Chapter 23: Roots

Things quieted down around them over the next weeks, and they settled into their new rhythm. They usually spent the weekends in Trudy’s house, wedging themselves into Helen’s small bed there at night, but also trying to give Trudy some companionship. The older woman accepted this gracefully, but also let them know that she had friends enough to tide her over if she ever felt lonely.

This uneventful period ended after three weeks when a report from DiRosa Investigative Services arrived at the apartment. It was hand delivered by Tess DiRosa who got a dinner invitation out of it and only left after 10 p.m. after promising a counter invitation soon. With her gone, Helen looked at the envelope with a leery expression on her face. She looked around.

“Guys, I’m a bit scared to open it.”

“Hey, whatever’s in there doesn’t change who you are and what we think of you,” Ashley said to the nods of the others.

With a deep sigh, Helen opened the envelope and pulled out a neatly bound report. She began to read what had to be about five pages and the others engaged in a light conversation while she did. In the end, Helen exhaled and shook her head.

“Okay, guys. Here’s the scoop: Jerry Walker was born in Allentown of all places, to Dr. Harold Walker and Melissa Walker, née Williamson. They divorced after about seven years, and Jerry, my dad I mean, and his mother moved to Lancaster where Melissa Walker married a Dr. Scott Levine, a prominent surgeon. They raised Jerry until he went to college in Baltimore. Then things went to shit. Dr. Levine became embroiled in a malpractice suit. Apparently he performed surgery while drunk, and the law suit would have left him penniless. He took the coward’s way out, poisoning my grandmother and shooting himself. The estate was sued and there was no money left for Jerry’s education. He became a musician to earn his living.”

“Wow,” Danny remarked. “That’s really sad. What about this Dr. Walker?”

“Harold Walker and Jonathan White married three years ago. They live in Allentown. Guess I know why my grandmother divorced him.”

“Well, he’s your grandfather. Should we, you know, make another trip to Allentown?”

Helen shrugged. “I guess I should. Why didn’t he contact Trudy after Jerry ... I mean my father’s death?”

“Maybe he didn’t know?” Ashley hazarded. “Maybe your grandmother cut the ties with him, and since she was dead too, nobody made the connection. This was before you could Google anybody.”

“Yeah, possible,” Helen conceded. “You’re right. I should at least try, shouldn’t I?”

“Perhaps you could call first? Maybe his partner, well, husband, doesn’t know about him being a father?” Danny suggested, and Helen nodded.

“You’re right. This isn’t something I should announce at the reception desk in his office. Let’s see if he’s got an office.”

She pulled out her smartphone and sicked Google on her supposed grandfather.

“Here we go. He’s an ophthalmologist with an office on West Linden Street.”

“Sounds posh,” Ashley remarked.

“Oh, it’s definitely in the better part of Allentown. Tomorrow’s Friday. I’ll call and try to talk to him on the phone. I have a break between 10 and 10:30 on Fridays.”

“You want me with you when you’ll call?” Danny asked and was rewarded with a look full of love.

“I’d love some moral support.”

“No sweat. I’ll sweet talk to Highgrove. I haven’t missed a minute of her classes yet, and she’s a nice woman. Let’s meet in front of the cafeteria.”

Helen nodded and stowed away her phone after saving Dr. Walker’s office number to her contact list. “It’s going to be an interesting talk.”

Danny could indeed skip his class citing an important personal matter and met Helen by the cafeteria. She had already got them two coffees and was sitting out in front, her cellphone ready. They kissed and Danny settled next to her on a bench putting his arm around her shoulder.

“Okay, here goes!” Helen said a little grimly, pulling up her contacts and selecting Dr. Walker’s office number. She had to wait for a few seconds, but then somebody must have picked up. “Hi. My name is Helen Melville, and if possible I’d like to talk to Dr. Walker for a minute. It is a private matter. – As I said, a private matter. It is related to his ex-wife if you must know. – Yes, I’ll wait.”

“Nosy bitch!” she mouthed, switching her phone to speaker. After perhaps two minutes, they heard a male voice.

