Heyyy! Yells Trina, we’re on our way.
It’s been two weeks now since Trina and twin Sister Nina turned seventeen. And in seven more months, they would be going to their graduation. Life was on the right track for them. They’re seventeen-years-old seniors, who had just gotten their licenses and a new car.
It was no big deal to them that they were almost a year younger then most of their class-mates and that they were living almost a hour drive away from their mother, at least it was no big deal to their right now, today. Most other days this was the source of any unhappiness that they was dealing with, but with all the big things that was happening in their lives right now they was sad that they may not be able to share it with their mother the way that they both hoped to. Nina was losing her thrill just thinking about it. She couldn’t believe what had happened to her live. Every time she thought that things were going to come together, they just take another turn.
Trina high-fives her father as she was walking in the door and give a slight smile to Faye, Trina’s up beat spirit was rarely broken by anyone or anything. She could and would adept to any change so smoothly that other often wonder if anything ever bothered her. On the other hand, Nina faced showed every thought that ever crossed her mind. Nina walked pass her father with a quick quiet Hi, if this was meant for Faye no one was sure. Nina was always as polite as she could be to Faye but said little if anything to her. In the six years, that she had lived in the same house Nina had never addressed her directly. It was not just that Nina felt that her father had betrayed and mistreated her mother, but Faye who had been her father’s nurse-maid had moved in and taken over like it was her family all along. Nina had a true dislike for Faye and a sympathetic love for her mother. She also felt that they both help make and then took advantage of her mother’s problem. However Trina who was very much her father’s daughter as she had always heard her nana say had no opinion on the subject of Faye one way or the other or at least that is the attitude that she displayed. Mostly when things was going on around her that would either bring her down or make her sad she would just move on to a more happier scene even if she had to invent one for herself. She had learned this maybe as a way to protect herself as many of hard ,sad things had happened in the twins young lives already, so things that would cast a shadow of sadness over Nina was just a bump in the road for Trina.
Up in their adjoining rooms Nina had forgotten for the moment all that was getting her down, she was as ecstatic as Trina about the past two weeks, she could not wait until they graduated. She had plans that were going into action the very day of her graduation. The only thing that was not right was that Trina did not share her plans; however, she was not willing to change them for anyone. Nina was willing to lose her trust fund to follow though with her plans, she would not wait another year to give her father more time to try to persuade her differently. She had waited six years and saved every cent that she had gotten her hands on and she would not drop it now. Her mother’s happiness and well being all rested on it. But she had learned to keep her plans under wrap for the time being, she knew how upset it made her father and as much as she loved him, she also loved her mother.
At supper her father brought up her plans for after graduation, she knew he was trying to change her mind and she knew that he believed it was his last chance. At had been his choice of topics at supper for the last few months coming up more and more the closer it got to graduation. Nina had an idea that it may have been Faye who kept the topic fresh on her fathers mind. She had heard Faye one morning. But at the table Faye tried as hard as she could to stay out of it but she could see Nina glaring at her with every word Jay said. In Nina’s mind her mothers addiction was not only all Faye’s fault but also her plan from the first day she came to stay at the house. And Nina also thought the stories that Faye was telling about lost memories of her child hood and having no one in this world for her was just a scam. Nina felt it inside and out, she just couldn’t prove it. Not yet but she knew that she would one day. she was with out a doubt going to expose Faye or what ever she was hiding, but she had long since given up any hopes of her parents getting back together but she did want her mother back home and healthy, in fact she hated the thought of her mother ever forgiving her father. He couldn’t even stand by her the way that she had stood by him.
Eight years ago the parkers was on their way to their summer resort. Mrs. Parker who had stayed back for a day with plans to meet her family at the resort later the next day received a call from her brother-in-law that his mother was missing, Lynn had informed Jay and soon he was heading to his parents home. As they were traveling to their grandparents home Nina who Jay thought was asleep, yelled out surprising Jay so much that he almost ran off the road. There’s nana, there’s nana! She shouted. Where, where Jay asked. There in that van going that way. Go back daddy go back! Nina yelled nana is going to our house. Jay was not sure how much Nina had heard about her Nana but he was sure that both the girls understood his urgency and felt that this was making her a bit excited tried to comfort her, he told her that mother would still be at home so she would keep Nana company until we get back. And we can see them both soon. Jay learned when he arrived at his parents that his mother had been missing for two days. She had left for lunch and had not returned to her office for an appointment three thirty Thursday after-noon. But her car still sat in her office’s parking lot. After eight days of waiting and talking to policemen jay felt, it was time to get the girls back home to some normal surroundings. But before they could reach the state lines jay knew he needed to pull over and find a place to stop and rest if only for a few minutes. He needed to get back home fast. But he was already dozing off at the wheel. Within minutes, he had spotted a rest stop to pull over in and catch a few winks. They were already about three and a half hours from home and his wife was there awaiting them. Probably expecting they would be there in the next two hours. When the girls awoke, it was nice and sunny out. They were parked only two spaces from one end of the entrance of the rest stop and there were no other cars in the area. They could both see that their father was too tired to drive any father and knew that he needed to rest. The girls both got out of the car as quietly as they could and figured they would enjoy the nice day, giving their father a chance to rest without them both wiggling about. As Nina sat out on the back of the car facing the highway, Trina walked around investigating an old burned out trailer before heading off into the wooded area a little ways. When Jay awoke and called out for the girls Trina answer after just a few calls but Nina was nowhere to be found. He looked for Nina for a short time before calling the police and phoning home to inform Lynn whom he was unable to reach. He then set out with Trina in tow yelling deeper and deeper into the woods, Jay had a cold feeling that somehow this was not a coincidence.
For his mother and his daughter to both be missing with out a trace all within the past week. The police was hopeful even though they had gotten nothing from Trina; she had not seen anyone or heard anything. The police truly felt that Nina had just walked out maybe too far into the woods opposite Trina and got lost. She would e found in no time.
FOUND IN NO TIME!!! Yelled Jay years later after every nightmare that was that entire Jay could remember of that day. He couldn’t remember how he got home that night or even if it was that night. But he did recall the long hours of waiting for his wife. In fact the first thing he did remember was when his wife walked in, he remember every word said slowly and punctuated by her screams. He remember calling her name to calm her down loudly at first and then more softly soothing her Lynn, Oh Lynn… Lynn honey Jay moaned in a cooing kind of voice that not only soothed her but soothing himself as well. Sitting for hours soothing both her and his self, knowing the longer he soothed her the longer, he can avoid facing Nina’s identical image. Wide-eyed and sad Trina set alone waiting patiently for everybody to pull him or her self back together. She had not been crying or even frowning she just set with a flat, lost, empty-feeling look on her face. Had anyone walked in with out knowing the facts, they would have thought she was the lost child who face was posted on every pole, and in every window for miles. Most of Nina’s photo’s are of her looking somber, serious and bored where as all of Trina photo’s has bright wide smiles of a little girl that both had and brought joy.
Jay set across the room looking around just as his eyes fell on Trina he had two eerie thoughts one was that he could not remember the last time he saw his girls apart, and the other that my had been his first thought was that is Nina sitting over there and he had a time shaking that feeling. Even though he knew, his girls apart and they had never once been able to trick him with their playful switching and answering for the other. He could not shake the feeling that this was not Trina; he had never seen her not smiling not since her diaper days. Seeing Trina like this was so unnatural to him and it hurt him deeply.
Eight days had passed since Nina had become missing and there was no word on her or his mother. Jay or any of the other family members had not received calls or notes asking for anything. No one could put this together; his mother had gone missing almost two weeks and about a hundred-fifty miles from his daughters’ disappearance. It was with little doubt that what ever this was about it had to do with him or his work, and it was killing him inside to think that this was the reason that he and Lynn could not share their grief together. She had been spending the first three days sleeping and crying locked in their room while he slept on the sofa now she was just sleeping. Trina had not been sleeping or eating and worse yet she had not been crying, or talking just sitting. Jay had called in the girls’ doctor to see to Trina and his father had given Lynn something finally. Jay thought that this was like one of those old still movies where the scene moved and give the idea that everything was moving real fast but the people were still. Just then jay knew that he had to get out of there; he needed to take a ride. To get away from some of this. Almost four hours later he found himself pulling up in the rest stop where he had lost his daughter.
He didn’t know what led him here but this is where he wanted to be. There was no one else there but an old green van, it looked as if it was an old business van with most of the lettering off, the van was pulling out of the rest area just as jay had cut his engine he could see shadows in the back through the frosted, tinted windows. It made him think of Nina then he remember what she had said about her Na-Na sitting in the back of a van he turned to watch the van drive away, he could see shadows look like the statue of mother and child. He thought that he had seen this van before but being this far away from home how could he remember this van? He knew it didn’t have New York plates on it but he hadn’t given much notice as to what state the plates were from. Jay remembers thinking how nice it would be to have frosted tinted windows as he was dosing off.
