Chapter XXVI Unkempt

The new normal

Now the present life that Mindy and Angeline were just beginning to enjoy, was showing them that the previous efforts to get afloat in their lives were lagging behind since the new normal, who was giving them the promise of the legacy of Thomas, their father.

In the case of Andrew, who knew the details of Thomas's personal diary, he valued being present as the main witness to help the sisters to unravel all the gaps that were occurring. Being on that island this brought him closer to the reality that the burly sailor Thomas lived in his glory days.

The stranger who appeared in the story, hidden son of the sailor Thomas, undoubtedly shares many of the facets that his complicated life manifested. Both Mindy and Angeline upon meeting him, even without knowing that he was his brother, discovered the truth clouded by time.

(end 5 minutes)

At the bank, Mindy's lawsuit exposed a plot of continued cheating in which some of her employees were involved. John being the primary investor because of his honesty he just wanted everything to be cleared up for everyone's benefit. Reviewing the file with the sailor's investments and assets, he found that the man had a good nose when selecting assets, its high present value being a blessing for his heirs who will become millionaires.

Even without being clear on all the assets that Mindy and her brothers have to recover, the legal advice that Peter had given her had been timely to unmask the lies that the condemned man had tried to carry out. A new challenge was presented to him, represented by the need to justify the paternal filiation with which the sailor Thomas had his children. As they are all products of their emotional and sentimental relationships with women from different places and countries, the legislation of each one of them could cloud the necessary research that must be carried out.

The laboratory

Finally John communicates the address of the laboratory for the genetic tests of the three brothers. Mindy upon receiving the call takes the details, contacts the laboratory for the appointment in which the three brothers have to present themselves at the same time. Already agreeing with Thomas, the boy from the travel agency, they met at the place, for them the situation presented strange as it was incredible that a simple blood test could mark the future of each of them.

They entered an aseptic room in which being placed on three seats, a laboratory technician approached them, asked them to stretch their arms and with needles with which they pricked their veins, extracted their red blood, placing them in three test tubes individual identified for each of them. After completing this phase, he cut each strand of hair, carefully placing it in a small box. The procedure of a duration of less than ten minutes, Andrew was waiting outside, who guessed that a somewhat macabre procedure had been followed.

When they saw him there with a worried face, they expressed their happiness saying that he did not have to be like this since they had successfully overcome the moment. After leaving there, the new brother took them back to the beautiful villa that he had leased them.

Two days passed without news of the results, a call to Mindy's cell phone with the voice of the head of the laboratory informed him of the results obtained, one of the issues that I express to him is that they had to carry out several checks since the genetic coincidence of the material of the three brothers yielded a 99.99% coincidence, concluding that the three are biological siblings of the same father. These results will be sent to the bank investor, of course keeping a certified copy for all three.

Mindy at the end of the call, shocked by the truth, called Angeline to tell her about the news, even Angeline only thought until that moment that she had been an adopted daughter of Thomas and not her true biological daughter, this led her to think that her mother and Thomas had known each other long before she was born and had romantic relationships because of Thomas's trips to the island where she lived. Angeline, feeling that she had been disappointed by that strange sailor who had been her father, began to cry inconsolably. Mindy, seeing her in this destroyed way, said to her:

"Leave the past in its place, good things will happen to us from now on, passing her hand through her hair gave him a kiss on the cheek"

Now Mindy called her biological brother Thomas, given the importance of the news, they agreed that they would see each other at the end of that afternoon.

The farm

Thomas went looking for his sisters and Andrew to take them out of town, they would visit a farm with cattle that produced milk and cheese for export. The landscape through which they were passing inspired confidence as their green meadows at the foot of the mountain served as a shield for passing clouds which led them to think that this represented the dream that one day they had to fulfill.

When they reached the farm at the entrance, an iron gate with an advertisement in which a flagship led them to perceive that even in that forgotten land the seafaring figure of their father was present. A colonial mansion awaited them, a pretty girl came to greet them and welcomed them cordially. They were immediately introduced to the factory where the milk is processed and the cheeses are made in which immense aluminum containers continually beat a whitish liquid, the mixture was pasteurized for preservation with a production line with bottles that received the milk. . In one of the sections, hoppers with the milky paste in steel molds, kept in a controlled environment for the maturing of the cheeses. From there he took them to the farm where the cows feed on grass relentlessly. On leaving the meadow there were scattered animals destined for meat consumption for sale.

Once the tour was over, a long table was waiting for them at the mansion where lunch was already arranged. After seeing all the attentions that Thomas gave them, already relaxed, Mindy extracted from her bag the certified report from the laboratory confirming that they were brothers. Hearing that news, he got up from his chair and went to hug his sisters, the atmosphere of reconciled for lost time led them to express confidence that everything was leading them on the road to victory.

