Chapter Two: A wish
Almost half a dozen expensive cars lined up the main entrance of the boarding school. Each child was fetch by their respective parents or other members of the family. It was the start of the summer break and everyone was excited to back home. The continuous stream of students going out of the building eventually had the large edifice emptied before lunchtime.
"It's a good thing, Vanessa already left and most of her friends are gone too or we'll be in trouble." Lindsay remarked as she sat on her suitcase waiting along with her friends.
"We're sorry about what happened to you. We didn't know she would go to such lengths to bother us." Julie said, putting an arm around her friend.
"Hey, don't sweat it. I survived and we taught that girl a thing or two OR I should say, Mrs. Winthrope did." Lindsay said.
Julie turned to their other friend Nikki. "Where are you and your folks be heading this time?" she asked.
"We're going back to Japan for a family reunion." Nikki replied.
"And you," turning back to Lindsay, " haven't told us where you'll be going this year." Julie pointed out.
" I still don't know whether I want to go to Paris with mom or to England with my dad." Lindsay shrugged.
"What about you? Are you going back to California or to Hawaii?" asked Lindsay.
"I'll be staying home in California…" her voice trailed off. A trace of uncertainty lined her voice. The other two girls shared a glance. Nikki touched her friend's shoulder. The action shook Julie out from her reverie. "I missed my friends there." She continued. " Besides, I liked biking around the area. Quite different from Hawaii." She finally said.
"Don't forget to write, you two." Nikki told them when her ride came. She hugged her friends and followed the chauffeur to their own car where her mother was waiting. The two remaining girls waved goodbye to their friend and the limousine slowly pulled away from where they were waiting by the curb. Several minutes later, Lindsay stood up when a silver Jaguar pulled over. This time, it was Lindsay's brother who came to pick her up. Julie caught herself gasping. It was really quite rare for Lindsay's brother to come by the school and when he does, it always was a heart stopper.
"Don't faint, Julie." Lindsay giggled after noting her friend's red cheeks.
"Are you ready, Lindy?" Her brother called out from the car. He alighted and had the trunk opened. He went to get his younger sister's suitcases.
Julie just stared at William. He was tall, lean and well built. He was wearing a cream polo shirt over which was cardigan sleeveless vest of the same color and wore black trousers and shoes. His dark wavy hair was gelled back making his eyes visible. She felt a sharp jab on her rib. "Go on, say something." Lindsay urged.
Just as William came within earshot, Julie summoned all the nerve to greet him.
"Hi, Will." Julie greeted as she smiled.
William looked up and noted Lindsay's friend. "Hello, Julie. Your parents haven't arrived?" he paused affording the other girl a smile. His eyes twinkled with some hidden mirth.
"Not yet." She answered. "They'll be coming by soon." She faltered.
Lindsay rolled her eyes. For someone who could knock out a guy with a single kick, Julie needed rescuing in talking to gorgeous guys.
"William will be at the annual sportsfest, maybe you can show him some martial arts stuff?" Lindsay suggested.
William's brow went up with interest. "You're into martial arts. That's great. I'll be looking forward in meeting you again, Julie. See you at the sportsfest." He turned to his sister. "We'd better be going, Lindy. Nice talking to you, Julie." With that William turned his heel and proceeded back to the car. Lindsay looked back at Julie and shrugged.
"I don't know what's his hurry." Lindsay told her friend as they gave each one last hug.
"Thanks. I can't believed I froze." Julie silently admonished herself. The two friends soon parted. Julie watched as Lindsay and William alighted into the vehicle. Both gave her waved goodbye and the shiny Jaguar zoomed away from her. But Julie didn't need to wait at the nearly deserted school premises any longer since her ride finally came. A black limousine stopped in front of her and the driver's door opened.
"Hi, Ms. Davenport." Gus greeted. His face breaking into a warm smile.
"Hi, Gus. I was beginning to think you forgot me." Julie remarked as she followed the middle-aged man.
