Chapter 17
JONATHAN COMES HOME

A woman in her midthirties sat with her laptop in front of her, searching through the long-lost family stories data base. Bianca had done that every day since her mother passed away. She was determined to find her father. She would want her father to walk down the aisle on her wedding day. She would not have her mother with her, but she hoped to find that her father was alive and would honour her wish.

One day Bianca went on a training course where a certain gentleman also in attendance kept people laughing with jokes. She happened to sit at the same desk with him. The training was engaging, and she happened to perform all tasks with him. By the time the training ended, they had become acquainted and phoned each other regularly.

Then one day he asked her for a date. His name was Dominic, but he was affectionately called Dom. Dom was a thickset man with dark hair and blue eyes. He looked fatherly and behaved likewise, making people feel comfortable in his company. Bianca wondered why he was not a comedian instead of a nurse. But he had his nursing qualities too.

Soon Dom proposed to her, and she agreed but said she needed to find her father. He promised to help her do that. They searched all the social media but were not lucky in their search. Bianca read success stories on the long-lost families site, and finally she and Dom decided to register with the agency to help find Jonathan Anderson, her supposed father. The agency promised to get them answers.

Three months later, they got a phone call from the agency. They had a lead in Australia. Bianca hoped it was her father because he was last seen in Australia. When the agency were certain that they had found the right person, they notified Bianca to be ready to meet her father in London. She was over the moon and felt as if she was dreaming.

They decided that they would first meet in a café at the town centre, Waterloo Road. All arrangements had been made, and Bianca was excited and also nervous to see her father for the first time in her life. She rehearsed with Dom the best way to approach her father.

‘Just be yourself,’ Dom advised her. ‘He’s bound to be just as nervous.’

‘I hope it all goes well,’ Bianca said, sipping tea on a sofa. ‘I don’t even know if I have brothers or sisters. There is a lot to find out.’

 

Maria received a letter from Australia. Shaking, she read the return address. It was from Jonathan. Was he still in Australia? He had been there when she last heard from him. She went on to read the letter:

Dear Maria,

I know you must be wondering why you haven’t heard from me all these years. How is Mum? I am dying to see you all, especially Emma and Lilian. A lot happened when I left home. I cannot say everything here until we meet. I will be coming home soon for a short holiday and hope to spend time with the family. There is also something I would like you to know. I would be meeting a lady who claimed that I was her biological father and says my girlfriend Jane was her mother. I am not sure until I make the journey to England. I will be making the journey in summer and would like to know if I can stay for two weeks.

Your brother,

Joe

Maria cried for a while after reading the letter and turned to Ron. ‘He does not even know that his mother is dead,’ she said, sobbing.

‘Well, you must tell him,’ Ron advised.

Both were disappointed by Jonathan’s absence. They would have thought that he would keep in touch after he decided to stay. They didn’t even know that he and Jane were not together any more. It was decent for people to let family know where they were so they could communicate and share vital information.

Maria replied to the letter and wrote in the letter that his mother Maureen died of pneumonia five years ago but they could not trace him. They were however happy to have him stay with them for the two week period he requested.

Maria wrote:

Hello, my lost and found brother,

I am glad you have got in touch. A lot has happened during your absence. I regret to inform you that Mother died of pneumonia in her sleep on 20th August five years ago. We are excited to hear that you will be coming home. You are always welcomed home. We were never able to trace your whereabouts, but your room is still intact. We can’t wait to see you in the summer, and of course you are welcome to stay as long as you like.

Lots of love,

Maria xxx

That summer, Ron picked up Jonathan from Heathrow airport. It was a very long flight from Australia, but the fifteen-hour journey had not had any ill effect on Jonathan at all. He was chatty, and Ron began updating him on events since he left. Ron mentioned Tammy, who was born while he was away, and then Emma’s marriage and her baby.

Jonathan noted that he had a lot to catch up on and was looking forward to meeting the rest of the family.

When they got home, Maria was at the door and ran to hug him. ‘You silly boy, why didn’t you get in touch?’ she asked, almost screaming.

‘I am so sorry, sister, it was a long story.’

‘You still should have let us know,’ she insisted.

‘I admit that, and I am sorry,’ replied Jonathan, looking remorseful.

‘Mother is not here any more,’ Maria said.

‘Yes, you said in your letter, and I am so sorry for letting you down,’ he replied.

‘What happened to you, little brother?’ she asked.

‘Maria, let him have a rest. It was a long flight,’ Ron said.

Ron took his luggage from the boot of the car and led the way into his room. It was still the same room; not a lot about it had changed.

Jonathan shed his clothes and had a quick shower, which he desperately needed. Maria made him an English breakfast: sausages, eggs, fried mushroom, baked beans and some slices of buttered bread. He felt relaxed and at home. After breakfast, he retired to bed and had a long sleep. He woke up later that afternoon feeling refreshed. Tea was ready, so Maria asked what he would like for tea, he answered that Maria’s choice was always the best.

In three days’ time, he would be meeting this woman who was supposed to be his daughter, and if that was correct, she would be his only child.

‘So what is your story? What happened between you and Jane? We did not even know she was back here in England,’ Maria asked, curious.

‘We first went to China to see the Great Wall. It was a spectacular sight, which we both enjoyed. We then decided to go to Australia. We spent about a month there, and I liked the place so much that I asked Jane if we could stay. She did not agree; she said she could not stand to leave her entire family in England to relocate to a strange land. I gave her reasons for us to stay, but she just got angry one evening, took her bag, and left. I thought she would come back, but she never did. I wrote to her several times and got no reply. My heart was broken, but I got over it and got a job. It was a good job, so I got hooked into it until now.