“Walker. What can I do for you Mrs. Melville?”

“Hi, Dr. Walker. It’s Miss Melville. I am calling because you are listed as the father of Jerry Walker. Is that correct?”

“Yes. He’s been dead for over twenty years though, or so I heard.”

“Well, I’m his daughter as I recently learned. I found out that your ex-wife also died a long time ago, and that would make you my only paternal relative.”

“Oh. So what do you need?” came the brusque question.

Helen inhaled sharply. “I don’t need anything. I only want to learn a bit about my family background and I thought you might be able to help.”

“Listen, Miss Melville. Yes, I am listed as Jerry’s father, but so was Joseph as father of Jesus. Melissa needed a husband and a father for her child, and at that time I needed a wife. You see, I’m gay, but 45 years ago that was not something I wanted to be known. Things were different back then.”

“I see. She was your beard?”

“Precisely. Melissa was sort of upwards-mobile, if you catch my drift. She was a junior nurse, just recently registered, from a rather poor, rural background. She wanted a doctor for a husband to move up in the world. She wasn’t a bad person, just desperate to move up. After seven years, she found an even better candidate, a senior surgeon, and hit me with the papers. By that time, I didn’t care, and she packed little Jerry and moved to Baltimore. Never asked for alimony or anything, and I was fine with it. So yes, I am the father of record, but I am not your grandfather.”

“Doctor, would you happen to know Jerry Walker’s real father, I mean his biological father?” Helen asked.

“Yeah, let me think. He had a weird name. Now I remember: Erasmus Lloyd. A med student at the teaching hospital where Melissa was trained. She told me once. He was still a few years away from respectability, and she got the job here in Allentown anyway. I doubt that he ever learned of Jerry.”

“Do you know if he’s still around, Doctor?”

“Not a clue. She was trained in Morgantown, West Virginia. It must have been at WVU. Maybe the alumni association there can help you contact him. Will that be all?”

“Yes, thank you, Doctor. Have a good day,” Helen answered and closed the call.

“Jeez, what is it with that guy?” she asked with a wry smile. “What?”

Danny had been typing into his tablet and now showed her the results. The Google search showed a Dr. Erasmus Lloyd, M.D., of Clarksburg, WV. Dr. Lloyd was a family practitioner with an office on Main Street. A picture search showed a trim looking, grandfatherly man sporting a grey goatee.

“Think that’s gramps?” Danny asked.

“Could be,” Helen shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

She typed in the office phone number and switched the phone to speaker. They both heard the calling sound, and then the phone was picked up.

“Doctor’s office!” a cheerful female voice sounded.

“Is this Dr. Lloyd’s office?” Helen asked cautiously.

“Why, yes. Who am I speaking to,” the friendly voice queried.

“Hi, my name is Helen Melville. I am not a patient of Dr. Lloyd, but if possible, I need to speak to him for one or two minutes. It’s a private matter.”

“Sure thing, Miss Melville. I’ll see if he’s available.” Some waiting line music sounded, but only for about thirty seconds before a male voice could be heard. “Lloyd here.”

“Hi, Dr. Lloyd. My name is Helen Melville. I am the daughter of one Jerry Walker. My father died before my birth, and I am looking for relatives from his side. He was the son of Mrs. Melissa Walker, née Williamson, who went to nursing school at WVU. According to her ex-husband, the young Miss Williamson dated a medical student named Erasmus Lloyd before moving to Allentown, PA, where she met her first husband, Dr. Walker. According to Dr. Walker, she was pregnant when she arrived in Allentown.”

“Oh, my God!” they heard. “Missy? Carly, come over! Quick! Listen. Yes, I dated Missy, but I was only a second-year student at WVU. She moved to Allentown for her first job, and I never heard of her again. She was pregnant?”

There was a slight echo in the line now, and Danny surmised that Dr. Lloyd had put Helen on speaker.

“Yes, sir, she was. At least according to her ex-husband. Given that he is now married to a man, I tend to believe him,” Helen added drily, causing a snort on the other side.

