This is the next chapter! Thanks for the reviews and favourites!
If anyone is wondering, there will be no germancest in this fic, only familial love. sorry to dissapoint (it does say family in the genre though...)
EDIT putting line breaks in! Much easier to read now, sorry!
"Hello?" the voice asked. "How can I help you?"
"Hello, Peter its Gilbert" he said. Gilbert was ringing his dads friends Peter for help and information. "I have a question to ask you, and I think you'd know because you and he always told each other everything. Did… he have another son?"
A pause followed, and he could hear a sigh. "I… It's not my place to say."
"So he did." Gilbert could feel the rage building up inside him again.
"…" Gilbert heard heavy breathing on the other side, which only fuelled the discontnented rage in his stomach. "Look, Gilbert, it wasn't really my business to try and tell your dad how to run his personal life. But I always disagreed that he never told you or tried to get in contact with the boy."
"The letters date to 1990, do you know what happened?"
"All I know that he went over to Berlin in early 1990 for political issues that could affect his business, of course, and met a prostitute in the eastern sector who was pretty young. That's all I know. I'm sorry." Peter said. "He didn't want anything to do with the baby and Andrea was distraught when she found out. I think they worked things out, but they decided to do their best to ignore the past."
As he was taking the information in, he imagined the situation in his head. His mother, crying about her cheating father, her father for cheating. He felt particular animosity for his father putting his mother through that, but at the same time, just felt dissapointement for the missed oppurutinity of a different family."Do you know anything about what happened to Ludwig?"
"I heard he was adopted, but that's all I know."
"Thank you Peter, for telling me."
"I… feel you should know."
Gilbert put down the phone, and sighed. It was true. All true. He had a little brother, about four years older than him.
He felt betrayed. Betrayed by his parents. He didn't know how he should feel, especially so soon after his mother's death, but one thing he did know was that he was going to find his brother.
Ludwig.
"Hello, is this Jennifer Schmidt?" he asked. Gilbert was squeezing his fingers
"No, can I help you?" the woman's' voice replied.
"Do you know of her? This was her contact number once, but dates to 1990" he asked.
"No, sorry. The previous renters of this flat was a gay couple, and I don't know their numbers at all. Perhaps you can contact the landlord, though. Though I'm sure he hasn't been in this business for too long, perhaps maybe only five years."
"Right, okay." He said, sighing. He wanted to contact the mother first, and see if she knew anything about him. But his first search had reached a dead end.
"You could call the adoption agency that was listed on the card" Elizabeta suggested.
Gilbert nodded, and tried again.
"They won't give out information, over the phone, I'll have to contact a private firm to do it for me."
Elizabeta shrugged. "That's not so bad, you know. Then you don't have to worry about it." Elizabeta said, and rubbed his back comfortingly. Gilbert was happy Elizabeta was there, it gave his greath support. . It was difficult juggling his work as a teacher, sorting out his parents house sale and any other loose ends his mother left and now trying to find his unknown 'd be sure he would be on the floor with stress right now if it wasn't for Elizabeta.
"I just need to know a surname and location; that would really help." Ludwig Schmidt had given a load of results, and when he tried to narrow it down to where he was born, Berlin, considerable results were still found. He had no idea where to start, what if Ludwig didn't even have a social media presence? "But yeah, I'll contact one of those agencies that reunite people." He said.
He could just imagine him meeting his brother Ludwig. His brother would be surprised, he didn't know about his past family, didn't know he had a brother.
Oh shit. What if he doesn't know he is adopted?
Gilbert pushed that fact out of his mind, and continued to be giddy with excitement. He had always wanted a brother. They could go bowling, drinking, he could introduce him to Francis and Antonio, it would be great…
"Don't get too excited Gilbert." Elizabeta said, with concern in his voice.
Gilbert nodded, but ignored the suggestion very easily.
"And the agency are doing everything for me! Looking at birth certificates, looking at the adoption agency, and everything! They'll make first contact. It's amazing, Roddy."
"You know I don't like it when you call me that." His Austrian cousin said. Gilbert rolled his eyes, his cousin was such a stick in the mud. "This is a lot to take in though… a brother… really?"
"I know" Gilbert then sighed. "I still can't believe it."
"You know, if you find him and meet him, I'd love to meet him as well. It might be nice to have a cousin who isn't such an arsehole."
"Hey!"
Roderich laughed. "Tell me though, and goodluck."
Gilbert put the phone down.
Finally, after a few weeks of waiting, an agency woman was telling them their new information.
"A paternity test was conducted, and it said that Ludwig is your biological brother."
Gilbert fist pumped the air. "Awesome!" Elizabeta tutted.
"He was adopted only two weeks later. However, three years later he was put back into the system. The family immigrated to Australia, and didn't appear to want to take him with them when they had a new baby."
Gilbert's stomach twisted, and a feeling of sickness rose in his throat. Was Ludwig abandoned… twice? "That's… awful. Do we know where he is now!?" he asked.
"That's where the trail gets confusing. No specifics on what happened to him, but he was in care in Berlin for a while, and was in homes and fostered before he reached eighteen, and then the trail goes cold. We're sorry, we only do straight adoption cases." The man said apologetically.
Gilbert wiped his eyes. Why was this so difficult!? "Do you know his surname?" he asked.
