Deceiving Love

Remeber Spring 1989

January 21, 2017

Dear Anna,

T's unknown this mist hanging above the horizon till dusk. Until sunrise be wary, you watch it, it watches you. When it spears the eye with rays of light, the everlasting dark moonlight will be following behind. Meanwhile, I will watch you, I will keep you safe. As long as you remember the love that started in spring 1989:

We were young and bold when we met at the top, high in the sky above the city of love. Since then I have never been the same after having seen the sunshine before my eyes, dazzling a true darling. I told her "it feels good to look in the wrong direction," but she replied instead "it is better when you know you are lost but it feels right." I was lost in her eyes, the wrong direction was meant that I could have been looking at the view below me, but all I could see was her. I was lost and it felt right. I told her "I will be the light of the sun, always fallin' in love," she smiled, looked through the telescope, and whispered, "then I will be flames of the torch, be yours to hold it high."

As long as you remember the love that started in spring 1989,  I will watch you, I will keep you safe.

Love, J.

My father must have wanted no one else to find out that he was alive and about his whereabouts, therefore this letter had hints and clues hidden in prose. I took the liberty to reveal each clue possible by analyzing each separately. I took a red ink pen and started on annotating:

"T's unknown this mist hanging above the horizon till dusk. Until sunrise be wary, you watch it, it watches you,"  he must have been referring to the culprit that was behind him and who continued following and watching him. The following sentence made me feel quite uneasy about it "when it spears the eye with rays of light, the everlasting dark moonlight will be following behind.Meanwhile, I will watch you from here, keep you safe," I am not sure what he meant here, but I underline the words rays of light and dark moonlight. 

Further, he mentioned an important event that happened in spring 1989 that I would remember. And I did. He would tell me this story repeatedly night after night before putting me to sleep, to remind me of my mother. In spring 1989, my parents met at the Eiffel Tower in Paris, when they "were young and bold. Since then [he has] never been the same after having seen the sunshine before [his] eyes, dazzling a true darling;" my mother. He spoke with true honesty everytime he described my mother's bright blue eyes, just like mine. His story has always made me hope in finding love like my parents did, but it seemed far-fetched to dream so much. It is truly a beautiful story nonetheless. 

Lastly, "as long as you remember the love that started in spring 1989, I will watch you from here, I will keep you safe," the last sentence provided a possible leading hint. I just could not figure out what. I started mumbling and repeating the sentence in hopes of figuring this new lead: As long as you remember the love that started in spring 1989...As long as you remember the love...as long as you remember spring 1989. Then it hit me, my father wanted me to remember where they met. He wanted me to go to Paris and overlook above from the Eiffel Tower, in hopes of finding find him. He wanted me to come find him, otherwise it would have been too dangerous for him to show up here.

I called Clara immediately after my discovery:

"Anna hello, what is-?"

"Clara can you let Nancy know I won't be coming for work anymore. Effectively immediately."

"Anna, what are you talking about? Are you quitting?"

"No... I mean yes just until I find my father."

"What? Has he contacted you recently."

"Yes, and I know where he might be. I must go now, otherwise, I may be too late. Goodbye Clara." I didn't take a minute longer and hung up. I took the newspaper and the letter and headed to my room to start packing my bags. 

The medium-sized black duffel bag consisted of winter clothes, ranging from colorful scarfs and socks to warm jackets and coats. I was going to be taking the evidence, the newspaper and the letter, in a pack back along with Snow documents, my phone, passport, and money. Money! I would need a ton of cash to be going on a trip that I didn't know when it would end, I thought. Since I was 18, I could take money from the bank my aunt had opened for me since she took custody of me. She opened one and has been investing some money into it since then because she wanted me to have money once I left for college. It was under her name, but she gave me a credit card and revealed the pin code 6 months ago since she knew I was going to turn 18 in and in case I ended up needing the money for an emergency, which happened to be going to Paris to find my long-lost father. I needed money to book a one-way flight to Paris with no return date. I had no idea how long it would take me to find him, so I left out the return date. I searched for any possible flight on the 22nd of January and there was one from Air France leaving from San Diego at 12:50 with a connecting flight from New York to Paris. I paid for that flight and some extra for bringing in Snow along. I wrote a small note for Aunt Allena before leaving:

Allena I needed to go somewhere. I had to leave with no warning because it was last minute emergency, please do not worry about me, I am safe. I will call you once I arrive, it might take a while till then. 

I left the note on top of my bed and called a taxi to drop me off at the airport. 

Nervous yet excited, Snow and I took our path towards the unknown.