"I wouldn't do that to you, Ms. Davenport." Replied Gus as he carried the suitcases to the trunk. Julie opened the passenger's door and sat at the back seat. She didn't notice that there was another occupant in the limousine or has she? As she sat, her right hand unconsciously darted to her left while leaning to her right at the same time. Her hand caught something. She looked what she snatched mid-air and it was a toy dart. Looking a little surprise, she called out. " Who's there?" she snapped.
"No need to be alarmed, Julie." A female voice said.
Recognizing the voice, Julie almost jumped inside the car when the figure straightened herself besides the driver's seat.
"Katsumi!" Julie excitedly shouted and went to the forward seat to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"I wanted to surprise you and see if you have been practicing." Katsumi replied.
"Well?" What do you think?" Julie said. If there were a room for her to twirl inside the car, she would have done so already.
"I'm happy that you have." Katsumi told her. There was a thump at the back and the two saw Gus closing the trunk. The driver's door opened again revealing Gus slipping behind the wheel. He inserted the key and soon they were heading towards the airport were Julie knows her dad has a charted plane waiting for them. They reached the airport and found the plane. Immediately, attendants came as the limousine stopped to have its trunk emptied of its contents. In minutes, the plane was airborne.
"Cookies and juice?" Katsumi announced.
"I'll have some cookies and a glass of juice too." Julie replied and stretched her slender frame in her seat.
"None for me. Thanks Katsumi. I'm still full." Gus said. He took a magazine from its holder and began reading it.
"Here you go." Katsumi said, a little later as she brought a tray. It was filled with two glasses of fruit juice and bite-size pack cookies. As she put the tray down, Julie reached out for her glass and took a little sip. Katsumi sat opposite her.
"I can't wait to go home." Julie stated. "How's dad?" she asked as she took a bite off the cookie. Katsumi and Gus shared knowing glances, which Julie caught. "What's the matter?" looking back and forth from them.
Katsumi sighed before she decided in telling her. "Your father seemed…distant." She only managed to say.
"He's always distant, Katsumi." Julie reiterated. "Nevertheless, I tried to make something out from what's left." The girl sighed. After her parents' divorce, she has been splitting her time shuttling back and forth from California to Hawaii during family holidays. But it's always summer vacation in California that she liked the best despite having to live with her father for two months.
"You're not telling me something." Julie said.
"It's just that for the past couple of months, we've been having so many visitors in the house." Gus interjected. "Sedans, limousines, black suited mean looking men. I saw most of them carrying a piece." Gus related.
"Are you sure Dad's clients have guns?" Julie asked bewildered. Gus and Katsumi nodded in affirmation.
"You sound as if he became a drug lord." Julie frowned. She didn't expect this for her homecoming. Julie leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window, growing pensive. What could be dad doing to bring those kinds of individuals in the house. She mused. She glanced at her watch it was only eight o'clock.
Criiiiiinnnnnngggg! The alarm blared and Colt woke up with a start. He automatically pressed the alarm off on his wristwatch. He sat up on his bunk and saw his brothers working on the albums. It was about to be finished. He got out of his bunk and head straight to the bathroom to change clothes.
"Did anyone get a good night's sleep last night?" Colt was checking up on his brothers. He surely didn't get any sleep at all. The thought of having once a sister plagued his mind last night. The other two brothers shook their heads.
"How can I?" Tumtum retorted. "You kept turning and twisting in your bed. You almost made me sick. It was like in a ship." The younger Douglas pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Sorry, Tumtum." Colt apologized and put his hand on his younger brother's head then gave him a hug. He hopes it will amend for being restless last night.
"That 'news' left me half-awake too till midnight." Rocky declared.
"Who's going to ask them?" Tumtum pointedly asked as he looked at Rocky. The older Douglas caught the drift of his brother's question.
"You two want me to ask them?" Rocky clarified while looking at the baby photograph again.
