by Peter Martin
‘How amazing. So, Dad, the next step is to try to find Isaac Simpson, is it?’
‘Got it in one Cassie.’
‘Can I meet them too, when you find them Grandad?’ Adam said.
‘Of course, you can, but you must never forget your other great-nan and great-grandad. They brought me up and were the best great-nan and great-grandad you could ever wish for,’ Garry told his grandson.
‘I liked them a lot, even though they were very old. Are they still with Jesus?’ Adam asked.
‘Yes, they are, probably looking down on us this very minute.’
‘It would be funny if they were still here. I’d have two lots of great nan and grandads.’
‘That’s right, Adam.’ Garry agreed, pleased his grandson had grasped the ins and outs of what was going on, even if he was so young.
‘So what will you do next then Dad?’ Tom asked.
‘Well, a good night’s sleep won’t go amiss, and in the morning, I’ll help your mum get the shopping, do a few jobs around the house. Then it’s back to work on Monday. But after that, as soon as I’ve got a bit of spare time, I’ll try to find the elusive Mr Isaac Simpson.’
‘Dad, this is so exciting,’ Cassie said.
‘And don’t I know it?’ Delia said butting in. ‘He’s driving me nuts with it.’
‘You won’t say that if my family turns out to be rich; you’ll be falling over yourself to meet them,’ Garry countered light-heartedly.
‘Now that’s where you’re wrong. I’m quite satisfied with my lot as it is.’ Delia wagged a warning finger at her husband and laughed.
Later lying in bed exhausted, Garry reflected on what a wonderful homecoming it had been. As always, once everyone had left, Delia began to unpack and didn’t stop until everything had been put away. He smiled to himself, her last words to him before coming up to bed were, ‘I’ve put the dirty washing in the washer. If you’re up before me, turn it on.’
Now just as he was about to drop off to sleep she said, ‘It’s nice to sleep in your own bed again, isn’t it Garry? - that bed on holiday was all right, but it’s not the same as your own.’ She moved up close to him.
‘You can say that again. And I’m glad to be back home, despite the rain. Do you think it was worth going over to Montriga?’
‘Yes... but I wouldn’t want to go back again. Those people are nothing like us, with their extravagant ways, throwing money around like there’s no tomorrow. They’re not living in the real world; a few weeks on dole money that’s what they need. It’s the only way they’ll understand what the world’s really like.’
‘But aren’t we a bit like them now, because of the money we’ve got?’ He teased.
‘You’ve got to be joking, haven’t you? All right, so we’re comfortably off, but I bet the people we mixed with over there would regard us as mere plebs if they were aware of our background.’ She paused here then said, ‘I remember what it was like when we first got married and had no money - mind you I wouldn’t change anything… and another thing I’m the same person now as before we had the money, don’t you feel that too?’
He laughed, ‘Yes, I do and I don’t want to change either but it’s nice when people treat you with respect, even if it is because of money.’
‘All right but answer me this Garry, if you hadn’t been looking for your family, would you want to take a holiday in Montriga?’
‘No, but I’ve always wanted to find out what the Caribbean’s like. Thanks to mum we made it. But no matter what, all good things come to an end, and sadly it’s back to my lovely boring job on Monday,’ he sighed.
‘Never mind, you can soon start looking for Isaac Simpson now we’re back. That’ll take your mind off your boring job.’
‘That it will. Want to help?’
‘Naturally I do. Just think, if it hadn’t been for Isaac Simpson you wouldn’t be here now – perhaps I ought to shoot this guy when I see him,’ she said, tongue in cheek.
‘Hey, that’s not very nice,’ Garry protested. ‘But remember it’s not only me that wouldn’t be here, it’s Tom and Cassie and cheeky young Adam too.’
‘Oh yes, I was forgetting - you were good for something I suppose.’
<><><>
It took the rest of the weekend to get straight after their holiday. While Delia busied herself washing and ironing, Garry went food shopping and tidied the garden, once the rain had stopped. By the time Monday morning came around, they were exhausted. Nevertheless, it was back to the old routine, so it wasn’t until the weekend that Garry started his search for Isaac Simpson.
After lunch on Saturday, having completed all the regular Saturday morning jobs, Garry sat poised at his laptop ready to spring into action. ‘Right! Now, at last, I’ve got a bit of time to try to find this Isaac Simpson guy? Why don’t you come and sit next to me?’ He said to Delia.
She looked up from the newspaper she was reading. ‘Ok, I will. I’m interested in seeing what you find out.’ So she sat on the sofa next to him.
‘Where shall we go to first?’ He asked.
‘Well, he’s from the States. Do they have the equivalent of our online residential numbers in the US?’
‘Let’s find out.’ Garry typed ‘residential numbers USA’ into his search engine.
Within a couple of seconds, a number of sites came up on the screen, one of which White Pages – People Finder, seemed to fit.
‘Come on Garry, type in ‘I Simpson’ where it says the name, and for the area, put in Seattle. Let’s see what comes up.’
Garry did exactly that.
‘Hurry up, press search.’ She seemed as eager as him.
