Lost Soul - John/Christian - 5. Part 5

His knees were getting damp, kneeling on the wet grass, he was sure that there would be mud patches when he stood, but Christian did not care as he stared at the headstone made of marble in front of him. He read the inscription that bore the names of his birth parents, their dates of birth, followed by the date of death. Below that, the words read, 'Gone but forgotten. You will live on in my heart. Love John.'

Christian was now eighteen, school was over, and attending University was in his immediate future. Although visits to his birth parent's grave had become fewer, he never forgot them, and his love for them was still as strong as when he was a child. Over the years, Christian told them of his new parents and his new name after the adoption. He told how they loved and cared for him, even when he came out to them. Time may have made his loss easier to bear, but the tears still stung his eyes, and he still got that knot in his stomach along with the lump in his throat. As he rose and glanced around the cemetery, he had only one thought, 'I hope I can make my parents proud of me, all of them.'

When Christian turned toward the cemetery gates, he spotted his 'Uncles', Michael and young Edward. They weren't his real uncles but good friends of his father and his Uncle John. Raising his hand to wave, they spotted him and made their way over with smiling faces.

“Hi, Uncle Michael, Uncle Edward. I didn't expect to see you.”

“Hello, we didn't expect to see you either. Oh dear, judging by your appearance, it's been an emotional visit.” Michael had a quiet, sympathetic tone as he spoke.

“Yes, it's always emotional visiting my birth parents. They still have a special place in my heart.”

“They always will, the same as Edward does in mine. We never forget the people we love. Would you like to come with us? I'm here to share some good news with Edward that I'd be happy to share with you too.”

They walked over to the last resting place of Edward Langford, Michael's late partner, and chatted about Christian's plans for University. Uncertain of what career to follow, he planned to study social sciences and business management, but that could change if a particular career path appealed.

Arriving at Edward's graveside, Michael knelt, and young Edward and Christian joined him. Young Edward smiled, and Christian was surprised as Michael told of his good fortune of winning the lottery. Tears streaked Michael's face as he told of his plans to fulfil Edward's dream of opening a home for teenagers discarded by their families. When they rose, they headed for Christian's home to meet Phillip and Emily. Christian suggested they ask his father for financial advice to achieve the dream.

In the years that passed, Christian studied hard, gaining several Diploma's. At graduation Phillip and Emily were there to celebrate with their son, accompanied by John and Ethel Watson and young Edward and his family. Unfortunately, his Uncle Michael had passed away.

The celebrations preceded Christian, taking a holiday in Canada with his 'friend' Simon. There they spent some days in Stanley Park, followed by nights out in the Davey Street area of Vancouver. Then they decided to take in some of the natural beauty of surrounding British Columbia. Driving along the Sea to Sky Highway, Highway 99, they passed through Pemberton stopping to take in a farmers market and spend some time horse riding. They stayed the night in a motel before moving on to Squamish, where they stopped to ride on the Sea to Sky gondola. The views from the top were breathtaking. The next stop was Whistler, where they stayed overnight. The morning after, they went on a guided trail tour, hoping to see some bears. They did get some pictures of bears and their cubs in the wild after being told to remain calm and quiet and not get too close to be safe.

The trip was going great. The intention was to head further north. They wanted to meet some First Nations People and learn about them and how they had been treated over the years. The next morning, as the saying goes, 'the other boot came down.' Christian had a call from his father asking him to return home immediately. He was not told why, but he knew it must be important.

Simon did most of the driving to get back to Vancouver as quickly as possible. On arriving at the airport, he was told that the earliest possible flight was the next day. There was one seat left in business class. Christian usually would travel economy so as not to spend unnecessarily, but this was important, so he paid for the ticket using the credit card given to him for emergencies. It was planned for Simon to follow on the next available flight. However, after a chance meeting in a bar, Simon stayed on till the end of summer.

When Christian arrived home, the sight of his father shocked him. In a short period of time, he had aged twenty years, so he knew the news was not good. He discovered that his mother had been having dizzy spells for some time, which she hid from those around her. The last dizzy spell had caused her to collapse while out with friends. Naturally, they called an ambulance before calling Phillip. Blood tests and scans were done to discover what caused her to collapse. Several tumours had been found in her brain, which caused pressure resulting in dizzy spells and subsequent collapse. The cancer was too far advanced for any treatment.

The following two months were hard for Christian. All he could do was watch as his mother's condition deteriorated and his father sank further into despair. Christian knew nothing of how to run his father's business and knew that his father was in no shape to run it himself. This led him to convince his father to promote his two most senior staff and leave running the business to them for the time being. They had a good income from the business and ample reserves from savings and investments, which meant they had no financial worries.

Christian needed his 'friend', his lover, by his side and tried to contact Simon several times. Each time his call was forwarded to an answering service. Simon was too busy leading the high life using a credit card that Christian had left with him. He had distractions of his own, bedding any available man he met in Vancouver. Realising that Simon was ignoring him, he made the painful decision to block the card from further use.

On the morning of October fifth, Christian and his father went to Christy's Hospital in Manchester. They were told that Emily's condition was deteriorating fast. They gave her no more than a few days. In the early hours of October seventh, Emily passed away. Phillip was inconsolable, and Christian was not much better, but he tried to remain strong for his father. He called the only people he felt he could turn to, his ex-foster parents, Uncle John and Aunt Ethel. Along with his childhood crush and friend Christian, they came to the hospital to give support and helped to arrange the funeral of Emily Edwards. Christian was now running Watson's funeral business and gave Emily the 'send off' that befitted a kind, loving and gentle wife and mother.

The morning after the funeral, Christian sat at the kitchen table with a strong, black coffee and breakfast in front of him. It was not being eaten. He was pushing it about the plate using his fork. When the front doorbell rang, it made Christian jump, he got up to open the door, but his aunt Ethel, who had stayed overnight, told him to sit back down and went to the door instead. Christian could hear what sounded like scuffling and shouting near the front door. Quickly he went to look down the stairs what he saw turned his stomach.

Looking dirty, ill, weak, feeble and older than his years, Simon was trying to push past his aunt. “Simon, what do you want?”

“Christian, I'm so sorry it took me so long to get home. I was delayed in Vancouver. By the time I managed to get a flight, you had cut off the card, so it took me longer to get back. I need you, Christian, I love you, and you need me to help you with your loss.”

Christian almost weakened, only almost. “No, Simon. It's not me you need or love. It's the money you think I have. I must have been a fool not to see it before, but the credit card statement tells me what you spent my money on. I now know the truth.” Christian's anger rose as he ran down the stairs. “Get your sick, filthy, stinking ass out of here and stay away from me and my family, or so help me.....”

“They are not your family. They are the people who took in a lost, orphaned waif. You're nothing without them. You're nothing without me. YOU'RE NOTHING.” Simon was now showing his true colours.

At that point, four men came running from the office below the apartment. They dragged Simon, kicking and screaming, to the next street. On seeing a police officer, they dumped him on the ground in front of him and reported Simon for attempted illegal entry, causing a disturbance and behaving in a threatening and violent manner causing their employer's son to fear for his safety.

Simon was arrested and taken to the police station. He was later released without charge, but Simon was warned, if he went anywhere near Christian, they would arrest him, and make sure he went to prison.