Spanish Bay (17 page)

Neil had regained his composure. “Be our guest, the covers are washable. So, do you want that coffee or not?”

“Just gimme a moment. I’m a guy, too. Morning wood.”

“Right, gotcha, room service coming right up.” Neil grimaced coyly and poured Junior a cup. “Milk? Sugar?”

“Black is fine.”

“Here you go.” Neil put the cup on the coffee table. “Take your time. We’re just getting the tree ready for Frank.”

“Right, I’ve got something, too. Hang on.” Junior swung out of the couch and dashed over to his bag, grabbed a couple of awkwardly wrapped presents and put them under the tree. “Remember Christmas back home? How we’d often come down into the living room and Mom and Dad had forgotten to put the presents there? We’d always tell the little ones that Santa was delayed and send them back to bed.”

Chris shook his head. “I do. Not the best of memories. Were they always like that?”

“No, not when you, Alex and I were small. But something happened when Mom got pregnant with Jack. I don’t know what it was. I guess Dad didn’t really want any more, and Mom tricked him or something. All I know is he took to the bottle when Jessica was born, and eventually, so did Mom. Maybe that’s why Frank turned out the way he did? I’m sorry I left you guys behind, but I wasn’t strong enough to fight. I honestly wasn’t. I’m not sure I would still be alive if I’d stayed. The navy saved my life. I’m sorry, bro.”

“Don’t be. I’m not blaming you. None of us are. We all deal with things differently. Alex took to sex to protect herself, and got hurt even more in the process, and I poured myself into work, believing that Mom and Dad would love me if I did both their jobs, even if I was gay. Turns out I was wrong. I never looked back. It is what it is.

“I’m just trying to make the best of it for Frank. The rest of us have already survived. I mean, look at Jack and Jessica. They are the real farmers in our family. I can’t wait for their plans to come to fruition, if the property assessment goes our way. If the place is valued too highly, we may yet have to sell it, unless we can find a way to calm Alex.”

“Yeah, well, let’s hope for the best, but you have a majority against the sale, so let’s hope that works out. And if I ever leave the navy, I’ll either come to work here as a server, or I’ll be a ranch hand back home. It’s nice to have options.”

They laughed at that, because neither seemed to fit Junior.

“I just can’t picture you back in Lubbock,” Chris said. “What is it you do for the navy anyway?”

“I work with the ship’s computer systems. It’s all classified, but I’m not worried about the future. That’s for sure. If they ever let me go, or if I ever decide to leave, I’ll have my choice of jobs in either the government or private sector. I might just settle near here. After all, you’re just a stone’s throw from Silicone Valley.”

“Indeed we are, minus the crazy property prices…”

“Chris… Neil…” Frank called from his room.

“Someone’s up. I’ll go get him.”

A few minutes later, Chris emerged from Frank’s room with the boy in his chair, wheeling him to the Christmas Tree, all lit in the most beautiful colors and with heaps of presents underneath. There were gifts from Chris and Neil, Junior, as well as from his siblings in Texas, and from Joe, Phil and Sarah.

“Here, Frank, look what Santa brought you while you were asleep…”

Frank got very excited when he saw all the gifts. “Santa…”

“Yes, bro, they’re all for you!”

Junior interrupted. “Almost, I think Santa brought a little something for you two love birds, too.”

Frank was the happiest kid imaginable, tearing through the presents Neil handed him, examining the books, clothes and toys he received. He was drooling from the corner of his mouth, a clear indication of his excitement, and he was saying “mine?” every two seconds to confirm that all the toys really were for him.

Chris and Junior were sitting on the couch watching on, drinking their tea and coffee.

“Did you ever notice that Frank doesn’t look like us?” Junior said quietly.

“What do you mean?”

“Sure, he has Mom’s eyes, but look at his face, his nose, the hair. You and I, we’ve got Dad’s hair, his nose, and anyone can tell we’re brothers. But with Frank, something’s different.”

“Are you trying to tell me something, Junior?”

“I’m not sure. I haven’t seen him since he was a baby six years ago, but I remember there was a lot of fighting going on at home. Dad was talking about a vasectomy and how it wasn’t possible for Mom to become pregnant again. He was furious, and I know he went back to the clinic that had performed the procedure. I moved out soon after, so I never heard anything about it again. But doesn’t Frank remind you of old man Murphy?”

