Secrets (17 page)

“I believe that
there is a rather large elephant in this very small room,” BB
declared as he pulled out an expensive bottle of old scotch.
“Perhaps, we need some help to loosen up our interactive skills.”
He poured them each a glass and lifted his in toast.

“I am looking
forward to learning as much as I can about you and your lifetime in
this short trip. I am not a young man. I do not have the luxury of
decades in which to embrace the fact that I have a son, even though
that thought gives me a great deal of joy.” He took a sip of his
scotch and continued. “The truth is, Mike, that I have rehearsed
these first few words countless times, and I do not seem to be able
to express myself very eloquently.”

Mike took a sip
of the wonderful old scotch and listened. BB’s revelation surprised
him. It never occurred to him that the self-assured, accomplished
man in front of him could be nervous. He took a deep breath.

“I will be
honest,” he began, “I have been debating what and how I would say
what I think that we both need to discuss. The truth is I’m not
even certain what that is, or should be. I am very happy not only
to meet you, but to get to know you.”

“And yet, I am
so angry! I’m angry with my mother, with her little secrets, and
with the way that she and Steve’s mother screwed around with our
lives. It is as though we, the men that we became, were
inconsequential. What they did has changed a great deal inside of
me, and I’m not even certain that I know what it is yet.”

“A good point
to begin,” BB stated as he sat back into his chair and swirled his
drink. “I will admit that I have a tremendous amount of anger
towards your mother as well. She knew very well how much I have
always wanted a family of my own. I was one of those British
children that was raised by nanny’s and trotted out to company in
Sunday dress, and then trotted back to the children’s wing to be
unseen and unheard.”

“I was shipped
off to boarding school at a very young age. Perhaps, that is where
I learned self-discipline and to never show emotion. In that
situation, it stood me in good stead. It certainly did in the Air
Force,” he smiled at that thought.

“The first time
that my father even acknowledged my existence, was the night that I
worked up enough courage to tell him that the RAF was where I
wanted to be. He was furious! First, that I would do something so
‘rash’ without his permission, and secondly, that I chose not to go
into the family firm of barristers. Since I was not of the age of
majority, a compromise was struck.”

“I would
continue my education and once graduated, the discussion would take
place again regarding the RAF. In retrospect, my father acted and
argued the same as he would have a court case, which was what he
knew. He had no idea how to reach out emotionally. Unfortunately,
that was the height of emotion that our relationship ever took.
Sad, really.”

Mike sighed,
“That really is sad. Why did they even have children if they didn’t
want them?”

“Appearances,
my boy, appearances. Those in a certain socio-economic class did
things that way. My mother was not a cold woman, she simply had no
idea how to deal with us. It was easier to go with the flow as they
say, and hire staff to raise my brother and I. I did finish
university, and I did join the RAF! The war had broken out by then,
and there was no arguing my choice. I was sent to a training school
in Brandon, Manitoba in Canada to learn to fly. It was the safest
place from the Germans."

“My uncle
Stefan taught flying in Brandon at that time!” Mike exclaimed. “You
must have run into him!”

“Ivan said the
same thing, and apparently, I was there after he was injured
training a young pilot that crashed their aircraft. I must say that
I’m sorry to never have had the opportunity to meet him,” BB
answered.

“Unfortunately,
my brother, your uncle, was killed in France on an operation. It
was my mother’s undoing. Sadly, she was never the same again. My
father wanted to fly her to Canada for the duration of the war, but
she wouldn’t hear of it. To her credit, she worked for the Red
Cross during the war, helping those that were injured.”

With that he
pulled out some photos from a briefcase. “These, Mike are your
grandparents and my brother,” he said, handing Mike the photos. His
grandparents were handsome people. His grandmother was a stunning
brunette, superbly dressed and posed as was done in old photographs
of this vintage. His grandfather was blonde, and had his hand
resting possessively on his wife’s shoulder. Beside them, were two
young men. BB, he recognized immediately, the brother was slightly
different, but their family resemblance rested in the eyes. His
grandfather, BB, and his uncle had the very same eyes. As did he.
It was uncanny.

