The Covids - 18. A Large Brown Envelope

Breakfast in the Covid household had never been an organised sit down together event before the virus lockdown, and it was still not so, even with everybody at home all day. On this Monday morning Daniel was determined to deal with the matter of the document he found at his mother’s. He did not have any clients until the afternoon so he had the morning free. After Christine and Kevin went off to their rooms to study online, and Jenny was stacking the dishwasher, Daniel asked “Can you meet me in my office when you finish, there is something I have to show you.” As he had not given her a mothers’ day gift, she thought he might have something special he was saving to share with her privately.

As Jenny entered Daniel’s office he asked her to close the door. “What do you want to show me?” she asked excitedly.

“This” he said as he handed her a large brown envelope.

“What is it Dan?”

“Open it and see for yourself.”

Jenny slowly extracted the document, looked briefly at it and went ashen faced. “Oh my God Dan, where did you get this?”

“From Mum’s”

“She gave this to you? She promised she would never ....” Daniel interrupted,

“No, I found it myself, when I was cleaning out the flat. She doesn’t even know I have it. I wanted to talk to you about it first.”

“OK what do you want to know?”

“Lots, but firstly is it true?”

Jenny swallowed deeply before answering “Yes Dan, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. It was never my intention to hurt you.”

“Was it ever your intention to tell me?”

“No, your Mum and Dad said they would always keep the secret until, if ever, I decided to tell you.”

“But you clearly decided not to tell me.”

“I’m sorry Dan,”

“Why was this document at my parents’ home and why were they even involved?”

“It was your mother who first got it out of me and your father who decided that we needed this document.”

“I don’t understand how...”

“Dan you’ve got to understand that it was a difficult time for me.”

“I’m sure it was, carrying another man’s child.”

“Not that; it was difficult before that happened. It was when you were studying for your doctorate. You were working full time, studying and being a good father. The only thing you didn’t have time for, was to be a good husband.”

“What do you mean, I have always been good to you and the children, we have lived well and had all we needed.”

“No Dan, I didn’t always have all I needed, especially then. When you were so busy, you neglected my needs as a woman and when an opportunity came along I was too weak to resist... No, that’s not exactly how it was.”

“Tell me, how was it?”

“I think subconsciously I was looking for it because we seemed to be growing apart, I certainly did not see myself high on your priority list.”

“So you’re trying to make it my fault that you had an affair?”

“I’m not trying to apportion blame Dan. I’m just trying to be honest and tell you how I felt at the time.”

“So how did you become involved with this Anthony Rossetti?”

“He was a waiter at Mario’s restaurant in those days. In fact he was Mario’s nephew and lived in the flat above the restaurant. That way he could take early deliveries before the restaurant opened and at night he waited tables.”

“Oh, how very convenient to have your love nest so close to work.”

“I suppose it was.”

“What you admit it?”

“It was what it was Dan.”

“And how long did this last?”

“About two months and when I got pregnant we ended it.”

“OK, so how did Mum and Dad become involved?”

“You might remember that I used to take the kids over to your parents’ house a lot. The idea was to give you free time to study without the kids around and of course your parents loved having them there so much.”

“And did they baby-sit when you and this man....”

“Sometimes.”

“But that doesn’t explain how they came to have this document.”

When I became pregnant, I was naturally stressed and depressed and the signs were obvious to those that chose to notice. Your mother slipped back into detective mode, as she is want to do sometimes, and got it out of me. She’s always had a nose for sniffing out trouble.”

“But Mum left the force when she was carrying me and never returned.”

“Maybe, but once a cop always a cop, I think. Anyway, whether it was cop instinct or motherly instinct, she sussed out that I was pregnant and wondered why you hadn’t told her. It was then that I confided in her; not that I had much option at that point. It’s also why I delayed telling you I was pregnant.”

“But you said you delayed telling me because you did not feel well and feared you might abort.”

It’s true I was unwell, but not physically.”

“OK so my mum works out you are pregnant, she knows I don’t know, so why didn’t she just tell me and let us work it out?”

“Daniel Covid, I don’t think you realise just how much your parents love you and that, as an only child, your happiness is their primary concern.”

“Well despite that I’m not too happy now, so how well did that go?”

“It went very well for 18 years, and if you hadn’t been snooping around in your father’s old papers you might still be happy.”

“I see, so it’s my fault again.”

“What do you think?”

“I’m not the one who had an affair, got pregnant to another man and dragooned my parents into keeping it all hushed up.”

“They were not dragooned. In fact it was their idea to keep it secret and your father drafted this document to ensure it would remain so.”

“Dad drafted this?”

“Yes of course. Look at the name of the witness. It was one of the last documents he executed before he sold his legal practice and retired. Of course he wasn’t sure it would stand up in court if ever contested, but Anthony didn’t know that and the ten thousand dollars certainly managed to convince him so.”

“Where did you get ten thousand dollars to buy him off?”

“Your parents stumped up the cash. That’s how much they cared about your happiness, so don’t be hard on them, especially your mother now she’s alone.”

“So, according to the document this man, in exchange for money, gave up all current and future claims to his unborn child and was happy with that arrangement.”

“I’m not sure how happy he was, because you father handled all that side of it. He had Anthony sign the document, then got Mario to arrange for Anthony to go interstate and never return. Your father bought the ticket, took Anthony to the airport and handed him the cash as he was about to board a plane.”

“Have you ever heard from him since?”

“Of course not, that’s the terms of the contract. Mario arranged a job for Anthony at a cousin’s restaurant in Perth. Then your father; and this still amuses me when I think of it; let it be known that if he ever returned or made any contact with our family then he would suffer physically for that breach.”

“You mean Dad knew hitmen?”

“I doubt it very much, but you know how serious and convincing he could be when he wanted to be.”

“Oh, I know. Growing up with two interrogators for parents is it any wonder I was drawn to psychology.”

“You mean the softly-softly form of interrogation?” Daniel chuckled, smiled at his wife and said “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know. We’ll have to talk more about it and consider the consequences of whatever action we might take.”

“There’s one thing I know for sure Jen, and that is how Kevin would react.”

“Do you think he will love you less? You are the only father he has known and any child’s father is not necessarily the man who provided the fertiliser. It is the man who got up in the middle of the night to nurse him back to sleep when he was teething. It is the man who worked hard to clothe, feed, house and educate him, the man who puts up with his tantrums but still loves him.”

“No Jen, it’s none of those things. It’s what he’ll say when he realises he’s not really a Covid, despite what his birth certificate says.” They both laughed heartily, hugged and Jenny said “Bugger! I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Oh that’s another thing I think we should discuss about Kevin.”

“What?”