“Oh my god. Are you saying Frank could be Murphy’s son?”

“Not that it matters, but he’s got Murphy’s nose, for sure, and his pitch-black hair… He’s still our brother, but if I’m not mistaken, Murphy has no other kids, right? I’m just saying that Frank might be the heir to the largest farm in all of Lubbock…”

Chris was stunned, and he looked at Frank again. Junior was right, he’d never even thought about it. When Frank was a baby and they got the CP diagnosis, everyone was so busy with caring for him, any and all differences were automatically attributed to his condition, not his heritage. Seeing him now, in a somewhat different light, made it obvious.

“Think we should test him?”

“What would old Murphy say? Is he still alive?”

“Yeah, his wife died a couple of years ago, but he’s still going strong. Wow, Junior, this is heavy.”

“Don’t worry about it, Chris. It’s not going to change the way you feel for him, is it?”

Chris shook his head. “No, of course not, but it could help him to a much better start in life. I mean, look at us, we’re all barely getting by. Sure, Neil and I are lucky to have found this place, but this apartment, in all its splendor and for all its modern look and feel is just a strike of luck, a gift from Sally. We could never have afforded it if we’d had to pay for it ourselves. I’m not even sure she was fully aware of what she was doing when they drew up the contracts. Maybe she’d forgotten the apartment and believed she’d just leased the café to me.

“And then there’s Alex and her struggle, and how hard Jack has to work, and Jessica, not to mention you. None of us have any major savings. I think if we can do this for Frank, we have to. We don’t really know how his future looks. The doctors think he’ll make great progress and might even be able to leave the chair, but he’ll always be marked by his condition, and if he needs assistance, money could really make a difference. I think I do at least owe it to him to find out. I’ll see if we can do a DNA test, a comparison between me and him, to learn more. Maybe this is all a figment of our imagination, right?”

“Maybe. Need any of my blood?”

“Nah, I don’t think so, but if you’re around when we do it, at least we could confirm that you’re family…” Chris laughed and punched Junior in the shoulder.

“Ouch, what did you do that for?”

“You may just have given Frank his biggest present for Christmas…”

CHRIS HAD CALLED the clinic as soon as they were open again after the holidays, to schedule the DNA test for himself and Frank. Junior tagged along, and all three got tested. It was the day before Junior had to fly back to Honolulu, and the doctor said it would be about a week to ten days before they’d have the results.

“You’ll let me know once you have the results, right?”

“I sure will,” Chris promised.

It was bittersweet saying goodbye to Junior, not knowing when they’d see each other again, and Frank was particularly upset.

“Junior,” he kept repeating to himself on the way back from San Francisco, where they took Junior to catch his flight out to Hawai’i.

“I’ll be back, don’t worry so much, little one,” he said and hugged his little brother tight. Then he took his leave from Chris. “Thanks, bro. You really are the best, you know that? You’re the strongest one of the entire family, keeping us together and sane through all of this. Give my love to Neil when you get back, okay?”

“I will. Now you be careful. And come back soon!”

And then Junior was gone.

Ten days later, Chris received a letter from the clinic. He didn’t dare open it and asked Neil to do it instead.

“Why are you so nervous? No matter the result, Frank is still your brother.”

“I know. It’s just, if we can prove that he’s old Murphy’s son, we can help him to a future that is safe—at least financially. Murphy’s farm is worth millions. His house, his barn, his livestock—all are in top shape, and his cotton fields are among the best kept in the area. Not like ours. It would be easy to sell and for Frank to use the money to get a really good life. Do you see how important this could be for him?”

“Babe, I know, but money isn’t everything. He is already the luckiest kid around. Just look at him. He’s so happy. He’s got you and me, he’s got a loving great grandma and grandparents who spoil him every chance they get.”

Chris walked over to Neil and hugged him. “When did you get so smart?”

“Comes with the chair, ask Frank. Okay, let’s see here.” Neil ripped the envelope open. “Dear Mr. Miller, blah, blah, blah, ninety-nine percent certainty, blah, blah, blah, your maternal half-brother! That’s it. Your dad was not involved in the making of Frank. Junior was right.”

