Part 3 of 3

It's two weeks later and Dwayne sits alone at a small La Kaz table in the corner closest to the harbor. The rest of the team is sequestered near the bar, enjoying drinks and snacks. The workday is over, the light fading. Thunderheads are building with tops aglow from the sun now lost below the horizon, their bases lit with occasional flashes of hidden lightning. The air is still as though holding its breath in anticipation of the approaching storm.

It had been a quiet day at the station, Dwayne and Fidel assembling the report that he's about to deliver. Without participating directly, the Chief had given approval and occasional guidance as this side-project was part of the overall investigation. But NOW there's a whole new investigation involving the entire Caribbean over the issue of kidnaping and illegal sale of babies. Thankfully, that investigation is being squabbled over by The Dominican Republic and Cuba so Saint Marie is in the clear. Except for this one ominous file.

Dwayne stares at the new expandable folder, four inches thick and neatly tied shut with a blue ribbon; documents, records, forms, printouts, photographs. A life on paper. His eyes drift to the waiting four fingers of rum with a longneck back. Glancing to his right, he eyes a frosty glass of fruit punch with its flirty little garnish. The gravity of the task ahead makes that paper umbrella look foolish. Maybe she won' show, he thinks. Maybe it's more than she kin face.

"Dwayne?" a soft voice says just as a quiet rumble of thunder sounds. The storm approaches.

"Elodie." Dwayne stands and pulls out a chair.

Her eyes fix on the folder. She reaches out to touch it but withdraws before making contact. She lifts her glass with both hands and takes a sip, her eyes never leaving the folder, "Dwayne, you found him? Can you tell me about him, please?"

"It's all in here, complete. Fidel did the lion's share 'cause he's a wiz at research but I'm the genius at the computer. I couldna done it without 'im, we're a real team, him an' me."

Her eyes plead, "Please? Dwayne? I'll read every word, I promise, but later. I need to hear the story of our son from you, his father. Please, can't you just tell me?"

Dwayne drains his rum in one gulp. He picks up the longneck and rolls the cold bottle across his forehead as he's watched the Chief do a hundred times. He needs to be cool, calm, collected. Just like the good cop he tries to emulate. A professional. He takes a deep pull on his beer, frowns, takes an equally deep breath, "Well, OK, I'll hit the highlights, you kin get the details from the report. His folks named him Robert Frederick Douglas Collins. They live in the US. The family call him Robbie, at school he's Rob. He's in his third year of a pharmacy degree."

He smiles at the look on her face, "I thought you might like that...but I'm gittin' ahead of myself so let's see. The Collins family live in the middle of the US and grow lotsa corn an' soybeans an' stuff. Mr. Collins is head of the Department of Public works in the city they live near an' the missus is a bookkeeper fer a company that sells tractors an' farm equipment."

Elodie's chin is in her hand and she stares at Dwayne like he's saving her life. "When the orphanage put him up fer adoption they changed his birth date by a couple a days an' ran all the forms through another convent that wuz closin' on St Vincent. That way it made it almost impossible fer the Collins to track his origins."

Dwayne takes another sip of beer, "He wuz a typical kid, Sunday school, Scouts, Little League baseball, played trombone in the school band. Average student, coupla scrapes in high school. Did some ganja, got caught, got a fine, juvie record expunged."

Dwayne sighs, nearing the end, "Went inta the army, did a tour in Afghanistan as a medic. Got a purple heart, those are fer when ya get wounded but he's okay. He got some other medals an' came out a sergeant." He pauses and chuckles sadly, "Beat his old man to that rank by 30 years!" He takes another drink then continues, "The Army settled him down, made him grow up. He's doin' good in school, good marks but no Einstein, jest like his old man."

Elodie has been shifting about as if on tenterhooks and finally blurts out, "Dwayne, is he married? Does he have kids? A girlfriend even?"

Dwayne smiles small, somehow he knew the legacy of children would be uppermost in her mind now that she knew Rob was OK, "No, no, and yes. He's got a pretty serious girlfriend. She's a nurse studyin' t' be a nurse practitioner. You know, kinda like a doctor, like you?"

"What about the rest of his…well... his family?" Elodie's face contorts in pain.

"He's got two younger sisters. The oldest wuz adopted jest like him but the youngest wuzn't. The parents bin told they couldn' have their own but surprises often happen after adoption. The girls, they think Rob is the best, a hero, the perfect big brother." Now they sit and nurse their drinks in silence as the sky darkens. The rumbles draw nearer and the flashes in the thunder heads brighten. The smell of rain is in the air.

Finally Elodie groans, "So what do I do now, Dwayne?"

Dwayne signals the server,"Want anudder drink, Elodie? Maybe sumpthin' stronger?"