“Oh, dear,” a female voice could be heard. “Miss, where are you now?”

“I live in Philadelphia. I am a junior at Penn. I live with my grandmother on my mother’s side. I was orphaned basically at birth. I only recently learned about my parents after being raised by my aunt and her husband. Now I’m trying to find out more about my father’s side of the family.”

“What ... whatever happened to Missy?” the woman asked. “We attended nursing school together, you know.”

“According to my information, she was killed in a murder-suicide by her second husband, even before my birth.”

“Oh, damn! She was a good girl, very pretty, very ambitious. She moved away for her first job, and I got a job here in Clarksburg; plus I got my husband.”

Dr. Lloyd’s voice came through again. “Listen, Miss. Is there a chance for you to come and visit? I am sure there is a lot to talk about and you will understand that we will like to see some documentation.”

Helen looked at Danny who nodded. “We could visit tomorrow? Only, I’d like to bring along my fiancé and my daughter, if that is all right. Is there a hotel where we may find a room?”

“I’ll reserve a room at the Hilton. It’s three miles to the East at the I-79 exit. How old is your daughter?”

“Two and a half. Her name is Larissa, and my fiancé is Daniel Westbrook. He’s a fellow junior at Penn. We can leave early, but it’s a long drive I guess.”

“Five hours, give or take,” Dr. Lloyd said. “Best go via Hagerstown. Go to my private address, 0125 Pelham Drive. We’ll be waiting. Okay if we invite my daughter and her family?”

“The more, the merrier I suppose,” Helen quipped, at ease now and obviously warming to the friendly couple at the other end. “We’ll try to leave at seven, so we should arrive around noon.”

“Well, my wife and I are looking forward to meeting you, Helen,” Dr. Lloyd said.

“I ... I’m also looking forward to meeting you. Thank you for being so positive.”

“Well, it’s not every day I become a grandfather,” the man chuckled. “Take care and drive safely!”

“Thank you, we will. Have a good day and until tomorrow!” Helen almost gushed before ending the call. Then she pulled a surprised Danny close for a fiery kiss. “Thanks for prodding me along!”

They were in for a surprise when they announced their plans to Ashley and Lynn at dinner. At first, Lynn just sat there with a face that they had learned meant that she was thinking furiously. Then she looked at them.

“Guys, would you mind if I came along? Scotstown is almost on the way and I ... damn, I want to see the place. Maybe see my sister. Just briefly, you know, make sure she’s okay.”

“We will need a bigger car then, ‘cause I’m coming along too,” Ashley stated. “All right with you guys?”

Helen shrugged. “Sure. I’ll call and warn the Lloyds.”

“We may need two cars, unless you want to take one of Dad’s limos,” Danny suggested. “With Larissa’s seat, the backseat will be a bit cramped.”

“Let me ask Dad,” Ashley said. She left the room briefly, but returned after just a few minutes. “We can have Dad’s Jaguar. It’ll seat all five of us and it’ll convey the right message to Clarkstown and more so to Scotstown.”

“What message, sister of mine?” Danny asked dutifully.

“That Helen and Lynn are not looking for handouts.”

While Ashley was driving over to Rittenhouse Square to collect the Jaguar, the rest of them packed for a weekend away. Danny unhitched Larissa’s car seat from the Volkswagen, and when Ashley returned with the Jaguar, he mounted it in the center of the rear seat. That done, the sedan was parked in the private lot of their apartment building and away from the street.

They set the alarm for 6 o’clock and were indeed ready to roll by seven. Ashley was driving, Lynn claimed shotgun, leaving Danny and Helen sitting with the still sleepy Larissa between them. Once en route, Danny confirmed the booking of a second room at the hotel and then concentrated on his family. After about an hour, Larissa decided to entertain them all by singing songs she’d learned at the daycare, and that lasted until they made a stop near Cumberland.

