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“Have a seat,” she says. “I’ll call your grandfather.” If we had any doubts as to whether we’re in the right house, they are immediately dispelled. She leaves the room.
“What was that about?” Lexi asks me.
“It’s as if she was expecting us,” I say.
“Maybe she’s always known that some day we would come looking for them,” Lexi says. “But what I mean is the names: Anna and Grace.”
Before I can answer, muted voices come closer. Mrs. Campbell returns to the living room followed by a silver-haired older gentleman with the same chocolate brown eyes that Vanessa and I have.
He stops and stares at Lexi and me. “The resemblance is there.” He nods at us and then sits down.
When they are both seated Mr. Campbell clears his throat before speaking. “I suppose you want to know what happened to your father?”
Lexi and I exchange a quick glance. “That’s part of it,” Lexi finally says. Our father is gone, and I’ve accepted that we’ll never get to know him.
“He was not in good health for many years,” Mrs. Campbell says, taking over from her husband. “Finally, it was a heart attack that killed him.” She speaks mechanically as if she’s talking about an acquaintance rather than her son. It doesn’t mean anything of course. I know from my experience as a nurse that people deal with grief in different ways.
“He had a family?” Lexi says.
“Yes. We have lunch every Sunday as a family. If you like, you can join us then and meet everybody,” she says. There’s no hint whether either she or her husband are happy to see us or even upset. I’ve never met such emotionless people and I find it difficult to believe that Lexi and I share the same genes with them.
“What do you do?” Mr. Campbell says.
“I run a bookstore downtown while my sister is a midwife. She worked at the hospital until recently when she left to open her own business. Birth education classes,” Lexi says.
He nods. “That’s something at least.” That’s a weird comment but then everything about these people is weird.
“How is your mother?” Mrs. Campbell says.
“She’s well,” Lexi says carefully.
“That’s good to hear,” she says but her tone of voice doesn’t reflect the warmth of the words.
It feels as though Lexi and I have strolled into a stranger’s house, sat down, and started conversing with them. I feel no pull toward them whatsoever. Nothing to make me feel that we are related.
Mrs. Campbell moves to the edge of her seat. “Sunday is tomorrow. Everyone gets here by twelve-thirty.”
Her words are a dismissal and Lexi and I get to our feet.
“Thank you for having us,” Lexi says. “I’ve thought about this moment for many years.”
They both get up as well. Mrs. Campbell nods but does not comment. There’s nothing else to say and we walk to the front door.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” she says holding the door open as though she can’t wait to get rid of us.
We don’t talk until we get to our car.
“Can you drive please,” Lexi says and hands me the car keys. Her skin is pale, and she’s shaking the slightest bit.
“Are you okay?” I ask her.
“I will be once I get out of here,” she says.
I unlock the door and slide into the driver’s seat. A minute later, we are peeling out of the driveway and onto the main road.
“I’ve never met such cold people in my life,” Lexi says. “No wonder Mom left. Who would want to be related to such people? I don’t want to see them again or meet the rest of them.”
“Me too,” I say, a shiver going through me. “What did they think we wanted?”
“I asked myself that over and over again,” Lexi says.
There’s something else bothering me. “That name thing was weird. It sounds as if we had other names, then maybe Mom changed our names.”
“I wouldn’t put that past her,” Lexi says. The angry, bitter tone is gone from her voice.
“I wonder if that was so that they wouldn’t find us.”
“I doubt it. I’m sure they had the resources to find us if they wanted, changed names or not,” Lexi says.
I drive to my place and when I bring the car to a stop, I leave the engine running. “I’ll come and pick Ivy up in an hour. I need a bath first.”
“I know what you mean. I feel dirty.”
I get out of the car, wave goodbye to Lexy, and head to the main house. I knock on Logan’s door and then push it open. I step in just as he’s coming down the stairs. I inhale sharply at the sight of him in shorts and a t-shirt that is outlining the muscles on his chest.
“Hey,” he says, a look of concern crossing his features.
“Hi,” I say with a smile.
He comes and stands in front of me and takes my hands in his. “How did it go?”