He woke with a jerk as a rig flew by with his horn blaring. What he thought was a quick nap turned out to be a three hour rest. He had been gone for a long time now and thought that if Lynn was not worrying about him he was surely worrying about her. It was well after two a.m as Jay was heading back down the high-way. He was miles up the high-way from the rest stop when he noticed that he had been speeding all that way. He looked into his rear view mirror thinking that no harm done. At this time of morning in the mid of the week not many people would be out on the high-way, then he noticed that a vehicle was racing as fast as he was and he thought that maybe they wanted to keep up with him. He knew that Lynn had always hated being the only car on the road when it was dark. He slowed so as to allow who ever it was to keep up with him, thinking it could be someone’s wife and kids just as many times it had been his. Sometime later Jay had noticed that the vehicle that had been keeping a safe distant tailing behind him had pulled-up past him leaving him alone on this dark stretch of high-way. A short time later just as Jay was rounding a deep curve he thought that he saw a woman out on the road he kept on his way thinking; what would any body be doing out on this road this time of morning? There were no cars, no houses, and no body. That thought pushed him to turn around and go back, check to see if in fact someone was out there, if someone needed help, Jay was making a wide u-turn when his car was slammed by something, he saw no lights or anything, his car was pushed over an embankment and turned over in a ravine.
Lynn woke to find jay had not returned to the house from his late evening get-a-way. She feared that Jay was the next one to disappear. Lynn called Jay’s brother in a panic; she just knew that Jay too had been kidnapped.
Dale was on his way, telling Lynn to just keep put and keep Trina in her eye sight, he jumped in his car in his night clothes. Almost twenty minutes later Dale arrived at his brother’s house to find the door ajar, a through search turned up only his eight year old niece Trina sound asleep still tucked tightly in her bed. Just minutes before Lynn could wait no longer; she jumped into her car and took off looking for Jay.
It was almost noon when dale received the call that Jay was found, badly injured. He had not been told that his niece was also found, the police wanted to keep that quiet for now.
She was found unconscious just a few yards from the wreck. All that he was told was that Lynn had come across a couple waving down motorists and looking down an embankment. Lynn had been driving in a mean frenzy but something about the couple made her stop even though she had Jay on her mind. Lynn knew that they could have been describing Jay’s car so she stayed with the young couple. No one could get down the embankment by foot so they all had to wait until rescuers got there.
As one off the rescuers was taking a safe trail down he noticed a child’s shoe. It was just in his natural to take a closer look, even with the urgency at hand. It was only a foot or so away and he noticed that the shoe wasn’t weathered, it would had only been down here a day or so, he step over to pick it up not at all expecting to find a warm dry leg. He was shocked to find that there was a foot in the shoe. He was even more shocked to learn when he got back up the embankment that he had found Nina the missing child that had been on the news for the past week. He had also read in the news about the girls and her grandmother’s strange disappearance.
After being examined by doctors who were still at a loss as to why she had been found unconscious. She was given a clean bill of health; she didn’t have a bump or bruise on her. It was a fact that she wasn’t in the car when it was hit. It had been cleaned by the police since the last time she was in it. The couple was questioned by the police. They learned that the couple who had waved Lynn down had witnessed the van hitting Jay’s car as he was making the u-turn, they didn’t know if he was coming to help them because they wasn’t sure if he’d even seen them, when their car started given trouble they pulled far into the brush to wait until morning to wave down the first car they saw. This was a very secluded highway known for its danger. Lynn being the first car to pass after they’ve seen the van hit the man’s car. That was almost three and a half hours ago. They had told policemen that Lynn had called for help on her cell phone; she had not left their side for more then a few feet. Lynn had told the policemen that she’d awoke a few hours ago to find her husband had not return from a ride he had taken late yesterday evening. She had called her brother-in-law to tell him of her worry and he had say told her that he was on his way, she should just sit tight. She told the police that she thought that he could be found at her house right now.
Nina looked as well as the day she turned up missing or even better, where ever she had been she was clean and well fed. Where ever she had been for the past eight days someone had taken good care of her. The only problem was that she could not recall a single minute from the time she was sitting on the back of the car until she woke up in the hospital. Although she was awake and appeared to be alert when she was put into the rescue she had said “come on Na-Na we’re going home now” she later didn’t remember that either.
It was almost August now and Jay was returning from the hospital when he had spent the past month, Lynn had accepted a nurses aide offer for home care to help with Jay’s care, Jay would need someone at home with him until he was up and walking again. Faye was a really nice woman, Lynn had met her at the hospital she was there everyday. Always seemed to be there for anything Lynn needed. Someone to talk to or just to sit by and comfort her, whatever she needed someone, Faye would even take a ride, go out to dinner anything at a moment’s notice. Are you ever on duty? Lynn would joke her.
After Jay was back home nothing was the same, the house had become a base for the police along with the new security guards that was hired to look after the family. After all Jay was a state politician and no one was sure that this alone wasn’t the reason for all the turmoil. However both Jay and Lynn had been questioned again endlessly about Nina’s disappearing and her strange resurfacing and the disappearing of Jay’s mother who has yet to be found.
After almost seven years later thing are worst now more the ever. Faye who started out being Lynn’s pillar of strength and as much of a nurse mate to Lynn as she was to Jay. However now she wasn’t just acting as Jay’s nurse but his therapist and later his conscious as a matter of fact she was also Lynn‘s therapist and conscious as well.
Within months of Jay coming home things was falling apart. Nina refused to leave the house and rarely came out of her room. Other then the rare occasion that Trina could lower her anxieties enough to get her to take a walk with her. Lynn was depending heavily on pills, some to sleep and others to relieve her nightmares and panic attacks. Refusing to trust anyone beside Faye. Living in the same house she and Jay rarely spoke at all and most times they were in different parts of the house, staying out of each others way so much so that they often went days without seeing each other.
Faye was the only functioning person in the house at this time, other then Trina who spent most of her time out of the house. Trina was gone most everyday all day, Other then when she was closed up in the room with Nina, Trina didn’t spend any real time with any one in the house, and even then she and Nina didn’t actually talk, she just need to be with her sister once in a while.
Then the words came all at once one day, everyone just started fighting, yelling, talking and crying all at once. And when it was over not one of the Parkers was untouched. Scarred…… Every one of them. Friends of the family had started to notice the fall-out and over the months everyone in the house was blaming each other for the past year. Things had happened that was hurting everyone and not one of them could stop it. Lynn was well into a full addiction and was not only taking every pill that Faye put into her hand but she had taken to drinking as well. Both Jay and Lynn had started to turn on each other using Faye as a mediator though Faye Lynn had started to ask questions of Jay like how did he not notice Nina missing? And how did she come to be found at the scene of his accident almost two weeks later? Why did he go back to the rest stop in the first place? But via Faye ‘Jay also had questions doubting Lynn, like where were she for almost 24 hours when Jay tried to reach her to tell her of Nina’s disappearing? And why had she not come to New Jersey as they had plan? And most of all how did she come to show up at the scene the morning of Jay’s accident? Now thinking back over the past seven years there have been one question that was never answered because things was happening so fast at that time. When ever Lynn think of it now it seems to be just another one of those things that she can’t seem to figure out. Is it just in her head or did she really get a call from her mother-in-law asking her to meet her almost two hundred miles from home in the opposite direction from her in-laws home, on the day that Nina disappeared. She had not remembered for months where she was coming from that day. She had lost almost twelve hours of that day. It was four months later when Faye was fixing her a rum and coke that she’d remember being in that bar and having a rum and coke with …who She couldn’t remember. But she wondered how Faye knew she drank rum and coke, was she a rum and coke kind of person? She was sure that they had never spoken of it. And they didn’t even keep alcohol in the house. Lynn only drank on rare occasions and even then only one. Then Lynn remembered but was it Faye that she met that day how could she forget, but she had forgotten not only that but twelve hours after that as well. She remembered she had ordered a light rum and coke on ice. She was waiting in the White Swan Inn, just out side of Baltimore. There was nothing for her to do but to order something; the waitress had been around three or four times already. A lady had joined her at the table just as her drink had arrived. She handed Lynn the drink and said “Have a sip you’ll need it’ Lynn had always been afraid to drink alcohol, with what she knew of her parents it was a real possibility that one or both of them were alcoholics or worse drug addicts. She knew of her past and of her and her sisters being found in that abandoned building in that half abandon neighborhood. She from of all those horror stories she heard growing up with her auntie Rosa, about that area and the things that happened there with the drug addicts and alcoholics. Lynn was only four then, she had been out trying to find food for her self and her twin baby sisters Stacey and Tracey, they had been left homeless, motherless, and fatherless in New York’s worse slum. They were discovered in the smallest of a row of giant abandon apartment house, on the south side of the Bronx. It was a wonder anyone found those babies at all, it was almost dark when Auntie Rosa found them. She could hear coughing coming from a window as she was passing by, hurrying as she did every Monday night coming from bible study. With fear in her heart she wanted so much to get to the open lighted lot pass the row houses but she knew very well that that was a baby coughing and even in the best of times no baby needed to be out here. One of those beautiful little girls she had been seeing out day and night, rain or shine with that young couple. The couple most have fell on hard times they had both looked very kept up other then the clothes that they had on every time she saw them. She had told them about the shelter over town about a month ago.