Beyond, driving was a bit slower, but it was only shortly after 12 o’clock when they entered the Clarksburg city limits. Clarksburg is not a big city, and they arrived at the Lloyds’ house at twenty past twelve. Of course, Helen had called again on the evening before, advising her newly found grandfather of two additional guests, and they were received on the front lawn with big smiles. Erasmus Lloyd looked even more distinguished than on the photo Google had found, and his wife, Carly, looked much younger than early sixties, wearing her grayish hair in a long braid. Their daughter, Alison, her husband Oliver Bryce, and their daughters Olivia and Maddie were also welcoming them with smiling faces and heartfelt hugs. The latter two were still in high school, with Olivia being a senior.

Neither Helen nor Ashley and Lynn had dressed up for the visit, but the Bryce girls looked at them with a bit of awe which turned into excited babble once Danny unstrapped Larissa and introduced Dr. Lloyd to his great-granddaughter.

“Oh, my, she is such a cutie!” Carly Lloyd cooed before she scooped her up into her arms. “Such a pretty girl!”

Meanwhile, her husband looked over the two year-old Jaguar and grinned. “You must be doing all right, Daniel?”

Danny grinned. “It’s my father’s, and my sister wheedled it out from him. But yes, we’re doing all right, sir.”

“Don’t sir me. My name’s Erasmus. You and Helen are engaged? How does Larissa fit in there?”

“She’s our daughter. Helen and I had a one-nighter on prom night, and we weren’t as careful as we should have been. We had some issues that kept us apart after that, but we got over them in the last months.”

“I found the picture from the Enquirer on Google. You and your sister are Tyler Westbrook’s kids, right?”

“Yes, we are, although Ashley and I are half siblings. I was an accident too. My mom is pretty much a part of the extended family now. She and Ashley’s mother are good friends.”

“Well, let’s go inside. You need anything for the tyke?”

“Let me get the bag, and then we should be set.”

The inside of the house looked as if they had been transported back to the 1980s, with massive, waxed pinewood furniture everywhere and wooden ceilings. A round table, four feet across, had been lengthened to over thirteen feet with insert leafs, easily seating ten. A high chair was ready for Larissa as was a table setting for small children, with farm animal images on the plate. Danny caught a happy smile from Helen.

They stood together for a few minutes, trying to get to know each other, before Carly Lloyd asked them to pick seats at the table. Larissa did not want to sit in the highchair yet, but Danny was able to persuade (speak: bribe) her into trying. She liked the plate though and began to point out the animals and impress the table with her knowledge of animal names.

Alison Bryce then struck up a conversation with Helen about how Larissa was being raised, conveying her own experience and principles in the time-honored tradition of aunts around the world. Helen smiled nicely and countered this by passing on Irina’s wisdom on child rearing, causing the three men at the table to collectively roll their eyes.

With Olivia’s help, Carly then produced the first course, a delicious Thai lemon grass soup, which drew universal praise. Meanwhile Maddie, the younger Bryce daughter, was needling Ashley and Lynn about their experiences as a lesbian couple. The way the younger girl shot him a few glances, her interest appeared to be entirely academic to Danny, but it was also clear that nobody at the table took issue with them. Ashley told the girl a bit about the mental struggle she’d experienced during and after puberty until she acknowledged her orientation, and then Lynn, in a shameless exaggeration of the events, told her how Danny had rescued her and brought her home to the bosom of the Westbrook family. Maddie’s looks in Danny’s direction became blatantly adoring until her sister must have kicked her under the table. She blushed then and concentrated on her soup.

Over the main course, fried pork strips from the Wok with chopped veggies and jasmine rice, Oliver Bryce told a bit of himself. He was a supervisory data analyst at the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Division in Clarksburg, a tech geek in other words, and quite happy with his job. He had joined the place right after getting his Master’s degree in informatics and had worked himself up to his current position. The Bryces lived in a newer housing development three miles to the East and enjoyed their middle class comfort. Once a year, they packed up and rented a mobile home to tour the country, and after 14 years of that, Hawaii and Alaska were the only white spots left on the map, soon to be filled.