Legion of Loch Ness

Chapter Ten

          Noah was looking forward to a quiet evening as he drove home. His life had been a little too dramatic lately. All in all, he'd say today had been a rather calm day and would be perfect if he could go straight to bed unnoticed. He knew he'd missed another fundraiser this morning, and he just wasn't in the mood to hear the usual disappointment from his dad. Before he could open the door himself, his mother opened it and welcomed him with a bright smile.

         "You're finally home honey, we've been waiting for a while."

          "Sorry, I'm late. I had practice."

          "It's fine, come on in. I have a surprise. There's someone I want you to meet.".

           Noah had to admit, he was taken aback. They never had anyone over at their home. While it was a part of his job to meet and charm numerous people on a daily basis, in his private life his father had very few friends. He liked their home to be very calm. That was why Noah always preferred to visit Jason or Victoria instead of inviting them over. If his dad had allowed someone into their home, he must either be a big donor, or a very influential politician. Noah, curious now, followed his mother to the living room.

           The Everett home was as beautiful today as it had been a hundred years ago when his great grandfather the first Senator Everett had purchased it. The family took great pains to maintain its stately yet subdued appearance. Everything in his family was about looking just right, thought Noah disgustedly. The entire house was done in shades of ivory and brown. As he walked into the living room, he saw two dark heads conversing softly. There was his father with his usual pensive expression as he listened to their "guest". As they heard the approaching footsteps, both men stopped talking at once and turned to look at them. At six feet tall, his father was a tall, lean figure. Years of golf and tennis had kept him in good shape. The stranger, however, seemed to tower over him and was closer to Noah's own height. A pair of cool grey eyes scrutinized Noah's every step.

         "Ah, you're home, Noah. I want you to meet your Uncle Ethan. He has returned to Chicago after a very long time."

        "Uncle Ethan?" Noah looked at the stranger a little closely. He wasn't aware of this uncle's existence until today.

        "Yes, he was married to Aunt Rachel honey, and moved to England shortly after her death," his mother explained. There was something vaguely familiar about this man. Noah felt a tingling of alarm as both he and Ethan continued to stare at each other. After a moment Noah, remembering his manners, extended his hand to shake, but Ethan, instead of taking his hand, pulled him into a hug. This is strange, thought Noah, as he politely hugged him back and stepped away from him. Ethan kept staring at him. Noah didn't know what to make of his scrutiny.

        "Well now that everyone is here, let's go to the dining room."

          Dinner was as formal as always with Noah's dad dominating the conversation. He seemed a little nervous around Ethan though, Noah noticed. This was interesting, as his father rarely seemed nervous around anyone. His mother was her sweet talkative self.

         "Ethan, seeing you after all this time reminds me of Rachel, and all the wonderful times we had together," she said wiping a tear. Ethan gave her a small smile and put his hand on hers comfortingly. Ethan had been unable to focus on much of the dinner conversation. He couldn't stop looking at the boy. He could not believe his eyes. The boy was a mirror image of him. He was surprised no one else had noticed this fact before. His instinct was telling him something his mind wasn't ready to accept. How could it be possible? His mind replayed the dizzying events of that night eighteen years ago. He had run to her even then, hoping against hope that maybe their child was there and he could have saved it. She had already lost the child. That night had destroyed every last vestige of hope he had held forever finding any peace in this world. He had ceased to exist emotionally, since then. And yet here he was eighteen years later, sitting at his deceased wife's sister's house staring at what could only be his child.