, very angry.

“Nothing ....”

“Well … why is he on the ground then?”  I could here some arguing and yelling behind me.  I presumed it was Dad who was pushing through.

“Leave now!  It seems you’ve done enough damage already,” I said as I pushed her back a bit.  I knew that she stood up and stepped back but she refused to leave.

“Nick, can you hear me?”   There was no response.  He had a normal heartbeat, so I knew that nothing was wrong … but what was going on?

I could feel my Dad move closer.  He knelt beside me.  “Shock, you think?” he said to me.

“With her there … yea, that would be my guess, too,” I answered him.

“I didn’t do anything to him.  Trust me … he saw me and ... collapsed,” she said with a sniff.

“Maybe Just stand back … we need to bring him inside.  You wait here, OK?” my Dad said to her.

I looked up to her.  “Sorry, David.  If I’d known that he would react like that, I ....”

“What should you have done?  You have no idea how hurt he is!” I yelled now.

“David, leave all that for later.  Help me to get Nick inside,” my Dad said.

I got up, not responding to the sniffing that I heard behind me.  Now looking inside, I saw the others looking curiously towards both me and my Dad.  They were probably wondering who that was at the door.

We picked Nick up and brought him into the living room.  Alexei was there with a wet cloth and something to drink.  Slowly Nick started to move.  “You OK, Nick?” my Dad asked him.

“What?  Where?  Damn!  Is she still here?” Nick asked.

“Yea … you stay right where you are.  I think you had a bit of a shock there.”

“I think so!  Wouldn’t you if ….”

“Well, not any more, to be honest, Nick … but we have to deal with that now.”

I saw Nick try to get up but he was pushed back by Alexei and James.

“I think you’d better stay lying down for a Moment,” I suggested.

“Hmmmm … but ….”

“No … I think that’s a good idea.  We’ll be right back, OK Nick?”

My Dad interjected, “David … come … let’s see what she wants.”

“But I want to talk with her, too, Dad,” Nick pleaded.

"We know … but first things first … in a Moment, OK?  Just rest for a second.”

I followed my Dad into the kitchen.

“What does she want, Dad?  How long has it been now?”

“A long time, David … a very long time.”

“So … now what?”

“I guess we’ll have to ask her what she wants … and why she’s here.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with Nick being on TV?  Seeing him like that again?”

“Might have been … who knows what she’s thinking?  But we’d better go see her.  I’m not sure we can keep Nick from coming and chatting with her for very long.”

My Dad walked back to the living room.  I put some water on for tea and waited for them to get settled.  I’m not sure what happened in the living room, but it took a bit longer than I expected.  I’m sure Dad wanted to be certain that she wouldn’t do any harm … though, simply by showing up now, she’d done all the harm she could do anyway.

The door opened and I noticed how nervous I was.  She came in, followed by my Dad.  She approached me quietly.  She reached her hand out and said, “David!  It’s good to see you.”

I thought about not taking the hand but she had a gentle smile on her face.  She wouldn’t win, I thought.  I held out my hand and our fingers touched and then melded into a handshake.

“Mom!” I said softly, not trusting myself to say a lot more at that point.

“Let’s sit down,” my Dad said.

“Is Nick OK?  Won’t he be here?” she asked.

“He’s OK.  I guess the shock of seeing you, unannounced, was too much for him.”

“Not for the both of you!” she said, again with a smile.

“I don’t know.  Maybe the fact of your appearance hasn’t sunken in yet,” my Dad said.

“And you, David?”

“I’m not that easily shaken,” I answered.

“You’ve became quite a good-looking young man.  I can see you took after your Dad.”

“At least he was here,” I answered, trying to keep my anger out of my voice.

“So … what are you here for?” my Dad asked.

“I wanted to see you all,” she answered simply.

“Why now?  Why not years ago?”

“Just because.”

“That won’t do and you know it.”

“It will have to, dear.  The children can decide for themselves whether or not they want to know me.  They’re old enough now to make up their own minds.  I can understand if you don’t.”

It had become a duel of words between them.

She continued.  “I know I’ve hurt all of you, but I hope we’re now past that.”

“I don’t think so,” I said.

“Don’t be so hasty, David,” my Dad said.

“You want to have her in your life then?”

“No … but I don’t want you to dismiss her like that.  She’s your mother … you have a family to consider … I think you need to listen to her and then decide.  She’s still your Mother.”