"You're older." Colt simply said.
Rocky looked a little exasperated at Colt's reasoning. It has been always like that. "Okay, c'mon." Rocky finally conceded and filed out of their room followed by his brothers. Colt and Tumtum brought along the albums.
They all went downstairs and headed to the kitchen where their mom was cooking breakfast while their dad was reading the morning paper.
"Good morning, boys." Their mom greeted them as they came in.
""Good morning, mom … dad." They said in unison. Rocky went to her side to get the dishes. Colt went to a drawer and began setting the place mats. Tumtum on the meantime took out the table utensils.
"Have you finished fixing the albums?" their father asked as he looked up from reading an article.
"Yup! Just a while ago." Tumtum answered and gave the albums to his dad.
"Set them here." Pointing to the counter table. "We'll have a look at them after breakfast."
While they ate, Mrs. Douglas noticed how subdued her sons were. There were no teasing, no ruckus from the three of them. They sat there and obediently ate their breakfast in silence. Her maternal instincts told her something was bothering them. Mrs. Douglas glanced at Colt who quickly averted his eyes. Tumtum her baby, had his head bowed while Rocky's face was clouded as if some world shattering news was bothering him at this moment.
Mr. Douglas must have noticed the silence too that he went on to ask. "Is something the matter, boys?"
This made Rocky gasped that caught his father's attention and Colt's.
"Rocky?" his father asked. There was another silence from his oldest son and Rocky winced as he glanced at Colt who just stubbed his foot.
"We'll tell you…after breakfast." Rocky replied.
"Why wait, till then. Honey? What's wrong about now?" Their mother asked.
"Nothing." Came Rocky's answer. He was thinking of how to broach the subject in a nice way.
"Rocky what's wrong? Mrs. Douglas prodded after seeing Rocky's face clouding once again. He sighed. He has to get it out now. "It's … well." He faltered. He looked at the albums lying by the counter.
"Last night, as we were going to sleep. Tumtum found an old photograph of you, mom." He looked at his mother. "Holding two babies…" he stopped as he saw a shadow fall across his mother's features. Both Colt and Tumtum saw the change. Mr. Douglas rose from his seat and went to his wife side. He had a feeling what the boys were going to say next. He took another seat and held his wife. She reached out for his husband's hand for support. Her eyes started to glisten.
Rocky felt alarmed at what was happening to his mother but upon his father's insistence he continued what he was trying to tell them. "We saw at the back of the photograph the name Janine Douglas. We began to think if she was any way related to us." He looked at his father. "A cousin, perhaps?"
Colt glanced at his older brother. He hadn't thought of that option. She could be their cousin they haven't met yet. Yes, that was right. She's their cousin. He thought and drew back his attention at the moment at hand.
Janine Douglas. Mrs. Douglas heard her voice echoing in her mind and felt as if she were to collapse in her seat. Fortunately, her husband was there to hold her. Her throat felt suddenly dry and an old pain, resurfaced. She looked at her three sons. They looked expectant. She let herself lost in her thoughts for a moment as she tried to compose herself. There were days, she could sometimes feel her daughter's presence every summer. Yes, always summer. It would feel she was nearby, somehow. She hasn't told this to her husband since she can't explain it.
"Mom? Dad?" Colt asked from where he was seated.
Mrs. Douglas turned to Colt's direction. His voice seemed distant to her. "I thought I would never hear her name again," Mrs. Douglas began. Her voice started to break. She took a deep breath. Her husband handed her a glass of water. She took a sip and breathed in deeply.
"Janine was your twin sister Rocky, not a cousin as you previously thought." She smiled wanly at touched his cheek. Rocky held her hand. " I was so happy the day both of you were born. Your father hadn't arrived yet that day from his assignment but promised he would be." Mrs. Douglas kissed her husband. "He came the next day, apologizing for not being there with me when I delivered the babies. It didn't matter. What mattered that both of you were healthy and there were no other complications. He took the picture of the babies and me that day." She paused. "May I see it?"
