by Stan Schatt
I ran my fingers over the books on the upper shelves. Some books brought back memories as I remembered my father reading passages to me. I saw a beginner’s book on hieroglyphics that Dad had purchased for me when I was much younger. He had also given me crayons and large sheets of paper to copy the hieroglyphs. One of my proudest achievements was when I surprised him by giving him a page with his name in hieroglyphics that I had drawn carefully with my crayons. He framed the picture. It was now on his desk, but I noticed a crack in the glass. It must have come when the intruders knocked everything to the floor.
I was discouraged after looking for several minutes and not finding the book. I ran my fingers over the top shelf and then realized Mister Fawny had put some small books behind the larger ones, creating a row behind a row. I pulled hard on a thick book on the tenth dynasty and it fell heavily to the floor. Behind it, I saw the book Dad needed. I placed the slim volume in my hand and climbed down from the chair. The history book that fell now lay open on the study’s floor.
I knew how much Dad loved his books. He hated when pages were torn or bent. I tried to pick the book up carefully, but a piece of paper fell out and floated to the floor.
I picked up the piece of paper and started to place it back in the book when I noticed it was on stationary from the University hospital. The date jarred me. It was fifteen years ago, just a few days after my birth. I remembered my birth certificate showed that I was born at that hospital.
Curious now, I studied the page that was brittle from age. The form listed Dad as the patient. I read the words over because at first they didn’t make sense. Lab tests confirmed that Matthew Hunter had Klinefelter’s Syndrome. Because of this genetic abnormality, the patent’s sperm were infertile and incapable of fertilizing an ovum. I noticed Dad’s unabridged dictionary was on his desk. I looked up some of the medical terms and then shook my head.
It was impossible. How could he be my father when the hospital says his sperm can’t fertilize an egg? It didn’t make any sense. True, he was blond with blue eyes and I was dark with brown eyes, but I knew enough about biology to know that blond hair and blue eyes were both recessive genes. My mother’s picture showed a woman with dark hair and even darker eyes, so it would make sense for me to be dark. Still, why did Dad keep this report all these years? Was it possible that he wasn’t really my father?
I sat down, stunned. He was the only father I had ever known, the only parent I had ever had. I knew he loved me very deeply. How could he not be my father? I folded the paper carefully and put it in my purse. I placed the Egyptian history book back on the shelf, gathered the small hieroglyphics text in one hand, my suitcase in the other and headed towards the door.
I was lost in thought as I went down the stairs. Part of me wanted to see Mister Fawny again, but another part told me that I had to get back to my father as soon as possible. We would have to talk, even though I sensed that Dad never wanted to have that conversation.
The cab driver drove the car as fast as possible, given the unforgiving Cairo traffic. What should take only a half hour took an hour. Cairo drivers were famous for driving without bothering to stay within marked lanes and using their horns to warn fellow drivers that they were about to do something that was dangerous.
Surprisingly, there are fewer accidents than you might think. Experienced drivers knew just when to back off when someone cut them off. I stopped watching the traffic because my mind kept coming back to the lab report. Who was my biological father? Was there anyone in the world who cared about me? Why hadn’t Dad told me that my mother must have gotten pregnant with another man?
My large fare thrilled the cab driver. He tried to make conversation with me, but I mumbled monosyllabic replies. My mind kept trying to process the information I had just discovered. Who was I? Who was my real father? I was jolted out of my thoughts when the cab pulled up before a house that by Egyptian standards was a true mansion.
I paid the driver and added a tip. I stared at the place that Taylor called home and thought that it was no wonder she was so snooty. The two-story home was set back from the road. I noticed the huge, well-kept lawn as I trudged up the long, winding driveway, holding her suitcase tightly in my right hand.
Given the heat of Cairo summers, I marveled at the amount of water required to keep such a lawn green. Flowers bloomed everywhere. I walked up to the front door. It was made of dark wood and looked very expensive. I picked up the metal knocker and rapped three times.
The door opened and Taylor stared at me.
“Oh, it’s you.”
She said it as if I were just the maid.
I ignored her and walked past her. So much for reading the riot act to her, I thought. Mister Thornton appeared from another wing of the house. He greeted me and pointed down still another corridor.
“It’s the last door on the right. He was asking about you.”
I hurried down the long hall to a room that held a hospital bed and a table filled with prescriptions. Dad was unshaven, but his eyes were clear. He smiled when he saw me.
“Do you have the book?”
I handed it to him. His hand ran over the book in a very loving way, and then he placed it on the table beside him without a word. I just stared at him.
“Doctor Gomar says it probably will be a couple more days. He wants to run some more tests, but he says I’m doing fine.”
Dad finally noticed my face. My jaw was set rigid and my eyes glared at him.
“What’s wrong? Did anyone give you a hard time?”
“No. It’s not that. My whole life is a lie!”
My voice rose. I was sure everyone in the house heard me, but I didn’t care.
“What are you talking about? Keep your voice down!”
“You’re not my father!”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Make sense.”
