The mysterious stranger

The bureau of the notary was located in not very far from little Falls, where we lived.

Last year Mike had sold our SUV and bought a little VW- Polo since the bills of the hospital need to get paid. And so this was this car we used at this day.

He parked the vehicle in the near and we walked the last part of the way in in silence trough the snow.

My grandfather is a lawyer.

He runs a own chamber still as Senior, even when my grandma forced him for ages to went in retirement. But without his work, he always told us, he felt like a half man-

So you could picture that i would be actually be interested in that, what a notary do. But not at that day.

I wasn't even impressed by the luxurious building.

Mike reached me a hand.

"Ready?"

"Ready if you are" I told him taking his Hand and so we went together through the impressing two winged door.

Inside was a great hallway.

Someone was very keen, to make sure that everyone could notice how wealthy the owners where.

It lasted all in authentic Jugendstil ambient. There were huge tiles on the ground, who end in the middle into a star, lots of dark wood and Tiffany-glass.

Everything seemed to me near to swanky expensive.

Sudden it reminded me on the entrance of a museum- or much better- on a library.

I was stunned- wondering about my feelings until I found out it smelled like paper.

And I smelled as well the cleaner, the conifers, even the printers in the offices.

It was odd. I never was focused on smells and it was irritating that i just started to use that sense. Just in that moment.

Astonished I looked around trying to place that new sense in my world, but the Sinister was already waiting for us.

It pushed downstairs like a bird of prey, who finally find the mouse. And she was running to us with floating dresses.

Mrs. Sinister is commonly known as Louise Renee Tilby- born as Louise Renee Hayes- and yes she is related to our nineteenth president- not much- but enough to mention it really often.

Mike and me dubbed her the Sinister for reasons. Even through she had no red eyes. She is just a neurotic old woman with a lot of time.

Louise is an artist. Better said, she would like to be one and since she found out that she is not that gifted, she cares -with help of the money of her wealthy husband like a mother for upcoming artists. She supports them with advises, money and exhibitions or procuring them thanks her good contacts to the society.

But in reality its just a hobby. A hobby like shopping or visiting the opera frequently.

Actually its her main time job looking nice on the side on my grandfather and being the mother of his daughters.

Or better said his one remaining daughter...

Poor Louise

She planned the life of her children well, but even a amount of money does not save you from the fate.

Louis`s first "fate-day" was 1971. She was just twenty-eight by herself. My aunt Hannah was three and my mother just a half year old.

Married with George, my later grandfather, who was in these days the upcoming star in a successful chamber in Manhattan, she had actually all what she ever wanted.

A wealthy husband and two cute children. In this spring they had bought a house on buzzard bay.

Because of the children, of course. Not to show of that they where finally someone, no way.

Louise was invited by a friend and her thirty years older husband who had also a house on the Cape in these days. Her own husband was home with my mom and the Nanny, because he really worked hard for the money she spend.

It was later as expected and a way to much champagne as well. And Louise hasn't thought on the evening mist.

Aunt Hanna was sleeping on the backseat of the car as the Truck hit the car.

Hannah didn't wake for three days.

The Doctors saved her life- but they amputated her right leg.

Louise never came over that accident especially when she realized that Hanna would be defaced and disabled for life. I don't think she is- Actually makes her the scar in her face interesting and even prettier, but thats my personal of course totally dis-morphed point of view, I guess.

However, my mom was unharmed and the prettiest thing you could find.

Of course had Louise big Ideas for my mom. But she was cute as clever, and also not willing for-filling my grandmothers wishes. She didn't even think a single moment to be a lawyer- neither marrying one.

No, my mother had her own ideas.

TV. news-anchor was her Idea of a career. And then she came home with a child from a man she never planned to marry.

Oh dear, what a mess!

But for some reasons Louise was pretty relieved about the fact, that my mother never married my father.

He was obviously - just as Mike later was- an unacceptable person. So was she pretty happy that mom broke up all contact to "that person".

Well, unfortunately I was a huge reminder on my moms mistake.

And like Hannah I wasn't perfect at all.

All Christmases i can remember back, I got long shirts and Pullovers later ground-long skirts to conceal my obvious imperfectness.