Rocky complied and gave the picture to her. Mrs. Douglas took it and glanced at the faded photograph. A little lump started to form inside her throat. She took another deep breath again. "Your grandfather was there too." She added while she touched the picture. Her gaze lingered at the baby she held on her left.
"Did she die, mom?" Colt quietly asked.
"Oh, no. She didn't." Shaking her head. When she didn't continue, their father began relating the story to them.
"On our third day at the hospital, we heard news from the other mothers' that almost half a dozen babies were missing from the nursery. Your mother and I rushed to the nursery, praying that you and Janine were all right. Unfortunately, we saw the empty crib beside you and five more empty ones. The rest of the babies were spared. But it was heavy on your mother." He paused when his wife started to cry.
"Mom…please don't cry." Tumtum came to her side and tightly hug her.
"Oh, Tumtum," she said and embraced her youngest son. She kissed his head and was touched with the love he was expressing. Soon, her other two sons joined in to give her hug. There was silence and after a while they all went back to their seats and patiently waited for their father to continue.
"We took you to our room and so did the other mothers. Police was called in and followed standard procedures with so many dead ends. The only long shot they had was the two night shift nurses. They both turned up dead at a motel outside of town. They were poisoned." Their father remarked.
"What!" The boys exclaimed. Mr. Douglas hung his head and sighed. "The police never knew. We would never know who took Janine and the other babies. I even requested from the Bureau for a leave to help out. Asked my own connections, if they heard anything but nothing turned up. I might have gone further chasing leads but I couldn't leave your mother alone. She needed a lot of support than ever. Your grandfather stayed with us for a time to help out. He also made his own search still the results were zero. We exhausted everything." A trace of frustration came to their father's voice. Mrs. Douglas looked deeply to his eyes, saying to him that she was not blaming him at all. She understood his efforts very well.
"Nothing could be turned up. As if the babies and their abductors just vanished in the face of the world." Mr. Douglas said and had a faraway look. He stopped relating a family tragedy and was now glancing at his sons. They were sitting in stunned silence.
Finally, Rocky spoke up. " What about birth marks?"
"It didn't help. We have included that information too in the police reports. Your sister has an almost imperceptible birthmark shaped like a star on her right shoulder." Their mother said. She suddenly stood up and began gathering the dishes.
"We'll do it, Mom." The three boys volunteered. They stood up and went to the sink and busied themselves with the dishes. Mrs. Douglas smiled as she leaned on her husband's shoulder. "Thank you, boys." She still held the photograph in her hand.
"Why didn't you tell us about Janine before?" Rocky asked.
"We were waiting for the time you were old enough to understand." Answered their father.
"So how do you feel?" their mother asked while she reached for the photo albums. Not being able to get them from where she was sitting, her husband stood up to get it for her. He placed the photo albums in front of her. "Thank you." She whispered to him.
"It's sad that we never found her." Tumtum quietly remarked.
"I know, Tumtum. I hope that someday we'll find her. Her case is still unresolved." Their father informed them. "Colt, Rocky?"
"I still can't believe about what happened to her." Colt said as he shook his head in bewilderment. He moved near the dishwasher and began depositing the plates and glasses that Rocky was handling him into the rack.
"I wish we could see her somehow." Rocky remarked,
"You still think she's alive after all this time?" Colt blurted out without thinking.
"Colt!" Rocky admonished.
"Sorry!" He caught himself too late. "I didn't mean too." He quickly apologized and looked at his mother who was looking at him with sad eyes. "I'm really sorry, Mom." Coming forward to the counter.
His mother glanced back at the opened page of the photo album. "I still liked to think that she's alive, living in a happy home and being cared for by nice parents." She said. "That has been my wish for her every year."
Unknown to the Douglas' family that destiny might give a helping hand to heal an old wound.
