Chapter 16 Hello

"I think he is my father's older brother Lord Harrison Keefer", Kami shared as she turned to look back at Lord Keefer.

Hildy looked at Kami in shock as the meaning of what she just shared sank into her mind.

In a voice that was louder than her original query, Hildy asked: "Your uncle? I did not know your Dad had a brother? How come you never mentioned it? What is he doing here? Well that question is a bit redundant because obviously he is a part of their Parliament".

Just then one of the court appointed police officers stepped towards the couple and softly said;

"Please desist from speaking while His Lordship is making his presentation. If you continue to do so, I will have no choice but to escort you both outside the Chamber.

Hildy looked at the officer with surprise as she did not realize her voice had risen. Kami looked at the officer, then at Hildy and finally back at her uncle with an expression that was difficult to identify. Hildy was just about to disregard the officer and ask her lady again if she was Ok when Kami abruptly stood up, pushed pass her lover, grabbing her hand as she did so, and dragged Hildy out of her seat.

She pulled Hildy towards the exit and then made her way outside to the middle of the foyer. Hildy looked at Kami as she tried to ascertain what her lady was thinking and feeling. Kami began pacing back and forth as her facial expressions began to be identifiable.

Hildy saw surprise, disbelief, and anger. The look of anger on Kami's face surprised Hildy. In all the time she had known her, Hildy could only remember Kami looking so angry once before, and that was when Dexter tried to make her feel badly over the fact that he was Kami's first lover. All the feelings that her lady was presently feeling made her look like she was going through a negative emotional overload.

Just then someone walked by and looked at Kami oddly as she was pacing back and forth. Hildy looked around and observed several police officers standing guard, while persons looking official went about their duties. There were other people who looked like tourist as they looked around the foyer pointing out art work on the walls as they spoke softly with each other. Hildy did not want to draw attention to her lover so she immediately went into protective mode. She placed her arm around her lady while leading her to a padded wooden bench off to the side of the area. Taking a seat and pulling Kami down beside her, Hildy took a deep breath, then turned to look her lady in the eye.

"Sweetheart, please talk to me. What's going on?"

Kami took a long cleansing breath before speaking. "My Dad has a brother who I forgot was a Member of Parliament. It never once crossed my mind that the possibility existed that our paths might cross today when we decided to come here. When the man stood up to make his contribution to the Bill, I immediately thought to myself he looks familiar. Then it was like a light bulb went off in my head and I knew who he was".

Kami continued to just stare, not focused on anything. Hildy looked at her and frowned because she knew there was a lot going on there that Kami had not shared. Gently, Hildy placed her hand on Kami's chin and turned her face and attention towards her as she asked; "Why didn't you tell me you had another uncle?"

Kami looked at her and frowned before replying. "Hills, I honestly did not remember".

Hildy raised her eyebrow to this news. She knew her lover better than she knew anyone else in the world. If Kami said she did not remember then she did not remember. At the same time, she found this out of character for her lady. Kami was the most loving and caring person she knew, immediately Hildy realized there was a lot of family dynamics, and dysfunction in Kami's father's family for her lady not to have remembered she had an uncle.

Hildy placed her arm around her lover's shoulder and hugged her from the side. They stayed sitting like that for a few moments before Hildy spoke again. "Tell me what went wrong between your Dad and his brother to cause the breakdown in communication between them, because something definitely went wrong. I know your Mom's brother, your uncle Kalechi, and I have met his sons. But somehow, I always got the impression your Dad was an only child. So, what is the story behind this uncle who you did not remember?"

Hildy looked at Kami with a patient yet expectant expression on her face. Kami looked at her wondering where to begin, "Hills, I …. I am not sure where to begin".

Hildy considered the range of emotions she saw on Kami's face a few minutes ago and decided to ask her a few questions to assist her explain what went wrong.

"When we left the Public Gallery a few minutes ago, I saw surprise, disbelief, and lots of anger in your expression", Hildy said as she continued hugging her lady with one arm while holding her other hand and gently rubbing the back of her knuckles with her thumb.

"I can understand the disbelief and surprise because you did not remember you had an uncle and on top of that you did not know or did not remember he was a Member of Parliament. The chances of bumping in to him today was like one in a thousand, that could really have been shocking. What I did not understand was the anger Kami. I feel like I have known you all my life even though we have known each other for less than a year, and in that time, I have only ever seen you so angry once. That was when Dexter said hurtful things to me a while back. That said …. I was wondering if maybe your uncle said something hurtful to your Dad in the past ….. and seeing him brought back those memories".

Kami looked at her lady and gave a small smile of amazement as she shook her head.