“It was after
the war, when I was stationed in Germany, that I met Ivan Toth. My
lifelong friend from boarding school, Paul Hunter, was also
stationed there. Paul, Ivan and I were, for lack of a better word,
gadabouts! We definitely sowed our wild oats. Then we met your
mother and Steven’s.”

“I often
wonder, what would have happened if they had been honest with the
three of us, instead of taking matters into their own hands. We
shall never know, shall we? So, my son, as a result of their
actions, here we sit on a train, trying to assimilate a lifetime’s
worth of knowledge about each other.” BB took a long drink, sat
back and swallowed his scotch.

“It’s in my
court now,” thought Mike. “What do I say? How do I say it? Where do
I start?” Deciding to take a page out of BB’s book, Mike pulled out
his computer. “I sifted through a bunch of family photos and made a
file for you to see and to have, if you wish.”

Once the
computer was up and running, he selected the file and shifted his
chair closer to BB’s to show him the pictorial, which began with a
baby picture, taken at his christening. In the photograph, were his
grandparents, Maria and Mikael and his parents, Ivan and Ilsa.

“Sonya has an
extremely strong resemblance to her grandmother,” BB remarked as he
put on his glasses. “You are as blonde as I imagined that you would
have been as an infant.” They progressed through the slideshow,
with BB remarking on each in his own indomitable way.

“Ah, so this is
your uniform for the game of hockey,” he declared at a little
league photo. “You were tall for your age. All Blackburns have been
tall at this age. Why did you choose to play and what age did you
begin?”

Interesting
questions, Mike mused. “I was about five, which was when I learned
to skate. My father coached pee-wee league hockey, so it was almost
a given that I would play. John did too, but he was better than I
was. He even played hockey in University. I imagine that hockey is
a bit like cricket or soccer in England; if you’re a boy, you’re
expected to play. Did you?”

“For the honour
of my school, I most certainly did play! There were great rivalries
between school sports teams at the time. I suppose, today, things
might be different. The world is so different now, even though we
believe that we keep up.”

They continued
through the slideshow, and when it was done, BB did request a copy.
Mike took a DVD out of his computer bag. “I made one in case you
were interested,” he replied with a grin.

Then they rose,
walked out the door and proceeded to the dining car, spending a
truly enjoyable evening of good food, good wine and good
conversation.

Lights
glimmered, candles glowed, crystal clinked and silver sparkled.
BB’s beautiful home was alight with music, merriment and the stuff
of which memories were made.

Never, in all
of her dreams, had Sonya envisioned attending a party so elegant.
Hell, a week ago, she feared that her honeymoon would end in her
husband’s premature death! Now, they were standing in BB’s
beautiful home, dressed in chic clothing, drinking superb wine and
feasting on fine French food. They had gone from one extreme to
another.

Bryan was
attired in a beautiful suit, silk tie and hand tailored shirt. The
crisp white of the shirt did, however, tend to emphasize his
beginning to fade bruises, but Sonya felt that he looked dashing
nonetheless and that the bruises lent him a rakish air.

Standing by her
husband’s side, resplendent in a royal blue silk sheath, Sonya
surveyed the people mingling around the living and dining rooms.
Some she knew, others were total strangers. It did her heart good
to see the comfortable relationship that had seemed to have
developed between BB and Mike on their sojourn to Tuscany. They
both seemed relaxed and happy. Mike had raved about the villa in
Tuscany, and BB had promised a family reunion there. She was
looking forward to that party already, and this one was not yet
over!

Steve and Mimi
wandered over to visit. They were a good pair, Sonya decided, and
hoped that their relationship would deepen and flourish. Both would
be making the trip to Calgary with them, as Steven would pilot and
BB co-pilot the jet that he owned.