Almost half a dozen expensive cars lined up the main entrance of the boarding school. Each child was fetch by their respective parents or other members of the family. It was the start of the summer break and everyone was excited to back home. The continuous stream of students going out of the building eventually had the large edifice emptied before lunchtime.
"It's a good thing, Vanessa already left and most of her friends are gone too or we'll be in trouble." Lindsay remarked as she sat on her suitcase waiting along with her friends.
"We're sorry about what happened to you. We didn't know she would go to such lengths to bother us." Julie said, putting an arm around her friend.
"Hey, don't sweat it. I survived and we taught that girl a thing or two OR I should say, Mrs. Winthrope did." Lindsay said.
Julie turned to their other friend Nikki. "Where are you and your folks be heading this time?" she asked.
"We're going back to Japan for a family reunion." Nikki replied.
"And you," turning back to Lindsay, " haven't told us where you'll be going this year." Julie pointed out.
" I still don't know whether I want to go to Paris with mom or to England with my dad." Lindsay shrugged.
"What about you? Are you going back to California or to Hawaii?" asked Lindsay.
"I'll be staying home in California…" her voice trailed off. A trace of uncertainty lined her voice. The other two girls shared a glance. Nikki touched her friend's shoulder. The action shook Julie out from her reverie. "I missed my friends there." She continued. " Besides, I liked biking around the area. Quite different from Hawaii." She finally said.
"Don't forget to write, you two." Nikki told them when her ride came. She hugged her friends and followed the chauffeur to their own car where her mother was waiting. The two remaining girls waved goodbye to their friend and the limousine slowly pulled away from where they were waiting by the curb. Several minutes later, Lindsay stood up when a silver Jaguar pulled over. This time, it was Lindsay's brother who came to pick her up. Julie caught herself gasping. It was really quite rare for Lindsay's brother to come by the school and when he does, it always was a heart stopper.
"Don't faint, Julie." Lindsay giggled after noting her friend's red cheeks.
"Are you ready, Lindy?" Her brother called out from the car. He alighted and had the trunk opened. He went to get his younger sister's suitcases.
Julie just stared at William. He was tall, lean and well built. He was wearing a cream polo shirt over which was cardigan sleeveless vest of the same color and wore black trousers and shoes. His dark wavy hair was gelled back making his eyes visible. She felt a sharp jab on her rib. "Go on, say something." Lindsay urged.
Just as William came within earshot, Julie summoned all the nerve to greet him.
"Hi, Will." Julie greeted as she smiled.
William looked up and noted Lindsay's friend. "Hello, Julie. Your parents haven't arrived?" he paused affording the other girl a smile. His eyes twinkled with some hidden mirth.
"Not yet." She answered. "They'll be coming by soon." She faltered.
Lindsay rolled her eyes. For someone who could knock out a guy with a single kick, Julie needed rescuing in talking to gorgeous guys.
"William will be at the annual sportsfest, maybe you can show him some martial arts stuff?" Lindsay suggested.
William's brow went up with interest. "You're into martial arts. That's great. I'll be looking forward in meeting you again, Julie. See you at the sportsfest." He turned to his sister. "We'd better be going, Lindy. Nice talking to you, Julie." With that William turned his heel and proceeded back to the car. Lindsay looked back at Julie and shrugged.
"I don't know what's his hurry." Lindsay told her friend as they gave each one last hug.
"Thanks. I can't believed I froze." Julie silently admonished herself. The two friends soon parted. Julie watched as Lindsay and William alighted into the vehicle. Both gave her waved goodbye and the shiny Jaguar zoomed away from her. But Julie didn't need to wait at the nearly deserted school premises any longer since her ride finally came. A black limousine stopped in front of her and the driver's door opened.
"Hi, Ms. Davenport." Gus greeted. His face breaking into a warm smile.
"Hi, Gus. I was beginning to think you forgot me." Julie remarked as she followed the middle-aged man.
