Greg was a large, kindly, gentle man with grey hair and bright brown owl like eyes magnified by the spectacles he wore. Most often the spectacles were perched half way down his nose but without the spectacles he could hardly see a foot in front of him. He was the sort of man people immediately warmed to and trusted.
Having seen Sandy to her car he turned to begin the walk home. It was a beautiful autumn afternoon and the streets of Islington were at their best. Trees lined both sides of many streets and of course, the home owners in this borough took great pride in their gardens. Well, most did. There was the odd garden that was sorely in need of attention, but in the main they were well tended.
But on his walk home today he took little notice of his surroundings. He had much to think about and knew that as soon as he arrived home Julia would want to know what all the fuss was about.
Obviously, he would have to tell her about the child that had suddenly reappeared into Sandy’s life. This was one secret he had kept from Julia as it really wasn’t his secret to tell. But now she had to know.
He worried about the effect this reappearance was having on Sandy. Clearly she wanted to believe that this Barbara was her long lost daughter. And certainly the girl had some information on where and when she had been born, but was she really Sandy’s child?
What could he/they do to confirm her claim was legitimate? He had a friend who had been involved in some private detection company but Greg didn’t know if he was still involved. He’d give him a call when he arrived home. Although they had little to go on, not even knowing where the girl lived. But hopefully, they would have that piece of information once Sandy heard back from the girl. He’d feel better if he thought he was doing something to help Sandy.
When he arrived home Julia was waiting eager to hear just what had happened. He told her about the email, the meeting and the girl. She in turn, told him about the call from his son and the promise she had made that Greg would call him as soon as he arrived home. He knew 2.30 pm in London was 6.30 am in Vancouver but he also knew that his son would have hardy slept waiting for his father to call him.
So he made the call. Of course, Ian wanted to know how long Greg had known about this child given for adoption. When had he and his mother discussed this and when and why had they decided to keep it secret from him. Surely he had a right to know that he had a half sister somewhere in the world and maybe he might have wanted to find her.
Obviously, Ian was very upset and Greg did his best to placate him. He told his son that he was going to do all he could to confirm whether or not this Barbara was his mother’s daughter. She had some evidence but here were also several unanswered questions and Greg promised his son that he would do all he could to get them answered.
After brief chats with Val and the boys they said their goodbyes with Greg promising to be in touch again as soon as there was anything to tell.
Next it was a cup of tea with Julia attempting to answer more of her questions, and then the call to the friend who had been at one time, involved with a detective agency.
As expected the friend was out on Sunday afternoon but he left a message for him to call. Several hours later the phone call came. He told Greg that he was still involved with the detective agency and would see what further information he could gain about the young woman. Thanking him, Greg rang off.
Now Greg had to make a decision whether to tell Sandy that he had involved his friend. He knew she wanted answers to the questions and felt sure that she would agree with what he had done. He phoned her and she did readily agree.
Before they rang off they agreed to meet once Sandy had a response from Barbara to the email she had just sent. After that they could determine their next step.
“Cherish your human connections –
your relationships with friends and family.”
Barbara Bush – wife of the 41st President of the United States,
George H. W. Bush,
This is episode 8 in the Sandy Saga.
I choose how I will spend the rest of my life 