She blinks at this, a trifle surprised, "Yes, please. Could I have some rum?"

He blinks at this, a trifle surprised in turn, "Oh, yeah, what ever you want." He waves two fingers and they wait until their drinks arrive.

"What should I do, Dwayne? I … I want to see my boy… our boy. Do you think…?"

"Elodie, it's not that simple, it's not that easy, an' it's fer sure not fer me to say. I got no legal standin'. As far as the law goes, I'm no different than some guy whut made a donation at a sperm bank. I'm 'Father Unknown'!"

At her uncertain look he leans forward and says earnestly, "Look, Fidel found some good books an' legit online sources that show you how t' make first contact. You got t' do it right, not jest fer us but fer the boy an' his folks. They worked hard fer twenty-five years an' we can' be messin' that up. We got no right t' mess that up." They sit. They think. They sip their drinks in their own private bubbles of silence.

She lowers her glass a bit fearfully. "And… what about us, Dwayne?"

He exhales slowly. He knew this had been coming too. "We don' do nuthin',"he whispers.

"But Dwayne, we… you and me… I thought we would face this together." Elodie starts to stand, tears threatening. He reaches out and lightly touches her arm. As she slowly sinks back to her chair, he hands her a crisp clean handkerchief. He doesn't see the Chief's nod of approval.

"Elodie, yer jumpin' t' the end. We got a lotta work t' do ifn we're goin' t' git anywhere. After you read the report then you kin decide if…"he holds up an admonishing finger, "… IF you want t' go further. If everthin's okay with everybody an' you want t' visit, I will pay for yer trip."

Now she just stares at him in shock, "Don't you want to meet him too?"

"That's up t' him. If he's seen the adoption records, all he knows is I'm 'Father Unknown'. If he asks 'bout me, you kin tell him as much of the story as you want. You shouldn' lie t' him 'bout nuthin'. If he wants t' meet me, I'll be there inna flash. This has t' be done proper. This is way too important t' make mistakes."

He sits back in his chair, ready to tackle the next hurdle, "Now, 'bout us. We got time, Elodie, you an' me. Yeah, I know, we're both in our fifties but in some ways we're still kids. You wuz twenty when yer folks died. We wuz t'gether fer a bit an' then you went t' the church an' here you are. You… well, you always had somebody doin' yer thinkin' fer you. You've never had t' take care of jest yerself."

At her hurried breath he holds up a hand, "You never had a paying job. Oh, you worked hard an' you got a good education. But…I've learned some things too, especially since the Chief got here. I've learned whut relationships are all about. I see Fidel an' Juliette an' how they work. Everybody on the island knows the Chief an' Camille are crazy fer each other. Oh, they bicker an' carry on but what they're really doin' is testin' an' learnin' each other. See, they need more'n good times an' a warm bed, they need a partner. Fidel an' Julie are real quiet but they got the same thing… a partnership. People got t' be equals. T' be a good partner you got t' know who you are... an' you don', Elodie. You don' know yerself."

Elodie sits, stunned, "You don't want to be with me, Dwayne?"

"Elodie, I don' know you. I knew a girl twenty-five years ago. I can' never know this new you until you know yerself. I still got feelin's fer you but I've actually grown up some too. This is kinda strange. Me, of all people, givin' advice t' anybody, especially someone like you. But here goes. Get yerself a job. You like kids, you got a degree, an' the local schools always need teachers. Get yer teachers' certificate, you can do it online. Get a place t' live. Get out inta the real world. Figure out who you are, whut you need, whut you want."

She smiles hesitantly, "Well, I AM a nurse, I suppose I could work at the hospital."

"No, you don' need more pain an' sufferin'. You need happiness, laughter, joy! You need to help kids grow up an' have fun, to make a better world."

She frowns, "But that might take some time."

"So? I ain't goin' nowhere. I'm not my old man. We kin see each other. You kin join me after work here at La Kaz; every day, once a week, once a month. It's yer choice, yer life" He hands her the file, "Now you read through this an' inna day or two we kin go over it. I'll make a pot of my spicy gumbo an' we'll think on this together, okay?"

Elodie laughs quietly, "You're still you, Dwayne, and yet you've changed."

He grins cheekily, "When you knew me, well, I wuz almost thirty actin' fifteen. Now I'm fifty tryin' hard t' act fifty. This growin' up ain't easy but fer you it oughta be a snap."

They both stand. She smiles, clutching the folder tightly, leans over and kisses him on the cheek. As she walks toward the street, Dwayne turns and watches her go and, for the first time this day, Officer Dwayne Myers relaxes.

His smile widens when he hears a familiar trusted voice at his back, "Hey, Dwayne, what say we get a six pack and go sit on the end of the pier and watch the boats, hey?"

"Yes, aye, Fidel. I sez yes, aye!"

END