"I wouldn't do that to you, Ms. Davenport." Replied Gus as he carried the suitcases to the trunk. Julie opened the passenger's door and sat at the back seat. She didn't notice that there was another occupant in the limousine or has she? As she sat, her right hand unconsciously darted to her left while leaning to her right at the same time. Her hand caught something. She looked what she snatched mid-air and it was a toy dart. Looking a little surprise, she called out. " Who's there?" she snapped.
"No need to be alarmed, Julie." A female voice said.
Recognizing the voice, Julie almost jumped inside the car when the figure straightened herself besides the driver's seat.
"Katsumi!" Julie excitedly shouted and went to the forward seat to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" she asked.
"I wanted to surprise you and see if you have been practicing." Katsumi replied.
"Well?" What do you think?" Julie said. If there were a room for her to twirl inside the car, she would have done so already.
"I'm happy that you have." Katsumi told her. There was a thump at the back and the two saw Gus closing the trunk. The driver's door opened again revealing Gus slipping behind the wheel. He inserted the key and soon they were heading towards the airport were Julie knows her dad has a charted plane waiting for them. They reached the airport and found the plane. Immediately, attendants came as the limousine stopped to have its trunk emptied of its contents. In minutes, the plane was airborne.
"Cookies and juice?" Katsumi announced.
"I'll have some cookies and a glass of juice too." Julie replied and stretched her slender frame in her seat.
"None for me. Thanks Katsumi. I'm still full." Gus said. He took a magazine from its holder and began reading it.
"Here you go." Katsumi said, a little later as she brought a tray. It was filled with two glasses of fruit juice and bite-size pack cookies. As she put the tray down, Julie reached out for her glass and took a little sip. Katsumi sat opposite her.
"I can't wait to go home." Julie stated. "How's dad?" she asked as she took a bite off the cookie. Katsumi and Gus shared knowing glances, which Julie caught. "What's the matter?" looking back and forth from them.
Katsumi sighed before she decided in telling her. "Your father seemed…distant." She only managed to say.
"He's always distant, Katsumi." Julie reiterated. "Nevertheless, I tried to make something out from what's left." The girl sighed. After her parents' divorce, she has been splitting her time shuttling back and forth from California to Hawaii during family holidays. But it's always summer vacation in California that she liked the best despite having to live with her father for two months.
"You're not telling me something." Julie said.
"It's just that for the past couple of months, we've been having so many visitors in the house." Gus interjected. "Sedans, limousines, black suited mean looking men. I saw most of them carrying a piece." Gus related.
"Are you sure Dad's clients have guns?" Julie asked bewildered. Gus and Katsumi nodded in affirmation.
"You sound as if he became a drug lord." Julie frowned. She didn't expect this for her homecoming. Julie leaned back in her seat and looked out of the window, growing pensive. What could be dad doing to bring those kinds of individuals in the house. She mused. She glanced at her watch it was only eight o'clock.
Criiiiiinnnnnngggg! The alarm blared and Colt woke up with a start. He automatically pressed the alarm off on his wristwatch. He sat up on his bunk and saw his brothers working on the albums. It was about to be finished. He got out of his bunk and head straight to the bathroom to change clothes.
"Did anyone get a good night's sleep last night?" Colt was checking up on his brothers. He surely didn't get any sleep at all. The thought of having once a sister plagued his mind last night. The other two brothers shook their heads.
"How can I?" Tumtum retorted. "You kept turning and twisting in your bed. You almost made me sick. It was like in a ship." The younger Douglas pouted as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"Sorry, Tumtum." Colt apologized and put his hand on his younger brother's head then gave him a hug. He hopes it will amend for being restless last night.
"That 'news' left me half-awake too till midnight." Rocky declared.
"Who's going to ask them?" Tumtum pointedly asked as he looked at Rocky. The older Douglas caught the drift of his brother's question.
"You two want me to ask them?" Rocky clarified while looking at the baby photograph again.