Andrew, a witness of the moment, asked them to celebrate they had to take a photo by the fireplace in which a photo on the wall showed the memory of uniformed sailors standing next to a flagship. Once the moment was frozen in the photo, Mindy's curiosity led her to review in detail the photograph of the sailors, there all young people in their gala uniforms looked at the future with their adventurous gaze, paying more attention to the faces of each one, his surprise was great to know that in that group of sailors his father Thomas was also present, an involuntary scream came from his throat calling attention to his brothers. They then accompanied Angeline to the side of the painting that frozen in time marked the future of that moment on the farm.

On the way back, feeling brothers, they only had to take the documentation that Mindy had in her possession to meet with the bank's investor, who during those days was finishing the inventory of their father's assets in custody by the bank.

The bank

At the bank John was already waiting for them, his mind now rested for having clarified all the entanglement caused by the employees of his bank in which one of them was imprisoned for committing a scam. With the inventory of Thomas' assets in his possession, all that remained was to include confirmation of the family relationship between the children of Thomas. Together with Peter they had been reviewing all the pertinent legal aspects. That day, the first person he received in his office was Mindy's lawyer, Peter, with whom he now maintained a cordial friendship, they continued that day talking about sports and how the team sponsored by the bank had won the league. At a knock on the office door, John said "Go ahead", the three smiling brothers entered the office greeting them, so they then sat at the oval table that had a computer and a projection system in which John gave them a presentation detailing all of John's investments.

During his presentation he began to relate the dates on which the various investments were consigned by Thomas, the assets in which his investments were placed, their invested value, the current state of the assets and their present market value. When they heard it they were amazed since the numbers he was presenting came out of their understanding. One of the most interesting possessions was for them the farm that they had just visited which had a great value that also already had a purchase offer by a billionaire buyer. John finishing his exposition now said to them:

"It is pleasant to inform you that as of this moment, you have become millionaires, it only remains to hold an auction in which your possessions are liquidated to the highest bidder"

Peter reinforcing John's words, ratified the initial commitment he had made with Mindy and gave his approval to all the report John had presented to them.

The pub

Peter, feeling an important person for the achievements, invited them to share some beers in a pub near the bank. Upon entering there a gallery of photos of sailors and important people showed the glorious past of the island, one of them framed in a large picture welcomed them, Mindy upon seeing her suffered a slight faint since the identical photo to which she had At the entrance to his house he showed his father smiling, transferring his spirit to that moment, it seemed as if he had known in advance that his children would find gathered there.

Mindy, without a doubt tone said aloud:

"Brothers, there you have our father celebrating for our meeting, happy that all our differences are over,

I will never be unkempt anymore, since now I will have money to get ready at the hairdresser "

Everyone laughed at the occurrence of Mindy, Angeline sharing what was said in turn said:

"Your joke is like the ones that my father's friend Charles always told me"

Thomas then not to fall behind and pay tribute to his father said:

"Sisters I have always come to this pub and I have seen the frozen smile of what they said was my father, until today I had not found meaning, but when I saw her again next to you, I see that his purpose was to meet in this moment."

An atmosphere of cordiality was established between them, John being a businessman who knew he had acted on a successful path that would lead him to earn even more money. For his part, Peter was satisfied with the fact that his days as a second-row lawyer were over, now many people were requesting his legal aid services for which at that time he had a queue of people waiting to serve. Andrew, seeing that his friend Angeline already had his life resolved, allowed himself to hold her hand tenderly without her rejecting him, until now his efforts to go beyond friendship with her had failed, that slight squeeze now ratified him that she would be the woman with whom he would share the rest of his life.

Mindy and Thomas at one end of the table meanwhile discussed the seafaring anecdotes of the island in which the past of the island's pirates had marked their destiny ratified at that moment how proud they were to be children of Thomas, the sailor , the one who despite having abandoned them always remained vigilant.

While there, the owner of the pub, Sandy, approached them, asked them if they were being well attended to, since their lively conversation was giving a nice touch to their place, their laughter was now attracting people. As always, the man was attentive to the news on TV and read the headline page of the local newspaper daily, so he recognized Mindy, "the foreigner" and her lawyer Peter who had put behind bars their worst enemy who always had extorted. Seeing the importance of his diners, he sat down at the table, now he began to tell them everything he had suffered at the hands of that damn thief. John for his part as a representative of the bank assured him that his days of misery ended that day since now he will guarantee a substantial credit that would allow him to completely renovate the pub that would make it the most important place on the island.

After listening to John's offer, Sandy ordered the waiter to bring them an extra serving of beer accompanied by the house's special dish of roasted lobster and marinated steaks. Everyone happily celebrating the moment was thanking God for the new opportunity Thomas had given them by leaving a substantial legacy.

(the story continues)

© 2020, Felix Garcia P. All rights reserved

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