CHAPTER 175: A MISSING PIECE

Donnie woke up the next morning and he was famished. If he could eat his slippers, he would’ve eaten them before he got out of bed. He got up and headed straight for the kitchen to cook.

Stephen was a little surprised to see Donnie back to his old self, cooking up a storm, happy humming and just in a fantastic mood. "Damn, if I knew this is what it would take to get you in a good mood, I would have had this Kevin character land his ship a whole lot sooner," Stephen thought to himself. "You getting laid definitely did the trick for you, old boy."

Constantine walked in the front door and was also surprised to see Donnie in the kitchen in such a good mood, but a good old vent stretching works wonders for the body.

There was a knock at the front door. Stephen figured it was the new man but was pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Zach. He showed him in and they walked to the kitchen, where Stephen put down a fresh cup of coffee for him.

"Well Mr. Zach, what brings you out this early in the morning, and especially on a Sunday morning?" Stephen asked.

"Stephen, have a seat. We need to talk, and it’s a good thing these two young men are here because what I have to tell you will definitely change your life," Mr. Zach replied seriously.

Stephen was suddenly nervous as he sat down. "Is everything okay, Mr. Z?"

"I might as well go ahead and just break the ice—we located your family."

Stephen turned pale. "You found my boys, sir?"

"Not quite, Stephen, but I want you to look at this catalog viewer, and it will definitely raise a lot of questions for you. But it might also give you closure as to how you ended up here." Zach paused, his expression grave. "There’s a story behind this viewer, and I’m afraid there’s only one person that can tell you everything. After you see the pictures, you will definitely need to meet him."

"This is a complete history in pictures of your family—your father, your dad, your brothers and your nephews and great-nephews are enclosed here in this electronic media." Zach’s voice grew softer. "This is also a love story of two people who, though from vastly different backgrounds, found each other, loved each other, experienced highs and lows. They raised children—one had a career while the other one stayed home, dutifully birthed children and waited for the love of his life to come home from the stars."

Zach purposely started the viewing loop at Walt’s photo; it was the third in line. The fourth in line was Walter the first born and his family, then Brayden and his family, followed by Christian and his family, David and his family, Earl and his family, Frankston and his family, Gregor and his family, Harold and his family, Jared and his family, Klarkson and his family, Lincoln with his family, Malachi with his family, Nordstrom with his family, followed by a baby picture. Under that photo was the name Stephen, and underneath it was written: "Lost to us but never forgotten. You will always be family no matter where you end up."

Stephen looked at Zach with wide eyes. "Are there any photos of the father?"

"Yes, Stephen, there are, but I want you to keep an open mind and remember what it says in the caption—’waited for the love of his life to come home from the stars.’" Zach handed him the device carefully. "This photo journal is the only thing your father has left of you, and if you look at the picture, you’ll notice the baby is wearing your necklace. I found out what the strange writing is on the backside. I knew I’d seen it before, but it didn’t click to run it through the translator."

"I found out your dad made all fourteen boys pendant-style necklaces—on one side, names written in English, on the opposite side, the symbols are in old text Genmen." Zach’s expression grew solemn. "I found out a lot about your family, but I don’t believe it’s my place, or anyone else’s place, to tell you your history. It’s only your father’s place. He’s here on the planet looking for you, as he has looked for you since the time that you disappeared. I want you to meet him here in your home, surrounded by your family that you have here on our world."

Stephen was blown away. He was nervous, sick to his stomach, and didn’t know what to do. He looked to Zach with desperate eyes. "What should I do? I’ve wanted to know this my entire life—who I am. Suddenly I’m terrified. The others in the photos look so much like me. In fact, the second young man could be my twin. Can I meet him, Sir?"

"You get your composure, get the baby ready, get yourself ready." Zach stood up with purpose. "Donnie’s going to finish out the breakfast meal and have it sitting here when I bring our guest in for a traditional style breakfast."

Zach then explained to him exactly what needed to be done so that his father would know without a doubt that it was his son that he was meeting.

Donnie was waiting when a knock came at the door, and he answered it. There stood Kevin. Kevin couldn’t control himself and leaned in and kissed Donnie. Through the crack in the bedroom door, Stephen saw it and realized that his best friend was in love with his father.

Donnie showed Kevin into the kitchen where he had set the table for breakfast. Everyone was waiting on him except for Stephen, who was waiting in the bedroom. Kevin took a seat and introduced himself to everyone, telling them exactly what he did for a living.

"My Uncle will be out in a few minutes," Chas spoke up. "He’s just a little shy around strangers, plus there’s the baby. He’s only four months old and who knows—he probably blew out another diaper in typical Genmen fashion."

Kevin laughed heartily. "Yep, that’s one thing they can do—eat and blow up diapers. But hey, you only get them once as a child."

Nobody let on anything as Stephen walked up behind Kevin and laid the tablet in front of him. Kevin went to say something when Stephen laid his necklace upon the tablet.

Kevin cautiously picked up the necklace with a shaking hand and turned it over. On the other side it said "Stephen." All the color drained from Kevin’s face; he could hardly breathe, much less move.

"Kevin, I want to introduce you to my best friend in this world," Donnie spoke up gently. "Without him, I don’t know what I would’ve done—Stephen Wooten. And if you turn around and look, you will see his newest son, Stephen Malcolm Wooten, who is only four months old but he’s a looker already."

Kevin shakily stood up and turned to his left. There was no doubt that the young man who stood behind him holding the baby was his missing son Stephen. He hugged him and the two of them began to cry.

"I don’t know about everybody else, but it’s breakfast time," Chas was the first one to speak up. "I’m starving. Uncle Steven, you need to have a seat next to your father and you can catch up with everything you need, but right now I’m starving so I’m eating."

Kevin shook his head with amazement. "If I didn’t know any better right now, I could swear that was my Frankston sitting right there getting ready to scarf down another meal."