‘For a long time I didn’t write out of guilt, but eventually I just felt it didn’t matter anyway.’

Ron and Maria listened, showing no emotions. They still felt that he should have contacted them even if he’d decided to stay. Maria described Maureen’s frustration when she was very ill, because she had not heard from her son.

‘So what’s this about a daughter?’ Maria asked at length.

‘I received a letter from a long-lost family agency about a girl who was searching for her father. The description of her father pointed to me. I was very surprised about that, as I have had no girlfriend since Jane left me, and she never said she was pregnant. Her number was provided in the letter for more information. I then learned that Jane was pregnant when she left. She decided not to have an abortion but had the baby, a girl she called Bianca. The team had been to Australia to have a chat with me, and I agreed to meet Bianca here in the United Kingdom.’

Jonathan was to meet Bianca in a restaurant in central London, where they would have lunch and try to establish a relationship.

 

Jonathan took a train from Erith station and headed towards Waterloo Road, feeling nervous all the way. He must be cautious to ask the right questions; he must make sure not to blow this opportunity; and moreover, he would like to know where Jane was. The journey seemed endless, but an hour and fifteen minutes later, he sat face to face with his supposed daughter.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw this blonde girl, and she reminded him of someone he knew. She was the spitting image of Jane. Wow, she is definitely Jane’s daughter, but is she mine? She has to prove it.

The young woman was well mannered and stood up when Jonathan arrived ten minutes late. She had got herself a glass of chilled Diet Coke and sat looking out through the window. The two began getting to know each other.

‘Sorry I’m late,’ Jonathan opened nervously.

That’s all right. I’ve not been waiting her long,’ she said, making it easy for him.

‘Thank you so much for looking for me.’ Jonathan said. ‘Your mother, Jane, was my girlfriend, but we parted in Australia. I had no idea that she was pregnant. I hope she said good things about me. If I had known she was pregnant, I would have come home with her.’

‘That was right; she told me good things about you and said I have your eyes. My mother never married but put all her energy into bringing me up. She wouldn’t marry because of me, even though I told her I wanted a sibling. Mum got breast cancer some years ago, which was diagnosed very late, and she died last year.’ Her voice trembled with emotion. ‘Before she died, she made me promise her that I would find you. I was looking for you now because I am engaged to be married, and I would like my father to give me away.’

‘Oh, that’s good news. I will be delighted to give you away. Who is the gentleman?’ Jonathan asked.

‘He is the gentleman sitting in the corner,’ she answered, and Jonathan turned to have a glimpse of him and nodded.

He turned back to her and asked, ‘What did your mother do for a living?’

‘She was a teacher,’ replied Bianca.

‘Do you know why she did not get in touch?’

‘I don’t know, but I think she was wrapped up in her career.’

‘I have missed a lot in your life,’ Jonathan said, feeling disappointed, ‘and I don’t know where to start. Your mum should at least have informed me about you. What have you been doing?’

‘I am a trainee nurse,’ Bianca replied. She cleared her throat. ‘Do I have any siblings?’

‘No,’ Jonathan replied quickly.

‘Why was that?’

‘I just didn’t think about having a family after your mother left,’ he said.

‘Did you love her?’

‘Of course I did,’ replied Jonathan, There was silence for a while.

‘I am glad that I found you,’ Bianca said. ‘All the things Mother said about you were true. She said you were good looking and spoke calmly and that you were very intelligent.’

‘I would like to visit your mother’s grave and place some flowers. She was the love of my life, and I let her down. I was arrogant and silly,’ he said, looking remorseful.

The long-lost family team had another task to complete, presenting the DNA results. A saliva sample was taken when he arrived at the airport, which was used to determine the paternity of Jonathan, and it soon confirmed that he was Bianca’s biological father.

Their meeting had gone well. Jonathan also told Bianca about her aunty Maria and the other members of the family. Some days later, the family met Bianca at the Mackintosh residence for a meal. When Jonathan left for Australia, he let everyone know he would be back for his daughter’s wedding.

While in Australia, he frequently heard from Bianca through letters and phone calls. His sister Maria also did not stop there but kept sending him information about events in England. The attention he received was super, so before his daughter’s wedding the next December, he asked himself, What am I bloody doing here? I have no family in Australia. My family is thousands of miles away! I should go back home. My family need me. I have missed the most important events of my life. Australia is a nice place to live, but it will be very nice with a family and I haven’t got one, so it’s time for me to go home.

The idea put smiles on his face. He should have made this decision twenty years ago. But it was not too late, he consoled himself.

He was a hard-working man. His life in Australia was centred in working, so he had earned a lot of money but made no serious friends. He led an isolated life, thinking that one day his girlfriend Jane would change her mind and walk through the door. He had waited and waited, but she did not return. She’d meant what she said: she did not want to settle in Australia.

His life was not exciting without Jane but he stayed because he was angry with himself. Now that he had got his family back, he would return to England, buy a property, and invest the rest of his money—and get a job. Who knew? He might even settle and try to find a woman.

He rang his daughter and told her his plans. She said it was a good idea, and she encouraged him to relocate back to England. Maria was also supportive, and before December, Jonathan had settled in England. He proudly gave Bianca away to the man she loved at their wedding.