Requiem III: The Search for the Truth

by Alisa Joaquin & Bonnie Eagan

Part Two: More of Matthew's Story

"I can't believe this. You mean to tell me that the woman in the photograph is my aunt, and she's been missing for 15 years?" Peter questioned. "Why did you take the photo in the first place?"

"When Marlene learned of her sister, it was already after your mother died. She wanted to go to her gravesite and visit you and your father at the temple in California, but she was in no position to go. She had injured her leg in an accident. Her son was still with her at the time. He was in school. She asked me to take a photograph of her to give to you and Kwai Chang. She was very insistent. Circumstances also prevented me from going right away. I did not know where your temple was at the time. When I did learn of your temple, I came too late. I gave the photo to the old priest who was there."

"I don't understand. How did you know about my mother? And why didn't you come when you learned about me?"

"Peter, it is difficult to talk about. By the time I recovered from my injuries from that failed Himalayan expedition, too much time had passed. They had listed me as dead. My son had finished his Shaolin training without me. He got married and had a child of his own. I believed he no longer needed me as a teacher."

"But he still could have used you as a father," Peter interjected. "I could have used you, too. I've always wondered what was so special about the Caines, why the big mystery. Everyone else had families, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, even the other kids at the temple. The only family I believed I had was my father. I wouldn't have had to go to an orphanage and raised in a foster home if you had been there. Though I'll be forever grateful to Paul Blaisdell for taking me in, if I had known I had a grandfather who was alive and Shaolin, I could have had a family. I could have continued my training a lot sooner. I would not have been alone."

"And you would not be alive today if you had," Lo Si interjected.

Peter turned toward the Ancient, questioning what he knew without words.

"I did what I had to do. You would not listen. You swore vengeance upon your father's grave. I thought it best to take you from that place."

"You . . ." Peter stared wide-eyed at the Ancient. Then his eyes narrowed. "You were Ping Hai. For 15 years I believed my father was dead because of you. You sent me to an orphanage." Peter raised his fist, ready to strike the old man, when another grabbed him by the wrist.

Despite his apparent age, Matthew Caine held onto the young man's arm with a vice-like grip.

Peter spun to face his grandfather and saw pain and pity in the old priest's eyes.

"Remember, I, too was told that you and your father were dead. Do not blame Lo Si for this. He did what he had to do. I lost precious time myself, partially due to my own failings, far longer than you and was necessary. When my mother was murdered and Su Ling taken, I lost a piece of my own soul. I was blinded by my own grief to realize that Kwai Chang needed more than just a teacher. I sought inner peace, not in the company of my son, but in search of things, mere things. My son was right. I searched for things when I should have been with him. Inner peace means nothing without someone to share it with. I have failed."

From hearing Matthew's words, Peter's anger dissipated for the moment, but he still had questions, one that continued to burn in his mind that only Lo Si could answer. "What do you mean I would not be alive today?"

"You were so filled with anger, Peter," Lo Si stated. "Your grandfather would not have trained you. He would have taken you in, yes, but he would not have allowed you to use your training for vengeance."

"Lo Si speaks the truth. After I found your gravesite, I was followed. A man tried to kill me. His face was scarred. He nearly succeeded. Another young Shaolin saved my life."

"Tan?" Peter question. "Tan tried to kill you?"

"If you had gone with your grandfather, Tan would have killed you both."

"Because of that man, I re-injured my leg, and it became a permanent injury. I would not have been able to protect you, Peter. I have one question for you. Who do you think has been your protector all this time?" Matthew drew a deep sigh after lying back against the couch. The conversation was wearing heavily on him. There wasn't much time left. He figured a week at the most. His only hope was that he survived long enough to see more of his family reunited and to receive forgiveness from his son for those lost years that they would never regain.

Continues in Part Three