“Hmmmm ….  Perhaps biologically … but no more than that … I don’t think she is my Mother.”

“Well … just wait and don’t be too hasty.”

I heard the door open and I turned around.

[Nick enters the room and resumes as narrator]

“Mom?  Is that really you?”

“Yea, Nicky.  It’s me.  Sorry I startled you at the door … but there was no way to warn you.”

“It’s OK.  I was just shocked.”

I looked at the others.  I certainly felt hostility in the room … not from Dad but definitely from David.  I saw that David’s face was not looking very happy.

“What are you doing here, Mom?”

“I just wanted to see you.”

“Why now?” I countered.

“Your talent is incredible, Nick.  I wanted to talk with you about it.”

“Oh!  I’m pretty sure there are others who know me better.”

“I know … but I just wanted to see if I could be a part of your life again.  I know I hurt you badly when I left … and I’m sorry for that … more than you will ever know.”

“Why Mom?  Why?  Why without a word … without a note … just like that.  Didn’t you think we cared?” I said while tears ran down my face.

“Oh, I know you did … all of you cared.”

“Why then?”  I desperately wanted to understand.  I knew … no, I felt … that I wanted to get to know her.  She’d been an important part of my first years of life and I knew she could be again … but only if I could understand why she’d abandoned us.

“Sorry, but I’d better go,” David said.

“You don’t want to know?” I asked.

“No.  It was her decision and she has to live with it.  For now, that’s enough for me.  I don’t want to know why as there’s no reason in the world that can justify what she did.  Not to me, not to you and certainly not to Dad.  I’ll be in the living room, although I’m sure the others will want a drink as much as I do after I tell them what’s happening.”

“I’m sorry, David … maybe later.”

“No, Mom.  Please leave me alone for now.  I need to think and, if I want to get in touch, I’ll let you know … but for now … just don’t say anything.”

“OK.  Just remember … I love you.”   David turned as she said that.  The look on his face said it all … pure hatred, I’d say.  He didn’t say anything … he just left.

I looked at my Dad.  “Kathy will talk with him, don’t worry.  He’ll want to hear more but I can’t guarantee that he wants to see you again.  I think he’s made his mind up about that already,” my Dad said.

“I can understand that, but I think I can help … and that was the reason why I needed to be here.”

“Help with what?” my Dad said.

“Hmmmm … I presume you’re not alone any more.  I feel the presence of another woman.”

“Yea … a wonderful, beautiful lady … Susan.  They married two years ago,” I said to save my Dad from having to answer that.

“But all those years he waited for you. All those years spoiled because you left without a word” I said started to get my initial anger about what she did back again.

“So tell us,” my Dad said. “Why are you back. Why now. I think we have enough to deal with at this Moment”.

“I am here to help” she said calmly.

“Help after all those years is not what we need, not from you for sure. We have all the help we need,” my Dad said.

“Oh I think you need more”.

“And then what will you do hurt us all over again and leave. Because you’d better know that if you hurt Nick or David or any of his family in any way again, that I’ll come after you, no holds barred.  Last time, I had their interests to concern myself about, and they needed me … but I’m quite sure that that isn’t the case any more.”

“I know … and I’m sorry for what happened … but I have no intention to hurt any of you.  As I said … I’m here to help.”

“No we don’t need your help. How can you even dare to show up your face like this, like nothing has happened and say you want to help? Where were you when we moved down here and we could have used all the help”?  I yelled now.

“Because I know where Francis is.” She said leaving us both fablers gasped as I looked at her then at my Dad and then back again.

“No, how, why you. I don’t believe you. You just want to crawl back into our lives. I yelled.

“Where is he then,” my Dad asked softly but I could here in his voice as he was definitely not trusting her either.

“I can’t tell you the location but I know who got him and why.”

“No you don’t you "Bitch." You left us and this is just a way to come back into our lives. I wanted to listen to reason but this is too much. Don’t ever get back to us as I don’t trust you. I did once but I am not making that mistake again. Never try to contact me again.

“I am sorry to hear that Nick,” she said softly.

“Well I am not and not sure why you would want to talk with her, Dad but I am leaving” I said very much a shaken by it all.

I slashed the door and went upstairs. I wouldn’t come down until she was gone out of this house I thought. I got up to my room and shut the door., presumably harder then I thought as the moment I lay down on the bed, David was there.

“You ok Nick?”