Chris had to sit down. Now they knew that Frank wasn’t Andrew Miller’s son, but that didn’t prove he was old Murphy’s boy. He might as well have been the mailman’s. Who knew who had access to the house while they were in school and dad on the fields? Half of Texas could be Frank’s father, for all Chris knew, although old Murphy was the prime suspect. But could he just call and ask him?

“How am I going to ask old Murphy if he fathered a child with my mother? How do you do that?”

“I have no idea, babe, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You always do. Listen, I have to get back down to the café. Will you be all right? Want me to call Mom?”

“No, go ahead. I’m fine. It’s almost bedtime for Frank anyway.”

Neil left them alone to go back to the café for a final two-hour shift.

Chris made dinner for himself and Frank, and they sat in silence, until Frank suddenly said, “Chris sad.” Chris was surprised that Frank had mastered another word.

“No, Frank. I’m not sad. I’m just pensive. I just got really important news and I have to think about what to do. But I’m not sad. The news is good. Good news for you, bro.”

Chris tried to smile, but it was forced. The weight of what was to come was squaring down on his shoulders.

After he’d put Frank to bed, he wrote an email to Junior, detailing the results of the DNA test, confirming he and Junior to be maternal and paternal brothers and Frank as their maternal brother. It was exactly what Junior had predicted, just by looking at Frank. How had he not seen it?
Am I blind or just stupid? How could I have missed this?

The response from Junior came almost instantly, compliments of the time difference to the South China Sea.

Told ya! Although I don’t envy you having to march up to old Murphy’s house to ask for a DNA sample. LOL.

Love, Junior

Three weeks later, Chris received a phone call from Mr. Jackson, the funeral director and lawyer back in Texas.

“Hello, Chris. We’ve got the results back from the property valuation, and it’s time we all sit down and get this done. Do you think there’s any chance for Andrew Junior to attend?”

“What’s it say? I’m curious.”

“I’d rather not say on the phone. There are certain procedures to follow. How soon can you be here?”

“Let me check, and I’ll call you back. Junior’s back in Asia, but I still have his power of attorney.”

“Make sure you bring it with you. We’ll need it to get things in order.”

Two hours later, Chris had booked himself on a flight out to Lubbock.

***

The weather was cold and gray when Chris disembarked from the plane. He didn’t bring much luggage and was out of the terminal in no time, where he immediately saw Jessica, waiting for him.

“Hey, bro. Welcome home!”

“Thanks, sis. How are you? Look at you, you look different!”

“Oh, I haven’t had time to go cut my hair so I figured I’d put it in a ponytail for now. Like it?”

“Sure. Of course I do. Makes you look twenty-two, at least.” He gave her a big hug, and they walked out to the truck together to drive out to the ranch. “How’s Jack doing?”

“Great. He’s out on the fields today, plowing. He’s been working so hard, you have no idea. He is literally pouring his soul into the land, and, mind you, so am I. What do you think? Will we be able to hold onto it?”

“I don’t know. It all depends on what we hear at the meeting tonight. I have something else I need to talk to you guys about. Did you talk to Alex?”

“Yeah, she’ll be out at the house after dinner. She finally got Skip to agree to look after the little ones tonight. She’s a real piece of work. I don’t know what she thinks, but listening to her talk you’d think she was off to Beverly Hills tomorrow.”

Chris chuckled. “I seriously doubt that. Frank might, but not Alexandra.”

“What do you mean. What about Frank?”

“I’ll tell you at the house.”

***

Later that evening, the four children gathered around the kitchen table with Mr. Jackson to finally hear what the farm was worth.

“The estate has been properly valued by an independent firm, and in its present state is valued at eight hundred thousand dollars.”

Alexandra sighed loudly at the mention of the sum.

“Now, most of that is the actual land; the house and barn are essentially worthless as it is right now. We’ve looked at the market, and it’s not easy. You might or might not get that money if you were to sell.”

“Of course we’ll sell. Why would we want to keep this worthless property?” Alexandra exclaimed. “I sure as hell never wish to set foot here again.”

Jack was visibly upset. “This is our home, Alex. And I’m not leaving without a fight. I’ve poured my life’s blood into this place since Mom and Dad died. It may not be noticeable yet, but things are different, and I’m sure we’ll do just fine, Jess and I.”