don't tell

Chapter 4

" Okay so when you say related what do you mean exactly."

max asks while the others held a shocked face.

"What other related is there?" laisha says giving a 'duh' tone.

"okay, okay, but how!?" she asks again.

"i dont know. well im not for sure but it's just that, when i look at this picture of him he looks so familiar and i noticed the birthmark he has on the side of his neck there in the picture. my mom has the same one and the more i look at him the more i can see perfectly he has simillar features to her as well."

"surely there's still no way, right? a mere coincidence perhaps."

'' I knew you'd say that but look."

laisha pulls out her wallet from her bag which contains an old picture of her mom. she flips it around and holds it up for the others to see.

"see it has my moms full name and the date. this was an old picture before she died and before she married my dad. her real name was jennifer mae Ogmund."

"awe, laisha i'm so sorry for your loss. she seems wonderful and looks beautiful, but-"

"what the hell!"

max cuts stephanie off.

"so you and the old man are really related so he's your grandpops then!?"

"i'm not sure but... i think so?"

the three of them look over to john who is only looking at the table at first in confusion. he looks up suddenly looking back at them and quickly putting his hands up in deffense.

"don't look at me i had no idea the proffesor even had a child at all, let alone a granddaughter. hell i hadn't even known the old chap had a lady of his own."

john finished again muttering the last part to himself while sighing and looking off to who knows where looking stressed again.

"thats because you are cooped up in here like an old hermet crab." max says aloud.

the girls sniker at her remark but quickly clasp their hands over their mouths. they turn to john and he looks annoyed but otherwise uneffected.

"right, well... more tea anyone?"

he says with a forced smile before taking his mug and ours even if we werent finished and walks off once again muttering something about not being that old. we watch him walk off and max quickly goes to question stephanie with her head and body leant onto the table whispering making us do the same.

"hey so how old do you think he is anyways?" she asks.

"yeah steph i mean, i don't mean to assume again but you seem quite fond of him surely you have to know?"

"what!?"

"shhhh." we shush her quickly as she shouts aloud.

"well i mean... i know how old he is, yes but it is not because i fancy him."

"sure." max says whispering to laisha making them snicker at the comment.

"i do not! you two can get the idea out of your head this instant."

"whatever, okay just tell us" max says hastily.

"he's 47 soon to be 48."

"do you want to talk about it?" laisha says making the two burst into laughter.

"if your'e suggesting i have issues with my father like you americans like to say you're very wrong."

max and laisha laugh still clutching their stomach and sides while stephanie just sits with an annoyed expression. finally when they gain their bearings back they apoligize and continue to discuss the matters at hand.