I took out the lab report and handed it to Dad without speaking. He picked it up and glanced at it. His face tightened. I waited for an explosion, but none came. He began taking rapid, short breaths. I worried he might have a heart attack. I noticed a couple of tears running down the corners of his eyes.
“You never were supposed to see that. How did you find it?”
“That’s not the point! It says here that you couldn’t be my father. Who is my father? I have a right to know!” I shouted now.
I heard footsteps down the hall coming in our direction but I didn’t care.
“Does it matter? I’ve been your father since you’ve been born. I’ve taken care of you, diapered you, cared for you, and loved you. By any measure I am your father!”
“I have a right to know. Tell me!”
Dad was staring past me at the door. I turned and saw Mister Thornton and Taylor were both in the doorway. I turned towards them.
“This is private. It’s between us.”
Mister Thornton and Taylor stood there, frozen in place. I looked back at Dad and noticed he had a very strange look on his face. It was now cherry red. I couldn’t tell if he was furious or embarrassed.
“Tom, why don’t you tell her?”
That was the last thing in the world that I expected. I stared at Mister Thornton and saw Taylor was also staring at him.
Tom looked at Dad.
“I never wanted it to destroy our friendship. I always wanted to tell Olivia, but I kept quiet because I promised you I would.”
He shook his head sadly and then looked at me. He had a sad looking smile on his face.
“Matt is your real father. He was your father since you were born. He loves you with all his heart. I’m just…”
Mister Thornton hunted for the right words.
“Tell her about your one night stand.”
Dad’s words cut through the silence. They were more of a command than a request.
Mister Thornton sighed. He stepped into the room and pulled up a chair across from where I was sitting on the bed.
“Your mother was one of the finest women who
ever lived. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. She was a very moral person. It’s not the way Matt described it.”
“Tell me. I deserve to know!”
Taylor interrupted.
“Dad, this is not true. Tell him that he’s crazy.”
“Be quiet and let me talk. This isn’t easy!”
Mister Thornton shouted at his daughter. Then he began rubbing the sides of his head as if he had a terrible headache. He looked at me and spoke again, this time in a much softer voice.
“I know you must hate us both for keeping this from you. Matt is your real father, and he loves you with all his heart. Your father and I have kept this terrible secret since you were born.”
Dad nodded. “Elizabeth told me the day she went into labor. She said she didn’t want to have any secrets between us. I forgave her and told her I’d always love the baby, and I have.”
“Then I don’t have to go into the details.”
“Yes you do. That’s the least you can do for Olivia after all these years. She deserves to know.”
Mister Thornton took a deep breath. He let it out slowly before beginning.
“You have to understand. Matt, Elizabeth and I were closer than you can imagine. We went everywhere together. We did everything together. We were inseparable. I would have given my life gladly to save Elizabeth or your father.”
“That doesn’t explain how you became my father.”
“I’m getting to that. Your father and your mother were the happiest couple I ever met. It really was a match made in heaven. Then one night your father and mother argued over how you would be raised. Matt is a scientist and an agnostic. Your mother wanted to raise you Jewish like her. It turned into a shouting match. Your father began drinking heavily. Finally, he threw his empty bottle at her before passing out. It hit her and scratched her face. She became hysterical and ran over to my place. I lived in the same apartment building.”
“And then you just ‘comforted her,’ didn’t you?”
Dad’s voice was tinged with sarcasm, but Mister Thornton continued to look only at me.
“I made her some tea. I bandaged her face. I held her in my arms while she cried. I never wanted it to get to that. You have to believe me!”
I could tell that Mister Thornton was telling the truth. I never heard anyone sound so sad. I saw he was crying. He pulled out his handkerchief and tried to wipe up the tears, but they kept falling. Finally, he blew his nose and tried to regain control.
“You mean we’re sisters!”
Taylor’s voice rose. She was clearly furious.
“How could you do that?”
“I’ve never hit you, although you’ve deserved it a number of times. If you open your mouth again before I tell you, you’ll regret it!”
Mister Thornton spoke in the authoritative voice he probably used at work. Taylor was stunned by the tone and pressed her lips together. She looked like she wanted to speak but was afraid of her father.
I turned to Dad. “That’s why you did the test, right? You wanted to find out if you were my father?”
“Yes. I just had to know if Tom was your biological father. Until the doctor handed me that report, I never knew I couldn’t be a father. Tom and I only talked about this once. Believe me, it was not a pleasant conversation. He wanted to be a part of your life, and I forced him to agree to stay out of the picture. I wanted you to grow up without being mixed up or thinking badly of your mother. That’s one thing Tom is right about. She was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“I can’t believe this. You both decided that I didn’t have the right to know.”
“Olivia, you have to listen to me. You have to understand what Cairo is like. If you were listed as illegitimate on your birth certificate, a lot of doors would have been closed to you. We did it to protect you.”
Dad’s voice was steady now.
“I’m glad it’s finally out. Part of me wanted to tell you, but I always put it off.”
Mister Thornton looked at me. His eyes were kind and gentle, just like the gentle way he had held and comforted me when I had visited his office.