One or two of these ugly things I wore. When we was visiting my grandparents -or worse-they come to visit us. The most was wandering in the charity collection, because my mother thought her mother was overacting a way to much.

Never mind. I loved the house at buzzards bay, but my Grandmas shame turned my vacations to nightmares.

If you' re just five years old, you want to dig in the sand feeling the water between the toes. Not complete clothed sitting looking the other children playing.

I was not even in school when my grandmother told her neighbor that my differences was being a worst disease. A deformation. I bet without her I wouldn't ever had noticed it at all- at least in that days- that I was different.

Because in little Falls almost no one cared my hands and feet.

Now she was kneeling in front of me as I was still five.

"How are you, Love?", she asked dramatical, as I was a bit retarded.

Yeah, I'm actually small. But I wasn't that small, that it was necessary to kneel in front of me. Today, it would be some else. I'm pretty happy about, when someone does that today. But in these days it was just an offense.

I gulped my anger, so much as possible, because she had lost her child just like I had lost my mother. Maybe, I thought kinda hopefully, she went now finally insane.

"Fine", I answered because of this.

That was a lie. I was sick.

The honey loops in my stomach seemed to start a revolution against being eaten and half-digested milk came back in my mouth and noose- but Louise didn't noticed it at all.

She sudden did some very important: Unfolding the sleeves of my blouse over my huge hands and my oddly thumb.

"This is MUCH better", she explained to me."I told you that a thousand times..."

As she looked up, she saw my green face and her smile free zed.

I was about to loose the fight against the revolting honey loops. So i was telling her: "I`m Sorry- got to go.." fleeing in the hall, hopefully managing to reach the toilet in time.

"Are you better?", Mike asked.

When I left the toilet he was waiting in front of it.

I nodded."Did Mrs. Sinister left us?"

There was a hint of smile in Mikes pale face. "Yes she went in the room. There we will be with her again. We got to go. Its time."

So we went to the room where the opening of will should happen.

The ceiling of the wide room was decorated with stucco,while the high staved Windows on right side were covered with red velvet curtains-So it looked more like a stage room, of a small theater, than a office- at least to me.

In front of us where a gigantic shelf and before it a antique desk. Two man brought a flat-screen in and placed it in front of the chairs.

We nod silently at the attendants, then we sat down in the second row.

I actually knew everyone in the the room. The complete Tilbys including my cousins and two Hayes- a brother of my grandma and his wife. Lots of colleagues. Friends of my mom like Malice, who runs a shop in Little Falls and smiled at me as the only one.

The notary was about to start, when a complete stranger entered room.

In the very first moment he came in, i thought he might be a notary as well, because he would had fit in here. But he wore his coat, so that I expected, that he must be an invited guest.

With firm steps, very upright he entered the room and every eye was placed at him.

I tried to fit him somewhere, but i couldn't place i had the feeling, I got to know his face from somewhere. Actually some like that never happen to me. I always remember faces well. And i can bring a name to them. Mike suggested i might be an eidetic. I personally doubt that for reasons. I can indeed remember well forms and structures -but not every detailed like a blueprint or a photo. Mike said that counts anyway.

But this guy was absolute implacable.

Since he had entered the room, he seemed to fill it, as he was get used to be in the center of interest. And he was huge. I suspected around six foot.

Not fat, more trained as it looked like.

I couldn't say it for certain, because of the coat and the dark suit what was obviously made just for him and very vaguely familiar looking face was framed by long brown hair.

What actually made my heart stop for a moment, where his Hands..they where as my own.

No.

Never ever.

My heart and my head fought against each other, like to prof-wrestlers in the final fight for championship.

My mother couldn't have done that-Not after all these years...I couldn't believe my eyes.

"Who is that?", I whispered to Mike more upset than i had planned.

He was pale. More pale than usual in this days shaking his head in disbelieve.

"I have no Idea", he said but it didn't sound very honest.

The Notary knew obviously well, who the stranger was. He reached his Hand to that stranger.

"I`m very happy that you managed to come, Dr. McCoy", he said very polity.

So his name was McCoy, but it wasn't very helpful at all, to place him. McCoy was not an extraordinary name.

