Chapter 12

Jon sat in his office reading and re-reading the letter.

What does she mean 'it was nice to sit and chat with you'? I don't remember even seeing her after graduation. Did I? And what about 'maybe not now, but in later years'?

He sat mulling over her words, staring at the letter. What had bothered him the most, however, was the writing on the envelope and at the bottom of the page. The handwriting looked like his own, but how could that be?

His eyes traveled around the surface of his large mahogany desk. He prided in the fact that he knew where everything was, even though it may look like a paper jungle to anyone else. 'Organized chaos' was what he called it. When his eyes came to rest upon one of his folders, he noticed that some of the papers were sticking out from the file.

Who was touching my 'Katrina" folder?

The strange sensation started again. The letter, the missing contents, her words and most of all, the handwriting. He recognized the sensation.

An urgency.

Picking up the phone, he dialed.

"Rich?"

*****

Morning was not a good time for Richie. Especially not before most of it had passed.

"Jon, this better be good."

"Rich, what the fuck is going on?"

Oh, this was good, alright. In fact, it was so good that it had Richie jumping up and walking aimlessly around in a circle before settling back on his bed.

"Wha.....what do you mean?"

"I got a mail today with Mrs. Ferguson's letter in it. It also had a newspaper clipping of her obituary."

Richie could feel his stomach starting to twist into a painful cramp. I'm gonna kill...

"Rich? You there?"

He had to think fast. "Who's Mrs. Ferguson?"

"Rich, the postmark was from California. The envelope was written in my handwriting. Now, I'm going to ask you one more time, what the fuck is going on?"

"What the fuck makes you think I had anything to do with it, Jon? I don't know any Mrs. Ferguson. And besides, I'm not the only person who lives in California, you know."

Jon ignored him. "The letter says something about a formula. Do you know anything about that?"

"No. Look Jon, it could be one of your stalker fans playing with you. I told you, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Fine." Jon was not convinced but he decided to let it go for now.

"By the way, are you going be home later tonight?"

"Yeah, I guess. Why?"

"Because Romeo wants to speak to his 'daddy'."

*****

"Get up, you little prick! What the hell did you do?"

Richie threw open the covers and dragged a half asleep Jon out of bed. Pushing him against a wall, he held him by his throat with one hand while pointing at him angrily with the other.

"Did you send that letter to Jersey?"

Jon's silence was answer enough for him.

"That's it, buddy. I've had it with you. You're on your own."

With that, he stormed out of Jon's bedroom, slamming the door for extra emphasis.

*****

Jon found Richie in the kitchen drinking his coffee and flipping through the day's newspaper.

"Rich...I..."

Richie ignored him.

Sighing, Jon helped himself to a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"I had to do it, Rich."

More silence ensued before Richie finally asked, "why?"

"Because he needed to see."

"What do you mean 'he'? You're him. Wouldn't you already know this?"

"He...I...lose that part of myself over the years."

"How would you know?

"I just feel it."

When Richie looked at Jon, he saw an understanding there that was indeed missing in the other. What it was, exactly, he didn't know, only that it was there.

"Rich, I can't do this by myself. I'm trying not to piss you off but there are some things I have to...need to do. Don't walk out on me now. Please."

Richie was quiet for a long time weighing the consequences. "Okay. But you're taking responsibility for whatever happens."

When he saw Jon's relieved grin, he added, "And I'm taking credit if things go right."

*****

"Hey, buddy, how was school today? I told you you would have fun, didn't I?"

"Look at what I draw, Daddy!"

"That's really good, son! Is that an airplane?"

Romeo scowled and snatched the paper back from his father. "No! That's a dog!"

Jon winced at his faux pas. When in doubt, always wait until they tell you what it is.

The hours leading up to dinner switched between Romeo's request to call 'daddy' and his demand to watch Aladdin, again.

This constant shift of attention had Jon wondering if Romeo was just going through some weird phase. He had never experienced this with any of the other kids and he was starting wonder if it was because they never went through it, or because he was hardly around to witness it.

Dinner was a lively affair as usual, with the younger kids retelling their day and the older ones' alternating replies of "nothing" and "I don't know" in answer to their parents' questions.

When his siblings finally went to their rooms to finish their homework, Romeo, again, asked to call his 'daddy'.

Dot had heard this for the first time and was rather bewildered by his request. "What is he talking about, Jon?"

Jon just shrugged. "I caught him calling Rich the other day. He said he was talking to 'daddy'. I don't know what's going through his mind, but he won't let up."

"So you're going to let him call?"

"Yeah, what harm could it do? Besides, I'm curious to see what happens."

Romeo followed his father into the office. Jon dialed Richie's number and waited. "Hey, Rich. I've got Romeo here."

He handed the phone to his toddler and sat down with great interest to listen, but was confused when after a few minutes of silence, Romeo smiled and handed the phone back to him.

*****

"Hey, Romeo. How are you buddy? Did you enjoy your first day of school?"

**Uncle Richie? Could I please speak to my father? Hurry, I can only stay for a few minutes**