Chapter 46

She was still laughing as we got in the house. I went to the kitchen and got a pot of coffee brewing and she grabbed a glass of orange juice. We sat down at the table and sipped our drinks.

"I think I am going to fly to Columbus on Monday. I want to get those papers from that box. It's time for me to get some things done that need to be done. Those papers had to be checked by an attorney and certified as your mother's handwriting."

"If you think I am going to stay behind then we need to talk, Grandpa. I am not leaving your side. I have a lot riding on those papers too. Besides you can't do it without me. It's my retina scan that will get us the box."

"Your retina scan? What kind of setup does this bank have? I never heard of using a retina scan to get a safe deposit box. I was going to get a court order and just open it."

"I was with Mom when she set it up and it took her two days to find the new type of scanning the banks overseas were using. She made sure my eyes were recorded. I think she knew she was sick even then. Grandpa, can we have a stone carved for her later? There's a man in the village that does them, and he and Mom had it all worked out between them. He knows what she wanted on it but, she got sick too quick and I didn't have any money to pay him. We could go together and you can meet some of our friends. They helped me when that man came to buy us from the orphanage. If it wasn't for the villagers, I would have never found you. No, Grandpa, I am going with you because I promised Mom I would be there when the box was opened. It seemed to be very important to her."

"I won't make you break your promise then. Besides I don't think they would let me on the plane, carrying an eyeball in a box."

She totally lost it, and her laughter made me feel like I was getting younger with each laugh. She finished her orange juice and went to get her shower. I went into the front room and sat in the chair, looking out the window. I don't know how long I had been sitting there when she crawled up in my lap and snuggled up next to me. She smelled like soap and shampoo like her mother used to after her shower.We sat and she dozed off holding me around my neck. I must have dozed off too because the next thing I knew the girls were in the house and Mark was trying to get them to be quiet and not wake us. I saw the camera flash go off and it startled me fully awake.

"Sorry, Harry, but you two looked so peaceful I couldn't help myself. The girls brought sandwiches home for supper. We stopped on the way and they decided what to get everyone. We will be moving out next week as I just found out our cabin is done and ready for us to move into. Tran has some papers you have to sign. She said it was for the land boundary release, whatever that is. We are going up tomorrow to look at it and wondered if you wanted to go with us. She said it's right around the hill so we can drive there from here."

"I have a general idea where it's at. Yes, we will go because I haven't seen it yet either. Tran took over while I was in the hospital and took the project out of my hands. She did it without consulting me, and I didn't find out until the day I got out of the hospital. That's another thing I am pissed about. I was going to give it to you and the girls as a gift from me but she decided to take the whole project over, pushing me completely out of the picture. Don't get me wrong, Mark, I am glad you have your place, but there were some things that I wanted, and I was supposed to have it built. I had some special plans for the girls, and some surprises I wanted for them. I know I'm sounding petty, but I wanted to have it as a surprise for your move. That's one of the reasons I don't want anything more to do with her and the other reason is personal."

"I didn't know, Harry, and she told the girls it was from both of you. I figured by now you would be getting tired of us living here. I know the girls love being here with you and I know they are going to miss your cooking. I already have been told I need to take some lessons because they are tired of my glue sandwiches. Harry, if it bothers you that much we can stay here for now until we can build another place."

"You most certainly will not. That's your place and I think you and the girls will love it when you see it. If I had my way you all would stay here with me and Sandra, but you need to have a life for yourself and the girls. Mark, you need to find someone and get married again. You're not the type to stay a bachelor the rest of your life. Me now, I was never cut out for marriage because I am too damned independent, and no woman likes that in a man. I do reserve the right to buy the girls a few things for their enjoyment since they are going to be mountain girls now."

"You may be right about the marriage thing, Harry. It has been on my mind of late. I haven't met anyone I would consider a mom for the girls yet. They need someone besides a crusty old bachelor and a single father that can't cook. They are going to be really unhappy at first I think, because they will miss you and Sandra. Will you help me pick out the furniture and stuff? I have no idea what I will need or how to pick something out that fits with the cabin. I do know I want heavy well padded stuff though. I will make sure I get good quality so it lasts for many years. The girls and their friends will give it a workout over the years you can bet on that. I have a feeling they will be having a lot of sleepovers as they get older and make friends in school. That's another thing we have to think about, shots and all that stuff. Neither one of us has a doctor for them, and unless Sandra knows what shots she has had, she will have to be inoculated all over again."

"Damn, that's right, Mark, I never thought about all of that stuff. I hope her records are in the box. By the way we are flying to Columbus Monday to get her records. I will check with the health department where her mother lived, and get her records from there. I have a copy of her mom's birth certificate, I will take with me to prove I am her dad so there won't be any privacy issues. I also am going to have to go to Mexico and get a copy of her death certificate. Sandra also wants to get a stone for her grave. I will be very busy in the next few weeks getting this stuff all straightened out."

"If you both go to Mexico make sure her papers are in order or they might try to keep her. Hadley called me this afternoon. He is flying back with a bunch of pictures for Sandra to look at. He says she won't have to appear in court because of the INS guy's confession and all the paperwork he turned over to make a deal. He said they have made more than forty arrests so far and they are still issuing warrants. They found ten graves they exhumed and none of the bodies were more than twelve years old. He says they are still looking into the Mexican connection to all of this, and the Federal Police there are cooperating all the way. The woman running the orphanage where Sandra was is in prison, and several of her connections have been arrested also. He said to tell you he had some personal things he wanted to talk to you and Sandra about when he got here."