Once he’d clicked on search, the screen changed, listing every I Simpson on file in that area, along with addresses, phone numbers and in some cases even email addresses.
Just as he’d feared – this would be a painstaking task.
‘Garry, have you seen how many I Simpsons’ are listed? I’d say it’s getting on for over a hundred if not more. We’ve no way of eliminating any of them to help us find the right one. It’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Not only that, sadly he may have died, or even moved to another state.’
‘Yes, I realise that. But it could have been much worse. Just think if he’d been named Smith or Brown, there’d be thousands. Ok so this may take some time, but it’s not impossible?’
‘No, but how do we sort it out?’
‘Well, first of all, I’ll print off the whole list. Then I’ll highlight the ones with email addresses, and send each one a note asking for verification of his name and if he’s ever taken a holiday in Montriga. Then for the people confirming they have, I’ll go on to ask what year the holiday took place and give some details - how forty years ago a small boy was rescued from drowning etc. etc. If I don’t get much joy with that I’ll have to make a lot of expensive phone calls.’
‘How much will that cost?’
‘I can’t say, but it might run into hundreds of pounds,’ he admitted.
Delia didn’t look impressed, but there was no way around it. What were a few hundred pounds? Thankfully she didn’t make a fuss.
After printing off fifteen or so pages he closed his computer down and set about the task of highlighting each one with an email address. Then with Delia’s help, he composed a note to send simultaneously to the thirty-odd email addresses he’d found.
‘That’s the first few crossed off the list Deel. I’ll wait a few days for them to reply before I start phoning the rest. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, when I click on my emails tomorrow night, one of them was from the Isaac Simpson we’re looking for?’
‘Wouldn’t it just, but I can’t see it myself.’
‘No, neither can I, and I don’t fancy making all those phone calls to Seattle either.’
‘Well, you never know Garry, you may not have to, you might strike lucky.’
Unfortunately, on checking his emails the following night, there were only four replies, none o
f them from the person he was searching for.
‘Oh well, its early days,’ he said trying not to sound too dejected.
‘Of course, it is Garry, most of them haven’t replied yet and any one of them could be Isaac Simpson.’
Over the following week he checked his emails every night and although there were some replies, none showed any promise.
By Friday night, Garry accepted the inevitable saying, ‘It’s no good, Deel, I’ll have to phone all these other Simpsons.’
‘Ok, I can see it’s got to be done.’
‘I’m not looking forward to it I can tell you, but there’s no alternative.’
By Sunday night, he’d rung everyone on the list without success. There were two main points going around in his head: Was Mr Simpson alive? And if so, did he still live in Seattle? It brought home to him the mammoth task ahead – if it came down to contacting all the I Simpsons in the USA, it would take an age.
Over the course of the next week, Garry felt agitated by the pressure he was under. And not a day passed by when he wasn’t glad of Delia’s encouragement and support. Thanks to her he wouldn’t give up just yet.
Ten days later having just returned from a night out at the theatre, Garry decided to check his emails – there were seven. He’d got over the initial disappointment and was now ready to consider other avenues. But among the unopened emails, the one from ‘I Simpson’ caught his eye. For a few seconds, his breathing became laboured, causing his heart to beat heavily in his chest.
He opened the email to reveal a lengthy reply. It read:-
‘Hi,
Thanks for your email. My name is indeed Isaac Simpson, but I was too young to be in Montriga forty years ago – in fact, I wasn’t even born. However, my father who is also named Isaac Simpson might have been the right age. Unfortunately, he no longer lives in Seattle, he retired to Jersey in the Channel Islands about five years ago. I have a vague recollection of dad telling me something about saving a young boy from drowning. As he is now well into his seventies I’ll contact him on your behalf to clarify this, and get back in touch with you in a few days.
Regards
Isaac Simpson.
Chapter Nine
‘Delia!’ Garry shouted at the top of his voice. He dashed into the hall, having heard her go into the bathroom earlier. When she didn’t reply straight away he yelled again, ‘Delia! Come here quickly!’
She came out of the bathroom, toothbrush in hand and looking down at Garry at the bottom of the stairs said, ‘What’s the matter now, Garry? I’m trying to brush my teeth, for God’s sake.’
‘Just wait till you see this. Come and read it, it’s important.’
‘What could be so important it can’t wait until I’ve finished.’
‘Just stop whinging will you?’
Reluctantly Delia came downstairs, sighing to herself, clearly irritated by Garry’s insistence.
Back in the living room they sat on the sofa together, the laptop in front of him. He pointed to the email displayed on the screen. She read it in silence and with excitement on her face said, ‘This could be the one we’re looking for.’
‘Can you believe this? I never dreamt we’d find him after all the disappointments we’ve had. Delia – I’m so close to finding my mother and father I can almost touch them.’
‘I’m so pleased. You’ll have to reply, after all, it does look as if it’s the right guy.
‘You bet your life I’m going to reply. I’ll just tell him, thanks for the email and the info. Look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible.’
‘I only hope he can answer some of your questions about who your parents are.’
So just before going to bed he replied to the email, then shut down the computer, full of anticipation of what the next few days may bring.
