Matty spoke, "I will continue with the story. We boarded the plane. It was exciting. The flight attendant was really nice to us. I did not know what she was saying but she gave me a little airplane toy and some crayons and a coloring book. She also gave me some paper that I could use to draw on. I had the window seat, and dad had the aisle seat.
We took off into the air. Then I saw dad look at the crayons and paper that the flight attendant had given me.

He picked up a crayon and wrote, "Can you read this?"

I nodded yes. I had not learned to write yet because I had not gone to school yet. But I could read because I could hear the words and then I just remembered what they were. Then dad wrote, "Are you alright? Does your ear hurt? Do you need anything?"

I signaled to him that I was fine. He patted the top of my head.
Then he wrote, "I love you. We are probably going to be traveling for a little bit longer. Then we will find somewhere to hide out for a while. I will never let anyone hurt you ever again. I promised your mother I would take you somewhere safe and that is what I intend to do. It is just you and me now. I am not going to lose you too."

Then dad hugged me. It felt so good. Nobody ever hugged me in the warehouse. I really liked him. I really wanted to be his son. It felt really good to have a father even if I was not sure he was really my father."

His dad interrupted, "I still wish you had told me back then about your doubts, kid. There are a million reasons I knew you were my son. You did look a little different. You were thinner, had a buzz cut, and your eyes had lost their innocence and were sadder. But I knew it was you. You could read, kid. You had not even been to school yet. You taught yourself to read. Not every kid has a photographic memory. The most amazing thing was despite everything that happened to you. You were the same sweet, smart and wonderful kid you always were."

Matty hugged his dad, "I love you, dad and I love you too, mom so you don't feel left out." His mom grabbed his hand and kissed it. "I love you too, sweet boy."

"Let me get back to the story. I remember dad grabbed another piece of paper, and dad started writing the Morse code alphabet on it.

Then dad wrote. "Commit this to your memory." Then dad tapped "I love you" on my forehead. But dad pointed to each letter as he did it. I realized what dad were doing. Then dad did "Dad", "Alex", then dad pointed to my little toy plane that the flight attendant gave me and tapped "Plane". It was awesome.

We were not as fast as we are now. And we did not have the shortcuts we developed later for words. But I was happy that I was learning to at least communicate with you a little bit.

We did that for a while and then I fell asleep on dad. When I woke up the plane was landing. We were there. We got off the plane and went through customs. Then dad went over to the airport lockers. Dad went and opened the locker and he switched the bags, because there was British money in the other bag.
Then dad rented a car. I remember you looked awful dad. You had the beginning of a beard growing. Actually, that was the beginning of your really big beard. I don't think you shaved again until you got your identity back when we came home to Arlington.

We got in the car. I wondered if we were going to drive all night again. But the drive was only a half an hour. We pulled into the Hamilton estate driveway. You better take over this part, dad."

His dad smiled and nodded, "We pulled into the house. Matty was not kidding when he said I looked terrible. He did too. We were both wearing really ugly matching gas station Poconos sweatshirts. Matty had a Poconos baseball hat on. We were really disheveled looking. I just hoped my grandfather was actually home. I knew the staff was not going to let us in looking the way we did unless he was there.

We went up to the door. I rang the bell. Irene answered. Now keep in mind this was Irene before she met Phillip. She was very prim and proper back then. Matty and Phillip were a bad influence on her. The two of them broke her defenses and turned her into the fun crazy girl she is now.

Irene looked at us like we were vagrants. "This is a private residence. We do not want whatever you are selling or wish us to donate to. Please vacate the premises before I have security escort you off."

I answered, "We are not here to sell you anything or ask for donations. Tell Jonathon Hamilton that Jenny's bastard wants to talk to him. He will see me."

Irene looked annoyed. "Jonathon Hamilton is a very busy man. I can assure you that Jonathon will not see someone called Jenny's bastard."

I was tired and I just wanted to talk to him for fifteen minutes and then I was going to take Matty to a hotel for the night. "Look lady, trust me he will see me. Just tell him that Jenny's bastard is here. He will will be more upset if you don't tell him that we are here. I am not leaving here until you do. We will make a scene. If you tell him and he does not want to see me. Then my son and I will just leave peacefully, and you will never see us again."

Matty gave Irene the saddest please help us look with his big brown eyes. Nobody can resist Matty's eyes.

She sighed and said,"Wait right here. You will leave peacefully if he says he does not want to see you?"

I nodded yes and Irene closed the door and left us standing outside. Five minutes later she opened the door. "He will see you. You can leave the boy with me. Jonathon is not a fan of children."

I had just gotten Matty back. There was no way I was going to let him out of my sight."Boy stays with me. He will get over it."

Irene warned "Very well. But just be warned he may not be kind to your child."

I sighed a little "Oh believe me, nobody knows better than me exactly how he feels about children, but the boy stays with me."

Notes:

Next chapter - We get to meet Lee's grandfather.