What a way to
travel! Sonya loved the little jet that John’s company owned, and
commercial travel really did suck by comparison. Not that she could
afford a private jet, but at least she could say that she’d been a
passenger a few times.

“Daydreaming?”
Bryan asked quietly whispering in her ear.

“Not really,
just taking count,” Sonya replied. “Much as I’m loving this place,
it’s time to get home. I got an email from Linda today and there
are some projects to which I really need to give some attention.
Not to mention, Linda can go back to part-time, when I am back on
the job. We’ve already extended our vacation by a week, so that you
could get back on your feet.”

“Are we going
to tell the family what happened here?” Bryan asked.

“I can’t see
how we can avoid it! You’re still pretty bruised and that alone
would be hard to hide,” Sonya replied. “Do you have reservations
about telling them?”

Bryan grinned.
“Naw, it’s kinda cool now that it’s all over and done with. But,
I’ve decided something. When they dragged me out of the car after
the kidnapping, my glasses fell on the ground. Grégoire, the
bastard, took great pains to grind them with his heel. He knew how
little I could see without them.”

“The hood was
for intimidation. I couldn’t see the guys I didn’t know without my
glasses and he knew it. I’m going to have laser eye surgery when we
return home. I’ve always been going to, but never got around to it.
Is that okay with you?”

Sonya slid her
arm around her husband’s waist. “How absolutely terrifying that
must have been for you! I’m so sorry that you had to go through
that. Laser surgery sounds like a great option.”

Finally, the
party ended, people left, and all that remained were those living
in the house and Steve and Mimi, who were staying overnight to keep
things simple.

“I believe that
was a successful
soirée
,” BB exclaimed. “I very much wanted
to introduce my son to those that matter, and also to provide Sonya
and Bryan with a pleasant memory to take home with them.
Santé!"
he saluted
. "
We shall leave from the garage
at nine in the morning, is that acceptable? Good!
Bonsoir!
”
he exclaimed.

“BB sure is
different than he seemed when we first met him, isn’t he?” Sonya
asked as they prepared for bed.

“Yeah, a lot
looser than I thought he could be. I think that he and Mike are
getting along okay, don’t you?” Bryan replied, stifling a yawn.

“I agree!
“Turning out the bedside lamp, Sonya snuggled into her husband,
smiled and without a worry, spent her last night on French
soil.

###

Nancy Maralyn
Popovich

A native of
Montreal, Nancy has lived with her husband in the Canadian Western
Provinces for the past forty years. Creating art and reading
voraciously since childhood, purebred dogs became a passion in
early adulthood. Her career required writing skills, but it has
been since retirement and the availability of more time that the
passion for writing has been satisfied. You can contact Nancy and
preview her other novels at:

www.nancypopovoch.com.

Here is a
glimpse of the continuing story of the Toth Cousins in the next
book in the Spy Series,
BACKLASH
. Will Sonya and Bryan be
able to recover from their ordeal? Will Mike and BB establish a
connection? Will Steve and Mimi’s relationship become something
special? Take a peek at this preview of

It seemed,
Sonya thought, that most of the important occasions in her large
family took place in the restored Victorian home belonging to her
sister, Susan. She and her husband, Kevin, had the largest home of
all of the Calgary cousins, and it was where they tended to
congregate when everyone was in town for a celebration. Or a
funeral, which was not as uncommon as one might think, given the
size of the Toth family.

It was also
where she and her husband, Bryan, were living until they could
accumulate enough money to buy their own home. They paid only
expenses for their homey little third floor apartment, which
allowed them to salt away both of their salaries for a down payment
on a home of their own. Susan and Kevin’s many kindnesses to them
were something that Sonya would appreciate forever.

Tonight’s
occasion was somewhat uncommon, but not the first of its type that
the family had attended over this past year. She was grateful that
their family were close knit enough that these small bumps in the
road could be taken in stride. More or less. To be honest, these
bumps had been more like landslides it seemed at times, tumbling
and changing family relationships like dice rolling in a cup.