There was silence from the other end of the phone, and then her mother said, “After your parents died, the state couldn’t find any other living relatives. We thought maybe this gentleman was an old friend of the family, or a very distant cousin. He didn’t ever ask to see you again, so we didn’t think anything else of it.”
“If you want to look into it, we’ll do you everything we can to help,” her father added.
Jacqui almost cried. Her adoptive parents were so amazing.
“Thank you, both of you. I’m going to see what I can find out, but I’ll let you know if I need help.”
“Okay, sweetheart.”
“Hey, um, I know after all that, this next bit of news is going to seem like a bit of a shock.”
“Well, that’s a lead in. What is it, sweetie?”
“Khizar proposed last night and I said yes!” The excitement she’d felt the night before rushed back to her. “We’re getting married!”
“Oh, Jacqui. That’s wonderful.”
In her excitement, Jacqui missed the note of concern in her mother’s voice.
“No specific plans yet, but only because we haven’t had time to make any.”
“Why don’t you two come over for dinner again soon and you can tell us what you decide?”
“We’d love that. I’ll figure out a good time and let you know. I gotta go. Love you both!”
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”
Jacqui hung up the phone and thought some more. Her mother had remembered the stuffed bear the old man had given her, too. Alexander Bear, Jacqui suddenly thought. That was his name.
She still had the bear, of course. She’d made a promise, and even if she hadn’t known why, she’d kept it.
When she’d moved out of her parents’ house, Jacqui had carefully stored her childhood things until she had enough space to unpack all the boxes. She’d never had a chance to find a place to put them all, so everything was still stored away.
Wondering if she could find anything else out about William Bauer, Jacqui sat down at her desk and opened her computer. She did a search on “William Bauer” and found several stories that mentioned a Bauer diamond mine, along with an obituary for William Bauer.
Jacqui read over the obituary, noting that it didn’t mention any family members. She traced the computer screen, tears pricking her eyes for this man who didn’t seem to have any relatives. She knew what that felt like, and so regardless of their relation, Jacqui felt a kinship with him.
There were a few pictures of the mine—in Nudushan, as Khizar had said— and of William Bauer, one with an older story and one with the obituary. Jacqui studied the pictures. She thought he looked a little like her father, especially around the eyes and chin.
She had a few pictures of her parents, so she pulled an old photo album out of the bookshelf and looked through it until she found the one she wanted.
Jacqui held the photo next to the screen. The two men did look alike, even though her father was younger. Jacqui was almost sure that if he had lived to William’s age, her dad would look exactly like the older man.
It seemed likely that she and William Bauer could indeed be related. That was interesting, but it didn’t really matter except for the fact of knowing.
She didn’t know why he’d come to visit and give her the bear, but not tell her who he was. She could understand him not wanting to adopt her; that fact might have stung when she was younger, but this far removed, it made sense.
Jacqui didn’t understand why he hadn’t shared the fact that they were family. That hurt more than a little. They could have comforted each other, been each other’s family, even if she hadn’t lived with him.
But all he’d left her was the bear.
Unless…he had told her that the bear he gave her had a secret. And that she had to take care of him until that day came.
She’d kept Alexander Bear close until she left for culinary school, at which point she’d moved out of her parents’ house, putting things into storage. Including Alexander Bear. Which meant he was somewhere in her attic.
Maybe the secret had something to do with the mine? Jacqui hadn’t held Alexander Bear in a long time, but she remembered how heavy he was—far heavier than all her other stuffed animals.