Chapter 28
28
SKYE
Skye walked with Joe, unsure how her shaky legs were managing to carry her along Le Boulevard to meet his work colleague Bruno and his father. She still couldn’t quite get her head around the fact that the man she was about to meet might know her father. It had occurred to her that he could even be the man in the photo and the one Sandra had told her about. But more than likely this Mr Ferreira would turn out to be a different Mr Ferreira. But what if the man she was about to meet was her father? How would she react if he was the man who had been in love with her mother and such a huge part of Annie’s life? Even if their relationship had only lasted several months, Skye believed after seeing the photo of Carlos and Annie together on the beach that at least some of those months had made her mum very happy, and for that she was also happy.
‘We’re here,’ Joe said, stopping at the entrance to the café. ‘How are you doing?’
She tried to steady her breathing, aware it was shallow and she was giving in to her panic.
Joe took her hands in his. ‘Take a long slow deep breath,’ he soothed, looking deep into her eyes.
Aware she needed to calm down before entering the café, Skye focused on gazing up at Joe and did exactly as he suggested, feeling instantly calmer.
‘That’s better. Now, don’t forget they are here to meet you, that’s all. No one is judging you, or your mum and this is bound to be unusual for them as well as you.’
He was right and the reminder calmed her further. ‘They’re probably just excited to be helping me by offering whatever information they might have about the man I’m looking for,’ Skye suggested.
‘Exactly,’ Joe agreed. ‘After all, I’m sure people don’t often meet up looking for help finding a long-lost father.’
‘I wish I wasn’t so nervous though.’
‘You’ll be fine, I promise.’
Soothed by Joe’s reassurance, Skye pushed back her shoulders, wanting to get on with what they were here to do. ‘Take no notice of me, Joe. I’ll be fine, but you go in first.’
Of course she would be, she told herself as she followed Joe into the pleasant café, its wooden floors and pale blue panelled walls welcoming them.
Joe stopped and Skye stood next to him, scanning the busy room. She was glad it was relatively noisy and that others wouldn’t be interested in listening to their conversation once it got going. In an island of this size she imagined many people knew each other and Skye didn’t like to think news of her situation might circulate without her being aware.
‘There they are,’ Joe whispered, raising his hand in a wave before striding over to a table where two men sat chatting.
Bruno stood and smiled briefly at Joe as they made their way past the tables. Then his attention turned to Skye. She pictured the man in the photo with her mother. The resemblance to him and this guy was incredible and she was almost giddy with shock and excitement that she was eye to eye with the man she now realised could be her own brother. It was a strange sensation and her heart raced so rapidly for a moment she thought she might pass out. She had grown up believing she was an only child. It seemed that she might have a sibling after all.
Bruno’s face broke into a smile. ‘Skye?’ She nodded, unable to speak. He stepped forward to embrace Joe briefly, then turned to Skye. ‘I’m Bruno and this is my father, Carlos. It is good to meet you.’
‘Lovely to meet you, too,’ Skye said, finally able to find her voice.
She watched as Bruno stepped aside to reveal his father. ‘Dad, this is my friend, Joe from work.’ He waited for them to shake hands. ‘And this is Skye, the lady I asked you to come and meet. As you know, she’s looking for information to trace her father.’
Skye’s eyes met Carlos’s and it was as if the rest of the world vanished. Gazing into his dark brown eyes was like staring into a mirror and she knew without any doubt at all that this man was her father. She was barely conscious of any sound, or even of her own breathing as she tried to take in every detail of his face. It was a kind face and still recognisable from the one in the photo Sandra had shown to her.
‘Skye?’
Hearing Joe’s voice as if from far away, she eventually managed to force her eyes in his direction. ‘Yes?’
He gave a nod and she realised Carlos was waiting for her to shake his hand.
‘It is delightful to meet you,’ the older man said, staring at her as if he was as mesmerised as her.
Does he recognise himself in me? she wondered, wishing she could gather herself a little better.
‘Sit here,’ Joe was saying, his hands lightly on her upper arms as he steered her to a chair.