"You know you are amazing. Your power of observation and deduction always leads you generally along the correct path.". Kami took a long deep breath before continuing. "When I was a child, at primary school age to be exact, I realized for the first time that some of my class mates had two sets of grandparents. I was surprised by this new fact because Nana and Pappy were the only grandparents I knew. I asked my parents if I had more grandparents ..…. my Dad put me to sit down and told me that I did have other grandparents but they were not a part of our lives. He reminded me that I had Nana and Pappy who loved me and they were all I needed. My Dad was never one to raise his voice at me or speak harshly but that conversation is etched in my memory Hills. My Dad's tone was loving but stern and left no room for argument, I was never to ask him about his family again. Instead, I asked my Mom, and Nana, when I got older". Kami took a few moments to relax as her memories brought back mixed feelings.

"When I was in my mid teens Mom, Nana, and I, visited Rome together. Neither Dad nor Pappy could come with us as they both had job related commitments that they could not get out of. I missed them but we had a fun time nonetheless. I remember it like it was yesterday. We were having dinner at a fancy restaurant in the heart of Rome, one that we frequented almost every day while we were on vacation there, when my grandmother, my uncle and his wife entered and were directed to a table near to where we sat". Kami had a faraway look in her eyes as she remembered that time so long ago.

"I had no idea who they were but my mother recognized my grandmother immediately". At that moment Kami chuckled as she focused on Hildy and graced her with a lovely smile that warmed every corner of her heart.

"My Mom and Nana have this way that they can communicate with each other with just one look. Nana knew who the strangers were by the way my Mom looked at her and then looked at Dad's family, all via their own secret eye signal messages. As luck would have it the waiter who was our regular server was an American exchange student who was earning some cash on the side working there. He knew our name was Keefer as he chatted with us every time we ate there. That day he also waited on my Grandmother's table and being a friendly guy, he tried to engage them in conversation but without much success, what he did find out was their surname".

Kami paused, and Hildy frowned as she listened to the tale.

"Go one Kami", Hildy encouraged.

"The young waiter though he was doing something good when he told my grandmother and her family that the folks on the table near to them were also named Keefer. He gestured widely over to us as he smiled thinking he was letting us into some kind weird coincidental joke that placed two families with the same name, at a restaurant near to each other.

Author's Note: I am going to do a short jump back in time to the scene at the restaurant twenty years ago.

Baroness Elizabeth Keefer looked around the restaurant without really seeing it as her son Harrison, and his wife Laura ordered their meal. She did not particularly want to be in Rome but her doctor thought a change of scenery, and pace would benefit her because she was recovering from a difficult bout of bronchitis, and the healing process was taking longer than expected. A vacation on the continent was what her doctor recommended, and as she was tired of not feeling like her old self she agreed.

As Elizabeth ate her lunch she tuned out her son, and daughter in law as she allowed her mind to wander. She would have preferred to come on the trip alone because even though she loved her son, he had become more and more of a reflection of her husband as the years rolled by. Having him there was like having her husband, and sometimes she just needed a break from his personality. She sighed as she realized that she would just have to put up with the company until they returned home the following week.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she focused on the young American waiter who was speaking in an excited tone with a wide smile on his face. His words were difficult to follow at first because of his atrocious accent but eventually Elizabeth understood that he was telling them that the family on the table near them who had the same surname.

Elizabeth turned and looked at the family. She saw a girl who looked like she was in her early to mid teens, a woman who looked like she was in her thirties and a woman around her age. Elizabeth looked at the family and a slow realization began to roll over her. The woman in her thirties was beautiful and resembled the older woman who sat with her. As Elizabeth looked at her, she remembered a time over eighteen years before when her son Michael brought his new bride to meet her and her husband Alastair. That meeting was filled with hurtful and hateful words being said, mostly by her husband to their son with a few words being cast as the young bride. As Elizabeth looked at the woman at the other table she felt sure that she was Michael's wife Kalia. The memory of that fateful meeting filled her with shame as her eyes met Kalia's. She knew instantly that Kalia remembered every hurtful word also as she looked at her with a guarded expression that barely concealed her hurt and anger.

Harrison was not present for that reunion but her husband subsequently filled him in on the meeting and being just like his father, he agreed that Michael forfeited his right to be a part of their family when he turned his back on his family's honour. As the two families looked at each other in the restaurant across the tables, neither one made a move to speak to the other. The young waiter kept smiling has he looked from table to table before realizing that the occupants at neither table was interested in speaking to the other. Harrison did not know Kalia as he had never seen her before, he just chose to ignore the family at the other table because he did not know them nor was he interested in being friendly towards strangers. Laura was unaware of the history between Elizabeth and Kalia, and being more mannerly than her husband, she smiled at Kalia, Kami and Kathrine and said a soft hello before turning back towards her desert.