She’d not seen them since but she was sure now that it was one of those babies, they all looked bad when she last saw them. One of those little babies’ chests rattled when she breathed. Rosa could hear it when she was talking to the woman. When Rosa found those babies they looked mummified lying in a row so dirty they looked as if they had been buried and dug up again. Rosa had watched the little girl run across the walk-way. She followed close behind thinking she would offer the parent some help but as she turned into the door of the room she only saw the children. The little one lying in the middle of the two twins trying to comfort them and keep them quiet. Rosa went to pick up the one that was coughing she could count every little rib as if they were toothpicks lined up, it made her sick to see those babies like that. Auntie Rosa always said she would have been happy to have all three of the girls. Family should always be together you know, she would say shaking her head. She waited months hearing nothing of the girls when she decided to fight for them. Lynn who regained her health was not doing well in the all girl home that she was placed in. Rosa thought she was too young and too small to be there. Her parents were never found, and after months of searching no one came to claim those children. No grandparents, no aunts, uncles. No answers from anywhere, not even a doctor who had not seen his patience for some time. On the morning that Rosa got the good news that she was to get custody of the oldest of the three children, she also got bad news “the smallest sickest of the twins had not made it. It was as if she thought that if no one wanted her she would just let go. With authorities only knowing what little they could get from four year old Lynn, and not even knowing which twin was which. The baby was put away with a death notice that read “Baby Stacey/Tracey Doe; one of the mummy twins found in an abandon building in south Bronx has passed away as a sort of unclaimed freight. She leaves behind her own twin Tracey/Stacey and an older sister Lynn both of who was also discovered with her some five months ago. Going on to say that with no one coming forward it is believed that none of the children was born in a hospital and that it is possible that the mother or children had never been seen by a doctor. And that Lynn the eldest of the children being only four years old could not tell us which baby was Stacey and which was Tracey, and as it was a shame for one to maybe chance having to carry her dead twin’s name the state will move forward to legally re-name the surviving twin. It was many years later that Lynn had tried to find her surviving sister, she had decide to call her “sistah” that way they would both live to her. She knew that it made no real sense but it kept her content. When ever she felt lost or alone, not knowing if she had a sister or not, wondering if she had gotten adopted, if she was near or far.
When Lynn turned fourteen she and Auntie Rosa tried to find out about the surviving twin. Lynn being the only living relative tried to get court records, hospital records, discharge papers, anything from the news paper. After the death notice there was no trail to follow, the last news clipping read “surviving mummy-twin leaves hospital today to an unknown future that is as mystifying as her unknown past. Lynn saved all the news-clippings that she could get her hands on and made copies to keep. She treasured them over the years, as if losing them might have meant losing everyone all over again. Today she thought she should find clippings of Alice and Nina and add them to her list of people she keeps losing. As a matter of fact she might want to add her marriage as well.
With tears in her eyes Lynn was wondering why she was always losing her love ones, first her parents, then the twins; at eighteen she lost Auntie Rosa, later Alice, Jay and her own Twins Nina and Trina. Lynn had been hospitalized on and off over the past seven years. She returned home after having a breakdown only to have a drug overdose a week later. She couldn’t even remember taking any pills, does even know where she could have gotten a needle from and never thought that she would want to die even when things was at it’s worse. But that was what Faye had told the doctors when she got her to the hospital that morning and that what she had told the police, Jay and later Lynn. No one had been in the house but Lynn and Faye and the last Lynn could remember was having breakfast which she had not wanted but was encouraged to eat by Faye who was nursing Lynn and Jay at that point. Lynn couldn’t understand why all this was happening. She had been feeling well she had not realized all that Faye was telling her. Since she was told of Nina’s disappearance Lynn had been taking a few pills, she had start having panic attacks and she had trouble sleeping. But she had no idea why she was forgetting things as Faye said she was, and had begin to take something to help her memory just before the breakdown but Faye had told both the doctors and the police that Lynn wasn’t given anything for her memory. Lynn was feeling alone, she had no one but Jay and her girls that she could see slipping away. She had once had Alice and was feeling the loss. Alice was like the mother Lynn had never had. Auntie Rosa was a great Aunt, showing her all the love that she needed. Always letting her know that she was wanted. They had both needed each other, both being loners. Auntie Rosa had no family that Lynn ever knew of. But she had seen some photos of her when she was young with a little girl that looked just like her. She and Auntie Rosa never had friends just them and a few church members that visited on occasions. But Auntie Rosa had encouraged Lynn to make friends and join clubs, to go places and find what made her happy but Lynn never made many friends not any she could keep anyway. Girls had always liked being friends with Lynn she was funny and kind. But she had this shadow of sadness that followed her that she uses to cut people off if they got to close.
She had tried to cut Alice off when they met but Alice had an over powering personality and she felt that Lynn need someone in her life the very day they met. She had met Jay first at a press release for the mayor. For the Bronx’s third district neighbor hood reform. She was turning twenty never knowing her real birthday she always celebrated it on June first. One month after she celebrate the twins birthday because all she knew was that she was four and the twins was not yet one. Test showed that she was about four years ten months upon entering the hospital.
That day she felt compel to go to the row houses just as she and Auntie Rosa had for some years. It was such a morbid kind of celebration that had started as a memorial for the twin some years ago. This year she would go alone for the first time. Auntie Rosa had past away just days before Lynn’s eighteenth birthday and last year Lynn was not up to going. But this year something was tugging at her to be there. Lynn sat cross leg in the corner of one of the rooms on the top floor, which may have been an attic at one time. It was warm and the bright sunlight shining down on her though the large holes in the roof. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she had truly lost all track of time. She had not heard the crowd gathering out side in the lot just below her. It wasn’t until she descended the last set of stairs that she realized she was not alone in the building. She had not been paying attention so she was startled to see someone looking up at her. He reached out to offer her a hand just as she was stepping over a large hole in the floor; she’d almost missed it as she reached the landing. He didn’t speak nor did his eyes ever leave hers until she was inches away from him. His hand moved to the small of her back as they moved across the open room and exited the building. It was as if he knew she was there and was sent to retrieve her. It was only a matter of minutes before the press figure out who she was. It had been some time now but from time to time the press had tried to get a statement from Lynn about her past but what did they want her to say? She only knew what Auntie Rosa had told her. But today they had her cornered and they were throwing questions out at her until her head was spinning. Jay had raised his arms and tried to shield her from the intrusion of the mob that had gathered as each person realized who she was. She was shaken and at a loss to be confronted with a mass of viewers awaiting her answers. As if it was a planned interview. Now she was wondering if she had been led to the podium just for the cameras. They wanted to know if she was here to fight for her home. Was she hoping to save these buildings for the memory of her sisters? Was this a joke, some horrible joke? She had not even known why she kept coming back. This place didn’t really mean anything to her; she would not have even remembered had Auntie Rosa not made this a tradition. She had regained her wits and was thinking about this man that had led her into this ambush. Had he been trying to use her for publicity? But how would he have known she would be here? And why did he change his mind… To protect her?
Jay had rushed her off to a limousine and pushed her inside ahead of him. Lynn was immediately pulled into the embrace of an older woman who had been in the limo. She was shh…hushed as if she had been weeping she had not but it did calm her she felt relaxed, comforted and truly protected in this strangers arms. She looked up as the limo was beginning to move. No one would say anything the entire ten minute ride. When the car came to a halt at a hotel the woman step out with Lynn in tow, come dear she whispered come. Lynn followed as if it was always intended. In the hotel room the woman took over as only a family monarch would. Everyone else that was in the limo was now sitting in the hotel room sitting silently until they were given an order to follow. Her orders were soft and pleasant and everyone followed without question as if this was the nature form of their union. Jonah honey, go down and purchase another room for the night, Dale call down for room service and get lunch for five, turning to Lynn she asked “ seafood dear” with out waiting for an answer she waved Dale on to his task. Turning to Jay she said with her voice shaking. 'What were you planning for this poor child? Jay’s response was quick and with much shame. I’m sorry mother I know of no reason that the press would have to attack miss… just then he realized that he didn’t even know who the young lady was and no one had even introduced themselves to her. Lynn stood up and spoke with a weak smile and shaking voice Hello… ah hi she started again more causally I’m Lynn, Lynn Banks she said matter-factly she had never felt at ease saying her full name she had always felt as if she was lying, she had taken Auntie Rosa’s last name. More for legal reasons then anything else. Jay step forward and offered his hand, she hesitated but took it. I’m Jayson Ray Parker, this is my mother “Doctor Alice Parker” turning slightly he pointed “my Brother Doctor Delray Parker” and right on clue the door opened and Jay continued “and my father Doctor Jonah-Ray Parker”. Then taking a deep breathe he added, “Please forgive me Miss Bank” as I was explaining to my mother I have no idea what was going on back there. This was supposed to be my first press conference as the new Press Aide to the governor of New York. I just thought I’ll take a walk around inside so I’ll have some idea what we were in for when I ran into you. I only offered to guild you out as I thought you too wanted a look around and not knowing how bad a shape the buildings were you could use so help getting out. The reports were just arriving so I was taken aback when you were bombarded with so many questions, I thought maybe you were some local celebrity until I spotted that shocked look on your face then I thought I better get you out of there. At that Lynn who was still standing stepped forward to offer an explanation. But she stopped short thinking that she was not about to pour her soul out right here in front of people she hardly even knew. She thought she could never tell her story to people who wasn’t even familiar with her past, didn’t even know there was a story. Just then it hit her, these were just the kind of people she needed to tell it to. People she may never see again, people that couldn’t judge her later. She thought go on get it off your chest, unburden yourself so they can stop seeing your emptiness. But she saw no good way to approach it so she smiles politely and headed for the door. Just then Jonah spoke up for the first time with such a surprisingly strong deep voice that it made her jump. Seeing this he lowered both his voice and his eyes he said ‘it’s a mob out there, folks must have found out where we were staying. Why don’t you stay, have lunch, wait until this attention dies down some. By tomorrow it will all be just a whisper. “Added Dale. I’ve got your room right in the middle of mothers and ours, you‘ll get a good nights rest and this will all blow over soon. You can go right through that door to your room freshen up and lunch will be arriving with in minutes “Jonah said” then added a quick smile to comfort her.
