I wandered down the street till I came to Degrassi school. Emma had said that there was a memorial for my father here. I walked up the steps and noticed that classes were in full swing. I waited until the halls filled with students until I walked around. After five minutes I had finally found the zen garden as it is now called. There in a stone, sat the same fading photograph that was at his head stone. I had no recollection of my father other than this photograph that kept reoccurring. I had come looking to answer my questions but the more I looked the more I found that my questions just kept adding up. A boy stood in the doorway, about my age maybe a year or two younger.
"Can I help you? You don't look like your from here?" I sighed.
"No I was just sitting here, it has meaning for me?" The boy sat down. His hair was curly and sandy blonde.
"Why this is just of a garden, its said this guy got stabbed sixteen years ago. But why would he have any value to you, it was before our time." I was a bit angry at this random boy.
"The value is this man was my father." The boy looked down. I stood to leave but he grabbed my arm.
"I know how it is with parents, mine keep breaking up and then getting together, sorry I offended you."
"At least you know your parents." I walked away pulling my hat fully on my head before I walked out the front door. I sat on one of the metal tables outside the building, and I knew it was in the middle of the day and she would be at school but I hoped she could call me at lunch I sent her a text.
Abby: Call me when you can. I need to hear a familiar voice.
I stored my phone in my pocket and looked at the school in front of me. I had two weeks in total to find my answers before I either transferred here, or moved back. But I already had three days down. I threw my skateboard on the pavement and took off down the path. This board, is old and beaten but I refuse to get a new one because when I got it, it was a bit worn and I imagined my father riding these same streets on it. I knew that since I had hit a dead end. I had to find Toby, hopefully he could lead me to my mother.
I stopped out side the house where my great grandma lived, maybe she could tell me where my mother lived maybe. I walked in the house and noticed she wasn't home. Maybe that nurse that was around last night took her out. I walked down the road hoping to find someone who knew my mother, or even my father. It was about three o'clock. I felt my phone vibrate. I smiled when I saw Abby's picture pop up.
"Sam is everything Ok? You seem a bit stressed out." I sat down on the side walk.
"None of my questions have been answered I've only gained more." I sighed running my hand through my hair.
"Come home then, your parents miss you. I miss you too." I smiled, but I knew I couldn't go home just yet.
"I miss you too, love. But I can't make it till I find out about my mother. My father is becoming more of a lost cause."
"So I take it you met him?" I leaned back on the warm cement.
"Yeah but he couldn't talk to me."
"What! Why wouldn't he want to talk to his son!" She sounded shocked.
"He couldn't not that I blame him. Its a long story." She sounded impatient.
"Make it short Samuel."
"He's dead." I choked out. I heard her breath catch.
"How? He has to be what, thirty?" I sighed, I didn't want to talk about him. At least not how he died. I always wondered what it would be like to hug my father or have him hang out with me but I will never know.
"He died at seventeen. He was at my mothers party, trying to find her after he messed up again and some thug stabbed him." My anger was rising with every word that I said.
"I mean why would some one want to stab my father? He was only going to tell my mother that he still loved her, they were separated and he wanted her after lying to himself and her for months and then some guy just stab's him. I want to meet this guy and knock his jaw off." I stopped pacing and noticed I had walked down the street to a big fancy white house. My breathing was a bit ragged.
"Feel better now Sam?" I had to smile at her voice, she knew I get angry and most of it was from not knowing my parents.
"I just wish I could of met him once." She sighed.
"Sam, we have been over this a million times. You probably met him right after you were born. But in this case he is with you. Hes watching over you, in your heart. Even though he is a man that you don't know doesn't mean that he isn't in your heart." I sat down on the steps.
"I know Abs. The more I am here, the more I wish you could of came along." She gave a short laugh.
"Oh yeah that would of gone over well with my parents. Alone in a foreign country with my boyfriend. They would believe me to be a slut." I laughed.
"Well then you would be my little slut."
"Not funny Sam." I looked down at my shoes.
"Sorry Abs."
"No your not but I forgive you. You have to keep in line, my parents were mortified just to find you kissing me. Imagine if they found us farther."
