Samuel chewed on his tongue for a long moment, pondering this most seriously.  He had not given his father a second’s thought in years.  Now the memories flooded his mind like a storm.  He had loved the man at one time, but that was long ago.  Love turned to disbelief, disbelief to depression, and depression to hatred.  In Samuel’s eyes his father deserved no love.  Joshua Gibbon could burn in Hell as far as he was concerned.  But after all these years, Samuel thought, surely the old man would be dead by now.  And if he was still alive, he would most likely not be in any shape to make a trip out to the Nevada desert.  Samuel realized there was little chance of having to see the man whom he despised, even if they did find him to be alive.  He placed another hand upon his mother’s and decided to do whatever it took to please her.  “We will do anything you ask, Mother,” he said with a smile.

     Deborah’s eyes lit up as they had throughout her still-young lifetime.  “Wow!  What if he’s still alive?  That would be so great if the two of you could see each other again.”

     “It surely would, wouldn’t it, love?” Julianna said.

     “I have a friend, a neighbor of mine, who is a detective,” Deborah said, “and I’ll bet she could do this for us.  She’s tracked down missing persons and long lost relatives many times.  I’ll give her a call later today and see if she’s available.  I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to lend a hand.”

     Julianna nodded her head and coughed.  “Thank you, my dear.  That would be darling of you.”

     Samuel looked at his ailing mother and then at his family.  “Okay, I think Grandmother needs her rest.  Let us all leave her be.”

     She smiled as they all gathered around to kiss her cheek and wish her a good rest.  As they left, Julianna whispered to Samuel, “your children are lovely.  You’ve done a wonderful job of raising them.”

     “I wasn’t alone, Mother.  I believe there was a certain ex-mob connected woman right behind me teaching me everything I know today.”

     The flattery made Julianna blush and crack a tiny smile.  “You’re such a flirt.”

     “I only flirt with the pretty ones.”  They smiled at each other for a moment before Samuel asked her if she was ready to rest.

     “Yes, dear…only…?”

     “Yes?”

     She breathed in and slowly released it.  This was hard for her to say.  “I know how you feel about your father…”

     “Mother, it makes no difference how I feel.  This is for you.  We’ll track him down and if he’s alive we’ll have him here in a matter of days.  If it will help ease your suffering then nothing will stand in my way.  I promise.”

     She was pleased and it showed in her face even as a tear rolled down her cheek.  “I love you, son.”

     “And I love you, Mother.”

     Samuel did not have clear memories of his father and could not easily conjure a face to match the name in his head, nor did he want to.  He cared nothing for the man who had abandoned his family so many years ago.  He made a promise to his mother, however, and would help solve this mystery of Joshua’s disappearance.  He doubted, however, that his father was still alive and doubted further still that his mother would ever see him on the other side.  He would be nowhere near where Julianna was going.

Robert Ford is the author of Christlike and The World of Hek, Book One: Forever.  Both are available wherever books are sold.  Also available on Nook and Kindle.