Elizabeth wished she could turn back the hands of time and undo the damage that she was a part of, she wished she could ask her son and his wife for forgiveness but she believed it was too late. She turned her eyes from Kalia and looked at the girl at the table and her breath caught in her chest. Looking back at her were Michael's eyes but darker. The girl smiled at her and her heart instantly felt love towards the child but she also knew that she would never be able to do anything to bridge that chasm that existed between her and Michael's family. Without realizing it her features softened as she looked at Kami and she gave her a sad smile before turning her head away and straightening her already straight posture. Her family finished their desert, then left the restaurant, and that was the last time she saw her Kalia and her granddaughter.

Kami finished explaining to Hildy about the restaurant and the subsequent conversation with her Mom and Nana. Her Mom told her about her Dad's family, his decision to live his own life regardless of the consequences, and the time she met her in-laws. Kami explained that her mother refused to give her details of the words spoken at that fateful meeting. But Kami concluded the words were very hurtful, and she suspected they had racial overtones.

Hildy leaned her head to the side as she processed everything that Kami said.

"How old is your grandmother now?"

Kami crinkled up her nose as she thought about the question. "I know she is older than Nana by a couple years, so that will make her in her late eighties".

"You said she smiled at you in the restaurant but her smile looked sad?"

"Yes, she looked pained when she smiled at me".

Hildy considered this and then said, "Maybe she regretted what she did but felt the situation was too far gone to ever make it right".

The two women sat quietly for a few minutes. Hildy kept looking at the situation from different angles as she thought about the odds of seeing Kami's uncle in Parliament.

"Kami. You know that we both do not believe in coincidence. We are children of God, we pray, and we both have close relationship with Heavenly Father. I believe that our paths crossed your uncle's path today at Parliament for a reason. I do not think you should pass up this opportunity to speak to him, one on one, and ask him about your grandmother".

Kami turned and looked at her lover as her mouth dropped open. "Hills are you crazy! I am not going to speak to that man. His family do not care about my family. Maybe his mother could have some regrets but she has never reached out to me or my parents Hildy I am not going to speak to that man!"

With those words Kami folded her arms defiantly across her chest. Hildy kept her arm around her lady and waited a full minute before speaking softly. "You are the kindest, most generous, and by far the most loving person I know. I do not for one moment believe that if Heavenly Father gave you an opportunity to help mend the broken relationship in your family that you would turn your back on that".

Kami sat ramrod straight for a few more moments before letting her shoulders sag as she looked at the floor while considering her lover's words.

"Those people hurt my Mom and Dad", Kami said.

"I know".

"I do not want anything to do with them".

"I know".

"But …. if there is a reason for my seeing that man today…. if there is a chance that a tentative connection can be made with my grandmother…. then maybe I will try".

Hildy leaned over and placed a soft kiss on Kami's temple. As she pulled away she looked at Kami, and saw the mixed emotions on her face. Taking her lady's hand in hers once more, Hildy leaned in closed and bowed her head as she said a soft prayer.

"Heavenly Father, seeing Kami's uncle was the last thing either of us expected today but I believe it happened for a reason. If it is your will that Kami pursue reaching out to her father's family, then please give us the opportunity to speak with her uncle and let him be willing to cooperate. Thank you for always watching over us. This is my prayer in Jesus' name. Amen".

Kami stayed silent and still for another minute before turning to look at Hildy and giving her a gentle smile. Just then the main entrance to the Chamber opened and members of the public who were watching the sitting of the House began to file out. The ladies remained where they were as the crowd passed by. Hildy firmly believed that something positive was going to come out of this chance encounter today. As the crowd lessened, the ladies observed several of the police officers on duty began moving to the far end of the long corridor to the side of the Chamber.

It then became evident that the movement of the officers was due to the members of The House of Lords leaving the Chamber. It took another eight to ten minutes of pedestrian traffic back and forth in the foyer adjacent to the long corridor before they saw Kami's uncle. He stopped to speak to one or two persons as he made his way towards the area where they were sitting.

The ladies stood and stepped forward so that they would be able to speak to him as he passed by.

As he came abreast to them Kami spoke up, "Lord Keefer".

Harrison stopped and looked at her. "Yes", he answered.

"Hello, my name is Kami Keefer and I am Michael Keefer's daughter. I wanted to ask you if my grandmother was still alive and if she is, then how is she doing?", Kami asked in a calm and clear voice.

To say the Harrison was shocked would have been an understatement. He just stared at her with his mouth slightly open. A police officer stepped forward to enquire if Lord Keefer needed any assistance dealing with the member of the public he thought Kami was.

Harrison looked at the officer and assured him that that would not be necessary.

Looking back at Kami he tilted his head to the side a little as he watched her. He immediately saw the family resemblance because Kami looked so much like his sister when she was much younger, he could well believe she was whom she claimed to be.

"There is a lounge upstairs that is available to the members of both Houses, come with me so that we can speak with less persons around us". With that Lord Keefe lead the way to the lounge. When they arrived there, he directed them off to one side as he prepared to answer his niece's questions.