Alice and Jonah had insisted on keeping in touch with Lynn after being held up in that hotel for three days. But it would be almost three years before they would learn Lynn’s side of the story. They had stayed up late that first night talking to their sons and with a few phone calls they had learned from one of Jay’s staff what had provoked the questions. Jay felt that he had not done his homework even if he had not met Lynn that day he should have known the story surrounding that neighborhood, he now understood why people was protesting the re-zoning in the city. This place was a place of many unsolved mysteries and those kids were on the top of its list. It was hard to see how Lynn had survived staying here so close to it all. Not one of the parkers had ever let on that they knew anything about it to Lynn, when she was ready she would talk and no one would push her Alice would make sure of it.
It had been three years since Lynn had seen Jay in person. She had taken a few of his phone calls and kept an eye on his career as she felt they were sort of friends , both he and his parents made sure she received a gift on every holiday. His parents called two or three times a month and visited her a few times when they were in town to see Jay, she always put on to be to busy when she was invite to attend whatever function of Jay’s that they were in town for. It was their thirtieth anniversary. Alice had insisted that Lynn be there, Lynn was planning to take the train to the city and call to get a ride to the house when she arrives in town. It was to be her first time going anywhere and she was unsure for so many reasons. Lynn had made it her project to stay away from people most of her life. The one person she was close to was Auntie Rosa and since she’d passed Lynn had gone off to college, then to work day in and day out with as little contact with others as possible. She was not quite sure why she had allowed herself to get attached to this family. But she had and she found herself over joyed to receive their attention.
Lynn was packing when she heard the doorbell. She froze in her tracks, who could be at her door. She never got visitors. The bell rang three more times before she moved to go towards it. As she opened the door she smiled widely. Without realizing it she was over joyed to see Jay. They hugged each other tightly; he lifted her off her feet spinning her around wildly before they both fell to the ground laughing. Feeling out of character she composed herself quickly. Nervously inviting him in she closed the door then asked “ is anything wrong? ” she was relieved when he assured her that everything was just fine but then she half expected him to say she shouldn’t go to his parents. As he stood watching her, soaking in her beauty, and acknowledging to him self how he couldn’t take his eyes of her three years ago and from that day she had not left his mind. She stood uncomfortable waiting for him to somehow reject her for himself and his entire family. Afraid that they all of a sudden had a change of heart or mind. She had not even realized that she had felt this deep about this family excepting her. With thoughts racing through her head she was now having trouble catching her breath? Jay just stood there a long time, too long looking thinking. He had not forgotten one inch of her face. He knew just then that he had truly loved her that first day. That was what kept him from saying anything that day, which was what made him feel so protective of her. He also knew that that was at less part of the reason that his mother had kept such a close relationship with Lynn. Alice knew how he felt as well, she knew him all too well he thought. And she approved so for all this time that Jay could not say what he needed to say Alice was developing a relationship with her future daughter-in-law. She knew one way or another it would happen, but she was not one to interfere in others business. She believed whatever was meant to be will be. After his much too long daydreaming Jay broke the silence with a brisk “you ready”? “Ready? Lynn repeated. Yes ready, didn’t mother call you? Didn’t she tell you we would be driving down together? Together, Lynn repeated. Yes together, mother insisted. You’ll both going to the same place, coming from the same place Jay was saying counting off on his fingers, using a bad version of his mother’s voice. Okay, okay laughed Lynn more giddy by her comfort level with Jay then she was impressed with his reenactment of his conversation with his mother. I’m almost ready I need about ten more minutes after all I wasn’t expecting you.
The five hour drive was surprisingly relaxing and fun. It was as if they had known each other forever. This was a new feeling for Lynn and she liked it. She was not a doe-eyed young woman madly in love, she was just happy and having a good time. But Jay had waited three long years for a moment like this and he was going to knit their worlds as close together as he could in these few hours. Jay was strong willed he knew what he wanted at any given time and he was always willing to wait and work for it. Now Jay was as sure as he had ever been. He dated very little since he had met Lynn almost three years ago, and most of that was for formalities. He was expected to attend so many functions and he soon found out that it was easier to take someone with you, then to go solo and have someone try to match you with one of the single politically connected she-cats that were always on hand. Someone’s daughter, sister-in-law, niece or What ever extra young lady someone is trying to marry off to the most available well-off bachelors attending that nights function, too offer Jay was on the top of that list. However Jay was always too focus to be lead around by his nose by some female whose main objection was to be someone’s trophy, and under those circumstances dating was just too troublesome. Lynn had been reliving their early years, all these years later after suffering through all that the family had been through, losing her girls and her husband, now she could see clearly those first days. Before these memories Lynn had never thought about getting better or fighting to get back with Jay. She had given up; she was in shock that her life was going like this. She had given up when Jay would not believe that she was not somehow involved in his mother and their daughter’s disappearance. In the end he had even asked her. She had been in the hospital for the second time for over a week he had not come to see her until that day. He walked in and just asked her. She had not answered; she didn’t think it was a real question. They sat there for almost an hour and neither said anything else, she was given medication and with the hour she had doze-off when she awoke he was gone. Three more weeks in the hospital and he never came again, on the day that she was released he sent a limo with Faye. She was taken to the old family house that they had brought before the girls were born. She could see that he had made arrangements, as well as some remodeling that told her he had long planned this either for himself or for her. One day almost a year later just about two years after the disappearances divorce papers had arrived by messenger. Lynn signed without even reading them and sent them back by the same messenger. About a month later she received a check and other papers from a lawyer. Jay had made all the arrangements for both this house and the house that Auntie Rosa had left her, monthly fee for a home-aide to come in and take care of any needs that Lynn may have.
For a couple of years after that Faye traveled two hours each way three days a week to look after any thing that maybe of need for Lynn like her bills, appointments, and so far. She came with notes and massages from the girls but no visits from them. Faye cared for the parkers and then came out and cared for Lynn, she was never seen or heard mistreating a one of them. She had an undying devotion for this family and at was that that made people wonder about her intentions. Faye was a very young woman that looks very much, in fact too much like Lynn. She was a small petite woman with a quiet yet unquestionable surly way about her. She had no family that anyone knew of. She had live for at least a couple of years a few blocks from the hospital and no one had taken a notice to the lone woman other then a few men who was interested in dating her. But she allowed no ties to anyone that some of Jay’s allies could come up with. One day she walked up and introduced herself to Lynn, they talked and she showed up the next day. And the next and the next, and this were the way that it was the time that Jay spent recuperating. She always wore white but she never said she was a nurse. But when Lynn told her about Jay’s up coming release, she offer to help. Over dinner that night Lynn and Faye planned their partnership to care for Jay and the girls. This was the beginning of the strange changes that further set Lynn’s life into dismay.
Today Lynn was sitting in the corner of the back room of the first house that she had ever called home. This room was formerly Auntie Rosa’s room and when she first past way and Lynn lived there alone until she and Jay came together she never used this room. But for the past four years since Jay had had the old house remodeled while she stayed at their first home together. She spent almost all day every day in that room, seeing almost no one, other then Faye who came to stay for two nights and three days a week, leaving one hour before Jays weekly visits for Friday night dinner. Other then that she would call out if she needed something. But she had not used the phone more then three or four times in the past four years. She often waited for Faye’s visits to get why she needed. Faye care for and planned every thing in Lynn’s life including when she saw her girls. Nina felt that this was Faye’s way of controlling her mother and maybe even the whole family.
Nina tried many times over the years to go live with her mother only to be told by everyone that her mother need to be alone, needed to heal herself. That Lynn couldn’t take care of her. Nina had gone to her uncle and her grandfather for help all to no avail. Trina on the other hand was not as touched by all of this as Nina; she lived her life despite whatever was going on at the time. Although deep inside she had lots of thoughts about it all, she couldn’t live with the sickness and hopelessness of it all so she made the best of it. Trina had heard some of the stories from her mother’s past and she knew that it took a lot to survive it, but she also knew that her mother was a strong, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky person and that she could survive this as well. But it scared her to see how far down her mother was going. And she knew that even though her father suspected her mother of having something to do with her Na-Na’s and Nina’s disappearance, she just doesn’t know if it’s true or not. Nina still didn’t remember anything about the time that she was missing.