"He took the name Klein when he was adopted, but it was reverted back to Schmidt. I also have his birth certificate here." She handed him the copy of the birth certificate.
"Hey, October 3rd, that's German Unity day!" he asked, looking at the birthdate for Ludwig.
"A patriotic baby." Elizabeta murmured.
The woman looked at Gilbert. "We did contact his mother though." He said.
"Really!?" Gilbert said, surprised. It would've been nice if they had been told this earlier.
"Yes, and she lives in Dresden, and has two children of her own. She has had no contact with Ludwig though, or this meeting could be different."
Gilbert sighed. "I suppose there is no reason to contact her without Ludwig…"
"She seemed reluctant to talk to us about Ludwig. I think the best bet would be if Ludwig could contact her himself."
Gilbert nodded. The woman smiled and Elizabeta showed her to the door.
"Maybe I should hire a private investigator or something." He said. He stared at the birth certificate. He felt at least he was getting nearer to finding Ludwig.
"I'd do a bit more research yourself, for a few weeks, then try them. I only say because we don't have a tonne of money to spare."
"We will when we sell my parent's house." He said.
Elizabeta nodded. "Still, no need in wasting money if we can do it ourselves?" she said.
Gilbert nodded.
"I have found many, many, Ludwig Schmidts but I can't find any with the right birthdate in the Berlin area." he complained, after a few days of searching. He was getting stressed. Why couldn't it be easier?
"Maybe he doesn't have social media presence."
"I figured that out!" Gilbert snapped at her.
Elizabeta paused. "Look, Gilbert, I know this is going to sound horrible, but… I don't want you to get your hopes up. We have no idea what has happened to him. He might be in prison… or…. Dead."
Gilbert flinched. "I have thought of that." He said.
"He might not want to meet you."
"I HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT!" Gilbert shouted.
"Don't yell at me, Gilbert, I'm trying to help!"
"You always have to put a downer on everything!"
"I don't want you to get your hopes up! You're getting too excited, Gilbert, you don't even know anything about him."
Gilbert knew that Elizabeta was talking sense. He knew that Ludwig may not be what he is thinking of. But at the same time, she was bumming him out.
"I'll do it alone then!" he snapped.
"Gilbert, you're being ridiculous, I didn't even say I didn't want to help-"
Gilbert had already waltzed into the bedroom of their flat. He heard the front door slam, he knew that Elizabeta always went on walks when she was stressed.
Snorting, he looked up 'Berlin care'. He found the website of the council and found contact details. He continued looking at berlin care on google, until he found an interesting article.
The fresh face of fashion: Feliks Łukasiewicz
Feliks Łukasiewicz, at the young age of 23, has exploded onto the fashion scene with original and quirky designs. He has been hailed as a fresh new face amongst a fashion scene dominated by older figures.
But his road to the top wasn't easy, Łukasiewicz had to climb to the top with hard work and little funds.
"I'm a product of the care system of Berlin" he said. Łukasiewicz grew up in and out of foster homes, a few of which clashed with his more flamboyant nature.
"I didn't mind I suppose, it would've been nice to have some stability. However, that meant that I often had to face bullies whilst in care. Not particularly pleasant."
Gilbert was slightly intrigued, and he was around the same age as Ludwig would be.
Hesitantly, he found Feliks website and 'business inquiries' and began writing a message.
Two days later, he received a reply.
Dear Gilbert.
I was surprised to see someone message me like this, and I suppose to cut the long story short, I don't know where Ludwig is now. However, I did know him.
Of course, you did not share any photos so we cannot be certain, but there was a boy with the birthday on October 3rd, and I only remember because of the oddity of the birthday, name Ludwig Schmidt. He… wasn't very nice to me. I was a year younger, and I was scared of him. He seemed to hang out with other dissatisfied kids. He called me slurs and did beat me up once. I left that house after that, and was fostered. I did hear from friends he was put in the hospital for some reason, but I didn't really need to know any more, you know?
Anyway I hope you find him. I can't say I had any positive experiences with him, but you never know.
I had a friend who once they turned eighteen used a service to find siblings they had been separated from them. I hope it helps
LINK
Feliks Łukasiewicz
Gilbert was disheartened. Was Ludwig… thuggish? In a homophobic way? This worried him. He had a French friend, Francis, who was a flirt with anyone. And he was sure Antonio had slept with that boy at camp….
His and Elizabeta had worked out their issues. But he really should've taken heed Elizabeta's concerns. This was worrying.
"Why is this so difficult!" he moaned, and slammed his head onto the desk.
"Gilbert, the desk does not love you that much that it warrants you potentially denting it." Elizabeta said.
"I think my brother may be a major douchebag." he said, trying to dent the desk again.
Elizabeta walked over to him. "How so?"
"He called some cross-dressing gay fashion designer slurs apparently."
"Oh Gilbert…" Elizabeta gave him a squeeze. "That is only part of his life. We don't know him. And when we find him, and if he's a douchebag, then what can we do?"
Gilbert sighed. Elizabeta was talking sense, as usual.
"I just… wanted everything… to be great, awesome."
Elizabeta hugged him harder.
"You can't give up now. You've almost found him!"
"Hey, don't doubt me, I never give up".
Thats the end of this chapter! Progress is made!
Please review if you liked and please leave constructive criticism!