"I try not to remember that day, I thought your father was going to castrate me." She laughed. We had been friends for six years, and dated for three months before we were found on her parents couch, kissing a little more heavily then her parents would of liked. It didn't help that I had my shirt off and a hand up hers, even if it was resting on her back. I couldn't look her parents or mine in the eyes for a week. And we weren't let alone for sometime after that.
"In due time he will." I blanched.
"Just joking Sam." I sighed.
"Hey look, don't give up your mother has got to be out there some where. Look on the internet for the year your father would of graduated and try to find your mother that way." I looked up at the hot sun.
"Yeah thanks for the thought." I heard her gather her stuff on the other end of the line.
"I have to go, class is going to start soon."
"Fine leave me a broken hearted man." She laughed again.
"Oh I'm sure you will be fine... I love you Samuel James Yorke." I smiled into the phone.
"I love you too, Abigail Jane Thompson." She sighed.
"Good bye Sam."
"By Abs." I heard the phone line click and I made my way back to the dot hoping there would be a computer I could use. I walked in and it was full with students. I walked up to the counter where Peter was.
"Hey Peter do you know where I can get a computer around here?" He looked me over.
"You ain't going to be searching things you shouldn't right?"
"No trying to find information on my mother." He threw a set of keys at me.
"Upstairs is a computer I use for business. Just no monkey business." It was like he knew something, that was hidden when my father died, but I plastered on a fake smile and walked up the stairs.
Once the computer booted up I searched Degrassi Class of 2006. I scrolled through the graduation blurb and came to a photograph. My mother looked like she had just cried and the smile didn't really reach her ears like her friends. I saw Emma, and Spinner. I looked down at the peoples names and matched who Toby was, he looked kinda funny with his hair and glasses. Then I saw something that made me smile.
Missing: James Tiberius(J.T.) Yorke.
There was a photo of him and my mother standing together, with my uncle. I scrolled through the other things on the graduates and found an article on my father, from something called the Grape Vine.
Missing But Not Forgotten:
By Liberty Van Zandt.
Earlier this year Degrassi students found their school shaken when we had to adapt to the increased amount of students from rival school Lakehurst. Tensions were always high and the violence in school increased. But the violence hit it's peak when Lakehurst and Degrassi were set to battle it off, out under the bridge. The party was said to be broken up. When Lakehurst students went to fight and found Degrassi had left, they attacked former Degrassi Alumni Toby Issacs. This created a battle between seniors. Where another senior got caught in the middle of this battle. When Degrassi tried to walk off the hit, Lakehurst kept coming back and fighting. But today the fighting has ceased as long time Degrassi Alumni James Tiberius Yorke was pronounced dead last night. I had personally found J.T stabbed at his car as his attackers ran off. It was a party gone bad. Once they got him to the hospital it was said that he punctured his aorta and died shortly after. For the people who knew J.T they know how hard it is to write or speak of our fallen friend. I especially know, how hard it is to write this about him. When it seems like a person is invincible, others find when they are down and sometimes people just don't get back up. That is just what happened with J.T, it was a random act of violence with little meaning other then someone out there, lost a son, a father, a lover and a friend. J.T was all of those. To those who knew him know what the loss truly means of this remarkable man who has seen a full life, and had many years ahead of him. He was the class clown, the panther and the man who would always be there for you, even if you didn't want him around. He knew when to stick by someone. J.T will be forever missed but he will be never gone.
My mother wrote that just days after his death. I sighed and clicked back till I came to a feature on the graduating class for 2006. I scrolled down to the end and saw my mothers graduating photo with her valedictorian sash. There was a blurb on what they accomplished and a bit of bio written by a friend.
I looked over my mothers. It had a video link posted and I hoped the computer would still play the old file.
Liberty Van Zandt:
By J.T Yorke
I had to do a double take did this say it was written by my father? He was dead before the graduation though. When did he write this. I saw his face moving on the screen.