"You're older." Colt simply said.
Rocky looked a little exasperated at Colt's reasoning. It has been always like that. "Okay, c'mon." Rocky finally conceded and filed out of their room followed by his brothers. Colt and Tumtum brought along the albums.
They all went downstairs and headed to the kitchen where their mom was cooking breakfast while their dad was reading the morning paper.
"Good morning, boys." Their mom greeted them as they came in.
""Good morning, mom … dad." They said in unison. Rocky went to her side to get the dishes. Colt went to a drawer and began setting the place mats. Tumtum on the meantime took out the table utensils.
"Have you finished fixing the albums?" their father asked as he looked up from reading an article.
"Yup! Just a while ago." Tumtum answered and gave the albums to his dad.
"Set them here." Pointing to the counter table. "We'll have a look at them after breakfast."
While they ate, Mrs. Douglas noticed how subdued her sons were. There were no teasing, no ruckus from the three of them. They sat there and obediently ate their breakfast in silence. Her maternal instincts told her something was bothering them. Mrs. Douglas glanced at Colt who quickly averted his eyes. Tumtum her baby, had his head bowed while Rocky's face was clouded as if some world shattering news was bothering him at this moment.
Mr. Douglas must have noticed the silence too that he went on to ask. "Is something the matter, boys?"
This made Rocky gasped that caught his father's attention and Colt's.
"Rocky?" his father asked. There was another silence from his oldest son and Rocky winced as he glanced at Colt who just stubbed his foot.
"We'll tell you…after breakfast." Rocky replied.
"Why wait, till then. Honey? What's wrong about now?" Their mother asked.
"Nothing." Came Rocky's answer. He was thinking of how to broach the subject in a nice way.
"Rocky what's wrong? Mrs. Douglas prodded after seeing Rocky's face clouding once again. He sighed. He has to get it out now. "It's … well." He faltered. He looked at the albums lying by the counter.
"Last night, as we were going to sleep. Tumtum found an old photograph of you, mom." He looked at his mother. "Holding two babies…" he stopped as he saw a shadow fall across his mother's features. Both Colt and Tumtum saw the change. Mr. Douglas rose from his seat and went to his wife side. He had a feeling what the boys were going to say next. He took another seat and held his wife. She reached out for his husband's hand for support. Her eyes started to glisten.
Rocky felt alarmed at what was happening to his mother but upon his father's insistence he continued what he was trying to tell them. "We saw at the back of the photograph the name Janine Douglas. We began to think if she was any way related to us." He looked at his father. "A cousin, perhaps?"
Colt glanced at his older brother. He hadn't thought of that option. She could be their cousin they haven't met yet. Yes, that was right. She's their cousin. He thought and drew back his attention at the moment at hand.
Janine Douglas. Mrs. Douglas heard her voice echoing in her mind and felt as if she were to collapse in her seat. Fortunately, her husband was there to hold her. Her throat felt suddenly dry and an old pain, resurfaced. She looked at her three sons. They looked expectant. She let herself lost in her thoughts for a moment as she tried to compose herself. There were days, she could sometimes feel her daughter's presence every summer. Yes, always summer. It would feel she was nearby, somehow. She hasn't told this to her husband since she can't explain it.
"Mom? Dad?" Colt asked from where he was seated.
Mrs. Douglas turned to Colt's direction. His voice seemed distant to her. "I thought I would never hear her name again," Mrs. Douglas began. Her voice started to break. She took a deep breath. Her husband handed her a glass of water. She took a sip and breathed in deeply.
"Janine was your twin sister Rocky, not a cousin as you previously thought." She smiled wanly at touched his cheek. Rocky held her hand. " I was so happy the day both of you were born. Your father hadn't arrived yet that day from his assignment but promised he would be." Mrs. Douglas kissed her husband. "He came the next day, apologizing for not being there with me when I delivered the babies. It didn't matter. What mattered that both of you were healthy and there were no other complications. He took the picture of the babies and me that day." She paused. "May I see it?"