After being missing for almost two years Alice resurfaced in a convalescent home in New Orleans as a Jane Doe, where she lived for about three years she had been transferred there from the county hospital without being identified. She had been there four months as the authorities tried with no avail to find her next of kin. She had been left at the entrance of the hospital by an unidentified middle age woman driving a green van. At least that’s what was taken from the video. She was unconscious and mal-nutrient, she was close to death and doctors could not identify a chemical that was found in her system and without that information Alice was sure to die soon. Her red blood cells were exceedingly lowering by the day. Even after regaining consciousness she was left without her memory, unable to tell anyone who she was, where she was from, or what had happened to her. One of the things that the doctors did know was that someone else had done this to her. Alice was covered with needle marks and jabs in almost every part of her torso. Who ever had do this had not done this with any care, it was done as much for the pain as for the poison.
Alice had returned home almost five years ago she had very little language skills left, paralyzed on her left side, suffering both seizures and serious headaches daily. She had only seen Lynn once since she been home, and she worried about her. She had no choice but to give up her practice and was under a nurses care herself. But Alice was a strong and determine woman; she had plans for her future that included Lynn. Lynn was her daughter or the closes thing to one as she would ever have and she loved her. She had spoken this to one person and this was to Nina. She couldn’t speak about this to Jay; he was just too strong-willed and stubborn to see past his own hurt. He couldn’t see the pain and loss that the girls had suffered. His only thoughts were of the one thing that he could never accept and that was of betrayal, he thought that Lynn had somehow deceived him. He felt as if he had never really known Lynn at all, he often wondered if her past was catching up with her, all he did know was that he always loved her and even after all of this he still did. But life needs more the just love. Jay just knew that Lynn’s past was taking her to a crazy mix-up place and he could not help her all he could do was protect his girls. But Alice had been planning for a while, she and Nina was going to drive across the country and work some things out, but when ever she was thinking about the details of her plans she got the feeling of de-java. She couldn’t fight the feeling that she and Nina had already taken a drive across country. And this was making her a little nervous about going through with this she certainly did not want to put Nina in any danger. She already felt the urgency of having to protect her granddaughter. But she was not going to leave Lynn out in the world alone and Jay had just better realize that this happened to Lynn as much as it happened to him. Although the twins were her only grandchildren and she adored every bone in both of their bodies. Upon her return and during her recovery she had felt a special bond with Nina and Nina was there to help her though everything. In fact she was just starting to believe that Nina was spending too much time together. Nina was on her way to graduating and she knew of none of Nina friends other then the young ladies that spent time with Trina. Nina in fact had been spending so much time at her grandparents that she had taken over her father’s old bedroom at his parent’s house. But that was okay with both of them because everyone could see that Nina couldn’t take much more of living in the same house with Faye, and the one place in all the world that Faye had no place in their life was her grandparent’s. There was a strange situation with Alice and Faye, Alice couldn’t put a finger on what was not right but she didn’t care for Faye for more then one reason. She also felt as if she had met or at least seen Faye before. After being home for almost five years Alice had only been to her son’s home once. She had intended to stay a week-end with him and the girls, but after meeting Faye she couldn’t bring herself to stay over night. Not in Faye’s presence. Nina felt comfortable whenever Faye was not around. Nina spent so much time traveling week-ends from New York to New Jersey by train, that the regular conductor had developed a friendship with her. Many times Judy ‘the conductor’ would come by early in the morning and pick Nina up on her way to the station, she had to wait around only a few minute and she could make it to school if nothing big went wrong. Now both Nina and Alice were patiently waiting around for the end of the month for the girls to graduate, and then their adventure would start. Alice had been working hard for this day, getting her self back both physical and mentally. She needed to try to remember as much as she could about the time that she was gone.
Her first plan was for her and Lynn to walk into the girl’s graduation arm in arm, sit side by side and leave together with the girls. Then Lynn will come to New Jersey for the summer to live with her and Jonah, until they are ready to make their move. Over this summer they will do as much research as possible before they travel to New Orleans. It was their plan to review the hospital view and find them convalescent home that Alice was taken before going home to her family.
The police may call this a dead case but not these ladies, even if it has been some time both Nina and Alice not knowing why it all happened feared that it was not yet over. And someone was out there planning to return and finished whatever it was that they had planned in the first place. They also had plans to look into other family mysteries, like finding Lynn’s sister. Nina felt that her mother needed someone just for herself after all this, Alice agreed with Nina a hundred percent and it would be a surprise for Lynn. But Alice wanted all of this to go smoothly so that Nina would be ready to enter college in the fall.
Jay was worried, he had hoped that Nina would give this all up, but once he learned that his mother was involved he knew that their plans would be followed to the letter. With all the different changes his mother had shown after her kidnapping experience, her strong will was still very much intact. He was so proud of that when he and Dale arrived in New Orleans to claim Jane Doe #217, he knew even before the doctors had confirm it that it was that strong will that had not only saved his mother’s life but also allowed her to recover both mentally and physically so precisely. Jay had said to Nina over and over before he knew that his mother was a part of their plans that if Nina didn’t give this foolish idea up he would with hold both her college fund and her trust fund. But Nina being as strong willed as her Nana never wavered, she not only kept to her plans but she also talked them out with everyone in the family, only the presence of Faye could keep her plans quiet. And once her Nana heard them and was on her side Jay knew that he had on leash to hold her back. Jay knew that his parent could and would more then double what ever monies he had for the girls. He thought that his only chance was to get Lynn to talk to Nina, they had always got on so well and Nina adored her mother and would do anything to make and keep her happy. But he couldn’t bring his self to face Lynn with this. And he didn’t want to have one more thing between them; also Jay didn’t want to use his time with Lynn to deal with these issues. Lynn had always been his strength and his weakness and it was times like this that he missed her the most. He wanted her so badly that he had not even been out on a date in seven years they’ve been apart. He had keep in touch with Lynn the only way that he could. He visited her once a week for one hour for the past seven years. It started with him just going to take care of the bills and other household issues that Lynn would not pay attention to. They had dinner and later even watch movies but they did not keep up any of their marriage traditions. Their rarely spoke a word, touched each other and maintained no sex life what so ever. But each visit begins and ends with a civil like hug and kiss. This was one of the hardest thing for Jay because as much as was hurt and didn’t want to believe that Lynn had something to do with the kidnappings she had no answers to offer him to convince him any other way, he loved Lynn as much as he loved anyone and couldn’t imagine his life with out her in it some how. His weekly visits was all he could do for now. He swore that he would never love to anyone else and he had followed through on that. He had made a hasty decision to send her divorce papers and he thanked god that the messenger misunderstood Lynn and returned the signed papers back to his office rather then to his lawyer’s office. He had convinced his self later that he had file the papers more because of his public life then because of his feelings of betrayal. He never wanted any of this but he was a public figure and that may have been why all of this happened in the first place. At the time he had to do what was best for the people that he represents and the girls that he needed to protect more now then ever. He still believed that he done the right thing in everyone else eyes that is, but it had crushed his love for Lynn. However everyone knew that Jay was suffering and had been suffering for the past nine years. It had changed him, by this time everyone in his circle thought that Jay needed to give up the public life and go back to Lynn where it was obvious he both needed and wanted to be. They all pitied his situation, nine years of living day to day on the verge of a mental break down. With someone holding your sanity in there hands. I mean someone kidnapped both your mother than your daughter, they both reappear with no memory, and years later no one have a clue as to who the kidnapper or kidnappers was or why or even if they are still out to get someone in his family. And worse of all poor Lynn, they had all adored Lynn. She had such great influence just by being herself. Absolutely everyone loved her. Or so it seemed because almost no one stood by her to the end. Jay had remained attorney general but this had haunted him with every year, every new incident. Every new mistake, new case and every election was getting harder and harder. And with the hand full of true friends to remain firmly associated with him the mayors aide Fran Asa-lee was hell bent on reopening this case as much for justice as for saving Jay. She was sick of watching his life and career sitting on the edge just waiting to kick over. Fran had maintained that the kidnappings must have had something to do with his job or was some political torment that was meant to damage or end his career. And in that case it could happen to any of them at any given time, and if the city, state or country could not protect its most prominent citizen’s then john Q citizen will be damn. Fran was an old southern woman who seem to born dignified. She had a very soft quiet way about her but she was not too overlooked. She never took a stand until and unless she was firm on it. Fran backed everything that she put her hands in 100% and for that Alice felt that Fran would be Lynn’s best supporter. Alice knew that Fran was not in agreement with them trying to solve this thing with out the police and or the F.B.I. But Alice knew that they all wanted the same things and basically for the same reasons. They both wanted justice and the both loved Lynn. And her family.