“Yea, can you believe this David, after all those years? Without even an apology she walks in and says 'Hi I am back and oh, by the way I know where Francis is.' Now is that just not too easy”.

“She said that,” he said looking at me.

“Yea, that she even has the guts to turn up you know, unbelievable”.

“Yea, I thought I was the only one thinking that when I left. I thought you would let her straight back in though,” David whispered more or less now sitting just beside me on the bed.

“You would?”

“Yea, you where always a lot closer to her then I was and I know it cost you a long time to get over her you know?”

“I know but then coming back with such a flimsy excuse. Just 2 weeks after we have been on TV as that is so despicable. Did she really believe we would buy that?”

“She left then?” David asked.

“No, she is talking with Dad as I am sure he has questions of his own.”

“Yea I think he must.”

“So now what?”

“I don’t know but I am not going to talk with her,” I said.

“Good, so how you feeling now?” David asked.

“I don’t know David as I was angry for the last 2 weeks as you probably noticed that. Or maybe even since we know he left as angry at myself most of it. But I just realised that that is what I felt after she left and there is definitely no way that I am going to let myself go through wth that again as you know”.

“I know, but”.

“Well maybe he did run away as maybe it did get all too much David. Maybe I need to accept that he is gone and that he didn’t want to be in my life, despite the last words in his e-mail. You know he might have collapsed. He might have not been as strong as we thought he was”.

“No, Nick you can’t think that, that is not like you. You know he loved you more than anything in his life”.

“Well maybe that is it then. He killed him self and is now laying somewhere where no one can find him. But if he has been that selfish then I need to move on. I waited for her despite her selfish act as I can’t wait that long again. My life will be over then”.

“Hold on Nick. Are you not jumping from one conclusion to the other just too quick? She might know where he is you know”.

“Oh I don’t know David but at the moment I am just saying it is going to hurt for sure but maybe if no one has seen or heard from him I have to accept he just didn’t want to be found and that is it. I can keep on like that but I have my life to live and have to go on you know”.

“We will see. So you are coming back down with me?”

“No, let’s watch some TV down here. The others will understand. They might even have left”.

We watched some TV. When we had heard some upset voices downstairs and some door slamming. We had looked at each other but continued to watch TV. Looking back now it was away of totally not want to deal with it as it was from the shock through to the anger to total denial that she was back into our lives.

We both looked up at each other when their was a knock on the door. We didn’t say anything, as if either one of us was waiting for who ever was their to go away. But after 30 seconds just as we thought they might have, there was another knock.

“You ok guys,” the voice of Alexei came from the other side of the door. “Can I come in?” he continued.

I just nodded at David and he said, “Yea come on in”.

He got in not alone as Randy was following him.

“You guys ok?” Randy asked.

“I think that is a stupid question Randy,”Alexei said.

“Ok, how are you doing then?” He rephrased.

I looked at David and he looked at me at the same time before we both started to laugh.

“Hmm sounds like they are in denial at the moment,” Alexei said.

“What do you mean?” Randy said.

“Well, Nick had the shock at the door. We heard him yelling and slamming doors when they went upstairs, first Nick then David. And now they are both here hiding from the rest of us and the world. The fact they are both laughing is a positive sign.”

That last bit got us stopped straight off.

“Is he all right?” Randy asked while looking at us.

David looked at me, “He might be,” said realizing that Alexei was right.

I thought about that and just nodded my head.

“So she is still there or did Dad get her out of the house?” David asked.

“No, they left.”

“They,” I said surprised.

“Yea, I think that got Susan a bit upset but your Mom and Dad left as I think if I understood correctly.

“So they left to talk somewhere else?”

“Yep,” Alexei said. “So you want to talk about it?”

“I guess we need to,” David said.

“It might help you to get things off your chest,” Randy said.

“We talked together already,” I said as I was not sure I wanted to do more.

“Yea, but we need to more,Nick as we can’t keep it inside. I can still feel a lot of anger and I think that I might regret not to hear her reason. But I can’t with all this anger inside me. So I'm not so sure if you want but, otherwise Alexei can you come along with me so we can talk?”

“You ok with that Nick?” Alexei asked.

“Yea, go as I know Randy better then David, so I can understand that he wants to talk with you.”

They left.

“So now what?” I asked Randy as I still didn’t feel like going into it.

“I don’t know Nick as do you know what she said?