Rocky complied and gave the picture to her. Mrs. Douglas took it and glanced at the faded photograph. A little lump started to form inside her throat. She took another deep breath again. "Your grandfather was there too." She added while she touched the picture. Her gaze lingered at the baby she held on her left.
"Did she die, mom?" Colt quietly asked.
"Oh, no. She didn't." Shaking her head. When she didn't continue, their father began relating the story to them.
"On our third day at the hospital, we heard news from the other mothers' that almost half a dozen babies were missing from the nursery. Your mother and I rushed to the nursery, praying that you and Janine were all right. Unfortunately, we saw the empty crib beside you and five more empty ones. The rest of the babies were spared. But it was heavy on your mother." He paused when his wife started to cry.
"Mom…please don't cry." Tumtum came to her side and tightly hug her.
"Oh, Tumtum," she said and embraced her youngest son. She kissed his head and was touched with the love he was expressing. Soon, her other two sons joined in to give her hug. There was silence and after a while they all went back to their seats and patiently waited for their father to continue.
"We took you to our room and so did the other mothers. Police was called in and followed standard procedures with so many dead ends. The only long shot they had was the two night shift nurses. They both turned up dead at a motel outside of town. They were poisoned." Their father remarked.
"What!" The boys exclaimed. Mr. Douglas hung his head and sighed. "The police never knew. We would never know who took Janine and the other babies. I even requested from the Bureau for a leave to help out. Asked my own connections, if they heard anything but nothing turned up. I might have gone further chasing leads but I couldn't leave your mother alone. She needed a lot of support than ever. Your grandfather stayed with us for a time to help out. He also made his own search still the results were zero. We exhausted everything." A trace of frustration came to their father's voice. Mrs. Douglas looked deeply to his eyes, saying to him that she was not blaming him at all. She understood his efforts very well.
"Nothing could be turned up. As if the babies and their abductors just vanished in the face of the world." Mr. Douglas said and had a faraway look. He stopped relating a family tragedy and was now glancing at his sons. They were sitting in stunned silence.
Finally, Rocky spoke up. " What about birth marks?"
"It didn't help. We have included that information too in the police reports. Your sister has an almost imperceptible birthmark shaped like a star on her right shoulder." Their mother said. She suddenly stood up and began gathering the dishes.
"We'll do it, Mom." The three boys volunteered. They stood up and went to the sink and busied themselves with the dishes. Mrs. Douglas smiled as she leaned on her husband's shoulder. "Thank you, boys." She still held the photograph in her hand.
"Why didn't you tell us about Janine before?" Rocky asked.
"We were waiting for the time you were old enough to understand." Answered their father.
"So how do you feel?" their mother asked while she reached for the photo albums. Not being able to get them from where she was sitting, her husband stood up to get it for her. He placed the photo albums in front of her. "Thank you." She whispered to him.
"It's sad that we never found her." Tumtum quietly remarked.
"I know, Tumtum. I hope that someday we'll find her. Her case is still unresolved." Their father informed them. "Colt, Rocky?"
"I still can't believe about what happened to her." Colt said as he shook his head in bewilderment. He moved near the dishwasher and began depositing the plates and glasses that Rocky was handling him into the rack.
"I wish we could see her somehow." Rocky remarked,
"You still think she's alive after all this time?" Colt blurted out without thinking.
"Colt!" Rocky admonished.
"Sorry!" He caught himself too late. "I didn't mean too." He quickly apologized and looked at his mother who was looking at him with sad eyes. "I'm really sorry, Mom." Coming forward to the counter.
His mother glanced back at the opened page of the photo album. "I still liked to think that she's alive, living in a happy home and being cared for by nice parents." She said. "That has been my wish for her every year."
Unknown to the Douglas' family that destiny might give a helping hand to heal an old wound.