The class Valedictorian. She is a bright student with a promising future. She has ran student announcements, the grapevine since coming here in freshman year. I knew Miss. Van Zandt on a personal level and when I first met her, she was a annoying person trying to get a story on me because of her infatuation with me. But as we grew we became friends and learned how to deal with each other. Because if you asked Liberty Van Zandt of the person she had known the best out of Degrassi she would of told you of an annoying, immature person. But she would of told you of someone who was just scared of his feelings. Liberty was one of the smartest people I know, and that says a lot since I see a lot of people with being the mascot. Yet with everyone she has made her mistakes. But if I had to tell you about Liberty Van Zandt, I would tell you that she is a loving and caring person. That even though she had her mistakes, she could justify each one of them and tell you how she has learned. She is so passionate about what she does and can be total business with people, like she showed her leadership during her Junior and Senior run as class president. When she overcame in junior year the talk of the baby, she showed everyone that she could still get her job done and deal with her personal matters. And in senior year so far she has shown that she could, bounce back and work towards her goals. If you don't look fast enough you could possibly miss the amazing woman passing you by. I love you Liberty Van Zandt.
I couldn't tell you when it was from but I don't think this video was ever completed. I looked down at my fathers and saw that there were a lot of pod casts one in particular was titled Jt_ Peace_ Treaty.
'I miss you JT and I know that violence just multiples violence in the deep, dark something, but it sucks that Lakehurst people are in our halls and you're not. It's not fair, but maybe with so many new people at Degrassi, maybe there's someone like you and as they say, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet.'
That was a bit odd. I scrolled down to my fathers older picture the one I saw everywhere there were two links under his name, one was a remembrance video and the other was his postmortem video, that was if he graduated. I watched the video, and it was sweet until I saw him playing with a little girl. Who was this child that he had time to play with but gave me up? I heard foot steps and saw Peter in the door way.
"Hey man it's getting late and I want to head home." He came up to the computer and looked at what I saw.
"Those are the old photographs and videos I took back when I was in high school." He reached up into the rafters and pulled out an old dusty box. He pulled the lid off and underneath were Cd's. He handed me two of them.
"Here these are the archives off of their on your mother and father." I held them tightly in my hand.
"In the remembrance video, hes playing on a play ground with a little girl, who is that?" He looked at the little girl like it was a pain full memory.
"That is Mia Jones's little girl, Izzy." He sat down on the floor.
"Why was he with her and not me." He looked at me in the eye.
"I'm not the person to tell you, she is. Are you going to be around tomorrow?" I nodded.
"Yeah I'm here for just over a week." He stood.
"Come here tomorrow at noon and you can speak with her. She knew your father." I nodded.
"Do you know my where my grandparents live? I know my mothers parents live near here."
"Give me a sec." He moved away and made a phone call. He came back over to me.
"Wait out side for a few minutes and Emma will give you a lift to your Grandparents house she knows where it is." I sat out side and when the old car came around I hopped in.
"We meet again Sam." I smiled.
"Yeah, it seems like it." I quipped.
"Just like Jt." I turned to her.
"What do you mean? Everyone keeps telling me I'm like my father, yet no one will tell me anything about him. Now I find out about a Mia Jones and he was with her little girl but he couldn't be with me? Everyone is hiding shit from me." She sighed.
"We aren't hiding stuff from you Sam. You blow into town unexpectedly and everyone here has to re hash wounds that are sixteen years old. Mia was your fathers girlfriend after your parents broke up. He never stopped loving you and never wanted to give you up. He fought but the way he fought was the wrong way. Understand this Sam, that things that happened we were kids not much older than you are. So you got to bear with us, but you will get your answers in due time." She stopped outside the white house I sat out side of when I was in my rant.
"Be patient Sam, good things come to those who wait." I walked up to the glass door and was going to knock.
I sat in the car and watched the J.T look a like. I grabbed my phone and tried Liberty again.
"I know your not talking to any of us, but Lib's its important. It deals with what happened with J.T sixteen years ago. Call me back." I leaned back as I saw him go inside and I drove off. She had not answered my calls, or texts. I had been trying to reach her ever since I met Sam. But I haven't been able to reach her and after sixteen years, I wished she would just pick up.