Skye sat automatically, unable to think what to say. She was vaguely aware of Bruno saying something then felt Joe’s hand take hers under the table and give it a gentle squeeze. She glanced up at him and remembered to concentrate on her breathing and to be calm.
Able to focus again, she listened as Bruno explained how fascinated he had been when Joe had told her about Skye looking for her father on the island. ‘I remembered Dad talking about working at the Sunshine Springs Hotel many times and even recall going there a few times for an ice cream. It’s a shame it closed down a few years ago.’
Skye thought about Sandra saying she and Annie had worked at the Bel Amie Hotel. She knew she should mention it.
‘We met with Paul’s mother, Sandra, the other day and she told me that she and my mother, Annie, worked together at the Bel Amie Hotel.’
Unsure how Carlos might react, she was taken aback when his eyes widened, and he covered his mouth with his hands.
‘Dad? Are you all right?’ Bruno rested a hand on his father’s shoulder. ‘What’s the matter?’
Carlos took a deep breath and, looking at Skye, said, ‘You say your mother’s name was Annie?’
‘That’s right.’ He remembered her mum, Skye thought, relieved.
‘And that she was close friends with a girl named Sandra?’
‘That’s right,’ Joe said, still keeping hold of Skye’s hand.
She could barely breathe, sensing this was something momentous for her and Carlos.
Carlos raised both hands slightly and shook his head, giving a shocked laugh. ‘I remember them both well.’ He seemed to be struggling to remain calm.
He rested his hands on the table and took a deep breath. ‘I did work at the Sunshine Springs for three years,’ he said, without taking his eyes from hers, ‘but before then I worked for one season at the Bel Amie Hotel.’
Skye’s heart raced as he spoke, not daring to interrupt him.
Carlos’s gaze shifted down to his hands.
‘It’s fine, Dad,’ she heard Bruno say, his voice quieter than before. ‘I’m ready to hear anything you have to tell us.’
Skye pressed her lips together, not daring to make a sound as the realisation of who she could be to them dawned on Bruno, and his father realised he was about to share some of his past his son clearly hadn’t known about.
She watched as Carlos looked from his son to her and seemed to brace himself. ‘The reason I left the Bel Amie was due to a relationship that ended badly.’ He appeared to struggle to retain his emotion briefly before continuing. ‘The lady in question’s name was Annie.’ He looked at Skye but she didn’t dare speak. ‘Her best friend was Sandra,’ he added, his voice quieter and his hands clasped together. ‘There was a…’ he hesitated ‘…misunderstanding. Annie left without saying goodbye.’
Carlos stared silently at Skye, the misery still clear in his eyes. There was something else, she realised, unable to decipher what it might be. Recalling seeing a similar look in her mother’s eyes over the years, Skye realised it was regret. Feeling sorry for Carlos now and the young man he had once been and how much she must have suffered such a deep and lasting pain, Skye said, ‘You’re not the only one Mum did that to,’ she admitted, wishing she didn’t feel like a traitor saying it.
Carlos cast his eyes downward again. ‘I’m sure she had her reasons for doing so.’ Wincing, he looked Skye in the eyes once again, embarrassed. ‘For leaving me, I mean, not you.’
She smiled to show she understood and hadn’t taken his words out of context. ‘Please, carry on with what you were saying.’
‘I admit I struggled to come to terms with her going like she did. It affected me for many years afterwards.’
It clearly still did, she mused, miserably. How much lasting damage had her mother’s decisions left on him, herself and even her grandmother? Skye wondered. She realised he was staring at her and sensed he was building up to ask her something.
‘Please, ask me anything,’ Skye said, willing him to share what was on his mind.
Carlos looked at his son. ‘Go on, Pop. I’m happy to hear anything there is about you.’
Carlos sat up a little straighter. ‘May I ask when you were born?’
‘Of course.’ She told him her date of birth and watched as he mentally calculated back nine months. Skye watched as he registered what she already suspected and stared at her as no doubt what the consequences of what happened between himself and her mother meant to Carlos, Bruno and no doubt the rest of their family. And to her.
