Montrose

“What is it Bob?” Sean asked. Bob stood up, walked over to his window, and began to speak. “About twenty - something years ago, I had an affair with a nurse who was taking care of mother when she became sick and bedridden. Her name was Nikki.

“She was very special to me. She was a very pretty girl, and we fell in love. This relationship continued for about two years, until my wife found out about it.

“She was devastated and went to my father - threatening to divorce me if I didn’t stop seeing Nikki. My father was disappointed, and forbade me to ever see her again.

“Nikki was a single parent and a very good mother to her two - year - old son. They lived with her parents.

“One day Nikki asked me for a $5,000 loan. She told me it was to pay off a high -interest loan her parents had made for home repairs.

“She was upset that day, and said someone name Lester Albright was threatening to take her parent’s house if they didn’t pay the loan up.

“I was leaving town the next day, and I told her I would take care of it when I got back. After I returned, my wife confronted me about the affair, and I learned my father had fired Nikki. I tried my best to get in touch with her - but I never could. She wouldn’t return my calls.

“I never saw her again, but I had heard she had started working for the same man that was trying to take her parents home. Three years later, my mother - who had been very fond of Nikki - called me to her bedside. She told me that Peggy, the nurse who had replaced Nikki, knew her, and said that Nikki had committed suicide.

“I was heartbroken and shocked with the news and so was my mother. She told me that Nikki had two children, and that she felt sorry for them. I told Mother she only had a son, but Peggy had informed her that Nikki had a two-year -old daughter also.

Bob’s voice softened, and with a painful look on his face, he said, “At that point I was even more confused, wondering if that child was mine. Mother, through instinct or intuition must have read my mind. She also had her suspicions. She told me that she had sent $1,000 for each child anonymously to the family, and suggested I leave it at that.

“Mother convinced me it would only create a scandal, and cause the family shame if I pursued it. You see, mother knew that we had been seeing each other but she never let on, I think deep in her heart, she was okay with it.”

“Bob was still standing and looking out of the window when Sean asked, “What was so shameful about finding out the truth? Didn’t you want to know if she was your daughter?”

Bob turned to Sean with a forlorn look on his face, he sighed and said, “Sean, Nikki was Black.”

Jade was in awe of what she had just heard. There were so many questions running through her mind, but she felt awkward and didn’t know if she should say anything.

She looked at Sean who looked straight ahead. Jade couldn’t feel him, but she knew he was in deep thought about what he had just heard.