School was closed and so far all was going well with Jay keeping an eye on things from afar with out putting up a fight when ever Nina went to her Na-Na’s house. However Faye had gotten so bent out of shape about it all when Nina announced that she was staying at her grandparent’s until their plane left the following night. Soon there was talk about Faye moving on, with the girls getting ready to be out of the house, Faye again brought up the idea of her moving in and taking care of Lynn full time but Jay was always against that and he had not changed his mind and Faye knew not to push it. What she did not know was that Jay had plans of his owns and part of them plans was for Lynn to come home. Jay noticed the relief on Faye’s face one morning when the phone rang and Jay got off and replied that it was Nina everyone was just fine but there was no new information, no new leads “I’m so glad to hear that” Faye replied “maybe it’s time you stepped in and told them it was time to come home, before some one got hurt. I worry everyday she announced. The stress of all this is just doing me in.’ she went on’ Jay was watching Faye and he was beginning to see something in her that was uneasy. Something that he now knew had always been there but it was really getting away from her. She was losing it, couldn’t hid it any more. This was what Nina had been seeing; he knew this was not good. Faye looked up with the feeling of Jay’s stare. “Is there something wrong Jayson” she asked. No, No! “Jay answered” well “he started” well now maybe the time for you to start thinking about getting on with your life. Maybe you should be thinking about going away and getting this all off of your mind, after all it’s not yours to worry about. How about you go now, or next week-end and start thinking about what you will do with the rest of your life and of course I will compensate you. How about I wait until Lynn return and see what her needs will be at that time. No! Barked Jay. Shocking both her and himself with the bluntness of his response.
Well of course I would like for you and Lynn to continue your friendship but strictly on a give and take basis. Lynn has done very well over the time and I’m afraid that we’ve both done her more harm the good thus far. Now done get your self upset about it, or go blaming yourself you’ve been the strength in this family for a long time. Even with all the doubt and blame that have been tossed your way you’ve stayed on with no qualms and that couldn’t be easy for you, but you’ve been a rock through it all. Lynn will be needing a different kind of help when she return and all you can do is be there for her as a friend. But only if it’s good for you because you certainly don’t owe us anything. Faye said sadly “it seems as if I’m being thrown away” it’s hard for me to talk about this so can we work this all out later. Faye knew that she had not brought herself any time; she knew that somehow, somewhere, by some one it had already been decided. Yet at this moment she couldn’t think whether it was just a job decision or a family thing, it also crossed her mind that this could be something he knew or found out about her. Or was this something that the family had decided together. Somehow she couldn’t picture Lynn or Trina agreeing to just get rid of her. She truly believed that they both saw her as family. “Auntie” Trina had sometime jokingly called her, it made her feel so good she once recorded it on video and secretly watch it. Whenever she went on her trips to Maine she would take the video with her. Her thoughts was interrupted by the rang of the telephone. Jay had already answered it. Faye had not known how long she had been daydreaming but she was so in grossed in it that she had not even noticed Jay move more less even leave the room. Another hang up he chimed the hang ups had become just a part of their lives. Jay had already put too much time and effort in tracing calls that was just too short to get a trace on and the few strange calls that they did get a trace for all came from phone booths though out the country. His number had been changed a few times over the years. And the family had just learned to live with the calls. They were just hang-ups and they were so few and far between. After all the calls and claims of sightings of Alice or knowing who the kidnappers were or are after thousands of false leads and tens of new numbers Jay just gave up and some the calls became less and less until he was left with only the hang-ups. Faye gave him a little smile and headed up stairs in a short time she was back. “You wont need me this week-end would you” she called out to Jay. “I could really stand a few days away maybe to visit some friends or out to the cabin she said. No you go on, Jay replied. He never knew where or who she visited but he knew that she had friends all over the country. He learned that when the police was investigating. They couldn’t find anything on her besides her schooling, her cabin in Maine, and that she traveled all over the country but they couldn’t find out who she visited. She always stayed in hotels besides when she went to Maine where she stayed in a cabin that they later learned was her owns. It was so far out that the closes neighbors was miles away. The investigation of Faye had ended when they learned that she had purchased the cabin nineteen years ago and that she had always keep another place. So the cabin was just a get-a-way spot and they felt it was nothing left to uncover.
Faye had already packed and was on her way, she would make an over night stop in Lyman, Connecticut. She would call Jayson from her hotel that night and again in the morning. She would rent the room for the week and leave this number as a contact number then move on to Maine. She had hoped that things would stay quiet for a while, at least until everyone got this wild goose chase out of their heads. Faye arrived at Lakeside sanatorium in Hollis, Maine later the following evening. She was tired and just wanted to get what she needed and gets this over with. If she was to find her mother before she found trouble.
Ayanna had spent the past thirty-one years in Lakeside. Faye was the only person who ever visited her and the only person they knew to contact if anything went wrong. Years ago Ayanna was brought here a beautiful young lady by and older couple that reported her as being their live-in housekeeper, who had no known family. They reported that she had been suffering for sometime and they could no longer take care of her. They left her there after leaving the hospital with an endowment that would allow Ayanna to be cared for, for her lifetime. There was never any contact after the initiation intake was done.
The only number was to an attorney’s office that has since gone out of practice.
Nineteen years later a young lady show up looking for an Ayanna Ryes, she was a mirror image of the lady admitted years ago, she introduced her self as Faye Austin and claimed that the patient Ayanna was he mother. She had with her an envelope of papers from so many offices, states and cities that half way through them the Director set them aside and led her up the stairs himself. Once up the stairs they went down a long hall that separated a small apartment from the main building of the hospital. This he explained was a wing built just for your mother, she was brought her in may of 1971, and other then a few short trips this is where she have been. After introducing her to her mother the doctor left Faye to visit. He sent an orderly up to escort her back down to his office about an hour later. There he explained in little details what medical and non-medical issues with Ayanna were. Surprisingly there were only a small medical issue which the hospital could have dealt with a short stay and a little medicine. But there was an underlay issue that they have yet to be able to address due to some form of shock or psychosis.
Faye took to visiting daily for a while and then just routinely. Every visit they just sit and look out at the field. Watching nothing but miles of green grass. Faye couldn’t believe how much she looked like the woman as she sat waiting for the woman to talk to her. Faye visited almost three months before Alana say one thing to her but that was the one thing that let her know that she was with her mother. Alana looked up one day after sitting with Faye for six hours of nothing and said “I must find my babies’. After that nothing else was said and they both sat well into the night looking out the window. When Faye fails to check out at seven o’clock as she sometimes did. (She had never stayed past visiting hours. Doctor Knots went up to see if there was a problem. Both he and the orderly took turns looking in at the two ladies, but did not try to interrupt them and they never let on that either of them knew they were being watched. Both responses to the door being opened and others moving around the room. The next day Faye visited she was invited to Doctor Knot’s office; there she met with a host of the hospital officials. Faye often remembers the day that the whole crowd met her in the hall, they all turned to her as she entered and addressed her in unison with wide sly grins as if they had all swallowed the same canary. With in the second she was swallowed up into the crowd of hospital officials and willingly led into a waiting conference room, she was eager to know what all the commotion was about. She sat relaxed as they all hemmed and ha-ed, hoping someone would take the lead. Finally the director stood up everyone quieted down glad that someone had taken the lead to say whatever it is that no one wanted to say. Doctor Knots cleared his throat choosing his words carefully. Ms. Austin your mother “he stuttered” Ms. Ryes has been taken care of financially if she stay here the rest of her life, if things stay as they are she may need to be here forever as it is known to her. However just as in the past she will have short periods of times when she is as normal as you and I. And doing these times she have always had a need to sort of get away from things around here, we never knew when or how she would get out as you can see her ward has always been kept locked. Some days we would go up to give her, her medications or her meals and she would be gone. When this first start happening we took a few different steps to curtail this but after time and realizing that there was little we could do to keep her settled other then to restrain her and that we out of the question. Besides her always returned on her own with out incident. However the last few times that she has walked off her stays have been extended. Other wise the way you have been seeing her is the state that she maintains ninety percent of the time. Ms. Austin your mother almost never speaks a word unless she is medicated for no other reasons then she just have little to say. But one thing she could not stop saying over the years is “my babies” when she is in the mood to talk she just constantly repeats “my babies’. Doctor Knots stopped abruptly and there was silent for some time. When a young blond lady felt bold enough to follow with, ‘Ms. Austin other then to inform you of your mother’s most recent adventure we also’ Faye interrupted ‘My mother is gone”. Yes the young lady continued but we also wanted… Faye interrupted further “you never actually said she was gone. I thought that you wanted to fill me in on what’s been happening over the years that she have been living here. Now I would like to know what you all plan to do. Another man step forward to explain that they would do what they had done in the past, which was to wait until she returned on her own, will. These have been successful in the past and there is no reason for any one to do any thing different. Faye could feel herself losing control and fought to stay with it as she addressed the group. Then she grabbed her bag and stood with her back to all of them. Before walking out of the room, down the hall and out of the building without looking back. At the end of the meeting no one knew any more about either Ayanna or Faye then when they started. However they knew that they needed to meet with her again.