‘I believe I must be your father,’ he whispered, covering his mouth with one hand while reaching for Bruno’s with the other. Skye watched as Bruno, who she realised had also been staring at her, spotted his father’s hand searching for his and quickly took it in his own.
Bruno was the first to react. ‘It seems so, Dad.’ His face was expressionless for a few seconds and Skye wondered what his next reaction might be despite his bravado before, insisting he was ready to hear anything his father had to share.
Bruno’s gaze moved to Joe. ‘Well, mate, when you mentioned your friend was looking for her father, I’m not sure why but it never occurred to me that it would be mine.’
Skye felt Joe’s fingers twitch slightly before he spoke. ‘I probably should have thought this out a bit better,’ he said apologetically.
Bruno shook his head. ‘How were you to know?’ He turned his attention back to Skye. ‘It seems likely that you’re my big sister.’
Breathless with shock, even though she had half expected this to be the result of their meeting, Skye swallowed. ‘It does, doesn’t it?’
As if they had shared the same thought, Skye moved her gaze from her half-brother to her father. ‘This must be a big shock for you, er, Carlos,’ she said, wondering why she was asking such a silly question. Of course it was. ‘How do you feel about it?’
He rubbed his face with his hands and didn’t reply immediately. ‘I’m shocked. Stunned. Happy to know I have a daughter.’ He grinned. ‘You have two more brothers to meet, but I shall leave that up to Bruno and Joe to arrange if I may.’
‘Of course, Dad.’
Carlos reached out to take Skye’s hand. ‘Mostly I think I’m sad to have not been able to share any of this with Annie. Or to have missed so many years of your life.’
The depth of the sorrow in his voice threatened to make her cry, but aware she needed to lead this conversation in some way and keep it as the happy reunion she wanted to memorise and share with Gran, Skye forced herself to stay calm.
‘We have missed a lot,’ she said as his fingers held on to hers. ‘But we have time, thankfully, to make up for some of those lost years.’
‘No time to waste, though,’ Bruno said.
Fearing she was about to be told she would soon be losing her second parent so soon after meeting him, Skye forgot to hide her shock. ‘Why? What’s happened?’
Bruno gave her an apologetic look. ‘Sorry, I just meant?—’
‘What Bruno is trying to say,’ Carlos interrupted, ‘is that I suffered a heart attack last summer.’ Skye’s heart ached to hear such a thing. Carlos raised his hand. ‘It’s fine. I’ve needed to change my diet, take up a bit of exercise and get used to taking pills, but if I take care of myself there’s no reason why I can’t live for many years yet.’ He smiled. ‘We will have time to get to know each other, I promise you.’
‘I can’t tell you how happy that makes me,’ she said truthfully.
‘And me. I have many questions to ask you about your life. About dear Annie.’
‘Maybe we should arrange to meet up with Sandra when she’s back from her mini break,’ Skye suggested, liking the idea of learning about her mother’s earlier life from the pair who seemed to know her so well.
‘I’d like that idea very much.’ He patted her hand. ‘May I hug you?’
Skye couldn’t think of anything she would like better. She stood. ‘Of course you can.’
They walked around the table to each other. She stepped into Carlos’s open arms, trying to take in the unusual sensation of being held by the man who was her father. Committing every sense to memory, Skye didn’t think she could ever find the words to share how this felt with anyone.
Skye wished she knew whether he was married to Bruno’s and the other boys’ mother. Where did he work? What had his life been like for the past twenty-plus years? She knew so little about this man they all now assumed was her father and she had so many questions she needed to ask him, but now wasn’t the time. All she needed to do right now was make the most of this first time with him and hope that there would soon be another opportunity to sit with him and find the answers to all the questions racing through her mind.
‘Thank you for finding me, Skye,’ he whispered as he hugged her.
Skye’s throat tightened with emotion.
They let go of each other and moved slightly back.
‘We will meet again very soon,’ Carlos insisted. ‘I’m sure you have many things you want to know about me as I do about you.’
Skye sighed. ‘So many.’ She laughed.
Joe stepped forward. ‘Bruno and I can liaise with each other and sort something out for you both if you like?’
‘Sounds good to me,’ Carlos agreed.