She said she did know where Francis is as is that not a real coincidence? We havent’seen her in years and now she turns up. I just can’t believe that. And the way she acts she thinks we will let her back into our lives like she is the saviour. Never you know as I just don't see it.”

“Hm, never say never Nick. So how long ago did she leave?”

I didn’t have to think about that at all, “When I was about 5 or so. I didn’t notice for the first few days but then when she was not there for day number three, I asked and well lets say it took me years to get passed it”.

“You where angry at her?”

“Oh yea and disappointed as never knowing why was the worsted bit I guess.”

“So that is coming back now all, with Francis?"

“Yea, more then I realised. I talked with Dad already a bit about that, or better he hinted at that and made me think. If Francis really just left Randy there is no way I am going to wait for him. Not like I did for Mom as I just can’t do that again.”

“But he might not have left, remember as we believe he has been kidnapped? Otherwise some one would have seen him and called. We talked about that and we are sure something has happened.”

“He might just be dead somewhere beside the road or in a swamp” I said softly. “We will never know”. I better stop I thought as I felt how my tears started to run over my face.

“Yea, well their will be a time to stop and move on but this is not that time yet Nick. You can’t give up and who knows your Mom might know where he is as whe just might be right.”

“Not sure I can give myself that kind of hope, Randy.”

“I know but still we never gave up on you when you where gone at the hotel that time, so we need to hang in, ok?”

“I guess, so now what?”

“Well I think we need to go downstairs to see the rest as it would reassure Susan a bit as well. Can you do that?”

“I might, as long as she doesn’t come back”.

“I don’t think she will as not tonight”.

When I got downstairs we talked a bit about several things. David came downstairs with Alexei as well and gave me a hug. We waited until we heard the front door opening. We got silent and waited as it had been quite a long time since he had left but it was Dad returning from his trip to the pub with my Mom. I saw that my Dad was upset … not just a bit but an awful lot.  I’m not sure what had happened … but their talk had had more effect on him than he’d expected, that was for sure.  He winked at Susan as soon as he entered the living room.  I guess he saw that she was distressed by the amount of time they’d been away.

My Dad and Susan went to the kitchen to talk and, as soon as they left, the room went silent. They came walking in after a few minutes again as Dad got himself a drink and then walked back to the couch to sit beside Susan.

“You ok Dad?” David asked.

“Not sure that is the good way to describe it David, but I will be fine.”

“So you made her go away then qw we don’t need to see her anymore?” I asked.

“Sorry Nick, but it isn’t that easy.”

“It is, she was here, she is gone and never to be let back in”.

“I know Nick, but you need.  No sorry you don’t need Nick as I just hope that you will talk with her and it might be better sooner then later as well.”

“I can hardly see that happening Dad. I can’t understand that you can trust her as much as you seem to be showing.”

“I don’t that is why I told her to go to Keith and the private eye’s.”

“You think they will believe her?” Randy asked.

“Not sure belief is what I am looking for here Randy as it is more like fact finding. I don’t want her to tell more to us. We need to know if it is truth before we can here anything more from her. But for the moment I don’t want her hurting David, Nick or me with any possible lies. She has no right to do that at all”.

“So you want us to talk after she talked with Keith and the private eye’s then?” I asked.

“No, she can tell them her story and then they can see what they can find out and they can then report back to us.”

“Ok”.

“This way we know for sure that she is right and that we might even be able to trust her a bit”.

“Did she tell you why she knows?” David asked.

“No, and I didn’t want to know.”

“Did she tell than why she left?”

“Later Nick, let’s say she did a bit.”

‘You don’t want to share it with us then?” David asked.

“Not yet. I am still processing it myself guys.”

“So now what then?” I asked.

“Nothing, time to get a drink for us all and then go to bed. Keith will meet with her tomorrow and then hopefully we can find out in a day or two.”

We said goodbye to the guys as Alexei and Randy stayed over and we turned in early. I didn’t sleep a wink that night.

I rested that is for sure but definitely no sleep. I tried to read a bit but my mind went back to so many years ago. Thinking back to that day after missing Mom for a few days, my Dad took me to the garden, sitting on the bench over looking the rose garden, Mom’s favourite area. There he told me that he had no idea where she was and that she might not be coming back. The idea of the image had grown over time but I missed her that was something for sure. I also know I had a period of hate as well. If she just would have left a note I thought then, but not sure if that would have helped either. Maybe getting to know the reason would make this easier to close it all and move onwards. For hours that keep on going into my mind not sure what the best thing was to do. Could I trust the reason she would give or would it always nag me in the back of my mind that she would leave again without saying something? And then there was Francis, where was he and did she actually know where he was?