“I love you, Olivia. You’re a part of Elizabeth, and I always loved her. I never could compete with Matt. He was the handsome one, the famous one, the one all the women loved. I could only love her from afar, but that was enough. I also loved your father. He was the best friend I ever had.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
I had never been so confused. I always loved Dad. Mister Thornton was never a real part of my life. I remembered all the happy times with Dad. He was always there for me. I looked at Dad.
“You’ll always be my father. I love you.”
Dad began to sob. He put his arms around me and held me tight. His whole body shook. After several minutes, he managed to gain control. He continued to hold me. I began crying as well.
Mister Thornton turned to Taylor with a stern look on his face.
“You always complained that I was nicer to Olivia than I was to you. That certainly was not true. I do love you. Now, you need to change the way you treat your sister. Someday both of you will inherit all that I have. Now that everything is out on the table, I’m giving you fair warning. I expect you to treat Olivia as you would treat a sister. That means you don’t make her life difficult at school. You don’t talk badly about her to your friends or let them mistreat her.”
“That’s not fair. You can’t just expect me to …”
“I can expect you to treat Olivia with respect. You expect people to respect you simply because you have a nice home and nice clothes. If I hear you aren’t respectful of Olivia, then I will make sure you learn what it’s like not to have any money. I mean it. Remember, I always can send you back to your mother. Now, I want you and Olivia to shake hands.”
Taylor started to object, but she saw a look in her father’s eyes that must have changed her mind. Slowly she approached me and stuck her hand out. I reluctantly took her hand and shook it. Taylor then dropped my hand and turned her attention back to her father.
“Now may I go?”
“Yes, but you might as well get used to having Olivia around. She is going to stay over until her father is well. That means you two will see a lot of each other the next few days.”
When Taylor had left, Mister Thornton turned again to me.
“I don’t really expect you to understand. I just hope someday you will want to get to know me better. I’m also hoping your father and I can try to close the gap that has separated us all these years. Neither of us is getting any younger. There is one other thing. I haven’t talked with your father about it, but I would like to take care of your college expenses. It’s nothing that a court wouldn’t require me to do anyway, and I really do want to do it. Neither of you have to decide now.”
I started to say ‘no’, but then I thought about it. He was right. Maybe I would be able to afford college now. Maybe I could even become an Egyptologist. I thought about Taylor and suppressed a groan. How could we possibly live in the same house, even for a few days? How could we act like sisters?
Mister Thornton finally excused himself. I spent another half hour with Dad. He seemed calm now, as if an enormous weight was removed from his shoulders. It must have been a terrible secret to keep all these years. We talked quietly, mostly about school things. It was as if we both agreed not to talk about anything important.
Finally, I saw he was tired, so I hugged him and left the room.
When I returned to the living room, I saw Mister Thornton sitting across a table talking with a man I recognized as Paul’s father. No wonder Paul and Taylor were such good friends. The two men looked deep in conversation. When Mister Thornton saw me, he broke off the conversation and looked up at me.
“Your room is the third door on the left. I know you brought a few things from your apartment. I took the liberty to put some pajamas in the room, as well as, an extra toothbrush and some other items you might need. Make yourself a
t home. We’ll call you over the intercom when dinner is served.”
I found the room to be much larger than my own with a window that offered a nice view of the front of the house. I saw a picture on the wall that showed Mister Thornton, Taylor, and a woman I’d never seen, but I guessed it must be his former wife and Taylor’s mother. I studied the woman’s face and saw it looked an older version of Taylor with the same haughty look. How could someone in a photo look so snooty that you just knew she would look down at you and think you were white trash? I knew this woman definitely thought she was superior to everyone around her.
I wondered what it was like to have a mother like that. I was so worn out emotionally that I quickly fell asleep. I slept an hour before the crackling voice of Mister Thornton over the speaker system announced that it was time for dinner.
The Thorntons were used to having guests and entertaining in a grand way. I wasn’t surprised to see Paul and his family there. Paul was very surprised to see me but covered it pretty well. He looked from me to Taylor as if he expected us to start fighting. It was funny, but I couldn’t explain the joke to him. His mother was polite, but wasn’t interested in carrying on a conversation with me.
During the dinner, Taylor remained unusually subdued. She kept stealing looks at me, and I realized she was worried that Mister Thornton might reveal that we were sisters. With Paul at the table, word would quickly spread through the school. I know I didn’t want that, and, I’d bet my allowance for the rest of my life that Taylor didn’t want it either.
The Thorntons served a fancy dinner with several courses. I felt starved, but tried to take small portions. I didn’t want Paul and Taylor to spread stories that I ate like a pig. The two of them had so much to say that they talked all the way through dinner. Most of their conversation centered on parties they attended and people they knew. I didn’t recognize any names and felt terribly left out. No one talked to me.
The adults discussed the growing size of the demonstrations. Mister Hargrove heard virtually every group opposed to President Mubarak agreed to join forces the next day. The outlawed Muslim Brotherhood was taking an active part and was far more organized than other groups. Some Resistance leaders already called the next planned demonstration the Revolution of January 25th, even though the Government still seemed to be firmly in power.