Remember To Forget

31

Her favorite childhood show was Tom and Jerry, Laura remembered that. She also remembered the color of her mother's eyes, they were brown and round like hers.

Sitting admist all the lack of clarity and commotion, she remembered him.

The man sitting still with a face that held no expression, while Sandra wailed, Lola looked confused and Matthew, sad.

After she had fallen from a cliff and hit her head, she had woken up in an isolated cabin. He was there with her.

"Uncle Tom?" Laura stirred on her seat as she moved her body to the edge of the couch, she stared at his face, searching for some sort of recognition.

He looked older, but his height never shrinked and his smile was still brief.

Yes, he was smiling at her, Laura thought, he was the man who wrote the letter.

She was about to rattle out all the questions in her head, but Sandra beat her to it.

"You! You're the man who gave Laura to me." It wasn't a question, Sandra was sure. Many night of dreams about a man that made her feel what no other man could. She never forgot him and by the calm smile on his face, he remembered her as well.

"Yes I am Uncle Tom and yes I am that man." Yinka observed everyone's faces before he concluded that it was best to start the story where it began.

Jonathan felt uncomfortable and misguided.

Yinka never told him about this part of the story, how did he know Sandra?

"And where do you suppose the story begins?" Jonathan asked.

Lola had left her father's side to a seat closer to Laura, Bola remained still as she was more perplexed than before.

Sandra's tears had dried up on her face, she was still crouched on the floor and Matthew was seated by his husband, he was the only one who appeared amused by the situation. Apparently, Sandra had told him she adopted Laura from an orphanage not that Laura was given to her.

"It begins from your mother."

Naomi's attention was brought back to earth when she noticed all eyes were on her.

"What?"

"My name is Mr Yinka Thomas, and I think you understand what I mean by this story begins from your side."

"I don't understand what you mean young man."

"Yes you do and the grey hair on my hair is proof that I am quite old withstanding my features."

Naomi glared at the old man furiously, she wasn't ready to speak. Her words was not rehearsed enough for a public confrontation.

"Come on Naomi, speak up. You promised." It was Sandra's frustrated words that jolted Naomi into action.

"I'm going to try to summarize all I know." She adjusted her skirt nervously and tried to avoid the faces of her sons.

"You all have to understand that there was nothing I could do and I tried anyway." The detective took out his note pad to jot down her confession but John stopped him.

"This is not an official statement, it's a family gathering. I don't know who you are but you have no right to jot anything down."

"I am a detective and.."

"I don't care if you are the bloody president, get your note pad back into your pocket and if you can't just listen, get out!"

Jonathan nodded at the detective to do as his brother said.