The hospital’s research had learned that Faye had worked as an intern for the state department for some time after school. And that while in school she and some classmates had decided to look into some old state evidence and solve an unsolved crime or as it turned out to be Mystery. Worked on the project resulted in pulling a lot of records that not only included Ayanna but three young children. One of which Faye had proven with little doubt could or was herself. After comparing everything she knew about her self with her adoption and everything she learned from her adopted relations, about her history before being adopted. She was the surviving twin that had been adopted and had her identify the little that was known of her changed. she had the one thing that Authorities did not have twenty years ago, and she used it to her advantage she use D.N.A test on samples of salvia and blood that the lab found on discarded bottles and needles found in the room of the building with the girls, when they were found. She also followed up on fingerprints on some items that were found with the girls, things like the bottles and patent leather shoes that the girls had been wearing. Once she found Ayanna which had taken her two years, the entire test had confirmed that she was at less one of the twins but which one would never be known. She was willing to share all of this with the hospital staff but what Faye knew then and would not share was that her mother, Ayanna knew who her other daughter was. Faye would keep that one for her self and when Ayanna made her move she would be right there to follow her and find the sister that she so longed for. She may not be able to have her twin sister but she would have a sister, a real relative that she could share everything with. As happy as she was to have found her mother she must admit that it was a little unsettling to find her in such a state. Faye was a little surprised when she met with the hospital staff for the first time. She knew that they knew something and by the end of the meeting she knew that they were not telling. But what she wasn’t sure of was whether they knew that she was aware of Ayanna’s Arriving or at least that’s what she had called it. She was sitting as always, just looking out of the window when all at once Ayanna was as lively as any woman Faye had ever known. And soon she was telling Faye all about the three daughters, she told Faye that one was all grown up now and was taking care of her twin babies. But then she was telling a story of how some other lady had been keeping her away from her children and that they would soon be reunited. Faye was not sure what to do at the time but she thought that she would just wait it out and see what Ayanna would do. She stay late into the night that night at the hospital and came early that next morning just to meet up with those doctors who only wasted her time. She had no way of really understanding what Ayanna meant about only one of them being all grown up and taking care of the twins. Not until she met Lynn eight years later and found out that she herself had twins.
Finally eight years of waiting and watch would give Faye all that she ever wanted, she arrived to the hospital one day just in time to see Ayanna entering the wooded area far off the edge of the hospital property. She stood in the shadows and waited to see if anyone was with Ayanna. When she was satisfied that no one else had seen Ayanna, Faye followed. Little did she know that Ayanna had already kidnapped both Alice and Nina? When Faye walked up on the scene she had no idea what to do, it was only when she was following Ayanna and they came upon the Accident that she had gotten the idea to place the child at the scene. She would not be hurt and no harm would be done. She hadn’t a clue of who Jay was. She just hoped the police would think that he was the kidnapper. The likelihood of what happened was as strange to Faye as everything else in her life in the past ten years. When Faye returned, Ayanna was injecting something into Alice Faye checked to find that it was insulin, she panic. Alice was already unconscious and there was a few bottles emptied. Faye checked the labels and found that they were Ayanna’s she had not known that Ayanna suffered from diabetes. Faye smiled slightly as she thought that her mother was not an addict as the paper had said so many years ago but had diabetes, she must had washed her needles so she could reuse them as she must only had a few. However still stuck with this problem Faye decided to take Alice some where that no one could trace her to them. She then drove the van that Ayanna had hid her two kidnapped victims in to New Orleans. She then got Ayanna back to the hospital, without anyone knowing that she was even aware that Ayanna had escaped again. But when she went back to check on the little girl she found out what big mistake she had made leaving the child there…there with her own father, how was she to know?
By the time she found out what big mistake she had really made, the child had already been released from the hospital. Faye needed to know if the child had seen her. The only way she could find the child was to stick close by the child’s father. That was when she met Lynn. She took one look at Lynn walking into the hospital and something told her to get to know this woman, she was all the more interested when she heard Lynn ask the nurse how Jay had done over night. “Your husband slept just fine all night Mrs. Parker, his nurse for the day would be in shortly” replied the nurse as she was entering the elevators. Faye waited around the hospital until she saw Lynn heading down to the cafeteria she follow and allowed her self to strike up a conversion just in time for Lynn to begin looking for a table in the over crowded cafeteria, Faye offered “you can join me if you like” and lead Lynn to a table she had already picked out far off in the corner. Their started off slowly but was soon in a fast pace conversion Faye noted just how close they looked like sisters. As much as this was moving too fast, and seemed too easy, with all the mess she had allowed Ayanna to led her into she knew very well that she had found her sister, if it was at all possible.
Faye had been waiting for hours for Doctor Walters to arrive; he had since taken over Doctor Knot’s position. She had spent the time thinking back to the first meeting she had in this same room. Moments later the doors opened and in came the always friendly faces of James and Christina Thymes, they were the two attendants that were assigned to Ayanna’s ward at nights. They were one of three husband and wife pair that lived on the grounds of the sanatorium as in-house attendants. Although in their early fifties they were the youngest couple and the only ones that knew her mother when she first came to Lakeside. It seemed that Ayanna had taken off three days ago, that in it self wasn’t such a big deal but she had said something about New Orleans and the strangers thing is that the police had asked some questions sometime ago about the hospital’s old green van that had been missing one time a few years ago, when Ayanna had taken off. Faye knew that whenever Ayanna “Arrived” she was continuing where ever she had left off at with just small snatches of the present. She knew that as always Ayaana was off to find her babies. And for the past seven years she had been looking in New Orleans (which was the last place she had seen Alice) as she was “arriving’ less often now it was a slow process and things was still happening when she was in her state of “still life” from the time Alice was left at the hospital until she was moved to the conversant home Ayanna had not “Arrived” once. It had taken almost five years for her to find out that Alice may had been moved to a home to heal, unless she had family that claimed her and took her home. Ayanna was already two days ahead of her Faye though, but she was okay with that what because she knew that Ayanna didn’t know that not only was Alice not still in the hospital but she was up and around. But that more then worried her. She had all but forgotten that Alice was in New Orleans where Ayanna was heading. If Alice could identify Ayanna they would both be in big trouble. After a nice shower and a good night sleep she would catch a flight to New Orleans where she knows she would some how find her mother. She just hopes that she did before there was a run in with Ayanna, Alice, and Nina. She had no idea if either of them would recognize each other. She also hoped that the girls didn’t run into her there either. There is no way that she would be able to explain her being there. And her worse fear of all was that Ayanna just might finally run into Lynn. And if she thought that she looked anything like Ayanna even a blind man could see that Lynn looked more like Ayanna then any other person on this earth. Faye just needed to make one call before the plane took of. Hello Jayson answered on the first ring. He must have been waiting for someone to call, she thought. “Mother” is that you Jayson said startling her. “Mother”Jayson said impatiently is that you, Mother. Hello, Hi Jayson no it’s me Faye, she answered. Well hello Faye good news, huh when did you get my message? Just a little while ago” she lied” but I didn’t understand it, what’s going on? She asked. Great news “he said” they really got a lead. Mother got the F.B.I to review the video again, based on something that Nina thought she had remembered. About the van and even though the video wasn’t that clear they were able to make out that it was in fact a hospital vehicle, with green plates. They were checking a couple of states with green license plates.
Faye arrived at the airport only to find that the reservations she had for a rental car had been lose due to her being a day late. And then got to the hotel and damn if she hadn’t lost her room as well. New Orleans was just not the place to be in June she thought. She remembers an old college friend telling her about a family vacation in New Orleans and staying in a bungalow in the French Quarters. She thought that would be perfect for her. She would enjoy seeing the everyday culture rather then the tourist version of New Orleans. She found no trouble hailing a cab or renting a bungalow that she thought was just divine. She was already a day late now, and even though she could have taken a cab to the hospital and maybe wait around, she knew that Ayanna would show up sooner or later and maybe it would do her some good to be there on time for a change. But seeing the French Quarters stirred up so many spiritual feelings in Faye she just wanted to hang around for a while. After enjoying a nice walk up the Broadway with all the sidewalk cafés with jazz music piped out for entertainment, Faye knew she had better get started with something or she would turn this into a vacation. Faye got her self a cab to get to a car rental place almost two hours drive. Straight from there she went to the Jane Dubois convalescent home. Hoping all the time that none of the same people are working there that had been there back when she went to visit Alice. Faye had only wanted to check on her and see that she was going to survive this thing. She was just glad that Alice had not remembered her. She always thought that she could deny it if Alice ever said that she knew her. But with all that Alice had been through she knew that Alice had not lost her Strong mind or strong will. And she knew that any one who knew Alice wouldn’t doubt her for long. Walking through the door Faye wanted to run back out and end all of this craziness’ but she knew that she needed to somehow make it right if she was to have her whole family together, with Lynn doing so well Faye hoped that the two of them could take care of their mother together. Faye approached the front desk to see Ms. Leslie the same woman that worked the desks back when she was visiting Alice. Worse then that she had the untidy habit of remembering both Names and faces. Luckily she used a false name and wore a wig then. But she couldn’t fool old Ms. Leslie, “hey Ms. Williams it’s been a long time since you’ve been around here’. She decided to play it cool “yes, yes Ms. Leslie it has been a long time. I understand that Ms. Parker is doing very well with family now? I kept up with her case as they searched for someone to identify her, heard that a doctor came visiting your facility recognized her. What chance in a million huh? “Yeah I should say so”. What can I do for you now Ms. Williams? “I’m looking for a woman who may have come here in the past two or three days looking for Ms. Parker, she may or may not know her real name. No, No one had been here about her in years up until the other day. The other day you say? Ask Faye. Yeah Ms Parker her self came in with three other young ladies, her daughter-in-law and granddaughters twins the granddaughters was, beautiful young girls, looks just like younger versions of there mother. Hey you kind of favor them your self. Me nooo... Well they do say everyone have some one that looks like them. I need to get going Faye says looking at her watch. But I’ll be here in state for a few more days if a woman do happens by asking about Ms. Parker can you give me a call? Faye asked as she handed the older woman her number.