He nodded serious and sat himself down to a chair in the first row. Just next to my grandma who looked at him like she suspected in him a serial killer or leastas someone who might having a contagious disease.

But instead being pissed or searching for another seat, he just lifted his eyebrows smiling a bit amused at her. Then he was wholly concentrated to that why he was here. Looking at the notary.

Someone who react at my grandmas behavior, that professional and sympathizing was really cool!

The notary started to speak, but my eyes and my concentration were placed at that foreign man. I couldn't help, but starring at him.

Of course he noticed my reaction, turning around and our eyes meet for the first time.

He looked with obviously curiosity over his rimless reading glasses at me. His eyes where blue not like mine neither purple blue like my moms just lighter with a hue of green or gray- hard to say because the room was darken now.

It was of course completely impolite to stare so i looked up to the ceiling feeling a bit awkward, while Mike was glaring at the stranger as he consider him as a rival.

The sound of my own name brought me back to the actually reason why i was here.

Meanwhile had the notary placed a videotape in the recorder.

The Disease had left deep signs in my mothers face who appeared to be on it. She was in that hospital room. Since she looked pale and sick like that I figured that that tape must be recorded somewhere in the last weeks in Peterson.

I had have seen her uncountable times on a screen, like millions behind the TVs every evening. Now seeing her very last appear on the screen, made me sick and sad. I felt tears nearing, while i stared at the TV.

"I got reasons for not talking about your father at all, Jeanna. May you can understand- may not. But in the last week has much happen. I understand now, that I cant protect you forever from the truth..." She sighed pushing her hand at her nose. Then she took a deep breath.

"It was my biggest mistake, doing like I did. Now I see, you might need your father and its ineluctable, that you met him."

She looked down.

"Thats why you're hopefully here, Henry", she said quieter.

"I know how unfair all this is. How surprising. But I don't do that, to hurt you even from my grave. I got a lot of time to think of. To much time if you ask me..."

My mother looked very sadden, shaking her head.

"What ever I did- I couldn't do it else. The whole thing- all that. I was not daring to call you later", she paused looking straight in the cam, as she had learned, "Jeanna needs you, I just can hope you can forget everything has happen between us, think just on her..."

Without breathing I watched the reaction of the stranger. He was THAT Henry, my mother was talking to...no doubt.

Instinctively I turned my head again in his direction. We looked at each other again, kinda confused and insecure.

My heart felt about to burst in that moment.

It was true. This guy with his huge hands was my father. My real father. The man I never was supposed to ask for. The man, my grandmother had called in thousand discussions with my mom behind the closed doors, a bum. The man, she said, whose fault it is that I'm such a pain.

I couldn't understand the world any longer.

Why was he here? Did he actually not knowing about me, until now? Why had my mother tried to block every questioning about him - just to bring him here, right now?

He was obviously not a bum. What the hell was up with him, then?

Everyone in my situation want to know who his father was. I had given up long ago.

Was it possible to have a normal relationship at all after all that years?

Would he want that? Would I?

My life was complicated enough. Even without him.

Thousand thoughts where running trough my head at the same time. I was feeling like i had a main central station just in my head and I didn't even realize when the whole event was over, until Mike prodded me softly.

Everything what happen after that moment I understand that my father was sitting there, on that seat was just dizzy.

Everyone was now standing up leaving the room. Except me-Also my father was standing up finding the way to us.

Mike was toppling hectic in my fathers direction looking quite hysterical. If it wouldn't be totally inept, I would have thought that Mike was kinda afraid of my father.

"Dr. McCoy! Its a pleasure to meet you in personal.. I'm- was Patricia's husband. I didn't know about. Its a real surprise...", he was babbling while shaking McCoys hand wildly.

My father was obviously not short tempered from Mikes ranting.

He really tried to be very polite, while he was smiling shyly at me.

"Could we invite you for a coffee- or whatever you might drink..", Mike said.

I looked at him very alienated because it sounded, like he would expect that the man in front of us was drinking the blood of newborn baby's or bug-juice.

But my father was not surprised, just smiling at Mike.

"Oh Coffee is totally OK, I'm not that different then other people, Mr. Tennent"