PARADISE 34
Who is John?
"What? You bear my name? How is that possible?" Allen asked Ethan.
"Given my age, I'd rather say 'you' have my name! You could be my son! Not that you are, I would remember if I had met your mom." the man joked.
"Was your father's name John?"
"Yes sir"
"Rationally, what comes to mind is that your father was my half-brother. My sister and I didn't know that. He knew that since you have our first names. My sister's name was Lucy."
It can't be a coincidence, there's too much similarity, besides, that explains your resemblance to my son and the connection I felt. My instincts never fail me."
"Oh my God!" said Amelia and Elisa together!"
"My parents died in a wagon accident while we were following a wagon train, we were going to California. I was 10, Lucy was 13. She went to live with a childless couple from the group, I ran away and I was taken in by a half-Indian man, John Taylor. He was a good father. I became who I am thanks to him. I always kept in touch with Lucy, I knew where she was. How old was John at that time? In 1868?"
"He was 21," Elisa replied.
"11 years older than me. Old enough to adopt and raise us. Elisa? Your husband never told you about us? That he was looking for us?"
"He never told me about it! But it's true that sometimes he went away for weeks to hunt, he said... He never brought back a single deer! I trusted him, but he was sometimes mysterious. Then the years passed, and we married in 1873, and shortly after, Allen was born. He insisted on the first names for Allen and..."
"Is your sister dead?" Allen asked Ethan.
"Don't interrupt your mother," Ethan growled automatically.
"Sorry, it's so sudden."
"Yes, Lucy passed away last year from tuberculosis. I adopted her 5 children. Amelia has 3 children from a first marriage, her ex-husband also died. We are expecting our first child together."
"Wow! Congratulations!" Alec almost jumped up in excitement.
"Thanks, Alec, with everything that happened, we forgot to tell you first! Sorry."
"Can you give me John's full name and date of birth, please? My office has a phone, the answer will be much quicker than the telegram, but I agree with you Ethan, that he is your brother is the most logical answer."
"Okay, thanks, Alec."
"Yeah sure, I'd like to be sure as well. Thanks, Alec." Elisa said.
"I take it from you. It's with pleasure since my duties as a judge allow me all access, I'll take care of it this afternoon" promised the man.
"For now let's have lunch, we'll discuss it later," Ethan stated.
Lunch had been delicious, Elisa rarely ate that much.
She thanked Ethan for lunch.
"Do we meet tonight for dinner?" Alec said. "Elisa, I would be honored to be accompanied by such a beautiful woman. Will you let me invite you? "
Eliza blushed. "Thank you, Alec.
Ethan and Amelia exchanged a look and a smile but said nothing.
"Alright, let's meet tonight, Alec, you choose the restaurant this time. I'm going to go send a quick telegram to tell everyone we're fine, then we'll go for a walk in this big garden, the one next to the railroad and maybe do some shopping".
"So I'll contact a friend from Vital Statistics," Alec said.
"On the phone? really? I've never seen one up close yet!" Said Elisa.
Alec smiles
"In that case, would you like to accompany me, Elisa?"
"That would be wonderful!... Allen?"
"Go ahead mom, I have some important homework to get done so I have to go home. We'll have confirmation that you're my uncle Ethan in a few hours then?" Allen asked.
"Yeah, but I'm already sure of that," Ethan said.
After school, the children wanted to play.
"No, Dakota said to come home immediately" Claire reminded.
"Just five minutes," Adam said.
"Yes, please," All the children said except Carry.
"It's a bad idea, my father will be angry, we have to obey and go home."
"I guess five minutes is fine." Claire agreed.
But the children were busy playing and the hour of play passed faster than an hour of school. Even for Carry who had sat down to wait for Adam and Claire to decide to go home.
Dakota arriving with the cart brings them back to reality.
"What did I tell you this morning?" the man asked sternly.
No response and eight children stared at their shoes.
"Look at me!" he growled.
"Adam? You're the eldest. What did I say?"
"To go straight back, sorry we got carried away with the game."
"You know better, you'll all be punished, but come up, we'll talk about it later. I would like to do some work on my land before night falls."
In less than two hours of work, the grass had been cut, the fences repaired, the animals watered and fed for a few days, and the house checked and dusted.
They had all worked hard.
The meal took place in silence, the children worrying about the punishment to come.
"Alright," Dakota said, "go get ready for bed, you'll all go to bed immediately. I'll be there to smack each of the disobedient butts for this afternoon. If it happens again, it'll be a full spanking. Am I clear?"
"Yes sir," and the children obeyed, walking up the stairs to their rooms.
"Tess, you stay downstairs with Mary, I'll tell you a story later."
"Yes sir" she obeyed.
Dakota still wondered how he was going to do it. He would have taken turns bending over or spanking them while they were on their stomachs in bed, but Ethan liked having close contact. The kids were used to being draped over his lap.
He started with Adam and Joseph.
"Are you going to tell Dad?" Adam wondered.
"Yeah, but I don't think he'll add to it, other than a few deviations, you've done pretty well. Alright, I'll let you decide, over my knee or bent over by my hip?"
Adam came forward and leaned forward, holding his knees, Dakota slipped him under his arm, and with his hand, two big slaps landed on his behind, making the child scream.
Joseph had chosen the same, as well as Claire.
For the other children, who were smaller, Dakota would not give them the choice, it will be over his knee.
"Uncle Dakota?" Claire called as he left his room."
"Yes?"
"Just so you know, Carry didn't want to disobey you, she wanted to go home."
"Okay Claire, thanks. Go to bed."
For all the other children, Dakota sat on their bed, bent them over his knee, and lowered his hand twice, hard enough to make them cry immediately.
Carry was surprised when her father landed two love slaps on her behind.
"Father?"
"I saw you sitting instead of playing when I arrived, and Claire told me that you wanted to obey and come back. You tried to convince them, but you had to wait to obey Adam. Isn't that right?"
Carry was crying, but not from the spanking.
"Yes dad, I wanted to obey you, but I was not allowed to leave alone."
"I'm proud of you dear. You made the right decision, I would have been angry if you left alone. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I disobeyed you, even though I didn't want one, I deserved a spanking."
"No, not this time, you can always talk to me Carry, and your punishment will be to come back downstairs. You can come and listen to a story with Tess instead of going to bed now."
"Thank you, dad!" The child grabbed onto her father's neck, hugging him.
Elisa and Alec had spent a pleasant afternoon together. The evidence and the dates were irrefutable, John was indeed Ethan's half-brother. His withdrawals in different banks proved that he had been looking for Ethan and Lucy for several years, intermittently, then suddenly stopped. Ethan and Lucy had grown into adults and he must have thought they wouldn't want to know him. He was wrong.
At the restaurant, Ethan was a little shaken by the news.
"If we are expecting a son, his name will be John. Do you agree Amelia?"
"Of course my love, it's a great idea, a beautiful tribute, and a pretty name."
"Thank you, sweetie," he said kissing her.
"I can't believe the week has gone by so fast, we're already leaving tomorrow," Amelia said.
"Elisa and I decided to hang out and see if it works out, I'm going to work here for a while, maybe open my own office."
"That's great Alec! I'm happy for you both!" Ethan said.
"Thank you. We'll go get Tom, I'll enroll him in school here, with me. You were right, leaving him out will only confuse him more."
"Absolutely. My offer still stands, send me Tom for the summer."
"Thank you, Ethan."
"No Alec, thank you."
Ethan and Amelia's stagecoach left for Paradise at eight o'clock the next morning.