It was morning and Faye only had time on her hands now she wasn’t sure what she should do. She left her bungalow and wandered down stairs, she could see the food from the café she thought, however it wasn’t the café food that she smelt but the food from the small restaurant just below her bungalow, street level. It had a upstairs that was on the street level that was just more then a pub, then it’s downstairs which can be enter both from the inside of the pub by some stairs in the far corner just past the kitchen and from the outside by descending a flight of stairs below street level. Faye lingered at the door of this pub at street level, enjoying both the aroma and the sounds. She was pulled out of her day-dream by the feeling of staring. She looked up to meet the eyes of a man that was approaching her. She could see it was the handsome guy that she saw yesterday working behind the counter. May I help you he asked? Yes, if you can tell me where I can find a hair salon “she answered”. Great place just a couple of streets over at the corner take a right, go two blocks and you can’t miss it. It’s appointments only, but Ask for Rita “he yelled” after her, tell her Clive sent you, she’ll take you right away. Faye had her hair done up in tiny braids and dyed a reddish-brown. She had thought to have her hair cut in a short bob but thought better of it knowing that she would soon hate short hair and it would be a long time growing back. She had never had short hair before. She returned to her room, it was a beautiful sunset and she had hopes of having a quick shower and relaxing to watch the completion of it. But she was not only tired and hot but she was hunger as well. The beautiful sunset and music was starting to wear on her emotions. It’s been so long since she’d the company of a man. She had tried to maintain a relationship for a short time after she moved in with the Parkers but that had gotten a little sticky. Then she tried to have a few friends without getting serious but that too proved to be too much. So for the past four and a half years she’ve had not friend nor foe other then the folks involved with this family. But it was all for a good cause. Now all she needed to do was clean up her mother’s tracks. She shook off her yearning and reminded herself that she was here on business. Faye showered quickly and run down to the pub for some take out. She stopped on the stairs to enjoy the soft Caribbean music, that a band was playing just outside the row of bungalows that they knew was always rented to tourist that would enjoy the short skits and when they heard them again in a few hours they would pay the cover charge to get into the pub that subbed as a night-spot, both before and after club hours. Being the first in her row of upstairs bungalows she was not moved to hear footsteps coming up the outside stairs. She was laid back with her eyes closed after enjoying her meal. She was surprised when she heard a voice and opened her eyes and was staring into the dreamiest brown eye she’d ever seen, she could only see one eye as the other one was blocked from her view by the banister post. She gasped! She had not heard anyone come into the gate or up the stairs. There was no other way anyone could have gotten onto the veranda with her without coming into her room. “Sorry mad ‘am” I didn’t mean to impose on you, or frighten you. I’m Clive; remember me from the shop down stairs. “Yes” I remember thanks for the referral. “You welcome” by the way you look great. But I just wanted to let you know that the band would be playing full sets down stairs in about an hour and I want to invite you down to hear them. Faye hadn’t known how long she had slept but she knew she had because the music had Change to some light Jazz from a juke box; it was no longer the band playing its high beat scales. She looked around still trying to ground herself, the sun had all but set there was only a dark purple hazy left in the sky. “Thank you” she said offering him her hand, I’m Faye, Faye Austin again “thank you so much but I won’t be able to join you tonight“. “Ms. Austin” Clive said with a smile that melted everything she had in her. In her haste to control her emotions she had missed everything else Clive had said. They stared at each other him waiting for her answer and her trying to figure out what he had just said. Please Ms. Austin just trying to entertain you a little you can have some fun while you here can’t you. I sorry Clive you said? Well Clive I really not her on vacation, I’m here for business, and I need to be up and at it early. Great “Clive replied” no more work for you tonight! You had a short nap, it’s almost seven thirty now, a few hours of fun and we’ll have you in by ten and I’ll get you a ringer to phone you in the morning. Six, six thirty tomorrow? Clive asked as if it was all settled. And he knew that it was when she answered seven please. Well then mad ‘am I shall return in ten minutes. Ten minutes? She started to protest a quick shower he said Emphasizing Quick! With the click of his fingers. Heading down stairs he turned, by the way your hair does look gorgeous; my sister Rita can work magic, can she? Not that you needed it.
Ten o’clock came and went. Faye had not had this kind of fun since she was in college. She found him self thinking about it and what she has given up so far to have some family. From finding Ayanna to finding Lynn and cleaning up this mess she felt hurt. Her first show of regret, she didn’t think for a second it would take this long, cost this much. Almost fourteen years After finding Ayanna, trying to follow her and finally when she thought she was right there she have this mess to clean up it alone had taken her over eight years.
Faye woke to the ringing of the phone; her head was fogged from just plain fun! But it was short-lived when she was rudely reminded just what she was there for. She caught the very end of a news brief that should the static filled @@@@@image of the green van that the F.B.I had found; she only heard that it belonged to a mental sanatorium called Lakeside. It had been out of use for some time before it was spied in New Orleans, and it was a part of the investigation into the kidnapping of the mother and daughter of a high profile elected official of New York. She knew her time was up as soon as some one spoke to Doctor Knots. She’d remembered that he found out about the van and allowed it to go as long as there were no damages, he had said. He’d allowed this at Faye request, as a favor for you Ms. Austin he had said. At the time Dr. Knots Had showed some interest in Faye. He was an up and coming new Whiz kid in the field and the sanitarium was lucky, damn lucky to have him. And one would have thought that Faye would have been damn lucky to have had the opportunity. But Faye was even younger and she was looking for her self, her past and future, she hadn’t seen what the doctor was feeling for her until much, much later by this time she had found Lynn and her family. She was not willing to give up any chances she had of being a part of this family, she had no interest in starting a family or waiting around for however long it would have taken to find out if she’d even had a chance at starting a family of her own. At that time she could see past Lynn and her mother. After hearing only a small part of the news Faye knew she had better get her head back into the problem at hand. She drove back out to the hospital but when she reached reporters were every where. They acted as if there were some real evidences. She tried to stay in the shadows but with all the reporters she couldn’t see anything any stood the risk of getting noticed. She would call it a day for the hospital and make a run cross-town to the Jean Dubious Convalescent Home. It was far out in the country just out side of the bayous. She feared that Ayanna may have gotten lost out there. She may be hurt or worse drowned. With this in mind she floored the car. She knew she could easily spend weeks out there and not find her and how was she to know what would be out in that swamp? It had taken her hours combing through the thickets before it came to her that there was no way she was going to find anyone out there alone. If she’s on the move and they’re on the move they could both be going around each other. Heading back to her car she noticed she had scratches all over her arms and legs and even one on the side of her face and one on her neck. Her clothes were torn to shreds from the whip like vines. Faye sped back to town to her bungalow hoping not to run into Clive. But dreading that she couldn’t spend some time with him. She had enjoyed him last night and wanted to spend more time with him but she knew that she could not chance getting distracted. All these years with out a man she didn’t realize how much she missed and wanted someone. Faye was relieved to pull up just pass six in the evening and find the Lyon’s Den in its full evening bliss with Clive caught too busy to be lingering. She hurried up to her room inside she went directly to her answering machine which she noticed blinking the second the door opened. There were six messages that she thought about ignoring, but who would be calling her. She knew that one was Clive and she just couldn’t wait to hear his voice. She also hoped that one of the messages was from Chris letting her know that Ayanna had returned on her own. Faye smiled brightly as she listened to each of the first four massages which were all from Clive. He told her hold great he felt to have spent time with her and his hopes of seeing her again soon. She was so engrossed in her glory that she had forgotten that there had been six messages, then came a voice that she had not recognized it surprised her that it was not Clive voice. It was a detective La’Roch from the New Orleans’ police department. He was the lead investigator of a Jane Doe case. They had talked before some years ago when he visited a hospital in Maine; he was following a lead and went up to Hollis, Maine. She hit the replay button three times before she clearly understood what he was saying. How could they’ve founded her here? No one knew she was here? Faye set for a while before she listened to the last message, she just couldn’t handle any more surprises. But the last message was just what she needed to help relieve some of the panic. It was from the Jean Dubois Center, “Ms. Williams this is Mrs. Leslie at The Dubois center, you asked me to give you a call if anyone else came around looking for Mrs. Parker. Well just about three thirty this afternoon a woman came around, she kept repeating Alice where are you Alice? I don’t know what she was talking about until I remembered you coming by and me telling you that Mrs. Parker came by with another woman and her granddaughters. Then I noticed that you all looked so much alike. That is you, her daughter-in-law, the granddaughters and then the woman that came this afternoon all look so much alike. I mentioned that to the detective that came after the police were called. “Well truth be told its been a long, crazy day give me a call and I’ll explain I’m here until nine.
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