‘I doubt if I’ll be able to sleep now,’ he said, following her back upstairs.
‘Well, we can’t wait up all night hoping for a quick reply,’ Delia said abruptly.
But twenty minutes later lying in bed and clearly unable to wind down Garry said, ‘With luck, he’ll reply soon – it’ll drive me mad if I have to keep waiting and waiting,’
‘And you’ll drive me mad if you have to keep waiting,’ Delia cautioned. ‘He’ll answer when he can and not before.’
‘Yes, I realise that.’ And sensing she was getting a little tetchy he continued, ‘I’m sorry Deel for going on and on.’
But all Delia said was, ‘Come on now, better get some shut eye or we’ll be good for nothing in the morning.’
‘That won’t be easy, love. I’m sure this guy knows something, and I can’t wait to find out what,’ he said, snuggling up close. But his comment went unanswered, her heavy breathing indicating she’d dropped off to sleep.
<><><>
Having tossed and turned for the biggest part of the night Garry did eventually get to sleep, oversleeping by fifteen minutes the following morning. At work, he clocked in a few minutes late but found his whole day continued in the same vein. His inability to concentrate causing one mishap after another.
Back home while eating their evening meal, he confided in Delia saying, ‘I’m almost frightened to look at my emails, in case there’s nothing from Mr Simpson.’
‘I know what you mean, I feel a little apprehensive myself, but once we’ve washed up and cleared everything away, we’ll tackle it head-on together.’
A short time later on accessing his unopened emails, he noticed towards the top of the list, in the subject column ‘Montriga 1964’ and casting his eyes to the left saw the senders name – Isaac J Simpson. What a turn up of events he thought. Then facing Delia said, ‘You see that Deel – it’s from Isaac Simpson.’ He squeezed her hand roughly.
‘Yes, that’s good. Open the email I’m dying to see what he’s got to say.’
‘All right, all right. Fingers crossed he remembers me eh?’
With a feeling of butterflies swirling around in his stomach, he clicked on the email and eagerly read what he’d been waiting for, for so long.
Hi there Garry,
My son has been in contact with me about you, and I must say I couldn’t believe it when he first told me. Are you definitely the little boy I saved from drowning while on holiday all those years ago in Montriga? How fantastic! I always wondered what became of you. Don’t like to say anything more at present, but if you want to meet up in Jersey, I’ll be glad to answer any questions you might have. Suggest you come and visit me at my house as I don’t get about as well as I used to. My address and phone number are at the bottom of this page. Let me know when you intend to come, and we’ll arrange a time for you to visit me at the house. Hope your life has been a happy one!
Ever yours
Isaac Simpson.
<><><>
For a moment they were dumbstruck. Then looked at each other in surprise, before finally whooping with laughter.
‘Isn’t this just brilliant, Deel?’ Garry exclaimed.
‘Fantastic! This is it. You’re going to find out the truth, you lucky person – let’s hope you won’t be disappointed.’
‘I don’t care if I’m disappointed or not. The main thing is to get to the bottom of this. I need to know the facts, no matter how painful it is.’
‘If I were you I’d reply to the email now and say you’ll be in touch a little later when we’ve sorted out holiday dates with work. What do you think Garry?’
He paused for a minute before saying ‘You’re not suggesting you come with me are you?’
For a split second from the look on Delia’s face, she thought he meant it, then when she saw him grinning, she gave him one hell of a whack on the top of his arm.
‘Sorry Deel, I couldn’t resist a bit of leg-pulling. It’s just that you looked so serious when you were telling me what to do.’
‘Ok, ok, so what are you going to do!’ She replied, just as serious.
‘Oh, exactly what you said of course,’ he said with that same sm
ile on his face.
‘Come on Garry stop fooling around.’
‘I’ll tell him we’ll go over to Jersey as soon as we can arrange time off work. And that my wife will accompany me. That is if you’re up for it?’
‘I’m up for it Garry, definitely, but it won’t be easy to book more time off from work so soon after coming back from Montriga.’
‘No, I don’t suppose it will. Plus, the fact, I haven’t worked for the Post Office for long. Anyway if the worst comes to the worst I may have to take unpaid leave.’
‘Yes, I know, but it won’t be the end of the world. Thinking about it, I might have a spot of bother too. Being a legal secretary is a responsible job, and they always have to get cover when I’m off. I’ll need to tread carefully too.’
‘I understand that, Deel. I tell you what we’ll do. We’ll either take a couple of days at the beginning or the end of the week. That way we needn’t ask for the whole week. It’ll make a nice long weekend.’
‘Ok, I think that’s our only option. Even if we’re better off now than we’ve ever been, I’d still be lost without my job.’
‘I hear what you’re saying Deel, and I agree. I’m sure they’ll be understanding if we explain the situation and then the rest is easy. Book the flight and away we go. With luck, we might make it within the next couple of weeks. I doubt it will matter to the guy when we go – I mean he won’t be going anywhere.
‘Let’s do the email now, shall we?’
‘Yes watch me write it, and tell me if you think it’s all right.’
He typed slowly, and after a few deliberations it read –