I did some more drawing over the next few days. Not painting as I knew what the color would be. But a few times the same theme, images out of my youth came back to me, like that rose garden. We talked but most of it we just weighted. We knew that Keith had talked with Mom but no news after that. I think that something was said that it might take up some time and effort.

On the fourth day we got a phone call from Keith, they wanted to meet with us the next morning. It seems they had found some facts and wanted to share with us.

So the next morning, with red eyes we all gathered around the breakfast table.

“Thanks for staying Alexei and Randy. I know this might be all strange for you but we are thankful for your support,” Dad said when we all sat down.

“I think that we can use the support and the listening ear as I suspect that it won’t be an easy morning. I also want to ask you Nick and David to keep your mind open to all what is going to be said. It is not going to be easy and she has a lot to answer too. I just want to ask of you to listen to her. Then if you don’t want to talk with her ever that is fine with me but at least give yourselves the opportunity of hearing her out.”

‘So the detectives found something out then, you know there is truth in her story.”

“I don’t know, but what she told me, if that is true and she always could be trusted until she ran away, then I want you at least listen, ok? I guess I feel that I owe her that much. She gave me the two most beautiful and smart young men I could have ever dream about”.

I smiled at him. Sucking up I thought as this better be good.

Just when we where finishing off, the door bell went. My Dad stood up and went to the door.

“You ok guys?” Alexei asked.

“Yea“

“You look like you didn’t sleep at all Nick?”

“Well not a lot.”

“If you feel the need you need to talk at any point while they are here, let us know, we will go with you to your rooms and talk ok?”

“Thanks Alexei and Randy,” I looked at David “We really appreciate you being here at the moment/”

“No problem that is what friends are for.” Randy said.

Keith came then in followed by one of the detective’s, when Mom was the next to come in. I saw that David was about to say something when my Dad said, “It is easier if we do this in one go, so please David.”

We all sat down as I noticed that Mom was in between Keith and my Dad. as it almost looked like she had won him over already. I realised that he must have loved her an awful lot.

“Ok, Keith what did you find?”

“Well let’s first say that I am going to keep myself to the facts. I am not going to tell or give anything away of your mother that she is not willing to tell herself. We agreed that we would look into the facts and that today she would in return, tell them to you. She wanted that and we had no problem with it. But first let me say that it took us a bit longer and with a lot more people than we expected to get this done. Mainly because as she told us, that we needed to be very, very careful in pursuit of this. We did and what we found even scared us,” he said looking at the detective when he finished that. We followed his gaze and saw the detective nodding.

“I have been in this business for quite some time now but this shook it all.”

“So what did you discover Keith?” Dad asked.

“We followed the clues given by your Mom and although we could hardly believe that they were true we found that in 80% of what she said was right. This was all protected and covered up which made it very difficult to trace it all. So we can hardly deny the fact that there is a big hidden organization behind it all that is very powerful and will do anything to keep itself hidden.”

“So you think that they might have Francis then?” I asked.

“No idea Nick, but if your Mom is involved as she says she is, then kidnapping him to keep her in control might be one of the solutions they would follow. Especially and don’t take me wrong as wwe all are having a bit of a stressful time understanding this all, so it might be without consequences as they might have thought that he ran away.”

“So what did they cover up then?” Alexei asked.

“Oh, you name it and they did. Murder, kidnapping, extortion, abuse, blackmail, fraud and we found a few of those things in deed but I am sure there is a lot more behind it.”

“How did they do it then?” David wondered.

“Easy as having the right people at the right place and get them to act .as then they are fallen and easily being used for future purposes. You have to take in mind that it is a big organization., spread straight across the country."

“Ok, so now what?" David asked looking at my Dad.

“Well I think first it is time for your Mom to tell her story and why she came to believe that they have Francis as are you willing to listen at least?”

David nodded. I looked at him and then at Mom I saw her pleading look and nodded as well.

“Are you sure you want to?” Keith asked, “You know what this will mean for you don’t you?”

“I think so, but I can’t live with it anymore Keith. I need to find a way out.”

“Ok, if you say so.”

“Ok, let me get every one a coffee and then you can start,” Susan said.

Susan poured every one a drink and we waited patiently for Mom to start.

chapter 12